The Grand tour: To KSPI, or not to KSPI.

[The Destroyer]

Hello. Soon I will attempt a grand tour with VOID, Kethane, and LLL. Now, I'm thinking of using KSPI for the thermal turbojets. Thing is, I'm not sure if I should- it just makes it too easy for me, I've seen something like a 100 ton-from-launchpad KSPI Grand tourer, and it just dosen't seem very challenging. So, I'm wondering

TO KSPI

OR NOT TO KSPI

THAT IS THE QUESTION

[G'th]

A Grand Tour will be more impressive with conventional rocketry.

Then again, the infrastructure required for Interstellar, if overdone, can also be just as impressive.

[The Destroyer]

I think I'll be using conventional rocketry with LLL-SXT "Fat mun" engines. More thrust, less isp. Seems balenced to me.

[magnemoe]

With kethane an grand tour is pretty easy, you want an pretty big miner to refuel the mothership, make something who is an SSTO or at least almost, this will let you do SSTO on Laythe, also Tylo if you land on a deposit require only an separate lander for Eve.

Mothership need enough dV to go from Eve to Moho, you can also use fuel in the miner to this, only having enough to land on Moho.

Might want to bring some empty tanks to Eve and fill them up on Gilly before the trip.

Used this back in 0.18, engines is not stock, balloon lander on Eve but shows the overall concept.

Going stock is also posible but require that you go small or go wachjob, I managed to do an grand tour with 666 ton from pad, 100 ton from LKO.

[Streetwind]

Considering the real challenge to a Grand Tour is designing a vessel with enough dV to visit all the planets... and KSPI gives you extreme amounts of dV with just about all its propulsion methods... I'd say you're cheating yourself out of the challenge. KSPI is firmly a career mode mod, meant to require effort from the player in order to earn themselves the privilege of using those very powerful propulsion systems. If you're just hitting up a sandbox to design a vessel, you don't have that progression, and the only thing that keeps you from slapping an alcubierre drive onto your craft is your own judgement. However, no matter where you draw the line for yourself, anything at all from KSPI is likely going to make your life easier at no drawback, because it's a mod entirely focused on giving you expensive, high-tech parts that make things easier. So you might as well not load the mod, if you're in it for the challenge.

(Of course, if you just want to make a cool looking craft to tour the planets with, go right ahead! KSPI is pretty good at that sort of thing.)

Obviously Kethane also makes things easier, because you can refuel in the middle of the trip, which also removes the big dV challenge. However, at least Kethane requires you to put in effort - you need to plan your refueling stops ahead of time, crunching numbers to make sure your fuel lasts; you need to integrate extra components that reduce the vessel's dV instead of increasing it; and you need to design a reusable lander/miner capable of operating on all the refueling stops you determined are necessary (or carry one disposable lander for each), and then carry all of that along as well. You're trading one difficulty for another, so if you're operating on a challenge basis, that seems like a fair trade.

[KerbMav]

Am I the only one who would recommend the bigger nukes from KSPX and still think it is stock-enough to not feel "cheaty"?

[The Destroyer]

Thanks for all the replies. My plan:

Mun (systems check) Minmus (systems check x2, hopefully fixing things via KAS if nesscary)

Eve (drop dat silly heavy lander) refuel on Gilly.

Go to moho, Pickup Bob, Refuel.

Go to Duna. Refuel at Ike.

Go to Dres, refuel.

Go to Jool. Refuel at Bop and Pol.

Go to Eeloo, refuel.

Go back home and have the fireworks!

[paulleahy101]

Friendly speaking i dont have gnough information about your topic, but pics in thread looking good.

Thanks

United-21 kanha