Failing at KSP

[BurningLegion]

Hey everyone! I'm BurningLegion, and I'm new to KSP. Every so often, I'm going to write up one of the things I didn't do so well, and post. And occasionally the things I did well.

Today's report: The First Space Station & Project Triton

On Day 4, the Kerbal Space Program received a contract to put a 5-Kerbal station in LKO, with an antenna, solar panels, a docking port, and a station copula. In a flurry of excitement, the director of the KSP, author of such project's as SPACEEEEEEE, declared that this would be the "Greatest space station ever", promptly named the project "SPACEEE STAION" (Misspelling included), and constructed a ridiculously complex 11-stage lifter (Primarily composed of RT-10 boosters) to fight four linked Rockomax X-32 fuel tanks into orbit as SPACEEE STAION's main body, along with a Hitchhiker container, 8 OX-STAT panels, an array of Clamp-O-Tron Jr ports, 1500 electric charge capacity, and a copula.

As the director did not believe in the existence of probe cores at that time (STAYPUTNIK'S A CONSPIRACY, WE ALL KNOW IT!), Jebediah Kerman flew SPACEEE STAION, with Bill Kerman riding in the Hitchhiker container for no adequately justified reason. Despite a hairy orbiting burn, SPACEE STAION's triple Skipper engines & cluster of triple LV 909s got it into orbit with 80 m/s Delta V to spare.

KSC mission command cheered, and Jeb & Bill generated many science-giving EVA reports as the station orbited Kerbin.

Two days later, the space program director sent up Valentina & Bob for a different project, and was stymied at the lack of Kerbals to haphazardly strap into rockets, er, I mean send into that airless void as heroic pioneers, carrying on the spirit of Kerbalkind into the infinite blackness, and refused to spend $26,000 funds on hiring a fifth Kerbalnaut. He shrugged, and played checkers all day. The next morning, he awoke in a cold sweat, and remembered Bill & Jeb trapped on SPACEEE STAION. Bill being the only Engineer, his retrieval was marked as a high priority. From that day forward, the space program director vowed that no Kerbal would be sent into space without a way to bring them down, and no one would be left in orbit forever.

Thus began Project Triton.

With Valentina orbiting for the Vostok 2 mission, the space program director nonetheless decreed that recovery efforts would begin immediately. A ship was assembled on the launchpad from the most advanced technology available - A Stayputnik Core, Mk 1 Command Pod, Mk 1 Inline cockpit, OX-STAT solar panels, a Z-100 battery, FLT-400 fuel tank, four radial parachutes, and a Terrier engine were combined for the orbital stage, with a much simpler lifting vehicle assembled. The vessel was christened "Rescuer B", because it could carry two kerbals, and was immediately sent into space.

Upon arrival in space, Rescuer B discovered that SPACEEE STAION was on the other side of Kerbal, and matched orbits. The director shrugged, calculated that Rescuer B and SPACEEE STAION would be 4 km apart in 112 orbits, and recovered Valentina, then set about completing a bunch of contracts to upgrade the Space Center. Among the contracts accepted were one for another Kerbin space station, and three for stranded Kerbals in LKO & HMO.

With these additional rescue contracts, the Rescuer B was retroactively named "Triton Prototype", and a new rocket was assembled. From newly developed technology, the Triton I consisted of a Mk 1 command pod, FLT-800 fuel tank, Z-200 battery, HECS probe core, 1x6 extendable solar array (But not retractable), twin A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S., Small RCS tank, RCS thrusters, LV 909, and enough range to travel out to Minmus orbit and return to Kerbin. Triton II & Triton III followed the same concept, with Triton III both featuring landing legs and becoming the finalized design for future Kerbin/Mun/Minmus orbital rescues.

The space program director launched all three Triton vessels, then patrolled the mission control chamber in his underpants until the 112 orbits were complete, and the Triton Prototype was able to come close to SPACEEE STAION. Unfortunately, due to having no clue what he was doing, the space program director accidentally de-orbited the Triton Prototype, which survived re-entry without a scratch.

Infuriated as a means to cover his shame, the space program director sent Valentina & Bob on a Munar orbit, collecting more than 1,000 science primarily from EVA reports, and was then distracted by shiny new technology, launching several failed unmanned missions to Minmus and a probe to orbit Kerbol for no particular reason. The space program director then focused on completing contracts for more funds to upgrade KSC, reaching level three of all buildings.

At this time, the space program director decided it would be most appropriate to send another mission to the Mun, this time a lander. But there were only two kerbals, and the director wanted to use the three kerbal capsule. Remembering last time, the space program director left for the day to go to a space program director's lecture series on orbital docking and rendezvous.

Armed with new knowledge, and a contract for a five-kerbal station, the director designed the Mega-Triton, a five-kerbal space station designed to catch up to SPACEEE STAION, match orbits, gather both kerbals, and survive planetary re-entry with 12 radial parachutes. At the same time, the director used new knowledge to finally complete the missions of the three Triton rockets.

All missions were eventually successful, aside from Triton II, which had to go to the Mun. After rescuing Magmie Kerman, the director failed to notice the orbit to re-enter Kerbin's SOI was suborbital relative to the Mun, leading to the utter destruction of the Triton II. Two kerbals regained, two new recruits. Acceptable outcome.

[UFO Researcher]

Hi, I want to let you know 2 things: The first is that today I did my first space plane orbit and landing!!!

The second is that i did a mission report of an emergency landing test! read this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/entries/3541-UFO-Sighting%21%21%21 I write it and it is a little shocking! Please reply!

[BurningLegion]

The MES

A more successful project is the MES (Munar Exploration Station). After the successful orbital rendezvous required for Project Triton, the space program director treated it as an isolated incident and attempted a Munar landing. A Munship was constructed, intended to reach LKO, land on the Mun, and return to Kerbin all in one stage. The new ship was designed to be propelled primarily by Monopropellant thrusters, part of the tech-testing craze that accompanies every new piece of technology, at least in any space program with a good chance of becoming greater in the future.

Munar approach:

Unfortunately, the landing did not go so well and innovative corrective action was required. It was at this time that the engineers regretted placing monopropellant THRUSTERS, but no RCS system on the spacecraft.

Eventually, the Mun mission returned to space with just enough fuel to lower Kerbin periapsis to 55km. After several orbits, it aerobraked enough to land and provide enough science to start the next technology craze. The aftermath of the Mun mission left the space program director concluding it was physically impossible to use one launch to send a spacecraft into space, orbit Kerbin, transfer to the Mun, land on the Mun, and return to Kerbin, much less Minmus or further in the Kerbol system. The director's wine habit has no relation to his inability to realize the Mun mission accomplished exactly what he deemed impossible.

Part of the wave of unlocked technology was the Mobile Processing Lab & the ISRU. Combined with the previously researched Clamp-O-Tron, and the new experience in Orbital Rendezvous, the space program director reasoned it would be possible to send a central "hub" to orbit the Mun and have components added on to it. Construction began immediately. Unfortunately, the photographs of construction were destroyed in an accident during the bi-weekly kerbalnaut marching band regimen, but the design documents remain.

"Project Munar Exploration Station:

Overview: The Munar Exploration Station (MES) will serve as a springboard for comprehensive Munar exploration, as well as future moves outside our own world's gravity well. Additionally, the MES will allow us to test long-term exposure to zero gravity, as well as new ISRU & mobile laboratory technologies. The MES will possess an add-on capacity of nine components through docking ports, in addition to two probe ports. Additional planned MES components at this time consist of: Mun Science Lander, Mun Mining Lander, Kerbin Return Vehicle, Propulsion Module. The MES will maintain an ability to alter its own orbit, to simplify orbital rendezvous and allow potential transfer to Minmus or back to Kerbin should that prove necessary. The MES will carry a crew of two scientists in the mobile laboratory, and be primarily controlled by a probe core."

Unfortunately, the MES was constructed before the time of Space Program blueprints. It was thrown together ad hoc based on what management at the time perceived to be most reasonable, including four Gigantor XL solar arrays. The rationale behind splitting the functions of Science Lander & Mining Lander was that a combined purpose vehicle would stretch the engineering envelope too far. The only reason a mining lander would be useful at all is if more fuel could be synthesized from the returned ore than it would take to get that ore, and the added weight of science components and design restrictions requiring science landers to keep command cans close to the surface resulted in a vehicle predicted to be unable to meet either role due to fuel inefficiency. All of the components of the MES are designed to contribute to the greater whole - the Science Lander in particular has an increase of 3,000 battery capacity, along with three fuel cells for emergency power. The MES has also been sent up with an empty Rockomax monopropellant tank, to allow it to build up a reserve from operation of the ISRU to allow other ships to resupply for docking.

MES on the Dark Side of the Mun, with Science Lander.

Fully illuminated MES, with both landers (Mining in the upper left, science in the lower left).

A silhouette:

With this briefing, we hope you will understand that the MES project has been largely successful and offers huge potential for the exploration of Kerbol. If not the MES itself, then other expedition ships will likely be patterned after the MES, especially those bound for far away places such as Jool where support from Kerbin will be impractical. The recent tragedy is not a reason to shut the MES down.

It is our protocol to test all ships under anticipated maximum stress. This is why we filled the mining lander's ore tanks before liftoff from Kerbin, as a means to test the Mining Lander's calculated thrust ratio & Delta-V, and to test the MES ISRU's ability to turn ore into fuel. In addition, to test the J7 Fly-By-Wire system, the one-seat Mining Lander was sent from Kerbin without a qualified pilot, to perform the transfers and rendezvous with our brave engineer, Bill Kerman.

After the successful test of the ISRU, the MES sent the mining lander down to collect more ore. This is the communication transcript.

MES Control: "Fuel transferred, magnetic ring primed. Go/no go for undock?"

Mining Lander: "Reading tanks full, all systems green. Go for undock."

MES Control: "Magnetic latches released."

Mining Lander: "Firing RCS, breakaway velocity .5 meters."

MES Control: "Confirming RCS firing, breakaway velocity point five meters. Maintain attitude for T - 120 seconds."

Mining Lander: "Go on T-120 seconds."

~120 seconds later~

Mining Lander: "Burning retrograde to kill horizontal velocity, altitude 32km."

MES Control: "Copy. Computer is predicting a 45-second burn."

Mining Lander: "Horizontal velocity less than .1 meters. Holding burn to avoid wasting fuel."

MES Control: "Begin burn at 5km."

Mining Lander: "Copy, go on retrograde burn at 5km."

~9 seconds later~

Mining Lander: "Burning at maximum thrust. Vertical velocity reducing."

MES Control: "Go on burn."

Mining Lander: "The deceleration's not fast enough."

MES Control: "Fire RCS too."

Mining Lander: "Firing RCS."

MES Control: "You're still going too fast. Turn that lander into a crumple zone if you have to."

Mining Lander: "Out of time. Tell Linisa-"

*Transcript ends*

Upon review of telemetry data and design specifications, our engineers have determined there was no pilot error. The thrust to weight ratio of the Mining Lander was 1.02 on the Mun when loaded, 1.5 when not. The next mining lander has been designed with a loaded TWR of 2.64, and an unloaded of 4.2. Bill Kerman has been recorded as the first Kerbalnaut to die in service of exploration, and an experienced Engineer, Linisa Kerman, is slated to fly the redesigned Mining Lander.