There and back again...again

[Sigma117]

How many times can you get one craft from the ground to orbit, and back again without refueling? (On Kerbin, for now at least)

Rules:

-Only one launch (can be VAB, or SPH)

-Balanced mods only, and state which ones

-No refuelling

-Documentation per phase, showing fuel levels in the resource tab (Phase being on the ground, and in orbit)

-Orbit being defined as a minimum ap/pe of 75km

More rules may be added, seeing as I'm new to challenges

Scoring:

You earn 0.5 per phase, so your first orbit gives 0.5, and touching the ground again would give a total of 1 etc.

Leaderboard:

1. Tavert -12

As for my entry, most everything I've built scores an even 1, I'll work on getting a 1.5+ since I've only just had the idea~

Edited July 7, 2013 by Sigma117

[soranno]

Are you allowed to have Kerbals manning the vehicle get out upon landing to repack parachutes?

Or failing that, on the ground waiting where you land to pack the chutes, and then you leave them at that site when you take off again

[Sigma117]

Since it's still one launch, sure.

I always forget the can do that.

[kahlzun]

If you shepherd the fuel in a SSTO carefully, you should be able to get 2 without too much difficulty...

[sauliukas]

Yes with SSTO it is not so hard to get to orbit and land twice. And I am not very good with SSTO so think 3 times is possible, maybe even 4.

By the way do you have to land on airstrip or you can land anywhere?

[Sigma117]

Anywhere, since you're only getting to orbit and back, touching the ground/sea is all that's needed. Though that means there'll be an advantage to taking off from the highest point.

[tavert]

Here's 12, stock+MechJeb. VTVL with a parachute for landing, since it requires less attention this way. I had to quicksave/quickload in orbit each time otherwise the repacked parachute would fall off on deployment, and quickloading on the ground would occasionally break physics for some reason... Anyway, you could go even more times than this with a Kerbal in a seat instead of a cockpit and adding a few more tons of jet fuel (maybe wings too if you want to carry so much fuel your takeoff TWR is less than 1), it just becomes a test of patience.

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[Sigma117]

12 times...Wow. I haven't even managed to build an SSTO of my own yet X3