Stranded - Kerbal Retrieval Project: Now with stranded spacecrafts! Minor tweaks add

[Whirligig Girl]

I've stranded a plethora of Kerbals around the Kerbolar System, and they want to go home. The original trio and three rookies are the only ones left. Your mission: Retrieve everyone alive, and Impress me.

You must land as close to your target as possible. These Kerbals have been standing around doing nothing, they certainly don't want to have to walk around on nigh useless legs! There is no scoring system, just use your ingenuity to retrieve these Kerbals. I've put these Kerbals in a bunch of different locations, some of them rather hard to reach. A Kerbal can NOT be moved from his position more than 1.25 km by means of walking. Oh, and No tracking station flight-canceling. That kills them. Also, you might want to hurry with Corsby and Gerbin, their time is limited. Be sure to post the version number of the game and the challenge save you are using!

Here's where I've stranded everyone:

Kerbal Colors represent difficulty, Easy Medium Hard, and Planet Colors just look pretty.

Bonus: Anwin Kerman: Stranded at the roof of the Astronaut Complex. You must bring him to either the runway, the VAB, or the LaunchPad, and he can not walk at all, and no Recover Vessel button. Impress me with what you can do to save him.

Corsby Kerman: Atmospheric orbit around Kerbin

Melnard Kerman: Landed at Mun.

Dony Kerman: Landed at Minmus.

Gerbin Kerman: on an escape trajectory from Kerbol.

Ludbart Kerman: Landed at Eve.

Jedvey Kerman: Splashed at Eve.

Kercott Kerman: Low Eccentric orbit over Kerbol.

Halney (not to be confused with Halnie) Kerman: Landed at Duna.

Sonfurt Kerman: Landed at Ike.

Rondas Kerman: Orbit around Jool.

Lemlorf Kerman: Landed at Vall.

Enski Kerman: Splashed at Laythe.

Losy Kerman: Orbit around Kerbol.

Shepmon Kerman: Orbit around Eeloo.

Here's where the spacecrafts are stranded. These are intentionally stupid spacecrafts, full of very n00by mistakes. Also, many crafts have their EVA ports blocked on purpose to restrict EVA use.:

Icarus' Hulk: Orbiting Kerbol.

Mun Lander Crashed Ship Hulk: Stranded on near side of Mun.

Duna Landing Party Hulk: Landed at Duna near Halney.

Ariel Sea Lander Hulk: Jet powered lander at Laythe near Enski.

"How Hard can Rocket Science be, Anyway?": Orbiting Kerbin.

Aeris 3A: Landed at Laythe.

Kerb-Irrational Observatorium: Polar Eccentric orbit around Kerbin.

Jool 7 Flyby Craft: Orbiting Tylo.

More crafts to come!

Some of these may seem easy to you, and some of them are easy. The thing is: I left out some critical information about some of their locations, you might want to look at them in map view. (Evil cackle)

Achievements

each achievement is locked to an individual Kerbal or any Kerbals affected by the achievement, except if it has an asterisk (*)

** Can not be done on Mun, Minmus, Bop, Pol, Vall, Duna, Gilly, Eeloo, or Moho

Super Awesome Spaceship: Rescue Icarus' Hulk somehow.

Single Stage to Rescue: Rescue a Kerbal/spacecraft with a single stage vehicle.

*Grand Tour of the Kerbals: Rescue everyone in one launch.

Double Bubble: Rescue Ludbart and Jedvey with one vehicle without leaving Eve's atmosphere.

Flying Blind: Rescue a Kerbal without Map View.

Lithobrake: Return a Kerbal without a Vanguard Technologies Parachute on EVA.

**EVA Return: Return a Kerbal with only his jetpack.

Out of Fuel: Return a Kerbal without using his jetpack. (Extra cookies for this)

Danny Award: Use a Mass Driver to return a Kerbal. (Extra cookies if you record it in a Danny2462 style video)

Harderer Mode/Manley Award: Do something in the way of Scott Manley.

HOC/Stock Award: Don't use any mods.

HOC/Space Tourism Award: Use a stock aircraft on Laythe.

HOC/That's no Mun Base Award: Instead of rescuing a Kerbal, bring him some friends and a nice spacious space station/base.

ManleyMode/IVA: Use only IVA cockpit view except when controlling EVAs.

Precision Landing: Land a Kerbal/Spacecraft within 2.5 km of KSC.

P-Body/Atlas Award: Use this on a KMP server with friends to rescue Kerbals.

Lander: Land the Kerbal you're rescuing on the planet they were orbiting.

Hard Mode Lander: Land a Kerbal on a different planet than they were already on.

Harderer Mode Lander: Land Rondas on any Joolian Moon.

DragMaster: Use Ferram Aerospace Research on Eve.

Hey, Kerbals Aren't Asteroids!: Use a craft that you've already used to capture an asteroid to capture a Kerbal (Only viable after 0.23.10 [Asteroid Redirect Mission Update])

Master Mechanic: Repair and fly a broken spacecraft to help get it and it's crew home. (Notice that the Ariel Laythe lander has docking ports on it, I wonder what you could do with that?)

Grabber: Use a landing leg grabber to bring a Kerbal/spacecraft home.

Download

Version 0.2.1 for KSP 0.23.0.395

Allowed Mods

KW Rocketry

NovaPunch Remix

KSPX

RLA Stockalike

Stockalike Parts for Useful Esthetics

StarShine Industries

B9 Aerospace

Any mod that makes no gameplay changes.

Any mod that only changes the VAB.

Kethane

Ferram Aerospace Research.

PorkJet's Habitation Modules Pack.

PorkJet's Mk2 plane overhaul project.

KSP Interstellar

FASA

FASA Asteroids (Although remember that real asteroids are coming soon!)

Infernal or Damned Robotics

Disrespected Mods

you can use these, but I will steal one of your cookies.

Vanguard Technologies Parachutes

MechJeb.

KAS.

Kerbal Joint Reinforcement

Absolutely Banned Mods

HyperEdit (Even though that's how I got the Kerbals there, for the challenge it's banned.)

Edited March 21, 2014 by GregroxMun

[Whirligig Girl]

Really? no one wants to do this? Would pictures help? Really Stanley I don't know what else you'd want in a challenge. Vehicles? Well it's got vehicles.

[kookoo_gr]

i believe people will do this challenge, give it time. ,i for once will give it a try since there are place that i need to go and return but it may take time to complete this due to other obligations (aka life).

[Whirligig Girl]

i believe people will do this challenge, give it time. ,i for once will give it a try since there are place that i need to go and return but it may take time to complete this due to other obligations (aka life).

Brilliant. I'll be waiting.

[The Error]

Excellent, Stanley.

I may try this. Might.

[Aghanim]

Why no KJR? Could I use KSPI?

[Whirligig Girl]

KJR makes rocket building too easy, and even stock-part rockets can't be reliably used without KJR. But I'll add it to the disresepcted mods list, so you can use it if you really want to. KSP Interstellar is allowed, but the heat radiators will make it harder

TL;DR: You can use KJR and KSPI

Edited March 19, 2014 by GregroxMun

[SlayerMcGee]

This is a very interesting challenge, thank you! Without getting too spoilery, there are some very interesting building talents necessary to fetch all these chaps, so I am going to take a crack at this challenge. I'm going to try to do it with only one launch, and I think the only mod I will need is KW Rocketry for the 3.5m parts to build my lifter stage.

[Whirligig Girl]

This is a very interesting challenge, thank you! Without getting too spoilery, there are some very interesting building talents necessary to fetch all these chaps, so I am going to take a crack at this challenge. I'm going to try to do it with only one launch, and I think the only mod I will need is KW Rocketry for the 3.5m parts to build my lifter stage.

Oooh! Exciting! Can't wait to see what you have in mind!

[pauix]

I've never got past Duna, but I'll try to save at least all the astronauts in Kerbin's SOI. After that, I'll just try to get to the others somehow.

[Ziv]

I LOVE the idea, I downloaded the save file. I was very disappointed that there's no stranded ships, no empty fuel tanks, etc... I would love to see strange new ships (for me) which had some design flaw so I have to save them. Or just refuel their ship in deep space and let them go back. Or something like these... so I miss the STORY. Otherwise I really love this idea.

and also some of them is unrealistic and almost impossible to do... going to Moho is very, very hard, did you go there already and coming back? Did you count the DeltaV requriements for going THAT close to the Sun and back?? I would love to see the DeltaV numbers for that... also, for the escape trajectory too.

BTW I started a rescue challenge on EVE: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60867-Kethane-scenario-Rescue-Mission-for-Jebediah-from-the-Eve-Kethane-Base

So, I LOVE the idea, I miss the Story. Let me know ff you add there stranded vehicles too, and I will be happy to start collecting them back!

[Whirligig Girl]

There's no one on Moho. I was going to make the near sun Kerbal hard, but it's medium because of piloting skills required are easy, the difficulty is in the building. I like the idea of stranded ships, I will work on that!

[Whirligig Girl]

Updated to version 0.2: added some spacecrafts, many of them quite horribly designed.

[SV-ESK]

Hi. What do you thinking about Infernal Robotics?

0.1 for KSP 0.23.0.395 Anwin.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Also I calculated dv required to rescue Kercott(at furnace Sun orbit). Put periapsis here is not a problem - use gravity assists - it will be 1400-2200 m/s total, depends on how much you're a masochist. Or just 5600 m/s retrograde from LKO without any gravity assists.

Problem is apoapsis. You need 22-23 thousand(!) m/s to circularize(even if your apoapsis near Eve orbit) and unfortunately aerobraking at Sun impossible. And 22-23 thousand(!) m/s will be required for intersect Kerbin orbit from low Sun orbit.

Edited March 21, 2014 by SV-ESK

[OrtwinS]

A very intriguing challenge. Far out of my league but I will certainly cheer you on.

The ARM update will make things slightly easier, one doesn't have to worry about high-speed EVA's or docking if you can grab anything with The CLAW.

I'll try some of the planetary dudes, but that guy in solar orbit is a goner...

[Whirligig Girl]

Hi. What do you thinking about Infernal Robotics?

0.1 for KSP 0.23.0.395 Anwin.

http://imgur.com/a/aaeFO

Also I calculated dv required to rescue Kercott(at furnace Sun orbit). Put periapsis here is not a problem - use gravity assists - it will be 1400-2200 m/s total, depends on how much you're a masochist. Or just 5600 m/s retrograde from LKO without any gravity assists.

Problem is apoapsis. You need 22-23 thousand(!) m/s to circularize(even if your apoapsis near Eve orbit) and unfortunately aerobraking at Sun impossible. And 22-23 thousand(!) m/s will be required for intersect Kerbin orbit from low Sun orbit.

1. I'll add Infernal Robotics

2. I'll move Kercott out a bit.

3. I never said K-Drives weren't allowed.

EDIT: Kercott 's periapsis will remain. His Eccentricity and Inclination will be changed.

Edited March 21, 2014 by GregroxMun

[pauix]

A very intriguing challenge. Far out of my league but I will certainly cheer you on.

I'll try some of the planetary dudes, but that guy in solar orbit is a goner...

I don't think I'll be able to save a lot of Kerbals either (I haven't yet made it to Duna, so things like moving out of Eve or saving the guys in Jool are out of the question), but I'll use the save to check how the outer planets I still haven't reached look

[Ziv]

Corsby Kerman has got stranded in orbit around Kerbin...

The leaders at KSC are fed up with spending on expensive giant rockets so asked the engineers to make EVERYTHING reusable.

So the engineers came up with this SSTO rocket. There's a KAS pocket on it's top with instruments for Corsby to build his own rescue return vehicle...

(click on the image for the album)

[icemonkey]

Corsby Kerman has got stranded in orbit around Kerbin...

The leaders at KSC are fed up with spending on expensive giant rockets so asked the engineers to make EVERYTHING reusable.

So the engineers came up with this SSTO rocket. There's a KAS pocket on it's top with instruments for Corsby to build his own rescue return vehicle...

Gotta love the build-your-own-return-vehicle. Do the containers in KAS support deadly reentry heat shields? That would make things interesting....

[kookoo_gr]

just started this challenge and saved Corsby from certain doom, will get him later from Kerbin orbit, but i want to ask a few questions.

If and when you update this challenge with more Kerbals/ships will it be okay to terminate the ones we have saved at the old save in order to reduce clutter at the new save?

Are we supposed to return the stranded ships to Kerbin?

Is there a scoring system and/or an ultimate target/s? i ask this because there are some Kerbals/ships that some players won't be able to save or take a large amount of time to plan and execute the rescue.

A scoring system, along with the achievements, in my opinion would be nice to see as follow and allow various experienced players to take part.

1. Easy - save all the easy Kerbals/ships

2. Medium - save all the medium Kerbals/ships

3. Hard - save all the hard Kerbals/ships

4. Jeb Level - save all the Kerbals/ships

personally i'll try to save them all.

P.S. personally i would love to see Kerbals/ships on every body and some of them at an inclination at Kerbol orbit but make sure you won't overwhelm the save with a lot of targets that may end up a chore rather than a challenge.

[Ziv]

One thing what I would improve is more realistic situations. You added some ships which are great (with some twist at some of them!) But I don't like the idea of standalone Kerbals on an other body, or, especially! a low-Kerbol orbit, or far out in the deep space... how did they get there? Where are their ships? Are them still usable and just out of fuel, or did they crash it? Or did they lost the engine somehow but I can refuel my rescue ship from the stranded ship? Did they lost the main ship (crashed into the surface) and they are in a small life-supporting escape pod? Or the Kerbal was maintaining a base on the surface but a meteor crashed the base and he needs urgent rescue, Etc...

so I miss the story, the scenario for most of them. But good job with the ones which has funny names and stranded ship, I appreciate and really enjoy them! So I guess a little more thinking and work with the save would make this a great challenge! And if you put there some point system or something more exact then it may be a real race to get everyone back...!

Edited March 22, 2014 by Ziv

[kookoo_gr]

Also it would be nice for some Kerbals NOT to have RCS fuel at their jetpacks. :wink:

[pauix]

Lithobrake: Return a Kerbal without a Vanguard Technologies Parachute on EVA.

I've just noticed that one. How is the kerbal supposed to survive the "EVA landing" without a parachute? Does a lawn chair count as EVA?

[ihtoit]

One thing what I would improve is more realistic situations. You added some ships which are great (with some twist at some of them!) But I don't like the idea of standalone Kerbals on an other body, or, especially! a low-Kerbol orbit, or far out in the deep space... how did they get there? Where are their ships? Are them still usable and just out of fuel, or did they crash it? Or did they lost the engine somehow but I can refuel my rescue ship from the stranded ship? Did they lost the main ship (crashed into the surface) and they are in a small life-supporting escape pod? Or the Kerbal was maintaining a base on the surface but a meteor crashed the base and he needs urgent rescue, Etc...

so I miss the story, the scenario for most of them. But good job with the ones which has funny names and stranded ship, I appreciate and really enjoy them! So I guess a little more thinking and work with the save would make this a great challenge! And if you put there some point system or something more exact then it may be a real race to get everyone back...!

my Starflight One Tube Rescue would be the one for you...

"DISASTER! The first stage of our new Space Colony construction has hit on one or two little snags. For a start, some dimwit forgot to attach the Clamptron Senior to the ass of the beast to allow the attachment of major station parts including science, a docking hub with escape pods, and long-term life support systems. The second crew capsule sent up with constructors including Bill and Bob also carried an unwanted passenger. A computer virus invaded the guidance system, and sent the station core on a direct course into the Sun, right before it jettisoned the entire propulsion system! The last communication we had from the crew suggested that the docking port had taken some damage when the propulsion systems were jettisoned as the rockets were still firing. The last bit of that transmission indicated that they had in fact enough air and power to survive until impact, but radio range of only about 3,000km. Suits and EVA systems are all nominal.

THE CHALLENGE:

Using the provided Save package (just unpack into your "saves" folder), create and execute a mission to rescue the seven stranded Kerbals before the station crashes into the Sun, and return them to Kerbin. Your FIRST and ONLY priority is the crew! The station is fully expendable."

This is probably unique in KSP Challenges being that it has a Death Clock on it. Literally. Fail to rescue the Kerbals from their stricken station in 30 days, it crashes into the Sun killing them. Nice, huh? And definitely unique in that the only way to rescue them is to perform a suborbital rendezvous and freeflight EVA transfer.

Edited March 22, 2014 by ihtoit

[ihtoit]

Gotta love the build-your-own-return-vehicle. Do the containers in KAS support deadly reentry heat shields? That would make things interesting....

That's doable with a little config hacking to add the relevant parts. I'm looking at adding the long girder, among other extremely useful parts that aren't included with stock KAS.