Recover Jeb from orbit around the Sun

[Lumie]

The KSP is preparing to send a kerbal to the Mun, in preparation they launched Jeb to take measurements and low orbit images to plan the landing. While attempting to achieve orbit around the Mun Jeb burned to much fuel, and after a very close look at the Mun's surface, he found himself on a Kerbin escape trajectory. Poor Jeb is now circling the sun in an orbit that is bringing him ever more out of sync with Kerbin. 50 days have passed, and the KSP staff have been busily working on a way to retrieve Jeb. The capsule he is in has no EVA or docking capability, requiring that any rescue craft must capture and bring the entire ship back to Kerbin.

Rules for the challenge:

1) No Mods

2) Jeb and his science equipment must all arrive undamaged on Kerbin

3) Refueling ships/space stations are permitted but must remain in Kerbin orbit, they do not count towards your score.

4) The rescue craft may be launched in multiple pieces, but each piece with all its launch stages will count towards your score.

Persistence File: http://www./view/eafega6rb4vam8r/persistent.sfs

My Rescue Craft: http://www./view/nbdefa95ze7sz61/Get%20Jeb%20bck%20Mk2.craft

Scoring system:

The lowest score will be the winner.

Each day adds 1 to the score.

Each part in the rescue craft adds 1 to the score

Each career mode unlock the rescue craft requires adds 50 to the score

If the rescue craft manages to land on Kerbin with Jeb's ship still held by it you get placed in the 'Elite' bracket.

My score:

Days to rescue: 914

Parts used: 227

Career mode unlocks used: 21

Total score: 914+227+(21x50) = 2191

ELITE Challengers:

1) Donfede - 680points

2)

Challengers:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Have fun and good luck.

Lumie

Edited January 21, 2014 by Lumie
Added successful challenger

[JTDismang]

Here you go

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My score

-206 days

-Part count total [both rockets] 57

-Part count after docking two ships 30

-Part count after landing 19

-All (46) career nodes unlocked I overlooked that part on the scoring system rules but oh well

Total: (206+57)+(46*50) = 2563

Edited January 15, 2014 by JTDismang

[Lumie]

JTDismang - Thank you for participating.

There may have been some confusion here. The challenge is to rescue the Jeb in the persistence file I uploaded. (If you want to know how to do this without messing up your career file let me know and I can guide you through it.)

Even as far as that goes, the capsule Jeb is in can't dock, so your rescue ship has to be able to grapple onto his capsule in some way to rescue it.

As for the career nodes to count, only count the ones that must be unlocked to be able to build the rescue ship.

Lumie

[JTDismang]

Oh ok I gotcha Ill give it another go.

[donfede]

...

Scoring system:

...

Each career mode unlock the rescue craft requires adds 50 to the score

...

While I'm familiar with career mode and the technology tree ( http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Tech_tree ), could you provide some more details on how "Each career mode unlock" scoring would occur?

For example, how might a basic craft with the following components be rated:

• 1x LV-T30 # tree level 1
  
• 2x FL-T100 # tree level 2
  
• 1x LV-909 # tree level 3
  
• 2x TT38K # a different tree level 3
  
• 1x Jumbo-64 # tree level 8
  

thanks,

kdonfede

Edited January 19, 2014 by donfede
update example to include a high tech level

[Lumie]

While I'm familiar with career mode and the technology tree ( http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Tech_tree ), could you provide some more details on how "Each career mode unlock" scoring would occur?

For example, how might a basic craft with the following components be rated:

• 1x LV-T30 # tree level 1
  
• 2x FL-T100 # tree level 2
  
• 1x LV-909 # tree level 3
  
• 2x TT38K # a different tree level 3
  
• 1x Jumbo-64 # tree level 8
  

thanks,

kdonfede

To build a ship with those components the least possible unlocks would be:

Basic Rocketry - FL-T100

Survivability - LV-909

Stability - TT38K

General Rocketry, Advanced Rocketry, General Construction, Advanced Construction, Fuel Systems, Heavy Rocketry, Specialized Control, Heavier Rocketry, Large Control, Very Heavy Rocketry - Jumbo-64

Total unlocks 13 = 650points

Without the Jumbo-64 it would be only 3 unlocks. To get the Jumbo-64 you have to unlock all the mandatory pre-requisite nodes in addition to the final Very Heavy Rocketry. This adds 10 more nodes needing to be unlocked. No node gets counted more than once, no matter how many parts require that node.

Hope this makes it clearer.

-Lumie

[donfede]

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Score:

Days to rescue: 123

Parts used: 57

Career mode unlocks used: 10

Total score: 123+57+(10x50) = 680

Mods used: none (how I missed TriggerTech's Kerbal Alarm Clock )

Craft are stock; designed and mission on v0.23

kheliosJRp craft

One might shave a couple career unlocks by dropping items (noted with ? in Calcs pic), or replacing the Probodobodyne with a kerbal (I'm OK with this craft and mission).

best,

kdonfede

--

"Adding K to every word..."

[Sirine]

For all the participant above, including OP.

I have a question regarding this rescue mission:-

1) Do you guys do time warp during the rescue mission, (while holding Jeb's craft)?

2) How do Jeb's craft not drift away while you time warp?

3) If you answer were 4x "physical" time warp...Do you guy just let your computer run for hrs/days? (Since your MET are over 100 days)

Or you guys just do a 'direct' to target burn...(which require huge amount of DV.)

[Lumie]

Sirine - Once I captured Jeb's craft I burned to a standard orbital rendezvous with Kerbin. I started with the periapsis at about 10k. When I used time warp Jeb's craft drifted away. I had to re-capture it to correct course half way to Kerbin and again on the final approach.

Donfede- Excellent rescue! Way to set the bar.

-Lumie

[Sirine]

Sirine - Once I captured Jeb's craft I burned to a standard orbital rendezvous with Kerbin. I started with the periapsis at about 10k. When I used time warp Jeb's craft drifted away. I had to re-capture it to correct course half way to Kerbin and again on the final approach.

Donfede- Excellent rescue! Way to set the bar.

-Lumie

For how far Jeb's craft drifted?

[donfede]

For how far Jeb's craft drifted?

It was almost like kerbal space soccer, and dribbling a CM. For the long segment (kerbin return), I let the capsule get up to 6km away. Most of the time I kept it 0.5 to 2km.

During physics warp the CM was nice and secure. Caution, the CM can explode if it's clipping parts when time warp stops.

[Sirine]

It was almost like kerbal space soccer, and dribbling a CM. For the long segment (kerbin return), I let the capsule get up to 6km away. Most of the time I kept it 0.5 to 2km.

During physics warp the CM was nice and secure. Caution, the CM can explode if it's clipping parts when time warp stops.

Thanks! I've learn something today.

I do not qualify for this challenge, please do NOT put me in the board. I've use the F12 infinite fuel. I just want to test out the do-ability.

Well, it turn out to be well do-able, just that we will need to do a couple of time fine tuning the trajectory, and recapture Jeb's craft.

I'm having some fun time. Thanks for posting this challenge.

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