Duna Initiative

[falloutaddict]

Welcome Gentlekerbals. As you know, President Kerbama has tasked us with the insurmountable goal of landing a Kerbal on Duna and since we were going to be in the neighborhood, to check out that rock floating about as well, what was it called? Mike? Ike? Whatever.

Our job is to land on Duna and Ike, and bring back as much science as possible. For this mission we have hired the following misfits and miscreants.

Jebediah Kerman: Mission Captain. Jeb, we will be putting you in our cozy command module, complete with viewing cupola, plenty of extra deltaV and no missions to the surface. You will be monitoring the situation from your command post high in the sky.

Wehlro Kerman: Chief Science Guy. Wehlro, you're only here because Bob is on mission around Minmus, so don't screw this up ok? All you have to do is hang out with Jeb while he bosses everyone around ok?

Bill Kerman: Head Engineer. Bill, we're putting you on this mission to fix anything should it break. Although, let's be honest, if we really need your help, we're probably already doomed anyway. Yes, I know you're supposed to retire in a year, I'm sure you'll be back by then. What do you mean the launch window isnt for another year and half? Don't you have an orbital taxi to catch?

Sigley/Muncan Kerman: Duna Lander Engineer/Pilot. Sigley and Muncan, our newest additions to the team. Brothers that were raised in the circus as sideshow acts, and now here you are being launched into space. You guys have the fun job. Muncan, you're going to land this tin can onto Duna and bring it back to Kerbel.

Sigley, it's your sole duty to repack the shoots so that when you brother brings you two back you don't die hitting the ground at 200+ m/s.

"Germy" Kerman: Ike Explorer. Let's face it Germy, the only reason you have to be all alone in the Ike Lander is because you smell so bad. Sorry, better bring a book.

For this mission we've assembled a small armada of craft to explore the Duna system. Introducing the ladies.

Master and Commander Mk I

Complete with viewing cupola, 2 sr docking ports, 2 regular docking ports, crew cabin and fold out couch. We will be parking this baby in orbit right above duna as a headquarters if you will. Missions to duna and ike will meet and refuel here if necessary. This station will be left at duna to assist in future endeavors. Occupants can ride back in the crew cabin with Germy

Christopher Kerlumbus Mk VII

Here is our duna lander, complete with quite a bit of science. Any experiements we forgot were packed with the command station in KAS boxes. We'll fly this sucker down to duna, assisted by parachute of course and perform various experiments. Hopefully it will be able to leave Duna as well, but with x16 Rockomax 48-7S's, i think we will be ok.

Finally!

The Gypsy Girl

Germy will be riding this one alone, there is room in the crew cabin, but nobody could stand the smell coming out of the cockpit. Includes a scaled down lander for landing on Ike and 3 orbital probes to collect science.

And that's all for now, I tried to get a picture of all three together but the game kept getting mad at me whenever my ships got close to each other. Not sure how I will rendezvous them once I get to Duna. I guess very carefully. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I was gonna just launch it but, considering how much work went into planning just these 3 ships, I just had to share with you guys.

[falloutaddict]

Citizens of Kerbal, it is with a heavy heart and a very sad emoticon (( that I announce today the tragic loss of two or our esteemed kerbonauts, Sigmey and Muncan. At approximately 12:30 in the afternoon, supposedly after they had just had a light lunch and presumably a nap, their vessel experienced sudden, and unexpected part malfunction and instantly exploded into a horrific fireball of shredded metal and other "stuff". Causes are currently unknown and no investigation is planned.

Fortunately many of our key scientists and engineers that were lucky enough not to be sent on this suic- I mean, exploratory mission were prepared for such an event and thus, DNA samples of all the crew were harvested and put into little test tubes. Long story short, we have cloned our beloved test subjects and are ready to launch them into space for another go at it. We've already got another rocket commissioned and built and our launch window is mere weeks away. Take a look at our enthused heros:

Jeb: Ksshhh, Foxy Eagle to KSS, I repeat Foxy Eagle to KSS, do you read me? Over, ksshhh.

KSS: Jeb, this is KSS, we read you loud and clear.

Jeb: Ksshhh, maneuver nodes have been configured and set, permission to proceed with burn requested. And it's foxy eagle, over, kshhh.

KSS: Everything looks good from down here, commence burn at will. Jeb. And you don't need to make the ksshh sounds. The radio already does that.

Jeb: Roger KSS, foxy eagle out.

...

Jeb: Ksshh

Starting burn, each ship burned approx. 990 dv for the transfer and aerobraked down to an elliptical orbit. For aerobraking we set our periapsis at 13,000 meters precisely. Germy, who was commanding out Ike lander and probe station, was the first one to Duna SOI by about 3 days which was good, because there was a lot of work to do.

Our first job was to drop one of our probes into low polar orbit around Duna. Then we hopped on over to Ike where we dropped off our other 2 probes. One to be sent into a high polar elliptical orbit around ike and the other in a very high orbit around Duna. After that, it was time to prepare for our descent down to Ike.

Burn baby burn

All vessels on escape trajectory

High orbit probe

KSS: Fuel?

Germy: Check, uhm KSS?

KSS: Battery?

Germy: Check, KSS??

KSS: Solar panels?

Germy: Check, KSS??????

KSS: Ok everything looks good, disengaging docking parts... NOW.

tsssssss

KSS: Docking ports disengaged. Was there something you wanted to say Germy?

Germy: Yes! For the last time! I'M NOT A PILOT!

KSS: What do you mean Germy, of course you're a pilot. Why else would we let you fly our expensive lander?

Germy: You're probably thinking of my cousin Kermy. He's a pilot. I'm an entry level engineer with no on the job experience.

KSS: So what are you saying?

Germy: I can't fly this ship!!

KSS: Sure you can, just activate the SAS, and let our remote pilots take care of this for you.

Germy: There is no SAS on this ship, remember? You said you didn't need it because we had a pilot.

KSS: Well why didn't you tell us you weren't a pilot??

Germy: ......

KSS: Oh well. The mission is invaluable. You'll have to land on Ike with no guidance. God speed son. KSS out.

Germy: KSS? Do you read me? KSS?? Oh bother.

And so Germy bravely piloted his tin can lander to the surface of Ike. He only crapped his suit once.

Did I mention is was the dark side of the moon? Muahahaha.

Next time: Orbital rendevous and a rescue mission for our stranded engineer.

[falloutaddict]

KSC: Well Germy, while you're down there on that rock you might as well make yourself useful and go collect some surface sample and run all of the experiments twice for good measure. Go ahead and plant the flag too. Put something witty on there like "I landed on Ike with no SAS and all I got was these broken lander legs." You've earned it. Germy? You copy? Germy?

Meanwhile, Germy is curled up in the fetal position in the corner of the lander. Let's let him be for a couple hours while he recuperates and changes underpants.

In the mean time our command module had launchers it's lander and occupants to Duna where they were not greet by any martians. It was at this time that our Duna cosmonauts were informed of Germy's dire predicament.

Sigley: HQ, what are we going to do about Germy? We can't leave him there.

KSC: Oh we can't? No, no, you're right, that lander was way too expensive. Here's what we'll do; after you're done down there, hop on back up to Jeb for a refuel and a bite to eat, take that stowaway pilot that hid out in the head, land on Ike at Germy, switch him out with somebody who can actually pilot a craft, and get Germy back here.

Muncan: Roger, roger.

Sigley: Muncan, it's just like us to get the grunt work isn't?

Muncan: Don't forget, we were blown to smithereens!

And so Sigley and Muncan did as they were told, and before long, there was a pilot in our Ike lander and Germy was safe aboard the Duna lander, on it's way back to the command module. And since there was still plenty of delta V in our Ike orbiter, 2 more Ike missions were performed which provided invaluable science about floating rocks in space.

Meeting up with command before our rescue mission to Duna

Duna lander meeting up with Ike orbiter for a quick top off and then its back to Command

Putting these kerbels to work

Soon enough, our stowaway pilot was just about out of fuel for Ike missions, so he rendezvoused with the orbiter and headed back to Duna to make preparations for departure. Only, when he finally reached Command, he found something was terribly wrong...

Jeb: KSC, we have transferred as much fuel as we could out of the tug. Preparing to undock.

KSC: Affirmative Foxy Lady, proceed.

Jeb: Undocking. [Presses button]

...

...

...

Jeb: Nothing happened

KSC: What do you mean nothing happened?

Jeb: I mean nothing happened, the damn thing's still attached!

KSC: Did you try turning it off and on again?

A couple of hours later.

Bill: KSC, I've done everything I can, which is literally nothing, and there's no way these ports are coming apart. Looks like we're stuck like this.

Jeb: I can't fly this thing back like this HQ, there's no waaaaay.

KSC: Jeb, this is what you're going to have to do. Tell Germy to grab a couple of those pipe joints from the container and link the ships. Now he's going to have to get back into the ship real fast after he links them and activate the time dilation core or the ships oscillations while cause catastrophic structural failure. Trust me, I would know.

KSC: So if you are all still alive at this point, go ahead and pump all of the remaining fuel over to Germys craft. Once you do that, you are going to have to transfer the crew manually, since we can't leave the ships attached in normal time. That means EVA for everybody.

Jeb: B-b-but, KSC, Germy's only got 4 extra seats over there and there's 6 of us!

KSC: Yes, yes, we know. Sigley and Muncan are going to stay behind and keep an eye on things in case everything starts working again. We are already planning a rescue mission for them [Crosses fingers]

Our last kerbel in EVA transfer

All kerbels are now safely aboard Germy's craft, awaiting our transfer window back to Kerbin. Sigley and Muncan will stay behind until we can get someone out to rescue them. There is enough fuel for them to make one more trip down to Duna if they can get the docking ports working. Overall, I would say the mission was a success. We complete numerous contracts for both Duna and Ike, got loads of science, and had quite an adventure doing it. I hope you all enjoyed my first mission control story. It was definitely a little rough around the edges but with a Eve mission ahead of us, I hope to make the next one that much better.