Koviet Space Program (Muna 1, First Munar Flyby)

[Sanic]

Since I have managed to churn out enough text walls to reach page 2, I have a question. How do you make a link to a post?

Edited January 12, 2016 by Sanic

[Mister Dilsby]

44 minutes ago, Sanic said:

Since I have managed to churn out enough text walls to reach page 2, I have a question. How do you make a link to a post?

Go to the little thing at the upper right of the post that looks like a model of a water molecule. Click it ("share this post") and you'll see the URL of the post. Then copy that URL, and paste it in using the link function of the post editor (am assuming you know how to do that part  )

[Sanic]

  Sorry to all for the late upload. Unrelatedly, thanks to @Kuzzter, I have learned how to make links to posts, so expect a table of contents in the OP in the very near future.

The Stayputnik Crisis - 5 Days After Stayputnik 1's Launch - Late 1357

  The Kerbal States were panicking. Their Kanguard 1 launch had failed
brilliantly, with critics calling it the 'explodenik' and the
'flopnik'. The Kerbal States state of panic was only worsened by the
creepy and constant beeping from Stayputnik 1, which up until now the
Kerbal States had made fun of for its name. But Stayputnik 1 was
orbiting Kerbin at nearly 2,400 m/s while the Kanguard (now named KV3,
as the KS did not want their first satellite to have any number but 1
next to the name) was only in the newspapers, proclaimed a disastrous
failure. With the future of the KS's space enterprise very uncertain,
president Dwight K. Kermanhower founded KASA (Kerbal Aeronautics and
Space Administration), a civilian space agency that took over all of
the air force's space assets. Sergei Kermanolev decided to launch
another Stayputnik to demonstrate the Koviet's superb spaceflight
capability.

  Another beeper on the next Stayputnik was out of the question; many
kerbals across Kerbin had gone insane from the constant beeps of the
Stayputnik 1. Beep Wards had to be built in hospitals all across
Kerbin to treat those who had gone mad from the space beeps. The price
of cheese skyrocketed kerbinwide. The Koviets finally decided to put a
large kanister in orbit to test the effects of space on snacks.
Stayputnik 2, since it did not require any long, fancy, extendable
antenna like the Stayputnik 1, would have a smaller integrated
antenna, and would not seperate from its carrier K-7 rocket.
Stayputnik 2, like its predecessor, was very simple, with a modified
Stayputnik 1 backup being used as a battery pack. The snack kanister
was strutted just underneath. It was quickly fitted onto a K-7 and
readied for launch.

  Sergei Kermanolev watched the Stayputnik 2 veer away from the launch pad.

The rocket was nearly identical the K-7 that launched Stayputnik 1, but with the addition of extra verniers around the strap-on boosters. The initial ascent was virtually the same.

However, the rocket followed a steeper launch trajectory, and so went much faster on ascent.

The ground crew watched as the flaming Kermanolev cross formed. All was working perfectly, besides the fact that the chips in the canister had been crushed by the 5-g unpadded ascent.

Due to the steeper ascent profile, the computer turned the rocket almost anti-radial to make sure the apokee did not rise too far up.

After a minute of low-throttle anti radial burning, the computer aimed the rocket prograde and began the final orbit insertion.

Stayputnik 2 was now too far away to be seen as anything other than a white line, so Kermanolev turned his attention to the probe telemetry. 20 seconds into the final burn, the telemetry confirmed fairing separation.

Now safely in orbit, study of the snacks could begin. Unfortunately, many of the snacks had melted already due to the then-unknown temperature of space. While the Koviets were disappointed that they couldn't study their chocolate bars, they eventually determined that microgravity would not affect the deliciousness of snacks.

With the UKKR's recent achievement of not only the first but second artificial satellite, all hope turned to the newly-formed KASA and its team of old Kazi scientists. KASA ordered Wernher and his team to use their Jool-K rocket as soon as possible to get a satellite into orbit. But with the Koviets so far ahead, did the Kerbal States even stand a chance?

Edited January 13, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

 I have nothing more to say but MOAR!

Chapter 3 - Living Up to Its Name - Early 1358

  Sergei Kermanolev gently chuckled as he read the headline on the daily newspaper. 'American Satellite in Space'. Good riddance. The Kerbal States seemed to hold such an advantage, yet lost the title of First Satellite to the Koviet Union, a snack-deprived dictatorship and its satellite states. The UKKR had launched 2 satellites before the KS launched its first, but no real science had been done. Stayputnik 2, although not purely for propaganda like Stayputnik 1, did not accomplish much, In retrospect, the Koviet scientists realized that they were stupid to think microgravity would have any effect on the deliciousness of snacks. So a new Stayputnik, Stayputnik 3, would be put into orbit carrying a motherload of scientific instrumentation. The new Stayputnik was codenamed Objekt K, and slated for launch in around 50 days,

52 Days Later...

  As with all of the K-7 launches so far, Sergei Kermanolev watched the rocket from mission control . The engines ignited and the rocket pulled away from the launch tower. Disaster struck only a few seconds later.

The rocket, essentially a hunk of explosive fuel and metal at this point, fell back onto the pad.

Most of the rocket actually survived the initial fall, due to the low velocity, but it fell over and blew up aftter one of the strap-on boosters exploded.

While the KS's failures were very public, the Koviets covered up the failed launch. The backup was rushed to the Kaikonur Kosmodrome for the real launch. After this launch failure, the Koviets decided that LKO satellites were just not worth the funds for what they did. The K-7 was still barely tested, and the first 2 Stayputniks were lucky launches. The Stayputnik was to be the only Koviet launch in 1358, as the Koviet High Kommand requested that Kermanolev and his bureau begin the Muna series of space probes for Munar exporation.

[fgjordy]

Guess that the Koviet's are really busy those days with trying to achieve the impossible... the CNKA just thinks about people in space, i  love how you do those stories! keep up the good work bro!

[Sanic]

6 hours ago, fgjordy said:

Guess that the Koviet's are really busy those days with trying to achieve the impossible... the CNKA just thinks about people in space, i  love how you do those stories! keep up the good work bro!

Thank you! 

[Mister Dilsby]

Really great stuff here, @Sanic, love those last two updates but unfortunately have run out of replikes for the day. Something about those Kaikonur launches... it just looks so much cooler for the rocket to boost out of a bowl in the mountains.  

[Sanic]

12 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

Really great stuff here, @Sanic, love those last two updates but unfortunately have run out of replikes for the day. Something about those Kaikonur launches... it just looks so much cooler for the rocket to boost out of a bowl in the mountains.  

Thank you! I honestly thought the last chapter was a bit barebones, but I guess I'm just too critical of myself  

Edited January 13, 2016 by Sanic

[Just Jim]

I love what you did with the old space center.....  nice job so far!  Looking forward to more

[Sanic]

I have a question for my readers: Would you like me to include Minmus in the missions (Kerbalism) or ignore it entirely (realism)?

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Sanic said:

I have a question for my readers: Would you like me to include Minmus in the missions (Kerbalism) or ignore it entirely (realism)?

 

Go to Minmus.  I almost wrote Munmis... I ship it...  What happened to your profile picture?

[Sanic]

5 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

Go to Minmus.  I almost wrote Munmis... I ship it...  What happened to your profile picture?

@KasperVld removed it, sadly. 

It was 2fast4thosewhoarecursedwithepilepsy.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Sanic said:

@KasperVld removed it, sadly. 

It was 2fast4thosewhoarecursedwithepilepsy.

Get a new one...  I don't blame him though...

[Sanic]

 Sorry for the short hiatus all.

Chapter 4 - The Last Stayputnik - 2 Days After Stayputnik 3's Launch Failure - Mid 1358

  After the wreckage was cleared and the launchpad repaired, the backup Stayputnik 3 was rolled into place. This was the very last backup, and quite possibly the only chance Sergei Kermanolev and his team had at getting science from space, as the Koviets were mainly focused on the propaganda value of space exploration. The backup, loaded to the brim once again with scientific instruments, was ready for launch. There would be no grand ceremony after this launch, unlike the other ones. The Muna program was in full development, and being rushed to completion. Sergei had his finger over the launch button, counting down in his head this time.

10... 9... 8... 7... 3 2 1 Launch!

  Sergei was just too impatient to be bothered with a proper countdown. Besides, who NEEDS countdowns?

The rocket, like Stayputnik 2, followed a very steep launch angle.

The launch was so steep that the ground crew started to worry. An emergency program was started which, once the kore had reached 45 km, the rocket would burn straight towards Kerbin to flatten out its trajectory.The ground team would have to wait to see if this emergency procedure would work, however, as the boosters hadn't even separated yet.

Once again a flaming Kermanolev cross formed. While it certainly was pretty, the ground crew was concerned because the red-hot boosters could very well hit the Kaikonur Kosmodrome.

The emergency program went into effect but a few seconds later when the rocket reached 45 km.

After bringing down the apokee to a reasonable 100 km, the rocket began its final orbital insertion.

Sergei watched the fuel readings closely from the Kaikonur Kosmodrome. 30... 20... 10.. Burnout.
Stayputnik 3 had safely made it onto orbit.

Stayputnik 3 safely separated, and started doing all the science it could. Unfortunately, the magnetometer wasn't working properly, so the theorized van Kerman radiation belts were instead discovered by a KS satellite later that year.

With Stayputnik 3 safely in orbit, Kermanolev and his team focused all of their resources on the upcoming Muna program. The first Muna probe was to be a modified Stayputnik 1 designed to impact the Mun with the first launch slated for late 1358. The Stayputnik 3 was going to be the only launch of 1358, but since the Muna program was going so well the Koviets decided to make it a 1358 launch.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Sanic

[Mister Dilsby]

Hey, looks like you get my 2000th post! So, why the steep launch? Those mountains next to your Kosmodrome aren't that high  Wondering if it's a stability issue--I've had rockets that were so flippy (for example, launching a Kranefly or an Evestation) that I had to go nearly straight up, then turn once I was out of the thick air. But your Stayputnik launchers look much sleeker than those monsters.   Are you able to throttle back and get more of a classic ascent profile? 

[Sanic]

On January 17, 2016 at 1:22 PM, Kuzzter said:

Hey, looks like you get my 2000th post! So, why the steep launch? Those mountains next to your Kosmodrome aren't that high  Wondering if it's a stability issue--I've had rockets that were so flippy (for example, launching a Kranefly or an Evestation) that I had to go nearly straight up, then turn once I was out of the thick air. But your Stayputnik launchers look much sleeker than those monsters.   Are you able to throttle back and get more of a classic ascent profile? 

 Well, my K-7 is a very odd launcher, and it's not as real as I would like. Even with over 100 kn of thrust vectoring with the verniers, the rocket flips out when diverging slightly from the velocity vector. If I throttle down, I don't have enough control to make any sort of attitude adjustments whatsoever. The K-7, while pointy, is unstable and flippy. As for the throttle, If I turn it too low I don't get the nice Kermanolev cross because my boosters come to space if the throttle isn't maxed 80% of the ascent.

Or maybe I just really suck at gravity turns 

Edited January 19, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

 Nevermind, the forums decided to delete my entire Muna chapter that I worked on for an hour so I'll be ragequitting for a moment.

SQUAD needs to fix some bugs with the forum

Edited January 26, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

  The second version of the next chapter is here! I have also installed RealPlume to make engines prettier.

Chapter 5 -Fly Me To The Mun - Early 1359

  The "president" of the Koviet Union, Nikita Khermanshchev, had been angered greatly when the first Muna launch failed. His team's second failure had caused the Koviet space program's carefully planned schedule to be disrupted, which included a Duna flyby in 1360 and an Eve landing by 1361. Even though only a few months were lost, this proved devastating to the carefully laid plans. The Koviets, already pushed to the limit over the upcoming interplanetary missions, just simply could not develop all the required hardware in time. But that was the future, and the backup Muna 1 was yet to be launched. Sergei's engineers checked the rocket's systems one final time, and programmed the new ascent program intol the probe. It was untested and surely infested with bugs, but the Koviets were concerned over the steep ascent that had destroyed the first Muna. Sergei initiated the countdown when the engineers were barely off the pad, wanting to get the first Munar impact out of the way so he could focus on more daunting tasks.

10... 9... 8.. 7... 6... 5... 4...

  Right before T minus 3, the rocket's engines ignited and it skyrocketed off the pad, accelerating at a crushing 9 gees. the new program seemed to have its timing slightly off, but Sergei and his team decided it shouldn't be a problem.

The rocket began its gravity turn earlier and was pitched over 30 degrees by the time it reached 12 km. The hastily created guidance program once again caused a malfunction. The boosters, still carrying 4 seconds of fuel, separated early and flew up a couple hundred meters before cutting out.

The rocket's guidance worked correctly, though, and so the rocket turned to a more reasonable attitude to complete the orbital insertion.

The fairing separated correctly, revealing its Stayputnik-like payload, Muna 1.

Sergei watched the seconds to burnout. The brand-new Blok K upper stage was 10 seconds to ignition. 6 seconds later, Sergei Kermanolev's heart filled with dread. The Blok K upper stage fired 4 seconds too early.

Sergei's team determined that Muna 1 would miss the Mun entirely, fly by, and be shot out into interplanetary space. The mission was essentially a failure, but since no spacecraft had ever been to the Mun before a flyby was still enough to earn the Koviets another slot in the history books.

1 day later...

Muna 1 had flown by the Mun and gathered all the science it could. It got a gravity assist of sorts and shot out into interplanetary space.

  2 days later, Muna 1 was in a heliocentric orbit, where it detected solar weather for the first time. Muna 1 was in an orbit between Kerbin and Duna where it would remain for eternity, or until the next Kraken attack.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Sanic