Vall Exploration Challenge [SPOILERS: Duna/Vall]

[Death Engineering]

Vall Exploration Challenge

After the discovery of an ancient carving on the side of the face on Duna depicting five orbiting moons around a body with a green dot on the second orbit, Kerbin's finest scientists deduced that whoever was responsible for creating the face on Duna must be from Vall, Jool's second of five moons. No one from Kerbin had ever been out to Vall, but there were rumours circulating the KSC about a recent pass of the space telescope near Jool that had taken an interesting picture. The rumour was that when the image was magnified, there appeared to be structures of some kind; things tall enough to cast shadows on Vall's surface.

Questions loomed in the heads of all Kerbals: Who created the Duna face? What were they going to find on Vall? Would there still be enough room for snacks in the spacecraft for a trip that long?

Important questions, to be sure! But, today is a big day at the Kerbal Space Center. All the best kerbal engineers, pilots, test-pilots and rocket builders were gathered in the Astronaut Complex to hear the big news about Vall. Most of Kerbin knew that a program was being considered to explore Vall, but there were still many details to work out.

Gregry Kerman examines the Duna face carving

After the official announcement of the "Vall Space Program", Bill and Jebediah met up with Bob, the recently promoted Director of the Kerbal Space Science Division. As soon as Bob saw Bill and Jeb, he gave them a quick, expressionless nod then turned and walked away. Bob, clearly in a hurry, was carrying a folder filled with papers.

"Bob!" Bill exclaimed, "Hey Bob, wait up!"

Bob turned around to address them, but kept walking away, "Hey Jeb. Bill. Good to see you guys, but I'm in a big hurry to present our Vall findings to the budget committee. We need approval to start developing the new spacecraft to get to Vall!". As Bob spun back around and increased his walking pace, several pieces of paper fell from the over-stuffed folder he was carrying.

Just as Bill was about to call out to tell Bob that he dropped some papers, Jeb grabbed his arm and said, "Shh.. let's go have a look at those papers. Bob won't mind." Jeb and Bill walked slowly towards the papers that Bob dropped then picked them up. It was a letter with some writing blacked out and two photos.

"What do you think this is, Jeb?" Bill asked.

"I don't know, Bill, but there's definitely something down there. We need to get out to Vall.. let's go!"

---

Letter found with photos PDF version

"KSTIMG-J2:60.5.39S;83.47.35E/ZL15"

"KSTIMG-J2:60.5.39S;83.47.35E/ZL300"

---

Rules

Normal mode:

• Low Kerbin Orbit defined as minimum 75km Pe.
  
• Total payload to LKO for entire space program is 320t. Any number of launches and any combination of lifters can be used to achieve this. After every launch to LKO, the mass of the successfully orbited spacecraft is part of the maximum 320t payload limit.
  
• No 'part' mods which add rocket parts to the stock game (engines, fuel tanks, structural, pods, etc.)
  
• Permitted Mods: Flight-assistance, engineering mods, mapping, alarm clock, graphic, chatterer, protractor, etc.
  

Hard mode:

• No mods which perform flight assistance. Any other mods permitted.
  
• Kethane mining permitted, but if used, total payload to LKO for entire space program is 270t.
  
• All kerbals launched must return safely to Kerbin.
  
• Rule removed: If a crewed landing mission is scored ("Let's do some prospecting"), Bill, Jebediah or Bob is the first kerbal to set foot on Vall.
  

Career mode:

• Track and score all science points achieved while in orbit around or on the surface of Vall. Only points accumulated while orbiting Vall or on the surface can be scored. No science from any other source can be scored.
  
• Exceptions: Points from recovered spacecraft, science instruments and surface samples are scored as long as the points are earned for performing Vall science. Crew reports and EVA reports may also be submitted freely.
  

Scoring

• "Career Mode" points are scored separately and can be counted in Normal Mode or Hard Mode.
  
• "SMART" - Science Measuring and Automated Remote Transmission: Points-scoring probes/pods/rovers must include a continuously powered probe core, any science part and a communication part.
  

1. A real 'stick and rudder' kerbal: Complete the challenge with no flight assist mods. Any mod that has the ability to provide active control, whether or not it is used, is not permitted +5.
   
2. Rocket scientist: Complete the mission without using jet engines +5.
   
3. Map-master: Orbit at least two SMART satellites around Vall +5. Every other satellite +2 (max x4).
   
4. From top to bottom: Land a SMART probe at >7000m elevation and another <200m elevation +10. Landed probes are >7950m elevation and <10m elevation +10.
   
5. We need total coverage: Orbit two SMART probes in circular orbits 180° apart and Pe minimum 2 000 000 m (± 10°) around Vall +5.
   
6. SMART rovers: Score for each SMART rovers landed on Vall +5. *
   
7. SMART landers: Score for each SMART landers landed on Vall +5. *
   
8. This means something: Discover an anomaly on Vall, land <100m from it and place a flag there +10.
   
9. Flag-master: Place at least one flag on each: near an anomaly (<100m), elevation < 100m, elevation >7000m, north pole (>66°N), south pole (>66°S) +10
   
10. I have a theory: Using observations made at an anomaly, develop a theory around the anomaly and write a post about it +5.
    
11. We should have a look around: Place 4 SMART probes on Vall 10km (±500m) N, S, E and W of an anomaly +5.
    
12. Floating in a tin can: Every kerbal that orbits around Vall in a spacecraft (not command seat) +1.
    
13. Let's do some prospecting: Every kerbal that walks on Vall +2.
    
14. This will make a nice picture: Take a photo at an anomaly. For each kerbal also in the photo, score +1.
    
15. We could use a shower: Score for every kerbal who earns "Floating in a tin can" and lands safely at Kerbin +2.
    
16. Overbudget: For every extra 5t launched to LKO for the space program over the budget of 320t (270t if kethane mining), to a maximum of 50t, score -1 (max -10)
    

*

Any SMART rover/probe that relies on another spacecraft to land on Vall must be deployed at least 2.0km from its "parent" craft and any other SMART rover/probe.

---

Leaderboard

Normal mode:

1. Death Engineering - 170 pts
   
2. 700NitroXpress - 134 pts
   
3. chlue - 41 pts
   

Hard mode:

1. regex - 49 pts
   

Career mode:

1. Death Engineering - 2359 science
   

Edited February 17, 2014 by Death Engineering

[Death Engineering]

I'd be interested in feedback if there is clarification required or the points need tweaking. Thanks for reading this far!

[Sirine]

I think I can pay a visit to Vall, never been to there before.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Sirine

[capi3101]

Same here. Time to start being king of the spreadsheets/go print 'em out on my bedsheets...

"Flight assistance" mods - typical faire, right? No Mechjeb or similar autopilots, or are we including some of my favorites here (like KER, Docking Port Alignment, Protractor, etc.).

Edited November 6, 2013 by capi3101

[Nao]

Nice challenge . You could add some scoring penalty on the use of Jet engines. As they can bring most of the 320t to Kerbin orbit in several flights.

Something like: Rocket scientist Complete the mission without using jet engines. I think something between +5 and +10 would be a good score number.

[HafCoJoe]

I am actually running a mission around Vall currently! It also has Jeb in its single pod. I shall enter with glee!

[Patupi]

Hmm how about points for least number of tech nodes unlocked in career mode before launching mission? *grins* I'd like to see someone pull a Scott Manley and do it with start tech only! *lol* Course wouldn't get much other score with no science equipment

[Death Engineering]

Hey thanks for all the interest in this challenge. I admit my motivation in writing this challenge was to complete something I started while doing the Duna Permanent Outpost Challenge, but having been out to Vall finally, its really worth the effort. Something about flying into such a busy system and having so much to look at makes me wonder why I hadn't spent much time around Jool until now.

Looking forward to seeing some entries.. and of course please post about your progress.

I think I can pay a visit to Vall, never been to there before.

We should have a look around: Place 4 SMART probes on Vall 10km (±500m) N, S, E and W of an anomaly +5.

This should be rover or "landed probes" right?

Anything that meets the criteria of SMART qualifies: crewed landers, rovers, mini-probes deployed by rovers, individually landed probes..

"SMART" - Science Measuring and Automated Remote Transmission: Points-scoring probes/pods/rovers must include a continuously powered probe core, any science part and a communication part.

Same here. Time to start being king of the spreadsheets/go print 'em out on my bedsheets...

"Flight assistance" mods - typical faire, right? No Mechjeb or similar autopilots, or are we including some of my favorites here (like KER, Docking Port Alignment, Protractor, etc.).

In Normal Mode, any mod is permitted that does not add active rocket parts or any "unfair" advantage over stock parts. In Hard Mode, anything goes except flight assistance mods. Passive mods like KER, Docking Port Alignment, Protractor are permitted.

Nice challenge . You could add some scoring penalty on the use of Jet engines. As they can bring most of the 320t to Kerbin orbit in several flights.

Something like: Rocket scientist Complete the mission without using jet engines. I think something between +5 and +10 would be a good score number.

That is a really good idea! On one hand, the method of getting the Vall payload into LKO and the quantity of launches needed to do so isn't part of the challenge, but on the other hand I think sticking to rocket engines should be rewarded. Done!

I am actually running a mission around Vall currently! It also has Jeb in its single pod. I shall enter with glee!

That's awesome! What had Jeb out there by himself?

Hmm how about points for least number of tech nodes unlocked in career mode before launching mission? *grins* I'd like to see someone pull a Scott Manley and do it with start tech only! *lol* Course wouldn't get much other score with no science equipment

Very interesting proposal. Not sure how to make it work, though. In complete transparency, I edited the file and added 10K science points then unlocked the tech tree to completion then re-zeroed out the science points. For the challenge, I'm tracking all points which meet the rules and will score only those. I read in the latest Squad update that 0.23 is going to have some kind of career tracker so that might make this part of the challenge more clear/easier to score.

p.s. I did already unlock a full tech tree in another save, just to say I did it, but I'm not using that save in this challenge. I did not do it Scott Manley-style... took I think 12 flights.

[Death Engineering]

New way to earn points (thanks for the idea, Nao)

Rocket scientist: Complete the mission without using jet engines +5.

[Patupi]

You know you can unlock the tech tree with Tree Edit without doing that, right?

[Death Engineering]

You know you can unlock the tech tree with Tree Edit without doing that, right?

What's that, then?

[Patupi]

Ahh, you messed with the tech tree manually? Tree Edit is one of R4mon's productions. Um, not sure where I got it from actually. Did a web search eventually to find it. It allows editing the tech tree in game in the research window. I had to delete it after making a tree.cfg because the Tree Edit window wouldn't go away! (Well, you can move it off the bottom of the screen, but still...)

[Death Engineering]

I used the lo-tech method of adding enough science points to the persistent file to unlock the tree, then set the available science points back to zero once the tree was unlocked.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Death Engineering

[Patupi]

And I'm an idiot for completely misreading your initial post on that. *Smacks forehead* For some reason I thought you were putting points in to unlock modded parts. I'll just go sit in the back and put the dunce cap on.

Actually it's a very stylish dunce cap, with a little propeller and everything!

[capi3101]

Debating as to how early I want to go at the moment. I've been trying to finish up the Constellation Challenge, so my career game has actually been lagging - I only unlocked nukes last night. Should I go ahead and max out the tech tree first, or just go? Might be really interesting to just go, what with the Skipper being the most powerful engine I have available.

Strike that - my initial plans call for RTGs and they're a final tier tech. Going to have to do some more Mün missions, looks like.

[700NitroXpress]

What's Kethane?

[Sirine]

What's Kethane?

Fuel mining mod.

[700NitroXpress]

If I do one set of challenges in the scoring, can I still do all the separate missions and add to the original score or is it one score per mission? This question pertains to non-career mode.

Also, can an armada of ships be launched there for this? Example, one craft for kerbals, one for probes and satellites, one for orbital refueling at Vall, and one for rovers?

Also, there should be a bonus for using no mods at all.

Edited November 9, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[Death Engineering]

If I do one set of challenges in the scoring, can I still do all the separate missions and add to the original score or is it one score per mission? This question pertains to non-career mode.

Also, can an armada of ships be launched there for this? Example, one craft for kerbals, one for probes and satellites, one for orbital refueling at Vall, and one for rovers?

The challenge is designed to be one of craft design and mission execution skills, which is why there is no limit on the number of launches required - only a limit on the payload to LKO. An armada, as you say, is totally acceptable as long as the total payload to LKO for all launches does not exceed 320t.

Also, there should be a bonus for using no mods at all.

Brilliant! I will make a rule that rewards no part mods and no flight assist mods.

[Dave Kerbin]

Vall Exploration Challenge

1. SMART rovers: Score for each SMART rovers landed on Vall +5.
   
2. SMART landers: Score for each SMART landers landed on Vall +5.
   

Is there any limit to the number of point scoring SMART rovers/landers, the way there is for satellites?

[Death Engineering]

Is there any limit to the number of point scoring SMART rovers/landers, the way there is for satellites?

No limit, but all points scored must be from spacecraft launched within the 320t to LKO limit. Each spacecraft landed only scores once (i.e. if you have a lander that launches from the surface and lands again, it only scores for its first landing).

[capi3101]

Ten million dollar question then - what if you have a craft that lands like a lander, but then you put the lander legs up and - surprise! - it's a rover too...

[700NitroXpress]

The challenge is designed to be one of craft design and mission execution skills, which is why there is no limit on the number of launches required - only a limit on the payload to LKO. An armada, as you say, is totally acceptable as long as the total payload to LKO for all launches does not exceed 320t.

Thanks for clarifying.

Also, how do you want submissions to be handled?

Last question, when you say payload to LKO, you mean only the payload that is going to Vall and not including the lifter used to get the payload to LKO right?

Edited November 9, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[Death Engineering]

Ten million dollar question then - what if you have a craft that lands like a lander, but then you put the lander legs up and - surprise! - it's a rover too...

Good question, but unless it decouples into two separate SMART spacecraft, then it scores as one.

[Dave Kerbin]

Ten million dollar question then - what if you have a craft that lands like a lander, but then you put the lander legs up and - surprise! - it's a rover too...

Well technically any rover has to make it to the surface somehow, so by definition it is a lander too. And a lander isn't defined by its legs, it can just as easily land on girders or fuel tanks or even the engine if it's really gentle. Personally I would consider it to have been a rover the entire time, or alternatively it is a rover at the time the score is actually being tallied.

However that does raise another question. If a piece seperates from a lander, and that piece matches the SMART requirements too, does it count? Some specifics scenarios I can think of are:

1. A Pathfinder like craft deploys a SMART rover after landing, but the lander still retains all the parts needed to count as SMART lander. (Sojourner +5, Carl Sagan Memorial Station +5)

2. A manned lander leaves behind a SMART rover or lander. For example the Apollo missions left behind a SMART lander in the form of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package. A kerbal might go a step farther and put it on wheels.

3. A larger SMART lander deploys multiple smaller SMART landers, either after touching down (perhaps using some ballistic cannon like a decoupler to fling them) or spreading them during final descent.

In my opinion #3 opens a lot of difficulty. I would clarify the rules for SMART rovers and landers to add this: A SMART rover/lander is only scored if it has moved at least 2.5km away from any other SMART rover/lander. So in scenario #1 the rover could drive far enough away from the base station to count, in #2 it immediately counts, and in #3 the only way to make them count is if it lands and then flings the sub-landers more then 2.5km one at a time. Optionally the distance could be increased up to 9km without interfering with the other rules, though it would be more work to drive rovers that far.