(OLD) The Ultimate Jool-5 Challenge:land Kerbals on all moons and return in one big mission

[Ziv]

My submission for a 2nd level Jool-5 challenge;

http://imgur.com/a/4EIsp

Hm, which level do you want to submit this mission to? Did you read the rules for all of them?

[Kokanee]

Hm, which level do you want to submit this mission to? Did you read the rules for all of them?

Yes, but from your response I take it I didn't meet the requirements. Tell me where I went wrong and I'll do the mission over np.

[Sheiss]

Here's part 1 (just the launch) of my attempt at Level 3 of the challenge. Part 2 to follow.

[Oafman]

Wow Sheiss, those are some amazing animations. And you've barely left KSC - look forward to seeing this story play out.

My brave Kerbonauts have returned successfully from the Jool system, but not without plenty of drama and near misses along the way. I'm in the process of writing up the mission report, and creating the image galleries etc. I'll have it done later this week, and post the link to it here.

[Ziv]

Chapters 1 through 5 of my Jool-5 Challenge Mission Report are up. Final wrap-up post to come soon!

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/84687-Jool-5-Challenge-Report-by-norcalplanner-and-KABOOM-%28picture-heavy%29

Norcalplanner: Congratulations, you have finished the JOOL-5 Challenge on Level 1! (It's a level 1 because you have landed only one Kerbal on all the moons, not 2 or 3).

That's a really detailed Mission Log!

Hm, and you didn't use the Kethane ships, right? (that would disqualify you from the original JOOL-5 Challenge ) What was your intention with those ships?

Thank you for participating, good job!

[Ziv]

Yes, but from your response I take it I didn't meet the requirements. Tell me where I went wrong and I'll do the mission over np.

My problem is that you used Kethane which is not allowed for the original JOOL-5 Challenge. That's for stock parts only, or for very stock-alike mods if I allow them. And that's the same for the Kethane version too... you used some kind of fuel/engines which gives you huge advantage (KSP Interstellar, I guess). I still can link it into the Kethane Freestyle but then please write some more information about the mods you used and your mission on average, what I can link there.

[Rakaydos]

So close, and yet so far...

I accendently sent off my lander with a not-quite full fuel load for it's 3 moon tour. It landed on Val and escaped, landed on bop and escaped, landed on Pol and escaped, got a layth intercept, captured... and ran out of fuel 8 degrees of inclination off from the tanker, in different orbits. :/

Right now I'm trying to fly the tanker to it, but I might not have enough fuel afterward to land on laythe AND get home. Considering reverting to an earlier save to try and get a better orbit.

[Norcalplanner]

Norcalplanner: Congratulations, you have finished the JOOL-5 Challenge on Level 1! (It's a level 1 because you have landed only one Kerbal on all the moons, not 2 or 3).

That's a really detailed Mission Log!

Hm, and you didn't use the Kethane ships, right? (that would disqualify you from the original JOOL-5 Challenge ) What was your intention with those ships?

Thank you for participating, good job!

Thanks! I'll add the badge to my sig. I wasn't sure if it was level 1 or level 2 - three different kerbals went down to the moons, but only one went down at a time to any particular moon.

As indicated in the log, the other two ships were sent along simply to take advantage of the same launch window in an attempt to establish a Joolian base of operations. No kethane flowed. They didn't interact with the Jool Explorer in any way, and ended up suffering a humorous/tragic fate after failing to establish any sort of stable orbit in any part of the Jool SOI, careening off into unplanned trajectories.

[Rakaydos]

I think I have a good run so far, but it's going to be close. I may have to refuel in kerbin orbit just so I can make a powered landing. Hopefully I can avoid that.

Meanwhile... Why bring tanks out of Tylo's gravity, that you dont need?

[Kokanee]

No worries, I will redo the mission w/ stock parts and kethane mod only, then resubmit under the kethane jool 5 challenge. Thx.

[Rakaydos]

Part 3- Almost there. Just need a laythe landing and return, a flight home to kerbin, and a landing at KSC.

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[Cmdr. Arn1e]

Quick update from me; Testing is continuing on the Tylo lander, think I might have cracked it this time with a totally different design! Fingers Crossed

[grockstar124]

I am back from SC! I will resume the mission now!

[Rakaydos]

Survived Laythe, after many many attempts. now for the hardest part of all... a powered landing back at kerbin.

[Rakaydos]

Jool 5 Level 2 Complete! (Mods are Mechjeb, FAR, and Stock Rebalance v2, restrictions are Single Launch, Single Lander, no Jets, no Ions, no parachutes, only Jeb can use Mechjeb, all moons and back.

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If I was to do this again, I think the biggest thing would be Action Groups. I was toggling engines and solar panels everywhere, and being able to do them all at once would have lowered my personal anxiety level.

Also, might as well have used Stock Rebalance v3- compared to V2, it nerfs reaction wheels but buffs RCS- I had plenty of RCS fuel and being able to use it for propulsion would have stretched my Dv a little furthur.

I enjoyed the challange and probably wont be touching KSP till .24 now.

[CavemanNinja]

let me get this straight, i can do multiple launches but they all must leave Kerbin orbit as one?

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

let me get this straight, i can do multiple launches but they all must leave Kerbin orbit as one?

That's correct - but Ziv, in the spirit of the challenge, has allowed ref-fuel and replacement missions if we found we have stuffed up in the planning stages (I certainly have, and it's a right pain!) If it weren't for my deficiencies in planning my Tylo visit, and how much fuel the Skipper engines turn out to eat through, I'm sure I'd have this finished by now!

[bobcook]

let me get this straight, i can do multiple launches but they all must leave Kerbin orbit as one?

The idea is to assemble your ship in Kerbin orbit. Multiple launches from KSC, dock together in Kerbin orbit, and then a single ship departs Kerbin orbit for travel to Jool. Once at Jool its common to break into multiple ships again e.g. one or more landers and a main ship that keeps your fuel reserves.

[Norcalplanner]

let me get this straight, i can do multiple launches but they all must leave Kerbin orbit as one?

In my case, it was one ship that reached orbit with a lot of empty tanks. Two refueling ships were launched to top off the ship, then it set off for Jool (with a totally overpowered inefficient transfer burn whose main positive characteristic was that it took less than three minutes).

[parzr]

New to the forums and learning how to upload photos.

this is my single launch. More to come if I can figure out how to upload my whole mission.

Edited July 14, 2014 by parzr

[sumghai]

New to the forums and learning how to upload photos.

this is my single launch. More to come if I can figure out how to upload my whole mission.

In order to post your own photos / screenshots on these forums, you will need to upload them to a free image hosting site first, like imgur.

Edited July 14, 2014 by sumghai

[parzr]

Thanks Sum, thought so but had no way to test it. would u mind deleting my personal link?

[sumghai]

Thanks Sum, thought so but had no way to test it. would u mind deleting my personal link?

No worries, just removed in my quotation of your post as well

Also, when posting on these forums, you can use the "preview" button to take a look at how your post will appear before it is actually submitted (in Quick Reply mode, you need to first jump through the Go Advanced button).

[parzr]

Hats off to Ziv, for the challenge and for keeping it going. Many lessons learned that never would have been attempted

Asparagus staging and multiple periapsis burning is INCREDIBLY fuel efficient.

Don’t rush and think the whole thing through. By way of example my first and 4th substantive attempts had no panels on my fuel tug making docking after landing imposable and resulting in the disgusting need to scrub of the mission.

Also, as fun as it was it is a good lesson in the real world value of planing and engineering. it being truly cheeper to plan it ahead than to just try to get through on butte force. Checklists are vital IRL.

I took many user inputted Quicksaves so could backtrack if needed but my final attempt only required a few “simulations†due to mis-staging or lack of full preparation and being too lazy to re-dock. I also reverted to get a photo of Pol having forgotten to do so while there

My Kerbals, having never been outside the Kerbin SOI aren’t great with orbital mechanics or calculating Delta V. What to do, over build and hope.

- Which game versions did you use? .23.5

- What mods did you use, if any? MechJeb and TAC fuel.

- How many launches was needed to start your mission from Kerbal? Final was done with one VERY large launch, Over 9k Ton and 1400+ parts.  (Seven total attempts to get the kinks out, one of witch had a Docking/refueling before leaving Kerbin only to find it wouldn’t survive aero breaking at Laythe.)

- How many refueling did you do during the mission, how much and where? Only used what left with me from the launch pad. liberally.

- Did you bring a Living Quarter (Hitch-hiker's Storage) for the guys during the long journey? Yup

- Did you bring additional stuff like satellites, rovers, etc? No.

- Share the delta-V informations too, if you tracked it! I’m not good enough to keep that, though this journey brought home its value to me.

Oh yes, its BIG!

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Edited July 15, 2014 by parzr

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

Wow, parzr, that's a pretty epic post for a new-ish forum user! (Rep given!)

Still working on the Tylo lander... this time I have been extremly unlucky in my rendezvous

So in the meantime, another sneak peek:

Bob returning lots of science to the MPL from Vall