[Writing] Skywalker's Run

[Commander Zoom]

(A while back, in the KGSS thread, I suggested this name for a certain feature on the Mun. Here (finally) is the story behind it. If you think it too silly or referential, just ignore it.)

KERBAL SPACE CENTER - As of today, the munar canyon or trench running mostly due north from Mare _______ has a new name: Skywalker's Run, in honor of the epic 90 minute, 100+ kilometer journey of Rover 5, also known as Sky Walker.

Rover 5, like its predecessors, was delivered to the Mun yesterday by a small upper stage that was launched atop the proven and reliable Orbiter X rocket. Once this 1-meter descent stage had braked into munar orbit and put its payload on course for a landing near the center of Mare _______, it was jettisoned and allowed to crash into the surface while the rover made the final descent on its own thrusters. Initial checkouts were all positive, so the mission controllers deployed the rover's wheels and began driving it north, across the vast lava plain, to the mouth of the canyon. It arrived there shortly before 1100 hours MET, and the area was photographed extensively before proceeding.

The canyon is roughly five kilometers wide along most of its length. Whatever ancient processes formed this channel left it with a relatively smooth floor, whose depth varies by hundreds of meters; it also meanders, so the deepest point is often not in the center. Sky Walker was able to maintain a brisk pace, averaging about 20 m/s. (As the mishaps with Rover 2 and 4 showed, loss of control becomes very likely as speeds approach 30 m/s.)

The KSP mission team did not seem much concerned by the difficulty of directing an expensive rover over uneven terrain by remote control, with a few seconds of lag in response time thrown in. "This is just like Beggar's Canyon back home," one Luke Kerman observed.

After an hour and a half of driving, with many short stops to look around and take pictures, consult maps made by previous flights, and allow both the rover and crew to rest a bit, Sky Walker finally reached its destination - crater Tarkin, northern terminus of the canyon. Tarkin Crater is, of course, named for the infamous former head of the Rival Space Program. His grim insistence on pushing the timetable forward without regard for tests, delays or safety measures nearly led to the RSP being the first to the Mun by several months. Even as the DS-1 lander began its final descent, Tarkin is said to have dismissed the warnings of his engineers: "Abort? In our moment of triumph? I think you underestimate their chances."

Thanks to Rover 5, we now have this image of the result: a debris field in a new crater slightly north of center, the shallow grave of at least one unknown kerbonaut along with Tarkin's ambition.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Commander Zoom

[togfox]

It's good to see some of those names make it into other parts of the forum.