Race to Phobos!

[2552]

How fast can you get from Mars to Phobos (landed) in a DG? I just did it in 37 minutes, 52 seconds, or 2272 seconds sim time. Here's the scenario I started from:

BEGIN_DESC
 How fast can you get from Mars to Phobos in a DG?
 END_DESC
 
 BEGIN_ENVIRONMENT
   System Sol
   Date MJD 51983.4121637847
 END_ENVIRONMENT
 
 BEGIN_FOCUS
   Ship GL-02
 END_FOCUS
 
 BEGIN_CAMERA
   TARGET GL-02
   MODE Cockpit
   FOV 50.00
 END_CAMERA
 
 BEGIN_HUD
   TYPE Surface
 END_HUD
 
 BEGIN_MFD Left
   TYPE Orbit
   PROJ Ship
   FRAME Ecliptic
   ALT
   REF Mars
   TARGET Phobos
 END_MFD
 
 BEGIN_MFD Right
   TYPE Surface
   SPDMODE 1
 END_MFD
 
 BEGIN_PANEL
 END_PANEL
 
 
 BEGIN_SHIPS
 GL-02:DeltaGlider
   STATUS Landed Mars
   BASE Olympus:1
   POS -135.4300000 12.7400000
   HEADING 90.00
   PRPLEVEL 0:1.000 1:1.000
   NAVFREQ 0 0 0 0
   XPDR 0
   GEAR 1 1.0000
 END
 END_SHIPS
 
 BEGIN_ExtMFD
 END

 

[penlu]

... how fast were you going...?

 

[2552]

... how fast were you going...?

I just did a new trip and got into a hyperbolic orbit of Mars. This time I landed at 2049 seconds, or 34 minutes, 9 seconds.

After taking the screenshot, I looked for Phobos and realized it was almost time to do the retro burn! However, I burned too long and had to burn towards Phobos again. And when landing, I barely avoided crashing into Phobos (managed to stop about 50 meters above the surface!).

For the whole trip, I did this:
1. Launched from Olympus with hovers. When about 200 meters high, shut off hovers, used RCS to rotate to near vertical and fire main engines.
2. Opened Encounter MFD, targeting Phobos.
3. Watched Encounter MFD and cutoff main engines a bit after closest approach distance stopped going down. I was in a hyperbolic orbit of Mars at this point, going over 5km/s.
4. Made (inefficient) course correction burns to bring closest approach down to ~8km.

I didn't plan the trip in TransX or IMFD or anything, I was basically burning straight there and correcting in Encounter MFD (which is awesome).

I wonder if it's possible to do it in less than 30 minutes?

 

[Bill LeClere]

that is impressive

 

[pete.dakota]

So you have to be able to land? You could use a similar method to yours, but expending all your fuel on launch and ejection. Sure, you'd hit Phobos at about 25km/s. But you'd still 'get' there.

 

[HiPotOk1978]

I able to do it in 22 minutes, but I think I cheated... It all started when I took my DG to the local rocket scientist and told him to strap the ship to the the shuttles SRB's... From there I am pretty sure when I said said 1... zero... I was in orbit, head hurt from the excessive G forces (tested with DGIV in cheat mode, when the SRB's went off, I experienced 70+G's so um... bad idea I guess)

The SRB assisted launch (note to self, use less thrust next time) put me into one hell of a screwed up orbit since well, those big rockets are designed to launch a lot more than my DG and ego into Earth orbit.... due to the fact that my eyeballs were misformed from the force of launch, I misread my instruments and I used most of my fuel to get on course, and left a few fumes in the tanks to adjust course when I Got close so I would be able to crash into the tiny little moon.

What have I learned for this experience???
A) Extream thrust to weight ratios are fun - Like taking some POS light weight car and shoe-horning a V8 in...
B) G forces can hurt - and I don't mean the launch ones... but those hurt too.... it's the sudden 100^10 forces from the sudden stop into a Mars moon
C) It's not the journey, its the destination in space flight

 

[Nickmick95]

Landed in 9 minutes and 23 seconds! Used Warpdrive MFD though.....

 

[HiPotOk1978]

Landed in 9 minutes and 23 seconds! Used Warpdrive MFD though.....

Well I didn't cheat by changing the laws of physics, just disgusting amounts of thrust

 

[C3PO]

Wo! I didn't think it would be possible, but I made it in 1925 sec. on the first attempt. I'm going to try with less fuel.


-----Posted Added-----


Argh!!
I messed up the landing on the 2'nd attempt. (slowed down too much) I still got there in 1727 sec.
I came to a halt at 2000 m Alt in 1543 sec. so the landing took too much time.
But it was a nice trip, all things considered.

Maybe we should target a specific location on Phobos.