Mandaran Space Agency [Ch 5]

[CessnaSkyhawk]

Welcome to the Mandaran Space Agency!

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction [Part 1]

2. Introduction [Part 2]

3. Infographics

4. Mun on the Horizon

5. Munshot

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Origins of the MSA

The Mandaran Space Agency (MSA) is the official space program of the Mandaran Union. It first originated from the Mandaran Sounding Project (MSP), a small scientific program focused on atmospheric and space research using small solid-fuel sounding rockets. Unfortunately, it didn’t get too much support due to government focuses being elsewhere during the Great War. After Unification Day, and the establishment of the Mandaran Union as the world government, however, funding was finally able to be shifted away from military research, and the MSP was promoted into the MSA, given some land near the former Cape Cavi Air Force Station, and was given the funding needed to finally reach orbit. 

 

Cape Cavi - Home of the MSA

As of Y2 D260,  the MSA’s main base of operation is the Cape Cavi AFS, located at 20° S,  140°E.  This location was chosen in large part due to its isolation, as the island it's on juts far out into the Great Sea, giving it a wide range of launch azimuths. The base, with its 3 runways, multiple hangars and workshops, and other facilities, is well-equipped to support a variety of aircraft, from GA planes to military jets. However, it’s most important assets are the facilities dedicated to the furtherance of space exploration. The main pad (Cape Cavi AFS Pad 01), located smack dab in the center of the base, is where all rockets launched so far have lifted off from, after being assembled in the hangar behind, and checked on the test pad next door. The rocket parts themselves are tooled within the hangar, and then hauled out and stacked on the pad itself, with the mobile cover protecting it until launch day. This setup fits the current launch vehicles, but construction has already started on a new dedicated facility, the “Mandaran Space Center”, on the other side of the island, capable of supporting larger launches.

Launch Vehicles

So far, there have been three major launch vehicles that have defined the MSA so far - they are listed below:

The Cloudbuster                  

Adapted from the Leto missile series, the Cloudbuster is the rocket that sent the first satellite to orbit, and the first kerbal across the Karman line. It uses the “Sandstone” liquid fuel engine for the first stage. Earlier versions use a battery of “Vicenza “ solid-fuel rockets as its second stage, while latter ones use the more advanced “Staara-20“, which is slightly more effective, far less complex, and can fit in a fairing, making less aerodynamic payloads viable. Alternatively, with the upper stage assembly removed, the Cloudbuster can effectively loft the Kestrel capsule onto a suborbital trajectory. The Cloudbuster, while lower-performing than the Super Eaglet, is a worthy rocket.  With large control surfaces, it is more stable than its brethren, and is far easier to fly. It’s also very reliable, with not a single failure to its name (ignoring one manufacturing flaw in the Staara OIS motor). It has set the standard against which all future rockets will be judged upon.

The Super Eaglet 

Fully comprised of solid-fuel engines, with a name harkening back to the Eaglet series of sounding rockets, the Super Eaglet is notably more powerful that its predecessors, to the point that the MSA’s best and brightest rocket scientists were quite surprised that its first payload, Pioneer II, was launched into an orbit with an apoapsis past Minmus, rather than the expected 1000km Ap. This power does have some negatives, as the Super-Eaglet is harder to control than the Cloudbuster. According to those aforementioned rocket scientists, this is due to a mixture of its higher TWR meaning it faces higher dynamic pressure, making it easier to flip if it falls out of the slipstream, and its smaller control surfaces making it less responsive, especially outside of the slipstream. However, its high payload capacity, and more maneuverable vacuum stage (thanks to built-in RCS thrusters) makes it the current workhorse of the MSA.

The Theta - I        

The forgotten sibling of the Cloudbuster and Super Eaglet, the Theta - I consists of a LF lowerstage, powered by a “Viking” engine, and an experimental LF upper stage, powered by an “Alpha” engine. It was only used once to launch Pioneer III, in competition with the Super Eaglet to see which was the more effective booster. The Super Eaglet won handily… Theta I’s first stage was sluggish off the pad, tricky to fly without fins, and in general left much to be desired. Its upper stage performed better, but unfortunately, was ultimately ineffective, as it had to be fired immediately on first stage jettison for ullage reasons, and therefore performed its burn quite efficiently. It made orbit, but just barely, and in light of the Super Eaglet’s success, it was shelved for now...

 

 

Mission Logs

A list of all launches performed by the MSA so far - the dates for some were lost in an unfortunate accident involving Bill, a Seperatron, and our filing cabinet...

Images

The Mandaran Space Agency is the space program I'm simulating in my current heavily modded science mode game - as I continue to play, I'll update this whenever I'm in the mood. Right now, I'm just setting everything up, and getting caught up to the present (I got to my first Mun fly-by of the playthrough before deciding to start this). Sorry if its a bit sloppy - I'm relatively new to posting on the forums, so I've been having a bit of trouble with it all.

Edited January 7, 2021 by CessnaSkyhawk
New chapter added

[Mikenike]

12 hours ago, CessnaSkyhawk said:

A list of all launches performed by the MSA so far - the dates for some were lost in an unfortunate accident involving Bill, a Seperatron, and our filing cabinet...

 

Suprised it wasn't Jeb doing that. Can't wait to see more here.

[Misguided Kerbal]

I can't wait to see more of this!

[CessnaSkyhawk]

Mandaran Space Agency’s Comms Network

A burgeoning space program like the MSA requires an effective communications system in order to keep things going well (or so we discovered after we lost Pathfinder III, and screwed up MLT-1 to comms blackouts), after those incidents, we’ve set up an organized network to ensure that doesn’t happen again. 

A Map of Kerbin, with important points marked.

Deep Space Network (DSN) Stations

The MSA has four main DSN stations, which are fitted to provide long-range comms for crafts beyond low Kerbin orbit. Currently, any craft operating at or beyond the Mun’s orbit contacts the DSN, but as remote technologies improve, it will shift to mainly interplanetary communications, while the Kerbocentric Relays will cover Kerbin’s full SOI.

Name	Frequencies	Description
Mission Control	1	Located on the outskirts of the MSA’s main Mission Control complex, this is the most direct link to command a craft can ever hope to attain.
Autumn Mountain	1	Autumn Mountain is known for its crisp fall air, which makes it easy for signals to penetrate the atmosphere without distortion. This makes it an optimal DSN site. It’s also the home of the Arekibo Observatory, the largest radio telescope ever built.
Bayside	1, 9	Why did we build this here again? Bayside is located on a small, storm battered, tropical island. It's an effective site, when it's not being battered by its seventh hurricane so far this year. This also gives it the honor of being the only DSN site with a secondary downlink - it's got its own access to the weather network. Hey, anything helps...
Crater Rim	1	Elevated high-up on the rim of an ancient impact crater, Crater Rim DSN site has an unparalleled view of the sky, making it an optimal choice for keeping in touch with distant craft.

Kerbocentric Relay Stations

The MSA has five (six if Khalee is counted) relay stations, which are fitted to provide short-range comms for crafts close to Kerbin, and which also handle transmissions on more specific frequencies as well. They have decent coverage in the Western Hemisphere, but in the Eastern Hemisphere, its very spotty, so ComSat arrays are needed to ensure full control is maintained.

Name	Frequencies	Description
Namsan	0, 7, 8	Originally an early-warning system during the War days, Namsan was retrofitted to support the MSA’s comms needs. It also serves as the secondary downlink for military craft, as it was the only other station considered “secure” enough.
Mesa South	0, 6	The namesake Mesa is a mecca for astronomical research due to the lack of settlements nearby, and thus it was a great choice for communication as well, as there's little interference to drown out signals. It also has a dedicated scientific downlink, as the infrastructure’s already there.
Larkes	0, 7, 9	Larkes, and the associated Woomerang Range, were considered as a possible launchsite for the MSA. However, it’s high latitude was a deal breaker. The comms hardware is still handy though.
Baikerbarnur	8	Baikerbarnur is the military HQ for the Mandaran Union, and has powerful comms infrastructure. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, they only allow military-band encrypted transmissions, so the only satellites capable of communicating with them are the military ones.
North Station One	0, 6, 9	Located in the Far North, North Station One’s main focus is communications with high-inclination, polar orbits, which are chiefly inhabited by weather and survey sats.
Khalee*	0, 6, 7, 8, 9	Khalee Airfield was already a hub of radio astronomy even before the Space Race began, making it was easy to establish a relay here. It's considered the main relay for short-range comms, and it also serves as the Launch Monitoring Station.

Launch Monitoring Stations

The MSA has a single Launch Monitoring Station at Khalee Airfield, in the desert-filled region to the north of Cape Cavi. It is essentially the same as the other relay stations, but it has a special distinction, as it receives and transmits telemetry to ascending rockets as they climb out over the Great Sea from Cape Cavi. This necessitates slightly improved infrastructure, to ensure security and redundancy for launches. Outside of this special role, however, Khalee acts the same as the other relay stations.

 

Frequencies

Thanks to the usage of advanced communication protocols, the MSA is able to separate communication bands based on frequency, making it far easier to organize the communications network. The current frequencies are listed below, and an updated version will be provided here at a later time.

 

Number	Name	Description
0	General Comms	Basic comms channel, used by all craft during flight maneuvers and by relay ComSats
1	Deep Space Network	Used to communicate with spacecraft over large distances (Mun & beyond)
2	Disabled	Used for satellites that are no longer in use
6	Research	Used for Kerbin-orbiting scientific satellites
7	Commercial	Used for satellites launched for commercial contractors
8	Military	Used for secure communications with military assets
9	Weather	Used to communicate with weather satellite constellations

 

 

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*Update*

With this post, I've wrapped up all the exposition I needed to do to get this going. From now on, everything will more so mission reports and images rather than "plot details" - I was just trying to get the scene set first, before moving on to that. 

Edited December 13, 2020 by CessnaSkyhawk

[CessnaSkyhawk]

Infographics

I'm just reserving this section now - it's not going to be used for anything for quite some time

Edited December 15, 2020 by CessnaSkyhawk

[CessnaSkyhawk]

MSA Update 1 - Mun on the Horizon

 

Since its founding and inaugural flights, the MSA has had many successes over the past few years, and is currently on track to meet its goal of landing boots on the Mun in “a reasonable timeframe”. A lot of exciting developments have occurred, so let's go through them all!

The Mandaran Space Center

The MSA outgrew Cape Cavi AFS quite quickly, and a larger complex was needed to support the growing  space program - enter the Mandaran Space Center:

Project Nimbus

In order to send truly substantial payloads into orbit, and on to Mun, Minmus, and beyond, a new generation of rockets was needed - enter Project Nimbus. After a lot of R&D and multiple design changes, the first test flight was launched, and successfully inserted a dummy payload into orbit. From there, the design continued to evolve, -the original SRBs were swapped out for more aerodynamic variants,  the interstage system was restructured, and different fairing shapes were tested. This series was also the first to make full use of the advanced “kOS Guidance System” for ascent control.

(Top) - The 4 variants of the Nimbus series   (Bottom Left) - The Nimbus Upper Stage (NUS)   (Bottom Right) - Kestrel 1, launched on a Nimbus 8, at SRB separation

Video showcasing multiple Nimbus launches from the Pad 01 TowerCam

Past Mission Highlights

LA ComSat Array               

In order to finally end the risk of comms blackouts, a array of four primitive relay ComSats were placed into stable 1300 km orbits, separated by 90° intervals. (Left) - Liftoff!   (Center) - Gravity turn in progress   (Right) - Burning into a transfer orbit with the Sats exposed

 

 

The NHC Constellation                    

The Mandaran Union's National Hurricane Center requested a constellation of four observation satellites ("Laura" (NHC -3), "Marco" (NHC-4), "Isaias" (NHC-5), and "Sally"(NHC-6)) to help track hurricanes from space. With the help of the reliable Nimbus-2, all four sats were correctly inserted into their orbits. (Far Left) - "Laura" in orbit (Left) - NHC - 4 waiting for lift-off   (Right) - Booster Separation on NHC - 5    (Far Right) - "Sally" burning for orbital insertion

 

The Luna Program               

The current main goal of the MSA is to land kerbals on the Mun, and while we are still a ways away from that, some exciting successes have occurred so far.  Luna 2 successfully inserted itself into Munar orbit (ignore the first attempt, which ran out of fuel before completing Trans-Mun Injection) , while Luna 3 arrived soon after with a much more hefty scientific payload. Luna 5, a scanning probe, has been collecting valuable data about the Mun's topography, even thought it was handicapped by a mistimed LKO entry burn due to the destruction of its main antenna on an excessively rough ascent, and the resultant loss of telemetry. If you're wondering about Luna 4 - it was nearly ready to launch when a major hardware failure occurred during vertical integration. It is being rebuilt from scratch, and Luna 5 ended up being able to be launched first. (Left) - Luna 2, Kerbin, and the Mun   (Center) - one of the first images transmitted back by Luna 3   (Right) - Luna 3 performing TMI  

Kestrel II                 

Based on what we learned from Kestrel I, we were able to carefully mount (aka strap on with duct tape and zip ties) the Kestrel capsule and a custom upper stage onto a Nimbus 8, giving it the ability to reach LKO. Once again, Jeb was chosen for this monumental flight, and thanks to both his skill and the quality of the Nimbus and Kestrel, it went off without a hitch. (Far Left) - Kestrel II on climb-out   (Left) - Orbital insertion in progress...   (Right) - Jeb decided to have some fun with the Kestrel II's incredibly expensive scientific camera system   (Far Right) - What goes up, must come down

 

SolShot                   

The Explorer series of probes will be the first to travel to another world. First, however, MSA engineers wanted to do a test run, hence SolShot was plotted. A fully functioning Explorer probe would swing by the Mun, before launching off out of Kerbin's SOI. There, its equipment could be tested in heliocentric orbit, while at the same time also providing us with the first scientific data from out there. (Far Left) - Nighttime Climb   (Left) - Mun flyby/gravity assist   (Right) - SolShot takes a group selfie w/ everyone back home   (Far Right) - Kerbin and Kerbol, from quite the unique perspective.

Osprey I Target Vehicle            

Osprey I will be the next crewed MSA mission, launching two crew members via the brand new Redbird - Osprey launch vehicle, which is still in development. A key tenent of the program is attempting in-orbit rendezvous, and for this first attempt, the target is a unmanned vessel loaded with scientific experiments. Even though the launch of Osprey I is still months away, the craft was launched early, to both allow it to spend more time collecting data, and also to get it out of the way before the pad gets busy closer to the Duna and Eve transfer windows later in the year.  (Left) - Yet another liftoff from Pad 01   (Center) - Stage separation confirmed!   (Right) - Look at all that SCIENCE!!! 

Upcoming Missions

Osprey I            

Osprey I will be the next crewed MSA mission, launching two crew members via the brand new Redbird - Osprey launch vehicle, which is still in development. The target vehicle is already in orbit, so now we are just waiting for the engineers to finish up their job, and then we are Go for Launch!

Explorer 1 & 2       

The Explorer program will be our first attempt to send probes to fly-by other planets. Eventually we aim to send one to all four non-Kerbin inner planets (Moho, Eve, Duna & Dres (if it really exists)). The first two are going to Duna and Eve respectively. With their transfer windows falling within a few months of each other, it will certainly make for a hectic time at Cape Cavi.

Luna 4, 6 and 7       

Should all go well, the rebuilt Luna 4 probe should be able to launch sometime soon, and will be able to provide the MSA with much needed Munar altimetry data. This will allow for Luna 6 & 7, a pair of landers based on the Luna 3 chassis, to move in and before the first powered landings on the Mun, paving the way for a manned mission in the near future.

Luma 1 

Luma 1 will be the first probe sent to investigate Minmus, sparking the Luma program. This will work quite a bit differently than the Luna program has som far. Due to Minmus being so much smaller than Mun, we believe that it may be viable to instead go straight for a landing, without orbital insertion. The Luna 1 probe will use a refitted Explorer chassis, equipped with a radar altimeter, allowing it to calculate its distance from the surface without requiring any scanning data. It will then attempt to slow itself down and potentially land (or otherwise slam into) the Minmusian surface. 

Edited December 15, 2020 by CessnaSkyhawk

[AeroSky]

Interesting story so far! How did you create those rocket logos? (Ex. the eagle for The Super Eaglet)

How did you make those mission logos as well? They look great! Also, how did you manage to place the rocket logos and mission logos where they are (next to the mission name or rocket name)?

Edited December 15, 2020 by AeroSky

[Misguided Kerbal]

Wow, these are stunning!

[CessnaSkyhawk]

6 hours ago, AeroSky said:

Interesting story so far! How did you create those rocket logos? (Ex. the eagle for The Super Eaglet)

How did you make those mission logos as well? They look great! Also, how did you manage to place the rocket logos and mission logos where they are (next to the mission name or rocket name)?

 Thanks! Both the rocket and mission logos were made in paint.net, and were mostly assembled through a mix of random images from KSP, FTL (in the case of the manned missions) and the like - the eagle specifically was just a cool looking logo I had found online. For the planets themselves, I got them from jfjohnny5's Customizable Mission Flags. As for placing them next to the names, I just copy-pasted the image next to the text (after tabbing once) and then edited the resolution down to a reasonable value.

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by CessnaSkyhawk

[KerballingSmasher]

THE DOUBLE KOROLEV CROSS I CAN'T EVEN RIGHT NOW

[CessnaSkyhawk]

MSA Update 2 - Munshot - for some reason images aren't working - I'll try to fix em later!

 

Breaking News! On Y7 D20 (7:29 PM on  12/31/20 for those using  outdated time formats), the Mandaran Space Agency finally did the impossible, and landed two Kerbals (Jeb and Bob) on another world.  Years of planning, multiple different missions, and quite a bit of luck (along with liberal usage of the quicksave button)  brought the MSA to this day, so before we focus on Luna 9 itself, lets get caught up on everything else that made it possible.

New Rockets Ahoy!

This graphic shows most variants of rockets produced by the MSA so far, and also lists major missions launched by each one. It  even includes our newest rockets, the Redbird and Sarnus Series - more information on them will be provided next update. A higher resolution version of this image can be found here.

Past Mission Highlights

Explorer 1                  

Our first attempt at flying by another world, Explorer 1 was launched on an Duna intercept trajectory. Kitted out with a  suite of scientific experiments, the probe, after a nearly year-long transfer, swung by  Duna with a periapsis of ??? km,. Unfortunately, due to an error in trajectory planning, Duna blocked communications with Explorer 1 right as it reached its periapsis, preventing us from performing a few critical experiments which needed to be conducted near Duna.  (Far Left) - Explorer 1 performing trans-Duna Injection   (Left & Right) - Explorer 1 flies by Duna   (Right) - View of Duna from Explorer 1's camera

Explorer 2                    

Using the exact same bus and experimental suite as Explorer 1, Explorer 2 was launched towards Eve slightly later, and technically, due to its transfer time being far shorter, was the first craft to enter the SOI of a different planet.  Mid-flight, a short-circuit in the main probe bus's battery banks reduced its battery capacity, but the backup cells were still able to maintain it. It flew by Eve with a periapsis of about 76km, getting within .5 km of the accepted atmospheric start altitude, allowing for the collection of incredibly useful data (and very pretty pictures). Furthermore, Explorer 2 was able to perform a burn to set itself up for another flyby in about a years time. (Far Left) - Explorer 2 silhouetted against Eve   (Left) - Explorer 2 near its periapsis   (Right) - Another silhouette pic, they just look too awesome!   (Far Right) - Eve through Explorer 2's onboard camera 

Osprey 1                  

Osprey 1, the MSA's first multi-crew orbital mission, had a simple goal - rendezvous with a positioned science craft in orbit, and then return safely to Kerbin. Launched on the brand-new Redbird rocket, its brave crew was  able to turn a near-abort into a full on success - a miscalculation in the hot-staging code (or lack of it) led to the upper stage not having enough fuel to fully established an orbit. Fortunately, the crew managed to use the in-built OMS thrusters to circularize, and then remotely made the target vessel, which had more fuel available, burn onto a more forgiving intercept trajectory. (Far Left) - Osprey 1 sits on the pad, ready to launch   (Left) - Osprey 1 climbs out of Cape Cavi    (Center) - Osprey 1 attempts circularization with its orbital thrusters   (Right) - "Oh, you're approaching me?" ~ Osprey 1 Target Vehicle   (Far Right) - Docking successful!

Osprey 2                   

Osprey 2, using an improved Redbird-Osprey launch vehicle,  designed to not require firing the Osprey capsule thrusters for circularization,  was launched to help further refine the docking procedures established during the Osprey 1 mission. Unfortunately,  a error in the launch guidance algorithm led to an early activation attempt on the second stage right after liftoff, and the crew was forced to abort, splashing down safely about a kilometer off the coast of Cape Cavi.  The error was founded and patched, a new Redbird-Osprey was constructed, and soon after, the mission was launched once again, and this time, was an absolute success, paving the way for a mission to the Mun. (Far Left) - Abort! Abort!  (Left) - Stage 2 readout looks good - the hot staging was successful    (Center) - Osprey 1 burns for a encounter with its target   (Right) - Bill inspects the target vehicle's solar panels   (Far Right) - No mission is truly complete till that final chute opens up

MSA - SAC Mission                   

You wouldn't have heard of them, but we actually have (more like had!) a competitor in the race for the Mun - the Skyhawk Aerospace Corporation (SAC).  An aerospace corporation turned space agency, known for their fancy cryogenic engines, and luxurious command pods (all our kerbonauts are jealous of the heated seats and back massagers). However, they're not very good with probes, and prefer to do solely crewed missions. They were vying for the title of first agency to land on the Mun just as much as we were,  and as an act of goodwill, we agreed to perform a joint docking mission with them, almost like an official "starting gun" for the final stretch.  Using a modified Osprey capsule, fitted with a special adapter, our crew docked with their craft, the "Centurion",  and both crews took part in some cerimonial festivities before returning to kerra firma. (Far Left) - The Osprey capsule with its spiffy new docking adapter  (Left) - "Mission Control, we have the Centurion in sight!"    (Center) - All lined up - just need to get a little bit closer   (Right) - Same view, different angle   (Far Right) - The docking is a success - now lets celebrate!

Kerbostationary ComSat Array                 

The LA ComSat Array was effective at what it was designed for, but it was becoming outdated. The primitive relays were starting to have trouble handling the larger and more complex data packets more modern craft used, and, due to their lack of maneuvering thrusters,  they had also begun to drift out of their constellation. Due to this, it was decided that a new ComSat array, this time positioned in Kerbostationary orbit, would be constructed. Unlike the previous array, these sats were much larger, and were launched one at time, rather than all at once. Once established in their new orbits, the old ComSats were decommissioned permanently.  (Far Left) - ComSat I transits Kerbin while burning into kerbostationary orbit   (Left) - ComSat II climbing through the upper atmosphere  (Right) - ComSat III burning into a kerbostationary transfer orbit    (Far Right) - ComSat II sits on the pad, with the incomplete Sarnus tower on Pad 02 behind it

The Luna Program       

 The rebuilt Luna 4 probe launched without a hitch, made it to the Mun safely, and got us all the remaining data we needed to pick landing sites. Next, we sent Luna 6 and 7, a pair of landers, to investigate the surface, and to ensure we knew how to actually land there. Luna 6 landed without an issue, while Luna 7 had a minor leak, leading to it running out of RCS to keep it oriented. Mission Control managed to somehow control it by independently thrusting the three landing engines, and it miraculously managed to survive landing on its side. (Far Left) - Luna 4 burns into Munar Orbit   (Left) - Luna 6, and its Aurora kick stage, perform final checks before trans-Mun injection  (Right) -  And we have touchdown! Luna 6 has landed on the Mun!  (Far Right) - Hey, you win some, you lose some...

The Luma Program          

 The Luma program was quickly put into full swing, with the hope being that both the Mun and Minmus manned missions could be launched at around the same time, to save on costs maintaining the Sarnus facilities. Luma 1 was designed to attempt soft landing using a refitted Explorer chassis, but unfortunately, that didn't work as intended, and it kinda slammed into the surface a 50 m/s. Luma 2 was a basically a carbon copy of the Luna 3 orbiter - no issues there. Same thing with Luma 3 and 4, just with the Luna 4 and 5 ScanSats. Luma 5 and 6 were both landers of the same make as Luna 6 and 7, and unlike earlier attempts, these were both inserted into Minmal orbit before attempting to land, or at least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, sensors on Luma 5 detected a fuel leak in the main landing tank right as trans-Minmus injection, meaning that it likely would be unable to follow the normal plan. Instead, it used the Aurora upper stage to quickly do one final trajectory adjustment, so that it would impact Minmus directly, rather than flying by. Then, right before impact, the solid rocket motor originally designated for Minmal orbit insertion was fired, and managed to slow the probe down enough that the collision, while rough, was still survivable, saving the mission from doom. Luma 6 , on the other hand, went just fine, and now, we are poised to get boots on the ground here as soon as Luna 9 & 10 are complete. (Far Left) - Luma 1 approaching Minmus  (Left) - Luma 2 prepares for Minmal insertion.   (Center) - Luma 5 desperately tries to slow down using its solid rocket stage.   (Right) -  Luma 5 had a rough landing, but better than failure!  (Far Right) - Luma 4 checks out Minmus from above. 

Luna 8     

In order to perform one final test of the various components of the Sarnus V, and to at the same time help train the crew manning it, we launched Luna 8. Launched on a smaller Sarnus I, this mission injected solely the Command and Service modules onto a Munar trajectory, allowing it to establish orbit, run some equipment tests and do some science out there, and then head home. This allowed us to confirm multiple important things, from ensuring that the fancy new cryogenic upper engines worked, to proving that we should probably have enough Delta-V to get back, hopefully. (Top Far Left) - Luna 8 getting ready for launch   (Top Left) - Onwards to the Mun!   (Top Right) -  The Command Module floats free after stage seperation   (Top Far Right) - Mun, here we come!   (Bottom Far Left) - A nice view as Luna 8 approaches its periapsis  (Bottom Left) - Luna 8 manuvering around the Mun, with Kerbin in the background.    (Bottom Right) -  Flames start licking around the capsule as Luna 8 re-enters the atmosphere   (Bottom Far Right) - Splashdown!

Luna 9           

And now, for the main event. Years of preparation and hard work brought the MSA to this day, when finally, the MSA was ready to shoot for the moon. The Sarnus V was the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, and as it throttled up and rose off of Pad 02 at Cape Cavi, you could feel the ground shaking all the way over the the Air Force Station on the far side of the island. As Jeb, Bob, and Bill rocketed out of the atmosphere, and into orbit, the hopes and dreams of an entire planet (aside from the Skyhawk Aerospace Corp's CEO) went with them as well. The Sarnus V did its job well, and Luna 9 was soon established on a Munar trajectory. Now, it was up to Jeb to perform one of the hardest tasks yet - carefully manuvering the Command Module to grab the Lander out of the fairing of the previous stage. He managed to pull it off perfectly, and spirits were high as they spent the day watching the Mun get closer and closer. Finally, when it filled an entire viewscreen, with its surface rushing by just kilometers below them, the modules engine fired, placing them into a stable orbit. Jeb and Bob said goodbye to Bill, got into the Lander, and undocked, excited and incredibly nervous at the same time. As the landers engine fired, slowly decelerating them as they neared the surface, both kerbals were quite nervous - they had no idea what the surface would be like below them , as while the ScanSats were good, they weren't that accurate just yet. As they got within 100m of the surface, they breathed a sigh of relief, seeing nothing but a flat field of regolith below, until suddenly, Jeb realized something - they were in the wrong spot! Mission Control had plotted for Luna 9 to touch down in the large Northwestern Crater, as the scientists back home really wanted to get some data from there. However, according to their instruments, they were touching down a few kilometers too far west! They needed to burn due East now, but with that came an issue - the lander engine was only rated for 3 ignitions - 1 was used to deorbit, the second was used for a course correction, and now, the final had been used to activate the engine for the landing burn. That meant Jeb would have to perform the whole maneuver without ever shutting off the engine, a extraordinary feat. But Jeb was no ordinary pilot, and he skillfully managed to swing the module around, throttle the engine back up to full, and set it on a trajectory to the right spot. Quite proud of himself, Jeb shut off the engine, adjusted his suit, and got ready to make the big announcement, until he noticed Bob pointing out the window. Jeb, so proud of what he had done, had forgotten to actually land the thing, and now, him and Bob were hurtling towards the surface with no way to stop.  With no other options left, they needed to abort, using the ascent engine to send the back up to orbit. However, Jeb really didn't want to throw away his shot, not when they were this close, and Jeb just pushed the throttle full open, knowing full well the engine was out of ignitors. He was pleasantly surprised, however, that he suddenly felt a hard deceleration, as somehow, the engine managed to fire again. Bob quickly realized what happened - the engine bell, still hot from the last burn, managed to self-ignite the fuel, giving them another shot at pulling this off. The lander gracefully slowed to a stop, landing gently on the Munar regolith,  cementing them, and the MSA, in the record books forever.  (Top Far Left) -We have liftoff of the Luna 9!   (Top Left) - The Sarnus V thundering through the skies   (Top Center) - The Sarnus V's second stage fires with its signature blue flame   (Top Right) - The powerful ullage motors help get the third stage engine burning      (Top Far Right) -  Luna 9's Command module lining up to grab the lander     (Bottom Far Left) - The Mun looms ahead of Luna 9, and her brave crew   (Bottom Left) - The Command module fires its main engine, bringing it and the lander into a low Munar orbit.    (Bottom Center) - Everyone breathes a sigh of relief as the lander engine fires successfully   (Bottom Right) -  Just a few hundred meters left - we're almost there.   (Bottom Far Right) - "Cape Cavi, Mandara Base here. Luna 9 has landed."

 

What's Next?

So yeah, we did it... We made it to the Mun. That's not all there is to KSP though, and do not worry - the MSA still has plenty more its got to do - there's a whole solar system out there to explore. From here on out, I'm going to try and organize these posts a bit more so there's a more standard system, and will probably also post smaller things much more often, as writing out these huge write-ups gets tedious quite quickly. I'll probably make a post sometime later this week to cover the stuff I missed today (the new launch vehicles and upgrades to the Mandaran Space Center) and to also show how our brave kerbonauts get back home (at least I hope they do - not sure if I've got enough delta-V...). From there, I'll quickly finish up the remaining 3 Sarnus missions to Mun and Minmus, and then go from there to start exploring everything else this solar system's got to offer!

Edited January 8, 2021 by CessnaSkyhawk

[Misguided Kerbal]

Could you upload the images to imgur instead? I can't see any of them.

[CessnaSkyhawk]

2 hours ago, Misguided Kerbal said:

Could you upload the images to imgur instead? I can't see any of them.

Yeah - I'm going to try again later today - my usual method (copying them from the MSA's google drive) wasn't working for some reason so I tried doing the same with google photos, but that evidently didn't work. Although strangely enough the laptop I used to make the post says they exist, even though every other device I tried doesn't show them

[CessnaSkyhawk]

I'll have the pictures fixed hopefully sometime within the next 16 hours or so!