Jost Kerpollo run

[jost]

Since my newest project in career mode is paused until release of Breaking ground dlc  i starts a Kerpollo run in a new science safe: 
Paused Career project:

Link to Kerpollo challenge thread: 

Before starting a new game I installed a fresh KSP 1.7. to a new folder and  installed some mods for convenience in mission planning and engineering:

[x] Science! Continued (xScienceContinued 5.22)
AntennaHelper (AntennaHelper 1.0.6)
ClickThrough Blocker (ClickThroughBlocker 0.1.7.1)
Kerbal Alarm Clock (KerbalAlarmClock v3.10.0.0)
Kerbal Engineer Redux (KerbalEngineerRedux 1.1.6.0)
MechJeb2 (MechJeb 2.8.3.0)
Module Manager (ModuleManager 4.0.2)
Precise Node (PreciseNode 1.2.10.2)
Toolbar (Toolbar 1.7.17.15)
Toolbar Controller (ToolbarController 1:0.1.6.20)
Transfer Window Planner (TransferWindowPlanner v1.6.3.0)
TriggerAu Flags (TriggerAu-Flags v2.9.3.0)

After this preperations I started a new science game and did the usual rolling around the KSC. Finally I ended with a rocket to bring Jeb and Bob to space: 
https://imgur.com/a/27UPAvz 

Next goal: Go for mun or minmus, maybe combined with solar science

Edited May 30, 2019 by jost
Updated mod list, added MechJeb and AntennaHelper

[Superfluous J]

yay a new entrant to Kerpollo! Looking forward to following this

Edited May 26, 2019 by 5thHorseman

[jost]

The Munpollo turned out to be harder than expected for several reasons:

• The first try (a modified wostok) could land on the mun but not return to orbit or Kerbin. A later rocket landed on mun but coudn't return to kerbin from mun orbit, since an inclincation change for polar orbit used all fuel reserves. Thanks to quicksafe and revert I ended with a somehow working design. It still had it's flaws, e.G. the heatshield was placed above the material bay. So the bay got toasted and coudn't be used for kerbin science after splashdown.
• In my carreer I do most landings with MechJeb because I like designing rockets but not so much flying them At the moment MechJebs nodes are still unresearched. It was a nice challenge to do it manually again 
• No ladders avaliable, returning to the lander via RCS proved to be tricky

In the end I ended with less science than possible, because I lost the material bay during reentry and ended in a water biome (which I already mined in my Kerpollo launch), but still a lot of science. Most important: I unlocked solar panels, Minmus we come

Imgur album: https://imgur.com/a/R3DQq9O

[Superfluous J]

Well done! I like the moar boosters approach. That must have been a fun launch

9 hours ago, jost said:

inclincation change for polar orbit used all fuel reserves

You can actually get back to Kerbin from a polar orbit without a plane change, if you wait for your ejection burn (which will happen as you near a pole) to send you backward over the pole and out Mun's orbit retrograde. It's the same burn you do equatorially, just timed so when you eject, you're heading backward instead of forward or out at some crazy angle.

[jost]

16 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

Well done! I like the moar boosters approach. That must have been a fun launch

You can actually get back to Kerbin from a polar orbit without a plane change, if you wait for your ejection burn (which will happen as you near a pole) to send you backward over the pole and out Mun's orbit retrograde. It's the same burn you do equatorially, just timed so when you eject, you're heading backward instead of forward or out at some crazy angle.

Well the problem wasn't at the ejection but after mun insertion. I endet with a normal orbit of around 0-10 °. So i burned to get a more polar orbit. It worked somehow but afterward I could land on mun but not return to kerbin. My minmus mission today was also kind of successful failure: Everything worked fine (even a polar minmus orbit without wasting to much fuel). Then returned in a kind of polar kerbin orbit. Tried to hit icecaps biome, ended in lowlands (still ok, still need material bay science). Then landed and toasted the lander can including Bob ): 
Ok, should have packed more parachutes so screw this and start all over again. After deleting the screenshots I had an idea: It should work if I don't jetison the fuel tank and 909 engine during kerbin reentry so they can be used for lithobraking. It worked actually but I can't post it here, since some moron (me)  already deleted all the screenshots before trying this stunt.  

So back to the drawing board...

[jost]

Just finished my second Minpullo try. This time Bob survived and I didn't deleted the screenshots
https://imgur.com/a/30D67M1

This will be the last mission without docking ports. Next mission will propably be Dres or Moho depending on the needed antenna power. I installed AntennaHelper mod to help me with the deisgn: 

 
I have now a question concerning Breaking ground: I plan to purchase it as soon as possible because of the surface features. I don't want to use the new science parts since I think that this would be a violation of the challenge rules (no free science through labs or mods). But I would love to explore the Moho ridge or Dres stones

Is this ok @5thHorseman ?

[Superfluous J]

4 hours ago, jost said:

Breaking ground

Oh wow I never thought of that.my gut says no new science parts though the rest of the DLC is ok. So you can visit the places but don't analyze them or deploy science parts.

Seem a good compromise?

[jost]

1 hour ago, 5thHorseman said:

Oh wow I never thought of that.my gut says no new science parts though the rest of the DLC is ok. So you can visit the places but don't analyze them or deploy science parts.

Seem a good compromise?

Yes, thank you That's exactly what I wanted. Will need to hack my safefile first though: 

 

[jost]

Dres Kerpollo finished

Enough science for completion of current tier but not enough for new science parts or nukes, narf. 
Since it would be a waste to go for Duna and ike without new ones next mission will be Eeeloo or Moho.
 

josts Dres Kerpollo

[Superfluous J]

On 6/2/2019 at 1:49 PM, jost said:

Dres Kerpollo finished

Don't worry I've not forgotten you. I've just been crazy busy and then also there's this little DLC thing that's been keeping me occupied .

I got the leaderboard all updated and added the No Breaking Ground Science rule.

Edited June 4, 2019 by 5thHorseman

[jost]

Launched for Moho, went to Eeloo instead:
 

Seriously: Even Kerbals are not that craczy to sent their kerbonauts to outer planets without working communications?!?

So I thought it would be more sensible to go to Moho first. To bad:   I coudn't find a good transfer window (neither for hohman nor bieleptical transfer or Eve gravity assist), so I cringed hard and went to Eeloo instead: 
https://imgur.com/a/jnjnwK8 

[GRS]

@jost Nice plannings dude...here's a Tip for Moho...

1. Get to One of the 2 Inclination Intersects (All Planets have 2, I recommend Getting the Lower one for Oberth Efficiency, then try diving deeper with Eve Assist if you want more Science from Space Near Kerbol).

2. Get your Moho Periapsis as close as you can, 30 Km should be safe, yet you're fine to reduce it, this gives more Oberth Efficiency too.

3. Time your Burn, again...Oberth Efficiency, better Split into 2 Burns, 1 To Capture and 1 To Get Stable Orbit (Except if The Lander Can get from an Elliptical SOI Edge Orbit and Back to High Parked Mothership in it's own Power)

At Least you're not insane enough to send Someone who can't set Maneuvers alone in Your Landers 

Edited June 18, 2019 by GRS

[GRS]

You also have more Potential than me in Science, Tech Level Shouldn't be too much of a Problem for you, but you REALLY need to grab some Efficient Space Engines to Reduce Your Craft Size, my Dunpollo was still below 2000 Tons despite quite Low Tech Level, You should be able to make a Smaller one with your Tech 

[jost]

Dunapollo finished with whopping 4920 Science: https://imgur.com/a/4nKJv4g

It turned out to be a good idea to do atmosphere diving, not only for lowering AE for free but also for getting science.  My orbiter also had a Sentinel telescope for asteroid scanning and an orbital scanner. But most important: I had way to much delta v for the mission so i changed to a polar orbit and back to maximise science

 

All in all: A successful mission 

Edited June 22, 2019 by jost

[jost]

Finished Mohopollo(including a visit to an volcanic ridge). Turned out to be quite tedious since I used ions to boost my delta-v (so loooong boring burns even with timewarp).  In the end I returned to Kerbin and had enough  delta-v to transfer to   mun and minmus to harvest science from the gravity sensor. After splashdown I had enough science to unlock  the remaining nodes of the tech tree:
https://imgur.com/a/q3XaDjj



Although I don't need it, I will try to get as much science as possible from Eve, Gilly and the Jool-Five

[jost]

Evepollo done with  a lot of science even I don't need it anymoore:
https://imgur.com/gallery/ZACFq6J 

So there is just one mission left: The biggest and craciest of all, the Jool5. 

[jost]

Finally finished the challenge with Jool 5. I actually finished it around 2 months ago but never had the time to sort the 140 screenshots and added descriptions. 

I now uploaded them to Imgurl: https://imgur.com/a/MuS2Bxf? 

Sadly Imgur ate the descriptions, no matter how often I tried to add them. Thus I will leaving it as it is. 

Some important points though: Most manoevers (especially Rendevouz, hohman and interplanetary transfers) were done with the help from MechJeb.
The Delta-V  Budget was quite small on Tylo, several tries were needed, even with MechJeb. If I ever do a landing on Tylo again I will take at least one Vector engine for enough TWR or design a dedicated non-reusable lander for Tylo.