ISV Pegasus Challenge - Recreate Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets

[Nicholander]

The ISV Pegasus Challenge - Recreate Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets

Q: What in the world is "Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets"?

A: It was a "Mockumentary" of the fictional interplanetary voyage of the International Space Vehicle (ISV) Pegasus.

Q: Okay, so what do I do exactly?

A: Try to recreate the voyage of the ISV Pegasus as accurately as you like, though there is some balance between actual feasibility and difficulty in this. (For example, you can choose to only have one refueling tank instead of two.

Q: So what are the rules?

A: Right below, but one more question first.

Q: *Insert thing from Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets here* is impossible or extremely difficult to do in KSP!

A: Don't worry, I've either left those out or are just there for people who are obsessed with getting all the points.

RULES:

Absolute Minimum: The absolute minimum you can do to be in the leader boards of this is to have a spacecraft like the ISV Pegasus which sends a lander down to these 4 planets or moons in KSP: Duna, Vall, Laythe, and Eeloo. One spacecraft has to bring these landers to the planets, and can not return to Kerbin until they have sent landers to those 4 planets or moons mentioned.

Mods: All mods are allowed, except cheat mods, like HyperEdit. (Except for the few examples below) You will get points for doing it with certain difficulty enhancing mods, mentioned in the scoring/point system below.

How to submit your entry: You must put an Imgur Album or a video in your submission, and if your doing images, these are what you must put: Your spacecraft in Kerbin orbit. Your spacecraft during or after your trans injection to your next planetary target. Any of the tasks in the scoring/point system that are optional must have pictures them being performed, like the solar panel removal after in the "Kasteroid belt". Post landing, de-orbit, landing, and landed images of any of the lander landings. And if there is, EVAs, take off, orbit insertion, rendezvous with the spacecraft, and docking. Docking and refueling with fuel tanks, if there are any. And finally, back in Kerbin orbit, you don't have to do images of them actually going back to the surface of Kerbin.

SCORING/POINT SYSTEM:

Absolute Minimum entries will get 0 points.

• 10 points per crew member you take with you to the planets, capping at 6 crew member at 60 points (+10 per crew member, cap 6 crew at 60 points)
  
• Have at least 1 lander be manned and return to the spacecraft (+20 points)
  
• Have the Duna and Laythe landings be manned and return to the spacecraft. (+50 points)
  
• Have all landings be manned and return to the spacecraft (+100 points)
  
• Remove the solar panels (If your spacecraft has them) when you pass the orbit of Dres while going to Jool (Or Eeloo) (+5 points)
  
• Have there be 3 or higher refueling tanks instead of 2 or fewer (-40 points) (You haft to put those there yourself, or you can HyperEdit them there for a 20 point penalty)
  
• Have there be 2 refueling tanks (+5 points)
  
• Have there be only 1 refueling tanks (+30 points)
  
• Have there be no refueling tanks (+70 points)
  
• Bring a 1-way unmanned Eve lander (+15 points)
  
• Bring a manned Eve lander that can return to the spacecraft from the surface of Eve (+175 points)
  
• Only aerocapture at Jool (+20 points)
  
• Don't aerocapture or aerobrake at any of the planets/moons (+35 points)
  
• HyperEdit a E class asteroid to have a apoapsis higher than Eeloo's orbit and a periapsis lower than Moho's orbit, and then land on it manned and return to Pegasus, to simulate the YanoMoore landing (+60 points)
  
• And instead of HyperEditing that asteroid/comet, put it there manually (+200 points)
  
• If there are any refueling tanks, have them either be in orbit around Duna or Laythe, or both if you have 2 (+5 points)
  
• Try to do the solar flyby by burning for a Kerbolar periapsis that counts as "Low Kerbol/Sun Orbit", and then burn for orbit that will somehow intercept Jool or Eeloo. Only for people will do anything to get the max points possible (+400 points)
  

LEADERBOARD:

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Feel free to give me ideas to add to the point system, and any adjustments I could make to it. Now, go on a voyage to the planets!

[Oafman]

This show lends itself well to KSP imitation, because their mission is quite kerbal, being a grand tour with plenty of reckless risk taking along the way.

For anyone who has not seen this, both 1 hour episodes are on youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rQIKhWlGH8

It's a bit over-dramatic at times, and sometimes feels a little out of date, although it is only 10 years old. But, it's good fun, and in terms of scientific accuracy, way better than most dramas or movies.

So I think this is an excellent idea for an architecture challenge. The scoring looks good, my only very slight concern is that the scoring incentivises doing things differently from the show, losing points for refueling tankers in orbits around destination planets, and also for the Jool Aerobrake (quite a significant moment during their tour). But I get that these things make the mission easier, so should reflect negatively on the points total.

One idea for an addition; perhaps extra points for life support mods? This being such a long mission, life support adds plenty of difficulty.

So, after a fun few fours in the VAB, the ISV Pegasus is in LKO, awaiting crew for its epic voyage. The plan is to go for max points, though I may have to aerobrake at Jool if my low solar gravity assist causes me to hit the Joolian system at stupid speeds. We'll see. And I might end up having to send a fuel tanker or two out. Regardless, this is likely to take me ages, so don't expect an imminent report....

Edited October 20, 2014 by Oafman

[Oafman]

Also, for those who want to copy the show's architecture closely, I found this page which has images and descriptions of Pegasus and the various landers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/spaceodyssey/pegasus.shtml

You don't get to see them as clearly as you might want in the show, so these images and descriptions give a much better idea of what you need to copy than you get simply from watching it.

[Kosmonaut]

Working on it... It's my first KSP challenge for one of the best things I have ever seen. It's hard... Seeing as I'm stuck in 0.25.

[Spartwo]

Gran tour ready (excluding Eve) but it never left orbit because of the part count, although each of the landers were tested and returned.

[Jonboy]

Very nice. I want to do this, but I'm a bit tied up with other projects. Plus I feel this will take a ton of time. But it has piqued my interest

[Oafman]

http://www./convkey/e9c8/62qokopvtix48j6fg.jpg?size_id=7

Gran tour ready (excluding Eve) but it never left orbit because of the part count, although each of the landers were tested and returned.

Yeah mine didn't get much further. I do mean to do this but always seem to have something else on the go. Maybe the length of the mission is a little daunting.

[Buzz light fear]

I could try it may have a few issues but I could be possible if I use liquid fuel and oxidizer based engines and inflatable heat shields I could make on that doesn't use refueling possibly 

[Buzz light fear]

Would it be acceptable to use launchers that are already on the surface of the planet for instance eve would need its own interplanetary capable launch vehicle just to escape the atmosphere.

[Ourworldalpha1]

I will attempt this challenge 

[Ourworldalpha1]

ISV Kegasus is being constructed by NOVA Rockets in MKO

It is modded like HELL but no Cheat mods are used

Largest piece was 700 Tons

TAC is also used and Real Atmospheres,KW,Tweakscale,Ect

will do Full Duna Mission Test once landers are constructed