Maverick Space Exploration Planetary Extinction Prevention Project
Mission: Asteroid Redirection by Ion Drive (ASTRID) Description:
An Asteroid has been spotted by our Asteroid Reconnaissance Infrared Telescope.
The calculated orbit is dangerously close to Kerbin with a high chance to hit the planet in about 110 days.
We begin to roll out our new ASTRID spacecraft on top of a newly developed orbital launch vehicle. ASTRID Spacecraft:
The spacecraft uses three IX-6315 “Dawn” Electric Propulsion System as propulsion.
The three OX-10C Photovoltaic Panels power the whole electric system including the Ion drives. It uses an Advanced Grabbing Unit Jr. to grab the asteroid.
As soon as the spacecraft has reached and grabbed the asteroid it uses the three Ion drives to change the orbit of the asteroid. The goal is to bring the asteroid outside of Mun’s orbit.
OLV-1 Rocket:
The new orbital launch vehicle has a reusable first stage with a Kerbodyne KE-1 “Mastodon” Liquid Fuel Engine. After the separation, the stage will extend the A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S. to slow down and steer the vehicle in the atmosphere and the engines will do an entry burn. The lower A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S. are reinforced to support the weight of the rocket and can be extended to serve as landing legs. When close to the ground the engines light again for the landing burn.
The second stage uses a RE-J10 “Wolfhound” Liquid Fuel Engine for Low Kerbin Orbit insertion and to set the spacecraft on a trajectory that will bring it to the asteroid. The fairings jettison and the ASTRID module will now deploy its photovoltaic panels to produce its own electrical energy. After separation it will perform a deorbit burn and coast back to Kerbin to splash down in an ocean.
The ASTRID (ASTeroid Redirection by Ion Drive) spacecraft will then continue its trip to the asteroid. Shortly after second stage separation, ASTRID will rotate the four ion drives to the correct position. The ion drives are mounted on a 90° hinge and a 360° rotatable servo. This removes the necessity of prograde and retrograde thrusters. For smaller lateral corrections, the spacecraft has eight Place Anywhere 1 Linear RCS Port thrusters.
The spacecraft will perform a few smaller correction burns until it reaches the asteroid.
Pictures from the mission:
Calculated orbit of the target asteroid.
LIFTOFF!
A few seconds after first stage separation
Transfer burn
Approaching the asteroid
Asteroid successfully grabbed
Rotating and starting the ion drives to change the asteroids orbit.
After a while we successfully changed the orbit to 20000km over Kerbins surface!
As a bonus we had enough xenon gas on our spacecraft to do more than save the planet.
We were able to bring the asteroid into a circular orbit around Kerbin.
It`s new home is now between Mun and Minmus on an orbit 20000km over Kerbin with an inclination of 15°.
Now our scientists can do manned or unmanned missions to the asteroid to perform more research.
Hello!
thank you for reading my submission to the Asteroid Day Challenge!
I hope you like it.
Never thought that something like this would be my first post on the KSP forum after over 8 years of playing KSP
Good luck to all the other participants!
