The Apollo Applications Program: 1.0 Edition

Jonboy · May 15, 2015

Screenshots are F1, hiding the GUI to make pretty screenshots is F2. As for the fuel flow, I usually just use two of the yellow fuel ducts per tank. Make sure you have one going in each direction and it should balance the fuel flow.

Death Engineering · May 16, 2015

Looks like a fun challenge!

And, today I learned two things about Apollo:

The Saturn 5 shutdown center engine before the outboards? Wow...
The CSM on the Saturn 1B was not fully provisioned (very glad to hear that for this challenge..!)

Working on the entry now...

Whirligig Girl · May 16, 2015

For the record, you definitely don't have to shut down your central F-1 engine for it to work.

Death Engineering · May 16, 2015

Death 1B at Dawn

To be continued...

benjee10 · May 16, 2015

Well, I'll certainly give this a shot!

Using TAC, Ven's stock part revamp, KW rocketry and KIS when it comes to part mods. This will be ongoing - I'm just in the 'testing' phase at the moment!

APOLLO IV

OUTCOME: Success! The Saturn V performed flawlessly with the exception of the BPC failing to decouple properly. This will be fixed in future missions by staging the abort motor at the same time, hopefully pulling it clear.

APOLLO VII

OUTCOME: Success, although the mission did highlight the need for more life support aboard the CSM. It is decided that the BPC will be detached when already in orbit to prevent any possible collisions.

CREW TRAINING - LEM

Here, potential candidates for Apollo XI, the planned first landing, are put through their paces test-flying a LEM simulator.

CREW TRAINING - ALSEP

Potential Apollo crews must practice construction and deployment techniques for ALSEP on Kerbin before it can be attempted on the Mun.

I am using KIS for in-situ assembly, but that also means that I must take an engineer with me in order to do this. The full ALSEP will not be deployed on Apollo XI due to it being a test mission and I am unsure of the mass I can safely bring to the surface using my LEM.

I intend to perform all Apollo landing mission in order (I know you don't have to, but I'm a lil OCD like that ) with the added restriction that each one must land at a different biome and have a different crew. I will only construct the third required rocket once I have completed the standard Lunar landing missions.

As I understand it, points so far:

- Saturn Five uses 5 engines on the first stage, 5 engines on the second stage, and one engine on the third stage. (unless you count the KW 5m engines as just being one engine) +20

- Launch Escape System. +5

- Use fuel cells for power generation only +10

- Use TAC Life Support mod +26

- Use KW Rocketry +19

Total so far = 80

Will post again/update this one once I've completed Apollo VIII onwards!

Yukon0009 · May 16, 2015

This is still ongoing, Greg? I want to enter but my Apollo will not fly for some time.

loch.ness · May 16, 2015

This looks like a very long term challenge, I'm guessing it'll be around for a while. I'm still gearing up for it myself. To get myself in the mood/mind set I started a Mission report for the save that I'll be doing this challenge on. I decided to do miniature Mercury and Gemini programs before I get into Apollo though. Mercury is up right now, I need to finish flying Gemini before I can write that one up, and then it will be on to Apollo.

I've finished my Saturn IB and Saturn V harware so far. I don't have a MAR (Munar Adventure Rover) yet, but then Apollo 11-13 didn't have the rover either so doing at least 2 missions without (one being 13), and 1 with should be enough. After that I play to launch Skylab with the third rocket formation, but I'll worry about making that after I've gotten at least to Apollo 13.

Coga19000 · May 16, 2015

Could I propose some other bonus point achievements?

Use KAS

(For KAS users) assemble the Moon Buggy, the ALSEP and the LESS on the Munar surface

Use EngineIgnitor (possibly? I'm not sure if the S-IVB will still be restartable)

Use Remote Tech, and make sure at least one antenna is always deployed

After the normal landings, land one mission with Earth Orbi. Rendevous and one with Direct Ascent

billbobjebkirk · May 16, 2015

I'm planning for a 278+possibly more run.

Could you include some points for unmanned missions to the planets?

Jonboy · May 16, 2015

If I'm not mistaken, the focus for the Apollo Application Program interplanetary missions was manned spaceflight. Hence the use and reuse of Apollo hardware.

billbobjebkirk · May 16, 2015

Well, if you read the plan that I posted, you'll see that it involves "Voyager" becoming a catch-all term for any space probe that launches on a Saturn V.

Jonboy · May 16, 2015

That's actually really interesting, but I'd never heard of it before. Do you have a source? I'd like to read about it in detail.

billbobjebkirk · May 16, 2015

I made it up, based off wanting to combine the real life Voyager missions and the Voyager program that eventually became Viking.

Jonboy · May 16, 2015

Just Over the Mun's East Crater:

Valentina: Ascension 18 to KSC, how do you read?

KSC: Uh, we read you loud and clear Ascension.

Valentina: Altitude 5,000 meters and dropping.

KSC: You are go for manual. Repeat, go for manual.

Valentina: Roger that, KSC, I'm flying the lander now. Visibility is dropping to near-zero as the crater rim occludes the sun. How's my attitude, Lancas?

Lancas: You're dead-on for yaw. Roll left two degrees, pitch up three degrees ... perfect. Surface velocity 150 meters per second.

Valentina: KSC, we have a visual on East Crater Outpost. Altitude 2,000 meters and dropping, throttle at 100%.

KSC: Attitude looks good, Val, continue with the slow pitch-up.

Valentina: 500 meters at 20 meters per second ... 200 at 15 ... 50 at 5 ... landing light is on. We're on the surface, KSC.

KSC: Good work boys ... er, and girls.

Lancas: KSC, I'm looking out to the east right now. I can see the MOLAB about 15 meters away. The EMH is about 10 meters past that. The lights are on, looks like they're welcoming us home.

One Week Earlier:

With a thundering roar, the unmanned Sarnus V rocket pushed itself through the clouds, the fairing shroud concealing the cargo within. Since Ascension 11 had first landed on the Mun, there had been six more missions to the Munar surface. All but Ascension 13 went smoothly, and due to the ingenuity of the crew and Mission Control, even that crippled mission returned the kerbanauts home unharmed. With the Sarnus V having more than proved itself as a reliable workhorse, it was decided to revisit some of the initial plans for the ascension mission.

Initially, it was assumed that each Mun mission would take two Sarnus V rockets to complete, with the first sending a MOLAB (Mobile Laboratory) pressurized rover along with other hardware for an extended Munar stay. The second launch would bring the crew in the MEM, where they would perform a precision landing next to the MOLAB. Unlike the Ascension 11-17 missions, where the kerbanauts only stayed on the surface for a few days at the most, these missions would have explored the surface for weeks, or even months. With the tiny battery-powered Munar Rover, Kerbals could only explore about 3 square kilometers around the MEM; with the MOLAB that would be increased to almost 1300 square kilometers.

Ascension 18 (featuring Extended Stay, Mun Base, MOLAB)

yvIH0mFl.png?1

Phase A:

Ascension 18 would consist of three total launches, or phases. Phase A consisted of a Sarnus V launch lifting the MOLAB and EMH (Extended Munar Habitat) all the way to Low Munar Orbit, where they separately descended to the surface under their own power. The MOLAB was powered by RTGs for reliability and contains a complete mobile geological lab for inspecting samples. The EMH is a two-story "Mun house", solar powered and capable of sustaining Kerbals for extended periods. With all systems operating nominally at the newly established East Crater Outpost, the go-ahead was given for the next launch, which would bring the crew to the surface.

Phase B:

Ascension 18 would break dozens of records with its extended Munar stay and improved research capabilities; but it would also bring the first female Kerbal to space. Valentina Kerman, a rival of Jebediah and experienced Air Force test pilot, was finally selected for an Ascension mission (KSP officials assured us it had nothing to do with a rumored KCLU lawsuit). Lancas Kerman would accompany her on Phase B, the month-long surface exploration, and Phildred Kerman would return the first CSM to Kerbin (nobody wants to stay in Munar orbit for a month in what's essentially a compact car).

Phase B was essentially a normal Ascension mission profile, but with a precision landing bringing the MEM within a few meters of the East Crater Outpost. Once the crew was safely on the ground, thanks to Valentina's hours of practice is the simulators back home, Phildred performed the TKI burn and arrived home several hours later. Meanwhile, on the surface, Val and Lancas performed detailed checks of the MOLAB and moved into the EMH, which would be their home over the next month.

Over the course of Phase B, several extended rover trips were performed, some lasting several days. The crew visited craters up to 20 kilometers away from the Outpost, and Lancas, an experienced geologist, gathered a trove of information that will help Kerbal scientists discover the history of the Mun's formation.

Phase C:

As Val and Lancas wrapped up their surface stay, a final Sarnus V was launched, this one with no MEM and only Bill Kerman at the helm of the CSM. After the TMI burn and Munar orbit insertion, the crew on the ground gathered their supplies and powered down the MOLAB and EMH, which would remain for use by future scientific expeditions. Entering the MEM, the Ascent Stage blasted the two Kerbals into Munar orbit, where they were picked up by Bill. One last TKI burn sent the CSM cruising back to Kerbin, where they splashed down under parachutes and awaited pickup by the Kerbal Navy. Val and Lancas had lived on the Mun for over a month. Where others had only visited the Mun's surface, they had vacationed there. But the boys back at Mission Control already have their sights on greater, more distant goals - Duna and Eve.

Scoring:

I was a little confused about the wording of the Apollo Applications Program section of the OP. It says that you have to do one AAP mission, and then it says to add 20 points for each additional mission. So it seems to me that reading it literally, if you do one mission, you get 0 points, and if you do two missions, you get 20 points. I'm not sure if that's how GregroxMun intends for it to work. Either way, I completed the parameters for the Munar Base and the MOLAB projects in this mission report, and I'll let him score it as he sees fit.

Previous & Future Ascension Program Reports: Normal Apollo Program - Eve Flyby - Duna Flyby & Landing

Edited May 22, 2015 by Jonboy

benjee10 · May 16, 2015

A continuation of my Apollo Program.

Before crew can launch on the Saturn V, a demonstration must be made that the LES works effectively.

LES DEMONSTRATION

OUTCOME: Success! The LES works effectively.

APOLLO VIII

The first mission beyond LKO!

I did use a free return trajectory but I managed to screenshot it in between the transition from flight to map view, so all you can see is the skybox :huh:

APOLLO IX & X

(These two missions have been grouped together because they are largely the same. The screenshots come from both missions as I experienced a crash and lost some of the ones from IX)

APOLLO IX OUTCOME: Partial failure. CSM failed to decouple from S-IVB stage due to faulty attachment node setup. S-IVB used to deorbit safely.

APOLLO X OUTCOME: Partial failure. CSM decoupled successfully, but LEM remain trapped in petal fairing. Stray fuel line had drained LEM fuel into S-IVB. This was salvaged by manually pumping fuel into the LEM and firing its engine, which overheated the S-IVB tank and freed the LEM as a result. LEM testing was very successful.

It seems that the KW petal adapter has an annoying duplicate node at the top which prevents decoupling. I removed it in the config file and it worked fine. It's the bottom one out of the four node_stack definitions.

The problem with Apollo X was that I had turned part clipping on and accidentally attached my LEM subassembly to the tank beneath the adapter instead of the adapter itself, so it failed to decouple. Some symetry bug had also sent a fuel line from the LEM into the adapter as well, draining it down the stack.

- Free-Return Trajectory until in Mun's SOI. +10

- Lander stored behind a fairing. +10

Total so far = 100

EDIT:

APOLLO XI

APOLLO XI OUTCOME: Success! Everything behaved as expected.

- Leave Descent Stage on Mun. +5

- Include ALSEP Science Package on Apollo 11-18 +5

Total so far = 110

Edited May 16, 2015 by benjee10

Norcalplanner · May 17, 2015

I may have to give this a try. I've done many things in KSP, but an honest-to-goodness Apollo recreation isn't one of them. Engaging planning/design mode...

Whirligig Girl · May 17, 2015

Yes, it's ongoing. You can enter any part you wish.

Whirligig Girl · May 18, 2015

You don't get any extra points for just one AAP mission, because that's supposed to be a given. The "Goals" are really more like bonus-achievements. I'd say that's a good 20 points, with a base and a MOLAB, and any extra points based on goals that there may be that have not already been taken by the previous Apollo missions.

But, like, WOW! That was an amazing mission report! That was awesome. I hope you plan on doing more challenges in the future, these are great reports.

- - - Updated - - -

Good stuff here as well.

Jonboy · May 18, 2015

Ascension E-1 (Manned Eve Flyby)

With the completion of Ascension 18 and the first extended stay on the Mun, public approval of the Kerbal Space Program was at an all time high. Additionally, an important date was looming: a transfer window that would allow a spacecraft to swing by Eve, using a gravity assist to return back to Kerbin using minimal fuel. There would be neither the time or the funds to accomplish this mission using elaborate new hardware. Instead, the mission would be accomplished using the reliable Sarnus V booster and the battle-tested Command and Service Module. However, the CSM used in the Ascension missions up to this point could not support life for more than a week or two. Wernher von Kerman and his team of engineers focused all of their resources on creating a cheap and effective plan for Kerbals to visit another planet for the first time.

The Plan

(For more info on this particular AAP Venus flyby plan, check out this blog post.)

The current capabilities of the Sarnus V rocket allowed only the CSM, a small payload under the intermediate fairing, and the partially spent third stage of the booster to be carried into orbit. Assembly of a multi-part spacecraft in LKO would require additional Sarnus V launches and development of that craft, causing development and mission costs to skyrocket. Instead, the boys at KSC developed an ingenious (some would say crazy) plan to utilize the third stage of the rocket as a habitat for the long flight to and from Eve.

The concept (known as a "wet workshop") had originally been studied when the Ascension mission profiles were first developed years ago, as a way to cheaply create a scientific space station in LKO. The third stage would be modified so that after launch, any remaining fuel could be vented into the vacuum of space. Next, a breathable atmosphere would be pumped in, and kerbanauts would outfit the roomy inside of the booster with cloth walls, using prebuilt attachment points to secure bulkier equipment and "lots of velcro" for the rest.

For the mission to Eve, the MEM will be replaced with an Environmental Support Module, containing all of the life support for the mission as well as the furnishings for the wet workshop. After launch, the standard transposition and docking would allow the CSM, ESM, and wet workshop to be joined into a roomy interplanetary spacecraft, all with one Sarnus V launch.

The Mission

A crew of three kerbanauts was selected for the Eve mission, with two veteran astronauts and one planetary scientist. Milus Kerman was the pilot and mission commander for Ascension 8, the first manned flyby of the Mun, and would reprise these roles for Ascension E-1. Patdock Kerman was the engineer on Ascension 7, which was the first manned flight of the Command and Service Module. Franree Kerman has never flown in space, but is an experienced planetary scientist who jumped at the chance to be the first to observe the purple planet up close.

The crew was launched with the CSM and ESM on a single Sarnus V, six days before the launch window. Once in LKO, the transposition and docking of the CSM to the ESM was performed, and the Kerbals began checking the ESM for damage ... and snacks. Extensive checks of all systems were performed multiple times; if something went wrong on a mission to the Mun, the astronauts could normally return within ours. If a problem happened on the way to Eve, they would not be able to make it back for months.

With all systems go and the launch window imminent, the Ascension E-1 spacecraft was oriented for the burn that would eject them from Kerbin's SOI. The burn fully depleted the third stage booster, changing the ship's velocity by 1,454 m/s. Mission control estimated that any further burns to correct the ship's course (which would be performed using the service engine on the CSM) would take less that 400 m/s delta V. Compared to a more blunt approach, which involves burning for Eve, inserting into Eve's orbit, waiting for a transfer window, and burning back to Kerbin, the advantages of a timed flyby are obvious. A traditional Eve orbit mission would take approximately 4,500 m/s of delta V, as opposed to the chosen timed flyby, which takes a mere 1,850 m/s of delta V.

Milus: Ascension to KSC, how do you read?

KSC: You're coming in loud and clear, Ascension.

Milus: 6 hours have elapsed since we vented the third stage tanks and repressurized with the breathable atmosphere. Permission to enter the third stage habitat?

KSC: Permission granted.

Franree: Phew! It smells like rocket fuel in here.

Patdock: Don't worry, Franree, you'll get used to it ... sometime in the next six months hopefully. Here, help me velcro my sound system to the wall.

The Kerbals set in for the long haul: 60 days until their encounter with Eve. In the mean time, they stayed busy, mainly by perfoming experiments studying interplanetary space, though they also played a lot of Risk. As they finally entered Eve's SOI, KSC relayed experiments to them at a blistering pace. They would only have a few hours to study the surface of Eve up close, and the planetary scientists back home wanted them to make the most of it. As they approached their closest distance to the planet at a velocity of over 4,000 m/s, Franree described the surface to the millions watching on TV back home.

Franree: It's unlike anything I've ever seen. A purple planet. Amazing.

Patdock: Look at the craters on the surface. They're very large. Some of the seas seem to be formed from craters as well.

Franree: Yes. Note the absence of small craters, though, the kind you would see on the Mun.

Milus: How do you account for that?

Franree: Well, most of these large impacts are probably left over from the initial formation of the planet, when bombardments like that were more common. At that time, Eve probably had no atmosphere to help protect from impacts. Now, with the thick atmosphere, most small metoers burn up before they can cause craters.

KSC: Let's get back to the experiments, shall we, Ascension? Only 1,329 left to go.

As Eve receded into the distance, the Kerbals were partly relieved that their workload was lessened, but also saddened that their time at Eve was so short. The rest of the mission was uneventful, aside from a short burn halfway between Eve and Kerbin that placed them on a perfect trajectory to reenter their home world's atmosphere. Finally, the blue globe appeared as a distant light in the window. With only hours to reentry, the wet workshop and EMS were discarded, and the crew prepared for the reentry checklist. Finally, the service module was ditched, and the beefed up ablative shields on the Command Module began to glow white-hot as the pod slammed into the atmosphere at over 4,000 m/s. The Kerbals safely descended under parachutes after over 120 days in space, the next step in the Kerbal exploration of space complete.

While the first interplanetary flight proved the reliability of the CSM over long flights and the viability of the wet workshop concept, the boys at KSC realized that a short fly-by could only provide so much data about a planet, especially about its surface. For the next mission they wanted something more substantial, and they had Duna in their sights. It will be a challenge, but hopefully the successful Eve mission will cause even more funding and support to pour into the Ascension Applications Program.

Scoring

With the completion of the Eve flyby project parameters, this adds 20 points to my Apollo Applications Program score. My running total is outlined below:

- Previous Apollo Program Goals: +90 points

- Munar Base: no points for initial APP project

- MOLAB: +20 points

- Eve Flyby: +20 points

Apollo Applications Program Total: 130 points

Previous & Future Ascension Program Reports: Normal Apollo Program - Mun Base and Molab - Duna Flyby & Landing

Edited May 22, 2015 by Jonboy

Speeding Mullet · May 18, 2015

Pleased to be able to enter this challenge, as it will allow me to follow form up to a point and then branch off into a more free style of playing. I haven't started a full on mission report in a while so this also seems like a good opportunity to hone my writing and presentation style a little.

My mission report and (ongoing) challenge entry here

Yukon0009 · May 18, 2015

Not an offical entry yet but my work on Apollo:

benjee10 · May 18, 2015

I'm now up to Apollo 15 (the full mission albums can be seen on my Mission Reports thread but I won't be cluttering this thread with them) so a few more points are in order hahaha:

Apollo XIV - A Lunar Sub-satellite is deployed.

Apollo XV - Lunar Roving Vehicle (assembled in-situ using KIS)

So points:

- Include Lunar Subsatellite on Apollo 11-18.+5

- Include Lunar Rover on Apollo 11-18 +10

Total = 125

Whirligig Girl · May 19, 2015

That's a neat rover there. Ven's Revamp looks great here.

Norcalplanner · May 19, 2015

There's a a brief overview of my nascent program over in my mission report thread. Full mission entries will come later, but here's a taste with a short WIP album:

loch.ness · May 19, 2015

Updated my Mission Report thread. Little Joe II, a Saturn IB launched a Mun Mapping Satalite (DMagic and ScanSat), and Apollo IV.

The Apollo Applications Program: 1.0 Edition

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