Mun Candidates.

[derhp]

If you don\'t already know, the mun comes out next update. This present a whole new challenge. Getting to the Mun, landing, ascending, and returning home.

So please, use this thread to share your ideas for Mun capable rockets. Also I hope to foster some discussion on the technicalities of a successful mun mission. While i\'m pretty sure most people can get the getting there part done easily, and landing will be a snap with Novas sexy lander, how will we get back?

My thoughts are we\'ll either require the ability to dock with a stage left in orbit around the mun, or just use a ridiculous ascent stage with cheat parts XD.

Here is my first prototyple, the Haries V. Needs a few nosecones and an adaptor, but so far I\'m quite happy with it.

[your mom]

i 'had' a ship but i forgot to transfer my 0.11 ships to my 0.11.1 update so i have to rebuild it

[rebelcommando1807]

I present to you..

Spaceworthy 1 - A variant stable in 0.11.0, and Spaceworthy 5, the latest (And biggest!) in the series.

All stock parts, all capable of reaching the Mun, potentially landing or orbiting it, and returning back to Kearth.

Just activate SAS, throttle up, and watch it go straight up.

What, stable? Not very Kerbal? True.. But the Spaceworthy series isn\'t meant for awesome laughs at its failure.

[Guest Flixxbeatz]

Got my Pestilence Lander and Catastrophe Orbiter Modules for that.

Can be launched using a Delta IV Falcon 9.5 Super Heavy or Epikon DSLV 8)

[Shedao]

i 'had' a ship but i forgot to transfer my 0.11 ships to my 0.11.1 update so i have to rebuild it

Seems familiar to me

[geb]

I didn\'t want a ship that could go to the Mun. I wanted a ship that could go anywhere. Anywhere.

The launch stages put a truly monstrous amount of stuff into Kerbin orbit, most of it fuel. The departure stage can propel a heavy lander up to 11km/s. The lander stage is capable of a powered landing on kerbin with less than a quarter of its fuel used.

With only a few mission specific tweaks, I think this design should be able to handle a trip to just about any object with a solid surface.

[your mom]

that ship looks kick @$$

[Tiberion]

Is that 4x yawmasters?

That\'s a whooole lot of torque.

[geb]

Even with the first stage boosters gone, it still steers like a brick. It needs all four of them. It really does need them.

I should rebuild this thing in the new version and add a few proper RCS units.

[rdfox]

My 'VK Nova' family of boosters puts at least 30 tons into a 100km LKO with no difficulty; I still haven\'t finished checking the payload-to-LKO figures for all 200-plus configurations to find the one that puts the most payload into LKO... and then there\'s the fact that I found a bunch more configurations I could develop with more efficient first stage setups, albeit with reduced total maximum throw weight... (Seven of Sunday Punch\'s M-50s will lift a whole shitlode of mass, but dear LORD do they go through fuel fast!)

Not to mention that I\'m gonna have to install 11.1 and rebuild the family for 11 after I get home again.

(The whole thing was conceptually based on the old Saturn C-8/Nova studies of the early 60s, intended for a direct-ascent lunar mission profile... it\'s a big sucker! Speaking of which, is it still about 6000m/s instantaneous delta-V to get into a circular 100km orbit, or did that change significantly with the atmosphere changes? And anyone know about how much would be required to 100km circular parking orbit followed by injection to escape velocity?)

[nivvydaskrl]

The second iteration of my stock-only rocket for the to-the-sun-and-back challenge is able to put a 20.15 ton rocket into about a 200m circular Kerbin orbit, and that vehicle can hit the sun and back to Kerbin with fuel to spare for terminal maneuvering. I think by sacrificing some tankage on the escape vehicle and replacing it with lander equipment, the rocket would work for munar exploration.

The first iteration of this rocket is very stable, and requires no SAS to place the solar exploration vehicle in orbit with 5 tanks of fuel remaining. The second iteration is heavier and uses ASAS to maintain good behavior in atmosphere and while establishing orbit (the center of gravity on the core stack is so far forward during the orbital insertion phase that without ASAS and lots of RCS fuel you\'re pretty much at the whim of nature), but achieves orbit before all of the core boost phase\'s fuel is expended.

The main thing these rockets have going for them is they\'re all stock. I might try a solar (and thus munar) explorer with my fuel tanks later.

[hachiman]

How about finding out who\'ll be the first Kerbinaut to land on it?

[Robo336]

How about finding out who\'ll be the first Kerbinaut to land on it?

Jeb of course.

...Bill and Bob would have faintet by then.

---

My moon rocket:

On launchpad:

Course set:

Remaining for rendezvous with moon

What? They wanna go home too!?

To bad the game keeps freezing up on me when I try to increase warp above 2x...

[Tim_Barrett]

Jeb of course.

...Bill and Bob would have faintet by then.

---

My moon rocket:

On launchpad:

Course set:

Remaining for rendezvous with moon

What? They wanna go home too!?

To bad the game keeps freezing up on me when I try to increase warp above 2x...

Young grasshopper, using direct ascent xD

[what-the]

My rocket. Has reached the Sun and achieved a stable orbit of 53 meter difference.

First stage is 18 liquid fuel engines. Followed by 12 boosters + 1 liquid engine. When the boosters run out the 4 boosters up the top are activated. Then the thrust from the liquid engine is enough to over come the weight. Another liquid engine is activated once the low orbit engine fuel has been used up.

[NovaSilisko]

Just so you know guys, the moon is going to be at 12,000 km.

[Guest Flixxbeatz]

Just so you know guys, the moon is going to be at 12,000 km.

[ForumHelper]

Just 12.000? I thought it\'d be 35.000 or even more. It\'s going to be really easy then. Just align with the moon and set the throttle to full power:)

EDIT: 12.000 looks about right.

[hachiman]

Jeb of course.

...Bill and Bob would have faintet by then.

---

My moon rocket:

On launchpad:

Course set:

Remaining for rendezvous with moon

What? They wanna go home too!?

To bad the game keeps freezing up on me when I try to increase warp above 2x...

No I mean like which member of this site.

[Johnman]

Whoever gets there first. It\'s a space race!

[your mom]

Just so you know guys, the moon is going to be at 12,000 km.

will we be able to see the mun that far?

Whoever gets there first. It\'s a space race!

i will win im u.s.k ;P

[Robo336]

Young grasshopper, using direct ascent xD

Not wasting time getting into orbit first. THAT is the kerbal way 8)

[NovaSilisko]

will we be able to see the mun that far?

Yes.

[Rascal Nag]

Has gotten me to a near circular orbit at 35700km. With plenty of fuel to spare.

A few tweaks... and it will be ready for Mun.

[GroundHOG2010]

Me. I will try direct asent but if docking comes about, Watch me do a LOR attempt or if combinding payloads in orbit is in too, EOR/LOR. Direct assent is for those who can\'t do the above!!!!