BSC: Kerbal X - We have a winner!

[Kasuha]

Just a note to everyone putting science tools on the rocket - stock craft is not available in Career game. So assuming the ship is going to be used as stock craft, they'll not be of much use in that context.

[Johnno]

Had fun tinkering today so here's my entry, the Kerbal JX3.

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Craft file

Similar in delta-v to the original Kerbal X, getting into Mün orbit is no problem, returning into stable Kerbin orbit can be done with a bit of aerobraking.

The TWR during launch is slightly higher than optimal, but even if you set throttle to 100% you'll get to orbit. Gravity turn at 10km, tilt to 45° and then swap to mapmode to wait for apoapsis to reach 70+ km. If you're careful you can reach stable orbit without using any fuel from the orbiter, but even if you do a sloppy launch and gravity turn it won't take much extra fuel.

On the orbiter I went for aesthetics instead of pure functionality, but there's a bit of everything in the orbiter and launcher. Onion staging on the launcher with sepratrons on the boosters, can drop them even in the middle of gravity turn without any mishaps. Plenty of RCS fuel and a docking port if one wants to adventure into docking manouvers. There's also a RTG tucked away among the gubbins on the orbiter so the solar panels are mostly for show.

Action group 1: Toggle solar panels

Action group 2: Toggle docking port shield and docking light

[sgt_flyer]

@Kasuha - those rockets are for sandbox mode for sure, but it can help newcomers to give them ideas on how they can place their science tools on their spacecrafts when they start to play their own career mode

[GusTurbo]

Question: why are people putting higher ISP engines on the boosters and lower ones on the core? With crossfeed, your core engine(s) will be burning the longest. The longer a burn, the greater benefit you get from a higher efficiency engine.

[briansun1]

So do you think 10,000 Dv is too much for this challenge? also have 4RTG and gigantor Solar panels...

[sgt_flyer]

@gusturbo which is why i used a cluster of LVT engines for my core instead of a mainsail

[frizzank]

The Kerbal X is one of my favorite stock craft, not saying it can't use some improvement, but at minimum it should have some requirements.

Asparagus staging.

3 man pod with lander legs.

Easy for beginners to fly.

Personally I would like to see a docking port, radial parachutes and RCS control added to it and that's it.

[Dekul]

This is my first challenge entry so pardon me if I missed anything important. Decided to go for a minimalist design for my first attempt and since this is supposed to be a beginners example of rocket design, came in at 10 parts, 11 if you count the stability enhancer but it isn't vital if the craft is launched immediately at the pad, could have also eliminated 1 decoupler and landed with the engine still attached but I usually don't like using my fuel tank as an airbag.

Capabilities: KSC to Low Kerbin Orbit with at least 1700 delta-v to spare, low Kerbin orbit to very low Munar circular orbit and return with a little fuel to spare (enough to recircularize and then land with some aerobraking). Also with careful but by no means expert flying, was able to land at minmus, plant a flag and nearly return, with full return achieved by a slight EVA push from Jeb, I'm sure its possible without resorting to that, no lander legs but SAS is enough to hold the ship upright on a slight incline on minmus.

Craft File:Minimalist Kerbal X

Ascent from KSC

Kerbin Orbit, so far so good!

Beginning Munar insertion, lets hope it's not a one-way trip.

Hello Mun

Jeb looks down on his first Mun landing site, wishing he had as much fuel as he did back then.

Circularized 6km x 5.5km orbit, some debris still down there from the first mun landing.

As good a time as any to go for a space walk.

Operation 'Soil Jeb's Spacesuit' is a success, 1200 mph at less than 2 miles from the surface makes for an interesting experience.

The shadows help point out the terrain, as well as how insane it is to orbit this low.

Safely on the way home, and look, fuel to spare!

Just another re-entry.

Jeb looks happy to be alive!

[zekes]

HOLD EVERYTHING!

Cancel my entry- This is the one.

The Sarah III

under 100 parts, carries two kerbals to Mun, land, and come back.

Everything is on staging, no action groups, only thing you have to do is manually undock the lander.

*Lander needs both Kerbals on it to balance it, but it is able to operate without kerbals if necessary.

CRAFT FILE: http://www./?xixbgkbw274kgvg

Gallery:

[antbin]

The Kerbal X is probably the best stock craft... I feel a little nitpicky trying to improve it. But, I will have a go!

Looking forward to redoing the Kerbal 2. Now that is a turkey.

[Bobnova]

I'm working on refining mine to better match the lack of Mun land+return capabilities. I think I'm getting close, it's very Delta IV Heavy-ish.

[briansun1]

zekes...it kind of says in the OP not to do a separate lander and return vehicle...

[Rhomphaia]

The Kerbal X is probably the best stock craft... I feel a little nitpicky trying to improve it. But, I will have a go!

Looking forward to redoing the Kerbal 2. Now that is a turkey.

Yeah, I quite like the way the Kerbal X is, it has flaws but they are easy enough to spot and fix. Not quite sure what I will do for the Kerbal 2 though, not quite sure what the point of that thing is supposed to be.

[Bobnova]

Hey I perfected (more or less) my entry, should I edit my previous entry post, make a new one, or both?

It can now make Munar orbit and return to Kerbin easily, OR land on Mun and return to Munar orbit (barely, I had a pretty efficient route there/down/up and I have <50m/s of DV left), perfect! Minmus should be easy enough.

[briansun1]

I say edit it reduces clutter and easier for the OP to link too

[Blaster]

The Kerbal X is one of my favorite stock craft, not saying it can't use some improvement, but at minimum it should have some requirements.

Asparagus staging.

3 man pod with lander legs.

Easy for beginners to fly.

Personally I would like to see a docking port, radial parachutes and RCS control added to it and that's it.

Your wishes shall be granted...

[antbin]

Well, apologies to the (mostly OK) Kerbal X, but here's my entry.

I wanted to fix a few things that seem clumsy about the stock Kerbal X: Fins (the Mainsail has tons of steering power), multiple batteries (the capsule has plenty), small asparagus boosters (that burn very quick and wobble a bit), and an oversized last stage that's too heavy to lug around, giving it an awkward too-little-for-landing flight capability.

Did want to keep the good things though: The elegant single mainsail stack, the launch stabilizers that stage after the engines ignite (more dramatic), the 3 kerb capsule, simple flatmount panels, RCS-freeness, and its debris-free operation.

Inspired by the Delta IV Heavy, it has a single asparagus stage (rather than 3), and like the Saturn V, it has a 3 stage main stack. This bumped the delta-V up to about 7400, even while using 800 units less fuel than the original! 7400 dV is enough for a full direct ascent Mun landing - but only if flown well.

While Kerbals XX is easy to fly, as a Stock craft should be, it's also:

• Simple - Less than 50 parts, 3 tons lighter than stock, no clipping, no fancy accessories
  
• Elegant - debris-free, silver color scheme (no orange/white/black tanks or fairings), aligned hatch/ladder/lander legs/interstage struts
  
• Functional - easily steered with Mainsail and reaction wheels, small frills (like landing light)
  
• Engineered - proper TWR on all stages (2.4/2/2/0.5), strutted for rigidity (like the N1!)
  
• Skill uncapped - novices can orbit Kerbin easily, and flyby moons with fuel to spare. With practice, experts can fly a Mun landing and return
  
• Extendable - add moar boosters, or simply stack double fuel on the outside stages for more Delta-V! Rookies will be tempted to swap the 1st stage Skippers for Mainsails and load up even more fuel.
  

The margins for debris-free Mun direct ascent are slim - ~50dV for Mun intercept, and ~75dV for Mun return. This gives rookies the feedback they need to become better. In fact, the Kerbals XX is twice as educational as the competition! Its build shows two ways to do:

Strutting

1. Crossbracing ( XX pattern for side boosters)
   
2. Interstage ( stabilizing LV-909 )
   

Staging

1. Asparagus (side boosters)
   
2. Standard (stack)
   

Debris cleaning

1. Kerbin atmosphere burnup
   
2. Mun impact
   

Stage ignition

1. Before staging (1st stage)
   
2. With staging (3rd stage)
   
3. Post-separation (4th stage)
   

Kerbal Engineer was used for design purposes only. Good luck to all the competitors, now KISS!

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>> Kerbals XX.craft <<

Edited November 18, 2013 by antbin

[Xeldrak]

Everybody up till now sould be added.

If you change something on your entry simply edid your original post. This way I don't have to replace the link in the first post. And please don't edit your original post once the voting-procedure has started

[Giggleplex777]

I ended up building a Delta-IV like rocket instead.

[Deathsoul097]

Kerbal Z.Z : http://www./download/djaeddla6drtlvh/Kerbal_Z_Z.craft

The Kerbal Z.Z (Said Z 2) is designed with noob friendliness in mind, the engines will never overheat and it shows how certain techniques can be used to create crafts. (I have no idea if that was the right word to use there) The fairing made of panels around the LV-909 on the lander / capsule provides space for the landing legs, monopropellant and ather stuff you might want to put on. The side boosters show how liquid fuelled boosters that crossfeed into the core can be more effective and more efficient than SRBs, without destroying the laws of physics outright with an asparagus monstrosity. Struts are placed in key places that minimize wobble, and the landing legs are placed sideways to provide a wider and more stable stance on the ground, and be more discreet while flying, while still providing enough ground clearance to land safely. Oh, and it's heavily based on the Ares V and Delta rockets as well.

[Xeldrak]

You've been added, Deathsoul.

@Giggle: Yeah, most of my designs also ended in something like the Delta IV - is seems so be a very efficient and simple design.

[Carl]

Since there seems to be some time lift on this basic question?

What is the challenge? Your awfully unclear about this. Do we just have to build a rocket capable of doing a shot to the Mun, landing, and returning using whatever staging combination we wish, or is it supposed to be some kind of SSTO followed by burn to Mun, followed by Landing, followed by return all on a single stage? If the later i've no idea how to do it. For the former i can slap something together out of my subassemblies pretty fast though there's no way in hell i could actually fly an example mission with it for you, (getting to orbit manually is a serious trial for me, never mind manually figuring out when and how hard to burn for transfers and landing decent's), but i can easily determine via a bit of mechjebing weather it's got enough excess Dv at each step to pull the mission off without serious issues.

Also any restrictions on Lander capabilities. Might have to re-design a subasembly if you want full surface sample capability.

[Xeldrak]

You are supposed to build a replacement for the Kerbal X stock craft. It should be a rocket capable of at least reaching the mün, maybe land there. A direct ascend seems preferable to me, since MOR or KOR usually requires some rather complicated procedures. Have you read the Challenge Guidelines?

-Your craft should be easy to use, simple and safe - stock craft are mostly for new players, they should not be overwhelmed by 10 action groups that must be used at the right time.

-Try to avoid exessive part clipping, a new player should be able to take your ship apart, learn how it works and put it back together

-Your craft should be an example new players can emulate. It should demonstrate design techniques. What ARE action groups? What's aspargus? Can linear RCS boosters be of some use? These are questions new players could be able to answer by testing your craft.

-If you use Action Groups of have any special commentary to make, use that neat, new description field in the VAB.

It's a fine line between encouraging a new player with something new and overwhelming him - try to walk it.

That's the challenge...

If you can argue, while a new player should get a be presented with a craft, that has all the science gizmos - go for it. I personally think, that simplicity is usually the way to go.

Edited November 14, 2013 by Xeldrak

[MiniMatt]

Hmm, really struggling with how best to approach this one in light of the changes present in 0.22.

Strikes me that, with the Kerbal X, Squad have given us a complete launch program rather than just the lander/satellite/rover and tuned it for a fairly modest target (ie. orbit the mun, return). As such I'm leaning toward thinking this would be one of the first stock craft new players would be pointed toward.

0.22 introduces career mode & science and with the presumed future development I would guess that most new players will be starting with career mode.

As such I'm thinking the Kerbal X should be a much simpler design with a nod to tech levels. Players looking to take their first peek round the dark side of the Mun will most likely not have access to retractable solar panels, let alone multi-Kerbal command pods. Then again, stock designs are currently only a feature of sandbox, so perhaps it's ok to take a far more advanced look with the assumption that new players will have already completed Munar trips and be interested in other possible takes on the problem. And tech levels of various components are likely to change wildly in the coming months too.

[AmpsterMan]

Mini-Matt, as for me, I am going to be taking liftoff, landibg, takeoff, return, and Tech levels into account. I feel like with the new advent of Career mode it would be fair game.