Kapricorn One !!!

[Deathsoul097]

Those of you who have heard of or seen the movie Capricorn One might have an idea as to this challenge's goal. Simply put: Apollo-Style, to Duna and back!!! And there it is.

Rules:

1 - All mods allowed other than the cheaty ones, so no stuff like Hyper-edit, the Wayland corp stuff, or basically anything you might consider OP.

2 - The entire mision must be launched on one rocket. Bonus for Apollo-Style rocketry and other goodies.

3 - The lander must be a true LEM style lander. That means an ascent stage and a descent stage, and the descent stage stays on the surface and only two kerbals go down.

4 - Screenshots MUST be supplied for your score to be counted.

Scoring:

True Apollo - +100pts - Transfer stage, lander and CM make orbit on the 2 ascent stages alone, and the trip to Duna is done only by the Transfer stage. (2STO Ascent stage)(Assistance from ascent stage during transfer is allowed)

Um, were we meant to leave that there?! - +10pts per science package left on the surface, 30pts for a two kerb rover. (Maximum: 1 Rover, 3 Science packages) {UPDATE FOR 0.22: + 1/2pt per science gained upon transmission and recovery of craft}

Jeb K call home... - +50pts - Remotetech used.

Remember to pack the Snacks! - +200pts - Ionocross Life support used. (NB. You can send a resupply mission to Duna if required for waste, food, water and fuel, but you cannot use the resupply as say, a tug to return the mission to kerbin.)

Duna Explorers - +50pts - Take a Kerbal at least 2.5Km from the launch site and return. +5pts per extra 500m travelled.

Wait, he's WHERE!? - -50pts - Per kerbal left behind or killed.

Ah, contingency equipment... - +10pts - Working Launch Escape System on your Command module.

How the hell did this get here... - +50pts - Land within 5Km of any anomolies.

There and back again - +100pts - Complete the challenge, and return all Kerbs to the surface of Kerbin.

Now thats what I call pinpoint! - +10pts - Land back at KSC.

I dont even... - +10pts - Land back on the Launchpad or on top of the VAB. (If you do this, automatically add 10pts for completing "Now thats what I call pinpoint!" as well)

Last year's model - +20pts - All stock parts (MechJeb, Kerbal Engineer Redux, and Kerbal Alarm Clock are not counted as using mods, Unless MJ autopilot used)

The wonders of Chemicals - +50pts - No Jet engines, Nerva's and the like used.

Now that's just overkill - +100pts - The rocket used is over 1000 Tonnes on the launch pad.

BONUS - Fields of Green - +100pts - Find kethane, and mine it on your trip.

Leaderboard:

1 - Deaths Engineering 390pts

2 -

3 -

4 -

5 -

Edited October 22, 2013 by Deathsoul097

[Kerbol Prime]

Might try this next week, seems like a cool challenge.

[Kerbart]

Meaning you never leave Kerbin and shoot the whole thing in the studio?

[Deathsoul097]

HAHA!!!

No, I do mean actually go to Duna, just like what would have happened if the rocket hadn't malfunctioned, or whatever it was. I haven't seen the movie in a while.

[Xeldrak]

The difference to this challenge beeing?

[Deathsoul097]

WAIT WHAT!!!!!!

I had no idea that even existed...

I'm not really on the challenges subforum much, but, wow... that is pretty damn similar.

However, yes there is a difference. You not only don't have to make a Saturn V rocket in order to qualify, nor use a pre-determined save file, and you can use most mods, and send a support mission if it is desperate enough. You can make your rocket however you want; asparagus, onion, SRBs, jets, NERVAs. This is for anyone to do however they want, and then get scored as such. Sorry if this is to similar to be classed as something different, but until I get a larger consensus of how people feel about this, I wont ask the mods to take the thread down.

[SRV Ron]

Just sand a probe to Duna, land it, and return it to Kerban? Duna lander landed too hard to return leaving Gilming stranded.

[Giggleplex777]

It'll be cool if the challenge was to fake the landing on Kerbin.

[Death Engineering]

As OP of the Duna Apollo Style, I think this challenge is unique enough with kethane and lifesupport to stand on its own. I might even have a craft file that can do this mission....

Edited October 15, 2013 by Death Engineering

[Deathsoul097]

Ok, Thank you!

[Kerbol Prime]

Clarification (sorry for stupidity, don't hurt me I'm too young to die!), do we still get points for True Apollo if we have 2 seperate launches (CSM and Transfer stage, then lander)?

[Deathsoul097]

Sorry, no, that wont classify for a "True Apollo".

If im not understanding this correctly though, post some screenshots, and I will take a look to see what you mean.

[Deathsoul097]

Bump

[Death Engineering]

Just finished the CSM/LM and rover for this mission. It seems to have loaded into 0.22 VAB so I'll make it my first mission in the new version. I'm using my Ares V design which is 2STO but uses two clusters of SRB's as well.

Career mode can wait.. I'm off to Duna!

[Deathsoul097]

So are the SRBs extra stages, or are they part of the first and second stage to orbit? That is looking awesome however, and I cant wait to see how you do on the final mission report.

Funnily enough, that looks pretty damn similar to my Apollo recreation Munlanders.

[Death Engineering]

Kaprikorn Un

The SRB's (12 of them in two 6-engine clusters) fire at launch and assist the main stage which raises the Duna package to about 65km Pe. The second liquid stage raises and circularizes the orbit and also performs the Duna intercept burn. There should be about 100 m/s delta V left in the TDI stage for the CM to return to Kerbin as long as the aerocapture goes well. I don't use any mods to give exact performance stats, but pretty sure getting back to Kerbin shouldn't be a problem, but it will be on fumes.

After taking a brief look at 0.22's career mode, I literally just launched this mission to LKO but on a save that has two other missions that require attention before the Duna window (year 2, day 280).

Thanks for posting this challenge. I like the level of freedom you have given to implement the goals.

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[Deathsoul097]

Looking good, Death Engineering. I think I will allow you to claim that as a "True Apollo" mission, so +100pts to Gryffindor! No, but seriously, that is probably the best Apollo style mission I have ever seen. You really are good at these challenges too, your doing pretty well on the Constellation Program too, from what I can see.

Thank you.

[Death Engineering]

Looking good, Death Engineering. I think I will allow you to claim that as a "True Apollo" mission, so +100pts to Gryffindor! No, but seriously, that is probably the best Apollo style mission I have ever seen. You really are good at these challenges too, your doing pretty well on the Constellation Program too, from what I can see.

Thank you.

I have a Saturn V that is well-balanced for Apollo-style missions but it didn't have enough lifting power to bring this Duna package to orbit; had to burn too much of the S-IVB to be useful for trans-Duna injection. However, it did make for a perfect vehicle to test the mission in LKO. Perhaps I'll boost the delta-V in the S5 style lifter and see if that works...

Duna Hardware Test Mission to LKO

[Deathsoul097]

Man, that SatV looks pretty impressive. But TBH I like the Ares V design better, And if you had done it on a Falcon Heavy or Falcon X I would have been even more impressed. Especially since this mission profile is pretty much the reason behind the design of the Falcon Heavy.

[Death Engineering]

Man, that SatV looks pretty impressive. But TBH I like the Ares V design better, And if you had done it on a Falcon Heavy or Falcon X I would have been even more impressed. Especially since this mission profile is pretty much the reason behind the design of the Falcon Heavy.

I might take a run at a Falcon X, but the Ares V style lifter I developed is capable of lifting anything reasonable I should need. I designed them to be functionally similar and with similar capability to the real versions... not as much into capturing the exact appearance, though.

Update to my KP1 mission: The crew of three burned their EDS to Duna orbit, but I messed up with the timing on the last Oberth-lap (which took almost 2 days to complete around Kerbin). Duna moved out of the optimal window and I had to burn way more fuel in the EDS than I would have liked. Not exactly sure I can get the package into orbit and then back to Kerbin later with the fuel. Thinking I might have to send another EDS out there on the next Duna window, without the CSM/LM, to bring the crew home.

[Deathsoul097]

That's alright, like I said, you can use a single resupply ship when you are at Duna, and you could probably have sent it in the same window as a contingency system.

[Death Engineering]

Kaprikorn 1 Update

After a smooth landing and deploying the rover, the landing crew is ready to get on with the mission. The fuel margin in the ascent stage is very tight. Also realized that power could be a problem since the ascent stage has no battery and no power regeneration system.. should be an interesting return to orbit.

[Death Engineering]

Kaprikorn Un Mission Complete

The Duna landing mission crew arrived safely at Kerbin after completing a two-kerbal landing, deploying a probe, and cruising around Duna until busting the rover. Walking almost 4km (2km per stranded crew) took so long that by the time I got back to the lander I'd forgotten when I'd left the broken rover.

Fuel constraints were extremely tight and since I didn't have enough fuel to burn into a controlled landing back on Kerbin, I just accepted the landing site that I'd set up almost 60 days earlier. Unfortunately, it was a land touchdown. The KP-1 didn't like the hard landing and self-destructed. No crew were lost in the landing, but there were some tense moments until all crew had safely egressed.

Scoring

True Apollo - +100pts - Transfer stage, lander and CM make orbit on the 2 ascent stages alone, and the trip to Duna is done only by the Transfer stage. (2STO Ascent stage)(Assistance from ascent stage during transfer is allowed)

+100

- I leave the final decision on whether these points are earned to the OP. The Ares V is a two stage to orbit, with two SRB's which are dropped when expended during the first stage powered ascent. The second stage (Earth Departure Stage - EDS) delivered the mission to Duna, established Duna orbit, and provided the first push from Duna back to Kerbin. The engine on the KP-1 command module finalized Kerbin intercept.

Um, were we meant to leave that there?! - +10pts per science package left on the surface, 30pts for a two kerb rover. (Maximum: 1 Rover, 3 Science packages) {UPDATE FOR 0.22: + 1/2pt per science gained upon transmission and recovery of craft}

+10

one science package;

+30

two kerb rover

Duna Explorers - +50pts - Take a Kerbal at least 2.5Km from the launch site and return. +5pts per extra 500m travelled.

+50

for 2.5km drive;

+20

for 2.0km extra drive

Ah, contingency equipment... - +10pts - Working Launch Escape System on your Command module.

+10

for LES

There and back again - +100pts - Complete the challenge, and return all Kerbs to the surface of Kerbin.

+100

all three returned safely. Capsule, not so much.

Last year's model - +20pts - All stock parts (MechJeb, Kerbal Engineer Redux, and Kerbal Alarm Clock are not counted as using mods, Unless MJ autopilot used)

+20

. Kerbal Alarm Clock only.

The wonders of Chemicals - +50pts - No Jet engines, Nerva's and the like used.

+50

no nukes

Total: 390

Big thanks to Deathsoul097 for creating this challenge. I never turn down a challenge to get to Duna and back! I'm sure I've been to Duna more than all other destinations combined, but it was good to try a few different design ideas.

The film "Capricorn One" is a fun little movie with great lines from Sam Waterston, Elliot Gould and Telly Savalas. And we got to hear O.J. Simpson refuse to take the handgun saying, "I'd probably just shoot myself." Turns out, he likes knives.

Kaprikorn Un

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[Deathsoul097]

Looking good Death Engineering, I am really quite surprised that you are the only person to attempt this challenge. How much fuel does that ascent stage have, because if you are using a LV-909, then you should be able to manage it, but not having power could be a problem. If you do run out of power, and you have made it to space, you might be able to get out and push the ship onto the correct heading, and stop it through time warp, then execute the node. After that point, it should just be a case of rendezvousing the CM to the lander, instead of the other way around.

DAMN! NINJAD!

Edited October 22, 2013 by Deathsoul097
Ninjad by the only contestant!

[Deathsoul097]

Ok, So now we have one contestant with a score of: 390pts, Congrats Death Engineering, for being the only person to complete the challenge.