Challenge: Precision Landing

[DrZaius]

Hello fellow Kerbonauts,

As our budding space program grows, we will need to increase the precision of our landings. So far, we have used the Kerbal Space Center as a target, but that is not enough.

Challenge:

Take off, complete 1 full orbit, and then land on the Island of Kersica, approximately 50 kilometers northeast of the KSC.

Reasoning: While landing near the KSC requires precision timing, it does not require changing your orientation; you simply head east until you circle around. Landing someplace off the main axes should add a degree of difficulty. Additionally, the Island of Kersica is quite small, relatively flat and surrounded by water so if you miss your brave Kerbonauts should survive for another mission.

Rules:

Stock parts only for now. They should be more than sufficient for this challenge, it is more about precision piloting than the ship itself.

Have at it!

[DoctorEvo]

If you launch on the right heading, this becomes just as easy as landing at/near KSC.

Perhaps you might want to specify a launch direction to make it more challenging.

[boolybooly]

69° to be precise, I just landed within the islands reagion but it is a little achipelago and while I landed more or less in the middle I hit water, just another splashdown.

But to orient that precisely at take off was definitely a challenge and it forced me to switch pitch axis controls so I could actually control the vehicle manually, which I did manage, with a stable design and a few extra booster sets to give me a little bit more leeway.

[Rocket Surgeon]

I'd say the trickier thing to do would be a Hohmann transfer from orbit to the surface. I tried this for the first time yesterday. Retro'ed at 300k just passing 180 degrees from the pad, passed over the pad just entering atmo and splashed down in the sea (I think most people's typical aiming zone) to the east. Not within visual range of the pad. I went a bit long, but acceptable. I thought the added challenge of the precise timing, as well as thrusting needed to hit a target area 30 minutes of flight time away with just one course change would be nifty.

[boolybooly]

LOL well default reentry manoevure is a lot like a Hohmann transfer.

I like low quick orbits and smaller stacks pushing a single tank liquid fuel reentry stage and usually have zero fuel left after retro burn and have to rely on atmospheric drag on reentry to slow down over the target so timing final burn is critical and it all depends on that. There would never be enough left to move a significant distance in the atmosphere.

Timing the final decouple matters a bit but its orientation seems to make little difference to capsule trajectory. Chute deployment adds drag but its really only a few meters worth as it only seems to deploy when the capsule has already slowed down enough to drop near vertically.

[Rocket Surgeon]

LOL well default reentry manoevure is a lot like a Hohmann transfer.

..And that would be why I suggested it.