News Discussion: Challenges.

[dgatsoulis]

A few ideas for new challenges on the 2010 edition.

Intermediate
1. KSC to BB. A full flight from KSC to the Moon, and a two-fold challenge: a). Use the least amount of fuel, (take off ANY time you want from the scenario start, the challenge begins when you use your engines.)
b) With a full tank of fuel at your disposal, use the least amount of time. (You can wait for any kind of "window" you think will get you there faster, [again] the challenge starts when you use your engines).

Intermediate
2. Mars or bust! (KSC to Olympus Base)
For most of us, the first interplanetary trip we make, is an Earth to Mars transfer. You can plot any slingshot plan you want, but the goal is to land on Mars, within a reasonable time-scale -how does 4 years sound? (open to suggestions)- using the least amount of fuel.

Advanced
3. Europa! Europa! (Landed on Earth to landed on Europa. My favorite moon in our solar system.)
Time limit: 10 years (debateable of course, as all other propositions here).
Again, fuel usage is of the essence.

Expert
4. Aerosling. (My latest favourite!)
Oh, wait... flytandem already proposed such a thing on the "Go around" challenge. But... can you do it in an XR2?

Just throwing out a few ideas of challenges that might be fun to complete.
All of them will have a Lua script, same as the "stock" 2010 challenges.

Just opening a discussion on what kind of challenges you'd like to see.

 

[Grover]

i like europa as well... alsmot made my first landing, but unfortunatley messed up the approach on IMFD and make a big Arrow sized crater in europa

as for time spans, i think youre a little easy there, ive not tried a mars launch but ive heard that 8 months is plenty time (not tried it myself though)

and as for expert, how about taking a realistig DGIV/XR2 to the moon, despite not being qualified (a transfer from mir perhaps?)

 

[dgatsoulis]

as for time spans, i think youre a little easy there, ive not tried a mars launch but ive heard that 8 months is plenty time (not tried it myself though)

Good! This is the kind of discussion i want to start.
This could also be a two-fold challenge: Get to Mars on a budget, or get to Mars as fast as you can.
(Since i want these first challenges to be as universal as possible, i thing the Deltaglider is the spacecraft of choice.)

and as for expert, how about taking a realistig DGIV/XR2 to the moon, despite not being qualified (a transfer from mir perhaps?)

I thought so to, but as i've found out, being an expert Orbinaut, isn't about handling "difficult" ships into easy to find orbits. It's about getting the old DG to difficult to find orbits. And if you can do THAT with a DGIV or an XR2, then that's all the better!

 

[Izack]

Multi-vessel scenarios are fun. Something like launching a piece of cargo from Earth to Mars, and then 'catching' it with a vessel in Martian orbit, like in the slinging scenarios in Wo2k1. You could go for either efficiency or arrival date.

 

[dgatsoulis]

Multi-vessel scenarios are fun. Something like launching a piece of cargo from Earth to Mars, and then 'catching' it with a vessel in Martian orbit, like in the slinging scenarios in Wo2k1. You could go for either efficiency or arrival date.

Or BOTH! You just "got" my most favoutite scenario in Orbiter! World of 2001\Mars\Cargo Missions\'Flinger' Missions\1 - Taurus 'Flinger' mission!
Too bad that scenario doesn't work on the 2010 edition (for now.)

 

[Izack]

Or BOTH! You just "got" my most favoutite scenario in Orbiter! World of 2001\Mars\Cargo Missions\'Flinger' Missions\1 - Taurus 'Flinger' mission!
Too bad that scenario doesn't work on the 2010 edition (for now.)

Sorry, it was 'flinger', not 'slinger.'
I still keep a copy of 060929 for that very purpose. It's an interesting challenge to see how fast you can propel the cargo and still be able to return home, or else commit to spending the next few months in a Taurus! :lol:

 

[dgatsoulis]

or else commit to spending the next few months a Taurus! :lol:

Or else... achieve a hyperbolic orbit to Mars, with just NOT enough fuel on the Taurus, to get back to LEO.
But what the heck.. from all the ways that the universe can kill you... this is one of my favourites! (been reading "Death by Black Hole")! :lol:

 

[hribek]

Here's one that should be challenging:

Using the XR2 to ISS scenario with expert fuel settings.

1. Launch from Cape Canaveral
2. deliver the CHM to within 50 km of Wideawake International
3. parachute as many of your crew as you can to the Habana runway 06/24 (at least one should land at the runway, all must survive)
4. fly to KSC
5. land safely at SLF RWY 33 (with pilot onboard).

No landing or refueling permitted anywhere. Your flight should be over within 3 hours.

To complete the challenge, meet the requirements above. To win the challenge, land all crew at the Habana runway and make the CHM come to a stop at Ascension island without hitting any buildings.

 

[Brycesv1]

Using the XR2 with the highest fuel settings. try for the most time efficient burn to mars by burning half way there and then turning around at the halfway point to begin deceleration.

 

[Izack]

Using the XR2 with the highest fuel settings. try for the most time efficient burn to mars by burning half way there and then turning around at the halfway point to begin deceleration.

There are special ships for that.

[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3034"]Bullet MK1[/ame]

 

[flytandem]

As far as multi-ship challenges... I remember the fun I had with placing a ship on each of the 8 planets (or a moon in the case of the outers). The goal was to have them all fly simultaneously to a runway location on Titan. I eventually had them all lined up nose to tail on the runway. You could call the base on Titan, "Woodstock". Ooops, showing my age there. :lol:

 

[Grover]

I got one, do a full free return from LEO>moon and back using a conventiolnal craft (CTV/Antares or similar with a single burn.

RULES
must only be one burn (can be high or low G)
Must land safely on earth (UMMU crew unharmed)
Must enter SOI of moon (moon supplying the majority of gravitational force)
Must use a stock scenario and include launching the craft


I imagine that the room for error on this burn would be less than 50cm/s and perfect planning is required

For an added challnge, try landing within 400km of your launch site

Crazy or what? Lets see you do that flytandem!

 

[dgatsoulis]

Could you be a little more specific?

At first you say:

do a full free return from LEO>moon and back using a conventiolnal craft (CTV/Antares or similar with a single burn.

But then you say :

Must use a stock scenario and include launching the craft

It sounds like a fun scenario to try out. If i understand correctly, you're asking for a "capsule" to take off from wherever the "stock" scenario has it placed on Earth, and in a single burn (launch included, no parking orbit), make a free-return trip to the moon and land, closer than 400km away from your initial launch site?

Is this correct?

Would you mind posting the initial scenario and the addons required?