High Speed Joolian Impactor

[zeppelinmage]

Objective: Send a probe into the Jolian atmosphere at the highest (Joolian-relative vertical) speed possible.

The Kerbal Science Initiative has been... unsatisfied with the data recieved from Jool so far. Scans from Kerbin suggest that Jool is a gas giant, yet they have also recieved remote reports that, apparently, there is a surface (confirmation unclear as no Kerbal has ever returned from there). Therefore, a new mission has been commissioned to determine, once and for all, whether there is a surface or not.

The method by which this has been decided is via high speed impactor. Kerbal scientists determined, through some questionable maths, that an extremely high speed impactor should be able to survive re-entry to encounter whatever "surface" may exist, and/or penetrate beyond. Maybe even pop out the other side, akin to a bullet through an apple. Continual telemetry will be collected, as well as as much SCIENCE as can be transmitted before destruction.

Yes, I know the probe will slow to terminal velocity regardless of intitial velocity. However, that's not the point - Kerbals don't know that.

Rules:

* This is a mod-friendly challenge. In fact, an information mod (KER, MJ) is required to display your vertical speed. (Though editing of part characteristics is heavily frowned upon.)

* debug menu is prohibited. (no infinite fuel, e.g.)

* Your probe must consist of at least the following:

- Any probe core

- All science experiments (I mean, what's the point otherwise? )

- Antenna for transmitting

- Electrical generation & battery

* You may take as long as you like making as many gravitational slingshots as you care to do.

* Please submit a screenshot to confirm your entry.

- Your screenshot should be as close to the top of the atmosphere (138km) as possible, so to retrieve your maximum vertical speed before you hit atmosphere.

- Please include your HUD so that we can see your vertical speed from your favorite display mod.

There are a number of challenges and choices you'll have to make/decide:

* If your trajectory isn't perfectly vertical, you will lose vertical velocty due to trigonometry.

* How many gravitational slingshots will you make?

* How much delta-V will your probe bring along?

* MJ: yes or no.

* etc.

LEADERBOARD

1: MarvinKitFox: 51.94 kms

2: jacobgong: 26.37 km/s

3: zeppelinmage: 11.436 km/s

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10:

And here's my entry, as I believe any challenger should do their own challenge. I have yet to attempt gravity slingshots, so mine is a simple straight shot from Kerbin. I completely expect my entry to be blown out of the water rather quickly.

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This is my first challenge for the community, so feedback is greatly appreciated.

Edited January 27, 2014 by zeppelinmage

[jacobgong]

Don't need crazy slingshots, too much trouble. I prefer boosters.

26.4 km/s

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[zeppelinmage]

Nicely done. You're now the top of the (admittedly short) leaderboard.

[Whirligig Girl]

[semi-relevant] Once in a Probe+Mainsail with infinitefuel on I started from the edge of the Joolian SOI, and when I hit the atmopshere I bounced off.

[Captain Sierra]

I can hit Jool pretty fast when I send my standard atmosphere probe on a collision course (which is usually detached from a mothership NOT trying to impact). Now, to keep it small and realistic, I don't use the materials bay or the goo canister (the result looks a bit like the Huygens probe) and I can only sometimes fit on an atmospheric device. Is that still okay since I have all the sensors or no?

[zeppelinmage]

I can hit Jool pretty fast when I send my standard atmosphere probe on a collision course (which is usually detached from a mothership NOT trying to impact). Now, to keep it small and realistic, I don't use the materials bay or the goo canister (the result looks a bit like the Huygens probe) and I can only sometimes fit on an atmospheric device. Is that still okay since I have all the sensors or no?

Well, the idea of the challenge is to "get as much science as possible," so the Bay and Goo would be required. (I also wanted to make it somewhat mass-alike in payload.)

But, if you want to submit this, I can make a "mini probe" leaderboard for options such as this.

[KvickFlygarn87]

I'll fire up the warp drive!

[jacobgong]

I'll fire up the warp drive!

Or better still, HYPEREDIT.

[MarvinKitFox]

Welp, this sounded like fun.

Big rockets, explosions, a visit to the big ball of gas planet... the works!

First, we put together a basic little rocket.

Simplicity itself, a mere 22 stages. Basically, we took every bit of science we could, put that on top of a 19-nuke asparagus, balanced on a 9-burner launch stack, perched on a 7-bubba smoker. Wrapped in an onion of 18 SRB, and served on a pancake of 7 bubba booster, just to get a bit of lift before the fireworks begins. It even reaches orbit intact, more than 7% of the time!

Once in space, we turned to the big ball of gas an burned Hard! Wow this thing has legs! (can't steer worth a dang, maybe next time mount a sas? or reaction jets?

Arrive at our destination.. The big yellow ball of gas.

Wot? Wrong ball of gas? Its supposed to be GREEN?

Fortunately, Uncle Oberth lends us a hand, turns the map right side round and points us off in the right direction. Good ol' uncle Oberth!

Finally, Jool! Nice scenic place, this. Might want to visit it someday when in less of a rush.

Burn off the last bit of juice, nosedive in.. Its important to hit it square, otherwise your velocity is fail!

Final vertical speed according to MechJeb: -51.94km/s

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Mods used:

Mechjeb & Engineer. For the info. Got to have the info. But I don't trust mechjeb with anything smarter than pointing me to the current node. Mechjeb launch is... disastrous when your ship wants to fall apart.

KW rocketry. To allow a pile of junk that big, without running millions of part count. Looks better, too, without being too unbalancing.

Frankly, I blundered all over the galaxy trying to figure out how to plan a hyperbolic intercept to a distant planet, while blinded by the Sun. The mission elapsed time of 2910 days should give you a clue as to my slow learning curve.

I figure with the same hunk-a-junk erm rocket, I could get around the sun with 24k deltav, giving me a Jool intercept in excess of 120k. Needs better planning, though, and maybe a better TWR on the sun passage.

Oberth effect from sun surface vs Kerbin orbit is about 5.9 multiplier!

And yes, I can design a better hunk-a-junk for this task.. But that Kludge is so... Kerbal!

Edited January 27, 2014 by MarvinKitFox

[zeppelinmage]

Now that is what I was hoping to see. Helio-slingshot into Jool. Very nice, you get #1! (51 km/s, holy kerbal!)