Rescue Kerbal Contract - comes too early in the game now

[thyriel]

The rescue kerbal contract is coming too early in the game. There's at least the building upgrade needed to be able to select him as target (i guess space center upgrade) and probably too astronauts complex upgrade to enable EVA. Makes no sense getting that contracts without the building upgrades needed to do them.

[MKI]

I personally have not gone after this contract in my new career (I wait till i have SSTO tech to do this VERY efficiently)

But I do know its totally possible to do it "blind" if you have enough guts/skill. So having the contract at this stage is questionable for all but the most skilled players, but totally possible. (or someone using mechjeb )

Also what does upgrading the EVA do for the contract? Does he spawn in a capsule or something? As I said before I haven't taken this contract in a long time. So things may have changed due to the fact you can't EVA now. But if he still spawns just in a suit, can't you use his EVA pack to get closer to the pickup ship?

[CaptainKipard]

If we had a two seater cockpit to start with it wouldn't be so bad, but you have to get creative with the mercury cockpit.

[thyriel]

@MKI: Despite bypassing the missing target mechanic with a mod (mechjeb), how could rendezvous without being able to see where your target's pro and retrograde is be done ?

For the building upgrades as i meanwhile upgraded them: Astronaut complex upgrade isn't necessary. I only thought it might be necessary so the stranded kerbal has a jetpack, but it worked without that too. Still makes not much sense getting these contracts without being able to target him.

If we had a two seater cockpit to start with it wouldn't be so bad, but you have to get creative with the mercury cockpit.

That's not a problem, use the Stayputnik to get an empty pod up there.

[sal_vager]

Or just use two pods?

[thyriel]

Or just use two pods?

that looks so ugly with MK1 ^^

[Starwhip]

Or just use two pods?

Yep. There's your solution.

[CaptainKipard]

Yeah. Well there are multiple stock solutions here for sure, but two pods breaks immersion a bit because there's no geometric continuity without adapters.

And stayputnik has no SAS. I launched a stayputnik ship exactly once in 0.90. Never again. That part is almost useless now.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[thyriel]

And stayputnik has no SAS. I launched a stayputnik ship exactly once in 0.90. Never again. That part is almost useless now.

It's not so hard flying without SAS as long as the rocket's mass is balanced. But the thread was more about the nonsense of getting an undoable mission, and not a design brainstorming for them

[Slam_Jones]

Yeah, I tried to fly out and pick up a Kerbal before I unlocked targetting and stuff. I could get close, sure (about 8km) but beyond that it's nigh impossible to accurately rendezvous with him :\

[Unfawkable]

I have no problem with it coming too early, the problem is the rewards for it are nothing special. Often the craft I use for the rescue becomes almost as expensive as the reward itself.

[thyriel]

I have no problem with it coming too early, the problem is the rewards for it are nothing special. Often the craft I use for the rescue becomes almost as expensive as the reward itself.

That sounds strange to me. They pay for 30-40k or so, and an orbitable ship costs 12-14k at max.

[Bill Phil]

More like 20k, or 25k. 15k is for simpler ships.

[thyriel]

More like 20k, or 25k. 15k is for simpler ships.

then use a simpler ship lol -.- cost efficient building is the keyword for a successfull space program

[Bill Phil]

then use a simpler ship lol -.- cost efficient building is the keyword for a successfull space program

I mean for a rescue ship... You need a bigger payload and thus a bigger rocket, and so on and so on.

[thyriel]

I mean for a rescue ship... You need a bigger payload and thus a bigger rocket, and so on and so on.

That Stayputnik to get the capsule up has nearly no weight -.-

[Robotengineer]

I did the rescue mission with tier 1 tracking center. It was quite fun. You only have to get with in ≈2km to switch to the rescued Kerbal.

[hcalves]

I didn't found it hard to complete without the VAB or tracking station upgrades, the biggest problem was not having a two-seater in the start. It's doable after you unlock Stayputnik and batteries but that means you're already far in the tech tree.

[WanderingKid]

Once you've got OKTO/Stayputnik and Solar it's fine. Until then it's a mess, the dV to put up a dual capsule and rondevous is tight. So either you go up the tree or you're not getting him down. It's easier to put a satellite (.5 tons, usually) into Munar Orbit than it is to get two Mk1's (1.72 tons + parachutes (2 radial 0.3t) + decoupler) to that height and rondevous.

It is, in theory, 'on the way' towards Mun landing, so it's situated correctly in the ordering. I think it's a matter of once Mun comes up, so does it.