Duna Cache Return Challenge

[SirJodelstein]

Howdy, Space-Travellers! Inspired by the mission architecture for the joint NASA/ESA Mars-Sample-Return mission, i present to you

The objective of this challenge is to return three "sample caches" from the surface of Duna. The caches have been dug out of the red sand by robot drones in a previous mission and are now waiting for someone to pick them up and return them to the KSC for scientific analysis. The caches are represented through a stack of two xenon tanks with small docking ports on either side. Cache#1 is on one side of a massive gorge, Cache#2 is about 40km away on the other side of the gorge, and Cache#3 is on the valley floor, about half-distance inbetwen the two others.

Like some other challenges, this is primarily a free-form excercise. Do and use whatever you think is fun. The mission outline gives you a lot of options. Will you return each cache in a separate vehicle? Will you use a rover (or plane) to pick up all caches and return them with one launch? Or maybe use three Duna ascension vehicles and dock them in orbit for the yourney home? We will see! I am quite sure that it is possible in stock, but if you have problems with the pick-up part, i recommend mods like KAS or Infernal Robotics.

Technical Stuff

The challenge comes in form of a scenario. Download this sfs file and put it into your saves/scenarios folder. Also, for added bling-bling, download this banner and put it into saves/scenarios/banners. The smapler-crafts do not use any mods, so you should be able to load the scenario with any KSP installation. However, if you also want to visit the vehicle that landed the three sample diggers on Duna, you will need the Kerbal Engineer Redux mod.

Competition

For those of you who like a little bit of competition, I am going to keep a leaderboard in the following categories (all with the three subcategories "Stock + Info Mods", "Mod Balanced", "Scy-Fi Mods). If you want to enter, just write down your score with your post

- earliest mission completion (score = UT time of the last cache landed on KSC ground)

- Least total liftoff mass (of all launches from Kerbin for this mission)

Also, achievements! (Feel free to suggest more)

* Hovering Expert! (don't land down on Duna)

* All in One! (Just one launch from Kerbin)

* Tourism Sidequest (Bring along at least 10 Kerbals, and plant a flag at the anomaly northwest exit of the gorge

* Speed Run (Spend less than 60 minutes of time in Dunas atmosphere during your mission (including aerobraking/landing))

* Jack of all Trades (have only one vehicle performing all mission tasks (landing/pickup/ascension/return))

* Minimalist Design (use less than 250 parts total)

Here is the album and some videos from the cache digging mission, this should give you an impression of the terrain that is to be expected at the mission site:

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* Video: Caching drone launch from Lander, flight over the valley and digging of Cache#1

* Video: Cache#2 is located on a slope. Shortly after ejection of the cache, the drill/flight section began a downhill slide to destruction...

Side note: I created this scenario from my main savegame. I will attempt to return the caches myself when the next launch window comes around, but until then there are other missions going on. This challenge is definitely possible, in stock. I already have a Kerbin-tested pickup rover, and the delta-V requirements and vessel part counts for such a mission are low enough to enable anyone to attempt this challenge.

Happy geocaching

Edited August 17, 2013 by SirJodelstein
moar achievements

[SirJodelstein]

Minor spoiler alert: Here is a video of my stock cache collection rover "ROCC (robotic cache collector)" during evaluation trials near KSC. It shows cache pickup and roving/jumping/flying with and without cache attached. I just hope that behaviour on Duna is similar, and i need to find a way how to deliver it to the mission zone, not sure if i can do an orbital-entry glider landing with it.

[glacierre]

I'm piqued by this one, but it will take me a while to make a complete attempt.

[Captain Sierra]

Definitely going to try this. Question: when does our time actually start? We do have to consider the time before a transfer window opens up. Does it start at the transfer window or when we launch our first craft?

[SirJodelstein]

Definitely going to try this. Question: when does our time actually start? We do have to consider the time before a transfer window opens up. Does it start at the transfer window or when we launch our first craft?

If you want to enter the "earliest return" competition, the clock starts ticking as soon as you start the scenario, and your score will be the global time when you finish the mission. The scenario starts around day 140, the next perfect launch window comes around day 250, so there is plenty of time for preparation. If you want to launch earlier, pack enough fuel (with enough oomph, you can go anywhere without waiting for the right constellation). Direct routes to Duna for around 5000 dV start at day 180. Or do some clever slingshotting - I am not sure if the constellation is right, but it might be worth trying.

[SirJodelstein]

I did it! Not in a single mission due to rapid disassembly of the first rover iteration, but still. Returned all three caches to Kerbin, 24km near KSC at year 2 day 160.

Full Mission Report