The KATO Space Race [Pic-Hvy] - (ended, see reboot thread RftS:ERA)

[NathanKell]

The KATO Space Race

It was the dawn of a new era on Kerbin. The three remaining great powers, the victorious allies of the Second World War, had drawn up a permanent treaty of friendship and international governance. Beating swords into ploughshares, they now turned their attention to the skies above.

The origins of space exploration can be traced to before the two world wars; all the great powers had their pioneers, but perhaps the greatest was Kiolstovsky, of Krodina, who had worked out most of the fundamental theories before the First World War. Aviation was the big thing however, and Kiolstovsky’s equations lay unnoticed for some time. In the interwar years, rocketry grew in popularity. In Kerbica, another pioneer, Rothbin Koddard, launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. The pioneers in the Kerman Empire were a generation younger, and pushed ahead with all youthful enthusiasm. In, Kritin, rockets were less popular, but the Kritish had a different surprise for the world: the jet engine.

The ground was well-laid for an explosion in rocketry; theory, experiments, technology from other fields. All that was needed was a spark. The Second World War provided that spark. Both continental opponents--the Kerman Empire and the Kzardom of Krodina--poured massive sums of money into their rocketry programs. When parts of Kermany were overrun, the Kerman team moved to Kritin. Their main goal was to develop a ballistic missile capable of hitting targets in Krodina (not just their own, occupied, Kermany) while avoiding Krodinan air defenses. In the Union of Kerbican States, rocketry also saw much interest. Here the focus was threefold: continuing high-altitude research using sounding rockets, what rocketry clubs had been doing for the last decade; small, short-range rockets for use by or against aircraft; and the first stirrings of a radical idea: the inter-continental ballistic missile, armed with the blutonium warhead they were then developing. Krodinan research, given the strength of Krodinan tank armies, was focused more narrowly, primarily on the rocket artillery system nicknamed Kerbyusha and their own short-range ballistic missile program, designed to avoid the massive Kritish air defenses.

As the Krodinans were gradually pushed back and the Kzardom eventually forced into surrender, the allies scrambled to pick of the pieces of Krodinan technology. The Krodinans had advanced far with solid fuels--necessary for convenient battlefield usage--and these were quickly tested and copied. But solid fuels alone would not give Kerbals the stars.

In Krodina, the Left SR-RSDLP coalition that took power after the final collapse of the Kzarist regime was far too busy rebuilding to focus on any kind of space race. But a race there was. First, it was just a resumption of the interwar competition to see who could launch the most advanced, highest-flying sounding rocket or aircraft. But soon it intensified. The Kerbicans, Kritish, and Kermans had just signed the first attempt at a permanent international order--the Kerbal Alliance Treaty--and had forsworn all war under the auspices of KATO. Antagonism was dead, rockets needed new use, but nationalism was still alive. And Kerman SRBMs had kissed the edge of space on their way to Krodina.

Kerman Armbrust (Crossbow) SRBM, range 180km.

Edited November 12, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

Table of Contents:

I: Wikinger F, suborbital satellite test (Kerman)

II: Explorer IV, suborbital satellite test (Kerbican)

III: Wikinger 1, First Artificial Satellite (Kerman)

IV: Explorer IV, First Maneuverable Satellite (Kerbican)

V: The Oracle Program, Kerbostationary Relays (Kerbican)

VI: Mond 1, Munar Impact Attempt (Kerman)

VII: Missile Development, Part 1: IRBMs (Kerman/Kerbican)

VIII: The Kritish Break the Sound Barrier (Kritish)

IX: Krits in Space Part 1, The HARC's Debut (Kritish)

X: Krits in Space Part 2, First Kerbal in Space (Kritish)

XI: Mond 2, Munar Impactor (Try, Try Again) (Kerman)

XII: Missile Development Part 2, ICBMs (Kerbican/Kerman/Kritish)

XIII: Project Aquarius Part 1, Little Koe (Kerbican)

XIV: KUAF SPECTRAL Program; Intel on Kerman Crewed-Space Efforts (Kerbican/Kerman)

XV: Arrow to the Stars, the Kritish Enter the Space Age (Kritish)

XVI: The Early Satellites (Kerman/Kerbican)

XVII: Mond 3, Meton 3, Munar Twins (Kerman/Kerbican)

XVIII: Project Aquarius Pt. 2, America's First Astronaut (American)

OOC Info:

I am attempting a realistic set of space missions, constrained by an MC budget. For this reason I will attempt to keep stage restarts to a minimum unless they are clearly for orbital maneuvering and done with hypergolics. Note that I am now using Modular Fuels with my own rebalanced engines, so restartable engines will be with hypergolic fuel and will pay a TWR penalty unless noted.

The background is based on an alternate history I've been working on for years that diverges during the US civil war; things have been tweaked slightly to kerbalize things, but countries and (non-butterflied) individuals should be obvious.

Relevant Mods:

FAR

Deadly Reentry

RemoteTech 1 (my fork)

Mission Controller Extended

Mechjeb (will be switching to kOS soon. That and the info is what I use MJ for...)

Procedural Fairings (with my own new textures)

StretchyTanks (with my own new textures and SRB support)

Procedural Wings

My own 0.625m rescales of the stock SRBs

RLA Stockalike

AIES and NovaPunch/FASA engines, and KW engines

My own 5-unit monopropellant tank (rescale of accel sensor)

My own version of the Mk2 Reentry vehicle, and a rescale of the FASA warhead.

FASA parts (some slightly rescaled) for crewed missions. Also AIES, Soviet Pack.

Completely redone engine stats, featuring three classes of propellants (Kerosene/Liquid Oxygen, hypergolic MMH/N2O4, and Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen) and tech-level-based thrusts, masses, and Isps for various engine types.

Edited November 1, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

The Wikinger Program: Wikinger F

Mission:

Wikinger F

Mission Control:

Reichsraumfahrtamt (Imperial Spaceflight Office)

Launch Vehicle:

Repulsor II

Objective:

Payload test for Wikinger program

Description:

Launch the Wikinger I satellite just past the edge of space to check payload functionality.

Outcome:

Success

Details: LV used is a Kaiserliche Marine sounding rocket using two of the B7 engines developed for the Armbrust. It will form the upper stage of the Langschiff-A launch vehicle. Upper stage was successfully launched with boilerplate payload Wikinger B, and Armbrust missile was launched with Repulsor II of same (boilerplate payload) configuration in Wikinger E. It is hoped that if Wikinger F is successful, Wikinger 1 launch can proceed as scheduled.

Background: In each of the great powers, national and international factors combined to favor a space race. In Kermany, the SPD-FVP coalition, despite being less invested in international prestige than the National Liberals or Conservatives, saw in spaceflight a way to keep employed the vast aerospace workforce the war had created. The Imperial Spaceflight Office thus developed an ambitious plan to move beyond sounding rocket competition and to place the first artificial satellite in orbit around Kerbin: the Wikinger program. To save time and money it was to use off-the-shelf components for the launch vehicle: the Armbrust SRBM developed during the war, and the postwar Repulsor II sounding rocket developed for the Imperial Navy, a derivative of the Armbrust using two of the latter’s four engines. Staging, and the lighting of upper stages at high speed and low atmospheric pressure, was an untried challenge that had to be met for a satellite launch to be possible. Thus the Wikinger program involved a series of tests before first actual launch. Both the Armbrust and the Repulsor II had undergone significant tests (the Armbrust, of course, being used extensively during the latter years of the war) and so the test program could begin directly testing for the new challenges of the Wikinger program.

Program to date:

Wikinger A: Repulsor II stage test: Failure. Premature cutoff of Repulsor II engines; heavier payload caused turbine to fail midflight.

Wikinger B: Repulsor II stage test: Success. Apoapsis of 66km with boilerplate payload

Wikinger C: Stage separation test of Armbrust and boilerplate upper stage. Success.

Wikinger D: Stage separation test of Armbrust and Repulsor II: Failure. Repulsor II failed to ignite.

Wikinger E: Stage separation test of Armbrust and Repulsor II: Success. Apoapsis of 165km, burned up in atmosphere 1448km downrange. (Delta-V requirement equivalent to orbital insertion)

Timeline of Events:

T-10: Repulsor II with Wikinger satellite in atmospheric fairing erected as Wikinger F. Countdown begins.

T+0: Liftoff.

T+44: MECO, onboard fuel exhausted. Velocity just shy of 1km/s, altitude just shy of 20km.

T+2:13: Wikinger F reaches Karman line, fairings jettisoned and antennae deployed.

T+2:38: Wikinger F reaches apoapsis of 72.5km.

T+3:03: Wikinger F reenters atmosphere.

Contact lost with Wikinger F during reentry; however, parachute is set to deploy when speed drops below Mach 1, and does so without issue.

T+6:19: Parachute fully deploys at 500m AGL. Speed drops to 4.7m/s

T+6:47: Touchdown. Complete success.

Edited August 1, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

Explorer-Koddard: The Kerbican Approach

And the Problem of Reignition

Mission:

Explorer IV

Mission Control:

Kerbican Space Agency

Launch Vehicle:

Koddard I

Objective:

Payload and orbital maneuver stage (OMS) test for Explorer program

Description:

Launch the Explorer satellite on a suborbital trajectory and test OMS while outside Kerbin’s atmosphere, then recover the satellite downrange.

Outcome:

Success

Details: LV used is the Koddard upper stage in sounding rocket configuration (Koddard I). Upper stage is derivative of prior KSA (formerly Kerbican Aeronautics Agency) sounding rockets that trace their lineage to the first liquid-fueled rocket ever launched, and is named in honor of the late Rothbin Koddard. Koddard I upper stage has passed many tests and has succeeded in four dummy-payload launches on suborbital trajectories and in combination with SRB lower stage; KSA now deems it safe to attempt a full test. If successful Explorer 1 satellite mission can proceed.

Background: Kerbica had a long history with rocketry, and despite Kermany getting most rocket-related press during the war, both civilian and military research into rocketry and its applications were thriving. The Kerbicans, too, wished to launch a satellite into Kerbin orbit, and they too wanted to be first. The Kerbican plan was different, however. First, the plan was entirely civilian. The Kerbican people would not stand for the militarization of space. KSA was an entirely civil agency, and no military booster would be used on Explorer missions. Of course, the ongoing ICBM program was kept mostly secret, and a civilian space program would also not delay any potential ICBMs through dual-use requirements. Second, the Kerbican plan was much more ambitious than the Kerman. It featured a satellite with an onboard Orbital Maneuver stage. It envisioned a series of launch vehicles, the larger of which could take a full half-ton into low Kerbin orbit--enough for a satellite and an OMS capable of reaching kerbostationary orbit. Finally, the Koddard upper stage was far more efficient than its Kerman counterpart. Instead of war-surplus engines designed for high-thrust, rugged military rockets it used an engine much better suited to the task of gaining orbit. In another contrast, instead of a liquid-fueled lower stage, the Koddard II launcher would use a solid rocket booster based on captured Krodinan technology. This solid first stage, and a cheaper (but heavier) satellite core, helped make up for the expense of the entirely expendable and newly-designed Koddard upper stage. (Of course, the Kerbicans also had more money to throw at spaceflight, not needing to spend on reconstruction.) This also led to a simpler rocket design, because the Kerbicans would avoid the problem of reignition.

Reignition was a problem that bedeviled both the Kerbicans and the Kermans. It seemed necessary, because a burn at apoapsis was best to raise periapsis enough to circularize; single burns to orbit are horribly inefficient. So at some point the rocket had to shut down and coast to apoapsis. Rocket engines were easy to start--once, and as long as they were on the ground. Stage separation could also trigger (after some delay) rocket ignition. But how could you stop a rocket engine while it was burning fuel, and later reignite it? The Kermans developed an ingenious solution: since the Repulsor II had two engines, divide the tanks in half, ignite only one engine at the start, and have it burn half the fuel; at burnout, coast to apoapsis; at apoapsis ignite the other engine and raise periapsis. For deorbiting, the Kermans added a small solid fuel retrorocket. Mission Control would trigger it at apoapsis to deorbit the satellite. The Kerbicans came up with a different solution. They wanted a fully reignitable engine. This was far too expensive (and the fuel to allow it too inefficient) for it to be the booster or sustainer stage, but it was acceptable for an orbital maneuver stage. In this way the Kerbicans would astound the world with a satellite that could change plane of orbit, raise and lower apses, and do pinpoint deorbit burns. The launch vehicle, then, could be very simple, and could be staged away while still on suborbital trajectory.

Program to date:

Explorer A-E: Static and dummy-payload tests of various components of Koddard launcher.

Explorer I: Test of Koddard II configuration (Koddard + SRB). Failure. Koddard upper stage failed to ignite.

Explorer II: Test of Koddard II configuration: Success.

Explorer III: High altitude balloon test of OMS engine. Success.

Timeline of Events:

T-90:00 Explorer IV on Koddard I launcher assembled.

T+00:00 Liftoff!

T+00:26 Pitch program begins. Koddard I pitches over at 0.6deg/sec until 45 degrees

T+01:41 Pitch program ends. Explorer IV reaches 25km and 735m/s at 45 degrees from vertical.

T+01:54 MECO; fuel exhausted. 35.6km, 1046m/s Apoapsis 75.1km

T+02:10 Control handover to Cape Jeju tracking station

T+02:52 Explorer IV exits atmosphere; fairings jettisoned and Koddard I staged away.

T+02:53 OMS ignites; Explorer IV burns prograde to raise apoapsis and extend exoatmospheric time.

T+03:53 Explorer IV reaches apoapsis of 77,535m, shuts off OMS.

T+03:55 Explorer IV restarts OMS, turns due east and horizontal to raise orbital speed. Restart success

T+04:40 OMS Cutoff; fuel exhausted.

T+04:45 Explorer IV reenters atmosphere

T+06:25 Explorer IV reaches peak reentry heat at 22km and 1276m/s. Peak velocity was 1415m/s, reached some 10km higher before drag overpowered gravity.

T+06:58 Explorer IV deploys parachute at 8km (on the Mach line); peak G was 4.9G.

T+08:11 Parachute fully deploys at 500m AGL

T+10:39 Explorer IV splashes down, 300km downrange. Mission complete!

Edited August 11, 2013 by NathanKell

[asmi]

Good stuff! Would be great to see it on video though!

[NathanKell]

asmi, thanks! Don't even know where to begin with videos, though, I'm afraid!

Also: this isn't dead; it will be resuming now that I've upgraded to 0.21. Though at the moment my desktop is packed up.

A question to my reader (readers?): should I keep the same super-technical approach, or switch to the MOARPICTURES approach of most logs here? (It would certainly be easier to not have to record all these stats!)

For the record, so far I've been modeling my reports on Wikipedia's MR-1A mission report.

[NathanKell]

Wikinger 1

The First Artificial Satellite

Mission:

Wikinger 1

Mission Control:

Reichsraumfahrtamt (Imperial Spaceflight Office)

Launch Vehicle:

Langschiff-A (Armbrust-Repulsor II)

Objective:

Orbit the Wikinger I satellite

Description:

Launch the Wikinger I satellite into low-Kerbin orbit, orbit for at least four hours observing phenomena, then safely return the satellite, with upper stage as shield, to Kerbin's surface.

Outcome:

Success

Details: LV used is the Langschiff-A launch vehicle. Due to successful tests in Wikinger program missions B, C, E, and F, the RRA believes now is the time (before the Kerbicans!) to put a satellite in orbit. The Wikinger I satellite is the finest product of Kerman engineering: compact, with the same sensor and communications suite used on prior tests, the only addition for final orbital flight are the replacement of boilerplate solar panels with the real thing. Repulsor II upper stage will fire twice, once to raise apoapsis to orbital altitude and once to circularize. Wikinger 1 will orbit for four hours, then fire a solid-fuel retro to deorbit, and splash down just west of Cape Jeju. Kerman engineers do not yet trust the solar panels and wish to ensure Wikinger 1 retains power until splashdown.

Background: With the success of Wikinger F, and hearing of the Kerbicans' own successful suborbital test of their (far more capable) satellite, the Kermans rushed to be the first to orbit their planet. The Wikinger I satellite was light, compact, and easily launchable by the Langschiff-A launcher. Indeed, Wikinger E had shown that the launcher had the delta V required to place well over the necessary mass in orbit. Thus, despite the weight penalty, the Kermans decided that their satellite should be deorbitable. This would require the retention of the parachute used in previous payloaded Wikinger missions, and the addition of a small solid fuel retro-rocket. The Repulsor II upper stage would ride with the payload into orbit and back down to Kerbin, shielding the sensitive satellite through the flames of reentry. The mission plan was at follows: Wikinger 1 would launch in the late evening and would achieve an orbit of roughly 85x85km. It would then circle the planet nine times. Once in range of the Cape Azan tracking station in Kanganyika, the retro would be fired to deorbit. Wikinger 1 would splash down just west of the Cape Jeju tracking station, and be under ground control until the last few kilometers.

The RRA had two main worries for this flight: first, would the second B7 engine ignite at apoapsis? Second, would Wikinger 1 survive reentry? Velocity--and thus temperature--would be far higher on this flight than on Wikinger F, and though the G stresses would be lowered they would still be severe. But the main question was: could Kerbalkind put up an artificial satellite? The world was about to find out.

Notable Flight Events

Wikinger 1 on pad, all up. Note: the lower stage is clearly a modified Armbrust missile; the upper portion of the rocket is identical to that launched as Wikinger F with the exception of the additional solar panels.

Liftoff!

Pitch program begins

T+00:01:10 Stage separation. Due to guidance programming error, fairings separate early. Sensitive antennae will remain unextended until out of the atmosphere. Repulsor II upper stage retains enough delta V to lift Wikinger 1 to orbit despite increased drag losses. Note that while only 1 B7 engine is firing, both nozzles are used to maintain balance in flight. The cross-ducting of exhaust incurs a small weight penalty.

T+00:01:30 MECO #1. Wikinger 1 coasts to apoapsis of 85km.

T+00:03:47 MECO #2 Another problem is encountered: the primary igniter for the second B7 engine fails to work. Secondary ignition proceeds but the delay causes the burn to be off-target. Final orbit achieved: 94x79km, inclination 1.472 degrees.

T+04:34:23 solid retro fires. Orbit profile reduced to 90 x -25km. Wikinger 1 begins descent.

T+04:39:14 Wikinger 1 recrosses the Karman line, headed down fast.

T+04:43:29 Reentry. Max Q: approx 72,000 at 10km / 1100m/s.

T+04:43:59 Drogue deployed, 5km and Mach 1

Wikinger 1 passes the 1km mark, falls out of contact with Cape Jeju Tracking Station.

T+04:44:37 Main chute deploys at 500m ASL.

T+04:46:18 Splashdown! Mission complete. Wikinger 1 awaits recovery by Kaiserliche Marine destroyer SMS R17.

Edited August 11, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

Explorer 1

The First Maneuverable Satellite

Mission:

Explorer 1

Mission Control:

Kerbican Space Agency

Launch Vehicle:

Koddard II

Objective:

First satellite launch of Explorer Program

Description:

Launch the Explorer satellite to a circular orbit, change planes, and recover satellite just offshore.

Outcome:

Success

Details: LV used is the Koddard II launcher: the Koddard I upper stage with a solid booster stage based on Krodinan technology. Explorer satellite has onboard OMS for use in orbital maneuvers and deorbiting. Koddard launcher will bring Explorer 1 to near-orbit (such that upper stage will burn up in atmosphere). OMS will complete orbital insertion to 80x80km orbit, then burn at descending node to bring inclination to 0. Explorer 1 will orbit for one week, after which it will engage in a pinpoint deorbit burn to splash down just offshore of KSC.

Background: Galvanized by the Kerman launch of Wikinger 1, the Kerbicans knew two things. First, they would no longer be first in orbit. Second, they could still show up the Kermans. Explorer was a much more advanced satellite system: it could stay in orbit indefinitely, and it contained its own integrated propulsion system with the capacity for practically unlimited restarts of the maneuvering engine. To demonstrate the superiority of their technology, the Kerbicans designed a flight plan to show off what Explorer could do. Only the satellite itself would reach orbit, and once in orbit it would fire the OMS to make its orbit precisely circular and with zero inclination relative to the equator. It would then proceed to orbit for a week, doing occasional correction burns, before engaging in a final pinpoint deorbit burn that would see the satellite splash down (it was hoped) only a few hundred meters off-shore. This required the use of two tracking stations in addition to Mission Control, and preprogrammed maneuvers stored in the satellite's flight computer--as a demonstration, the inclination change would take place on the far side of Kerbin, entirely under autonomous control.

Flight Events:

T-01:00:00 Explorer 1 on Koddard II launcher assembled.

T+00:00:00 Liftoff!

T+00:00:18 Pitch program begins.

T+00:00:50 Stage separation; solid fuel booster staged away.

T+00:02:48 MECO; fuel exhausted. Explorer 1 will coast to Karman line, then stage away sustainer and fairings. Handover to Cape Jeju.

T+00:04:05 Explorer 1 stages away carrier rocket, orients for orbital insertion burn.

T+00:05:12 Explorer 1 begins orbital insertion burn, target orbit 80x80km. OMS ignites for first time to perform burn.

T+00:06:40 OMS cutoff; 80x80km orbit established.

T+02:48:31 Explorer 1 restarts OMS for plane change. Existing inclination: 0.11 degrees. Target inclination: 0 degrees. Achieved: 0.01 degrees.

(Explorer 1 orbits for 1 week; time will now be from start of last day in orbit.)

T+06:13:55 In range of Cape Azan tracking station, Explorer 1 restarts OMS for deorbit burn, target: KSC. OMS fuel exhausted for burn.

T+06:16:22 Explorer 1 passes Karman line, orbital velocity 2131.5m/s

Explorer 1 loses contact during reentry. Here it can be seen passing above KSC.

T+06:20:01 Explorer 1 deploys parachute above KSC.

T+06:21:41 Parachute fully deploys.

T+06:23:57 Explorer 1 splashes down, less than a kilometer offshore. Mission complete!

Edited August 28, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

Updated the reserved info post, finally.

Also, a challenge: cookie for each kerbalized reference you can find! Some are obvious, some are...not.

[astropapi1]

Me needs that resized SRB.

May me have it?

Also, nice use of the radial engines and the Octagonal Strut for that new "engine".

Edited August 28, 2013 by astropapi1

[NathanKell]

PM Sent.

They're straight-up 1/2 size rescales of the stock boosters, so 1/8th to all stats. Technically, if they use the same fuel, it should only be 1/4 thrust (cube-square), but even with 1/8 thrust they STILL have too much thrust when empty and my payloads overstress.

[astropapi1]

PM Sent.

They're straight-up 1/2 size rescales of the stock boosters, so 1/8th to all stats. Technically, if they use the same fuel, it should only be 1/4 thrust (cube-square), but even with 1/8 thrust they STILL have too much thrust when empty and my payloads overstress.

Thanks!

Now I can try recreating the Scout.

[NathanKell]

That was the first thing I used them to do, yes.

[jaws909]

Good read so far, looking forward to the next installment!

[Geckgo]

This is awesome

[NathanKell]

The Oracle Program

Kerbostationary Relays

Missions:

Oracle 1-3

Mission Control:

Kerbican Space Agency

Launch Vehicle:

Koddard III

Objective:

Create a communications relay network in kerbostationary equatorial oribt (KEO)

Description:

Launch Oracle satellite into kerbostationary transfer orbit (KTO) with Koddard III launcher, wait until satellite reaches apoapsis at appropriate longitude, then circularize with OMS.

Outcome:

Success

Details: LV used is the Koddard III launcher: the K-Ib upper stage with a smaller solid booster above the Koddard II solid booster. Oracle satellite is upgrade of Explorer bus: it has extensive communications suite and the Explorer's OMS with extended tankage. Koddard launcher will insert Oracle satellite into a near-KTO trajectory. OMS will burn to complete injection to KTO. OMS will then burn at apoapsis to raise periapsis above atmosphere. Satellite will then continue to orbit until its apoapsis is matched to the appropriate longitude. OMS will then circularize at 2868.75km for KEO. Finally, OMS will burn to correct any inclination error. Oracle platform has predicted lifetime of five years.

Background: The Kerbicans might have demonstrated a much more capable satellite than the Kermans, but they still felt behind. They continued to launch Explorer series satellites with various LKO scientific payloads, but they needed something more. Further, the Explorer program was hurting for lack of communications coverage surrounding Kerbin. KSA therefore came up with a plan: launch communications relays to KEO. This would accomplish two goals at once: first, it would show off what their technology could do--the cheap solid boosters, the OMS and the advanced satellite avionics. The main booster of the Koddard II launcher was overpowered in thrust and could easily accept a third stage. The K-I upper stage would be mated to a smaller solid booster as a second boost stage, and those two stages would be placed above the old K-II first stage. Further, the K-I would now be of "block b" type. The K-Ib would have a redesigned pair of pressure tanks with a common bulkhead, reducing dry mass. Even so, the Koddard III launcher would not have quite enough delta-V to insert Oracle into KTO. The mission plan thus called for four OMS burns: once to complete injection into KTO; once to raise periapsis so that Oracle could loiter in KTO until appropriate time to circularize; once to circularize; and finally once to correct inclination for KEO. Once clear of the Karman line Oracle would extend antenna and expand dish, and deploy extendable solar panels to account for high power draw. This would fulfill the second goal: Oracle would be equipped with an extensive and advanced communications suite to handle communications relay when in KEO. Further, to ensure a long service life, Oracle would be equipped with external service hatches for repair and extensibility. The Oracle program called for, at the start, three such satellites. They would provide complete coverage of Kerbin's surface and allow constant contact with any further spacecraft launched (so long as they were within range of Oracle's suite).

Notable Flight Events for Oracle 3, third and final launch of the Oracle program:

T-01:00:00 Oracle 3 on Koddard III launcher in VAB. Note mission spec on Mission Control blackboard, and the new second stage (with K-Ib upgrade as third stage).

T+00:00:00 Liftoff!

T+00:00:47 Stage separation; first stage solid fuel booster staged away.

T+00:01:22 Stage separation; second stage solid fuel booster staged away, K-Ib upper stage ignites.

Oracle 3 launches during a solar eclipse!

T+00:04:02 MECO; fuel exhausted. Oracle stages away fairings and K-Ib booster, ignites OMS to complete insertion into KTO.

T+00:04:50 Oracle deploys solar panels and communications array.

T+01:24:41 Oracle burns to raise periapsis.

T+05:04:40 Oracle loiters in orbit until it reaches apoapsis at longitude 170' E, then burns to circularize.

T+06:21:17 Oracle reaches equatorial ascending node, burns to correct inclination. At T+06:21:20, inclination reaches 0.000 degrees. Oracle network complete!

Bonus picture: Explorer 7 captures this picture of K-Ib upper stage burning up in atmosphere

Edited September 6, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

jaws909, Geckgo, thanks so much!

A note: going forward I will now be using modded mod (heh) engines to represent early-spacerace low-performance enignes. I will reserve the stock engines, with their excellent performance, for later on. If I have time later I may redo missions 1-5 with the new look of the launchers, but that's low priority. Expect performance like (or slightly better than) the LV-1! Say goodbye to >300 Isp in vacuum, let alone at sea level! Say hello to very pretty engines from frizzank and carmics!

Coming soon: The Kerman response, and a look at the Kermans' and Kerbicans' black projects. And don't count out the Kritish quite yet!

[astropapi1]

Later: Klack Karrow, kam kI krite?

[NathanKell]

I was...sorely tempted. But reread the OP...the Kritish are going in a different direction. We're in 1959 now, and what _else_ first flew then?

[NathanKell]

Mond 1

Munar Impact Attempt

Mission:

Mond 1

Mission Control:

Reichsraumfahrtamt (Imperial Spaceflight Office)

Launch Vehicle:

Langschiff-A(M) [Armbrust-Repulsor IIM]

Objective:

Munar impact probe

Description:

Launch the Mond 1 impactor probe on collision course with Mun.

Outcome:

Partial Failure

Details: LV used is the Langschiff-A(M) launch vehicle with a stretched upper stage. Mond 1 will launch on Munar intercept; Repulsor II(M) will fire both engines from separation, then on burnout Mond 1 will engage its own final stage to complete injection into Munar transfer orbit. Mond spacecraft features same guidance module as Wikinger series but with no parachute, new inline battery, and small additional kerolox tank and E1 engine for final injection burn.

Background: To the RRA it looked like the Kerbicans were taking the lead. Not only did they have a lighter, cheaper launcher for low-Kerbin orbit satellite packages (which they proceeded to launch with great abandon), but the Koddard launcher was even easily expandable, as the KSA had proved by launching the first kerbostationary satellite cluster. The Kermans had to respond, and what better way than leaving Kerbin itself behind and investigating a whole new planet? Well, moon. Thus the Mond series. Mond 1 was intended to be an impact probe: it would use a stretched Repulsor II upper stage named the Repulsor II(M) where both engines would fire from stage separation; the Langschiff-A(M) launcher would also incorporate various aerodynamics updates developed during the later launches of the Wikinger program. The Mond spacecraft would be a revised version of the satellite used in the Wikinger program, with parachute delete, battery banks rearranged, and a small final kerosene-liquid oxygen stage with E1 orbital engine added to fulfill the high delta-V requirement of trans-munar injection. Mass above the Armbrust would be unchanged due to savings in the payload.

Results:

Armbrust and Repulsor II(M) stages fired without issue. However, guidance module failed on Mond spacecraft. The spacecraft misoriented after separation from the Repulsor II(M), and proceeded to wait two and a half hours before finally igniting its E1 engine. Mond 1 thus entered a moderately eccentric orbit around Kerbin halfway between Kerbin and the Mun. It was, however, the highest-flying object in Kerbal history and brought some success to the RRA.

Notable Flight Events

T-06:00:00 Mond 1 during assembly. Note stretched Repulsor II(M) upper stage, new interstage fairing for reduced drag, and new satellite payload.

T-00:00:10 Mond 1 on pad.

T+00:00:00 Liftoff!

T+00:00:12 Pitch program begins.

T+00:01:10 Stage separation. Note ignition of both B7 engines.

T+00:02:23 MECO, Repulsor II(M) fuel exhausted. Apoapsis 5,237km.

T+00:02:38 Mond 1 passes Karman line. Fairings and Repulsor II(M) staged away. Guidance program error: Mond 1 reorients to wrong attitude.

T+00:19:12 At this point E1 engine is supposed to ignite. However, a second error occurs, and it does not ignite for another two hours.

T+02:29:23 E1 engine finally ignites. Mond 1 enters eccentric 5,455x4,628km orbit around Kerbin.

But the RRA had one more disappointment in store, and the KSA too: the Kritish announced that Commander Paul Twiss DSO, Fleet Air Arm fighter ace and latterly Royal Aircraft Establishment test pilot, was the first Kerbal in space!

Cmdr Twiss in front of his HARC Mk4 WG774 "Fireball" at RAF Boskombe Down.

Edited September 11, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

Missile Development

Part 1: IRBMs

Before turning to the Kritish successes in flight, here is a brief update on the guided missile programs of the Union of Kerbican States and the Kerman Empire. Both these great powers, who unlike the Kritish did not have colonies spread across the globe, had to depend on missiles to deliver blutonium weapons. Long before Explorer or Wikinger sailed into the sky on their suborbital test flights, other payloads were being launched on other missiles.

Wallarmbrust

Building on their success with the Armbrust, the Kermans developed the Wallarmbrust: essentially an Armbrust sized to take a 2-ton warhead, with two changes. First there was a single engine and thrust chamber; second, the thrust section was detachable and only the top half of the missile would reenter. This would reduce drag but also mass, since only the nose section needed to be shielded for reentry heat. Started just after the war and rushed to completion, the new C2 engine was far less efficient than the highly-developed B7. All-up mass was just shy of 13 tons. The missile had a range of 420km with an apokerb of 63km.

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Granite

The Granite missile was the first missile in the world capable of delivering a blutonium warhead. Designed to be stationed on the Kritish Isles and strike targets in Krodina, it was not finished before the war ended, work on it slowed without the pressure of wartime, and it was not until four years later that it began testing, made possible only because of advances in both rocketry and warhead miniaturization and lightening. The Granite used a LR37 engine, essentially four LR32s sharing a single turbopump. Fuel flow was impacted, and the LR37 never could develop the thrust that four LR32s could. The LR32 would later become famous when a much more efficient later version was chosen to power the K-I upper stage (c.f. Koddard launch vehicle). Show here is the production-variant Granite with the Mk2 Reentry Vehicle; the first prototypes used slim, narrow noses (like the Kerman Wallarmbrust), but early computer modeling showed a blunt nosecone was necessary to survive high heat on reentry. While such a shape was unnecessary for the short-ranged Granite, the Kerbicans elected to test the RV on the Granite while waiting on their first true ICBM. The Mk2 RV had a mass of 1.75 tons, lighter than the Kermans' warheads of the time, evidence of the Kerbicans' lead in blutonium technology. All-up mass of the Granite was under seven tons, half that of the Wallarmbrust, but the range nearly matched it: 350km with an apokerb of 57km.

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[NathanKell]

The Kritish Are Coming!

The Kritish Break the Sound Barrier

Program

: Operation MERCURY

Administered by:

Royal Aircraft Establishment

Partners:

Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Gloster Aircraft Company, Miles Aircraft Limited

Aircraft:

JRC Mk3

W4041

and

W4046

, JRC Mk4

WL206

Objective:

Test the new high performance jet engine and break the sound barrier.

Outcome:

Success.

Notes

The Kritish had invented the jet engine shortly before the Second World War, and during the war had led the world in high-speed research. After the war, the Kritish continued their research, and embarked on Operation Mercury, an attempt to break the sound barrier. Unlike the Kerbican attempt, the Kritish rejected the easy solution of rocket propulsion, instead using jet engines. This was moderately less dangerous (while jets could flame out, it was much harder to make them explode), and allowed much longer, more easily controlled supersonic flight. Two aircraft were used for Mercury, the Jet Research Craft Mk3 and the Jet Research Craft Mk4.The Mk3 was produced by Gloster, a pioneer in jet aviation, and was to demonstrate certain features needed for the Mk4. It featured two innovations crucial to supersonic flight: a swept wing and a flying tail. In the transonic region, compression forces conventional control surfaces to remain level; a flying tail, however, keeps forces in balance and makes control much easier. The swept wing greatly lowers drag in the transonic and supersonic regime. The Mk3 would also test structure and aerodynamics for the Mk4: both aircraft shared the same fuselage with the exception of the nose, though the Mk4 had its clipped wing mounted higher and had various modifications to reduce drag. While the Mk3 had conventional intakes, the Mk4 featured a shock cone intake optimized for supersonic flight and a sharply tapered nose leading up to it; further, it added speed brakes to the fuselage, aft. All told the Mk4 in particular represented a quantum leap in jet technology and included many then-new features now standard--even required--for jet flight.

With RAF ace and Gloster test pilot Squadron Leader Kerry Sayer at the controls, W4041 "Violet" soared into the sky on May 31. This was the final test of the Mk3, before Sayer was to take up the Mk4 for the first time.

W4041 is clear for takeoff. Flaps set to Takeoff. Ignition.

Rotation! Vrot 112kts.

Retracting gear and flaps.

Clean ship, climbing to cruising altitude of 9000ft.

Leveled off, max speed 545kts.

Heading home.

Downwind leg, gear down and locked. Clear for landing.

Lined up, a little fast. Hot ship.

About to touch down, on glideslope. Note flaps set to Landing.

Touchdown! Raising flaps, brakes engaged.

Sqn Ldr Sayer in front of "Violet" after successful conclusion of the flight.

======================================

JRC Mk4 Flight #6: Breaking the Sound Barrier

After five test flights of the Mk4, RAE and Sqn Ldr Sayer felt comfortable with a supersonic attempt. On October 14, Sayer took up the Mk4 WL206 "Violet II" for his date with history.

The most rigorous of crew checks completed, Sayer boards WL206. Note shock cone intake, revised forward gear mounting point, wings at mid-level.

Flaps down, control surfaces check out. Note clipped wings, sharper nose. Clear for takeoff.

Ignition!

Rotation. Vrot 135kts. The acceleration presses Sayer back into his seat.

Gear up, raising flaps.

Clean ship. Zoom climb to 45,000ft.

Accelerating even in climb!

Leveled off, commencing speed run.

"Violet II" exceeds 575kts; Kerry Sayer is the first Kerbal to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Control calls "Mission Complete" and orders Sayer home. But on the way he decides to see how far he can take the Mk4.

This speed record in level flight (817kts), obtained at 46,000ft, stood for two years.

Descent. Brakes out, flaps down.

Clear for landing. Downwind leg, lowering gear.

Lining up, a little low.

Lined up. A little low, but speed right on target, 133kts.

Touchdown! Raising flaps.

Flaps raised, wheelbrakes on.

"Violet II" comes to a halt, taxis to ramp.

A very happy Sqn Ldr Sayer, fastest Kerbal alive, stands next to his mount.

Edited September 12, 2013 by NathanKell
Pic size fixed

[NathanKell]

A question. For the more obscure references, shall I start posting links?

Also, I'm having to split the Kritish update into three parts, not two. So you'll have to wait a little longer for Twiss's HARC Mk4 flight.

[NathanKell]

Krits in Space, Part 1

The HARC's Debut

Program

: Operation AURORA

Administered by:

Royal Aircraft Establishment

Partners:

Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Miles Aircraft Limited, Avro

Aircraft:

High Altitude Research Craft Mk1/Mk2

VX350

, Mk3

WG774

Objective:

Conduct high altitude / high speed research.

Outcome:

Success.

Notes

Following the success of the JRC aircraft, the RAE ordered a followup craft to research flight at extremely high altitudes and airspeeds. Avro won the contract with its Model 702, which borrowed heavily from Miles's work on the JRC Mk4. The HARC would have the clipped wing (though even lower-aspect) and sharp nose of the JRC Mk4 without the shock cone nose intake, a streamlined canopy, more sharply raked tailfin, and (eventually) a new hybrid turboramjet. Its main innovation, however, was the area-rule fuselage. Kritish researchers found, when testing higher-performance engines in the JRC Mk4, that they were not getting the performance they expected. In response they developed the "wasp-waisted" or "Coke-bottle"-shaped fuselage, where the fuselage narrows just at the point where the wings extend; this reduces the change in drag, which matters greatly in transonic and supersonic flight, and therefore greatly reduces drag.

The HARC as designed had three versions. The Mk1 tested the basic aerodynamics of the craft; it was air-dropped by an Avro Lancaster to test flight characteristics, and later equipped with Kritish copies of the Kerman B7 rocket engine, surplus from when Armbrusts were manufactured in Kritain, to test aerodynamics in the transonic and supersonic regime. The Mk1 featured four of the engines; any number from one to four could be lit, to vary the thrust. The Mk1 was then rebuilt to Mk2 standards: the rockets were replaced with a Rolls Royce Kene turbojet, as used on the JRC Mk3 and Mk4. This allowed the RAE to test the HARC in longer-duration flights, and allowed the test pilots to get a better feel for the aircraft. Finally, the Mk3 would be the main test model: it featured the new Bristol JTR-4 turboramjet, and an ingenious design where the mid-aft section of the fuselage itself operated as a shock cone for the intakes.

To fly the HARC, the RAE tapped Commander Paul Twiss RN DSO. Twiss was a highly decorated Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot who flew from carriers (and made ace) in the Mediterranean and Black Sea theaters before returning to Kritain to work as a test pilot for the RAE. He was the third Krit to fly a jet, the backup pilot for MERCURY, and an obvious choice for AURORA. (Legend has it he won the slot from Sayer in a game of draughts.)

The HARC Mk1 - VX350 in Mk1 form.

The basic shape of the HARC. Sharp nose, streamlined cockpit, area-rule fuselage, raked tailfin, swept low-aspect wings. Note lack of intakes.

Note quad B7 engines.

The HARC Mk2 - VX350 in Mk2 form.

Note inline intakes refitted to the Mk1 when the B7s and alcohol / liquid oxygen tanks were replaced by a Kene turbojet and kerosene.

Note Kene turbojet replacing quad B7s.

The HARC Mk3 - Twiss scrapes the heavens.

After qualifying the airframe--and himself--with the Mk1 and Mk2, Cmdr Twiss took to the skies in the Mk3 just short of four years after Sayer broke the sound barrier. After four test flights to shake out the Mk3, Twiss was ready to break some records, and on flight five, he did.

WG774 "Fireball" is clear for takeoff. Note ramscoop intakes with fuselage forming shock cone.

Flaps to Takeoff. Note new JTR-4 turboramjet, speedbrakes flush with the intakes.

Ignition!

Rotation! Vrot 120kts.

Retracting gear and flaps.

Clean ship, climbing to test altitude of 70,000ft.

"Fireball" breaks the sound barrier in climb!

After cruising at 70,000ft and gaining speed (to Mach 3), Cmdr Twiss puts "Fireball" in a moderate climb. Here is "Fireball" at apokerb of 91,000ft (28km). Twiss must throttle back to avoid flameout of the ramjet (compressor stall killed the turbojet at 60,000ft / Mach 2.8).

"Fireball" accelerates enough on the downslope to see some slight reentry effects. Twiss hears some pops and hisses, but nothing appears wrong. Thermal Protection System appears to be working fine. Max speed reached: 2,235 KTAS (Mach 3.9 at altitude). Mission accomplished!

On the way home, not to be outdone by Kerry Sayer's antics, Twiss tries again. He breaks his own just-set record: apokerb of 121,000ft (38km), speed of 2,475 KTAS. Down to a quarter-tank, playtime is over: Twiss must take a straight shot back to RAF Boskombe Down.

Fireball suffers far worse from reentry this time, however, and disaster strikes: the JTR-4 won't relight.

Transcript:

"Control, Fireball, declaring emergency."

"Control copies. State nature, over."

"Turbine's buggered. Something must have melted that last time."

"Copy. Wait on---"

"AURORA Actual here. Get over land and punch out, Twiss, no heroics."

"Negative Control, I can land her. I'm getting a glide ratio of five to one..."

"Don't be a bloody fool, Twiss!"

Twiss comes in high and fast at the start, planning to dump speed at the last moment.

Flaps to maximum, gear down.

Speed loss higher than planned--Twiss will be lucky if he misses the ramp!

A sudden, friendly gust gives Twiss the lift he needs.

Twiss makes it, barely. Ambulance and fire trucks are scrambled to the runway.

Touchdown! Raising flaps, brakes engaged.

A shaken but elated Cmdr Twiss descends the ladder to Mother Kerbin. Twiss would later receive the Air Force Cross for his actions that day--along with an official reprimand.

Author's Note: I didn't actually know Twiss dead-sticked WG774 in for a landing after engine failure in real life until writing this post (well after I had decided the story). Life imitates art, eh?

Edited September 12, 2013 by NathanKell

[NathanKell]

Krits in Space, Part 2

First Kerbal in Space

Program

: Operation AURORA (continued): AURORA BLACK

Administered by:

Royal Aircraft Establishment

Partners:

Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Miles Aircraft Limited, Avro

Aircraft:

High Altitude Research Craft Mk4

WG774

Objective:

Launch a Kerbal into space.

Outcome:

Success.

Notes

Each day, Krits everywhere read the newspaper or turned on the telly and learned of another space success of the Kermans or Kerbicans. Her Majesty's Government had to do something. Some wag on the AURORA team (now lost to history) had a brainwave: "Why don't we shoot Twiss into space?" The first person to take the idea truly seriously was Twiss himself, and he lobbied incessantly for the shot. The plan eventually made its way to the Air Ministry and then the Cabinet, where the PM favored it as a way to leapfrog ahead of Kritain's KATO partners. After that, the money flowed. The plan was to modify the HARC Mk3 into Mk4 configuration: take the same alcohol/LOX tank used on the Mk1 and place one on each wing, with two B7s per tank. The Mk4 would also feature long-lasting batteries and a vastly improved TPS, further adding weight; the once jackrabbit craft would now accelerate somewhat sluggishly at low altitude with only the turbojet engaged. But the engineers signed off, and so did their political masters: Twiss would get his coveted shot at space.

After drop tests of the new configuration and short firings of the rockets, RAE finally gave the go-ahead for the space shot: AURORA BLACK. Twiss would take off in the early morning from Boskombe Down and climb to 25km. Once there, he is to accelerate to as fast as the Mk4 will push him--estimate is just under Mach 4. Then he will enter a steep climb and engage the rockets. Apokerb is predicted to be approximately 75km, putting him well over the Karman line. His suborbital track will take him across Karabia and to the subcontinent; his landing point is to be one of the many RAF bases in the Dominion of Kindia. Limited knowledge about hypersonic aerodynamics and reentry effects precludes any more precise targeting.

WG774 "Fireball" is clear for takeoff. Note wingtip tanks.

Ignition! Note B7 engines.

Rotation! Vrot 160kts.

Retracting gear and flaps.

Clean ship, climbing to start altitude of 80,000ft.

"Fireball" accelerates to Mach 3.7, the "hits the wall."

Twiss pulls up sharply and engages rockets.

"Fireball" reaches apokerb of 78km just over Karabia. Twiss begins the long descent.

Reentry.

With the improved TPS, everything looks good.

Passing over the subcontinent with high angle of attack. "Fireball" isn't losing as much speed as expected, and Twiss is worried he will overshoot.

So he does. "Fireball" streaks southeast over Kindia. Now over the Kindian Ocean, Twiss banks left and makes for Keylon.

RAF Kolombo in sight! Just in time, as fuel is almost out.

Flaps to Landing, gear down.

Lined up.

Touchdown! But Twiss never lacks for luck, good or bad--the wheelbrakes have melted during reentry. Now the runway is too short for the heavy spaceplane.

"Fireball" rolls off the ramp and onto the grass, thankfully at only a few knots, and finally comes to a stop.

Commander Paul Twiss, RN DSO AFC, stands once again on the green grass of Kerbin. Even he can't help but smile--the first Kerbal in space!