Death Engineering

[Mission Entry 8b - "Three ships, two days of burns, one Duna!"] It was a momentous occasion when, on day 595, the achievements of the Duna Space Program celebrated 2000 kerbal-days on Duna's surface. Even though Ludlong had flown up to Duna station, there were still 7 kerbals on Duna. However, for a few hours on day 595 when the three-crew habmod landed on its northern latitude and before Ludlong headed to the Duna station, there were eight kerbals on Duna at the same time. Back on Kerbin, the Kerbin Orbiting Supply Depot, which was launched on day 577, docked with the Crew Transfer Vehicle. It carried enough to top up the supplies and fuel for the Crew Transfer Vehicle in preparation for its return to Duna on day 739. Other missions coming up for the day 739 transfer window include a dual-drop resupply mission and a three-seat rover for use by the newest crew on Duna in order to investigate reports of a mysterious formation in the rocks. Sending three vessels from Kerbin to Duna on the same transfer window would require plenty of koffee at mission control, and also would require that every engineer made sure their kerbal alarm clock was set for every important step during the transfer to Duna. The engineers were ready. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for day 739... View through the fairing Primary launch history to day 595 Proton S+ Launches Day 10 - Dual Habmod Launch to Duna carrying 4 kerbals in two landers 91 - Dual Duna shuttle and resupply mission 172 - Crew Module for Duna Transfer Vehicle 253 - Propulsion stage for Duna Transfer Vehicle 334 - Three Kerbal Habmod 499 - Propulsion stage for Duna Orbiting Station 496 - Crew Module for Duna Orbiting Station 577 - Kerbin Orbiting Supply Depot Upcoming Primary Launch Schedule 658 - Dual Supply Drop to Duna 739 - Advanced Rover and Resupply Duna Station 820 - Propulsion stage for Duna Orbiting Station 2 901 - Crew Module for Duna Orbiting Station 2 982 - Kerbin Orbiting Supply Depot 1063 - Dual Supply Drop to Duna 1144 - Advanced Research and Surface Exploration module Sustainable Launch Schedule (repeat cycle for duration of Duna Space Program) Profile A) Dual Supply Drop to Duna - supplies to carry at least 7 kerbals to the next supply drop Profile Equipment and Duna Station supplies (two launches) - Equipment can vary between launches to enhance Duna surface activity Profile C) Kerbin Orbiting Supplies - fuel and supplies for the Crew Transfer Vehicle Profile D) Advanced Equipment to Duna - Open launch for projects in development Profile E) Duna Orbiting Station Expansion - After every four Profile D launches, a dual-launch using the Profile D launch as a propulsion stage will expand upon an existing Duna Station or begin constructing a new Duna Station in Duna's orbit. Throughout the Primary launch schedule, all new crew-capable vessels will be inspected by a crew on a 10-day mission before the vessel transfer to Duna. For any missions to Duna that carry crews, a variety of launches will bring the crew to the transfer vessel as primary launcher missions will be launched using robotic control. The only exceptions to this 'robotic launch' rule, where a kerbal test-pilot is on board during launch, the vehicle will be equipped with a launch escape system to ensure that a launcher failure would be survivable by the test-pilot crew. Complete Mission Hardware Catalog to Day 595 Why are we called called Death Engineering? During a meeting with some of the new engineers, one of them asked, "Why are we called 'Death Engineering'?" The chief engineer smiled and said, "Well, we don't want to actually kill anyone.. but we like to have a bit of fun. Here, look at this video from the Three Kerbal Habmod that landed a few days ago." Expected Performance: Mission Report 8 Photo Album Coming in Mission Entry 9: Bob gets his revenge Ludlong has an adventure Three ships arrive at Duna together A hairy landing on Duna

[Mission Entry 8a] In the last mission report, Jebediah and Bill went out to Duna to pick up Bob. Once they got there, they took the Duna shuttle on an unauthorized mission to land on Ike. Although this mission was not approved by Mission Control, it still reinstated Bob's 'test pilot' status because it was the first time that a kerbal had landed on Ike. After the Ike landing mission returned to the Crew Transfer Vehicle in Duna orbit, Ludlong descended back down to Duna's surface and named the site 'Fort Ludlong'. Down on the surface of Duna, Ludlong was settling in very well at 'Fort Ludlong'. He had made several day trips to some local outcroppings of interesting looking dirt, gathered some up, and brought the samples back to his site. Every night before bed he would read stories about early space missions and kept his piloting skills sharp by practicing on his simulator. Every morning he would report any interesting findings back to mission control, where Bob took a special interest in reading them along with the other mission control team. Bob had developed a whole new respect for Ludlong after discovering Ludlong's innate piloting skills. After Bob let Ludlong fly the Duna Shuttle up to the Crew Transfer Vehicle, Bob had looked at the flight profile that Ludlong flew and noticed that Ludlong had used less fuel on the ascent than the computers had reported was possible. Bob briefly considered deleting the log file from Ludlong's flight in order to avoid further embarrassment, but decided instead to tell Bill and Jeb about it and give Ludlong a pat on the back for the achievement. Ludlong was so excited about it, he made a printout of the flight log from his first and only turn in the pilot's seat and kept it pinned up in his small quarters on Duna. Every morning he would wake up and see it and remind him of his first 156 days on Duna and his new friend, Bob, the test pilot. During his morning walk around the area near Fort Ludlong, he happened to be looking up just as the Duna Orbiting Station was entering orbit above him. He ran excitedly back to his quarters and radioed mission control. "Hello, mission control.. this is Ludlong at Fort Ludlong.. come in, mission control." "Ludlong, this is mission control. As you probably noticed, the Duna station entered orbit today and we have some really good news for you." "Really? Good news.. for me?", Ludlong asked. Good news didn't often come to Ludlong and he was both surprised and anxious to hear what was going on. "Yes, Ludlong, good news for you. Thanks to Bob's recommendation, we have decided to promote you to be the first commander of the Duna Orbiting station!" "WOW! That's fantastic! Commander, huh? All because of Bob? Wow! Who am I going to be commanding?" he said eagerly. "Well, no one, really. You'll be the only one on the station. But you will be responsible for making sure everyone on the surface is doing okay and you will have the shuttle with you at the station in case you need to go down to the surface to help anyone out down there." "Thanks, mission control! Say.. can I name it Ludlong Station?" "No, Ludlong, you can't." This disappointed Ludlong and he frowned prominently. Unfortunately for him, it had no effect on mission control, as their communication was audio only. "We're sending Bartdorf and Danlong to you now. They'll pick you up and bring you to the Duna shuttle which lands in a few hours on its next orbit." "That's great! This is Ludlong at Fort Ludlong signing off! My next report will be from Duna Station." Bartdorf and Danlong meet up with Ludlong Ludlong heads to Duna station Later that day, Ludlong was packing up his things and making sure the cabin was clean. He also had some really good samples of Duna dirt to bring up to Duna Station. As he was finishing up, he heard a rover approaching. A few moments later, he heard the voices of Bartdorf and Danlong outside his quarters. "Rover pilot Danlong reports we have arrived at Fort Ludlong!", Danlong exclaims over his shoulder to Bartdorf riding in the rear seat. "Rover co-pilot Bartdorf acknowledging our arrival!" he exclaims back. Danlong and Bartdorf were among the newest recruits in the Duna Space Program and really took their posting to Duna seriously. They felt it was important to announce everything they did and saluted each other and every one else constantly, even though no other kerbals saluted each other. They also always walked in unison and kept their quarters military-spec tidy and organized. Although they believed that they were selected for this mission as a result of their formal approach to being in the Duna Space Program, it was a common understanding at mission control that they had been sent them to Duna precisely because of all the saluting and announcing every thought they had. It was driving mission control crazy, and sending them to Duna would finally bring some peace and quiet to the space center. Even Ludlong thought that Bartdorf and Danlong were a little peculiar, but he appreciated the ride on the rover to the Duna shuttle and the help they offered with repacking the chutes. "Goodbye for now, shuttle pilot Ludlong!" they said in unity with another salute. "I'll just be in orbit, guys, I'm not going far. In fact I'll be less than 60 km away every hour or so. Keep Fort Ludlong looking good while I'm gone, okay?" "Yes SIR!" they answered together with a salute. Shrugging his shoulders, Ludlong boarded the shuttle and ascended to Duna station. Ludlong docks with Duna Station "We have dirt from Ike and Duna!" The Crew Transfer Vehicle entered Kerbin orbit and passed high through the atmosphere on a mild aerobrake to prevent damage and also to allow use of the nuclear engines as soon as they were out of the atmosphere. It took several orbits to slow down, but eventually Bob, Bill and Jeb settled in to a 100km orbit above Kerbin. The gang had been in orbit around Duna for 140 days and flying from Duna to Kerbin for another 70, so they had more than enough time to make a huge mess in the crew quarters on the transfer vehicle. Bob had really gotten used to Ludlong keeping their Habmod clean, so he was not accustomed to the 'test pilot mess' that was normally associated with test pilot missions. "Hey, guys, I can't take this mess anymore. There's even special compartments over your head for 'Rubbish'. Can't you at least pick up your kandy wrappers?", Bob finally asked Bill and Jeb halfway through their trip back to Kerbin. "What's the matter, Bob? You lose your 'test pilot' wings for a few months and you forget how to be irresponsible and slobby?", Bill asks from behind a pile of empty snack wrappers. "I guess I just got used to not living in garbage," Bob replied dryly. "You know what? I'm going to EVA up to the cupola module for a few days and take some star readings for my report. I'll see you guys later..". As Bob opened the door to the cabin, air rushed out of the room and swept most of the trash out the open door into space. "Hey, Bob cleaned up for us! Thanks Bob!", Jeb said as he watched the trash escape into the vaccuum of space. "Close the door, Bob, I'm trying to make something out of those kandy wrappers!", Bill said as Bob closed the door to head up to the cupola module. Bob, Bill and Jeb Return to Kerbin A Hero's Welcome "I would like to thank everyone for coming out to the Kerbal Space Center today", said the chief engineer of the Duna Space Center to the small crowd assembled outside of Mission Control. Today was the first open-house for Kerbals to come and see some of the mission hardware used in the Duna Space Program. On the launch pad, an Antares Proton s+ was being prepared to launch a resupply mission to Duna. And, parked behind the presentation podium, there was the latest version of the Crew Delivery Mission vehicle used to transport kerbalnauts to LKO and back. "As you can see, with us we have Jebediah, Bill and the recently reinstated test pilot, Bob. Thanks to these guy, we have dirt from Ike and Duna! Lets have a big round of applause!" The chief engineer walked back to mission control as Jeb approached the microphone. The crowd applauded enthusiastically as Jeb began his speech. "Hey! It's great to be back here on Kerbin after our mission out to Duna and our Ike landing. A huge thanks to all the engineers who make these missions possible and of course a big thanks to everyone who turned out today to have a closer look at the machinery we use on our space missions!" The crowd applauded even more enthusiastically. "Going out to Duna and landing on Ike was great fun and we brought back lots of dirt for our kerbal scientists to look at, but I wanted to express my great appreciation to Bob who went out to Duna and spent 156 days on the surface. Take a bow, Bob.." Bob stood up and briefly nodded and waved to the enthusiastically applauding crowd then sat down quietly. Bob liked the quiet of space and was not used to crowds. Jeb continued, "Yes, Bob showed great bravery and humility when he accepted his mission to the Duna surface after getting drummed out of the test pilot team. What is even more admirable is how he doesn't hold anything against Bill and me for causing the accident which destroyed the CDM 4 rocket, leading to his dismissal from the test pilot team. What a guy!" The crowd roared with appreciation. As Jeb's confession to causing the destruction of the CDM 4 mission began to sink in to Bob's consciousness, Bob's eyes started getting bigger and bigger. His left eye began to twitch. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, then closed it again, as if he didn't know what to say. Which he didn't. Covering the microphone with his hand, Jeb says quietly, "Hey, uh, Bob, you're not looking so good.." Bob stood up and walked calmly over to Jeb standing at the podium. "Bob, old buddy.. you aren't mad about the CDM 4 explosion, still, are ya?" Jeb asked with a hopeful grin, still covering the mic with his hand. The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, unsure about what they were watching. "Jeb... what did you and Bill do?" Bob calmly asked Jeb, but clearly having a hard time restraining himself from reacting more to this revelation. "Well, Bob, we're sorry. We just made a little change to the wiring on the command pod so that it dropped snacks on Macly and Hudsey. But, I think we might have hooked it up so that it accidentally triggered the 'abort' system instead. Gee, sorry, buddy. Shake on it?" Jeb extended his hand to Bob, but Bob ignored it and instead calmly pushed Jeb aside. He looked back at Bill who was giggling to himself and Jeb who had already sat back down beside Bill and had a concerned look on his face. Jeb knew that Bob was the smartest and wasn't sure what to expect. Approaching the microphone and gathering all his strength to address the crowd, Bob's voice was clear and full of authority, "Jeb.. Bill.. I thank you for putting me the position where I would spend 156 on Duna instead of being a test pilot back here on Kerbin. During my time on Duna, I learned a lot of things. I watched how our new recruit, Ludlong, dutifully completed his daily tasks. I watched how he kept the Habmod clean every day, even though I didn't have to ask him. I watched him turn into a skillful pilot capable of flying the Duna shuttle more efficiently than our best robotic probe." Bob paused again, the crowd waiting with anticipation about what would happen next. "Today marks a new era in the KSC test pilot program. With my recent reinstatement to the test pilot team, and promotion this morning to lead test pilot due to my duration missions on the Mun and Duna, I have, in the last two minutes, started working on a plan to overhaul the test pilot team!" Bob's voice was gaining even more strength and excitement. "There will be no more shenanigans! There will be no more silly pranks! There will be no more slovenly habits from the test pilot corps! Today, we start The New Way for the test pilot team! Thank you!" The crowd erupted in applause and everyone threw their space helmets into the air. Bob really wasn't promoted, but he was pretty sure that Jeb and Bill wouldn't bother to check on that. Bob was going to overhaul the test pilot team, and he was going to do it with Ludlong's help. As soon as Ludlong gets back from Duna, that is... Test Pilot Reception Coming in Mission Entry 8b... Complete mission hardware catalog Two vessels leave for Duna Complete launch summary to date and sustainable mission plan

Actions on the fly.. wow that looks really cool. I have an interplanetary shuttle that has an action group for atmospheric encounters (retracts the solar panels and turns off lights) but due to a QA glitch, only 3 of the 4 panels retract. Since my schedule does not have another one of these planned to go up for another four Kerbin-Duna launch windows, I might be able to fix this one. Its only a matter of time until I forget to retract that one last panel and rip it off in an aerocapture. Say.. does that actions on the fly allow things that regular action groups don't? In particular, I'd like to be able to disable flow from RCS tanks on an action key so I don't have to right-click them every time I switch back to the vessel.

Its interesting, to be sure, to go without Mechjeb and Kerbal Engineer. I do, however, use Kerbal Alarm Clock as it would be impossible to have multiple simultaneous flights going on between Duna and Kerbin otherwise. So, not *quite* stock, I guess.

Looks very thorough! I think I might the only person doing this challenge without mods.. we're just going to Duna for the prestige of planting flags. "batch of 24 Kerbals".. just like mom used to make!

Posted the 7th mission report in the DunaSpace Program challenge. Check it out here In this mission report Macly and Hudsey go on a mission, Ludlong turns out to be a great pilot and the three amigos ride again so Bob can re-earn his 'test pilot' status. The Death Engineering 'Duna Space Program' is at day 500 with 1504 kerbal-days on Duna's surface. Coming in Mission Report 8 Complete mission hardware catalog The three amigos come back to a hero's welcome Two vessels leave for Duna Complete launch summary to date and sustainable mission plan The new crew of Bartdorf and Danlong visit Fort Ludlong Dunar orbital rendezvous and docking

[Mission Report 7 - Updates to Day 500] Day 351 - The Three Amigos Ride Again Bob had been checking his calendar every day since he arrived. He had been on Duna for 155 days and was ready to go home. Although he was starting to get used to being on Duna, he really wanted to talk to someone in Mission Control about getting his 'test-pilot' status back. He still suspected Macly and Hudsey had planted evidence to make it look like it was his fault that the CDM 4 exploded on the launch pad. The only way to prove that it wasn't his fault was to get back to Kerbin and look over the report. And now, finally, he read on the KSC report that morning that the Crew Transfer Vehicle was in orbit above Duna. It was almost time to go home! He grabbed the radio and tuned in to the transfer vehicle's frequency. "Base Two.. I mean Habmod Two.. calling Crew Transfer Vehicle.. come in Crew Transfer Vehicle.." "Base Two? Bob? Hey how you doing, buddy?" It was Jeb! Jeb had come to Duna.. but why, he wondered? "Jeb, wow, what are you doing out here? Aren't there any new rockets to test back on Kerbin?" Bob asked, sounding chipper for the first time in 155 days. "Well, Bob, Bill and I came out here to pick you up and bring you back into the test pilot program. Bill and I were talking about the good old days and reminiscing about all our crazy mishaps and we got this idea to come along as the pilots for the Crew Transfer Vehicle. I had to pull a few strings to come on the mission without being a part of the surface teams, but mission control owed me one. After all, they took away our best astro-navigator from us!" "Thanks, Jeb. So, Bob's there, too? I can't wait to see you guys! It's been okay down here, but it has been a little boring. But I've been training Ludlong to be a better pilot and he's really taking to it on the simulator. I also shared with him all the stories about the Mun mission from last year when Bill and I were on the surface for 200 days and all the things we learned about duration missions. He seems to really like being down here." "That's great, Bob! Because we came out here for more than just to pick you up. Bill was looking over the telemetry from the Duna transfer vehicles and we think that there's enough fuel left over in them to take a little trip?" "What do you mean, 'take a little trip'?" Bob asked. Bob recognized the tone in Jeb's voice and knew that he was about to propose something unapproved, untested, dangerous and definitely a lot of fun. "We think you should fly the surface shuttle up to the docked transfer vehicles and get every drop of fuel you can from them. Bill tells me that if you can completely fill the shuttle with fuel, we will have enough fuel to do an Ike flyby. We might even have enough to land, but we need you to check the math for us and to plot one of your famous 'free return trajectory' flybys." Bob's mind starting working immediately on the math to perform that kind of burn. He thought to himself, "We'll have to shut off the radial engines because they're gas guzzlers.. chutes won't work..". "That sounds like a great idea! Is this an 'approved' mission?" Bob asked knowingly. "I'm in either way, but I was just wondering how much trouble you're getting me in this time?" "We don't think that Mission Control is in any position to argue with us, ha ha! When do you think you guys can make it up here?" "We're already wearing our helmets, we'll be right up." Bob see's the orbit in his mind Bob and Ludlong climb aboard the rover and Bob takes a final look at the 'Test Pilot Parking' plaque he wrote on the flag. For the first time since he got there, seeing the words 'test-pilot' didn't make him feel uneasy. Bob knew that it was Kerbal Space Center policy that anyone landing on a new planet or moon for the first time would automatically get their 'test pilot' status. He was going to be a test pilot again, all thanks to Jeb and Bill's idea to land on Ike! As Bob and Ludlong approached the Duna Shuttle and gave it last look over before launching it into orbit, Bob was feeling pretty good. He was also really proud of how thorough Ludlong was being in his pre-flight check of the shuttle. "I think Ludlong is going to be a pretty good pilot", he thought. "Hey, Ludlong, I'll handle the docking but I was wondering it you wanted to take us into orbit?" "Sure thing, buddy! I was hoping you'd ask me!" As they settled in to the pilot and co-pilot seats, Bob continued to be impressed with Ludlong's ability behind the controls. He knew where every switch was and every step to complete as if he'd been doing it his whole life. As Ludlong counted down to ignition, Bob turned his head and took one last look at Duna. He was almost going to miss being here, he thought. Then, as Ludlong got to zero he hit the throttle and they quickly ascended into orbit. Bob and Ludlong leave Duna Supply Drop and New Crew to Habmod Two Ludlong did an amazing job getting the shuttle into orbit and it only took two orbits to meet up with the Duna transfer stages. They were docked together still, but there was no plans to use them for anything. There was almost no power on them and no supplies left, except for a small amount of fuel; just enough to top off their tanks on the shuttle. Docking was very challenging as there was very little room to squeeze the big shuttle onto the docking clamp. Bob was thankful that Ludlong turned out to be such a good pilot. Bob let Ludlong handle the roll controls while docking to make it a bit easier. Eventually, the shuttle latched on to the docking port and they began the fuel transfer. There was only a few units of fuel left when they were done, but they did get a full tank of fuel. They should have enough to land on Ike! As Ludlong and Bob undocked from the Duna transfer stages and moved their orbit to match Jeb and Bill's orbit, the Crew Transfer Vehicle was busy with their activity. First, the two supply drops were sent to the surface, each carry 480 units of supply, and then the two new crew members descended to Habmod Two, Ludlong and Bob's old campsite. As the Duna shuttle approached the Crew Transfer Vehicle, Bob looked out his window and said, "Man, that thing is big.." "It sure is, Bob! I'm going to miss our little Habmod, though. I was wondering.. since you Bill and Jeb are going back to Kerbin, do you think I could go back to the Duna surface?" "Lets check out the supplies when we get docked. There might just be enough to support five kerbals down there until the next supply. Good idea, Ludlong! Oh, and by the way, you just earned your wings.. you're officially a pilot now! Congratulations!" "I couldn't have done it without you, Bob. Thanks buddy." They shook hands and Bob took the controls for final approach to docking. Bob and Ludlong dock with the Crew Transfer Vehicle We are go for Ike landing! After sharing some stories about their time on Duna, Bob and Ludlong look over the supplies and decide that there would be enough, but just barely, for Ludlong to head back down to Duna. He would have to use the crew descent vehicle as his base, and there was only enough room for one, but he seemed really excited about it. Bob documented the changes to the mission plan and sent them back to mission control. After a handshake and goodbyes, Ludlong boarded the crew descent vehicle alone. He was still grinning, but at least Bob knew why this time: he was really excited to be going back to the Duna surface. With a short burn, Ludlong expertly piloted his descent module back to the surface. As soon as he landed, he marked his site "Fort Ludlong". When mission control replied, Bob finally found out what Macly and Hudsey were up to and why they weren't coming back with them to Kerbin. Mission control said that they volunteered to go on a mission to the mountain that was north of their habmod and to stay on Duna as surface experts for another tour of duty. Bob was not sure how this happened since he had read every communication that was sent to mission control and there was never anything about volunteering to do anything, but he was very happy about it. "Say, Jeb, you didn't have anything to do with keeping Macly and Hudsey on Duna, did you?" Bob asked Jeb. Jeb smiled briefly but did not acknowledge the question. "Now lets get to Ike and earn those test-pilot wings back for Bob!" Day 500 - Back on Kerbin The Duna Space Progam was going extremely well. To date, there have been 1491 kerbal-days on the Duna surface, the program was extended for an additional 500 days, and Macly and Hudsey volunteered to be Duna surface experts and also to drive up to the mountain in the north. Mission control thought it was interesting that the email from Macly about volunteering to stay on Duna came from Jeb's email address, but they decided not to worry about small details like that. Macly radioed back that they were at a peak, but couldn't go any higher with this rover due to the terrain. He named the mountain Kolympus Mons and sent back a panoramic sunset shot. As the day 511 transfer window approached, the new 3 kerbal habmod was launched into LKO and the dual launch of the Duna Orbiting Station and its propulsion stage were also launched and docked together. Three kerbals were sent to check out the Duna Orbiting Station and three more were sent up to crew the new habmod. While the inspection team was at the station, it marked a new record for the number of kerbals in space: 14 at the same time. Mission control thought this would make a perfect time to celebrate! Chokolate cake and kookies were brought in for the celebration and video of the event was broadcast all over Kerbin. At the end of day 500, both the unkerballed crew delivery mission to the new habmod and also the inspection team from the Duna Station were brought back to Kerbin's surface. Mission control then lined up their burn plans to send two vessels to Duna on the same transfer window, a feat not yet attempted by the Kerbal Space Center. Inspection Team leaves Duna Station Panoramic Sunset from Kolympus Mons Coming in Mission Entry 8 Complete mission hardware catalog The three amigos come back to a hero's welcome Two vessels leave for Duna Complete launch summary to date and sustainable mission plan The new guys visit Fort Ludlong (it's Bartdorf and Danlong) Mission Entry 7 Photo Album

Transcends gameplay into an artform. Looking forward to more.

You can also reduce the number of gimballing engines (or turn gimballing off with an action group).

Very unique Saturn 5. Great mission report!

Posted "Mission Entry 6 - Bob Loses his Rover", where Bob's rover winds up in Macly's possesion, Jeb and Bill head out to Duna to visit Bob and Mission Control gets good news about the future of the Duna Space Program.

[Mission Entry 6] Day 333 - Budget Review Day "Good morning, and thank you for tuning in to today's 'Duna Surface Mission' update. We know that you're all waiting for the mission stats so far and updates from the crews in Duna, but first, some news from the KSC budget kommitee." The radio in the KSC engineering office was always on for background noise and to drown out the sounds of kerbalnaut trainees vomiting after getting out of the centrifuge, but today all activity was stopped and everyone was keenly listening to the broadcast. Today's news could mean big things for the DSP engineering team: either they're going to get an extension on the Duna Surface Mission for another 500 days or they're all going to be cleaning the sidewalks outside the KSC tomorrow. "First, a big kongratulations to everyone for getting the Duna Crew Exchange mission into orbit. The Habmod and propulsion section docked on day 254 and the inspection team left the vessel on day 283 before it departed to Duna. The latest Antares Proton S+ arrived from the factory today and will be fitted with its payload tomorrow. Also, today, the Crew Exchange Mission made its mid-course correction burn and is due to arrive right on schedule. Although the Duna Space Program has been extremely expensive, the budget kommittee has..", pausing for dramatic effect, "approved the DSP for an additional 500 days. We are very pleased to announce that a new Habmod has been developed for extended stays without resupply. This new Habmod will support three kerbalnauts instead of two and includes supplies for 240 days instead of 75 days. This new Habmod is in final assembly stages and komputer simulations of its deployment will be available in the next mission report. This new Habmod will be the payload aboard the latest Antares Proton S+, set to launch tomorrow. And now, the mission update, which is also available for viewing on the KSC bulletin board.." The engineering team heard what they wanted to hear and kongratulations and handshakes were shared by all. "We're putting seven kerbals on Duna!" the chief engineer exclaimed from on top of a chair in the engineering office. As he stepped down, no one heard him mutter to himself, "I wonder if anyone has thought about how to bring them home.." From the KSC bulletin board: Duna Space Program Day 333 Update Thank you to everyone who attended the launchings of the Duna Crew Exchange Vehicle and the propulsion stage the next day. These two modules docked in orbit and a 10 day mission commenced there on day 273. During that mission, two Crew Delivery Missions docked with the vehicle and seven kerbalnauts were in space simultaneously, more than at any other time in KSC's history. Lead test pilot Jebediah supervised a thorough inspection of the crew quarters and on day 283, the inspection team left the vessel and the two replacement crews left LKO for the Duna surface stations. This crew is arriving at Duna on day 349 and bring with them another 240 days of supplies. There are rumors that one of the surface return shuttles will not be able to ascend back to orbit which we can confirm, is unfortunately correct. Plans are being developed to bring all four of the crew members back to Kerbin on this crew exchange mission. However the plans are very tentative at this time and will require experienced test pilots to conduct. In fact, Jebediah, who is planning this part of the mission, hasn't really told anyone how he's going to do it, which is why Bill and Jebediah are included on this surface exchange mission. In order to maximize supplies for the surface crews, the remaining supplies on the surface were divided evenly between the two Habmod teams resulting in 129 days of supplies remaining. We regretfully announce that during this joint rover trip from both Habmods to the second resupply drop, one of the rovers was lost due to piloting error. However the three remaining rovers are still functioning perfectly, and there are no plans to replace the lost rover. Upcoming Launch and Mission Schedule (to day 1239): Day 334: Habmod 3 vessel, departing for Duna as soon as the crew arrives later that day. 334: Crew Delivery Mission for Surface Habmod 3 334: Surface Habmod 3 launches to LKO 499: Propulsion stage for Duna Orbiting Station 1* 500: Duna Orbiting Station launch and docking to propulsion stage 500: 10 day, dual Crew Delivery Mission of 6 kerbals to inspect Duna Orbiting Station 1 510: Duna Orbiting Station 1 leaves for Duna from LKO 555: Dual CDM mission to Crew Exchange One in LKO to bring first Duna surface teams back to Kerbin surface 577: Refueling depot to LKO 738: Propulsion stage for Advanced Rover and Resupply Misson 739: Advanced Rover Resuppply module launch and docking to propulsion stage 739: Duna Shuttle Fuel Depot and ARR departs for Duna 783: Dual CDM mission to LKO 900: Propulsion stage for Duna Orbiting Station 2* 901: Duna Orbiting Station 2 launch and docking to propulsion stage 956: 10 day, dual Crew Delivery Mission of 6 kerbals to inspect Duna Orbiting Station 2 967: Duna Orbiting Station 2 leaves for Duna from LKO 982: Refueling depot to LKO 1184: Propulsion stage for Resupply mission 1185: Resupply mission to LKO with new crew 1195: Resupply mission with new crew leaves for Duna * Altered crew exchange missions for Duna Orbiting Station missions Launches to date (day 333): Primary Mission Launches: 4 Crew Delivery Mission launches: 8 Kerbal-days on Duna: 1032 days Inspection team returning from Crew Exchange One Meanwhile, back on Duna, on day 250... Bob and Ludlong have been on Duna's surface for 54 days. Despite talk around KSC to the contrary, Bob isn't really a snack fiend. In fact, he has been dutifully consuming his one unit per day of the their 75 day supply. Before supplies get too low, Bob tells Ludlong that he's going to head out to the supply/return to orbit lander tomorrow to pick up the supplies. "That's a great idea, Bob! But Macly and I already have plans to head over there today and play some kards before splitting up the supplies. You don't mind, do you?" asks Ludlong. "So, you're asking me if I mind that you want to leave me alone for a few days while you go play kards with Macly. I think I'll manage without you, somehow." "Thanks, Bob!" replies Ludlong enthusiastically. "Sure thing, Ludlong. Don't let the airlock door hit you on the way out..." Dunes on Duna After two days of quiet while Ludlong gets supplies and hangs out with Macly at the supply drop site, Bob was starting to get a little lonely. As the sun starts to set on the second day of Ludlong's journey, he picks up the radio and signals Ludlong. "Hi Bob! Ludlong, here!" "Hello Ludlong." Bob almost immediately regretted calling him. "I guess you're wondering where I am. Probably missing me, too! Haha! Well, there was a little rover mishap. Macly was coming over the dune near the lander and it just flipped over and blew up! He's okay but the rover was a total wreck. So, I'm walking back to our habmod. I'll be there day after tomorrow. But I'm dragging the supplies with me, so we're going to have enough supplies until day 462. Pretty good, huh?" Puzzled, Bob asked "Wait a minute.. so Macly destroyed his rover but you're stuck walking? How did that happen?" "Well, I wasn't sure at first, either, but Macly eventually explained to me that their original supplies were almost gone so he took most of the new supplies with him. Since it was so much more than I had to carry, I guess it made sense for him to drive." Bob paused for a moment, realizing that there was actually some logic to this decision. "Fine, okay, good idea. So, why didn't you radio me to come get you?" "Well, the thing is.." After a long pause, Ludlong continued, "I took your rover since you said it was 'the best'. I didn't think you'd mind.." "You took my rover, without asking, then you gave it to Macly??? He's the reason I'm on this stupid mission and not being a test pilot anymore!!" "Aww, I'm sorry, Bob. I didn't mean to give your rover away." Bob sighs, wondering if this mission can get any worse. "Never mind. I can't change it now. Do you want me to come get you?" "Well... I'm not really sure where I am. I can see our habmod, but I'm not sure what direction you are in from here." "But if you can see me, I bet I can probably see.." Bob stops mid-sentence. "...I can probably see you tomorrow. Have a great walk back. Over and out." Macly looks at his destroyed rover in the distance Mission Entry 6 Photo Album Coming in Mission Entry 7 Crew Exchange One arrives at Duna Bob and Ludlong go on a long drive Jeb tells Bob about the great idea he has We spend some time with the new crew

Great challenge and deserved the recognition. The NAM is trickier to find now but great scenery when you get there.

Built in backup plans and powered descent recovery! Very cool!

An ocean landing may be possible if your landing has a floatation device on the bottom. While building a reusable rocket shuttle that has "heat shielding" in order to conform to the rules in the Duna Permanent Outpost Mission Architecture Challenge, I dropped a lander into the water and to my amazement, the thing totally floated! If I'd built it with engines above the water line and a decoupler, I have no reason to believe that taking off from a floating platform on Eve wouldn't be possible. The floatation device/heat shield is an adapter and some structural panels (all stock). That being said, in 0.20, I did an Eve landing and return mission with a stopover on Gilly. Landed 5244m asl and was still pretty tough to get back into orbit from that altitude. From 0m asl (floating on the ocean)? Thats going to be something special. I'm still working on the Duna challenge, but I may make a side-trip to Eve to see if I can float an orange tank on the ocean. Floating lander Eve return lander

Yeah, starting to 'feel the pain' with my designs, as well. Between life support and heat shielding, part count over my other designs is "skyrocketing" (hehe). The crew exchange vessel for bringing 4 kerbals to Duna and bringing 4 back from the surface is launched in two parts and docked in Kerbin orbit and has 488 parts and weighs in just under 150t.

Updated some pics and added Mission Entry 5 - Four Kerbals on Duna Today, Bob continues his dry wit and Ludlong continues to be baffled, we learn that the language Kerbals speak is called 'Kerban', and mission control tries to decide who is going to be stuck on Duna for an extended mission.

[Mission Entry 5] Day 196 Macly and Hudsey have been on the surface for 70 days doing what kerbals do and performing important observations then sending their mission reports back to orbit. Bob was the senior kerbalnaut in the mission, which made him perfect for reviewing the mission reports before sending them back to Kerbin. It wasn't as glamorous as being as test pilot, but it was work. Actually it was a lot of work because Macly was a terrible writer. "Come in, orbit ..", chirped the radio in Bob and Ludlong's cabin. "Go ahead base", said Bob dryly. He knew it was time for another surface report to be transmitted for editing. He wished that Macly was a better writer since today was the last report he would be editing as all further reports would be re-transmitted robotically after Bob and Ludlong descend to the surface later today. Bob hated the thought that the kerbal engineers back on Kerbin would be reading the reports and might associate his reports with the ones written by Macly. He decided to change the title of his mission reports from "Surface Report", the standard title, to "Test Pilot's Surface Report". That would command attention. "Don't call me 'base', orbit.", replied Macly from the surface. "Then don't call me 'orbit', 'base'", advised Bob. "Are you done?", asked Macly after a short pause. "We have just transmitted today's 'Surface Report'. I guess you're going to miss editing my reports, aren't you, Bob." "No, not really. Say, did you actually graduate kollege? I've never seen writing this bad. Its almost like Kerban isn't your first language.. and we only have one language on Kerbin." "Sure did! Graduated top of my klass, in fact. Although, I've been adding some creative licence mistakes to the reports so you'd, you know, have something to do. You didn't mind correcting them, did you?" Bob wasn't sure, but he thought he could faintly hear two kerbals giggling in the background. "No, Macly, editing your terrible writing has been the absolute highlight of my career. Anyway.. the resupply module has docked and your resupply pod was sent down. We're coming down in an hour. Did you check out the return to orbit lander, yet?" "Yep. We just got back from bringing our supplies back to the habmod." "Habmod...?" "Yeah, 'Duna Base Module' was getting to be a mouthful so Hudsey and I changed it to 'habmod' for 'habitation module'." "I don't care what you call it, but Mission Control won't like an unapproved name change. How did the lander look?". "It looks great, but there's no way there's enough fuel left to get back to orbit. Make sure to reprogram the second supply drop to use less fuel or no one is getting back to orbit." "Roger that, base. See you on the surface tomorrow." "It's 'habmod'... 'orbit'." Bob shook his head in dismay and closed the radio channel. He knew that Mission Control would never approve the term 'Habmod'. Resupply Transport Vessel docking with recently renamed Habmod Transport Vessel Habmod Two Landing Bob was shocked that Mission Control changed the name of the base modules to 'Habmods'. It seemed a little lazy and sounded too much like slang to him, but he knew that Mission Control calls the shots. Bob had asked Mission Control if he could pilot the lander down instead of using the robotic descent programming. "Well, Bob, that's an interesting idea to pilot the lander down yourself, but we on Kerbin here think that the probe should pilot itself down, instead," radioed mission control. "How come?", Bill asked without trying to sound too disappointed. "Piloting the lander instead of using the robotically controlled landing is not in the mission plan, so it would require someone with 'test pilot' status to land it. Besides that, we heard from Macly that too much fuel was used during the descent profile you programmed and now it doesn't have enough fuel to get back to orbit, and we feel that it's better this way, just to avoid any mistakes." Bob, definitely sounding disappointed now, replied, "But I used to be a test pilot before this mission. I even still have my orange space suit." "Oh yeah, about that, we're going to need your test-pilot suit back when you return to Kerbin. Oh, and Macly suggested that we change the name of the base modules to 'habmods'. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" "Yes, Macly is an inspiration to us all. Base Module Two over and out." "You mean 'Habmod Two'..." Bob and Ludlong descending to the surface Second Habmod sets up camp on Duna and Supply Drop Two It was a very bumpy ride down for Habmod Two. Bob was accustomed to bumpy rides, having been a test pilot before this mission, but Ludlong wasn't used to it. Bob noticed, however, that Ludlong's expression didn't seem to change during the entire landing. He wondered if Ludlong even knew what was happening. "Well, Ludlong, we'll be on the surface soon." "The surface of what, Bob?" asked Ludlong. "The surface of Duna, what did you think I meant?!?" "I don't know, Bob. You're hilarious! Sure will be nice to get out of the habmod and stretch my legs, though." "Hey, how did you hear about the term 'habmod'?", Bob asked incredulously. Bob didn't realize that Ludlong even knew how to use the radio. "Macly told me about it last week. It's a great name, isn't it?" "Oh yes, Ludlong. Macly is an inspiration to the entire Space Korps." The two rovers were jettisoned from a higher altitude than planned because of the steep angle and high speeds which Bob and Ludlong entered Duna's atmosphere. By dropping their added mass from the Habmod and letting them come down on their own chutes brought the landing under control at the last moment and the landing continued normally. However, the rovers came down a little further than planned. "Are we on Kerbin?", Ludlong asked Bob. "Yes Ludlong, we're on Kerbin. We've been on a space mission for 196 days to go nowhere." "Oh that's good!", exclaimed Ludlong gleefully. "Why do you think the sky looks like Duna?" "Pure coincedence, Ludlong, I'm sure," replied Bob sardonically. "I'm going to plant our flag and go pick up a rover. What do you want to do, Ludlong?" Bob asked. "I'm doing it! I'm just happy to be here with you, Bob!" With a sigh, Bob puts on his helmet and leaves the habmod. Walking over to the landers, Bob notices that his fashionable orange suit looks really good on Duna by making it an even brighter orange. He shakes his head in silent disgust recalling that he has to give up his test-pilot-orange suit when he gets home. Bob picks up the good rover, deciding that even though both rovers were identical that he could tap into his sixth, or even his seventh, sense to channel his test-pilot skills to pick the better rover. He hops in and drives back to the habmod, taking special care to park his rover exactly parallel to the habmod legs and close enough to the door so that he could get away from Ludlong in a hurry if he needed to. He also ensured it was far enough away from the habmod so that he could just sit in the rover and listen to the radio and not have to hear Ludlong talking to himself. Bob planted the flag beside his rover and wrote on the plaque: "Test Pilot Parking Only". He looked over to the habmod and Ludlong had just returned from getting his rover. He was trying to park it under the landing engine for some reason. As Ludlong lowered his head and peered up into engine bell of the landing engine, Bob wondered if there had ever been any "accidental" ignitition of these engines. With his luck, probably not. Sitting in the rover and switching on the radio, he hears the Mission Control broadcasting an update on the second supply drop. "If anyone is outside or near a window at Habmod Two, you should be able to see the resupply lander coming in overhead now," crackled the radio. Bob grabs the microphone and says, "Yes I see it overhead now. Your re-programming of the lander is off-course.. it's going long.. going to be at least 20km from our landing site." "That's not a mistake, Bob. We didn't want to play favorites with you guys so we dropped it exactly half way between your sites. That way its the same distance for both when it comes time to leave." "What a great plan...." replies Bob with a sigh. "So does that mean you haven't decided who is going back to orbit and which two are staying?" "That's correct, Bob. But remember that the return lander seats three, so we may just bring three of you back up and leave one on the surface on an extended mission. We have a re-supply drop planned when the Crew Return Vessel arrives there in about 100 days, so there will be no problems with an extended stay." After repeating the words 'extended stay' in his head a few times, he cautiously asked Mission Control, "Any idea who might be selected for the extended stay...?" "Decisions are being made. However, seniority will probably play into the decision as the extended stay will require a more experienced kerbalnaut. Say, that reminds me, you've been with the Space Korps for awhile now, right?" Bob, regretting having asked about who might be assigned for the extended stay, remained silent and turned off the radio. Bob parks his rover Mission Report 5 Photo Album Coming in Mission Entry 6 Two launches construct the Duna Crew Return Mission in orbit and sets off for Duna Jebediah has a great idea Ludlong and Hudsey meet up at the second supply drop lander Bob's humor gets drier Mission to date update with launch plans up until day 1000

Some designs I came up with for stock-part heat shields. The supply-lander (with the legs) drops onto Duna and uses the fuel cells with the heat-shield tiles. The other designs are panels and adapters. They make great re-entry effects, which is what its all about, right?

Posted the Death Engineering Mission Entry 4 - "We have reached Duna! Now how do we get home?" Documents mission to date of two kerbals on Duna and two in orbit.

[Mission Entry 4] Launch Summary to Date: Year 1, Day 1: First launch of Joint Orbiting Lab - 9 day orbital test of the Crew Delivery Mission pod. Day 1: Second launch of Joint Orbiting Lab. Day 10: Launch of the Duna Surface Module interplanetary vessel (2, 2-kerbal pods with 150 days of supplies for 4 kerbals) Day 11: Three kerbal crew on a 10 day mission to shake down and inspect the Duna Surface Modules. Day 54: Aborted launch of first crew to the Duna Surface Module. Day 54: First crew launches to the Duna Surface Modules. Day 55: Second crew launches to the Duna Surface Modules. Day 91: Duna Resupply Mission is launched to Duna carrying 225 days of supplies and two landers to bring the surface teams back to orbit. Milestones reached Day 55: Four kerbals transfer to Duna on the interplanetary vessel. Day 126: Duna Surface Modules, with 75 days supplies and two rovers each, enter orbit and two kerbals in a Duna Surface Base module land on Duna. Day 196: Duna Resupply Mission docks with Duna Surface Modules interplanetary vessel carrying an additional supply of 225 days of supplies and two return to orbit landers to bring the surface teams back to Duna orbit. Day 196: A lander is dropped from orbit to the Duna Base Duna Surface Duration to date: 140 kerbal-days Next launches: Launch robotic mission to bring the four kerbals home. [Tentative]Robotic mission to bring back any stranded kerbals. Crew Delivery Missions 4-R and 5 At the end of the last mission report, Bob was very agitated when his chance to pilot the Crew Delivery Mission to ferry up the first crew of the Duna Surface Module ended seconds after it began. No one was quite sure why the rocket failed to launch but instead rumbled then exploded beneath him and the two crew members he was carrying. However, when the investigation team sought answers from Hudsey and Macly, they didn't seem very shaken by the event and seemed to suggest that they should check under the pilot's seat for empty snack wrappers. "It's that Bob, I tell you. Someone needs to check his pockets for snacks before he takes the pilot seat. I bet that if you look at the wreckage, you would find empty wrappers under there from when he was snacking instead of getting ready to launch," Hudsey dryly told reporters after the incident. "How about, you, Macly, what did you see?" the reporter asked. Macly leaned in towards the reporter as if to make a private reply, but also made sure to lean towards the microphone in the reporters hand. "Bob stole our snacks on the Joint Orbiting Lab mission, you know. He might have been eating krackers in the pilot's seat. Off the record.. I think he might be krazy and I'm not going to fly with him again." Later that day, investigators did find snack wrappers in the wreckage near the pilot's seat. Further investigation also revealed that they were the same snacks that were aboard the Joint Orbiting Lab mission. Mission control was not available for comment, but before Bob left the KSC that afternoon, he was seen reading a memo on the KSC's Misson Control corkboard announcing that the CDM development was complete and no further testing was required. It was now kerbal-rated and ready for robotic control and that only the Duna Surface team of Hudsey and Macly would be ascending tomorrow. The memo also named Bob Kerman to be on the other Duna Surface Module, launching tomorrow with Ludlong. The memo also had a footnote asking if anyone was interested, there was a new opening on the test pilot team. "But, I don't want to sit in a tin can for 6 months with those squares! I want to be a test pilot..!", was all he was quoted as saying. An hour later, he was on his way to Duna.. Duna Base Station One Hudsey and Macly were the first to leave the orbiting Duna platform to descend to the surface. The mission plan was for them to get down onto Duna as soon as they reached Duna orbit, while Bob and Ludlong would stay in orbit until the Duna Resupply Mission arrived 70 days later. As much as Bob didn't like being cooped up in the "tin can" with Ludlong, he preferred that over spending any more time with Hudsey and Macly. "Hey Ludlong..", Bob asked out of the blue while orbiting around Duna. "Hi Bob! What's new, buddy?", Ludlong asked uncomfortably loudly and with a suspiciously broad grin. "What's new? I've been cooped up in here with you for 36 days reading the surface mission reports from Hudsey and Macly every morning and somehow managing to not let their grammar drive me insane. That's new." "Oh Bob! You're such a komedian!" Bob has been working up the nerve to ask Ludlong if he knows anything about Hudsey and Macly blaming him for the destruction of the CDM 4 rocket. Sure, he was eating snacks during the countdown, but that never stopped him from having a successful launch before. And he never left snack wrappers around. And it certainly was coincidental that the wrappers found in the wreckage were the same kind as the ones that he, Jeb and Bill left behind in the Joint Orbiting Lab pod for the "new guys" to clean up. "Ludlong?" "Hi Bob! What's new, buddy?", replied Ludlong in the exact same manner he did less than 10 seconds earlier. "Shut up, Ludlong." "Sure thing, buddy!". Ludlong's eyes glaze back over. Duna Supply Mission One An unkerballed launch of the Antares Proton S+ with an oversize payload of two Duna landers which would be used by the crews to return from the surface, along with additional 225 days of supplies for the use on the surface. Since this launch was being sent to Duna outside of an optimal transfer window, it was going to take almost all the fuel onboard to get there. Coming into the Duna encounter on fumes, Mission Control was grinning ear to ear when they saw that the encounter was already less than 300km above Duna's surface. They were also grinning ear to ear when goldfish were put into the fountain outside of the new Mission Control building, so it really didn't take a lot to get them grinning. However, this was a major accomplishment, and with a short burn to drop the periapsis to less than 10km above Duna, the Resupply Mission was successfully captured into orbit with no fuel expenditure at all. Also amazingly, and completely by luck, there were no Ike encounters to mess up plans! After several orbits, the Resupply Mission docked with the Duna Surface Module vessel on day 196 and provided the awaiting crew on board with enough supplies to keep them going until day 435. By then, the craft from Kerbin to bring them home would arrive at Duna to pick everyone up and have the crew home sometime around day 499. The first Duna surface team had already descended to the surface as soon as a stable 75k equatorial orbit was established, on day 126. Seventy days later the resupply mission arrived and the return lander was dropped from orbit using robotic control and arrived only 830m from their base. However, fuel consumption was alarmingly high. The design team were sent a critical update requiring a contingency if either of the landers could not return from the surface back to orbit. However, if both landers used too much fuel and both could not return to dock with the orbiting return ship, the new design must accommodate supplies for two kerbals to be left on the surface for an extended mission. An unplanned fifth launch to Duna may be required in order to pick up the extended surface team. Hudsey and Macly drove over to the lander to get their supplies and repack the parachutes. Hudsey was a little surprised how much fuel had been burned in getting the lander to the surface. "Macly, I'm not sure we can get back into orbit on this much fuel." "Don't sweat it, Hudsey. Bob did the math for us.. he may be a snack fiend, but his mind is like a komputer when it comes to things like this. Race you back to the Station Module!" Coming in Mission Entry 5 Will Bob go down to the surface with Ludlong? Will the return lander make it back to the surface? Did Hudsey and Macly really frame Bob for destroying the CDM4 rocket? All this, and more, in the next mission entry! Mission Entry 4 Photo Album Bob looks frantically for snacks

Further mission reports located here.

Death Engineering's attempt at the Duna Permanent Outpost Mission Architecture Challenge Mission Entry 1 - Developing the original launcher for heavy Duna-bound mission hardware. Mission Entry 2 - Building a family of LKO crew launchers and fine tuning the 100T launcher. Mission Entry 4 - "We have reached Duna! Now how do we get home?" Mission Entry 5 - Four Kerbals on Duna Mission Entry 6 - Bob Loses his Rover Mission Entry 7 - Updates to Day 500 Mission Entry 8a - "We have dirt from Ike and Duna!" Mission Entry 8b - "Three ships, two days of burns, one Duna!" Mission Entry 9 - "There's something down there" [Mission Entry 3] The 100T launcher has been cancelled. After a series of random explosion on the pad of the 100T (semi..) capable Antares Proton lifter, the Death Engineering team has cancelled further development. Over 1000 parts at launch, this vehicle caused development team's computer to shudder and smoke like an out of tune chainsaw. It was not pretty. It also meant that, since none of it was reusable, it would take 200 days between launches to prepare another rocket! Instead, a battery of SRB's are attached to the previously developed second and third stages of the Neutron lifter. Since the first stage and all SRB's are recovered, only 66T of the original 513T are non-reusable. This pleases the kerbal environmentalists as well as the recovery and refit teams resulting in a 50% reduction in time to have another Antares Proton Super+ ('Super' because it has a 8 BACC SRB's attached to the lower stage, and '+' because it has another 8 BACC SRB's attached to the first 8). Some stats, but kerbal's look smarter than they are so the stats are a little vague: Parts at launch: 360 Mass: 513T Reusable prelaunch mass: 477T Thrust at launch: 12,540 kN Nominal payload to 75k x 75k orbit: 54T Days between launches: 81 Chance of unexpected self-destruction: Minimal, but present.. Joint Orbiting Laboratory Henbrett, Hudsey and Macly take the first prototype of the (Crew Delivery Mission vessel) into orbit for the first part of the 10 day Joint Orbiting Lab mission. The new guys went first partially because this version of the pod didn't have RCS and partially because Bill, Jeb and Bob are the cool guys and want to show up last. Neither of these CDW's are reusable, which suits most kerbals fine. In fact, most of them thought CDM stood for Cinco de Mayo and are pleased to celebrate with Markoritas and Koronas every time they think of either CDM. After two clean launches and docking together for 9 days orbiting Kerbin while sharing in-jokes, Bill, Jeb and Bob are last to arrive and first to leave. As they deorbit and reenter at high speed over the Kerbal Science Center, they consider dropping their empty snack containers over the launch pad. "No way, leave them in the pod for the new guys to clean up!" Bill exclaims as the pod streaks through the atmosphere with flames trailing behind them. Bob, sitting in the center seat, shifts nervously. "Pull the chutes, Jeb." "Not yet, Bob." "Now?" "No Bob. You don't have the window. I can see where we're going. Don't worry!" "Fine, but next time I get to drive." "I know, you can take the new guys to their Duna Surface Module. It will totally be cool, and you can come down on land this time!" "I don't know.. did you see the way they looked at me when I ate the last of the snacks?" Duna Transport Vessel Launch and Shakedown On day 10, the robotically controlled Antares Proton S+ carried the 75T Duna Transport Vessel into orbit. It could not carry the payload all the way into orbit, however. In order to keep the environmentalists happy, the 5 nuclear engines were not fired until out of the atmosphere and settled into a 82km orbit above Kerbin. The next step was to launch our seasoned veterans up to dock with it and make sure it was intact and ready for its voyage to Duna. Since Bob decided to be the chief pilot of CDM 4 mission to carry the first 2 crew members of the Duna Surface Module team into orbit, the shakedown mission was headed by Jeb and Bill while Bob trained with Hudsey and Macly. They took the last of the non-reusable CDM pods and were not entirely sure about leaving Bob with Hudsey and Macly. "You know, I think those new guys have a secret handshake", Jeb calmly mentions as their Antares Electron thunders below them, pushing them up to their rendezvous with the Duna Transport Vessel. "Yeah, I saw that. And they always point at Bob and giggle to themselves afterward." "They wouldn't, you know, do something to him, would they." "Define 'something'..." Cinco de Mayo 4 - The Explosioning Hudsey and Macly didn't even look at Bob all morning. Over koffee with Jeb and Bill, Bob asks if they've noticed anything strange about the new guys. "Hudsey and Macly? Nah, they think you're the bomb!", Jeb tells Bob reassuringly. After a long sip of koffee, Bob says, "That's what I'm afraid of. You know, I don't think they want me on this mission. They keep reminding me that the mission can be robotically controlled. Say, do we have to keep calling it 'Death' Engineering?" - - - As the countdown commences, Bob feels Macly poking the bottom of his seat. "5..4..3..that isn't helping..one..bit.." After nothing happened, Bob repeats himself with more authority, "One!". The rocket sways gently, then rumbles briefly, before the alarms start going off. "Abort launch! Escape system activated! Hey, why are you guys laughing...?" Duna Space Program 3

Zero. My "test" launches are all probes and any risky kerballed launchers now have ejection/abort systems. The onnnnnnnnnnnly way to fly!

Lifted 100T into LKO without the use of aspargus (or any other vegetable.. except the pilot).