Better Stock Crafts 2: This Time it's Personal!

[Whirligig Girl]

This will be a much simpler challenge than better stock crafts one, and quite different.

This challenge, instead of rebuilding the stock craft to be better, will focus on building new stock craft and subasseblies to compliment and improve on the systems of the current stock craft.

Focus is kept on educating new players with building techniques such as Center of Lift must be behind Center of Mass, and how asparagus staging works. And yes, these rules are essentially a Copy/Paste of Xeldrak's BSC1 Rules.

There are a few things required for you submission:

1. You craft MUST NOT use any mods - 100% stock
   
2. You need to show us at least four Screenshots
   
3. You need to make you .craft file available
   
4. You MAY NOT use a craft previously built
   
5. You MUST be able to actually perform at LEAST one of the example missions, and the vehicle must be capable in theory of accomplishing the other missions with relative ease.
   

Otherwise your submission will not be accepted.

And there are a few things you should consider

-Your craft should be easy to use, simple and safe - stock craft are mostly for new players, they should not be overwhelmed by 10 action groups that must be used at the right time.

-Your craft should be an example new players can emulate. It should demonstrate design techniques. What ARE action groups? What's aspargus? Can linear RCS boosters be of some use? These are questions new players could be able to answer by testing your craft.

-If you use Action Groups of have any special commentary to make, use that neat, new description field in the VAB.

It's a fine line between encouraging a new player with something new and overwhelming him - try to walk it.

How is this going to work?

You will have exactly one week to build your craft and post it here, this way even the working people of us should have enough time.

Post your entry here with at least one screenshot and its .craft file. Also be so kind to drop us a few lines, about your craft? What were your thoughts on the design? Why is it a good stock craft?

Sumissions will be closed at

Wednesday, July 9, 2014.

11:59:59 p.m. (GMT+0)

(in 7 days)

After submissions are closed I will set up a poll on SurveyMonkey (since I can't edit a poll to this thread).

Should we have 8 or less entries, you can vote for one week for you final winner.

Should we have more than 8 entries, we will hold a three day pre-election. The top six of this election will then go into a four day final election.

The winner will have bragging rights and...maybe I'll come up with something, who knows.

What are we building this week?

Make a craft that demonstrates a space-tug that can dock either two stock Space Station Cores together, or dock a stock Space Station Core to a pre-existing space station, then either de-orbit or dock to another node on the station. You must ACTUALLY fly this mission.

Insiration:

Edited July 4, 2014 by GregroxMun

[Koolkei]

This will be a much simpler challenge than better stock crafts one, and quite different.

This challenge, instead of rebuilding the stock craft to be better, will focus on building new stock craft and subasseblies to compliment and improve on the systems of the current stock craft.

Focus is kept on educating new players with building techniques such as Center of Lift must be behind Center of Mass, and how asparagus staging works. And yes, these rules are essentially a Copy/Paste of Xeldrak's BSC1 Rules.

There are a few things required for you submission:

1. You craft MUST NOT use any mods - 100% stock
   
2. You need to show us at least four Screenshots
   
3. You need to make you .craft file available
   
4. You MAY NOT use a craft previously built
   

Otherwise your submission will not be accepted.

And there are a few things you should consider

-Your craft should be easy to use, simple and safe - stock craft are mostly for new players, they should not be overwhelmed by 10 action groups that must be used at the right time.

-Your craft should be an example new players can emulate. It should demonstrate design techniques. What ARE action groups? What's aspargus? Can linear RCS boosters be of some use? These are questions new players could be able to answer by testing your craft.

-If you use Action Groups of have any special commentary to make, use that neat, new description field in the VAB.

It's a fine line between encouraging a new player with something new and overwhelming him - try to walk it.

How is this going to work?

You will have exactly one week to build your craft and post it here, this way even the working people of us should have enough time.

Post your entry here with at least one screenshot and its .craft file. Also be so kind to drop us a few lines, about your craft? What were your thoughts on the design? Why is it a good stock craft?

Sumissions will be closed at

Wednesday, July 9, 2014.

11:59:59 p.m. (GMT+0)

(in 7 days)

After submissions are closed I will set up a poll on SurveyMonkey (since I can't edit a poll to this thread).

Should we have 8 or less entries, you can vote for one week for you final winner.

Should we have more than 8 entries, we will hold a three day pre-election. The top six of this election will then go into a four day final election.

The winner will have bragging rights and...maybe I'll come up with something, who knows.

What are we building this week?

Make a craft that demonstrates a space-tug that can dock either two stock Space Station Cores together, or dock a stock Space Station Core to a pre-existing space station, then either de-orbit or dock to another node on the station.

Insiration:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Space_tug_in_earth_orbit.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Cargo_transport_from_Space_Shuttle_with_the_space_tug_to_Nuclear_shuttle.jpg

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/images/2008/01/14/atv_cutaway_low1.jpg

sooooo

simply built a space forklift/forkcarrier/ARMcarrier that transfers cargo between 2 crafts......

right?

[Whirligig Girl]

I suppose so. You could also build it in such a way that it brings Cargo from Surface to orbit that would normally not be dockable on it's own (No RCS or Engine)

[randomness5555]

Well, here's my entry-the Orbital Station Tug 1A (catchy name right ;D )

One big o'l nerva for propulsion and 7K or so DeltaV. It's also unmanned-kerbals won't want to be hanging around in a tiny unmanned tug for days waiting for the launch of the next module.

No posh lifting bodies-you gotta build that bit yourself, like with the stock landers.

Well, you said it should give ideas to new players-so here's one I've seen a lot-a detachable nose cone. OK, so in stock it doesn't do anything, but it's a cool idea and looks good. It's lights are designed to illuminate the target while docking

Inspired by your talk of linear RCS I added this on-usefull for docking

And only one action group-which extends the solar panels

Dowload link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l08598vyy8wetqg/Orbital%20Station%20Tug%201A.craft

Edited July 4, 2014 by randomness5555

[Stealth_Eagle]

In replace of screenshots, can we do a video?

[Whirligig Girl]

Well, here's my entry-the Orbital Station Tug 1A (catchy name right ;D )

One big o'l nerva for propulsion and 7K or so DeltaV. It's also unmanned-kerbals won't want to be hanging around in a tiny unmanned tug for days waiting for the launch of the next module.

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

No posh lifting bodies-you gotta build that bit yourself, like with the stock landers.

http://i.imgur.com/2XGxSmr.png

Well, you said it should give ideas to new players-so here's one I've seen a lot-a detachable nose cone. OK, so in stock it doesn't do anything, but it's a cool idea and looks good. It's lights are designed to illuminate the target while docking

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

Inspired by your talk of linear RCS I added this on-usefull for docking

http://i.imgur.com/Jjys3iS.png

And only one action group-which extends the solar panels

Dowload link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l08598vyy8wetqg/Orbital%20Station%20Tug%201A.craft

Can you actually fly it and do the mission required?

In replace of screenshots, can we do a video?

Yes.

[BagelRabbit]

I'm going to enter this... I have a reasonable idea of what my tug will look like and how it will perform, but I haven't built one yet.

Spoiler alert: Docking ports. All of them.

[randomness5555]

Can you actually fly it and do the mission required?

Fraid not, at least without mechjeb-but this is meant to be stock-so that's defeating the point. I can do gravity turns and go as far as minmus-but I can't do docking manually. If you want to try be my guest.

[Pecan]

Well, here's my entry-the Orbital Station Tug 1A (catchy name right ;D )...

The stock space station core only has standard docking ports - and yours only has large. How would it perform the mission requirements?

[Whirligig Girl]

Fraid not, at least without mechjeb-but this is meant to be stock-so that's defeating the point. I can do gravity turns and go as far as minmus-but I can't do docking manually. If you want to try be my guest.

I'm afraid then you are disqualified.

[Pecan]

Are you after a launch vehicle as well GregroxMun or just the space-based tug?

[gchristopher]

I ended up doing a LOT of RCS tug work for the Affordable Space Program challenge. (Especially stock.) Here are my observations. I'd really like to see what people think makes one good, more than just seeing craft designs.

Things I Learned from Building a Rhombicubeoctohedral Space Station:

General:

• Use Docking Port Alignment Indicator. It's wonderful.
  
• Skinny RCS Tugs are better at fitting into tight or oddly shaped spaces.
  
• The claw is far stronger than docking ports and the sanest choice for moving potentially high-mass parts
  
• Consider making the orbital maneuver tug and your RCS tug as two separate craft.
  
• You need a mod like RCS Build Aid to have any real way of knowing if your RCS is balanced.
  Lighting:
  
• Lights facing away from the tug to illuminate a target are MUCH LESS USEFUL than lights mounted on the target to illuminate itself.
  
  • A light facing away from you has to be correctly aimed to usefully see what you're aiming at (like setting a docking port at a target.)
    
  • In the dark this is really hard to do, because everything is dark until you are aimed exactly right.
    
  • So instead, put lights on each craft aimed at illuminating itself! Then every light is always aimed, and everything is always lit.
    

  Effective Translation:

  [*]Translation with a big heavy weight on the end of your tug is challenging. Things that help are:

  • Use MechJeb RCS Balancer. Stock capabilities are seriously deficient if you naively use a tug to align a large module.
    
  • Make the tug long so the RCS thrusters can be spaced farther apart. The longer lever allows for more torque from RCS.
    
  • Put most of the tug mass on the end farther away from the target. This helps keep the center of mass inside the bounds of the RCS ports.
    
  • Put RCS thrusters on the actual station module! (Reasonable translation with stock RCS is basically impossible without this.)
    

[Whirligig Girl]

Are you after a launch vehicle as well GregroxMun or just the space-based tug?

The launch vehicle does not have to be included, but as the mission must be done, an LV will be needed. A Launch Vehicle will probably make more people vote for you, however.

[randomness5555]

I'm afraid then you are disqualified.

Heh heh. While yes, it doesn't fit the rules so well, it's kinda funny that you just disqualified the only person who's actually entered.

[Stealth_Eagle]

Right now working on a basic mothership concept. Goal is to have the landers rated for Duna and some of Jool's moons.

[TJPrime]

Funny how I'm already working on a pack for this sort of thing...

[Stealth_Eagle]

Mothership complete, just need to record video and add instructions that go along with it. Mothership can escape Kerbol and then return to Kerbol orbit as well as carry four landers.

[Pecan]

What are we building this week?

Make a craft that demonstrates a space-tug that can dock either two stock Space Station Cores together, or dock a stock Space Station Core to a pre-existing space station, then either de-orbit or dock to another node on the station. You must ACTUALLY fly this mission.

Which part of this do the landers help with?

[Whirligig Girl]

I never said anything about landers.

[Pecan]

Stealth_Eagle did ^^.

Just uploading my .craft and images to dropbox, btw. It's after midnight though so I may post it all here tomorrow.

[Stealth_Eagle]

Oh wait, I failed at the intended plan of this challenge. Going to have to restart now...

[Pecan]

It's simple, but it does the job with fuel to spare. In the example run cores were first placed into 200km and 75km orbits, so the launch-vehicle/tug had to rendezvous out at 200km then push the first core to 75km to rendezvous and dock with the other.

VAB description text:

This is a simple space tug designed to dock two stock space station cores or other vehicles. It has a small fuel tank and engine for rendezvous and moving vehicles over larger distances and monopropellant and RCS thrusters for the fine control of docking them. The probe core is required for it to operate without crew, and the docking port allows it to do its job. Two solar panels provide electricity; these are simple fixed panels to minimise the chance of damaging them during docking manouevres.

Composite picture:

Full pictures, .craft file and VAB description text on dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sb66tnectdja7xu/Core%20Tug.zip

[Stealth_Eagle]

Question, so we are suppose to make a tug of some sorts?

[Pecan]

Question, so we are suppose to make a tug of some sorts?

(May be answering out of turn ^^) The original "Better Stock Craft" challenge was about making better versions of the vehicles supplied with KSP - the ones that are labelled 'Stock' when you click Load in the VAB or SPH. What GregroxMun is saying here is "There should also be these vehicles with stock KSP". In this first week what he's asking for is an example of a space-tug, yes. As you can see from my previous post, I've submitted a minimalist, unmanned, design. You and - if we get enough entries (!) - the voters might prefer a more complex but capable craft. It's a question of what we all think *should* be available to all newbies - which is one reason for including the .craft file as well.

Don't throw away what you've done :-) Next week that could be exactly what he's asking for.

[FishInferno]

Deleted post. I get it now:P

Edited July 7, 2014 by FishInferno