[ADVANCED] No instruments challenge

[StelarCF]

The challenge is to go to the mun and back without instruments (except altitude meter). That means you must hide the navball and you can\'t use the map. This also means you won\'t be able to see what your speed is and that you can\'t use an orbital calculator either (I\'m going to give you the formula for speed so it\'s easier ).

Formula for speed after a burn:

V = Vi + t * T / M

where

V = Velocity

Vi = Initial Velocity

t = time

T = Thrust (Sum of all your engine\'s thrust)

M = Mass

Allowed Parts: Stock, Landing Leg ( http://www.captainslug.com/temp/LanderLeg1.2.zip ), Landing Peg ( http://www.captainslug.com/temp/LanderPeg1.0.zip )

Hints:

Most of the time you should probably be at low warp; That way you can do your computations before time runs out

Try overshooting a bit when doing your initial orbit burn; This will give you time to do the computations to find out your apoapsis and the speed for circularization.

Good luck; I\'m going to try this challenge soon and see if I can do it (I\'m 100% it\'s possible)

[witeken]

Why is there so many maths involved with this challange?

1. get the ship

2. press f2 or f3 to hide UI

3. go to the Mun and back

[StelarCF]

Why is there so many maths involved with this challange?

1. get the ship

2. press f2 or f3 to hide UI

3. go to the Mun and back

Genious, I\'ll award you this medal for your original thinking

you didn\'t really believe me right?

[Red Iron Crown]

Very, very difficult without being able to read the speed. Not knowing Vi will make the calculations problematic.

I think the only way I could do this is record the details of an instrumented flight and then try to do the exact same things at the same times during an uninstrumented flight. Even that would be challenging.

[foamyesque]

Doable, in principle, but I dunno that I want to be the one to try.

[JellyCubes]

You could always write an autopilot module in 0.14 that does the whole mission automatically.

[r4m0n]

You could always write an autopilot module in 0.14 that does the whole mission automatically.

That would be a hands-free challenge, not just no instruments

[StelarCF]

You could always write an autopilot module in 0.14 that does the whole mission automatically.

First of all only stock and the parts I specified are allowed

Second I would consider Autopilot to be an instrument too, or at least just uses instruments (it will know speed won\'t it)

[samstarman5]

There is a lot you can do by eye that makes this possible. And I am quite sure by now most vets would be able to change a line of impact into an orbit of the Mun.

You could always write an autopilot module in 0.14 that does the whole mission automatically.

An autopilot module sounds like an instrument and therefore a rule-breaker.

[maltesh]

V = Vi + t * T / M

where

V = Velocity

Vi = Initial Velocity

t = time

T = Thrust (Sum of all your engine\'s thrust)

M = Mass

This is the wrong equation; it assumes that the spacecraft\'s mass is going to be constant. It\'s not; a significant fraction of the mass of any stock KSP spacecraft is going to be fuel. You\'ve got to use the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation instead.

And that\'s a slightly complicated rabbit hole to go down, because you\'ll have to work out the Exhaust velocity of your engines, and juggle some terms. You\'ll need to know the mass fuel-consumption rate. Still basically doable, though.

But very, very, very difficult. You can, at least work out your velocity and flight-path-angle at any point in an elliptical orbit from apoapsis altitude or periapsis altitude, primary\'s radius, primary\'s mass, and orbital period.