Kerbal Dynamics: Solar Madness

[ihtoit]

Two part challenge, you will require Firespitter electric propellers/rotors for both parts, solar panels wherever you can get them, RTG generators if you like, and thermal (nuclear) generators from KSPInterstellar, or don't bother!

Challenge One:

Build and fly a solar powered transglobal light aircraft with seating capacity for one Kerbal. Scoring is for shortest flight time circumnavigating EAST TO WEST at the equator (ie heading 270, or retrograde) and making a SAFE landing at KSC. Time is WHEELS UP to the moment the aircraft comes to a STOP.

Here's my proven Solar Flyer on a demo flight and landing:

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Challenge Two:

Build and launch a platform capable of lifting no less than sixteen Kerbals in Hitchhiker Storage Containers to an altitude of not less than 6,500m to a hover over any point on the planet. Bonus for landing on top of any building either on the Island or at Inland KSC. For the definition of "hover", read: surface speed less than 5m/s. This challenge is not scored on points (though I might later on throw in a scoreboard for highest speed achieved in level flight at 500m), it's scored on "Dahell is that and how is it flying!?"

Usual physics rules apply, any structural part valid. ONLY propulsion permitted is electric propellers and rotors from eg Firespitter. No rockets, RCS, SRBs, jets, aerospikes, ion engines, alcubierre drives... If you find any other purely electric propulsion you think I might like, please feel free to point it out!

(I'd have screenies of the demo ship for this one but my KSP just crashed when I f1'd it and it didn't capture )

[Aghanim]

Why ion engines are not allowed? Firespitter electric propeller is more powerful and more energy efficient than that

[Koolkei]

sooooo

it's just turning around???

[Kasuha]

Regarding "challenge one", maybe instead of making just proof of concept planes, you should try the challenge yourself first to make sure it'll be fun at least for you.

Solar powered means you cannot make it in less than three hours, or 45 minutes at x4 time warp. Assuming your plane is fast enough (350 m/s), you launch at sunset and land at sunrise. Trying to do it faster means you must go on night side and that'd be battery powered at best but definitely not solar powered.

[Koolkei]

tell me what im doing wrong....

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[cantab]

I wondered why ions weren't allowed at first, then realised that they'd allow suborbital or orbital travel, which presumably is not the challenge intent.

A restriction to direct solar power only, while it limits the minimum flight time, creates some extra challenges. If you want that three hour flight record you need to be capable of taking off when the Sun's low in the sky and panels flat on top of your wings aren't getting much sunlight. If you want to beat three hours you can do that by making a glide landing, but you're going to have to judge the speed of your whole journey such that you don't lose power too soon to make KSC.

Koolkei, to quote the challenge

Challenge One:

Build and fly a solar powered transglobal light aircraft with seating capacity for one Kerbal. Scoring is for shortest flight time circumnavigating EAST TO WEST at the equator (ie heading 270, or retrograde) and making a SAFE landing at KSC. Time is WHEELS UP to the moment the aircraft comes to a STOP.

Emphasis mine. A circuit of the airport is not a circumnavigation. Edited June 2, 2014 by cantab

[Transits]

I wondered why ions weren't allowed at first, then realised that they'd allow suborbital or orbital travel, which presumably is not the challenge intent.QUOTE]

The propellers still allow suborbital flight though, and even orbital flight if you're skilled enough (although you couldn't get down)

[ihtoit]

Why ion engines are not allowed? Firespitter electric propeller is more powerful and more energy efficient than that

because the TWR of ions SUCK. Fancy a three day flight?

[ihtoit]

Regarding "challenge one", maybe instead of making just proof of concept planes, you should try the challenge yourself first to make sure it'll be fun at least for you.

Solar powered means you cannot make it in less than three hours, or 45 minutes at x4 time warp. Assuming your plane is fast enough (350 m/s), you launch at sunset and land at sunrise. Trying to do it faster means you must go on night side and that'd be battery powered at best but definitely not solar powered.

there's a four minute reserve in the battery on my demo flyer and because you're flying EAST TO WEST you're chasing the sun, which means that you get to meet the planet coming towards you. If you make 350m/s you're doing it in less than three hours! Even if you don't, you've got four, maybe five or even six hours of sunlight (at 175m/s) to make the flight. I'm gonna do it in less than three with the simple addition of one engine and a fairly high cruise altitude.

[g00bd0g]

Your demo flight does not actually show you completing your own challenge. In order to complete a solar circumnavigation, normal sidereal speed is approx 175m/s, which yields a 6 hour flight. Your plane only shows 105m/s, you might "just" make it if you start at sunrise and finish near sunset, but it would be like a 10 hour flight.

My plane made it in 5hrs 15 mins.

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I have posted this challenge before.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66603-Kerbin-Solar-Circumnavigation-Challenge

And a similar challenge, the Perpetual Solar Flyer Challenge.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66579-Perpetual-Solar-Flyer-Challenge/

[ihtoit]

posting a challenge does not REQUIRE that I do it first, only that I demonstrate that it's POSSIBLE. Math does that, and the hardware I have DEMONSTRATED is more than capable of completing the challenge EVEN IF I DON'T ACTUALLY DO IT AND POST A TEN HOUR VIDEO.

[g00bd0g]

posting a challenge does not REQUIRE that I do it first, only that I demonstrate that it's POSSIBLE. Math does that, and the hardware I have DEMONSTRATED is more than capable of completing the challenge EVEN IF I DON'T ACTUALLY DO IT AND POST A TEN HOUR VIDEO.

1stly, relax dude, no caps necessary I'm just pointing out that if your planes max speed is 105m/s it might not actually be capable of the challenge you presented. You did NOT demonstrate it was possible with your example, NOR with math. If your plane can cruise at speeds closer to 175m/s I would accept that as a successful demonstration. Below about 130m/s it becomes dubious that you could complete the flight before the sun passes you by and leaves you in the dark

When I posted my version of the challenge, I completed it, with pics to show my progress around the planet and completion of the challenge.

Otherwise all you are doing is asking people to do is create the fastest solar powered plane with a cruise speed sufficient to circumnavigate Kerbin. And that is a different challenge than "actually" completing the circumnavigation.

Edited June 2, 2014 by g00bd0g

[GabeMerrill]

Cool Challenge! I the first part did this when the Firespitter pack first came out.

[ihtoit]

1stly, relax dude, no caps necessary I'm just pointing out that if your planes max speed is 105m/s it might not actually be capable of the challenge you presented. You did NOT demonstrate it was possible with your example, NOR with math. If your plane can cruise at speeds closer to 175m/s I would accept that as a successful demonstration. Below about 130m/s it becomes dubious that you could complete the flight before the sun passes you by and leaves you in the dark

When I posted my version of the challenge, I completed it, with pics to show my progress around the planet and completion of the challenge.

Otherwise all you are doing is asking people to do is create the fastest solar powered plane with a cruise speed sufficient to circumnavigate Kerbin. And that is a different challenge than "actually" completing the circumnavigation.

did you do it at 1000m?