Jump to content

Mucking with the Mun-Another trip to the Grey Rock.


DMSP

Recommended Posts

First I was messing, now I'm mucking. But anyways, back to the Mun we go!

Part I- Déjà Vu

A week after Jeb, Bob and Val returned from their Mun trip, the next crew's lander lifted off from the Kerbal Space Center.

v1uKQ2b.png

A bit too familiar.

txP9fKp.png

The launch went perfectly, and with Scatterer now installed again, it wasn't boring like the last one.

tCnvrcy.png

The lander pulled into a 150x155 Kilometer Equatorial Orbit, exactly what was needed for this mission.

6eAZDiW.png

This is Version 8b. Version 8a, we don't talk about it past this. Let's just say that Darmstadtium will never be the same (The element and the town outside the KSC)...

Version 8b has two KIS containers capable of carrying cargo along with the lander down to the surface. The difference is it basically sacrifices the "hopping" feature of version 6/7.

 

Back on the ground, a few days later, Val, Bill and Donton stepped into their capsule. Time to go to the Mun!

The last version had proved to be, well, Terrible.

8WEd3p0.png

This new version was better at everything! More efficient, more boosters, more coolness, the list goes on!

5Z1pZDw.png

They pitched over and began speeding up to get to the lander.

EIwyEg7.png

Once again at the point where it was not needed, the escape tower fired off to meet its doom in Kerbin's atmosphere. You did good, LES. You did good.

wkIyfUw.png

The capsule ended up with a rendezvous in less than an orbit. The launch was completely successful.

xvhS4Rn.png

A bit of orbital maneuvering later, and the crew were set for a 100 meter intercept.

yJLDBiR.png

a6ooJd8.png

The docking was like any other, except this one didn't take place in the night. Yes!

IB50fIO.png

Within minutes, they extended the panels and antenna of the command capsule and shot off towards the Mun. Target: Farside Crater.

Donton was a bit upset he was being third wheeled, but hey, at least he gets a nice vie...

NNMQ8Oo.png

Eh.

Soon, the ejection burn was complete, and the stack was on its way to the Mun, leaving the safety of Kerbin Behind.

u6B13u2.png

S7ayXlr.png

It only took a few hours, and they were upon the Mun. The insertion burn cost them very little, and soon they put themselves in a 35 by 35 Km orbit.

GHLlEyF.png

After that, the Farside Crater was coming up, so Val and Bill said their farewells and closed the hatch. Donton had asked for a rock but they ignored him. Poor guy. He sighed and pulled out of the lander's way.

DNUCjxV.png

The lander began its descent. Would they make it with the added KIS weight?

iMhpcsq.png

Luckily, still heavily loaded with fuel, the lander had a TWR of over 1, so the crew knew that they (theoretically) could land this thing.

lvSUI3D.png

They cut relative velocity over the crater, but they were still going far too fast.

JzFmkeL.png

Donton shut radio contact. He didn't want to hear the static that was too come.

30 m/s.

20 m/s.

Val then screamed: "Bill, Jump!" By jump she meant jump out of the capsule, which Bill did.

Impact.

 

Nobody knows how it happened. Maybe SQUAD was watching over those two Kerbals descending too the Mun. But even though it impacted past safe speed, the landing legs took the force and the lander just toppled into the Munar soil.

6qSOasy.png

Phew!

 

What happens next, only time (and I) will tell...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, UnusualAttitude said:

Close call! Do you think you can get it back on its legs?

Nice to see some players are concerned with their Kerbals' safety and use the LES :wink:

I know I have! I actually have 3 more missions like this screenshotted and ready to go, the hardest part is writing them up!

Thanks! I feel like loosing them is dumb of me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry it's been a while guys, but back to the Mission...

Part II-Picky Kerbals

"Owwww" Bill complained. Sure, he had hit the ground at 10 m/s, but that's just a light bump! Kerbals can fall far longer than that!

Bill then went around and repaired all the landing legs, allowing Val to set back the Lander.

SgKHKbm.png

Val then decided to have a look around. It was a pretty dark basin, not the best place for a base. And hadn't we been somewhere like here in Meddling with the Mun?

xIo9Z0x.png

After taking a cool picture and realizing Kerbin was nowhere to be seen, Val told Bill that they were planting a flag and then getting out of here.

gZpRMcd.png

They lifted off and pitched over towards where Kerbin should be. That would also but their landing site close to Prograde.

Boy, it was a brilliant Kerbinrise.

ioP3lR7.png

Once they got low enough, Val ignited the engines once more and they touched down on a slope in the highlands. Good hop. 10/10.

bR6bc1T.png

bRqAjTy.png

Sxt2xiR.png

Even after all of this fuss and drama, Bill insisted that this wasn't a good "Base Place" and so the final kilometer long hop was made.

BI4aqsX.png

Val carefully put the craft down, now with only seconds of fuel remaining. They had sure cut it close.

6EBM7Hk.png

And yes, this spot would do.

 

After some celebratory snacks, it was time to get to work. Val was makeshift scientist for the mission whilst Bill was of course, Engineer.

So Bill began unpacking the cargo containers that were brought down with the craft.

Whilst Val inspected the lander and made sure it was all good, Bill put together the first Key components of the base.

kp9zB36.png

Val then climbed in whilst Bill continued adding stuff outside.

OaHoMB0.png

And within minutes, Tada! A fully functional outpost on the Mun. Since it was only a couple dozen kilometers away from Prograde, it was named Prograde Base.

1zcNUR3.png

Hours passed. All was good. Val had the Lab operational and they started getting science from the local regolith.

3xKPVPL.png

That was one view. One incredible view.

So, as our brave explorers continue to pioneer and discover, we leave them in their lab.

uaf7u8I.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part III-Farewell, Mün.

Since the base wasn't exactly on Prograde, Val was called to go there. She grabbed one of the extra EVA tanks in the KIS Boxes and lifted off to find Porgrade.

KnWNafI.png

It was a long journey. She almost clipped two hills!

M8vNeZP.png

But eventually she decided that she was over Prograde Point. By now she was more than 25 Kilometers from the base. Her landing had been less than perfect, but hey, she wanted to save fuel!

HyHfHwb.png

After planting a flag, Val decided there was not much to do here and headed back to base.

ZzPxFUY.png

Kerbin was just peaking out over the Prograde Peaks. Quite a sight! Scatterer is awesome...

50VkTN4.png

She continued onwards, soaring over the Mün's surface. With only 2 units of EVA propellant in her suit, and the extra tank used up, she was going to be cutting this landing far too close.

M0kKbUy.png

But luckily she set down successfully, with only two bruises to count.

They continued doing science, collecting samples around the base and trying to find crystals. Eventually they found some clearish Quartzy thing but nothing really brilliant to speak of.

bFDiwlI.png

The Münar night was long. Running on internal batteries the base almost shut down. Lucky it didn't!

dK5GInA.png

Bill didn't like it here anymore. Too dark and silent. The lights were on the brink of flickering out so they shut down the science lab and sat in the habitat. Val thought she saw something moving outside of the light's range but they could never know. Bill slept with his helmet on.

But it was soon over. They watched the Mun eclipse Kerbin and then began packing their things.

KXTevbm.png

They set the base on low power mode, so if any aliens came they would not come steal stuff because they would think somebody was home.

Bill took one last look from the open hatch of the Ascent Capsule. Was something wonderful out there, sitting in the half lit soil, just a meter away from the descent stage?

Or was there something evil, waiting to pop the two inflatable habitats and kill any Kerbals who were inside?

Bill shook his head at the last thought and shut the hatch. It was time to go.

sS9FuDl.png

The little base would continue surviving on the surface. Maybe some Kerbals would one day come and land here, continuing the base, adding more modules, and exploring the surface with rovers. Who knows. One day.

3UfNkD0.png

CsGN1Qr.png

8haINye.png

Soon they approached Donton in his capsule. He cheered upon seeing them out of the window. Maybe they had heard his pleas for a rock in the beginning of the mission.

Val corrected the craft and then pulled in for a docking.

6UXboXh.png

Turns out they hadn't heard him. Oh well, poor Donton. He'd get a rock someday.

AsUUwRv.png

The empty ascent stage then turned over and began its terminal descent. Val and Bill waved it goodbye. It did well.

VU42ozB.png

Then they were going home. Donton set the final burn and put them on a return trajectory. One last day and then they were home.

The Mun slipped away into the distance. Tiny parts of its grayness would be taken away in the sample jars, where scientists would learn what the Mün truly was and what it really was made of.

izBNeBH.png

 

Soon reentry was approaching. Donton fired the engines one last time to give a slowdown boost, and then spun the spacecraft and ditched the service module.

h8VnPsN.png

The reentry was hot! Nothing else to say about it.

535r1Ca.png

The crew was set to land in the desert, where recovery teams were waiting for them.


15Qwguz.png

yb5ITLU.png

The drag chute did its job, slowing the capsule enough so the two main chutes could billow out above it.

OBOtMbc.png

2xNqCqA.png

They touched down a few kilometers off from where the recovery crews were, but they landed softly.

Val looked out of the window. A blue sky.

They were safe.

WfN0fHz.png

They were home.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And so brings the end of Mucking with the Mun. (Bump... I know, I know...)

Next stop Minmus, and after that the Jool system! We're bringing a Kerbal to Tylo and back (done already)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...