Maximum Sunshine Challenge.

[kola2DONO]

Jeb is frustrated on how days last so short on Kerbin and wants more sunshine.

However due to the recent *cough* complicated mission to eve *cough* which did totally not bring him a couple million meters above the sun,

Jeb is sure he wants to stay on the planet.

After confronting the Mission Control, Jeb got to learn that slowing down Kerbin is pretty impossible.

So Jeb got his own idea ;

To construct a plane and fly it against the rotation of the planet so he could take off from the

Space Centre and fly in the sunshine all the way back to the Space Centre again.

Summary :

Build a plane

Take off

Fly against the rotation of the planet.

Be in the sunshine all the time!

Land back at KSC after you've completed a full orbit around kerbin in atmosphere and in sunshine!

Difficulties :

- Most Easy : Make a plane all engines allowed with infinite fuel and do the challenge.

- Easy : Make a plane with jet engines and infinite fuel and do the challenge

- Normal : Make a plane with any kind of engines and do the challenge without infinite fuel.

- Hard-ish : Make a plane with only non-jet/ion engines and do the challenge without infinite fuel.

- Hard : Make a plane with only ION engines and do the challenge without infinite fuel. 2 nuclear reactors allowed. Dropping stuff allowed.

- Even Harder : Make a plane with only ION engines and do the challenge without infinite fuel. 2 nuclear reactors allowed. Dropping stuff not allowed.

- Infiniglide : Make an infiniglider with no engines and do the challenge.

- Manned Infiniglide : Make an infiniglider with no engines and do the challenge. Must be manned.

- Kraken drive - Make a kraken drive powered plane and do the challenge.

Please note that infigliding is only allowed in the infiniglide difficulty.

Good luck pilots

Edited November 1, 2014 by kola2DONO

[BrainiacBlue]

Please put up your own attempt so we know that Hard mode is possible

[Vaporo]

Please put up your own attempt so we know that Hard mode is possible

It is most certainly possible. Ion gliders are able to get to orbit, and I think I saw someone do something like hard mode for a different challenge.

[Laie]

It is most certainly possible. Ion gliders are able to get to orbit,

Only if they drop tanks and engines (really, you need to shed like 80% of your plane on the way); or if they have infinigliding support. It doesn't take much of the latter. Having the usual amount of control surfaces and flying quite normally, the free thrust from infinigliding will still make all the difference.

"Hard mode" in this challenge should forbid both staging and infinigliding.

[kola2DONO]

Only if they drop tanks and engines (really, you need to shed like 80% of your plane on the way); or if they have infinigliding support. It doesn't take much of the latter. Having the usual amount of control surfaces and flying quite normally, the free thrust from infinigliding will still make all the difference.

"Hard mode" in this challenge should forbid both staging and infinigliding.

Updating thread, thanks for your feedback

[Vaporo]

"Hard mode" in this challenge should forbid both staging and infinigliding.

Wouldn't it make more sense to have a universal "no infiniglider/kraken drive" rule, have hard mode as it is now, then have an ultra-hard mode where staging if forbidden?

[kola2DONO]

Wouldn't it make more sense to have a universal "no infiniglider/kraken drive" rule, have hard mode as it is now, then have an ultra-hard mode where staging if forbidden?

Updated the difficulties.

[Laie]

You may want to have a look at this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/85728-Ion-glider-collier-trophy

Just to be sure: infinigliding happens whenever a control surface has an angle of attack -- in other words, if your vessel has control surfaces, there will be some additional thrust from infinigliding. Usually this doesn't matter much, but in the case of Ion Gliders, even a single small control surface will have a noticable impact. If you're sure about "no infinigliding" you should forbid any and all control surfaces on ion vessels.

If you infiniglide on purpose, you can easily lift a kerbal in a seat or even a pod. Probably much more, AFAIK that's only a matter of part count. "Must be manned" is not a meaningful subcategory for infinigliders. And by the way, what's this talk about Jeb wanting a day without sunset and then allowing unmanned vessels?

I'm pretty sure that this is impossible to do with unstaged ion power. I'm test-flying a manned/staged ion vessel as I write this, though.

[GoSlash27]

Please put up your own attempt so we know that Hard mode is possible

Oh, it's possible. I did it a few months back with an unsuccessful ssto.

Clarifying:

I did a suborbital circumnavigation with an "even harder mode" glider without running out of daylight. "Hard mode" is actually fairly easy; I put one of those in orbit with enough DV to land on Eve.

Best,

-Slashy

Edited November 1, 2014 by GoSlash27