Jump to content

Challenge – Shuttles for the K.S.S. Entkerbprise


Recommended Posts

Alright, my first challenge, but it’s an idea I’ve been tossing around for a while now.

Excited to explore new star systems, the KSC has started work on plans for the K.S.S. Entkerbprise, the greatest exploration ship ever built. However, it has quickly become apparent the Entkerbprise will be far too big to land on and explore new planets and moons. So a design challenge has been sent out. Design, Build, and Test a Shuttlecraft.

The ideal shuttlecraft should be able to transport crew from the Entkerbprise, down to as many possible planet surfaces, and return them to the ship in orbit. It needs to be reusable, refuelable, resilient, and versatile. Ideally, it will also be small and light to fit in the Entkerbprise to start with!

 

Rules-

1) Build one craft that will be used for the whole challenge. (Multiple different craft entries per person are allowed and encouraged. But are completely independent from each other for scoring.)

2) Some moving and part clipping is allowed. But don’t abuse it to make the overall volume of your craft smaller. IE, clipping two cylinder tanks into each other a bit is allowed, but not to overlap more than the air gap still left between them. Usable parts, like fuel tanks, batteries, ext, can be clipped into ‘hollow’ parts, like nosecones.

3) The only changes that can be made to the craft between flights, are changes that could be done while docked to a mothership vessel. (I.E. you can change the fuel balance for different flights. Like filling methane tanks for a flight on Kerbin and emptying them for a flight on the Mun, or adjusting the amount of oxidizer in tanks.) Once you have your design, you can’t make any changes that can only be done in the VAB between flights, (Like moving, adding, removing parts.)

4) Optional attachments are allowed, as long as they are attached and detached by docking ports. (Hence, would be able to be added or removed when docking, undocking with the mothership.)

5) The craft needs to be able to maneuver and dock. (Though something like a separate docking tug that is left in orbit is also allowed.)

6) Everything you start with has to be brought back. Sub craft are allowed and can be left behind (like a docking tug) but must be collected and returned to the final orbit for each flight.

7) To demonstrate the craft can land on any given planet or moon, teleport using the Alt+F8 menu to an orbit, at least 50km above sea level, or 5km above the atmosphere. Then land on the ground (or in water), and take off, returning again to an orbit at least 50km above sea level or 5km above the atmosphere. This awards full points for that destination.

8) If the craft can land and take off, but needs to be refueled between. (IE, to test take off, teleport fueled craft to the ground and take off to orbit, separately from the landing.) This awards half points for that destination.

9) You only need to do a successful flight on the largest possible moon/planet without atmosphere, to also score credit for all smaller moons/planets without atmospheres. (So for example, landing on the Mun also scores you Dres, Ike, Bop, Minmus, Pol, and Gilly.) Atmospheres, Duna, Laythe, Kerbin, (Eve?) all each have to be done independently for credit.

10) You do not need to do a test flight for all or any specific body, only the ones you want to get points for. (No need to fly moons/planets you didn’t design for or know you can’t do.)

11) Kerbals must be able to get out of the craft and plant a flag or swim, and get back in.

 

Craft will be scored in four categories. -Destinations -Crew Capacity -Weight -Bonus Points

 

And, keep a save of your craft files, so all crafts can be given new updated scores after the addition of each new stock star system, to see how they perform with all the new added planets. The rules above will still apply, no added or removed parts, the only changes that will be allowed to tackle new planets added in the new star systems will be changing fuel levels in tanks. All new bodies without atmospheres will be slotted into the list as above, so you’ll only need to fly new test flights for ones larger than ones you’ve previously done. New flights will have to be done for any new bodies with atmospheres to qualify. Planets added in new star systems will be worth double points, as long as your craft is design, built, and entered before those systems are added to the game!

Bonus Group Challenge Co-op - Let's see how many of the yet to be added new planets our fleet of shuttles can service all together. The K.S.S. Entkerbprise will only be able to explore planets and moons at least one of the entered shuttles can land on.

 

 

Scoring Math – (You don’t need to do the math yourself if you don’t want to. Simply report what destinations the craft can fly to, crew capacity, heaviest weight, and applicable bonuses)

 

-Destinations

Add up points from all destinations the craft is qualified for. (Qualifying for a body without atmosphere qualifies for all below it too.) Full points for round trip, half points for needing to refuel on ground before taking off.

With Atmospheres   Without Atmospheres
Jool* 8.00   Tylo 2.27
Eve 8.00   Moho 0.87
Kerbin 3.40   Vall 0.86
Laythe 2.90   Eeloo 0.62
Duna 1.45   Mun 0.58
      Dres 0.43
      Ike 0.39
      Bop 0.23
      Minmus 0.18
      Pol 0.13
      Gilly 0.03
         

*(Jool - Can dip down to touch the clouds and return to orbit, no points for one way trip down)             

 

-Crew Capacity

Add one point for each of the first three kerbals a craft can carry.

Add half a point for the next three kerbals a craft can carry.

Add a quarter point for all kerbals after that.

IE – 1 kerbal = 1 point, 3 kerbals = 3 points, 4 kerbals = 3.5 points, 6 kerbals = 4.5 points, 7 kerbals = 4.75 points, 8 kerbals = 5 points, 20 kerbals = 8 points

 

-Weight

Take the wet mass for the heaviest state of your craft, (heaviest fuel load for any destination), add the mass for all optional additions, sub craft, tugs. All parts of your craft and craft system, the weight of everything that would need to be carried by the mothership, fueled in their heaviest state you used.

 

-Bonus Points

Deluxe Cabins – All kerbals are sat within a proper capsule, cockpit, or passenger cabin, no external seats – 2 points.

Seating for kerbals is in external seats, cargo bays, or farings – 1 point.

Included Rover – Craft contains a rover that can be deployed and recovered, (or has wheels and is a rover itself) – 1 point.

Complete craft, and all additional modules fit inside and can be deployed from any one cargo bay module without clipping. – 1 point.

Complete craft, and all additional modules fit inside and can be deployed from any two cargo bay modules without clipping, connected or not – 0.5 points

 

Final Score = Destination^2 x Crew x Bonus / Weight

 

The Proof

-At minimum, for each flight on each qualifying planet/moon, take a photo landed, and a photo back in orbit. Take a photo in orbit before going to land if you have any funky optional additions or sub crafts going on, not required if not.

-Take a photo in the VAB with the engineer report open, with the craft in its heaviest state, most fuel, all addons ext, for the wet mass. If you’re applying for the bonus for fitting in a cargo bay, take another photo with the craft packed in the bay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, so here's my own entry. A small SSTO Capable of landing and taking off from, Kerbin, Laythe, Duna, and Moho. 19.97 tons at heaviest.  Seating for 3 Kerbals. It has a bit of clipping for aesthetic, but I wasn't going for fitting it into any cargo bays.

So, by my proposed scoring, this would be 43.77 points.

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/41q3HUp

AZKwokD.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...