[STOCK] Science without tools!

[thereaverofdarkness]

Not sure if this one has been done before, but here goes:

The challenge is simple. You must start a fresh career game, and in this game you can't use any specialized scientific research instruments to gain your science. It must be done through pure exploration. There are several ways to get points through exploration without tools. Methods I am aware of:

1.) crew report

2.) EVA report

3.) surface samples

4.) recovery of craft

You may use communications instruments to send the data back home. Stock parts only. Minimum submission requirement: post screenshots of all of your successful recoveries and transmissions, so the total points can be added up and verified, as well as screenshots of your tech tree as you unlock. If you bring everything back home (or never leave Kerbin in the first place), you can just recover everything from the tracking station.

Scoring is total science + (largest science recovery from one mission x3). One mission counts as one item launched from the launchpad -or- one ship (may consist of multiple docked items) that arrives at all mission spheres of influence together. Common sense applies here and I'll use my judgement for final determinations. You also get a bronze medal for achieving orbit, and for every moon SOI you enter, a silver medal for sun orbit, every moon landing, and every planetary SOI entered, and a gold medal for every planet landed on. Platinum medals awarded for:

1.) descent into Jool, full data collection (crew report+EVA report at low altitude), and safe return/recovery of vessel.

2.) jet-engine powered flight on Laythe incl. atmospheric EVA report taken in flight (meaning no parachutes out).

3.) returning and recovering a craft landed on EVE with surface crew report + (EVA report or soil sample). A second platinum medal may be achieved by collecting data from both biomes on EVE. Collecting data on both biomes and recovering grants a gold medal in addition to the platinum medal (in addition to the gold medal for landing on Eve).

I haven't tried this yet but I'm about to. I'll post my results as they come.

P.S.: please consolidate results by editing your previous post to add more. You may make a new post to alert me that you have new results, and you may also reserve a post or two if you believe you need that much space. Links to image hosting sites also perfectly acceptable. Lastly, tell what mods you used. Using mods probably won't disqualify you as long as you stick to stock parts. Mechjeb is fine. I'll allow FAR but will notate it as it affects delta-v requirements for atmospheric flight.

Leaderboard:

1.) 22112 - allmhuran - 5528 total, 5528 max from one mission

- medals: 7 bronze, 8 silver

2.) 14516 Vector - 3629 total, 3629 max from one mission

- medals: 6 bronze, 10 silver

3.) 952.2 thereaverofdarkness - 420.9 science total, 177.1 max from one mission

- medals: 2 bronze, 1 silver

Edited November 24, 2013 by thereaverofdarkness

[thereaverofdarkness]

Mission 1: http://imgur.com/a/R544x?

Science uncovered: 29

Mission 2: http://imgur.com/a/y7SUN

Science uncovered: 44.1

Mission 3: http://imgur.com/a/Ra8mW

Science uncovered: 170.7

Mission 4: http://imgur.com/a/lAywL

Science uncovered: 5.6+20+151.5 = 177.1

On this mission I forgot to screenshot the takeoff so I did that later. It was pretty much the same as the initial takeoff. Any guesses why I unlocked struts? Also, I realized at about 5km from the ground that I forgot a parachute. But cool-headed Jeb knew what to do. He immediately sprang into action, put the landing gear straight down, thrusted with the remaining fuel at the last moment, and shortly climbed out of the broken rubble of his Mün lander.

Edited November 24, 2013 by thereaverofdarkness

[allmhuran]

I am not going to comply with the minimum submission requirement of providing a screenshot of every science collection activity, because

a) I would need to post 111 screenshots, and

I flew this mission before the challenge was posted.

Using the scoring of "total science + (largest science recovery from one mission x3)", my mission score is 5528 + 5528 * 3 = 22112.

Medals would be... ummm...

Bronze x7:

- Mun SOI

- Ike SOI

- Laythe SOI

- Tylo SOI

- Vall SOI

- Bop SOI

- Pol SOI

Silver x8:

- Solar orbit

- Eve SOI

- Moho SOI

- Duna SOI

- Jool SOI

- Mun landing

- Pol landing

- Bop landing

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[Vector]

Indeed this is very similar to The Career Mode !SCIENCE! Challenge which sorta morphed into how much science can you get on your first mission.

Without the tech-level-0 constraint, one could get more science in a single mission by getting docking ports and assembling a humongous ship for a grand tour with as many landings as possible, but that would make it basically the same challenge only easier.

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I got substantially less science than allmhuran, though I hit Dres and Eeloo SOI, and landed on Gilly instead of Mun. I guess that would be

Bronze x6:

SOI of Gilly, Ike, Laythe, Vall, Tylo, Pol, Bop

Silver x10:

Solar orbit

SOI of Moho, Eve, Duna, Dres, Jool, Eeloo

Landed on Gilly, Pol, Bop

[thereaverofdarkness]

Very nice both of you! And great slide show, allmhuran! You did in fact fulfil the minimum requirements--I don't need you to show screenshots of collecting the data, just screenshots of turning it in. Just one question I have: The screenshot you posted of recovery says 4362.6 recovered. Did you land in more than one craft from that mission? How much did you get before this mission?

I'm amazed that you can build a rocket so large without it falling apart.

Vector you were right to screenshot each item in the list. I won't worry about it for allmhuran as the slide show provides proof that the potential was there to do as much collecting.

Edited November 23, 2013 by thereaverofdarkness

[allmhuran]

The 4362 points come from the recovery of science stored on the craft (eva reports, surface samples), the remainder is from the transmission of crew reports.

[thereaverofdarkness]

but you clearly had a bit of unlocking done, for you had the TR-18A and TT-38K decouplers right? I'm gonna code you in for -23 for the final mission for now, let me know if you have a different figure. (trying to be exact here)

[edit]after careful inspection of the images, I realize I don't SEE any decouplers at all. How did you do that? O.o

[edit 2]I saw a youtube video of it. That's really impressive, and brilliant!

Edited November 24, 2013 by thereaverofdarkness

[allmhuran]

The youtube video is of an earlier mission with a smaller craft but yeah, same idea.

[thereaverofdarkness]

so, wanna have a go at the platinum medals?

[allmhuran]

Two and three wouldn't be possible on tier 0. 1 might be, I've never actually tried getting low into Jool's atmosphere. Anyhoo, what I've been trying to do is just get as much science as possible per mission, so the mission two ship I've been building does have science tools on board - all of them actually. It just so happened that my mission 1 ship fit this challenge quite nicely

[thereaverofdarkness]

Clearly it's impossible to fly a jet on Laythe at tech 0 because you don't have any jet engines, but are you so certain that the Eve challenge can't be done on tech 0?

[Vector]

From my reading of the rules, there's no Tech 0 constraint. The prohibition is against science parts.

[thereaverofdarkness]

allmhuran was saying it can't be done on tech 0. It looks possible, based on what you and he have come up with on tech 0.

[Vector]

I don't think it can be done because of the extremely high delta-V requirement to launch from Eve. The ship's starting mass grows exponentially relative to delta-V, and past a certain point it is just insane, like 500,000 parts, which makes it impossible, even for Whackjob.

I haven't calculated what the actual number of parts would be, but it may well be in that range.

[allmhuran]

Yeah, I wasn't saying this challenge limits to tier zero, just in the context of the missions we have already flown.

Regarding Eve: Based on the following graph, the maximum possible delta-V from an LVT30 operating in vacuum is somewhere around 8000, and that value would be reached with a thrust to weight ratio incapable of liftoff. If we limit ourselves to delta-V's available to a craft that can actually take off (seems sensible!) then the limit falls to about 5000. That's about 1/2 the delta-V required to ascend from Eve, and that's assuming you land somewhat higher than sea level. It's also still only a theoretical maximum, in practise parachutes and the pod(s) will be eating into this. And, of course, for most of the way up we won't be operating anywhere near vacuum!

If you add staging you can increase your theoretical maximum, but the cost of staging in tier 0 is extremely high (the weight of a decoupler becomes the weight of at least one small solid rocket booster!).

So yeah, impossible on tier zero.

Edited November 25, 2013 by allmhuran

[thereaverofdarkness]

Yeah, I see what you're saying. Yet you believe that the Jool one might be possible? I guess the atmosphere is thinner at the low atmosphere point in Jool?