Cheapest Munar Mission

[notalix]

We've all tried it. Trying to complete a manned Munar Landing using as few rocket parts as possible (my record is 6 parts)

But with 0.22 changing the (as yet unused) cost of many of the parts in the game and with Squad focussing on Career mode in its updates it probably won't be long before we have to manage a budget too.

A cheap Mun mission looks very different to one where the count of parts is the important factor. My Munar Rocket looks like this and costs 8290. I have made one which costs 8180 which had one fewer FL-T100 tank but I don't have the images and the delta-V is VERY tight.

CHALLENGE

To take a Kerbal to the Munar Surface (EVA is Optional but who would land on the Mun without taking a walk?)

Return the Kerbal safely home

Attempt this using the cheapest rig you can build with stock parts and no mods (feel free to list your parts in the post but I trust your honesty!)

Post a few screenshots for us to see

[Sirine]

Mind that you share out your .craft file?

[Dunbaratu]

How on earth did you keep the thing from tipping over in that second screenshot? That ground doesn't look flat enough for it to balance on the engine.

[Kasuha]

I'm not sure that part prices can be considered balanced in any way.

Rockomax 2m decoupler - 200

TR-18A 1.25m stack decoupler - 975

RV-105 RCS thruster (omnidirectional) - 450

Linear RCS port (single direction) - 2500

I'll wait with this challenge till prices start making sense.

[Nao]

I'm not sure that part prices can be considered balanced in any way.

That doesn't stop us from doing the part puzzlecraft and coming up with a winning solution isn't it ?

My game crashed during flight and i don't have time to do another, but if I can do mission on 6800 dV somehow, ill have a 6650c submission (got around 2202 m/s dV in 73x83km LKO, this will be close )

[notalix]

Mind that you share out your .craft file?

Sure. Mind you with my rocket you can see every part I used in screenshot one apart from 2 radial decoulpers

[700NitroXpress]

I have a similar challenge available that accounts for price and life support systems.

[Highlad]

I have one that costs about 7700... the dV is tight... really tight... I have put earlier versions down on the mun successfully but I keep crashing this specific design. It has a very weak engine...

Its not like Im killing the kerbals either, Im just bringing it down too hard and smashing the engine off...

[SRV Ron]

One can build a Mun lander that doesn't have RCS system. That saves the cost of a mono prop tank and four cluster packs. Landing is trickier as you have to watch the Navball to be sure that the retro marker stays centered as your landing speed drops below 5m/sec. If not, you have too much drift to land without the risk of tipping over.

Still, it is a difficult challenge to try based upon cost until some standard is implemented in the cost of parts that make sense.

[Highlad]

Landing is trickier as you have to watch the Navball to be sure that the retro marker stays centered as your landing speed drops below 5m/sec. If not, you have too much drift to land without the risk of tipping over.

Yeah, I can land just fine. I have just never used this specific engine for landing... Mainly because its stupid. It is however cheap...

[Guest]

My entry for this challenge. Total cost = 4130. I like games that include economics. I'd like for squad to start ironing out the cost of all the parts so that we can start adding economics into the game.

I had difficulty getting this challenge completed because of broken conics. Hey squad : FIX THE *!?* CONICS! When my predicted trajectory changes while I'm under warp, it makes it very difficult to plan my approach for maximum fuel efficiency.

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[One-Way Films]

The biggest kick in the teeth about landing on the Mun (a part from cost) is that when you're on the Muner surface looking up at Kerbin, you realise that you don't have the fuel to get home. So many dead, starving, frozen Kerbals

[Guest]

The biggest kick in the teeth about landing on the Mun (a part from cost) is that when you're on the Muner surface looking up at Kerbin, you realise that you don't have the fuel to get home. So many dead, starving, frozen Kerbals

Maybe Kerbals have the same abilities as this frog :

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/frozen-frogs.html

[One-Way Films]

Maybe Kerbals have the same abilities as this frog :

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/frozen-frogs.html

Come on evolution!! Where are you? You should be saving kerbals, not frogs!!

Edited November 25, 2013 by One-Way Films

[notalix]

My entry for this challenge. Total cost = 4130. I like games that include economics. I'd like for squad to start ironing out the cost of all the parts so that we can start adding economics into the game.

Very nice ship, although it was meant to be a RETURN mission so I'm not sure your entry really counts

[Guest]

Yeah, ok. I didn't see the last picture in the OP or the text under it when I did this challenge. Go figure. I hate it when I do that. It makes me want to pull the rest of my hair out. Anyway, I'm probably not gonna retry because I've started with Stodgy's Story Missions and have begun editing my part configs to reflect what I think is a little more logical costs for parts. Really, how is it that a FL-T100 which has 45 liquid fuel costs 110 while the FL-T800 has 360 liquid fuel but costs 1600? You end up being rewarded for stacking a bunch of FL-T100's.

Edit : And now that I look a little closer at the screenshots in the OP, I can see the parachute. I have no idea how I missed that. As one who always preaches "pay attention to detail" after all that army training, it makes me want to go have my head examined.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Otis