"Sic Itur Ad Astra" | A Kerbalized Alternate History of the Apollo Program

[DG1]

"Thus do we reach the stars"

 

Introduction:  

   Hello, and welcome to the "Sic Itur Ad Astra" thread. For the past few weeks, I have been working on my own alternate Apollo program and  I've recently gotten to a point where I am confident enough to share my posts here.  The main focus of this thread is to have a cohesive collection of mission profiles / reports, lore and screenshots.

The Apollo Program begins in 1961 just like in reality and continues on the same path until November 1967 when the crew for Apollo 8 is announced. From there, everything is from my own mind taking inspiration from cancelled missions, TV shows and more. In order to get some of the shots required, I'll be utilising real world images alongside my Kerbal ones which will be more prevalent.

Special Thanks:  

Raccourier for graciously making the patchwork. 

@Talverd for convincing me to do this and coming up with the name.

The Space Shuttle Adventures thread , ISS Adventures thread & the Chasing Dreams thread.

All of the mod developers that made this possible.

 

Mission List

Spoiler

1968

Apollo 8  - Completed

1969

Apollo 9 - Planned

Apollo 10 - Planned

Apollo 11 - Planned

Apollo 12 - Planned

1970

Apollo 13 - Planned

Apollo 14 - Planned

1971

Apollo 15 - Planned

Apollo 16 - Planned

1972

Apollo 17 - Planned

Apollo 18 - Partially Planned

Apollo 19 - Partially Planned

1973

Apollo 20 - Partially Planned

Apollo 21 - Unplanned

Apollo 22 - Unplanned

1974

Apollo 23 - Unplanned

Apollo 24 - Unplanned

Apollo 25 - Unplanned

Edited April 5, 2022 by DG1
Added overall program patch

[DG1]

 

Apollo 8, December 21st 1968

 

 

The Barrier Begging To Be Broken:
     With AS-503 set to launch CSM-103 "Explorer" and LM-3 "Spider",  many could hardly believe it. When the Apollo Program was approved by late President John F. Kennedy back in 1961,  many within NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration)  didn't believe that Kennedys deadline of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade would be possible.  But yet there the rocket stood, the rocket that would carry man to the moon and back for the first time ever and it was sitting on top of Launch Complex 39A ready to fly.

 

  After almost 7 years of testing and development, Kerbal Kind was finally set to break the barrier between itself and the Moon.  Three Kerbals have been selected for the first mission, Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Scott Carpenter & Lunar Module Pilot William Anders. Borman and Carpenter are extremely seasoned test pilots and veterans of the Mercury & Gemini program with Borman flying on Gemini 7 and Carpenter flying on Mercury-Atlas 7.

As the T- count hits 3 hours, it begins to dawn on everyone observing..
"We're going to break that barrier"

Apollo 8 with all 3 crew members aboard. T-minus 2 hours 22 minutes and counting. 

 

T-minus 50 minutes, crew access arm being retracted. 

 

T-minus 50 seconds, Saturn V has been switched over from ground to internal power. 

 

 We have a Liftoff of Apollo 8 51 minutes past the hour!

 

Frank Borman reports that their roll and pitch program has executed which will put Apollo 8 on the correct heading

Max-q!

 

Apollo 8 currently T+3 minutes into flight

 

"We've got skirt and tower sep!" - Frank Borman confirming both the engine skirt and escape tower separation

 

Apollo 8 now 192.1 km above the Earth, just a little bit east of Bermuda.

For the first time ever - "Apollo 8 you are go for TLI!"

Apollo 8 ignites it single J2 engine for the second time along with the 3 ullage motors

 

"Explorer" separates from the launch stack and begins the pitch around manoeuvre

 

Apollo 8 flying free from the launch stack

 

For the first time ever, Kerbal Kind enters Lunar gravity

 

Flight day 3 - Lunar Orbital Insertion

 

"Spider" separates from "Explorer" 

 

Borman and Anders view "Explorer" from inside the LM

 

Borman reports to mission control - "Spider flying free and she is beautiful"

 

Anders ignites the Lunar Module Descent Propulsion Engine (LMDPE) for the first time to lower their orbit by 50km

 

Borman presses the abort button as planned and "Spider" successfully looses her legs

 

Carpenter views his crewmates once again

 

 

After a successful data transfer from "Spider", she is blown free from "Explorer"

 

Mission control gives the call "Apollo 8, you are go for LDB (Lunar Departure Burn)" and "Explorer" ignites her AJ-10 main engine

 

"Apollo 8 we see you with 3 good chutes, welcome home"

 

Post-Flight Analysis:

I quite enjoyed making this first post and I hope its up to everyone's liking. Had to do a couple of retakes here and there for shots but overall I'm pretty proud. If there's any issues with anything please let me know and I'll correct it asap.

Next up: Apollo 9

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by DG1
Fixed image loading issues

[Aussie Toad Stool]

Images don't work

[Talverd]

Maybe it's just me but I can see them just fine. 

[DG1]

I'll look into it very soon, apologies for the issue. Unsure why the aren't appearing as they're appearing for myself and some others

[DG1]

15 hours ago, Aussie Toad Stool said:

Images don't work

Had a couple of my friends validate if my fix was actually a success and it appears so

[Autochrome]

If you didn’t know, the “boost motors” you mention are used to separate the S-IVB from the S-II, not help relight the J-2 for TLI, that job is done by the APS modules, the cubical boxes on both sides of the bottom of the stage. Also, there are only two boost motors on the Saturn V S-IVB, and three on the Saturn IB. Just a small thing I noticed, but everything else is great!

[DG1]

17 hours ago, Austin_Kerman said:

If you didn’t know, the “boost motors” you mention are used to separate the S-IVB from the S-II, not help relight the J-2 for TLI, that job is done by the APS modules, the cubical boxes on both sides of the bottom of the stage. Also, there are only two boost motors on the Saturn V S-IVB, and three on the Saturn IB. Just a small thing I noticed, but everything else is great!

Thanks for the info, I was unsure if it was either or but I just decided to go for the more overpowered choice. I'll hopefully remember to have it correct for future missions 

Edited April 6, 2022 by DG1

[Maria Sirona]

Most pics work but some don't including the lunar landing (on Apollo 8!)

Edited April 6, 2022 by Maria Sirona

[DG1]

Apollo 9, March 3rd 1969

 

 

So Close Yet So Far:
     Following the successes of Apollo 8 and multiple intelligence reports suggesting an increase in Soviet lunar activity, NASA decides to change Apollo 9s goals from a Low Earth Orbit test of the LM descent system to an all out lunar landing test flight. AS-504 sits on Pad 39A ready to send CSM-104 "Charlie Brown" and LM-4 "Snoopy" to the moon just like the Saturn before. NASA also decides to underfuel the LM to prevent the crew from getting any cowboy ideas and landing on the moon unplanned. If all goes well for Apollo 9, then Apollo 10 could very well be the mission that lands Kerbal kind on the moon for the first time. 

     Due to the high complexity of this mission and the importance of its success, NASA selects the suitable kerbonauts for the task. 

• Commander - James McDivitt. McDivitt previously flew on Gemini 4 where he had to rendezvous with the spent Titan II second stage of his launch vehicle and attempt to dock, which was unsuccessful. None the less NASA still believes he is the right Kerbal for the job.
• Command Module Pilot - David Scott. Scott previously flew on Gemini 8 alongside Neild Armstrong where a malfunction in one the Gemini spacecrafts OAMS thrusters. Even in the middle of an emergency, out of contact with Mission Control, he had thought to reenable ground control command of the Agena before the two vehicles separated which allowed NASA to check the Agena from the ground, and use it for a subsequent Gemini mission.
• Lunar Module Pilot - Rusty Schweickart. Schweickart is an ace when it came to flying the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and NASA management saw him as the perfect candidate for the flight.

"It's a gorgeous day here at the Cape and we're counting down for another flight to the moon, the clock is currently at T-3 hours and 45 minutes"

The Apollo 9 crew standing in front of the Crew Access Arm,  T-minus 3 hours and counting. 

 

T-minus 50 minutes, crew access arm being retracted. 

 

T-minus 50 seconds, Saturn V has been switched over from ground to internal power. 

 

T-minus 15 seconds, auto sequence has started.

 We have a Liftoff of Apollo 9, 12 minutes past the hour!

 

Tower cleared!

Commander James McDivitt reporting that the roll and pitch program has executed.

 

Max-q!

 

"Separation of Saturns first stage, flight continuing as planned"

 

"I can see the sky!" - James McDivitt confirming the successful jettison of the Launch Escape Tower

 

"Apollo 9, TLI looking good. Right on the money"

 

David Scott takes control of CSM "Charlie Brown" and begins the flip manoeuvre

 

Apollo 9 flying free from the launch stack

 

Flight day 3 - Lunar Orbital Insertion

 

McDivitt and Schweickart separate from "Charlie Brown" and prepare for an orbit lowering burn

 

"Snoopy" lowers her orbit to prepare for Powered Descent

 

Rusty Schweickart hits the abort button just 10km from the surface

 

Gordon pilots "Charlie Brown" towards "Snoopy" for docking

 

With all crew onboard, "Snoopy" is cast away

 

With all objectives complete, the crew ignite their AJ-10 engine to return home

"Welcome home Apollo 9, we hope you had a good flight"

 

Post-Flight Analysis:

Quite pleased with how smoothly this mission went compared to the last one. Posted a couple hints here and there as to future mission, if anyone has any CSM / LM names please let me know. Hopefully this time there'll be no image loading issues and if there is then I'll try to fix them yet again haha.

Next up: Apollo 10 , the first landing on the moon

Edited April 17, 2022 by DG1
Corrected the Lunar Module Pilot

[Autochrome]

6 hours ago, DG1 said:

 

"Hey John, why the hell is the Moon split open in that weird square crack right there?"

Everything looks great in this chapter, I see the "boost motors" thing has been fixed! 

[DG1]

Apollo 10 will hopefully be out this weekend if i have time

[DG1]

Apollo 10, May 18th 1969

 

 

The heavens are open:
     With Apollo 8 and 9 being a full success, NASA has grown confident enough in its crews and hardware that it has decided to designate Apollo 10 as the first attempt to land on the moon. Despite the previous intelligence reports from the CIA suggesting a Soviet landing attempt during the same window as Apollo 9, no such claim of a cosmonaut landing of the surface of the moon has been made by the USSR and NASA believes that it will be the first to deliver a Kerbal to the surface. Pad 39A once again hosts another moon bound rocket, AS-505 sits on top ready to send CSM-105 "Columbia" and LM-5 "Santa Maria".

     With this mission being the first to land a Kerbal on the moon, Deke Slayton , Head of the Astronaut Office, selects the three best kerbonauts he knows for such a mission. 

• Commander - Thomas Stafford. Stafford previously flew on Gemini 6A and 9. On both missions he had to rendezvous with another vehicle and practiced multiple docking manoeuvres. Both missions gave Stafford valuable skills in rendezvous and docking which would be useful in LM and CSM rendezvous.
• Command Module Pilot - Richard Gordon. Gordon previously flew on Gemini 9 where he had to perform multiple EVAs to a docked Agena Target Vehicle. The mission also set an altitude record of 1,369KM which is the highest apogee Earth orbit.
• Lunar Module Pilot - John Glenn. Glenn flew on Friendship 7 and was the first American into orbit. The crew and NASA themselves believe that the honour of the first steps on the moon should be given to Glenn.

"Good Morning everyone on this historic day, the clock is currently at T-3 hours and 45 minutes. We are counting down for Kerbal kinds first trip to the lunar surface"

The Apollo 10 crew standing in front of the Crew Access Arm,  T-minus 3 hours and counting. 

 

"T-minus 50 minutes, crew access arm being retracted." - PAO

 

"T-minus 50 seconds, Saturn V has been switched over from ground to internal power." - PAO

 

T-minus 8 seconds, ignition of the five F-1 engines.

 "Liftoff! Liftoff of Apollo 10, 49 minutes past the hour!" - PAO

 

"Tower cleared!" - PAO

Saturn V piercing the clouds.

 

"Max-q!" - PAO

 

"S-IC separation and S-II ignition"

 

"Towers gone" - Stafford confirms the successful jettison of the Launch Escape Tower which is no longer required

 

"Apollo 10, TLI burn proceeding as expected"

 

Gordon pilots "Columbia" towards "Santa Maria" for docking and extraction

 

"Houston, everything looking good following extraction"

 

Flight day 3 - Lunar Orbital Insertion

 

"Santa Maria" separates from "Columbia with Stafford and Glenn onboard

 

"Santa Maria" lowers her orbit to prepare for Powered Descent

 

"We've got a 1202 program alarm" - Glenn

"We're go on that alarm, Maria. Continue with descent"

 

"7 metres, Picking up some dust" - Glenn

 

"Contact light! Engine off" - Glenn

"We copy you down Maria"

"Houston - Tranquillity base here, Santa Maria has made her way to shore" - Stafford

 

Following an hours rest, the crew prepares to conduct EVA-1

"Im descending the ladder now" - Glenn

 

"I'm at the foot bed of the LEM and it seems to be about 2 inches inside of the surface - the surface seems to be a sort of fine powder"

 

"I'm going to step off the LEM now"

 

"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World and explored the heavens"

 

With Glenn successfully on the surface, NASA gives the ok for Stafford to join him

"Am i down?" - Stafford

"Couple more rings and you'll be able to get on the footbed" - Glenn

 

Stafford photographs Glenn

 

Stafford in front of "Santa Maria"

 

Stafford plants the stars and stripes on the surface of the moon

The crew then spend an hour on the surface before heading back inside the LEM for their designated rest period before the final EVA, EVA-2

 

Stafford deploys the MESA

 

Deployment of the ALSEP done by both Stafford and Glenn

 

Stafford photographs the lunar surface

"Sure is magnificent" - Glenn

 

"Hurry up and get over here, we need to take these samples" - Stafford

 

Stafford photographs Glenn climbing the ladder

 

"Do we have to go?" - Stafford

 

Following a 22 hour and 17 minute stay, the crew prepare to return to "Columbia"

 

Santa Maria ignites her ascent engine and flies away from the surface

 

"Well that was fun!" - Glenn

"Sure was!" - Stafford

 

Gordon pilots "Columbia" and successfully docks to "Santa Maria"

"Glad you two had fun down there" - Gordon

 

With every sample transferred into the CSM, the crew jettison "Santa Maria"

 

"Apollo 10, houston, TEI looks good"

 

SM jettison

 

"Drogues" - Gordon

"Copy drogues" - Houston

 

"Thanks to you Apollo 10, Americans and everyone around the world will realise that if we work hard enough we can accomplish anything"

 

Post-Flight Analysis:

Boy was this fun to shoot! To be honest I had so many shots on the lunar surface to chose from it was so hard to pick and I wish I could of posted them all. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it. Again, if there is any issues please inform me. I look forward to your feedback.

Next up: Apollo 11 , further science to be done!

[Autochrome]

19 minutes ago, DG1 said:

 

• Commander - Thomas Stafford. Stafford previously flew on Gemini 6A and 9. On both missions he had to rendezvous with another vehicle and practiced multiple docking manoeuvres. Both missions gave Stafford valuable skills in rendezvous and docking which would be useful in LM and CSM rendezvous.
• Command Module Pilot - Richard Gordon. Gordon previously flew on Gemini 9 where he had to perform multiple EVAs to a docked Agena Target Vehicle. The mission also set an altitude record of 1,369KM which is the highest apogee Earth orbit.
• Lunar Module Pilot - John Glenn. Glenn flew on Friendship 7 and was the first American into orbit. The crew and NASA themselves believe that the honour of the first steps on the moon should be given to Glenn.

Y’know, I was going to be happy that John Young would finally be able to land on the Moon this time, but I guess not 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Austin_Kerman
This isn’t an insult to your crew selection, I’m just sad.

[DG1]

6 minutes ago, Austin_Kerman said:

Y’know, I was going to be happy that John Young would finally be able to land on the Moon, but I guess not 

IRL John Young landed on Apollo 16, maybe he'll fly a bit sooner than that 

 

[Autochrome]

5 minutes ago, DG1 said:

IRL John Young landed on Apollo 16, maybe he'll fly a bit sooner than that 

 

I know, but I guess this is better because he doesn’t have to suffer getting that close to the surface, but not landing.

[DG1]

I hope to get apollo 11 out sometime this week if i have any free time. Apologies for the lack of posts

[Autochrome]

On 4/17/2022 at 2:02 PM, Austin_Kerman said:

Y’know, I was going to be happy that John Young would finally be able to land on the Moon this time, but I guess not 

Looking back, I think I meant I was sad that John Young wasn’t going to be the first to land on the Moon, even when he got that close.