Longest ship in one launch

[Mercury1964]

The Kerbal Space Center and the Kerbal Boat Center have always been at odds with each other. Both want to be on top of any new scientific breakthrough before the other, leading to some pretty nasty rivalry. Recently, the Boat Center unveiled their newest creation, the "KBC-1 Really Long Boat", designed to explore all of Kerbin's oceans and collect loads of science.

The Space Center, not one to take upstaging well, wants to prove they can launch a ship longer than any other in orbit before. However, time is running out before the papers go to press, so they only have one launch to complete the mega-station. And you're going to design it.

THE CHALLENGE:

Get the longest ship you can into orbit with just one launch, preferably with lots of kerbonauts.

RULES:

• Only one launch is allowed.
  
• The ship must be in a stable Kerbin orbit, AKA with a periapsis above 68km.
  
• All parts on the ship after orbital insertion count towards the ship's total length.
  
• EDITED: Docking is allowed, as long as all components were launched by the same vehicle at the same time.
  
• Engines and fuel tanks count towards length.
  
• The ship must hold at least five kerbonauts, so no probes on trusses.
  
• Mods are allowed, but use fair judgement. For example, MechJeb would be OK while "Bill Kerman's Really Small Trusses that Expand For Miles in Space" would not.
  
• Do it with style
  

SCORING:

Scoring is based on the length of your ship in Modular Girder Segment XLs. Copy your ship in the VAB, add a extended radial decoupler, and stack them to match the length of your ship (example in my entry below). Each girder length is worth 20 points, with each kerbonaut above the required five an extra 2 points.

---------------------

MY ENTRY:

12 girders and 17 kerbonauts for a total of 264 points.

Full gallery here.

Edited January 22, 2014 by Mercury1964

[Blue]

I am assuming we are to use conventional launching methods and Stock only?

[Kasuha]

Since FL-T800 tank with a few 48-7S radially attached can get to orbit with no staging and even carry a little payload, there's no problem sending any length you can fit into VAB/SPH to orbit. Just stack those tanks and add five crew capsules somewhere in between.

[Captain Sierra]

Since FL-T800 tank with a few 48-7S radially attached can get to orbit with no staging and even carry a little payload, there's no problem sending any length you can fit into VAB/SPH to orbit. Just stack those tanks and add five crew capsules somewhere in between.

Or you could use HangarExtender, in which case it's the limit of your processor.

[Mercury1964]

As per the rules, mods are allowed. Otherwise, orbit it however you want. SSTO, all solid fuel, entierly with LV-1s, etc.

[Mercury1964]

Not disputing that. The aim is to do it with style. It's easy to complete the challenge, but what's the fun in *just* meeting the requirements?

[Pds314]

So, are we allowed to, in one launch,send "tentpole" into orbit and then dock each subcomponent together? E.g. 7 sections each with a lander can launched together and then docked together?

[Mercury1964]

In effort to circumvent the problem Kashua and Captain Sierra found, yes. As long as you can prove they were launched into orbit by the same vehicle at the same time, docking segments together is OK. I'll change the rules above to match this.

[problemecium]

Since nobody else has submitted anything, here's one from me - technically still in progress, but it'll do for a preliminary proof-of-concept:

I simply attached a bunch of long skinny segments to the top of a heavy lift rocket, all folded up, and am now proceeding to dock them end-to-end in orbit.

[sdj64]

I'll join you with a submission. This is very nearly the longest that can be done without docking. It required a few tricks to build it in the VAB, being more than twice the height of it.

First picture is a test flight with just Jeb. As you can see it holds 6 kerbals. Length is 43 girders for a total of 862 points.

Going up:

In orbit:

[Blaster]

I'll have to dig up ye olde Trebuchet II, which is an SSTO rocket of all things.

[mikeman7918]

Can you use Infernal Robotics?

[Blaster]

Reynard Rockets is working on making the Reynard Rockets Rockomax Ridiculous Rocket (RRRRR) fit five. Here's the latest prototype, in orbit.

Yes, this is SSTO. It takes time to build up speed from the launch pad. It also has a docking port at the front (where command pod is) and a pair of retro rockets for braking maneuvers, since it does take a long time to flip this around.

[MarvinKitFox]

Same idea as sdj, just....more.

There are two very important facts you need to know for this challenge.

1) A rocket's legs are always exactly long enough to reach the ground.

2) Rule 1 does not apply to the VAB.

In the VAB, you can build a long structure, SHOVE IT down into the ground, and your assembly team happily deals with it.

From this insanity, is born the stingray..

Note the somewhat extravagant seperation motors on the tanks, to ensure they don't meet the twitching tail on the way down.

Note the ludicrously extravagant RCS, to ensure that I never deviate more than 0.0 degree from vertical!

Javascript is disabled. View full album

The tail is 159 XL girders long, the body about 15.

I still have mass and control ability to add about 75 tons to the launch, thus maybe another 120 or so? However, my CPU is already making toast with this rocket. Apparently the fizzics of a 500-meter flexible tail swishing about is a bit hard to calc.

Mods: Mechjeb of course, KW rocketry, for the big boom with less part count. Kethane, irrelevant for this.

Edited February 7, 2014 by MarvinKitFox

[Ryu Gemini]

Can you use Infernal Robotics?

Probably. I did just now anyway.

Presenting the Great Serpent!

Launched with a pair of partial-asparagus setups and a lot of KW's heavier-and-stronger struts (as well as some KW tanks, they just look better then the orange ones to me). That mass of structural stuff in the middle is all a single piece, folded up using hinges. It is unfolded after jetisoning the last of the rockets, as they keep it tied together till then.

A better name for this ship would perhaps have been:

The Kraken's Tentacle

Because this thing doesn't just invoke the kraken's wrath after it unfolds. No, it is far more intimate then that. This thing and the kraken are clearly in league with one another. It whips around uncontrollably, and is generally just plain weird, yet it doesn't break. You can't accelerate, open the map and the orbit oscilates all over the place, but it stays in one piece.

Its evil!

It wants to kill us all!

I had to just revert the flight. No way am I leaving that... thing, in orbit. It would probably hunt down any other thing I ever launched and slash it to pieces like it did to one of its booster rockets despite said rocket being like 50 meters away when I unfolded (the snake/kraken tentacle was of course completely unphazed and undamaged. In fact, this only seemed to encourage its bad behavior).

...I have created an actual component of the Kraken. This design must be purged, never again to be allowed to see the light of day, for the sake of all Kerbin.

[skykooler]

A better name for this ship would perhaps have been:

The Kraken's Tentacle

...I have created an actual component of the Kraken. This design must be purged, never again to be allowed to see the light of day, for the sake of all Kerbin.

This reminds me of the Knids, from the Great Glass Elevator.

[Tw1]

...I have created an actual component of the Kraken. This design must be purged, never again to be allowed to see the light of day, for the sake of all Kerbin.

Aww, I wanted to try that one. Added to list of things to do.

[SRV Ron]

Seems like NASA tried that with a weight on a long metal cable as a means to generate power using the Earth's magnetic field. The experiment failed when the weightless cable tangled up on the reel.

[problemecium]

New challenge for the community: BUILD MECHA-KRAKEN!!!1!!2!!!111!!!!!

[ihtoit]

those tentacles would make for a rather evil ABM system... fling it up in an elliptical synchronous orbit... >:]

Oh, now I gotta install IR and do that...!

[Ryu Gemini]

New challenge for the community: BUILD MECHA-KRAKEN!!!1!!2!!!111!!!!!

Well, while I have invented the tentacle, some people are learning how to build its power source.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68369-Harnessing-the-Kraken-Eeloo-in-11-hours!

We may be closer then we think.

.

[astropapi1]

I think whackjob just won this challenge without even trying.

[Ryu Gemini]

His specialty is heavy stuff, yes? Well, ok, he probably COULD do this challenge.

Aw, who am I kidding. The only reason he isn't doing with immense WTFBBQ sauce is because he is kind enough to let someone else have the spotlight from time to time.

.