Contract Combos

[Xacktar]

Yesterday I managed to complete quite a few odd contracts with a single flight.

I tested a Booster landed on Kerbin

I rescued a kerbal from orbit.

I transmitted science from over the Mun

I tested the small gear bay on exit trajectory from the mun.

I thought it was a pretty odd combo of things to do... but a lot of fun! What odd contract combos have you guys completed in a single launch?

[ZodiaK]

one time I had 2 contracts, one was to test a radial decoupler, and the other was to test an engine, both while landed at kerbin. I attached one to the other and set it up to go off on the first stageing event on one of my orbital test vehicles. it worked. suckers.

[Tw1]

They are a little weird... But then again, the kerbal is not the most logical of beings. I had to test radial decouplers and separatrons. So logically, it was time for Danny style weapons. I was part way through the flight, when I realised that my plane had no landing gear...

Edited July 18, 2014 by Tw1

[Asmayus]

I'm currently struggling to activate a small SRB between 9000 and 13300m, while going at least 330m/s. Then, I want to make orbit, do science for another contract, activate a large SRB, and then fire up an lv909.

I'm low in the tech tree and I need to go fast and carry a big payload. It's certainly a challenge.

[magnemoe]

They are a little weird... But then again, the kerbal is not the most logical of beings. I had to test radial decouplers and separatrons. So logically, it was time for Danny style weapons. I was part way through the flight, when I realised that my plane had no landing gear...

Did you decouple the landing gear?

I'm currently asked to test a mainsail in Minmus orbit, plans to keep the core with the mailsail as transfer stage, has the bonus that I has not been on Minmus yet and is planning an mission.

I'm currently struggling to activate a small SRB between 9000 and 13300m, while going at least 330m/s. Then, I want to make orbit, do science for another contract, activate a large SRB, and then fire up an lv909.

I'm low in the tech tree and I need to go fast and carry a big payload. It's certainly a challenge.

My way to do them is to use an empty or almost empty SRB, the trashcan you can put upside down on a rocket with a probe. If you go to slow or fast, kill trust and do it going down either braking or burning downward.

[Godot]

Test the hdyraulic manifold between 13 and 16 km at a certain speed

Test the normal radial decoupler between 14.6 and 16.6 km at a crtain speed

Test the Mk-16 parachute between 13 and 20km at a certain speed

Test the Skipper engine splashed down

I solved it by having the skipper engine in the main body and 2 pairs of engine nacelles surrounding it, one pair attached via normal radial decouplers, the other pair via hydraulic manifolds ...

all of them with enough radial parachutes to guide them safely home and a single Mk 16 parachute on top (for the test)

I released them all at 15 km, when I had between 500 and 600 m/s, which was the common denominator for the decoupler tests and the chute test and activated the skipper when I splashed down

Edited July 18, 2014 by Godot
Speed is measued in m/s, not in km

[Kerbart]

"Landed at" should be rephrased in the game, because you can basically test those components on the launch pad. Unless that's a bug (I would think you'd like to test those items after a landing to see if they're still working?)

[Tw1]

Did you decouple the landing gear?

.

There was no landing gear, it had not been unlocked. I launched that plane like this:

[Epthelyn]

"Landed at" should be rephrased in the game, because you can basically test those components on the launch pad. Unless that's a bug (I would think you'd like to test those items after a landing to see if they're still working?)

Maybe, but the way I see it those types of contracts are just saying "Does this work at all?", especially considering the pay you get wouldn't cover any fuel costs.

Anyway, my best combo so far:

1) Test seperatron landed at Kerbin (I put a couple on my first stage, because why not)

2) Rescue a Kerbal from Orbit (provided and extra pod, parachute and engine to detach from the main craft, so sent him back to Kerbin)

3) Science near the Mun (rather annoyingly that contract showed up just after I got back from my first trip to the Mun, in which the mission was "explore". Flyby gravity assist straight into a 20km Minmus encounter was a nice surprise).

4) Explore Minmus (Orbit, science, land, science)

5) Test LV-1 Liquid Engine on Kerbin escape trajectory (easy from Minmus, very light engine)

I could've probably got a few contracts at Kerbin (i.e. test X at Y altitude at Z speed) done as well, but I reused my Mun rocket for the Minmus mission and couldn't be bothered to redesign it to include, for example, a decoupler at a point where it wasn't going to be necessary. As it is I've yet to do any of those kind of contracts but have far more money that I can use up.

[Xacktar]

Wow, sounds like a fun trip there, Epthelyn!

And Tw1.... I laughed. I can almost see that look of realization when it dawns on you: No landing gear. XD

Some great stuff so far.

[tjsnh]

I used a trick (a cheat? bug? feature?) where I kept rejecting contracts until I had 5 or 6 "test so and so part landed at Kerbin" then just attached them all to a probe core with no fuel or anything and staged them off. 5 contracts without ever leaving the ground, was a good way to get a small-but-quick fund/science boost low in the tech tree.

[firestorm126]

Hydraulic detachment module, whilst landed at kerbin

Rockomax Decoupler whilst in flight over kerbin at 2300m(minimum) and 140m/s

Rockomax bacc SRB whilst on a sub orbital trajectory over kerbin at 77300m

Rockomax poodle whilst in orbit around kerbin at 87500m

transmitted science from orbit around kerbin...

That was a good flight for money, although using SRB's whilst getting into orbit was a bit odd

My worst mission so far however was a rescue mission, So provided a pod, made it empty before launch (was using Sputnix for the launch phase).

Since i had already got rid of the kerbal from inside it i didn't bother checking that whilst rendezvousing with the orbiting kerbal

Get the kerbal to the pod, try to enter... pod is already full, Really confused at this point so switch back to the ship

Jeb is chilling in the pod all smiley. So i decided since he wanted to go to space so much he could leave the pod and let the other guy in, So i now have jeb orbiting kerbin because he hitched a ride on a rescue mission.

My plan now is to rendesvous with him (it's about a 100km pretty much circular orbit) and then send him to land on the mun, having problems with my ship's COM beign too low though

Edit: Neatened up

Edited July 18, 2014 by firestorm126

[Temeter]

Oh yeah, i did a lot of these combo's.

Test a decoupler during flight on kerbin.

Test a decoupler in orbit around kerbin.

Test a decoupler in high orbit around mun.

Test a decoupler in low orbit around mun.

Test the lv1-something engine in a escape trajectory from mun.

If it didn't became apparent: My client's aren't very imaginative and have a rather strange bias towards decouplers...

[Aragosnat]

Oh yeah, i did a lot of these combo's.

Test a decoupler during flight on kerbin.

Test a decoupler in orbit around kerbin.

Test a decoupler in high orbit around mun.

Test a decoupler in low orbit around mun.

Test the lv1-something engine in a escape trajectory from mun.

If it didn't became apparent: My client's aren't very imaginative and have a rather strange bias towards decouplers...

Yeah. Mine are like that too. Have 2 types of decouplers leaving Kerbin's SOI too. Which gave me Duna and Ike contracts.

Test decoupler landed, lauch assist part landed, test x chute at y speed and z altitude, collect Kerbal from orbit, recover data from orbit as well as test small gears in orbit. A lot of strange combos one can try at once even.

[BagelRabbit]

I've been falling too fast to test the parachutes on the way down from orbit, so I've been testing them on the way up, instead. The biggest combo I've ever gotten in a flight involved testing out four items (two engines and two parachutes), getting science from orbit, orbiting the Moon and getting science there, and a safe return. (Seven contracts. Six-and-a-half, if you count the Moon Orbit one being only part of a larger contract.) I would have gotten two more contracts if I would have activated some decouplers and Separatrons only a fraction of a second earlier.

Video (with the flight starting about a third of the way through):

I would say that this flight was pretty impressive, because of its Moon orbit and its 100% reusability. I do have low standards for being impressed when it comes to rockets though.

Edited July 21, 2014 by UpsilonAerospace

[Franklin]

I began to hate all the narrow band altitude/speed requirements because they made it awkward in comboing contracts, but then i realized you could set engine/booster throttles to 0 and it still qualifies as a test. i've managed to clear contracts never leaving the launch pad. that's when i realized those altitude/speed requirements are there for a reason.

[Tortoise]

That's nice to hear

[Franklin]

essentially the rule of thumb is, if you've got all green checks, space-baring a stage that activates the test part completes the project for you, whether or not that part actually does anything when activated.

[K77LostNSpace]

I have found myself building missions with the contract's list. Picking similar or like contracts that fall in line to completing one overarching goal.

My method has been as follows.

1: Select a primary contract (large goal, rescue or land on another body)

2: Pick up all test that can be preformed at the launch pad without lift

3. collect contracts for part testing in orbit.

4. on a notepad a begin to layout the mission plan. from take off to orbit and the final mission.

This helps break down part testing at different alt into groups. Sometimes i can get two or more parts tested at an alt that meets all the requirements.

This method has turned out well for me, a more constructive play style. A great challenged to satisfy as many contracts in one flight as possible.

[KSK]

I'm currently struggling to activate a small SRB between 9000 and 13300m, while going at least 330m/s. Then, I want to make orbit, do science for another contract, activate a large SRB, and then fire up an lv909.

I'm low in the tech tree and I need to go fast and carry a big payload. It's certainly a challenge.

I did something similar last night. Test the LV-T45 on the ground (not hard) and then a very similar SRB test. Figured I may as well go for the 33,000m altitude test too. So I built a rocket with an LV-T45 powered lower stage, two strap on RT-10s (to get up to speed for the SRB test) and an RT-10 upper stage.

Turns out I should have picked up the 'escape from the atmosphere' contract too... Bob ended up doing an 800km+ suborbital hop and probably had enough delta-V to get to orbit (but no way of getting back down). Poor guy pegged the g-meter on the way back down but was still smiling when he climbed out of his capsule. Took the time to collect a bag of sand for science too - Bob's dedicated like that.

[Ruthgar]

I have found jets to be the best for testing at altitudes between 1 and 40 km as you have better control of your speed and altitude.