Day Trip to the Mun Challenge/

[RepoRogue]

The Background:

Last night I fired up 0.20 for the first time and wanting to try out the new parts, I threw a Mun lander together and flew to the moon. Some point before my landing, I realized it had only taken me eight hours to get to the Mun, and I decided to go for a speed run. I managed to plant my flag by 8 hours and 40 minutes, and return to Kerbin in 20 hours and 56 minutes. That's hardly more than a day trip, especially if the Kerbal sleeps during the return leg. Then it dawned on me that a highly profitable business could be made out of offering day trips to adventurous/stupid Kerbals, especially once I'm done building my tacky casinos on the Mun. So now I need a group of pilots to fly for my new company; Munar Tourist Traps. Apply today!

The Goal:

Land on the Mun (safely) and then plant a flag before returning your Kerbal (again, safely) to Kerbin.

The Rules:

1. Mods are allowable, except for MechJeb (this is a challenge about piloting).

2. There is no part limit.

3. There is no cost limit.

4. You must plant a flag, and it must still be standing after you've returned to Kerbin.

5. Cheating is prohibited, except for part clipping.

6. Your Kerbal must survive the return to Kerbin.

7. Your total mission elapsed time must be less than 24 hours.

8. Photographic proof of both the flag planting and your command pod back on Kerbin is necessary.

The Scoring:

This challenge is entirely about speed, so that is the only thing that (for now) contributes to your score. There will be two categories; Direct Ascent and Other. If you use any method other than direct Ascent, you are eligible for the Other category. There will be two scoreboards within each category, the primary one will be the Shortest Round Trip Times scoreboard and the secondary will be the Shortest Times to Flag Plant: scoreboard. These two scoreboards are pretty self explanatory. Shorter times are better.

The Scoreboards:

Direct Ascent:

Shortest Round Trip Times:

1. metaphor, 2 hours and 9 minutes.

2. FacticiusVir, 7 hours and 48 minutes.

3. Tophir, 22 hours and 14 minutes

4.

5.

Shortest Times to Flag Plant:

1. metaphor, 1 hour and 25 minutes.

2. FacticiusVir, 3 hours and 32 minutes.

3. Tophir, 8 hours and 26 minutes.

4.

5.

Other:

Shortest Round Trip Times:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Shortest Times to Flag Plant:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Have fun!

Edit: No! I messed up the thread name! Oh well./

Edited May 26, 2013 by RepoRogue

[metaphor]

What does "Direct Descent" and "Other" mean?

I managed to do it in 2 hours, 9 minutes with all stock parts and no part clipping. Planted the flag on the Mun at around 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Here are the pictures.

[FacticiusVir]

The "Moho" Direct Ascent:

Round trip time: 7hrs 48mins

Plant Flag time: 3hrs 32mins

No mods, just a clean 0.20 install. Managed a max of 41.2G :-S

[RepoRogue]

Very impressive, metaphor. I was wondering if someone would try that, and I was not disappointed. You can certainly have a job ferrying people with way too much money and far too little sense back forth from my (planned) casino.

Thanks for spotting that error, I meant Direct Ascent. If you don't know; direct ascent is a term referring to a lander that contains its own return stage, rather than one that must rendezvous with a return stage. I have the other category because rendezvouses take extra time, so I don't want to compare them to the best direct ascents.

Thanks for participating, I hope you enjoyed it.

[lukerules117]

look at the mission time when metaphor planted the flag...

[JT2227]

Actually, When you go on EVA the clock resets to the EVA timer. When you return to your ship the timer continues at the time you left it... I think.

[Ryu Gemini]

Well, you will only need to be in EVA for what, a minute? Get out, plant flag just far enough to avoid blowing it away, get back in. Its more a rule to prove you CAN get back into the design after getting out.

[Tophir]

I managed to do the round trip in 22 Hours 14 Minutes and 14 Seconds with an old Mun lander I had and was able to plant the flag at about 8 Hours 26 Minutes.

Pictures: Here

[SunJumper]

How long would this take on a Brachiostrone trajectory? I estimate a minimum of about 30 minutes.

[OUScooby]

What about a reward for doing it under 24 hours AND in a single stage?

[Nalin_Airheart]

Flags aren't available in the demo, what about dropping off an RCS Tank with three ladders pointing up as a 'custom' flag?

[RepoRogue]

OUScooby: I might be willing to count a single stage to Munar landing in the 'Other' category, but that is more a feat of engineering then it is a feat of piloting, although I'd certainly include a note next to your score mentioning that you used an single stage. I'd really like to see a rocket capable of that feat so by all means; build and fly it.

Nalin_Airheart: I have no objection to that, as long as you provide some proof that you did indeed carry a Kerbal to the Mun and back. (As that was the main reason I included the rule about the flag in the first place.)

Ryu Gemini: that wasn't the reason I originally included the rule, but it certainly is now.

Tophir: thanks for your submission, I've edited the original post to include your score!

[metaphor]

I was looking at KSP videos when I found

where someone goes to the Mun and back in less than an hour.

[Nitroman]

Darn, I did this last night but I found this thread today. Well, I'll see if I'm up for another trip

[Aurora-Aerospace]

I'll be accepting your challenge!