The Kerpollo Applications Program [STOCK]

[Speeding Mullet]

THE KERPOLLO APPLICATIONS PROGRAM - A [sTOCK] CHALLENGE ENTRY AND ONGOING MISSION REPORT

"We choose to go to the mun. We choose to go to the mun sometime pretty soon and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they make big explosions, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one in which we might finally see Jeb away from KSC for a few months. Oh yeah we gonna do some other bits and bobs too.

Johnlin F Kerman - Year 1, Day 4 - 4hr, 24m

The spirit of the challenge:

Mullet Dyne Advanced Operations is determined to reproduce the Apollo program as faithfully as possible, up to a point. With that in mind there are some basic rules to follow through all the missions:

1) All missions will be manned - because Dinklestein's crew laughs in the face of mortal danger. If Kerbal dies - Kerbal get's memorial flag planted in their honor.

2) Limited testing will take place. Testing is very much seen as a frivolous waste of time at the KSC, the upper echelons voting in favour of the "light that candle baby" approach.

3) Stock only. That means no autopilot, no access to shiny delta-v readouts, all manual flight! Dangerous move considering my over reliance on MJ previously, and see 1).

Mission logs:

1) Pad Abort Test 1

2) Little Joe Kerman II LES test

Epic Fails:

Coming soon!

Acronyms:

KAP - Kerpollo Applications Program

MDAO - Mullet Dyne Advanced Operations

LES - Launch Escape System

MM - Munar Module

CSM - Command/Service Module

Useful information:

Link to challenge thread

The main photo at the top of the page will update regularly as I go through the mission report. Just something interesting to keep your eye on

Edited May 25, 2015 by Speeding Mullet

[Speeding Mullet]

Pad Abort Test 1

Pad Abort Test 1 was lip service to safety, and to make it look like the effects on the Kerpollo spacecraft during an abort from the pad were being investigated and taken seriously. The launch escape system (LES) would possibly be capable of pulling the spacecraft away from a certainly exploding rocket while it sat on the pad, fell over sideways, or just snapped in half on "loading". The LES then had to gain enough altitude to allow the command module's parachutes to open, preferably with the spacecraft in the air.

The flight featured a real LES and a real Kerpollo spacecraft, with brave Luna Kerman strapped in. The spacecraft carried no instruments for measuring structural loads as moar struts.

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[Speeding Mullet]

Little Joe Kerman II LES test

Unacceptable snack conditions had forced a short delay of the launch, but the Little Joe Kerman II was successfully launched with Pilot Crislian in tow on year 1, day 4 - 4h, 43m - stunningly fast progression considering Johnlin F Kerman had only made his now famous Mun speech only 19 minutes previous.

The KSC commanded abort signal terminated thrust of the launch vehicle (it didn't work), ignited the launch escape and pitch control motors, and separated the command module from the service module. The service module was later found to have never been fitted to the rocket. Some structural damage was incurred by the pathetic strength of the LES being no match for the 7 LV-T30 engines in full battle regalia, but at exactly 18 seconds, the command module bobbled off the rocket none the less.

No one was looking at the time of the tests, and the readouts were printing directly into a budget shredder positioned roughly over a dented bin. All test objectives were none the less satisfied.

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[Whirligig Girl]

Good stuff so far, I suppose I can make an exception to the Kerpollo-4 flight for the manned-only portion. I think, if you are good enough at storytelling, you can make up for that.

Edited May 18, 2015 by GregroxMun

[Speeding Mullet]

Good stuff so far, I suppose I can make an exception to the Kerpollo-4 flight for the manned-only portion. I think, if you are good enough at storytelling, you can make up for that.

Thanks GregroxMun, I know it's not exactly how the program and challenge should go, but I appreciate the leeway for my death defying little green people. you never know what happens though, I heard there was a kegger planned over at the Kerbonaut centre later in the month......

Onward with the mission report and the first unmanned test of the Saturn IB:

Hold for three days due to bad snack conditions and for a break in subcable to downrange station, despite downrange station not existing. Further hold for 30 minutes on year 1, day 4 - 4h, 56m, to catch up on snack loading. Hold for 30 minutes to complete snack loading, which had been delayed by a general strike by the union of chefs. Hold for 78 minutes while Archibald visited the little boys room. Hold for 66 minutes because of cutoff caused by Luna Kerman leaning on a pressure switch in Saturn IB ready circuit. Final hold for 30 minutes, during which flight was canceled and then re-instated, for further information on salt content of prawn cracker crisps.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6 Ignition

6. No, we did that already....2, 1, BOOM! The clock is running.

KSC: OK: P11, snack program. Snack program complete, roll program.

Archibald Kerman: Do we have rolls do we?

KSC: Roger, roll complete, we are pitching

Luna Kerman: who's bitchin'?

KSC: ABORT ABORT ABORT! LES has pulled the capsule clear. Confirm separation of LES and deployment of chutes. Confirmed. Confirm jettison of heat shield. Confirmed. You're safe guys debrief on the ground.

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On being plucked out of the sea and returning to KSC, the team still shaken from their sudden abort by KSC with the battleship stage still under full load were debriefed.

Dinklestein, pacing the floor looks nervous. "So you may be wondering why the launch was aborted so soon after lift off"

"Well yeah Dinklestein, that was one wild ride, and so many delays on the pad just to pull the pin?" says Luna, speaking for the team.

"OK so this is going to sound kinda stupid, but it looks like your wild ride there was never meant to be wild." Wiping seat from his brow, Dinklestein continues "In fact you weren't even supposed to be on it, and sure as Kerbol wasn't supposed to be any Munar module in the payload. The build team accidentally joined the payload being prepared for the first live mission to the rocket so basically we've wasted a heap of funds, and made ourselves look a bit clutzy to be honest. But you guys had a good time right? Practice makes perfect after all!"

Aghast the crew sits there wide eyed at the unmitigated stupidity that is the build team. It's all that Chrislian can do from keeping himself from laughing. He organised this little fiasco with a few bribes to the build team, a badly hatched plan to steal the whole get-up once in orbit and and cart off to the moon a good 6 missions ahead of schedule.

With his body intact, but ability to steal the glory and write his name into the history books gone, Crislian at least proved his mettle under duress as flight commander and would almost certainly be rostered onto a future Munar flight. If no one squealed.....

Edited May 21, 2015 by Speeding Mullet

[Speeding Mullet]

Saturn IB AS-202 Flight:

AS-202 was launched mere minutes after Crislian caused the abort. When he heard that A) she was a female Kerman, and that the flight was fueled and ready, she beat a hasty retreat from the debrief room under the guise of a rest room break. On the milk stool the (now correct) rocket shone majestically, white and black paint scheme designed to make rolling easier to observe causing issues with spot heating of the fuel tanks.

Suddenly Crislian smashes through the doors of the SPH going full tilt in the agencies under development Munar rover. Leaning off the side with unfathomable strength she grabs one of the RT-5 Solid rocket motors and swings it over her shoulder to the hastily manufactured sling. The Flea locks into place, and all this while traversing the length of the SPH.

Crislian presses load on her controls, which teleports her 150 meters further away to the start of the runway. Oddly she also has to climb out of a Mk1 pod and decouple it from the rover, but doesn't bat an eyelid.

"I am going to catch that rocket to the Mun if it's the last thing I do........" says Crislian with bare faced determination.

Firing up the Flea booster, Crislian shrieks with glee and then horror as the RT5- Flea first turns her into a rocket, and then the Kerbin based equivalent of a pulsar. She was going to catch the rocket, but it was the last thing she did.

RIP CRISLIAN KERMAN - Memorials will be erected on the Mun to your determination. It's also decided that all future "unmanned flights" will have tight security to stop overzealous Kerbals from entering the launch perimeter.

The actual Saturn IB AS-202 Flight:

With Crislian out the way, the launch was able to take place as originally intended - UNMANNED! The first stage burned for a time, lifting the rocket to an altitude that no one was really monitoring. The second stage then burned, raising the apogee to 435km.

The CSM then decoupled, and unfortunately lost all control, re-entering the atmosphere at a speed of VERY QUICKLY m/s. The spacecraft performed a straight down reentry, first descending to zero meters, then pancaking into the ground. By this time it had shed ALOT of speed. It then continued to descend. The main parachutes did not deploy, but earlier tests all pointed to it being roughly fine, and the test was only supposed to verify CSM engine and heat shield, which both did a valiant job, so mission success, ish...

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SM

Edited May 25, 2015 by Speeding Mullet