Kerbal Launch Alliance - Community powered Reverse Challenge

[Captain Sierra]

KLA - Kerbal Launch Alliance

A fan driven space Tourism Company.

Welcome to the KLA challenge. here is how this works:

This is what I call a reverse challenge. Rather than yall complete a challenge I make, I complete the challenges you make! The Kerbal Launch Alliance is a private space tourism company fresh on the market, and we need your help to get us to be number 1 out there. But first, some rules:

1) Rockets used must be a replica of an existing launch vehicle. Alternatively, launch vehicles can be non-replica if they conform to modern rocketry standards (so limited cross feeding, no asparagus, nosecones and fairings mandatory).

1a) SSTO shuttle aircraft are exempt from the realism restrictions laid out in 1. SSTO shuttles may not use air hogging in any way (intakes cannot be clipped into one another). SSTO aircraft (or any craft for that matter) may not fire nuclear engines within the atmosphere of any planet. Additionally, nuclear engines may not be fired towards a planet’s surface below 5km altitude.

2) Aerodynamic realism must be upheld (even without the use of FAR). All payloads must fit within fairings and all boosters must have nose cones.

3) Crew ferry vehicles and tourist ferry craft must be different. Tourists are more picky and require better amenities.

4) All bases and space stations must provide enough amenities. For tourists, this means two kerbal crew slots per person and for normal crew, just one. In order to maintain comforts, stations must keep at least 5000 units of electric charge to power AC, interior lighting, life support, etc.

Mission submission guidelines:

1) It must be completable within 1 week (of on-and-off gameplay; no colonize the entire Jool system at once missions). It must also be completable given the current lifter tech I am using. For examples, see the ULA Delta IV series and the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 heavy.

2) It must forward our goal of being the premiere provider of space tourism.

3) It should be a proactive challenge, go here and do this, not a reactive one in response to some event like a space station accident.

4) It should make sense. Explain in detail and make it very clear what you are suggesting.

Mission reports on the status of missions and our hardware will be posted on weekends. I try to stream on Saturdays so you may even find my stream focusing on this from time to time.

A variation of this was quite popular over in the fan works so I decided it’s time to take my spin on it.

Some suggestions for challenges, people, would be a space station hotel, a Munar observatory resort, zero G spaceplane, etc. Or even have me do some stuff infrastructure wise to prepare for greater missions.

In this main post, I will make note of my current launch hardware and my infrastructure so people know what I have.

Hardware:

None ATM

Infrastructure:

Kerbin ground based radio communications

[Kerbal01]

How about a replica of the CASSIOPE launch that will happen to day, using the LazTek SpaceX F9 1.1?

[Captain Sierra]

I refuse to use replica craft mods but I do have a Falcon 9 replica using mostly stock that I could use. let me do some research on that launch and I'll see if it fits the criteria. If it does, I will go ahead and orbit something.

EDIT: Okay. I gotta watch the weather at a tourist resort anyways so a satellite to monitor space weather could be useful (I'm aware this isn't how it works, thats a bit of RP for sake of how the challenge works). Thank you Darth for the submission. I hope I can see some more soon.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Captain Sierra

[Read have Read]

As a larger goal: A Munar resort located on high ground to provide expansive views. A central common area with restaurants, spa and observatory(cupola pod atop a set of closely linked modules) with suites (made up of a hitchhiker module) for 2 connected to the central hub by corridors. A solar farm located further away than the suites will provide power

Edited September 24, 2013 by Read have Read

[Captain Sierra]

I've been working on something like this but I have been having extreme difficulties finding a suitable location equatorially. The next step is to search the poles. The procedural cratering really does it's job too well.

[Blue]

A vehicle that's single stage from the surface of the Mun to the surface of Dres and back.

[Captain Sierra]

A vehicle that's single stage from the surface of the Mun to the surface of Dres and back.

Um, no. I am not enough of a KSP badass to even attempt such a thing.

[FacticiusVir]

Been trying the Mün-to-Dres mission; the mission's easy in execution, but working out the Delta-V you need for Mün to Dres Intercept (and vice versa) is much more complicated than I expected. Current estimation of the round-trip is about 8.5km/s, much more than my original 7km/s calculation. Will do a final run and put up pictures in a bit.

[Captain Sierra]

The hardest part is getting the Mun to be in the right place for the transfer burn. If that doesn't line up just right, you waste a lot of dV on a less than perfect window.

[FacticiusVir]

I experimented with that, and the best I've found is around 90-100 degrees before prograde - which makes sense, because you're most of the way out of the SOI of Kerbin so you don't have to compensate as much. Unless I've missed something important, which would explain why my planning-stage deltaV calculations were too low.

[briansun1]

6 com sat's around the moon minimus and kerbin.