Morning Star I: Kerballed mission to Eve and Gilly, circumnavigations of both, and lots of science

[Poppa Wheelie]

This is my final mission of a Career playthrough I started shortly after I got the game for Christmas of 2019.  The mission is not complete, but I wanted to report progress so far mostly because I don’t know how much more I’ll get done before KSP2 drops.  

Here are the parts I’m ready to report on now:

1. Orbital Assembly
2. Flight to Eve
3. Satellite Deployment (3 satellites in geosynchronous orbit, 1 over a fixed location for contract)
4. Flight to Gilly
5. Gilly Surface Mission (Elcano)
6. Eve Landings (progress so far)

I’ll come back later to update this post and this thread after I finish it all up.

[Poppa Wheelie]

Part 1.  Orbital Assembly

This assembly required 9 launches.

• Total Launch Mass:  1810.678t
• Total Launch Cost:  1,032,632 Funds
• Final Assembled Mass:  293.682t
• Final Assembled Length:  137m
• Final Assembled Part Count:  469

Final Assembled Vehicle:

9 Launches and Orbital Assembly:

Spoiler

1.  Satellite Array:

Spoiler

I had a contract to put a specific satellite into geosynchronous orbit over a specific Eve ground location.  So I brought along 2 more satellites to make a 3 sat comms network for Eve.

Launch

Approaching Bartlett Station in LKO

After docking the Satellite Array with the station, I deorbited the last stage, as I did for all of these launches.

2.  Mothership and Drop Tank - Satellite

Spoiler

This launch contained both the Mothership (crew quarters, fuel, and 2 engines), and an additional fuel tank that would be used when deploying the satellites.

 Launch

Begin circularization

Complete circularization

Approaching Bartlett Station

Docking

3.  Eve Ascent Vehicle

Spoiler

This design is based on one from an @Echo__3video.  Thank you, Echo__3!  I modified the final stage to fit 3 kerbals in chairs, and tested it in sandbox.  It should work.

Launch

Finishing circularization with final stage

Approaching Bartlett Station

Docked

4.  Eve Reconfigurable Rover

It's an aircraft, with removable pontoons, or it's a ground vehicle, with attachable wings - whichever way you want to look at it.

Launch

Approaching Bartlett Station

5.  Eve Outpost

Spoiler

I had a contract to deploy a specific outpost to the Eve surface.  I took the contract because I was going to Eve anyway.  I probably should have just skipped this contract, as it doesn't really contribute to the mission (other than provide a good source of Funds).

Launch

Finish circularization with final stage

This is how close I was when I finally zeroed relative velocity with Bartlett Station.  This was cutting it a little too close.

6.  Plus 4 Nerv and Gilly Rover

Spoiler

This launch contains a fuel tank with 4 additional Nerv engines (which will return to Kerbin), and the Gilly rover, Jerry Pournelle

Launch

Finish circularization with the Nervs

Approaching Bartlett Station

7.  Fuel Stack - On Station

Spoiler

Three launches were needed to get all required fuel for the mission.  This launch contained the fuel that will be used by the mission after reaching Low Eve Orbit, including fuel for the return to Kerbin.

Launch

Circularization

Approaching Bartlett Station

8.  Fuel Stack - Eve Orbital Insertion

Spoiler

The second fuel launch contained fuel for the Eve Orbital Insertion, including capture, and several burns at Pe to reduce a planned highly elliptical capture orbit to a circular, Low Eve Orbit.

Launch

Circularization

Approaching Bartlett Station

Deorbiting final stage

9.  Fuel Stack - Boost

Spoiler

Finally, the last launch, and the last fuel launch.  This one contains all fuel required to get us from Low Kerbin Orbit to the Eve SOI.

Launch

I underestimated oxidizer requirements for this launch, and ran out just as I was at the station.  I was approaching a little too fast, and also ran out of monopropellant.

Fortunately, I had the John Scalzi docked at Bartlett Station, which could act as a refueller and tug.  The John Scalzi undocked, chased down this fuel stack, and towed it back to Bartlett Station.

The John Scalzi released the fuel stack, which completed the docking on its own.

 

[Poppa Wheelie]

Part 2.  Flight to Eve

Spoiler

Undocked from Bartlett Station

First of 8 Pe kicks

Dropped the rearmost fuel tank after the last Pe kick

The last (8th) Pe kick was followed by a 9th burn for the escape

Did a little deep space science on the way

Approaching Eve

Eve capture burn, into a highly elliptical orbit

This is how far away from Eve we were near Ap when we did an inclination change to make the orbit completely equatorial

One of several burns at Pe to lower Ap (reverse Pe kicks?)

Dropped exhausted fuel tank

In Low Eve Orbit

Edited February 10, 2023 by Poppa Wheelie

[Poppa Wheelie]

Part 3.  Satellite Deployment

We'll be deploying 3 satellites into geosynchronous equatorial orbit, 1 of which must be over a specific geographical ground location on Eve for contract credit.

Spoiler

Undocked the mothership, a drop tank, and the satellite array.  Everything else will stay in Low Eve Orbit.

Burn at exactly the right place in the orbit, with respect to the required ground location, and raise the Ap to geosynchronous altitude

Circularize at the Ap

I should have had contract credit as soon as the circularization was complete, but then I noticed that the only box unchecked was the first one that said "unmanned".  By separating the mothership and the satellite array, I completed all requirements and got contract credit.

Then I had to redock

And released the first satellite.  In this image we can also see Jool and Kerbin to the right of Eve.

Next, we had Irming, our engineer, relocate the scanning antenna, the Science Junior, and the Goo container (required by the contract) from the satellite array, and place them on the mothership.

Then lowered the Pe so that the new orbital period was 2/3 of the geosynchronous orbital period

Released the second satellite before the next Ap, and the satellite did its own circularization

And the same for EveSat3

Lowered the Pe to well inside Eve's atmosphere, released the remaining satellite array structure, then turned around and raised the Pe back up above the atmosphere

At the Pe, burned to lower the Ap

Now we can rendezvous and dock with the structure (now called "Eve Station"), which we left in Low Eve Orbit

3rd satellite deployed

Edited February 10, 2023 by Poppa Wheelie

[Poppa Wheelie]

Part 4. Flight to Gilly

Spoiler

We undocked from the bottom of the stack, left the small drop tank down there, got a larger drop tank from the top of the stack, then docked the Gilly rover, Jerry Pournelle, to the nose of the mothership

First of a handful of Pe kicks for Gilly, aimed at the Ascending Node

We got In Space High science for all equatorial biomes in 1 orbit, and then arranged to change from equatorial to polar orbit of Eve

In polar orbit we got most of the rest of the In Space High science.  We got very close to the small Olympus biome a few times, but never quite got it.

Approaching the Gilly SOI

Burning for a Gilly capture

Got all In Space High science over Gilly

A small burn to achieve equatorial inclination

Then deorbit and land

Landed on Gilly

Edited February 10, 2023 by Poppa Wheelie

[Poppa Wheelie]

Part 5.  Gilly Surface Mission (Elcano)

We'll circumnavigate Gilly for Elcano credit, get all Landed and In Space Low science, do some extra science for a contract, and visit an anomaly detected while in orbit over the Gilly north polar region.

Here's the route we took

Spoiler

I've seen examples of people doing their Gilly Elcano using ion drives to provide forward motion, and to keep the vehicle more in contact with the ground.  I don't have ion drives unlocked yet, and I decided to use RCS thrusters with 120 units of monopropellant.  I also went very slow.  Uphills were done at 2 to 3 m/s, coasting speed of 3 to 5 m/s, and downhills were usually under 8 m/s.

I also started off with the following wheel settings:

• Friction Control:  1.0
• Spring Strength:  0.05
• Damper Strength:  1
• Motor:  Disabled
• Brakes:  50%  (I added strength to the rear brakes later in the mission)

Undock the rover, Jerry Pournelle. 

Team photos and flag ceremony

And off we go, heading directly north, to the pole

Got a good scan of some Gilly Ridgeline

Most of this first leg north was uphill.  I started worrying early about the monopropellant lasting for the entire trip.

The north pole is in sight

At the north pole

After the north pole, the next leg is to head directly south towards Anomaly G1

As we neared the anomaly, I spotted it visually while  zoomed out.  KerbNet never saw it.  So we headed a little west of the waypoint marker, directly at the anomaly

At the anomaly.  We got a nice science bonus.  The team decided they wanted to stand on the top for the photo.

In our excitement to get to the anomaly, we forgot to drop waypoint marker #4, or to do science as we entered the Midlands biome.  So we did the Midlands science here.

The we were off again.  The next leg is to head directly East, until it was time to turn south towards our contract location

When we were due north of the contract location, we turned and headed directly south

Once in the contract area, we had to do Seismic Scans at 4 specific areas

Contract complete

Next leg: continue south to the south pole, dropping markers at 30 and 60 degrees South.  From the time we originally turned south, until shortly after the contract area, was mostly uphill, then lots of downhill after that.

Highest elevation reached while headed south

With all the downhill on the second half of this southern leg, the brakes were not doing anything to slow us down.  I adjusted the rear brakes from 50% to 100%

Dropped a marker at 30 degrees South

Highest jump of the entire mission, near the end of the big downhill section of this southern leg.

It was much more fun, and much easier to see the ground, when we were in the sun

Dropped another marker at 60 degrees south

Approaching the south pole.  Pretty boring scenery - not in the sun, no celestial objects visible.  It wasn't until I arrived at the south pole that I finally felt comfortable that we could complete the circumnavigation with the monopropellant available.

The final leg of the journey sent us directly north, back towards the lander.  Another big uphill, followed by mild downhills.

Elevation record for this leg.  Slight downhills after this point.

Dropped markers at 60 and 30 degrees S as we headed north

Nearing the landing site

I've got a bad feeling about this.

The Larry Niven, mothership that we left at the landing site, is partially buried

I did a save here, then reloaded it.  When I reloaded the save, the Larry Niven shot straight up, quickly.  I switched control to it, and was able to fly it back to this site and land it again.

Next, I docked the rover to the nose of the mothership

Transferred all science, topped off the monoprop in the mothership, and dropped the rover for the final time.

Elcano circumnavigation complete

And return to Eve Station

Spoiler

Popped a wheelie, got remaining In Space Low science, and oriented for a direct ascent, with reaction wheel only

Heading straight up got us out of the Gilly SOI into an only slightly lower orbit of Eve

Near the Ap of our Eve orbit we adjusted for the 12 degree inclination, and then lowered Pe at the Ap

We made a handful or orbits, lowering Ap at each Pe (reverse Pe kicks?).  On the first one, we passed fairly close to Eve Station.

After achieving a circular orbit, we rendezvoused and docked with Eve Station

 

[Poppa Wheelie]

To be continued...

Edited February 10, 2023 by Poppa Wheelie

[IntellectualTortoise]

Nice mission so far; I like that it's a comprehensive exploration of the Eve system and includes "bonuses" like a surface base and Gilly circumnavigation rather than just being a straightforward Eve landing and return. The orbital assembly of the mission was also cool. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Poppa Wheelie]

Part 7.  Return to Kerbin

"Hey!  You skipped Part 6, the Eve Landings."  Yeah, I hear you.  Well, bad news.  When the crew got back to Eve Station from Gilly, Bob did an EVA and inspected the three components that we were intending to land:  the Eve Surface Outpost, the Eve Ascent Vehicle, and the Eve Reconfigurable Rover and Aircraft.  All three of these depend on propellers, and the propellers were very messed up on all three.  We can't do the circumnavigation without the Rover, and we can't get back to orbit without the Ascent Vehicle.  So, no landings.  I'm pretty disappointed.  Everything worked in testing (cheating each item to the surface of Eve).  The Rover worked well, the Rover in Aircraft configuration worked well, and the Ascent Vehicle (based on an @Echo__3 design) got me back to Eve orbit.  Maybe I'll come back at some later time and do this Eve landing and circumnavigation, but not any time too soon.

Eve to Kerbin transfer, docking with station in LKO, and return to KSC via SSTO

Spoiler

I left all three of the (broken) landing vehicles in Low Eve Orbit, and docked the hab and front two engines with the rear four engines

It took a few tries to get these two sections docked properly so that the six engines were symmetrical.  But I finally got it.

Next I had MechJeb determine the next transfer window back to Kerbin and create the maneuver node.  I set an alarm for 400 days.

Undocked the return portion of the Larry Niven

Beginning of Eve Escape and Kerbin Transfer burn

Kerbin encounter in 222 days.  I set another alarm.

Approaching Kerbin

Orbital insertion burn

We inserted into a highly elliptical orbit with a fairly large inclination.  I corrected the inclination as inexpensively as possible, and then circularized the orbit.

Intercept burn for Bartlett Station

Approaching Bartlett Station

Scientist Natazer collected the science from the Larry Niven and delivered it directly to the Jackie Cochran SSTO

Jackie Cochran undocking from Bartlett Station

Lowering Pe for atmospheric reentry

Atmospheric descent

Approaching land

Descending towards runway

Approaching runway

 

Mission Complete

With the science from this mission, and from my recently completed Duna mission, I bought all of the remaining "stock" portions of the tech tree, and a very large portion of the expanded modded tech tree that I had.  I also had plenty of Funds, so upgraded all buildings. 

I'm declaring this career complete.