Landing an asteroid atop the VAB

[KerballianDummy]

I've got a challenge for you all. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to grab an asteroid and land it on Kerbin. But not just anywhere on Kerbin, but at KSC - atop the VAB. The bigger the asteroid is, the better.

Oh, and do it legitimately if you can: meaning no infinite fuel, RCS, hacked grav or Hyperedit. If you can't get it atop the VAB, I'd still love to see how close you got it (or the remains of your attempt, if things go boom XD)

Have fun, people - I doubt this'll be easy. (I've tried to just get an asteroid into a stable orbit around Kerbin and... heh, it's not easy - for me, at least.) Good luck!

Edited April 2, 2014 by KerballianDummy

[SkyRender]

Perhaps I might do this. I did get an asteroid into a perfectly stable equatorial orbit earlier, so really it'd just be a matter of perfecting the timing on re-entry. And ferrying up around an extra orange tank's worth of fuel, of course...

[Sauron]

Speak of the devil! I was literally just about to start this one myself

Unfortunately, I'll have to capture another asteroid. My first go was a mass-extinction event in the name of SCIENCE. And I'm certainly not getting that one back into orbit

[700NitroXpress]

If you attach a claw with a parachute on it and an unmanned module, then deploy the parachute, will the claw actually grip and the parachute work?

[The Silent Majority]

I was wondering how long it would take for this challenge to crop up

I may do it if I find the time.

[KerballianDummy]

I was wondering how long it would take for this challenge to crop up

I may do it if I find the time.

Well, I'd been planning this pretty much since I'd heard about the ARM patch/addon. I just happened to be awake and on the internet when the update was released, so I figured I'd jump on the forum and make the challenge.

I had an attempt at doing the challenge myself, though I used cheats so my "attempt" doesn't count - I was more messing around and having fun than actually attempting the challenge. I DID manage to do it, through the use of the most powerful engine, a minimalistic ship, infinite fuel/RCS, hacked gravity and the smallest possible asteroid. Considering how difficult I found it, I've got a rough idea of how difficult it could be to do it without cheats - and is quite possibly something out of my reach.

[JedTech]

Ok, here's my plan. I think it has to be a powered landing as parachutes are difficult to be precise with.

1. Dock/Claw a few dozen booster ships with really big engines directly to the asteroid (all in the same hemisphere).

2. Attach all ships together via KAS attachments

3. Aim for the VAB, and wait to do a 15-20 second suicide burn.

4. Use Throttle Control Avionics to even out the thrusting and come in nice and controlled.

[KerballianDummy]

Ok, here's my plan. I think it has to be a powered landing as parachutes are difficult to be precise with.

1. Dock/Claw a few dozen booster ships with really big engines directly to the asteroid (all in the same hemisphere).

2. Attach all ships together via KAS attachments

3. Aim for the VAB, and wait to do a 15-20 second suicide burn.

4. Use Throttle Control Avionics to even out the thrusting and come in nice and controlled.

http://i.imgur.com/hbQ5Fgb.png

Ooh, ambitious - I like your thinking. Good luck, and I can't wait to see how things go!

[Pds314]

Hmmm A-types might be pretty doable. I bet a VTOL SSTO could go out and snatch one. Of course, that makes it more problematic because an SSTO that huge is more similar to a C-type and probably has trouble fitting on the VAB.

Or.... We make a massive bomber and fill it with captured A-types. Put chutes on them, and start bombarding the VAB until one lands.

[KerballianDummy]

-snip-

Or.... We make a massive bomber and fill it with captured A-types. Put chutes on them, and start bombarding the VAB until one lands.

I second that idea! That'd look pretty awesome, actually. Difficult and laggy, probably, but damn awesome nonetheless.

[JedTech]

I think just crashing into the VAB would be amazing to watch.

[jmiki8]

Close enough.

Mission phail

But I landed one near the KSC, at least.

[xxjetterxx]

Or we make a massive parachute. made of parachutes.

[KerballianDummy]

Close enough.

http://i.imgur.com/Q3fiHF5.png

Mission phail

But I landed one near the KSC, at least.

Damn, that's pretty good - and with a pretty small craft too. Nice work, I bet with a few refinements it'll be atop the VAB.

[JedTech]

What kind of impact tolerance does an asteroid have?

[felisconcolori]

What kind of impact tolerance does an asteroid have?

From what I've seen on streams, pretty high if you don't hit water. I could be wrong, though - I am having problems being able to push an asteroid in any direction without suddenly tumbling.

[Jasonden]

I am having problems being able to push an asteroid in any direction without suddenly tumbling.

Make sure that you're pushing on it through a vector containing the center of mass. Right-click on the asteroid to target its Center of Mass (CM), then free the gimbal on the claw. Now rotate your S/C until you are oriented along the CM in the NavBall, and then lock the gimbal on the claw again. You might still get some tumble tendencies, but they should be much more manageable . . .

[Alymon]

Does it have to land on top or can you land it nearby and then lift it with a separate ship or pull it?

[KerballianDummy]

Does it have to land on top or can you land it nearby and then lift it with a separate ship or pull it?

Doesn't really matter, to be honest. Naturally, landing it straight onto the VAB from orbit could be tricky with the small area you have to land on but also seeing it lifted up by another ship could be good - with it's own set of challenges to get it working. In short, go with whatever you feel like.

[Pds314]

Doesn't really matter, to be honest. Naturally, landing it straight onto the VAB from orbit could be tricky with the small area you have to land on but also seeing it lifted up by another ship could be good - with it's own set of challenges to get it working. In short, go with whatever you feel like.

Better yet, put it back where it belongs! In orbit!

[KerballianDummy]

Better yet, put it back where it belongs! In orbit!

This gives me yet another idea - giving Kerbin rings! Sure, they won't be like Saturn's but it'd be kinda cool. Could make for interesting escapes from Kerbin's SOI, considering you'd have to fly through a ring/asteroid belt. Perhaps another time, though. VAB asteroid landings first, I say.

[JedTech]

This guy did it:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/74595-I-want-to-see-your-Asteroid-Tugs%21?p=1062270#post1062270