Weekly Challenge #4 - Apollo Recreation

[Ghostii_Space]

Kerbonauts! Time for KSP2 Weekly Challenge #4 

 

Primary: Recreate the Apollo 7 mission (fly to Kerbin orbit then return to Kerbin)

Stretch: Recreate the Apollo 8 mission (fly to Mun orbit, then return to Kerbin)

Jeb Level: Recreate the Apollo 11 mission (fly to the Mun, land a crew, return that crew to Kerbin)

Val Level: Recreate your favorite rocket (either planned or fictional), land a crew on Duna and return them to Kerbin

[KincaidFrankMF]

Literally just did the Jeb level before reading this, naturally no screenshots lol The Val level challenge looks fun!

[FlazeTheDragon]

Apollo 13 would be perfect for ksp lol

[skyhy]

Oh neat, I got a head start on this challenge because I was already doing an Apollo 11 mission. 

 

I only got a few shots because I wasn't running it for the challenge but here we are! EDIT - Reloaded on the Mun and got screenshots for the rest of the mission.
 

The Beast leaving the pad: 

Enroute to the Mun:

 

Insertion Burn:

 

One Kerbonaut in the CM and two on the Mun, though one stayed inside because they didn't want to get covered in dust:

 

My screenshots end there because I couldn't plant a flag due to mods but the return rendezvous was successful as was the triumphant return to Kerbin. I overbuilt the lander so it could be used in a subsequent mission with a station in Munar orbit, but alas it was taken by the kraken after undocking even though it had a probe core.  

 

***EDIT*** 

So I didn't like the inconclusive nature of this post so I loaded my quicksave on the Mun and reflew the part coming home.  Continued:

 

Rendezvous:

 

Preparing for re-entry ( I ate up a lot of DV with a suboptimal return so I could get a light side landing for screenshots, but I still left half a tank in the lander for future missions)

 

Home safe!

Edited March 17, 2023 by skyhy
Missing stuff!

[KincaidFrankMF]

Val level done with an Apollo-style mission to Duna.

Shame about the night launch, but here's my Saton 4 rocket (geddit?) lifting off...

 

See, there's four rockets and... never mind.

 

Orbiting Duna.

 

Coming in to land...

 

Aerodynamics? Who needs 'em.

 

Rendezvous & docking...

 

Back around Kerbin, happy to be home!

 

Splashdown.

 

Honestly, even Duna doesn't stretch the dv in a Saturn 5, there's a whole lower stage I didn't bother with. I'm thinking Moho might be doable?

[The Aziz]

So it happened

This thing was waaay too overengineered for what it had to do but whatever. Just look at the size of that engine.

Pulling the lander out of non-solid fairing, already in Mun orbit (told ya it was OP, the second stage alone brought me there)

And now together, ready to undock, right where I needed.

Of course my forgetful butt didn't take a photo on the surface, so you'll have to trust me on that, sorry. And there's no way to see if a flag is there because tracking station doesn't mark them. I aimed for a spot to see Kerbin just rising above the Mun, but landed in a valley and got nothing. But..

I have a screenshot few seconds after liftoff.

And a bit later when they were back together. Again you can see the result of rocket OPness, as the CSM barely used any fuel. Dropped the empty lander and went home.

At home.

[FlazeTheDragon]

A bit more of a SpaceX inspired design rather then a re-creation, but i think it still fits in to the spirit of the challenge

 

 

[KincaidFrankMF]

Serious skillz on those landings!

[Angelo Kerman]

My recreation of Apollo 11 for the KSP 2 Mun Challenge.

The Jool 5 Rocket blasts off for a clandestine launch at night.

Second stage dropped off at an altitude of 205km.

Third stage circularized orbit before being used for the Trans Munar Injection burn.

Apollo 1.1 (my version of Apollo 11) has arrived at the Mun. (Yes, I know that the third stage was jettisoned after TLI...)

Apollo 1.1 has jettisoned the shroud covering the Munar Excursion Module.

Apollo has docked with the MEM. A Mishap with the decoupler has caused a collision between the Jool 5 3rd stage and the lander. One of the RCS propellant tanks was destroyed. Mission is still a go.

Valentina and Jersey have transferred to the MEM, leaving Philley behind in the Apollo spacecraft. The two spacecraft separate.

Deorbit burn successful.

Touchdown! The Beagle has landed.

Obligatory flag planting.

As we all know, Apollo 1.1 had a communications gap during which conspiracy theorists suggested that the kerbonauts inspected an alien spacecraft built by giant transforming robots.

Spoiler

In reality, they inspected a giant arch symbolizing the Kerbol system that was built by aliens. Researchers note that the planets appear in order if one reads in a zig-zag pattern from left, to right, back to left, back to right...

Their primary objective completed, Beagle returns to orbit. After much frustration with missing orbit lines and orbits that randomly change and orbits that suddenly stopped a ship in orbit, Beagle and Apollo 1.1 finally meet up again in orbit.

Apollo's navigation computer remains borked, but Apollo 1.1 leaves Mun's SOI regardless. To return home, all Valentina can do is eyeball it. It worked! Apollo 1.1 jettisoned its service module and landed back on Kerbin at dawn. Mission accomplished! But there were more questions than answers...

[ChromeDome]

Val-level challenge

Spoiler

The vehicle in Kerbin orbit

Bracing for aerocapture

Aerocaptured and now in orbit, with Ike joining in too!

Going down

Descending to the surface

Three happy Kerbals safely landed on Duna!

Flags and footprints on Duna

Back in orbit and successfully docked with the transfer stage

Ready for Kerbin atmospheric entry

Flying back down to the surface

The end of a remarkable journey

 

[KincaidFrankMF]

Apollo 11 to Eeloo. This time going for maximum realism on the Saturn 5 and EEM (Eeloo Excursion Module) modelling.

 

"10, 9, 8..."

"Hold, hold. Jeb's not on board. I, er, think he's in the bathroom."

<some time later>

"10, 9, 8, 7..."

"Hold. The struts supporting the command module have vanished."

"Vanished? Whaddaya mean they've vanished?"

"Into thin air, sir. On the plus side, housekeeping reports we have a new clothes line."

<some time later>

"5, 4, 3, 2..."

"Hold, hold. The staging's completely FUBAR'd."

"YOU'RE ALL FIRED."

 

"So, we're definitely on course to the Mun, yes?"

"Straight ahead, course laid in. Navcomp says we can't miss."

 

"We missed, didn't we?"

"Headed into furthest depths of the Kerbolar System. We might make Eeloo if we're very lucky...."

 

"Stage Three separated, EEM reacquired. Hey, is it me or does this planetoid look like a giant kraken egg that's about to hatch?"

"Don't even say that!"

 

"For the last time, Jeb, brussel sprouts are not appropriate snacks on deep space missions. We've been stuck in this tin can for FOUR YEARS."

 

"One small step for Jeb..."

 

"Welcome back, Jeb. Just in time, the telemetry's going wild. We're getting hzzz  fluctuations in the zzzzb orbit hssspit inclination completely changed!"

 

"It's like the planet's trying to swallow-"

"Hzzzzt baby kraken! Aaaaargh!"

"It's... it's full of stars...."

<transmission ends>

Edited March 20, 2023 by KincaidFrankMF

[PyroSA]

Kerpollo-11

This proved to be quite fun!

I should definitely do voice-overs if this is going to hold anyone's attention for such a long video... but the video captures a few interesting moments.

Video: https://clipchamp.com/watch/sKrs0xZS3Xp
Images: Kerpollo-11 - KSP2 Weekly Challenge #4 - Imgur

One really unexpected moment, was just before landing - I overshot, went back - overshooting again - and barely missed the top of the arch.

The rest was pretty regular bugginess. Docking causing massive changes in the plan. Manuever nodes going away, or awry.

Overall it went better than expected, managed to get there and back, even though I forgot to load Bill, and didn't mention Bob in the credits.

Even had a RCS tank loaded and some jets, but completely forgot that those need to be positioned correctly relative to ship mass to be able to translate. This was my first docking in years.

The flip: 2m55

Detach Launcher: 6m15

The landing: 8m50

Second Docking: 13m13

...

The important bits are there.
 

And it didn't explode on the pad.
 

It needed a flip, like the real thing:
 
And the lander left a little piece of itself behind:

The landing site wasn't quite authentic though...

Edited March 20, 2023 by PyroSA

[whiteturtle0923]

This is my Saturn V replica, but I haven't launched it yet because I need to add MOAR STRUTS and sort out a TWR problem. (Which unfortunately can't be solved by adding MOAR BOOSTERS because it's a replica)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fG17sLDz8wikeS6CA(kindly ignore this link please)

Edited March 22, 2023 by whiteturtle0923
added some random link for no reason at all

[Bingmao]

My take on the Apollo 11 Challenge:

My Saturn V Rocket


Liftoff


Separation of the first stage


And second stage


Grabbing the lander


Entering Mun's SOI


The Eagle has landed


One small step for a Kerbal...


Back to orbit



Docking with the Service Module (that was especially hard because my lander module didn't have an orbital line anymore)


Let's get back home



The next morning


YEAH, we are alive!

[Bingmao]

On 3/17/2023 at 11:23 PM, skyhy said:

Oh neat, I got a head start on this challenge because I was already doing an Apollo 11 mission. 

Your lander looks really cool. I never know where and how to use all the different structural parts. Nice work! 

[NaughtyMonster]

Kouston, we have a problem...

Tansby seems happy as Larry, but is that a shadow we see flit briefly across Bill's face there?

(please excuse my shoddy attempt at video editing)

Edited March 22, 2023 by NaughtyMonster
typo

[cvusmo]

Apollo 15 to the Mun. WIll this count or does it not qualify for Jeb level? https://imgur.com/gallery/WkQADCq

[Bingmao]

1 hour ago, cvusmo said:

Apollo 15 to the Mun. WIll this count or does it not qualify for Jeb level? https://imgur.com/gallery/WkQADCq

Only if you don't use struts 

[cvusmo]

14 minutes ago, Bingmao said:

Only if you don't use struts 

Space tape is magical.

[cvusmo]

1 hour ago, cvusmo said:

Space tape is magical.

Woooahhh we're halfway there! Part 1. 

 

[cvusmo]

https://imgur.com/gallery/m9mhiry

[skyhy]

On 3/20/2023 at 7:04 PM, Bingmao said:

Your lander looks really cool. I never know where and how to use all the different structural parts. Nice work! 

Thank you! I've been messing around for a while with trying to make things interesting and functional at the same time, can't wait for some science parts! 

[Scarecrow71]

Is rendezvous and docking in Munar orbit required for the challenge?

[Tapeta]

Today I finished Jeb Level of this challenge.

My rocket:

 

On LKO:

 

On transfe to Mun:

 

Landing on Mun in progress:

 

On Mun: (there is the Bug plaguing two stage landers - if you separate on ground and launch, your vessel will have status landed and you will not have any lines {orbital information} so in order to evade this fate I first launched and after that , when I was already flying, I separated lower stage of the lander)

 

Return to Mun orbit:

 

Return to Kerbin:

 

I had problem with my design of Service Modul, when I tried to decouple capsule from it, the vessel got destroyed. So because of that I landed like this:

 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Tapeta
just added bug info

[whiteturtle0923]

I tried to do Jeb-level, unfortunately crashed, and I don't have time to do another attempt. I also didn't take a picture of the crash, so you're going to have to take my word for it.

Anyways, here's the link to my album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1ynpgkWqSLwE7JYs5