The KSRSS Mars Challenge

[Death Engineering]

The KSRSS Mars Landing Challenge

 

Background: This challenge requires the installation of @tony48's fantastic mod 'Kerbal Sized Real Solar System' (KSRSS). This mod brings the real solar system into KSP, in stock-alike KSP planet scale. The mod requires the installation of another mod 'Kopernicus' and optionally 'Sigma Dimensions', which increases the size of the planets by a factor of 2.5x.  In order to complete the challenge at the Level III difficulty, you will also need to install 'KSC-Switcher', which relocates the KSC from an equatorial latitude to the Kennedy Space Center location in Florida. 
 

Objective: Land a crew [minimum 2] on Mars and get them home!
 

Rules:

Notes:

• Any Level from I to III can be completed in the 2.5x scaled up KSRSS. This increases the ▲V requirements but not much else, and makes the larger KSP stock-sized parts actually appropriate.
• It is assumed that this will be completed in Sandbox, but Career is fine as well.
• The Mars Challenge image in this post is KSP flag proportions, for anyone who wants to brand their mission with the challenge.

Level I [Stock Parts]

• Use any mission profile to land a crew of two on Mars and return them safely to the Earth

Level II [Stock or Mod parts]

• Use a real-world proposed Mars mission profile to land a crew of two [or more] on Mars and return them safely to the Earth
  • Launch from Florida! Requires KSC-Switcher mod
• Include some background on the real-world mission you are using in your mission post(s) and stick to the real-world designs as much as possible
  • For example,  if you choose to do a SpaceX / Starship design, it should be 100% reusable and perform a powered descent on Mars
  • Not sure about other Mars landing proposals and want some inspiration?  Click here. 
• Sticking to the look-alike of real-world designs is totally up to the player - if you feel that your design resembles the real-world design, then your mission counts for Level II

Level III [Anything goes.. almost]

• Use a real-world proposed Mars mission profile to land a crew of two [or more] on Mars and return them safely to the Earth
  • I will probably be a bit stickier at Level III with the mission design sticking to real-world designs
  • Launch from Florida! Requires KSC-Switcher mod
• Use a Life Support mod that models habitation/stress/fatigue
  • USI LS (Bleeding edge version)
  • Kerbalism
  • Snacks!
  • others?
• Restrictions:
  • Where mods include the option to 'freeze' a Kerbal for transport, this is not allowed.
  • Game settings must include:  'Enable Comm Network' ON, 'Re-entry heating' 100%. Advanced settings: 'Part pressure limits' ON, 'Part g-force limits' ON, 'Kerbal g-force limits' ON. 

Other Assumptions

• It is assumed that your space program will have already sent sufficient communications relays to Mars - feel free to get a comm network around Mars any way you see fit
• It is assumed that your space program has already fully mapped Mars' surface - feel free to put a mapping sat around Mars any way you see fit

Completion

Use pics or video in a post or series of to document your mission. Appropriate badges for each Level I/II/III and for 1.0x and 2.5x will be provided for each successful mission.

 

  Level II Challenge Completions

Death Engineering: Detailed here and here, as two mission attempts had to be made to satisfy the requirements (okay okay I forgot to bring a 2-crew lander!). This mission was a single-launch, Saturn V style, using the TRW Mars Landing Mission profile.

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by Death Engineering

[Autochrome]

I might attempt this if I have the willpower and the time, looks like a cool challenge.

[Death Engineering]

Death Engineering / TRW Mars Expedition 1975

This very scaled-down approximation earns the Level II completion of this challenge by modeling the TRW Mars landing mission. Instead of the multi-launch Saturn V configuration, we got away with just one. Crew, Mars lander, Earth return capsule and habitation space for 8 crew all went up together.. no launch escape system here! (worried)

TRW Mars Exploration Module

 

[Tundra]

Definitely will try this in my career save once I finish my last moon landing!  Going to go for lvl 2.

[Death Engineering]

Well, I can't believe I failed at my own challenge!  

Reading the fine-print:

"Objective: Land a crew [minimum 2] on Mars and get them home!"

I guess I'll be doing this again...  

Here's the badge I didn't receive:

[Autochrome]

On 4/26/2022 at 1:41 PM, Death Engineering said:

Well, I can't believe I failed at my own challenge!  

Reading the fine-print:

"Objective: Land a crew [minimum 2] on Mars and get them home!"

I guess I'll be doing this again…

That’s an ouch.

[Death Engineering]

More stable with AIRBRAKES 

Since I technically failed at my own challenge, I felt compelled to re-fly this mission with a few modifications. Other than upgrading the lander to support two crew , added the AIRBRAKE seen above and a few other tweaks to make it more stable and ▲V balanced.

Two Kerbs on Mars!

Flew the exact same crew as last time, even, but this time we landed somewhere quite flat. When doing the entry and landing descent, I could see some extremely diverse (and dangerous..!) terrain.

Steep Terrain in the background

I'd say there are more places to land on Mars that are "safe", compared to Duna, but the mountainous areas would be very tricky to come down on flat ground. I'd say a powered descent would really be the safest way; use chutes to slow down then cut them to carefully choose the landing zone.

Crew back aboard the TRW spacecraft

Mars looks tiny at the stock-sized KSRSS, maybe even smaller than Duna. This pic is from 100k orbit. 

Back home

Crew boards the 6-crew Earth Entry Module and jettisons the fairing before ditching the main vessel into deep space. 

Will be re-flying this challenge on the Level III 2.5x level, probably using a 'Copenicus' style design, which I've done in JNSQ so should be reasonably similar. Will be using the Kerbalism mod for LS/Fatigue, which will be something new for me. 

I'm doing a KSRSS 2.5x 'hard mode' career now over here, but haven't left Earth orbit yet, so haven't really evaluated how Kerbalism is going to complicate things - Val already has 10% 'lifetime radiation' and 'started hearing voices' in her 30-day Earth orbit mission. This Mars landing challenge is going to be much more involved next time around!

Edited May 10, 2022 by Death Engineering

[Maria Sirona]

This isn't a challenge at all, just a stock Duna mission with different visuals

[Death Engineering]

On 5/13/2022 at 8:16 AM, Maria Sirona said:

This isn't a challenge at all, just a stock Duna mission with different visuals

No it isn't, not even at Level I. Mars and Duna are not at the same inclinations so there's that. At Level II you don't launch from equatorial, which changes the starting orbit. At Level III there are life support needs. At "2.5x", well..

\

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by Death Engineering