New challenge - save your ship and yourself after major accident

Catalyst_Kh

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#1
The storyline is this: after your rocket took off from the launchpad, your autopilot malfunctioned and set your course to the wrong orbit around the Earth. Moreover, due to further computer failures half of the ship blew up in orbit, including modules with fuel and landing gear. All that is left is your capsule and some propulsion capabilities.

The same thing happened to another rocket with probe, launched the same day as you were. And probe's accident was no less heavy - everything exploded, probe's ship lost entire propulsion modules and now helplessly hanging in orbit. Though probe still have landing equipment, which you may use (or may not). But probe's ship took correct orbit, unlike you did.

Tech people on Earth discovered the reason - it was new computer virus. The virus still affects other systems, thus they can't launch any rescue mission from Earth. You are on your own now.

Your mission is to save yourself and land to Earth safely with what you have in space. You can't wait until they fix their computers and launch rescue mission - you have limited amount of oxygen. Thus, no more launches from Earth. Use any way of landing you can invent with what you have.

Below is archive file attached with quicksave and entire world folder. Just unpack archive to game folder and start this world. There is only one quicksave in it - from this quicksave mission begins.

Also you can create new world and add quicksave folder to it, or add quicksave to existing world. But the world must be default stock game world and at Realistic level of difficulty, since quicksave is made in Realistic level world.

I also made a copy of this mission for Normal level of game difficulty, in standard stock game world, here it is.
 

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Catalyst_Kh

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#3
There is enough fuel with extra, i completed this mission twice to be sure. So if your fuel ends up too early - look for a better way to spend it.
 

Catalyst_Kh

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#4
That archive in first message had a little flaw, here is a better one below.

Moderators, please replace attachment in first message of this thread with this new version below:
 

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Catalyst_Kh

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#5
There are 3 different ways to successfully complete this mission. The most interesting way is to save the probe too and land with parachutes.
 

Catalyst_Kh

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#11
Moderators, please add this attachment for Normal level of game difficulty to first message in this thread. And add this paragraph in the end of my first message in this thread:
I also made a copy of this mission for Normal level of game difficulty, in standard stock game world, here it is:
 

Catalyst_Kh

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#13
But video will reveal a way how it can be done efficiently with little extra fuel to spare. And the purpose of the challenge is to enjoy searching and inventing this way yourself, not looking it up in the video.

Though, If no one will make video for a long time - i will make it then, for both Realistic and Normal game difficulties.
 
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Cookie Aerospace

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#17
idk i just saw this read it quickly and i decided that i wasn't going to do it. It's up to you to decide what screenshots you share.
 

Altaïr

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#18
Moderators, please add this attachment for Normal level of game difficulty to first message in this thread. And add this paragraph in the end of my first message in this thread:
I've done the modification. Don't hesitate to ask if you need something else. :)
 

Altaïr

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#20
OK, I've tried the challenge, that's an interesting one :)

So, we start with our ship in orbit... Indeed there's not much left... At least the navigation program is still working. I hope it's not too bugged (I know what I'm talking about :p), but this leaves some hope. Let's try to join that probe then...
20230228214910_1.jpg
Hey WHAT?! We are on a retrograde orbit! This will never work!

OK, I suppose I'll have to be more subtle. Instead of a direct encounter I'll plan a gravity assist combined with a bi-elliptic transfer (though this is not really compatible with short supplies of oxygen...). Let's aim for the Moon first:
20230228215252_1.jpg 20230228215609_1.jpg
I've already eaten more than half of my fuel, but when I'll exit the Moon SOI my orbit will be reversed. That's a good first step.

Next step, the bi-elliptic transfer:
20230228215729_1.jpg 20230228215830_1.jpg

Now I just have an (expensive) encounter to manage, but I have the fuel for that, that should do it:
20230228220138_1.jpg 20230228220238_1.jpg 20230228220534_1.jpg

OK, now the plan is to undock the capsule, and with the impulse given, dock with the probe:
20230228220549_1.jpg
Success!!!

Now I just have to reenter with that module, but... I realize that I'm still on a 5000*5000km orbit and I can't maneuver anymore so...
Shit.gif


OK, reload time! So before doing that maneuver I'll lower the orbit of both objects:
20230228220904_1.jpg 20230228221117_1.jpg
That was close, I have 1.2% fuel left!

Now that I'm on a reentry trajectory I can redo that maneuver, and finally reenter:
20230228221422_1.jpg 20230228221520_1.jpg 20230228221839_1.jpg 20230228221851_1.jpg
It lacked a little stability on the end, but I came back, and I brought back the probe too, I hope the space agency will be grateful. I even made a fly-by of the Moon, I did it before the starship.
Thanks Anais for saving my life :cool:
Even if I messed up everything right after :p
 

ASC

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#21
huh, you are brave enough to... do the challenge yourself.. pretty clever. as everyone else will just forget the challenge.
 

Altaïr

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#22
huh, you are brave enough to... do the challenge yourself.. pretty clever.
Thanks. If you mean that Cathalyst_Kh didn't prove that he did the challenge first, to be honest I trusted him. Plus I understand that he doesn't want to spoil his own challenge, I know what it is.

as everyone else will just forget the challenge.
And it's a bit sad to be honest. If we want the challenge section to live, people have to do the challenges too. We've always had more challenge proposals than challengers, that's not how it should work.
 

ASC

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#23
challenges to challengers is prob at 1.5 to 1, to be an bit precise.
And it's a bit sad to be honest. If we want the challenge section to live, people have to do the challenges too. We've always had more challenge proposals than challengers, that's not how it should work.
 

ASC

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#24
small challenges like getting to the orbit is left, right and center, being ignored, we most all have done it,
large size challenges is also ignored, as it takes so much time and so much pictures, that by the time someone had done it, they will lose around 10-15 megabytes of space. and so its less accessible.
medium-size challenges is also sometimes ignored,
even, more accessible challenges, its also ignored.