The KSP 0.90 Beta Seven Day New Career Challange.

[SRV Ron]

This challenge is being created for those new to KSP 0.90 and the rest of us just finding out what works and what doesn't. For the Noob's I will include hints and some tutorials.

The basic challenge. A Seven day mission starting a new Career game in the default normal setting.

The Basic Rules.

No cheats such as alt F-11 or gaming the system by tweaking funds, Science Points, etc.... No mods with the exceptions listed below.

The three categories and their rules;

1. All Stock. No Mods including flight aids. This is to make it fair to those that got KSP as a Christmas present. Revert Flights and Quick Save OK.

2. Visual Aids mode. Kerbal Engineering and Mech Jeb allowed. You can use their readouts to assist in giving data on building your rockets and how your mission is progressing. However, you are not allowed to use Mech Jeb to fly the missions. Revert Flights and Quick Save OK.

3. Hard Mode. No Flight Aids, quick Save or Revert Flight. (On my honor.)

Scoring;

Ranking will be tallied on January 3rd. based upon completed missions, funds left, and Science accumulated.

Objectives for December 26

In this first day of your space program, you will be building and flying manned suborbital rockets. While flying those missions, you should obtain Crew Reports from inside the Command Pod. Do this from different altitudes or when you have landed. When you land, you can EVA and get a EVA report for additional science.

Your first suborbital rockets are limited to the following parts;

1. MK-1 Command Pod

2. MK-16 Parachute

3. RT-10 SRB rocket engine

4. TR-18A Stack Decoupler.

Your mission goals will be to obtain all six altitude record contracts of 5,000, 11,000, 22,000, 33,000, 56,000 and escape the atmosphere. This will require learning how to tweak the thrust and fuel load of the RT-10 SRB rocket engine to reach those altitudes one flight at a time. Should your flight go higher then planned and hit the next altitude record on the list, that contract will not appear. Better to miss the contract by coming up short and do it again with more fuel rather then going too high and losing the next one. Since you are only allowed to take on two contracts max, grab only those that you will be able to complete right away.

For those new to KSP. Watch the staging column to make sure that the parachute is by itself and on the top. You will have to move the SRB icon down below by creating a place for it, click on the +, and move it there. Fail to do so and the parachute will deploy on launch thus causing a flight failure and possibly killing Jeb.

The first four contracts can be completed using a rocket of just the first three parts. Aim for a water landing and you can recover the SRB. That combo can hit 42,000 meters under ideal conditions. With the TR-18A and a second RT-10, you can reach over 240,000 meters. To keep the RT-10 from blowing up upon landing, turn the rocket slightly to the East to aim for the water. Once you obtain the TR-18A, you can place one under the pod and go for landing on the land.

Take on additional contracts for parts testing if you can do so in the limits of today's design. Test any parts landed at Kerban contracts that show up for additional funds and Science.

Proof and scoring for December 26, A screen shot of contracts completed will provide proof that all missions were completed as well as show funds available, additional contracts completed, reputation, and Science Points available.

I will add a day ahead each additional parts to this seven day challenge. (They are already typed up with the first four already flight tested at the time of this posting.)

Objectives for December 27

Today will involve the use of scientific instruments to gather additional Science from sub orbital flights.

Add two Goo capsules to the side of the MK-1 pod. Use the 2x symmetry for placement. Be careful you don't block the hatch or Jeb will be unable to do an EVA. Do several different suborbital flights with the SRB design of yesterday to collect additional Science with the Goo capsules. Note how the extra weight affects the performance. Observe the Goo canisters during flight and when landed. While you will gain Science Points on such missions, you won't earn any funds, so, plan accordingly taking any testing contracts along. Don't lose the pods upon landing or you will lose the Science in them as well as fail to recover any of their cost.

Spend some Science Points and unlock the Material Bay, Radical Decouplers, bigger SRB, and Radical Parachutes. Test the Material Bay in flight. You may need a pair of Radical Parachutes to cushion landing with this delicate part. A hint, you can run observations on the Goo Canister, Material Bay, and do an EVA while just sitting on the pad and recover 100% the cost of that mission.

Do some more testing contracts to earn more funds. Stick with in flight, sub orbitals, or landed contracts.

Proof and scoring for December 27, a screen shot of contracts completed will be sufficient.

Objectives for December 28.

From here on in the challenge, the parts restrictions are now lifted.*

Go for orbit and safe return of Jeb and his science experiments. As Maneuver Mode tool is unavailable at this time, you will have to eyeball going into orbit from Map Mode or use the stats from Kerbal Engineering or Mech Jeb to monitor your flight if flying Category 2 challenge.

*You are free to use all parts unlocked but be mindful of the cost of your rocket as you will need to upgrade the Astronaut Complex so Jeb can do an EVA while in orbit. You may also need to upgrade the launch pad if you are having difficulties building an orbital capable spacecraft. The Maneuver Mode tool will be unavailable until you have upgraded tracking as well.

Get the contract for getting into orbit and design your low cost multi stage rocket for that mission. Plan on taking the Goo capsules with you. Your goal, get into low orbit, run the science experiments, do an EVA with Jeb while in orbit, and return everything back to a splashdown landing in sight of the KSP Space Center.

Proof and scoring for December 28, a screen shot showing the completed contract and splashdown with KSP nearby.

Objectives for December 29.

By now, there should be a contract available for exploring the Mun. Upgrade Mission Control and start earning funds from the now available additional contracts so you can make the much more expensive upgrade to the Tracking Station. Once you have earned enough funds to upgrade the Tracking Station with an additional cushion to build a couple of Mun capable rockets, upgrade the Tracking Station. The Maneuver Mode planning tool will now be available making things so much easier for a Mun mission

Get the Mun Contract. Modify your orbital ship so that it has sufficiency fuel for a free return loop to Mun. Do a Mun flyby to gather Science needed to unlock some Tier 3 parts, preferentially the Stayputnik, SAS, and Batteries. The overall goal is to obtain OxStat solar panels, the Too Hot Thermometer, and the Probododyne OKTO so you can launch probe controlled missions. Testing found out that the Stayputnik has no ability to stabilize a rocket. It is going to be next to impossible for even the seasoned KSP users, used to using this early available pod in older versions, to fly any mission at all with it.

When you feel comfortable doing a flyby, go ahead and achieve orbit around Mun to earn additional Science Points needed to unlock the three critical parts for future missions. Do EVAs over the various biomes to earn up to 100 points of science, the current limit for a mission. To complete the first half of that contract, you will need to safely return Jeb back to Kerban.

Proof and scoring for December 29 will be a screen shot of Jeb on EVA while flying close by Mun with resources being displayed.

Objectives for December 30 When you have been able to unlock the parts needed, build a probe ship to land on Mun. Do your best to land without crashing it on Mun. Continue earning funds with contracts. Combine several to cut down on cost of the test rocket. Use SRBs as much as possible. You may have to upgrade the VAB if you are running into a 30 part limit.

While you can land Jeb on the Mun and return him safely, he will be unable to collect soil samples there until a lot of additional expensive upgrades to KSP have been made.

Proof and scoring for December 30, a screen shot showing the completed contract.

Objectives for December 31. When you get the contract, Send Jeb on a free return mission to Minmus. Proof of success will be Jeb on EVA while close to Minmus. Build a probe ship and land it on Minmus to fulfill that contract.

Proof and scoring for December 31, a screen shot showing the completed contract and one of Jeb on EVA around Minmus.

Hint, the ship used for your Mun contract is fully capable of doing the Minmus one. As Minmus is not on the same orbital plane as Mun, try for an intercept where it's plane crosses that of Mun. Use a mid course correction to get the plane of your orbit as close to that of Minmus's equator.

When done, start modifying your probe ship for an interplanetary mission.

Last Day, the New Year, Objectives for January 1st. With contracts for the exploration of Duna and Eve, send probes to both planets and land them there. Eve will be easy. Duna may require some thrust to slow down to a safe landing speed.

Proof is the results from the Tracking Station showing that the two landers are at their destinations. A second screen shot showing that those contracts are complete is also desirable.

Bonus consideration if you can do the mission without having to upgrade the VAB to get around the 30 parts limit on construction.

Edited December 31, 2014 by SRV Ron
Update challenge

[Kesa]

The first parachute is called mk16

Nice thread! I've started too many career to restart an other one, but your approach looks great! very instructive not only for new players. I'm feeling impatient you include Griders segments, as we can do so much things with them.

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

Agreed, nice challenge! But, "4. TR-18A Stack Decoupler" - this is not available at the very start of the tech tree, and would require people to do some science before doing this challenge - was that your intention?

[hoioh]

Quoting from the description: "The first four contracts can be completed using a rocket of just the first three parts."

You don't need to, you can dom your first mission(s) without it, get the tech for the decoupler and then progress.

[SRV Ron]

Agreed, nice challenge! But, "4. TR-18A Stack Decoupler" - this is not available at the very start of the tech tree, and would require people to do some science before doing this challenge - was that your intention?

That is correct. The first flights do not require it. Before you build a rocket to do the last two contracts, you will need to unlock tier one parts which contain the TR-18A. Easily done after your first flight.

Edited December 25, 2014 by SRV Ron

[SRV Ron]

The first parachute is called mk16

Nice thread! I've started too many career to restart an other one, but your approach looks great! very instructive not only for new players. I'm feeling impatient you include Griders segments, as we can do so much things with them.

Fixed that. Later in the challenge, I will lift the parts restriction.

[SRV Ron]

Further testing has required a change of objectives for using probes. The Stayputnik, a staple in early Career for KSP 0.25 is now worse then useless. While you can add an SAS to the probe, the Stayputnik cannot use it for stability control. In fact, it can't do anything other then allow you to fly a ship manually which becomes next to impossible for a beginner let alone a seasoned veteran. In the same tech tree tier, where the Ox Stat and Too Hot thermometer reside, is the Probododyne OKTO. It has the ability to use the SAS for stabilization. So at least 270 science points will be needed to unlock those three critical parts for probes. To add to the difficulty, the current tech level of KSP limits science points to a max of 100 per mission.

So, the question is why send a probe instead of Jeb? Since an expensive V400,000 upgrade is needed before Jeb can collect soil samples, sending a probe to fulfill contracts become more cost effective as well as safer. The probe doesn't have to be returned safely back to Kerbal.

[hoioh]

You need WAY more money than that to collect soil samples! To go on EVA outside of Kerbin landed you ened 400.000,- but in order to collect a soil sample anywhere you need to upgrade the science building to it's FINAL TIER costing 4mln or somesuch. I've got a running career that has just managed to pull that off. Upgrading biuldings has made KSP significantly harder, but the only thing I would to see reverted is the SAS option for the stayputnik because that part is now completely useless and basically means you need to put 2 cockpits on top of each other and attach chutes using struts in order to be able to train anyone other than jeb in the early game. The added difficulty actualy adds a nice challenge to KSP that wasn't there as much earlier.

Anyway, soil samples: 4mln Kerbuck$!

[SRV Ron]

You need WAY more money than that to collect soil samples! To go on EVA outside of Kerbin landed you need 400.000,- but in order to collect a soil sample anywhere you need to upgrade the science building to it's FINAL TIER costing 4mln or some such. I've got a running career that has just managed to pull that off. Upgrading buildings has made KSP significantly harder, but the only thing I would to see reverted is the SAS option for the stayputnik because that part is now completely useless and basically means you need to put 2 cockpits on top of each other and attach chutes using struts in order to be able to train anyone other than jeb in the early game. The added difficulty actually adds a nice challenge to KSP that wasn't there as much earlier.

Anyway, soil samples: 4mln Kerbuck$!

To EVA outside of Kerbal is actually a low cost upgrade of the Astronaut Complex. To be able to take a soil sample is the expensive one.

Results;

It will be far more cost effective to send probes to fulfill the Explore contracts which can be one way missions then to sent Jab and return him safely.

As far as using the Stayputnik; You can fly missions using it along with an SAS. It is just that you have to fly that mission at all times as the Stayputnik has zero ability to stabilize the ship you are flying. Think of flying radio controlled aircraft before the invention and use of computer stabilization for all of those quadracoptors now available to play with.

Edited December 26, 2014 by SRV Ron

[SRV Ron]

More flight testing and I have achieved my December 30th goals of unlocking Maneuver Mode and enough science through selective contracts to unlock the three critical parts for probes. Unlocking the Probododyne OKTO allowed me to complete contract testing without endangering Jeb.

Note, As it is another V510,000 to unlock the ability for collecting soil samples, as well as access to Tier 5 parts, Jeb is likely to remain on Kerbal for the rest of this tutorial challenge. The Probododyne OKTO, in combo with the small SAS, Ox Stat panels, batteries, and the Too Hot Thermometer, can now be used to fulfill exploration contracts in the remainder of this tutorial challenge. Testing the rest of the challenge to confirm that I have enough unlocked technology to complete all mission goals through January 1st.

While I have done those missions before under KSP 0.25, everything needs to be retested due to the changes made in KSP 0.90 Beta Career.

Edited December 27, 2014 by SRV Ron

[SRV Ron]

Just a bump while everyone is so busy. Daily updates are being added as I complete the challenge myself while looking for unforeseen difficulties.

[SRV Ron]

More testing. While I have accumulated the funds to upgrade the VAB, I have been able to design my lander at 29 parts. It is capable of reaching Duna or Eve. A parachute and three landing legs will keep it at 29 parts. While one can land with the LV-909 and no legs, I further upgraded the tree with contracts to get the little Rocomax and micro landing legs. This is what has enable me to keep the rocket size and parts count at 29.

The rocket

In orbit ready for the Mun burn

Orbiting Mun ready for landing