JATO Redux: Fire And Forget

[ihtoit]

The inmates have taken over the asylum! We need a way to make sure they know they're not welcome anywhere near KSC!

The Challenge: Build a Fire-And-Forget JATO car

The Rules:

- You have TWO RT-10 SRBs to use. No jets, ions, or other rockets permitted.

- Your car MUST HAVE AND REST ON EXACTLY FOUR TR-2L STOCK ELECTRIC MOTORISED WHEELS.

- Your car MUST carry a Kerbal throughout its run.

- Fixed (STATIC) lifting surfaces ONLY. NO active control surfaces or winglets.

- NO MechJeb.

- NO FAR.

- NO decouplers or separators.

- NO gravity hack or infinite fuel.

- NO SAS/ASAS.

- You may use EXACTLY ONE STOCK MK.XVI-XL OR EXACTLY ONE STOCK MK.II-R radial parachute.

- YOUR KERBAL MUST SURVIVE.

Scoring:

Max altitude, distance (from F3 screen)

Score calculation: root(((distance_over_surface/2)^2)+(altitude^2))

(yeah, it's basically the rising side of your ballistic arc measured in a straight (long) line of a right triangle with your max altitude as the top of the short side, so if your total flight is 500m and your max altitude is 200m, then your score would be calculated as: SQRT(((500/2)^2)+(200^2))=320.16 (put it straight into Google, it does it all for you)).

HINT: open your chute (if you use one) as late as possible to maximise your distance score. A well designed car should not stall (see the example below), and should glide nose-to the horizon (see the example below) until impact.

LEADERBOARD:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

EXAMPLE CAR:

Note the use in this example of controlled winglets. This will not be a valid entry in this challenge (it was an entry in a previous challenge which I think got eaten by a Kraken at some point), the AV-T1 or the standard tailfin would have been valid. Oh, and the extra pair of wheels. Another no-no.

Edited February 18, 2014 by ihtoit

[Phafor]

Could be fun...

[Hodo]

One problem with this challenge, the wheels come apart at 60m/s so the wheels will cause it to fly apart.

[ihtoit]

nothing wrong with that, you'll be airborne by the time you hit 60.

[Hodo]

Ok I thought you had to stay in contact with the ground the whole time.

[ihtoit]

noooo... hence "altitude" and "parachutes"