First manned (Kerballed?) mission beyond Kerbin: Gilly (PIC HEAVY!)

[CatastrophicFailure]

Am I missing something or was this sub forum not here yesterday? Anyways, I hope I've got posting screenshots directly from Steam figured out here or I'm gonna end up looking very silly. Trying to post this all with an iPad.

After continued delays with the development of the Explorer class reusable interplanetary craft, my Kerbals were getting antsy for a crewed flight beyond Minmus and so it was decreed that a quick & dirty mission to the easiest possible target be launched as soon as possible. That would be Gilly due to the minimal landing requirements. A new lander was cobbled together from whatever was lying around and dispatched at the next launch window. Most of the early mission footage was lost due to confusing "film canisters" with "roach motels" so we join our intrepid crew already en route:

Bill and Bob were only too happy to volunteer for the two Kerbal crew that meant a couple of years in a cramped tin can when they realized it was a couple of years in a cramped tin can WITHOUT Jeb (who's expertise was still required in the launch abort testing division). After an uneventful cruise the craft successfully aerobrakes at Eve, and a minor course tweak sets up the Gilly encounter.

Burning into orbit around Gilly and targeting a nice flat looking spot not far from the Gilly Mapper that successfully soft landed several years ago.

The painstakingly slow decent & landing on RCS alone (so as not to dirty up the place they'll be walking around with unpleasant radioactive exhaust dust), then pushing down with the RCS to avoid those annoying slow drifting Gilly bounces.

After a couple of hours (cuz I was watching Star Trek) of system checks the Kermans take their first, um, "steps" onto an alien world.

With Kerbol already low on the horizon, Bob gets the go ahead to schlep the 4.3 kilometers to visit the previous visitor (and permanent resident).

His instructions are to document the condition of the probe after years in space. Here we see the Gilly mapper standing as it has for the last few years, a silent sentinel to abilities of Kerbal engineers.

Those same engineers told Bob very specifically NOT to touch it!

"And especially Bob, whatever you do, and this is very important, do NOT use your jetpack to joust with the probe!"

Bob realizes the sage wisdom of these warnings after a third of a kilometer sliding on his face.

Yes, the Mapper stands as... Um... lies... well it's there.

Dejected and sore, Bob races the setting Kerbol back to the ship. The Ketbal engineers neglected to include LIGHTS on the lander, so nighttime EVAs are somewhat restricted.

...and so the sun sets on the first day of Bill & Bob's excellent adventure as they shut down for the short Gilly night. Only 136 more to go before the return.

"Bill?"

"Yes Bob?"

"There's a lovely Eve out tonight Bill"

"Stop it Bob."

Edited May 21, 2013 by CatastrophicFailure

[CalculusWarrior]

Awesome! Two quick questions:

You seemed to land pretty easily; are those landing gear anything special?

And is the mapping probe still functional, and could it actually lift off from Gilly? I've never tried such a thing, but I suppose if the probe was light enough...

[CatastrophicFailure]

Awesome! Two quick questions:

You seemed to land pretty easily; are those landing gear anything special?

And is the mapping probe still functional, and could it actually lift off from Gilly? I've never tried such a thing, but I suppose if the probe was light enough...

Think they came with NovaPunch. Nothing special, just light. The landing wasn't bad at all, I leaned a lot landing that mapsat before. I used mechjeb just to keep the lander level, and came down VERY slowly, only .1 or .2 mps just before touchdown, with zero lateral speed. I got it stable balanced on one leg, then killed mechjeb & went full reverse RCS to push it to the ground.

Yes, the probe was still functional before Bob came along. It could easily take off again, as a matter of fact it did several times trying to land. I actually touched down at first at the TOP of that hill there. The probe core also has enough torque to flip the probe a dozen meters into the "air" there. Strap on one of those new seats from .20 and you could probably land a Kerbal with an ion engine!

[DMagic]

Strap on one of those new seats from .20 and you could probably land a Kerbal with an ion engine!

Challenge accepted and completed. On Minmus no less. See here for more.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/30329-Ion-Engines-Everywhere-My-Attempt-to-Land-As-Many-Places-As-Possible?p=387690&viewfull=1#post387690