jinnantonix

Artemis 3 - Crewed Lunar Landing July 2024, a crew of 4 launches on the SLS Block 1B in an Orion and with several tons of equipment and supplies on a 21 day mission. After 4 days the Orion completes a rendezvous with the LOP-G, docks the logistics module, and then docks the Orion to the MHM. The crew loads the prototype Advanced Exploration Lander with supplies and equipment, and spends 2 days preparing the AEL for launch. A pilot and scientist board, launch and burn the AEL into low lunar orbit. The Lunar Transit Vehicle detaches, and remains in orbit, while the crew descends to land at Shackleton Crater, guided by the Peregrine beacon. After landing, the crew spend a week conducting experiments, then launch and dock the Lunar Ascent Vehicle with the Lunar Transit Vehicle in LLO. The craft docks with the LOP-G, and the lunar crew transfer to the MHM. The prototype AEL and spent logistics module is undocked via remote robotic control to burn into suborbital trajectory. The LOP--G orbit is adjusted by firing the ion engines to ensure orbital stability until the next mission. The crew board the Orion, and return to Earth. Design Notes: The AEL Transit Vehicle currently has insufficient fuel capacity to rendezvous with the LOP-G and complete the lunar landing. It is assumed that the logistics module launched on the SLS includes hypergolic fuel pumps and supplies to refuel the LTV while at the LOP-G. Artemis 4 includes the ESPRIT module which provides fuel pumping capabilities for Aerozine, NTO and Xenon, and future missions will include fuel supply. The detaching and disposing of the AEL and logistics module is not mandatory, and they may be maintained in position to provide additional crew space for future missions. Additional docking ports will be provided with the delivery of the International Habitat module on Artemis 4.

In late 2023, NASA commissions Astrobotic to dispatch a Peregrine Lander to Shackleton Crater on a ULA Vulcan rocket to act as a beacon for the Artemis 3 lunar landing. The solar panel is replaced with a small RTG (there is no sunlight in the crater). Equipment includes high efficiency LEDs, along with instruments to provide accurate topographic maps of the crater floor. There is comprehensive testing of relay telecommunications via the LOP-G. Shackleton Crater. Only the crater rim receives sunlight. The floor is permanently dark, and so ancient water ice deposits from billions of years of comet impacts remains available as water ice across the crater floor. NASA aims to use this H2O to create fuel for future missions to heliocentric space, and in particular to Mars. The Artemis lunar landings seek to survey the resource, and test the advanced and complex equipment needed for converting water ice to usable fuel, and ultimately to establish a lunar base for managing a lunar refueling station.

Edit: I just went back to a quicksave on this last launch to check, and while NRHO is 90deg to the direction of the Earth from the Moon, it is definitely NOT 90deg to "the approach path of a ship leaving Earth". An efficient TLI has Earth Ap just beyond the orbit of the moon, and then the Moon moves along its orbit into the encounter. The ship therefore encounters the Moon at approximately 90 deg to the Moon - Earth direction, or close to the plane of the NRHO, so if the encounter with the LOPG is close to the NRHO Ap, then the delta-V is much less than the worst case of 200m/s (90 deg orbital plane change)

Artemis 3 - Lunar Orbital Platform and Advanced Exploration Lander.

Hi @harrisjosh2711, a big thanks for this mod, I am really enjoying it. I have used many of your parts to build a Falcon Heavy as part of my mission log Artemis: To the Moon and Beyond in Real Solar System.

More of the Artemis Program in RSS. SSTU Merlin engines used in the Falcon Heavy, and SSTU lander pod, fuel tanks and SuperDRACO engines used in the Advanced Exploration Lander and transit vehicles.

Artemis 3 The final stage of Artemis phase 1, is initial establishing of the Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway, and a crewed lunar landing in the darkness of Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole. The high level plan for Artemis 1, 2 and 3 is as follows: The component craft for the Artemis 3 mission comprises the following: Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), being developed by Maxar Technologies (8.0 tons, including 2t of Xenon propellant) Minimum Habitat Module, being developed by Northrop Grumman - a modified Cygnus standard module (3.75 tons approx) Advanced Exploration Lander, developed by NASA and partners. 3 stage - Ascent, Descent and Transit Vehicles. (14.5 tons approx) Orion with crew of 4 (launch mass 25.8 tons) and lunar surface logistics module (9.8 tons) Design Proposal: The first three components are to be delivered on commercial spacecraft. In order to minimise cost and risk, I propose that the SpaceX Falcon Heavy ($150M per launch) be used, two launches with each launch carrying ~`16 ton payload to lunar insertion, and a single robotic docking procedure in lunar orbit. The final component, Orion with crew of 4 and logistics, will be launched on the Space Launch System (SLS Block 1B), and will rendezvous and manually dock with the LOP-G in lunar orbit. Artemis 3a: integrates and fully tests the PPE and MHM on Earth along with a small expendable hypergolic General Transit Vehicle (GTV) providing 800 m/s delta-V to decelerate the PPE/MHM into NRHO. The GTV is a smaller version of the Lunar Transit Vehicle (stage 1 of the Advanced Exploration Lander), a relatively low cost craft comprising a single SuperDraco engine, fuel tanks and remote control system. Launch Vehicle is the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. Artemis 3b: integrates and fully tests the 3 stages of the Advanced Exploration Lander on Earth. The craft comprises Lunar Ascent Vehicle (crew of 2), Lunar Descent Vehicle (which remains on the lunar surface) and Lunar Transit Vehicle which provides propulsion for entry into NRHO and rendezvous with the LOP-G, transport of LAV and LDV to low lunar orbit, and rendezvous with LAV after surface mission completion, thence return crew to the LOP-G. The prototype AEL craft will be fully expendable, however future AEL craft will have re-usable LAV and LTV components. Launch Vehicle is the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. The AEL will rendezvous with the LOP-G, and will dock with the MHM under robotic control from Earth. Artemis 3: integrates the Orion spacecraft (crew of 4) with a supply module containing lunar surface and transit logistics. Launch Vehicle is the SLS Block 1B. After rendezvous, logistics equipment will be transferred to the Advanced Exploration Lander. 2 crew will remain at the LOP-G. while a pilot and a scientist will transfer to the AEL, and land at the lunar south pole. After 2 weeks on the surface carrying out scientific studies, they will launch in the Lunar Ascent Vehicle and return to the LOP-G with a small payload of moon rocks. The crew of 4 will then board the Orion and return to Earth.

It says: " nearly polar ", it is not exactly polar because NRHO is a 3-body orbit. Otherwise, I entirely agree with you. The video is excellent, though I had to watch it 3 times to understand the whole "slinky" thing. I propose to model the NRHO in KSP as a highly elliptical orbit, with the Ap over the south pole, as this will best allow the proposed telecommunications relay capability from the lunar south pole. I don't fully understand why NASA proposes DRO rather then NRHO, I suspect it may have something to do with safety or recoverability in case of system failure. I am certain there is no intention to ever transition from DRO to NRHO. I will also redo the Artemis 1 mission from scratch showing the Orion burning into DRO, new video is pending. DONE Edit: I figured out why they go to DRO. The Orion stays in DRO for about 6 days or about 1/3 of a lunar orbit before burning retrograde to elliptical orbit. By shifting the position of Pe, this allows a single burn utilising the Oberth effect to attain a trajectory directly back to Earth. (It doesn't explain why they don't go to NRHO and do a proper test ).

Hi @Geschosskopf Agree that DRO is equatorial, and according to your video it is circular. So now the infographics make sense, thanks for advising. My assumption was the the test burns were intended to simulate entering NRHO which involves retrograde burn to relative zero velocity, then immediate prograde burn returning to an elliptical orbit . However it could also be that NASA's plan is that the craft prograde burns to circular orbit (DRO), then immediately (the fact that the craft is in orbit for only 6 days suggests this) burns back to an elliptical orbit - consuming a similar amount of fuel. From your video it is clear that NRHO is neither equatorial nor polar, the craft is not actually in orbit around the Moon (in the normal sense). However as there are no Lagrange points in KSP the nearest equivalent is a lunar polar orbit. I have already tested entering polar orbit direct from TLI (Ap=60,000km, Pe = 2,000km) - my Orion has plenty of fuel for this, even carrying a 6 ton payload, with plenty of fuel remaining to return to Earth.

Artemis 2: Orion crewed lunar flyby Proposed launch, July 2022 on the NASA SLS Block 1 launch vehicle with Orion spacecraft. Artemis 2 mission: Lunar flyby with 4 crew and launch of CubeSats.

Hi @Geschosskopf I spent a long time developing the SRBs. I tried to modify maxthrust and fuel capacity in a single booster pair, but ended up with SRBs that are much heavier than the real boosters, or did not burn long enough. I found clipping some SRBs (from the BetterSRB mod) into the bottom of an unmodified Kickback got exactly the right dimensions ,thrust, mass and burn time to match real world. (Stock SRBs SUCK!) The part count (and resultant launch pad explosions) has occasionally been a problem, but judicious autostrutting eventually fixed that. I also switched settings to "Indestructible Buildings" as the SLS and Falcon Heavy are both so large, and boosters so powerful, they destroy the pad at launch. I didn't follow the the infographic, it conflicts with other information I have on the proposed Artemis 1 mission. Firstly the launch goes east from the Cape exactly when in lunar planer alignment so there is no wasteful plane change burn needed. Why would you launch any other way? There is conflicting information on the whether Artemis 1 will go to circular orbit with 4 burns. Future missions will never put the Orion in circular orbit, rather they will involve a single retrograde burn of the engines to go into NRHO, adjust to encounter the Lunar Orbital Platfrom - Gateway, then use thrusters to rendezvous and dock with the LOP-G. Crew then transfer to the LOP-G, and the 3-stage lunar lander. At the end of the mission, the crew reboard the Orion to return to Earth. This is a more accurate infographic : https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/artemis-1-map/ showing the Orion burning once to going into elliptic orbit, then "Orbital Maintenance " burns while in a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) at Ap= 38,000 nmi which I believe is proposed to be sufficiently similar to NRHO for test purposes. In the video I did similar to this. In the video I did 2 burns for return, (a) prograde to exit lunar SOI, then (b) retrograde with Pe at 70km from Earth's surface. This is different to the intended return manouevre, which is (a) retrograde to low Pe over the moon and (b) utilise Oberth, prograde burn to Earth. The latter is not possible to model accurately in KSP because there are no Lagrange points. However I will attempt to show this in future videos (if it doesn't use too much dV)

More of the Artemis Program in RSS. SSTU components used to create a Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1.

Artemis 1: Orion Lunar Orbital Test Proposed launch, July 2021 on the NASA SLS Block 1 launch vehicle with Orion spacecraft. Artemis 1 mission: Lunar orbital test flight and launch of 13 CubeSats.

More of the Artemis Program in RSS. SSTU components used to create a Atlas V 500 series commercial launch vehicle, using 1st stage RD-180 engine with maxthrust of 4,152 kN, and second stage RL10C-1 with maxthrust of 106kN in vacuum, and a Cygnus ISS resupply module. I also made an Atlas V 300 series suitable for single 1.4 ton payload launch. (not shown).

Commercial Lunar Payload Service - Mission 1 It is proposed that by 2021, NASA will award a contract for the first Commercial Lunar Payload Service, to deliver science equipment and mini rovers to the lunar surface. One contender for the contract is Astrobotic Technology with their Peregrine Lander. This video simulates CLPS Mission 1 assuming Astrobotic wins the contract. It is expected that NASA will utilise CLPS to execute reconnaissance at Artemis program lunar landing sites. Edit: This video assumes launch on an Atlas V, however it is likely the first CLPS mission will launch on a ULA Vulcan. Design Notes:

My first video in my mission log Artemis: To the Moon and Beyond in Real Solar System. Many SSTU parts used in building a LAS test vehicle, Delta IV Heavy, Orion and modified Peacekeeper missile.

Testing Phase: 2010 LAS Pad Abort-1 Test [video] 2014 Delta IV Heavy Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 [video] 2019 PeaceKeeper Ascent Abort-2 Test [video]

Testing Phase: Artemis 3 Mission Simulation https://imgur.com/a/4n5nx1w The Lunar Gateway(PPE and MHM) is not yet in place, so this is really just a test run to check that the lunar lander components all work OK. So far all good, just a few minor tweaks, and some effort to get rid of a few glitches in the graphics. The mass of the Orion is incorrect in this test, so is invalid. Design Notes:

Hi @Gremillion Thanks for your post. Looks like you are having some success with your SLS replica. What engines did you use for main and secondary stages? Did you match thrust with real world equivalents? How about engine efficiency?

Hi @raidernick I get this error? Castor30 appear to be loaded. What am I missing?

Artemis Program Schedule: Testing Phase: Date Craft Mission 2010 LAS Pad Abort-1 Test [video] 2012 THEMIS 1 and 2 Redirect two satellites into lunar Lagrange point L1 and L2 2014 Delta IV Heavy Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 2019 PeaceKeeper Ascent Abort-2 Test [video] 2021 Atlas V Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Mission 1 + 2021 SLS Block 1 Artemis 1 Uncrewed lunar orbit 2022 SLS Block 1 Crew Artemis 2 Crewed lunar flyby on free-return trajectory Lunar Exploration and Orbital Platform Gateway Construction (speculative *): 2022 Falcon Heavy** Artemis 3a Power Propulsion Element, Minimal Habitation Module (Modified Cygnus) 2024 Falcon Heavy** Artemis 3b Expendable 3-stage Lunar Lander delivery to LOPG 2024 SLS Block 1B Crew Artemis 3 Crewed lunar landing, Orion and Lunar Surface Logistics 2025 Falcon Heavy** Artemis 4a Uncrewed delivery to LOPG of re-usable Lunar Lander. 2025 SLS Block 1B Crew Artemis 4 Crewed delivery of ESPRIT and crewed lunar landing 2026 Falcon Heavy** Artemis 5a Uncrewed delivery of fuel resupply module and lunar descent vehicle 2026 SLS Block 1B Crew Artemis 5 Crewed delivery of International Habitation Module and lunar landing 2027 Falcon Heavy** Artemis 6a Uncrewed delivery of fuel resupply module and lunar descent vehicle 2027 SLS Block 1B Crew Artemis 6 Crewed delivery of US Habitation Module, and lunar landing 2028 Falcon Heavy** Artemis 7a Uncrewed delivery of fuel resupply module and lunar descent vehicle 2028 SLS Block 1B Cargo Artemis 7 Delivery of "Lunar Asset" (large lunar surface module) to LOPG 2028 SLS Block 1B Crew Artemis 8 Delivery of Airlock Module and lunar landing of crew and "Asset" + Assuming Peregrin Lander wins the contract * The actual schedule for LOPG construction is not yet set by NASA, this is a suggested proposal ** NASA is under negotiation for commercial carriers, single launch of Falcon Heavy is assumed only. Multiple launches of smaller launch vehicles is feasible, although adds the complexity and risk of more robotic docking operations.

Hi @Shadowmage, I am wondering if it is possible to resize the NASA logo on your tanks?

Hi @Shadowmage, just wanted to say thanks for this excellent mod, I am really enjoying it. I have taken on Real Solar System for the first time, and using SSTU to work through the Artemis program. I have a working SLS Block 1B with EUS that can launch 40 ton payload into translunar orbit, and I have a lunar lander using your POD3 which can complete a lunar landing missions with the launch of a SLS B1B Crew (Orion + POD3 ascent vehicle) and SLS B1B Cargo (2-stage lunar descent vehicle), I have used your RS-25, SL-10 in the SLS, and Draco-L hypergolic engines in the lunar lander, with some minor modifications. Working now on a Delta IV Heavy to act is the commercial carrier for the precursor missions, and looking forward to designing and building the Lunar Gateway in an elliptical polar orbit which mimics the Lunar L2 Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit proposed for the Gateway in the Artemis program. When completed I hope to use all the components to create, design and execute a kerballed mission to Mars. Mission log:

Background The Artemis program is a space program carried out by NASA, and partners such as ESA, with the goal of landing "the first woman and the next man" on the lunar south pole region by 2024. The program begins with precursor flights on commercial space vehicles such as the Delta IV Heavy, with the soon to be completed new launch capability, the Space Launch System (SLS) - a super heavy launch vehicle in development by NASA, and which will carry the Orion Crew Capsule and other components for the program. The Space Launch System is derived from the Ares V design, initially developed under the Constellation program which was cancelled due to funding constraints caused by the GFC. Now, with approved funding, and a plan to leverage commercial launch capabilities where appropriate, the Artemis program may proceed, and will include an unmanned test flight during Artemis 1 around the moon, with a launch date slated for 2021. The program includes building the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOPG) which will be launched into a Lunar L2 Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit. Artemis 2 will be the first manned launch of SLS/Orion slated for 2023 with a launch of Artemis 3 carrying the first crew to return to the lunar surface in 2024. This Mission The goal is to complete an accurate simulation of the Artemis Program in Real Solar System. The intention is to execute each part of the program as accurately as possible, along the proposed timeline, and with replica craft that match the real equivalents in appearance, scale, mass and dimensions. When the program is completed, the components will be used to design and simulate a manned (kerballed) mission to Mars. Simulator Kerbal Space Program v1.7.3 with Making History and Breaking Ground Primary Mods Real Solar System by @NathanKelland many others RealSolarSystemVisualEnhancements * by @Phineas Freak Real Visual Enhancements (RVE) by @pingopete Scatterer by @blackrack Minimum Ambient Lighting by @Red3Tango Part Mods SSTU labs by @Shadowmage Procedural Parts by @Starwaster Restock and Restock+ by Various BetterSRBs by @OhioBob Tweakscale by @Gaius Kerbalized SpaceX by @harrisjosh2711 Tools & Utilities MechJeb by @sarbian; * Note. Visual effects are not yet supported for RSS in v1.7.3.

Here's my submission: No mods, v1.7.3 with Breaking Ground. The Liquidator VTOL reaches 150m zone after 20 seconds of flight, drops the rover at flight time 42 seconds, and exits the 150m zone at flight time of 52 seconds. All graphite blocks removed with 57 units of electricity remaining. I calculate the score as follows: (300 - 20) / 2 + (120 - 32)* 4 + 40 + 100 * 10 = 1532.