"Project Mun" - My attempt at The AAP v1.0 Edition Challenge

[Guest]

S-5 Rocket Block III Upgrade

For anyone who's interested, S-5 Rocket re-design and test in a super high-speed video.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Guest
Title

[Guest]

PM - 11 Has Returned

Cerly and Bob successfully gathered a full suite of Science from 3 different Biomes, the Highlands, Highlands Craters, and the Farside Crater. Everything went well on the Rover mission, and the rendezvous and docking went without incident.

Reports that Valentina accidentally left Bob and all of the Science behind when plotting the Kerbin return, have been found to be erroneous.

Gene Kerman reports the incident was actually a scheduled test of an Emergency Return and Rendezvous technique, not me being tired and forgetting to EVA Bob over to the CSM with all of the Science.

The flight returned successfully, and splashed down in the ocean east of KSC.

Gene also reports the landing site was totally intentional, and not a case of dumb luck when Cerly screwed up the re-entry vector. So despite a few "improvisations", the flight returned successfully.

PM - 12, meant to land in the Mun's Twin Craters, is now scheduled for departure.

Due to the fact this mission will be going to only one Biome, the Rover and MLMSEP are not being brought, we will instead launch the A version of the S-5 Block III.

Once PM - 12 has finished, Mortimer Kerman has scheduled a Press Conference where there will be a full review of Project Mun up to the current date.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Guest
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[Guest]

PM - 12 Mission

If you only watch one of my mission videos, watch this one.

This video demonstrates the expertise and skill one can gain in Kerbal Space Program, simply by repetitive practice. The whole mission I had to contend with some major phantom torque problems, somehow caused by the Kerbokatz Landing Leg Mod. I also had to deal with navigation problems caused by Kerbal Alarm Clock not pausing the game correctly or saving my settings properly.

All of the problems I faced are clearly visible in the video, and yet despite everything the mission went off without a hitch. I managed to launch, fly the mission, and return all in one shot. The expertise shows in the fact I flew the mission entirely by the seat of my pants. No calculations, no messing around with navigation procedures, I just hit the spacebar and went for it. Over two hours of unbroken gameplay are condensed into 16 minutes in this video.

This is the best demonstration I can make of the old adage, "Practice Makes Perfect!"

Enjoy.

PM - 12 was the last mission in the Normal Apollo Program schedule of Project Mun. This was the last flight of the "A" Model of the S-5 Rocket, and it was fitting we gave it a complete redesign shortly before retiring it. Any future landings will be done with the "B" Model, containing the MLMSEP and Rover.

 

I honestly think the Twin Craters are the most spectacular landing site on the entire Mun. I've been waiting to take this screenshot ever since the Surveyor 4 mission. I even went out and installed EVE just to make it look even better.
 

 

 

The landing was a piece of cake, and the Science collection went quickly. The Surveyor 4 Mission had already collected Science from this area, so we were here just to collect what was left. The mission plan didn't call for using a Rover, so we didn't bring one. The surrounding Biomes have already been landed on.


The return and re-entry was just as spectacular as all of the others, but a great sense of pride was felt.


We had set forth on a quest that had seemed impossible at the time, and now with the recovery of PM - 12, traveling to and from the Mun seems commonplace. Plans are already in motion to capitalize on the new technology available, and new Missions have already been scheduled.


Perhaps now is a good time to look back over the work of the last 4 1/2 months, and take stock of our achievement...

 

 

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest
Reformat, Retrospective

[Xeldrak]

Nicely done

Now would also be a good time to launch skylab

[Guest]

Nicely done

Now would also be a good time to launch skylab

Thank you for following along!

SkyLab is scheduled to be launched once I've finished redesigning it, my first design was crap.

I won't be finishing with SkyLab though. Unlike the real Apollo Program, it's only onwards and upwards from here!

[DBowman]

nice work!

what tools did you use to make the video?

[Guest]

nice work!

what tools did you use to make the video?

Thank you! I'm glad I wasn't shouting into a vacuum.

I recorded with Nvidia ShadowPlay, then just edited the recording together with Windows Movie Maker. It's bottom of the barrel as far as software goes.

As I say on my YouTube Channel, "Mediocrity is My Specialty!"

[Sampa]

It's bottom of the barrel as far as software goes.

Just the way I like it! Not a lot of fluff!

[Guest]

A Review of My Kerbal Space Program v1.0 Career

As the Administrator of my own Kerbal Space Program, I had begun a new Career Mode after the release of KSP v1.0.

I'm sure you've noticed by now I take my career mode game rather seriously.

I had gotten a short way into this career when I noticed the post for the Apollo Applications Program Challenge v1.0 on the forums by GregroxMun. I quickly decided to accept the challenge, given my career mode had just reached the point where an Apollo Program might be viable.

Half of the fun of this Challenge would be the narrative I could make up as I worked on it. I love hearing old stories about the early days of the NASA Space Program, and the opportunity to make one up was very tempting.

The Story Begins:

So I headed over to the KSC and went to my good friend, Wernher von Kerman.

 

He quickly analyzed the proposed Munar-Orbit Rendezvous plan, and came up with a design for a rocket that could fulfill that mission. He was then informed that the new rocket must have 5 engines on both the first and second stages, and 1 engine on the third stage. He threw a temper tantrum, screamed incoherently about "inefficiency", then locked himself in his office to do some serious thinking.

 

I then went over to Mortimer Kerman's office at the Administration Building:

 

I gave him a copy of the design proposal and mission plan. He took one look at it and turned blue. He launched into a long-winded speech about "finance", "cash flow", and "contract rewards". Honestly I didn't understand any of it, because I have no real concept of money. I told him I would do the best I could about all that stuff he said, and left his office.

 

Gus Kerman, over in the Vehicle Assembly Building was my next stop:

 

Gus is a good guy, and he laid things out for me:

• We had started our program with Project Test, it was a small Project meant only to prove the viability of the new rocket technology.
• Project Moho had come next, being a design and engineering Project meant to develop a rocket capable of putting a Kerbal into orbit, and bringing some Science gear along.
• Project Eve had begun shortly after Project Moho, and had succeeded in doing Kerbaled flybys of the Mun and Minmus.

Those Projects had done their job well, but this new version of a Munar Landing ran counter to the ideas of both Operations and Science. They had planned to run missions with a single Kerbal, using a very lightweight, and efficient craft.

Gus then explained to me that despite my intentions, the parts and technology to begin Project Mun simply weren't available.

 

So, I went down to the Technology Center, and had a chat with Linus Kerman:

 

Linus is a guy who understands the world, and he forestalled my questions about "Science", "Technology", and "Other Stuff", with a nice, easy picture:

 

He then explained to me we needed to turn more of the grey boxes into green boxes, then kicked me out of his lab.

Linus isn't much of a people-person.

 

So I then went to see someone whose whole job is being a nice guy:

 

He expressed a great deal of excitement about the new Project, jumping up and down, and giggling manically. When he calmed down, he explained to me that the Kerbal Space Program had a Reputation problem. While we hadn't had any major failures, we hadn't had any major successes either. The general state of the Space Center itself showed what he meant:

 

Apparently you can't build strong public relations with grass and plywood. Unfortunately I had to let Walt down, the focus of the next missions wouldn't be building Reputation, they would focus exclusively on Science and SpaceBucks.

 

Finally, I went over to Gene Kerman at Mission Control:

 

Shaven, trimmed, and dressed in the ever present vest and red tie, Gene presented a competent and commanding figure. After I explained things to him, he looked me square in the eye and said, "If you build it, we'll launch it!"

I thanked him for his vote of confidence, and left him to his coffee and cigars.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest
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[Guest]

Project Mun Review and Retrospective Look

 

'Project Moho' and 'Project Eve' had both done their work well, but the time was right to move onward and upward.

Despite the naysaying from Finance, Operations, and Technology, I announced the beginning of 'Project Mun'.

All previous Projects would immediately be ended and any resources we had would be diverted to 'Project Mun'.

 

As 'Project Mun' had begun to move forward, the first part of our new Rocket Design was backwards. Using parts from our old 'Project Moho' rocket, we were able to begin designing a new rocket, the S-1b.

The requirements of the Mission Plan meant we would need to build a larger spacecraft than any we had designed previously. In order to test this new spacecraft, we would need a rocket capable of lifting it's weight into orbit.

A couple of 'Project Explorer' probes had already been launched before 'Project Mun' had begun, and the Science they brought home allowed us to finish our new rockets:

 

The S-1b Rocket proved to be more powerful than anything we had ever launched, and was more expensive than 'Project Moho', and 'Project Eve' combined. Coupled with the new A-C Rocket freshly designed for 'Project Explorer', 'Project Mun' was already proving to be hugely expensive.

Partway through the S-1b Design Process, Linus Kerman successfully petitioned to keep 'Project Explorer' running. It was necessary to continue bringing Science back in order to finish the design of the new Command Service Module, and Munar Landing Module.

'Project Explorer' was integrated into 'Project Mun' under the new name 'Surveyor'.

The Science returned by the 'Surveyor' missions was absolutely critical to 'Project Mun's development.

Meanwhile, PM - 1, 2, and 3, had launched on the S-1b Rocket. These three early missions showed the capability of the CSM and MLM, and proved that the hardware was capable of doing the job.

Despite everything being against us, 'Project Mun' had actually proven it's viability. The most crucial step now loomed, building a rocket capable of bringing both the CSM and MLM to the Mun.

 

The S-5 Rocket is the largest, most powerful rocket I have ever designed, period. The price tag associated with that power made me seriously doubt whether 'Project Mun' would even be able to land on the Mun without going bankrupt.

Missions PM - 5 through PM - 7, nearly drained all of the SpaceBucks I had in my account, but they were absolutely essential to properly test the S-5 Rocket before risking a Munar Landing.

Needless to say, when PM - 8 was launched, I had less than 300,000 SpaceBucks left. The reason Jebediah Kerman was included in the crew of PM - 8 was simply that I couldn't afford to hire a Kerbal to replace him.

When Jeb and Thombart touched down in the East Crater, all of my financial problems vanished immediately. PM - 8 completed 5 different contracts for a grand total of over 2 Million SpaceBucks!

Buoyed by this new cash flow, 'Project Mun' went into overdrive. PM - 9 through 12 established this new Mun-based economy, and paved the way for major advances in technology:

 

The resulting SpaceBucks were put to good use, hiring new Kerbals, and building more capable facilities:

 

'Project Mun', and by extension GregroxMun's Apollo Applications Challenge, have transformed my Kerbal Space Program into an engineering and spaceflight powerhouse. Space Stations, missions to Minmus, Bases on the Mun, and eventually Missions to Duna and Eve are all within possibility.

But those are Missions for the future!

 

Quote

The Mun is not the end, it is only the beginning!

- - - Updated - - -

Sampa said:

Just the way I like it! Not a lot of fluff!

I'm glad you like it!

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest
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[Guest]

PM - 19 Launches SkyLab - 'Project Mun' Applications Project Begins

Two launches made up the PM - 19 Mission.

 

The first launch PM - 19A1 was on a converted S-5 Block III Rocket, placing the SkyLab Habitation and Workshop module into a 250x250km orbit. As I said before, my realistic analogs replicate function rather than form, but I'm especially proud of how my SkyLab eventually turned out.

Once the workshop was in place, PM - 19A2 Launched the SkyLab Science Mount to rendezvous with the space station.

It was nice to see one of our old workhorses launch again. To be honest, I sort of miss the old simple days back before 'Project Mun' began. Perhaps it's just nostalgia speaking.

 

The old booster performed admirably, as expected of tried and true technology.

 

The Science Mount mated with the Workshop like it was made for it. Mostly because it was!

 

It was only after I got the thing put together in orbit that I learned the survey scanner only works in a polar orbit. Oh well, it still looks cool anyway.

One more launch will complete the PM - 19 Mission: I'll dig an S-1b out of storage, and send up the first crew to the Station.

Meanwhile, three new Munar Landing Missions are being planned, and three Minmus Landings are planned as well.

I've designed a new Rover, with more fuel, batteries, and headlights for driving at night.

This Rover will become part of my planned Munar Base Facility.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

PM - 19B Crew Transfer Mission - Mobile Lab Sneak Peek

Jebediah, Thombart, and Lofry Kerman launched today on an old S-1b Block II Rocket.

 

 

Their mission was simple, rendezvous and dock with SkyLab, and activate the workshop.


Despite some general messing about with maneuver nodes, the rendezvous went well.
It's been a long time since I've operated a spacecraft in Kerbin Orbit, and it was a very relaxing flight.


The docking maneuver faced a minor hiccup since the docking port was on the opposite side of the station.
Eventually we got everything put together, and the workshop is now busy turning Data into Science.


Meanwhile, Gus's Engineers have been putting together a little something:


It still needs a lot of work, but the Project Mun Mobile Lab is now officially a thing. The idea is to make a version of SkyLab that can function as a ground vehicle. This will allow us to drive to multiple biomes, collect all forms of Science, process all of it in the Lab, and transmit it all back to Kerbin.

 

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest
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[astrokerb]

Amazing!

[Guest]

Amazing!

Thank you!

[Guest]

PM - 13 Launch

Most of my work the past two weeks has been using my off time to rebuild my KSP installation to incorporate v1.0.5.
I had to remove one mod, and update all the others, then conduct a round of testing to verify everything was working.

Today I managed to launch the next Munar Mission, PM - 13.


The goal of PM - 13 is to land on the Mun in a specified location, and conduct a series of seismic measurements as specified in a Mission Control contract.


This will be my first attempt at a real pinpoint landing on the Mun. Jebke, Rodald, and Bob are all veterans of Project Mun, and I'm sure they'll do a great job.

I did have some framerate issues that I'm trying to track down, but I hope to record video of the Munar Landing and EVA.

Sorry for the long absence, but real life gets in the way sometimes.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest
Fix picture links.

[Guest]

PM - 13 Landing

 

 

 

Rodald and Bob managed to land directly onto their targeted landing site, despite a long string of difficulties. The phantom torque problems are back, any time I switch away from one craft to another, the previous craft starts spinning around one axis. Needless to say, the Transposition maneuver, and the upcoming Munar Orbit Rendezvous are going to be a nightmare.

All of these problems began when I tried to manually upgrade my Kerbal AAP install to version 1.0.5. It's too late to go back now, so I'll have to occupy some of my KSP time to hunting down and eliminating these problems.

All of this stress built up during the flight, and resulted in one of the most spectacular landings I have ever made.

I won't be posting any more video from PM - 13, I expect no problems finishing the mission and returning to Kerbin.

Edited January 10, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

Well, it's been one heck of a ride, but I have to cancel the rest of Project Mun.

There have been issues with my saved game, that have constantly kept stacking up ever since I tried to update to v1.0.5

In order to return PM-13 to Kerbin, I had to spend 2-1/2 hours wrestling with major game issues, likely a result of trying to copy my saved game to a new installation.

So I guess this is the end of the line, and I feel pretty sad about that. I had a damn good time re-creating the Apollo Program in my own style, which would not have been something I'd normally do without GregroxMun posting his challenge.

To everyone who has followed along, and watched the videos, I thank you very much for your time! I learned a lot about rocket design, and video editing while doing this challenge, and sometime I might take what I've learned and make something else with it.

So I guess that's it, perhaps we'll meet again sometime.

- Chris Maillet

[Wallygator]

This was a pretty amazing personal effort.  Really.  You should not feel sad.

Very well done, sir.  Well done indeed!

[Guest]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 1:17 PM, Wallygator said:

This was a pretty amazing personal effort.  Really.  You should not feel sad.

Very well done, sir.  Well done indeed!

I'm sad it had to end, but I had a hell of a lot of fun getting here, so yeah, no sadness here.

I'm glad you enjoyed the report!