Kerbal Dynamics: Deadsticking KSC

[ihtoit]

The Boffs have done it again, they've gone and handed me another Post-It.

This time they're looking for expert designers and crazy pilots to design and demonstrate an orbital escape and glider landing system.

THE CHALLENGE:

Design, build and demonstrate a crew escape system from an orbit of between 30-50 degrees inclination. Land your escape pod at KSC.

THE RULES:

- Your pod must carry at least one Kerbal.

- Start your deorbit burn from a stable orbit of at least 70kmx70km at between 30 and 50 degrees inclination.

- Following your deorbit burn, you must turn off ALL propulsion systems (rockets, jets, ions, RCS, the lot).

- Your landing must be performed using dead-stick aerodynamic controls (ie a controlled glide).

- Wheeled landing on the KSC runway only.

- Parachutes prohibited.

- Usual "No 'Sploits" rules apply.

- No passing round for another go. If you miss the runway, you land where you land.

- YOUR POD MUST REMAIN INTACT.

- ALL KERBALS MUST SURVIVE.

SCORING:

100 points for a runway landing.

50 points for a landing anywhere else on the KSC peninsula (to the base of the mountains)

2 points per Kerbal above the requisite 1.

(Challengers Note: I did this using my standard short spaceplane from my just-imploded anchorage the other day. The spaceplane somehow ended up in a 36 degree inclined orbit (from 0 degrees, how the heck did that happen??), but somehow intact, so I deorbited it and made a safe KSC landing just short of the runway - deadstick since I was out of rocket fuel and had to deorbit using the last of the RCS fuel aboard. Luckily I had motorised landing gear so was able to bring it to the complex to a waiting fuel tanker...)

LEADERBOARD:

1. Tejing in a stochasty design orbiter, 102 points

2. Kasuha, 100 points

2. Koolkei, 100 points

SPECTACULAR FAILURES:

OhTehNoes, great landing, wrong spaceport!

the_bT, flies like a butterfly, lands like a... butterfly. Butterflies don't have wheeled undercarriage. Neither does this.

Edited March 14, 2014 by ihtoit

[OTehNoes]

I kinda did this for another old challenge, landing on Kerbin without parachutes or engines, I THINK its valid for this too though, I'll post my old entry for it anyway! Though that said I landed at the island base not the KSC...

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Edited March 10, 2014 by OTehNoes

[Kasuha]

I believe this matches all requirements. No bus though, just one Kerbal.

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[ihtoit]

nicely done!

OhTehNoes: lovely landing, wrong runway tho. Scores 0

Leaderboard updated.

[OTehNoes]

nicely done!

OhTehNoes: lovely landing, wrong runway tho. Scores 0

Leaderboard updated.

I wouldn't consider it a total failure given that when I did it for the other challenge, landing there was just as valid as landing at the KSC. I could do it again though if you want! That is literally just a repost of my old entry to the other challenge.

Edited March 10, 2014 by OTehNoes

[Koolkei]

nicely done!

OhTehNoes: lovely landing, wrong runway tho. Scores 0

Leaderboard updated.

I wouldn't consider it a total failure given that when I did it for the other challenge, landing there was just as valid as landing at the KSC. I could do it again though if you want! That is literally just a repost of my old entry to the other challenge.

hello there guys..... we meet again......

here's my try.....

btw somehow KSP didn't catch any screenshot until i finished my de-orbital burn

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the weight of the plane itself is only 0.09t

but to take it off the ground to orbit took around 40t+

i found that 60% of the challange was to get it to stable orbit

1 more thing i forgot i had RCS fuel on the pod itself and 2 RCS thrusters on the wing, so i emptied it out as soon as realised, which was about 10 sec after the final thrusters release(i was still high enough that it barely have any effect).

you can see on the 2nd pic i had it on full, and the 3rd pic empty.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Koolkei

[Othuyeg]

Any extra points if you land on the landing strip on the island?

edit: just noticed it is classified as a failure

Edited March 12, 2014 by Othuyeg

[Othuyeg]

Here is a video of me doing the challenge. I landed on the runway with 8 kerbals in addition to the pilot.

http://www.twitch.tv/othuyeg/c/3872753

[ihtoit]

hmmm... problem: you went from a zero inclination orbit. Entry fail.

[Othuyeg]

Ah, yeah. I once again forgot to read any of the instructions.

[Aghanim]

I'm usually do deadstick landing, but with B9 and proc wing mod as airbrake using FAR. Is that allowed?

[Koolkei]

I'm usually do deadstick landing, but with B9 and proc wing mod as airbrake using FAR. Is that allowed?

you did see my post using B9 wings right??

i just made my plane as small, as light, as simple as possible. no bull**** and no needless stuff. airbrakes?

well if you think still airbrake is still considered gliding then go ahead..... no sarcasm meant, but i dont really know if using airbrake is considered powered braking or not....

[the_bT]

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I know, It has no wheels... Problem?

[Tejing]

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I reloaded at one point because my kerbals got oddly placed in their seats.

The craft is completely stock other than mechjeb.

Note that I never used the autoland feature of mechjeb, just the landing guidance, ILS, and smart a.s.s. (mostly cause I wanted to avoid that debris)

I assume since it wasn't mentioned, mechjeb's fair game... I can do it without it just fine though too.

edit: incidentally, I didn't design this craft. aside from some minor modifications, it was designed by stochasty (I have one that's redesigned from the ground up that I use more often, but this one carries 2 kerbals, so I used it for the challenge)

Edited March 13, 2014 by Tejing

[ihtoit]

...

I know, It has no wheels... Problem?

well, the rules do stipulate wheeled landing only... so, by strict interpretation, that's a DQ. Sorry.

[the_bT]

well, the rules do stipulate wheeled landing only... so, by strict interpretation, that's a DQ. Sorry.

Well, do the rules stipulate that nothing may fall off the craft? Because my shiny shoddy new wheels kinda did shortly after touchdown...

All seats (pods) stayed intact though!

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[ihtoit]

Well, do the rules stipulate that nothing may fall off the craft?

Well... yeah, pretty much implied in the one about "Your pod must remain intact"

[the_bT]

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I will not give up!

Had done a quicksave right after de-orbit burn, continued from that point. Orbit is therefore the same as before.