The Versatility Marathon Challenge

[700NitroXpress]

This is a challenge to see how versatile of a craft you can build and how well that craft performs on different missions. The idea is to build a craft capable of handling any kind of mission you throw at it and be able to adapt your craft to the different missions. To do this challenge, you first need to build a core space craft, there are no limitations on what parts you can use. If you use modded parts, list them. Once you build your core space craft, and this can even be something on the order of size as a space station, get it into orbit. Once it's in orbit, you have to adapt your craft to each challenge and complete the challenges in the order listed in the challenges list for the mission. Some things to keep in mind are the ability to add fuel for the mission and payload you have to transport, change out the engines, possibly land the entire craft on another planet and take off again, tow an SSTO to another planet, carry multiple rovers, crew, satellites. It must be capable of refueling. It doesn't have to do all of this all at once, you will add and take away different modules over time to adapt to the different missions. Don't use the debug option for part clipping, but if you push something into a strut or something along those lines then it's fine.

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Announcement: Anyone can join this challenge at any time and still get scored. To do past missions, just click "Here" next to the mission and I'll give you points for mission completion.

Rules: Once you get your core craft into orbit, that core craft design cannot be altered in any way. Meaning that once it's up in space, that's it. You can't return it to Kerban or revert flights. Only on challenges that specifically state that you must land on Kerban, are you ever allowed to land that craft on Kerban. No cheats or use of the debug menu is allowed at any time. No editing part files to put things in space for you or anything like that. All screenshots must show the mission time. All mods that you use have to be listed. If you use any mod other than Mech Jeb that uses some sort of flight control system, get it approved first.

After you are done making your core craft, get it into orbit and submit a screenshot of it. After that screenshot is submitted, you may begin making parts for your craft for the first challenge.

Your core craft is the only thing that can have attachments. For example, if you build a rover, you have to dock that rover to your core craft and the core craft has to transport it. If you build a plane, that core craft has to transport that plane.

If you lift any attachment into space along with your core craft at the time of the initial launch, you must keep and maintain that attachment. For example, if you attach a standardized lander unit to your craft, that lander must go wherever the core craft goes.

All mission important components that you take with you must come back with you, or be retrievable from orbit unless otherwise specified by mission parameters.

When you change parts on the core craft, you must deorbit the old parts or suffer the score penalty for littering.

New missions will be added once every two weeks and then the old mission will be erased. (This has changed for now until someone has completed the most recent mission)

If your core craft is damaged during a mission and you manage to complete the mission and bring it back to Kerbin; you may then land it at the KSC for repairs. Then you launch the same ship back up into orbit and prepare it for the next mission.

Scores from missions will be added to you on the leaderboards.

Approved Mods: Mech Jeb, Engineer, KAS, Kethane, Docking Port Alignment, FAR, DRE, Precise Node, Enhanced NavBall, and everything at the top of page 56 by Darkona.

Core Craft Basic Requirements:

Your core craft must seat at least 2 kerbals, have it's own RCS system, have it's own fuel supply and starting engines, must be capable of recharging it's power supply, must be capable of going to Mun and orbiting at 50,000 meters and return to LKO at 75,000 meters for the first test run. The core craft will never touch a planet unless otherwise specified in the missions. You have to have a separate lander that you attach to your core craft for missions that require landings. If you lift another kerbal up to your core craft, you cannot leave that kerbal in the lander module, he has to join the rest of the crew in the core craft. Or the lander has to have an unmanned module when you dock it to your core craft. Think of your core craft as a small station of sorts. To add more crew, you have to add more to the craft. To go further, you have to add more fuel and different engines.

Your core craft will need to attach different things to it: Fuel, engines, core pieces for more crew or more attachment points, landers, SSTO's, satellites, probes, rovers.

Sometimes the attachment craft will be made for you and you have to attach them and use them for the different missions.

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There will be some different scores that you can go for in different missions, mission parameters will vary from mission to mission.

Scores that will never change are these:

1. Total Mission failure - Your craft was destroyed during a mission = -250 points

2. Bodybags piled high - Your crew was killed during a mission = -50 points per crew member killed

3. Littering the system - You left space junk floating around in space = -5 points per whole part (a fuel tank with other stuff on it is one whole part)

4. We're gonna need a bigger boat - You didn't bring enough fuel to fully complete the mission = -25 points

5. Stuck in the mud - Your lander can't get back into orbit after landing on another planet = -10 points

6. Lonely rover - Your rover can't get back into orbit or is otherwise unretrievable = -5 points

7. Attack of the Kraken - You provide proof that the Kraken ate your ship = Free ship from Kerban

8. Eat your vegetables - Launch a craft or attachment into orbit without asparagus staging = +5 points

9. Master of aerodynamics - Use an SSTO to carry the attachment payloads into orbit to be docked with your core ship = +10 points per attachment (attachment mass must be 10 tons or greater)

10. Shuttle Missions - Use a space shuttle to carry attachments to your craft in orbit, the shuttle must land at the KSC runway = +50 points per shuttle mission successfully completed (payload mass must be 15 tons or greater) limit 100 points per KSC HQ mission

11. I know what I need - Complete a full mission without detaching any parts other than the mission critical ones = +25 points

12. Jet engines are for planes - Don't use jet engines to lift anything into space unless that jet engine is on an aircraft = +5 points

13. Bring the Gang along for the ride - For each additional Kerbal brought on a mission and returned to Kerban Orbit after the mission is complete (All Kerbals must be in a pod, external command seats not allowed) = +10 points

14. Back to the drawing board - Your core craft is unable to adapt to the mission and you have to make a different one = -25% of your total points

15. Home Sweet Home - Each Kerbal that's in Bring the Gang along for the ride, arrives safely back at the KSC within the light colored grass area (2 Kerbals must remain on board the core craft) = +5 points per Kerbal

16. NASA knows best - Use NASA style launch vehicles to get all of your mission payloads into orbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:NASA_space_launch_vehicles) = +100 points per KSC HQ mission (Not included on Mission 01)

Other than that, all submissions after the core craft need to have a screenshot or video of the pre-mission loadout on the core craft, a during mission screenshot, and a post mission screenshot. Additional screenshots may be required depending on mission parameters. The weekly mission will be posted below and the leaderboards will be updated regularly. For everyone that wants to join this challenge, you can join at any time, you just have to complete the missions in order from the past missions to the current one if you want a competitive score. All past missions will be archived so just ask for the details. Good luck and see how versatile a craft you can build!

Any questions or comments please post below. The new weekly mission will be posted every Friday.

Mission 01: Exploring the Neighborhood (Archived Here)

Mission 02: Strange Energy Readings (Archived Here) Look at the Eve images: Here

Mission 03: Seismic Testing (Archived Here) Look at Moho images: Here

Mission 04: Stranded Rover (Archived Here) Look at Duna images: Here

Mission 05: Touchdown (Archived Here)

Mission 06: (Fixing Archive, please wait)

From Kerbal Space Command HQ:

Kerbals: Well done on your Duna mission!

Mission 07: Deep Space Communications

Available

To further establish our deep space communications network, we're going to need to get a satellite out to Eeloo. This satellite is going to need at least 8 lard solar arrays to keep it powered since Eeloo is so far away from the sun. We're also going to need a much larger dish than our standard sized dishes. Once you have a satellite that is large enough to handle deep space communications, launch it into orbit and dock it with your ship. Then it's off to Eeloo. Get this satellite into an equatorial orbit. Once the satellite is deployed and in position, head down to the surface with a lander and survey the LZ and take some samples, bring those samples back to the KSC when you're done at Eeloo.

Mission Completion: 500 points

Deploy two satellites, one in equatorial and one in polar orbit: 200 points

Perform landings on both poles and the equator: 100 points

Use satellites that double as space stations: 200 points (must have a kerbal stationed on it, one hitch hiker pod, it's own liquid fuel and engines for station keeping, minimum weight 100 tons)

Eeloo:

Creator's Score: 0

Leaderboard:

1. Sensi ___________ 5915 (Mission 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

2. Finwen __________ 2245 (Mission 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

3. Sirine ___________ 1065 (Mission 1, 2)

4. TML ____________ 980 (Mission 1, 2, 3)

5. Hodo ____________ 580 (Mission 1, 2)

6. mhoram __________ 435 (Mission 1)

7. Death Engineering __ 255 (Mission 1)

Edited June 1, 2014 by 700NitroXpress
Rules Updated, leaderboards updated

[700NitroXpress]

Here's my core craft that I'll be using to try and see if it can handle all of the challenges. It has a lot of RCS fuel for docking to multiple things. 9 docking ports available, this allows for different engine loadouts, extra fuel, large landers, satellites, probes, and extension parts to be attached to it for various missions. With the right loadout, it can even be capable of atmospheric landing on Duna or Kerban. This is one whole ship, if I were to choose to change the engines on it, I would have to deorbit the debris and then achieve orbit again so I don't leave space junk.

Edited November 18, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[Guest links123]

I like the core craft I think it can handle all the challenges.

[Sirine]

Land back to Kerbin and get back to LKO. (SSTO can do that).

And how about....Eve?

Or should I interpret as...a command module that can attach to difference module, to perform difference mission?

Example:-

Attaching a Eve lifter, and I can do Eve, flag planting mission, as long as my command module get back to Eve Standard Orbit?

I dont see much difference below 'core' with yours, cause I can attach anything too.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Sirine

[Hodo]

So can I use B9 and or KSPX and Kerbal Engineering Redux? Oh and I may have an additional problem I have remotetech2+DRE+FAR so it could be additionally fun for me.

Because I have been looking for a challenge like this and may have a design that meets this and might be up for the challenge.

[700NitroXpress]

Land back to Kerbin and get back to LKO. (SSTO can do that).

And how about....Eve?

Or should I interpret as...a command module that can attach to difference module, to perform difference mission?

Example:-

Attaching a Eve lifter, and I can do Eve, flag planting mission, as long as my command module get back to Eve Standard Orbit?

Well... I think the core craft should be more of a stand alone vessel, so it has to have a command module, room for attachments and it's own engines. I know I didn't really specify those kinds of limitations, but lets say that your core craft has to be capable of going to the Mun, achieving a Low Mun orbit of about 50,000 meters and then returning to LKO, to meet the core requirements. So you need a starting command module, starting fuel supply, and starting engines. So I think your craft would need a little bit more. The core craft can never land on another planet unless the mission says it has to. So all missions that require landings will require you to attach a separate lander to your core craft. So you'll have to land, take off, then dock it back at your core craft that remains in orbit. I added some core craft basic requirements to the rules to clarify what I was looking for in a core craft. So your core craft can still be very small if you want.

Edited November 15, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[700NitroXpress]

So can I use B9 and or KSPX and Kerbal Engineering Redux? Oh and I may have an additional problem I have remotetech2+DRE+FAR so it could be additionally fun for me.

Because I have been looking for a challenge like this and may have a design that meets this and might be up for the challenge.

You'll have to explain what those mods each do because I don't use any mods so I don't know anything about them.

[700NitroXpress]

I like the core craft I think it can handle all the challenges.

Yeah, but neither of us knows what the challenges are yet. Once we have someone else that submits a craft, then we'll have the first mission, which will have it's own set of challenges to achieve a higher score. So I'm going to test my craft along with you guys, but my score will be separate from the leaderboards. Missions and challenges are going to vary greatly for this and won't be just landing and returning.

[Hodo]

You'll have to explain what those mods each do because I don't use any mods so I don't know anything about them.

B9 is just a parts mod.

FAR is Ferram Aerospace Research, which adds actual real(ish) world aerodynamic physics to KSP, which makes flight harder and more realistic.

DRE is Deadly Re-Entry, which gives every planet with an atmosphere a realistic affect on re-entry, come in to fast or to steep and your craft will burn up. It also adds G-force limitations on the crew, pull more than 20Gs and the Kerbal inside is SPAM in a can.

RemoteTech2, is a communications satellite mod, which makes it so any unmanned craft or transmission to send research reports, has to have a communication link back to the KSC on Kerbin. If an unmanned craft or probe gets out of communications range or out of communications sight it will no longer work, it will drift until it reestablishes communications.

Kerbal Engineering Redux, is just a engineering readout for construction and flight, it does not in anyway aid in flying the craft, or have any function other than information on d/V, altitude, mass, TWR and velocity horizontally and vertically.

KSPX, is another parts mod. It might as well be stock, because the parts it adds are the missing stock parts that make sense.

[700NitroXpress]

Hodo, those all seem fine to me then, as long as there's no advantage of the vehicles capabilities that couldn't otherwise be achieved with stock parts then I think those are all fine.

[Hodo]

Hodo, those all seem fine to me then, as long as there's no advantage of the vehicles capabilities that couldn't otherwise be achieved with stock parts then I think those are all fine.

B9 does have some engines that are different. The only one I think that may be a problem is the SABRE engine, but it actually is less fuel efficient than anything in stock KSP. Its only advantage is is two engines in one. It can switch between air breathing and oxidizer, but it is heavier than a nuke engine so its not such a big deal.

[700NitroXpress]

B9 does have some engines that are different. The only one I think that may be a problem is the SABRE engine, but it actually is less fuel efficient than anything in stock KSP. Its only advantage is is two engines in one. It can switch between air breathing and oxidizer, but it is heavier than a nuke engine so its not such a big deal.

Well, something like that makes me think that building an SSTO to carry your payloads into orbit would be easier then, because of the engine's capabilities. Right?

[Carl]

I don;t know the SABRE's specific stats but my understanding from a video that uses it is that it's either air breathing mode or liquid mode, you can't run both at once. It's useful more in how it lets you save a bit of weight in oxidiser, but for a non-spacplane design your probably give up that much weight in intakes and engine mass. Not sure without checking stats but my thoughts based on what i know of how it works.

Also what's the minimum number of kerbal's you'll expect to be needed for the challenges. Got a type B lander in testing atm but it could currently only carry one Kerbal. I could change that but still, means a heft re-design of some parts of it.

[Hodo]

Well, something like that makes me think that building an SSTO to carry your payloads into orbit would be easier then, because of the engine's capabilities. Right?

The craft I have isn't an SSTO oddly enough, I know thats all I seem to build. And does not have any SABREs, it is just using the hull parts and the cargo bay from B9, otherwise it is stock.. I will post a picture later.

[700NitroXpress]

Also what's the minimum number of kerbal's you'll expect to be needed for the challenges. Got a type B lander in testing atm but it could currently only carry one Kerbal. I could change that but still, means a heft re-design of some parts of it.

Minimum Kerbals for a mission is 2 and also added to the minimum core craft requirements that I added to the rules list. Your core craft must seat at least 2 Kerbals. Some missions will require more crew or the ability to carry more crew.

[700NitroXpress]

The craft I have isn't an SSTO oddly enough, I know thats all I seem to build. And does not have any SABREs, it is just using the hull parts and the cargo bay from B9, otherwise it is stock.. I will post a picture later.

Yeah, post a picture of what you have and describe the parts in question and how they operate compared to regular parts.

[Kasuha]

Unfortunately my own versatile system is too versatile for this challenge. There's no "core craft" part in it and I don't see the reason to make one just to take it with me everywhere.

[700NitroXpress]

Unfortunately my own versatile system is too versatile for this challenge. There's no "core craft" part in it and I don't see the reason to make one just to take it with me everywhere.

You build a new craft that you can attach different payloads to and use it as transportation vehicle for multiple missions. That craft has to stay in orbit unless otherwise stated by the different missions. The whole idea is to start out with a craft that you can adapt to carry all of the payloads and reuse over and over through all of the missions. If you get through a mission and complete all of the mission's challenges, then you get maximum points. After 2 weeks, there's a new mission, you can only launch up attachments and mission critical gear.

[Carl]

Hmm ok that is a bit different. Doable but i can't really adapt my Lander to that. (It's designed to be a multi-purpose vessel, but in the sense it uses a separately docked Booster to exit and enter orbits, with it's own engines handling de-orbit, landing, and re-accent to meet the booster, the point of it is a land and return anywhere lander).

One other question we kind of need to know. What's the maximum payload mass where going to have to attach that's going to be outside provided? hat kind of dictates our minimum Dv requirements after all.

[700NitroXpress]

One other question we kind of need to know. What's the maximum payload mass where going to have to attach that's going to be outside provided? hat kind of dictates our minimum Dv requirements after all.

Your maximum payload mass is unknown, and that's part of the spirit of the entire challenge. You'll have to adapt your core craft to be able to transport different payloads of different masses to different locations. So your core craft will have to be adapted to carry different amounts of fuel, different engine loadouts. You may be required to transport a vessel that I give you the craft file for at the beginning of the mission. You can't modify the payload for a mission like that, but you can add more fuel or more engines to your core craft to transport it. If you're going for maximum points for the mission, you'll have to carefully plan what equipment you bring with you and how much fuel you'll need.

As far as minimum payload mass goes, a good test would be to take a lander to the moon, land, dock back with the command ship and then take that lander back to Kerban. Then deorbit the lander, regain orbit with the core craft. Ready for refueling and the first mission. If your minimum mass of that lander was 10 tons and you got back to Kerban with 50% fuel or more, then I'd say that's a good start. The first two missions will be fairly easy enough to do, after that the missions will be more complex and the challenges will be more difficult. Or if you can go Duna and back to Kerban with 10 tons of payload and have 50 - 25% fuel, then that's also good for long term. You also want to make sure that you don't get any points subtracted from you, so if you do a test mission by yourself, check how you did with the scores that will never change section on the first post.

Edited November 16, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[mhoram]

The challenge looks interesting. I have a few questions.

Once you get your core craft into orbit, that core craft design cannot be altered in any way.

If the core craft is made of several sections that are connected by dockingports, can these sections be separated and joined in other configurations during missions?

Can they be separated and joined between two missions?

Your core craft is the only thing that can have attachments.

Your core craft will need to attach different things to it: ... core pieces for more crew or more attachment points ...

Can I extend the core craft for a mission with a section that has additional attachments points? The two rules contradict each other.

13. Bring the Gang along for the ride - For each additional Kerbal brought on a mission and returned to Kerban Orbit after the mission is complete = +10 points

May they be seated in EAS-1 External Command Seats?

This seems like a rule that can be exploited for unlimited points.

[Hodo]

Yeah, post a picture of what you have and describe the parts in question and how they operate compared to regular parts.

The DX-1

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In the first picture that is a view from bellow the craft. You can see the cargo bay module with two probes loaded in it already, they are mostly communications probes to maintain comms with KSC. You can also see the shielded docking port, unfortunately it does not work on this craft, it is to close to the engines and it bumps them if opened. (I may edit the craft file to try remove it)

The second picture is from the top, you can see it uses the standard nuke engines for its drive engines, and has a lander docked on the rear with some radial boosters for launching and landing on planets.

The third picture is the front side view.

Total the ship has a crew of 6, I think, I haven't checked in a minute, been busy playing another game online. The ship has communications antennas to maintain communications link with Kerbin and with any probes and the lander if it is needed.

[700NitroXpress]

The challenge looks interesting. I have a few questions.

If the core craft is made of several sections that are connected by dockingports, can these sections be separated and joined in other configurations during missions?

Can they be separated and joined between two missions?

Can I extend the core craft for a mission with a section that has additional attachments points? The two rules contradict each other.

May they be seated in EAS-1 External Command Seats?

This seems like a rule that can be exploited for unlimited points.

For the first question: Your core craft cannot be separated, the core craft has to be one complete piece and not made of multiple docked sections. Once you launch it into orbit, you can then dock more sections to it if you wish. The core craft submission screenshot has to preform the test run to the Low Mun Orbit and back to LKO on it's own without any additional parts. After that, you may add attachments and rearrange them as much as you want. The example that I posted has lots of docking ports so I can add stuff to the craft, but that craft that's in the screenshot is all one piece and can't be separated, except for the engines on the bottom.

For the second question: I guess that does contradict. You can extend the core with core attachments, for example, you need to add a hitchhiker storage piece, on the top and bottom of that piece there will be docking ports. If you add a long engine and on that engine there are two more docking ports, then you added docking ports for more gear to be docked. Both situations are fine. I guess what I was trying to say is more along the lines of, you cannot stack gear with other gear. So you can't stack one satellite on the top of another satellite that's connected to a docking port on the ship. You have to equip your ship with enough ports to store all of the gear separately and not on top of itself.

For the third question: No, and I'll add that to the rules now that you've mentioned it. The Kerbals each have to be in their own command pod or in a hitchhiker bay. The only use of external command seats may be on landers or rovers. Limit of 2 for a lander and limit of 6 for a rover.

[700NitroXpress]

The DX-1 Total the ship has a crew of 6, I think, I haven't checked in a minute, been busy playing another game online. The ship has communications antennas to maintain communications link with Kerbin and with any probes and the lander if it is needed.

I need a picture of the craft without any additions to it. Your craft submission can't have any docked pieces to it and it has to be capable of preforming the Mun test run to low mun orbit and back to LKO without the aid of any attachments. However the craft that you have things docked to is fine to use as long as the main command part can do the Mun run and back on it's own. You can launch a duplicate to prove this without taking you craft apart if you wish. I believe your core craft is the top section with the four engines.

[Carl]

What your basically asking us to build in other words is a space tug for the core stage, and then we'll attach mission payloads to that?