Challenge: Jool Orbit Rendezvous

[OldReliable]

My Challenge is eminently reasonable: Put kerbs on the moons of Jool and return them to Kerbin, but do so elegantly.

Build one Interplanetary Space Transport (Space Bus) and several Landers. Put a kerbal on each of the moons of Jool. Perform SCIENCE!!! Upon completion of SCIENCE!!! return all landers to rendezvous with the space bus, either send them to the Space Bus' parking orbit or bring the space bus to them. Or get creative and build a Jool-system shuttle to do this taxi work for you.

LEAVE NO KERBAL BEHIND. Once your explorers have gathered aboard the Space Bus, its time to go home. Get them back to KSC. I recommend a separate rendezvous in Low Kerbin Orbit with a specialized return vehicle.

No non-stock engines. Crew Tanks will be needed for your Space Bus, Mechjeb will be helpful, but nothing that materially changes the performance of the stock engines and fuel.

The point here is that every craft has a specific mission and can be tailored to it. No screaming towards the surface carrying all your return fuel and a bunch of nuclear engines. I imagine many of the landers could have RCS-only ascent stages.

I am assembling my own flotilla in Kerbin Orbit now, awaiting my launch window.

Good Luck.

Order of Flights: 12 Crew in 9 ships to the CisJoolian region to land and perform SCIENCE!!

Orbiters/Transporters: -

1. Space Bus 1:

Out and Back Interplanetary Starship

3 crew

10 passenger capacity

2. Space Bus 2

Out and Back Interplanetary Starship - Backup

3 crew

10 passenger capacity

3. Jool Shuttle 1

Low Moons Mothership

1 Crew

5 Passengers

4. Jool Shuttle 2

High Moons Mothership - Backup

1 Crew

5 Passengers

Landers:

5. Bop Lander

RCS Descent/Ascent

1 Crew

6. Tylo Lander

Powered Descent, RCS Ascent

1 Crew

7. Vall Lander

Powered Descent, RCS Ascent

1 Crew

8. Laythe Lander

Parachute/Powered Descent, Powered Ascent

1 Crew

9. Spare Lander

Parachute/Powered Descent, Powered Ascent

1 Crew

I have the four Transporters in LKO. I am going to test the no atmosphere lander designs on the Mun and Minimus. I think they are both fairly easy, lightweight designs. The Leythe Lander is giving me pause. Any ideas for that challenge are appreciated.

Edited October 2, 2012 by OldReliable

[nhnifong]

Nice I hope to see your pictures.

I have a few ships out there with kerbals, but everything has proved insufficient for landing except on bop which can't be landed on anyways because you will explode. I guess I'll have to design some better landers. Layth is easy to land on because of the atmosphere, and though a few of my ships have parachutes, none could get back to orbit.

I'm kind of running an abandoned space program out on Jool right now. Several years ago the Kerbals sent 5 versatile ships out there with the latest in docking, kethane, and ion technology and then lost interest. Now the ships in Jool are fending for themselves using what they can find.

Time to revive the space budget and send more ships!

[OldReliable]

We are in the Launch window! Burns are so slow!

Mini Lander for Bop!

Here are the ships waiting for the Launch Window.

[Excalibur]

Just to clarify... do we have to use the mission list you outlined in the OP or is that simply a list of what you are attempting?

[OldReliable]

No need to use my ship list, in fact, I decreased my number of vessels due to budget cuts in my space program.

One lander for each planet and a return vehicle is probably an acceptable bare minimum but I have an additional backup vessel.

[Excalibur]

My expedition is underway; one lander for each moon, a Jool bus and three tankers to refuel the bus and/or any landers that need it.

It's going to be quite tricky to get them home... the Jool bus has been stranded in an elliptical orbit of Jool within Laythe's orbit. Going to be tough getting a tanker to it!

The Tylo lander is in orbit around it's target, whilst the Laythe lander has just completed a successful terrain landing.

The rest of the ships are inbound! Stay tuned...

[OldReliable]

Updated Mission Parameters:

I have reduced my ship roster as below, eliminating the orbital shuttles and the spare lander. Budget Cuts.

I have also changed the mission profile to accommodate these changes.

Spacebus 2 missed her launch window. she is on standby at KSC, waiting for the Launch window to open up again. Space Bus 1 will not be returning to Earth. She will use her delta-V to take over the roles of both Jool Shuttles and act as mothership to all of the landers. She will then act as an orbital Hab. She had better be roomy, otherwise it will be a long wait for Spacebus 2.

Revised Roster of Flights

Orbiters/Transporters:

1. Space Bus 1:

CisJoolian Mothership/Orbital Hab.

3 crew

10 passenger capacity

2. Space Bus 2

Out and Back Interplanetary Starship - On Standby in VAB.

3 crew

10 passenger capacity

Landers:

3. Bop Lander

RCS Descent/Ascent

1 Crew

4. Tylo Lander

Powered Descent, RCS Ascent

1 Crew

5. Vall Lander

Powered Descent, RCS Ascent

1 Crew

6. Laythe Lander

Parachute/Powered Descent, Powered Ascent

1 Crew

I spent last evening doing mid-course corrections. It was surprisingly difficult. Tomorrow we will see how well I did on getting the ships into low-inclination orbits, and if I can manage the capture of five vessels at once.

[Excalibur]

Multiple encounters can get rather messy;

I wish you luck with five encounters at once!

[OldReliable]

So the Space Kraken got Space Bus 1. But the Good News is that the pods are all in Place in their orbits! Handling the simultaneous aerobraking maneuvers was dicey.

Here is a nice view during Aerobraking,

Too bad about Space Bus 1. I guess they'll have to get comfy in their one-man capsules until Space Busses 2 and 3 get there.

Here is a link to an album of the landers in orbit!

http://imgur.com/a/B3Duv#0