SunShooter Beyond--AAP 1.0 Challenge entry (pic heavy!) (UPDATE: it's munbase time!)

[B-STRK]

Table of Contents:

Chapter 00 Apollo 4: Boil Harder (this post)

Chapter 01 Apollo 5: I've got a kabin fever (and the only prescription is MOAR KOWBELL) (this post)

Chapter 02 Apollo 8: Nobody's Perfect

Chapter 03 Apollo 9: You Require Additional Thrust to Weight

Interlude: Mission Creeps and Broken Dreams

Chapter 04 Apollo 11 pt. 1: STEP

Chapter 05 Apollo 11 pt. 2: LEAP

Chapter 06 Skylab: Alicornication

Chapter 07 Apollo 12: Bumpy Ride

Chapter 08 Apollo 14/MOLAB: Standalone Doubles as Elcano Challenge debut post

Interlude Nova: The Shape of Things to Come

Chapter 09 Apollo 15/Minmus: Attempt, but DO NOT

Chapter 10 Munbase/Apollo 16: Laying the Foundations

Interlude Saturn-Shuttle... or was it Saturn-Dreamchaser?: Gotta Stay Fly

Chapter 11 Munbase: Bill and Ed's Excellent Adventure

---

Following the example of other entrants like [thread=121623]loch.ness[/thread], [thread=122064]Norcalplanner[/thread], and others, I've created this thread to document the steps in meeting GregroxMun's [thread=121201]Apollo Applications Program 1.0 challenge[/thread]. To date, two flights have already been posted in the challenge thread (but are reproduced below for completeness). Starting with the Apollo 8 shot, the reports will go here, with teasers and/or summaries dropped into the challenge thread.

The storytelling here's not gonna be so [thread=111040]Brotoro-levels of extensive[/thread], more focused on vignettes or mini-captures during each mission, but I hope it captures your fancy as SunShooter progresses from the Munshot to Applications and beyond. It'll (probably be) equal parts serious observation and lighthearted humor, adapting to Whedon's advice about cracking a joke once in a while (for crying out loud, my Saturn's called the "Sparkle". And instead of a Kerbalized variant of "Apollo", I go with the name "SunShooter" instead). It's my first mission report and my first challenge to go up here, so I hope it does Greg's challenge and everyone else here justice.

Obviously Greg's challenge is to replicate the AAP with our own equivalents of the AAP hardware. There's the additional challenge, in my part, to distinguish the hardware I'm using from what everyone else is using, particularly because we're chasing the same set of specifications. For example, both Norcalplanner and I have SpaceY and MRS in GameData, but as Norcal's hope was to showcase SpaceY/MRS as the backbone of his Apollo-Saturn analogue, I couldn't pursue really pursue that route--which leads to my Saturn analogue having a profile that's quite different from the real-world. Whereas Saturn's S-IC and S-II share the same diameter, with the S-IV and CSM tapering it off, with the Sparkle, the SII and the SIV are the ones that share the same bulkhead (3.75m), while the SIC is the lone stage having the 5m profile. Hopefully, this PSA will head off any observations that the AAP hardware I've ginnied up here don't look too much like the real-world Apollo hardware.

Also, that 5-3.75-3.75-Apollo configuration is going to be a (CENSORED: single word equivalent for "female canine") once it's time to upgrade the Sparkle to an MLV variant.

Alright, here we go: the (mis)adventures of the brave kerbonauts and ingenious engineers of the Kerbal Space Program: SunShooter Project.

That MEM wasn't supposed to be using solar panels! How the hell did the prototype version of the Luna end up in the launch stack for SunShooter IX? There will be accountability for this! KERBALS WILL BE SENT TO THE 2462 OFFICE FOR THIS!!! (I really want those fuel cell-only points.

)

- - - Updated - - -

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program analogue by B-STRK

PROLOGUE: SunShooter IV - Boil Harder

"We choose to go to the Mun... and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because apparently Ore can be used by a Mobile Processing Lab to create Snacks! And there is plenty of Ore on the Mun. AND WHO WOULDN'T WANT MORE SNACKS?!"

-- President John F. Kerman, after receiving tgruetzm's latest report on Snacks! cultuvation

On a training flight, Valentina and Felix Kerman fly over the Sparkle V launch stack

As the sun rises on the inaugural launch of the SunShooter's prized booster, the Sparkle V, program managers reflect on Pres. Kerman's mandate to the KSP: get to the Mun, get the Ore, and get out of Kerbin's subsystem and into the other planets and satellites of the Kerbol system. Colonize space, and make it safe for democracy Snacks! And all this, using only a restricted family of lifters, the Sparkle series of booster rockets designed with professional attention childish glee by Wernher von Kerman, and on the limited budget of vF INFINITY.00 provided by an increasingly stingy Kongress. It was a mandate to take one's breath away.

No kidding. Several engineers had to reach for their inhalers from the stress of rocket design and testing. Not to mention all that second-hand exhaust fumes.

But it was a mandate that would be achieved. By the Kraken, it would be achieved. And with today's launch, kerbalkind's first steps into an arena that humankind has already well worn, and whose experience we are banking on to accomplish this challenge the unknown will be taken.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

MISSION REPORT

To: Chris Kerman

Project Manager, SunShooter

Fr: Gene Kerman

Flight Director, KSP

Re: SunShooter IV

Launch, orbit, and transposition tests went as planned, with perfect results. Telemetry from Launch and Orbit phases compiled and attached to this report for parsing and analysis by launch vehicle and flight simulation engineers. GNC and FIDO summaries of transposition are also attached for flight simulation and training purposes.

Reentry and Recovery phase however has BOMBED. From orbit. Like a kinetic strike. The CM boilerplate is a total loss, though at least the flight tracking data remains with us.

Project ALY managers send their apologies and have contacted Danny at the 2462 Office for the appropriate disciplinary measures for the erring telemetry engineers who forgot to install antennas on the SIVB and Luna MEM, and antenna + probe core on the Celestia CM. Project EVANNA engineers still bewailing the loss of the boilerplate, with a few requiring counseling before return to work.

Otherwise, flight profile has been validated, and we know from prior missions that the two radial chutes on the CM are enough for safe Kerbin reentry. Recommend GO for the rest of SunShooter.

Sincerely,

GENE KERMAN

Flight Director

Kerbal Space Program

PS: I think I'll also need a lawyer. I might have backhanded SYSTEMS into a monitor when he tried to cheer me up after the boilerplate bit it.

Yeah, I forgot to place antennas on all parts that were supposed to operate while detached. **facepalm** While I was kind of worried going full RemoteTech for accomplishing this program, toadicus' AntennaRange provides a similar experience with a couple of options turned on, minus the need for command caching on the flight computer and time delay. A harsh lesson for future unmanned SunShooter launches: make sure there are antennas on board. I wonder if the failed recovery will affect my score. Greg?

Okay, some tentative score calculations, though can someone check my math as well, to be sure I'm scoring this right?

Points racked so far with an Apollo 4 mission launch:

Saturn V uses 5 + 5 + 1 = 20 (SIC uses a SpaceY cluster, SII uses 4+1 separate engines)

Launch Escape System = 5 (MRS Boost Protective Cover + LES)

Use fuel cells only = debatable. CSM had the fuel cells, but the MEM had solar panels. Then again, this was an LKO test flight, so maybe the MEM doesn't really count? 10 points if GO, 0 if NO GO.

Life Support Mod = wait. This was an unkerballed flight. I guess having Snacks! onboard won't count this time. Also, now that I think about it, will Snacks! be acceptable to score Life Support? The 50 kerbal-day supply on the command pods are still pretty generous by life support standards; even real-world!Orion does only about 21 days max, if I read Wiki right "with up to 21 days active crew time plus 6 months quiescent".

Total score to date: 25 max, 15 min, depending on how the jury rules on the solar panels in the MEM. Maybe less, if GregroxMun docks points for fouled recovery.

Next on SunShooter: a tour of the hardware (maybe?), and sending willing victims volunteers those engineers better get things right on everything this time

PS: loch.ness, yes, I am having way too much fun. Actually being restricted from going wild on my mission design and having specific goals to pursue actually helps in keeping things focused, keeping me from blowing up my RAM with too many mods, and creating a sense of achievement.

- - - Updated - - -

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program analogue by B-STRK

CHAPTER I: I've got a kabin fever (and the only prescription is MOAR KOWBELL)

Inspecting the Luna Munar Excursion Module (MEM)

Bob Kerman (scientist) and James P. Kerman (Project EVANNA craft design director), attending

Bill Kerman observes Rodsy Kerman familiarize himself with the Luna MEM.

Bill Kerman SHOULD be in isolation, prepping for VII.

Bill Kerman is SO GONNA GET IT COME PAYDAY

GET YOUR ASS INTO ISOLATION AND A SPACE SUIT BILL

Bob: I don't like it.

James: What?

Bob: That.

James: The Luna? Shh, you'll hurt her feelings.

Bob: I'm just going to ignore that you're treating the MEM like you want to make out with it and jump into what I'm trying to say. She's too small.

James: She'll get the job done.

Bob: Without stowage for a rover.

James: Not this again. Look, we all agreed that we're not thinking about rovers until SunShooter XV. XIV, XIII, maybe. But certainly not X to XII. We had to get a lander ready with all the right parameters that the bosses are looking for, and Luna's what we've got if you want to land on the Mun by X.

Bob: And how do the bosses expect me to scout out for Ore if I can't get more than a stone's throw away from the landing site? The surface sampler's not exactly a hand-carry.

James: Okay, two things. One, baby steps. We worry about landing on the Mun first, before anything else. Anyway, we need a successful landing to set the parameters for Evolved Luna and NARGL. Two, the the rover we've got is still too big.

Bob: RED Rover, too big? Are you kidding me? She's already smaller than previous prototypes!

RED Rover, RED Rover, send Whatshernameagain right over!

(In response to the implied insult, Crisoldin Kerman promptly decked Rodsy up the nose)

James: Not small enough. Not to mention, there's no convenient way to load her into a manned lander. Gods, we asked if EVANNA could handle the rover design, but nooo, the Powers-That-Be tossed it off to KRISTEN instead.

Bob: They are in charge of surface exploitation, after all, it makes sense. They've even been working on rovers--

James: MOLAB. MOLAB isn't a rover, it's a monstrosity. Kraken knows how the ALY engineers plan to get that thing down in one piece. They've been so obsessed with Phase II they've forgotten that their systems for Phase I need to interface with ours.

Bob: Fine. In two hours, I'm going to go face Christina and say we can't get Ore samples until SunShooter XIII at the earliest--and even then you're not making any promises--because the subprojects aren't playing nice with each other.

James: Okay. Damn it. My turn to play nice. Tell Project KRISTEN to toss off their munar buggy blueprints our direction, and I'll see if we can find a way to shrink it. It still won't be ready in time for X, but at least we can tweak the new MEM so that you're sure to have your joyride by XIII.

Bob: Got it. And I'll be sure to update them about how you called one of their pet designs a monstrosity.

James: This is why the subprojects don't play nice with one another.

Bob: Hey, you're the one who called it a monstrosity. Don't be so judgmental.

The (relative) success of SunShooter IV cleared the way for KSP to approve manned flights with the Celestia CSM. That didn't include flights post-LKO, and the Sparkle V was simply too powerful for the job of LKO delivery. Enter the Sparkle IB, a lower-cost platform development from the Sparkle V, using the same SIVB booster with a Rockomax-SpaceY first stage.

Enter, too, the intrepid crew of the SunShooter VII - Engineer Bill Kerman, Scientist-Copilot Hudgar Kerman, and Pilot Samene Kerman - who are to take (and endure) three days in the Celestia CSM Herman Hermininny Hermononucleosis Hermione Granger in LKO to prove the CSM systems, to prove themselves as astronauts, to prove the viability of the SunShooter program to land a Kerbal on the Mun before the decade is out...

Or to prove that Kongress was crazy to fund this circus. How will it turn out? Let's go look, shall we?

Javascript is disabled. View full album

AFTER ACTION REPORT:

Christina Kerman, Project Director: "Ugh. Another almost-perfect landing, ruined by unforeseen design considerations. Either we start treating heat shields as crumple zones as well, or we order more parachutes."

Random engineer: "Well, those heat shields do make good crumple zones."

Christina: "Order the damn parachutes."

Just adding this to keep track when it comes time to tally the scores.

New scores in this chapter are: Life support (now that it counts--but does Snacks count?), and... that's it.

+26 for Snacks! Since SunShooter VII's a fuel cell-only flight the whole 3 days (the panels on the BonBon don't count, right?), this would make the fuel cell scoring from the last time finally legit. And I think I added up wrong in the Prologue (whoops!).

To recap the scores, this would be:

Prologue:

Saturn V 5+5+1 = 20

LES = 5

Chapter 1:

Fuel Cell = 10

Life Support = 26

Total to date = 61 points. Potentially reducible if the judgement is that Snacks! is too generous by life support standards.

Next time: VIII and figure-8s.

Also, we eat munar regolith.

Greg - no problem re: responses. Still not done with Apollo Program, anyway, let alone AAP and Super Manley. I may just need some judgment calls on the scoring, to see if I hit the conditions right.

Edited August 1, 2015 by B-STRK
edited title, and cross-link to spin-off thread

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program analogue by B-STRK

CHAPTER II: Nobody’s Perfect

If you can get a ship to orbit, you’re halfway to anywhere.

-- Robert Heinlein

And you’re also half-way to a horrible reentry.

-- Pessimism

Editor's note: TIL that Imgur has some basic photo editing options YAY FOR ARTSY OVERLY-USED FILTERS

- Some time prior to SunShooter IV -

"WHAT?!" the assemblage of pilots exploded.

"You heard me right," said Christina Kerman. The long-suffering SunShooter Project Director paused to clean her glasses. "MechJeb is decertified for all SunShooter flights."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Felix Kerman deplored. "Not all of us are Jeb. Or Val."

"I know. I could tell." Pause. Breathe. Resist the urge to choke the living daylights out of this assemblage. “We’ve scheduled additional T-80NE flights and sim time so everyone can certify for their gold wings. We’ve also installed the Precise Node Orbital Computer to supplement your standard avionics. But this is non-negotiable: no autopilots on these flights. We’ve grown too damn used to automation these past years.â€Â

“What happened anyway?†asked Mirice Kerman. She thought she could see Chris barely blanch. Nonetheless, the Director retained her composure and proceeded:

“KPL engineers were running a cold-startup test on an MJ pod when it suddenly awoke and explosively vented its propellant, all the while screaming something like ‘CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY, SNACKS.’ Not until its batteries ran down five hours later could the engineers get inside the lab to assess the mess.†She was the one to proofread the full confidential report from the Kerbal Propulsion Labs, with full-color video and pictures, before submission to the KSP Director and the President’s Science Commission. The sight of MechJeb’s ever-aware eye still haunted her sleep.

I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Jeb.

“It doesn’t matter,†she concluded. “MJ’s going nowhere near your ships. All flights are on local or remote direct control, HOTAS and live. So there’s no plug-and-play, no hands-off, and most certainly no crushing, killing, or destroying. Space travel is deadly enough with you guys behind the wheel.â€Â

“You know, we’ve depended on MJ and AVVC-HLA for landing in previous evolutions,†Bob observed.

“The latter two are out, as well. We’ll have the computer labs double-check if they have any latent kerbocidal tendencies. But until Greg clears any form of AI, autopilots are out. It’s all hand-flying, readouts from KER, and seat-of-the-pants from here. You’re all kerbonauts. Suck it up.â€Â

“That’s easy to say,†Ronlorf Kerman said gloomily, “until it’s time for us to suck it up.â€Â

“Come on, guys,†Val tried to encourage. “I’ve taught you guys, all the silver-suits, many of you guys even from first wheels-up. We can do this. I can do this. What could possibly go wrong?

Val: “We’re good to go here, BOOSTER. Start the clock.â€Â

This was why Valentina Kerman was the one to pilot the first kerballed craft to leave LKO. Most pilots would crap their spacesuits at the prospects. BadS’s would jump in with glee, all the while sucking baby food through a straw. Val would do all these things expected of BadS’s, and do them smartly. And kerbals would come home because of skill. It’s a promise, she said, that Beaxy and Ronlorf Kerman could take to the bank.

Cue opening bars to "OPENING - Bombing Mission" from the Final Fantasy VII OST

For an event with an VIII as the numerical designator

Squall confirmed for blandest Final Fantasy main character evar

PAO: “Liftoff, liftoff of the SunShooter VIII, en route to deliver the first kerbals to orbit the Mun, onboard the Cho Chang, y’all.â€Â

Press: “Wait, did you say Cho Chang, y’all?â€Â

PAO: “Yes. Yes, I did.

â€Â

CAPCOM: “Chang, Control. FIDO has good track on your Kerbin-relative orbital path. Also, Val, FIDO adds that he can see an itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka-dot loop at your perimune, as tiny as the dewdrop on the back of a baby ladybug in spring, so technically you have your figure-eight.â€Â

Val: “It’s not the figure-eight I was aiming for. And tell FIDO to stop laughing or I’ll deck him one when I get back. I can hear him over your comms.â€Â

SunShooter VIII wasn’t just about a leisurely trip to the Mun testing the orbital capabilities of the Celestia CSM. It also toted a Lyra relay communications satellite that would be placed in a high inclined orbit to (alongside the BobBon sat, whose firmware had been upgraded with some relay codecs) make the far side of the Mun a less lonely place.

Kerbals are dead serious about not missing the latest episode of MasterSnacks!Chef. Wars have been fought over missed screenings.

CAPCOM: “Chang, we read good separation from the Lyra. How copy?â€Â

Ronlorf: “Control, copy, she is looking good, and I’ve just extended the solar arrays. I’ve set up her maneuver plan for her ops orbit and will burn when ready.â€Â

Val: “Control, this is Val. We’ve set up our burn to drop the apomune, circularize 50-kay clicks, T minus one minute.â€Â

Val: “And our alarms are set for ETA-ten orbits. Nine hours. That should be long enough. Guys? Why so apprehensive? It’s just an alarm clock. We’re at the Mun! First kerbals to see her surface up close. I think this moment calls for more awe than shock. Don’t you think?â€Â

Beaxy: “I just realized: I sometimes feel a little strange, a little anxious when it’s dark.â€Â

Ronlorf: “It’s not the alarm clock I’m worried about. It’s what we have to do afterwards that concerns me.â€Â

Val: “Going home concerns you?â€Â

Ronlorf: “We’re the first to orbit the Mun, right? That also means we’re the first to have to reenter from the Mun. No one’s gone that fast before.â€Â

Val: “Don’t worry about it, brutha’. If the nerds punched their cards right, we’ll be safe on the ground when this mission’s up.â€Â

Val decides to take a walk out the door.

The surface of the Mun looks so tantalizingly close.

But it is not her destiny to touch its soil today.

Besides, she just needed a break from having to sit on her ass for nine straight hours.

Editor's note: I need to keep track on whether Historian's on before I hit F1

Val: “CAPCOM, Chang. Verify: ten orbits. We are heading home.â€Â

Beaxy: “Yay, home time!â€Â

Ronlorf’s looking pensive.

Val: “Setting up burn calcs for a 40-kilometer VPA (vacuum perikerb altitude).â€Â

No matter the seduction the stars may weave

inviting explorers to her maw,

nothing will look sweeter to a kerbal’s eyes

than the sight of the cradle of his life

and the green and blue of his home

Now let’s get this b**** on the ground.

“Chang, FIDO confirms for 40-kilometer VPA. How copy?â€Â

“Solid copy, Control. Ron?â€Â

“Control, this is Ronlorf. We are straight-board shut on all hatches and ports, SM shutdown is armed to staging, and Snacks! levels are still well and good. Those guys really knew how to cram cream puffs and rice cakes in every nook and cranny of this pod.â€Â

“Chang, all controllers are GO for your reentry. Gods-speed, and we shall see you home shortly.â€Â

Did I say ground? I meant sky.

“Uh, Val?†Beaxy tapped a gauge in front of her. “I know I’m just a humble scientist down here with little inkling for flight dynamics, but are we climbing?â€Â

“WHAT?†Jolted from a complacent rest, the mission commander all but seized the vertical speed gauge in front of her. “The nerds said that 40-kay clicks would do the trick! Those damned Flight Dynamics nerds! F&^%! F&&&&&&&&&&&&&^%%!!!!!!11!â€Â

“It’s always the landing that sticks you,†observed Ronlorf.

“Look on the bright side,†Ronlorf said, munching on a snack, forty minutes later prior to reentry. “It’s a good thing they gave these command pods a 50 man-day supply of Snacks! We had more than plenty for the go-around.â€Â

“Shut up,†mumbled Val, all but head-desking against the console. “Just, shut up.â€Â

“Hey, cheer up, Val. At least it wasn’t as bad as I thought. You know what they say, right?†He then burst into song: “

--â€Â

~~~

“Control, Chang. SURGEON says Ronlorf’s vitals spiked. What happened?â€Â

“Nothing serious, CAPCOM. Ronlorf got some Snacks! stuck up a windpipe, and I just needed to give him some Heimlich. To the face.â€Â

And as the Cho Chang, y’all drifts to kerra firma, everyone took stock of the previous days’ events.

• The good news was that adding the two extra radial chutes to the Celestia-A may do the trick to solving the laden recoveries problem identified in SunShooter VII.
  
• The bad news was that Val wouldn’t leave the capsule for hours.
  
• The ugly news was that fifteen Flight Dynamics nerds were sent to the 2462 office.
  

It is said that Danny’s cackles were heard for miles in every direction. What was sure, however, was that he sent a letter of support to Christina Kerman, which proved useful for the Kongressional delegation that visited KSC that afternoon.

The jury’s still out on whether that is good, bad, or ugly news. Ugh, politics.

Oh crap. I need to learn how to read the instructions carefully.

I was hoping to go for the Free Return scoring, but I forgot to take a snapshot of the perikerb. Though I have a suspicion that it's >70k km. I still wonder how they do it; attempts to get the figure-eight right pull the perikerb up.

I'm about quitting on getting the figure-eight right, and just concentrating on setting a good perikerb.

And second, I was going after the minisat score, until I read this:

- Include Lunar Subsatellite on Apollo 11-18.+5

Dammit, wrong flight!

So, to the 61 points from Chapter 1, we add... nothing, in Chapter 2.

C'est la vie.

EDIT: Looking again at the "failed-figure-8" screenshot above there, I'm thinking I probably did get the FRT (no visible perikerb, meaning it dug into the ground). Ah, the jury's still out. Same thing with IX, which I already had done, and just have to write up the report. For X/XI, I'll be damn sure to document every element correctly.

Next time: IX and weak-a$$'d putt-putt motors.

Edited May 30, 2015 by B-STRK
More explanations over the FRT-possible

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program analogue by B-STRK

Chapter III: You Require Additional Thrust-to-Weight

Javascript is disabled. View full album

In the face of the rockets,

In the heart of one spacecraft,

Lies the soul of a warrior raving lunatic.

Jury's still out if it's Jeb or Bill.

The workhorse of the SunShooter project (at least for Phase 1) is the Celestia-Luna munar exploration spacecraft, and the Sparkle V launch vehicle to send it on its way. While indeed the Mun was the primary target for SunShooter, Wernher von Kerman had visions of space exploration beyond the Mun, and made sure that the vehicle that would kick-start his dreams would be more than adequate for the task. Future-proof. More bang for the buck than the bean counters were betting on.

As such, the primary spacecraft of the program, the Celestia Command/Service Module, carried what seemed like a far greater capacity of bipropellant than was necessary to orbit the Mun and return home, even while carrying the Luna. But this excess propellant capacity gave the Celestia excellent cross-range capability: to orbit at almost any altitude, any inclination around the Mun or Minmus, to deploy and receive the MEM, or other manned and unmanned spacecraft and orbital packages. While not a long-duration spacecraft, nonetheless a 50 kerbal-day supply of Snacks! and that much propellant to power the fuel cells give the Celestia unmatched mission duration and loiter capability for her weight class.

The first generation of the Luna Munar Excursion Module, also embodied this principle of "more is better", though her small tankage may suggest otherwise. Certainly the Descent Stage had the burden of carrying itself and the Ascent Stage--the latter dominated by the admittedly mass-inefficient Mk2 Lander Can--but exercises predicted that with the proper descent profile, the Luna could safely touch down even with inefficient stepped burns (as opposed to a riskier suicide burn). The Ascent Stage, on the other hand, possessed a little over 1,000 m/s of delta-V, more than adequate to rendezvous with the Celestia CSM at LMO. These would be verified by the SunShooter 9 mission profile, though even after such verification, kerbonauts were still wary about an actual Mun landing.

The mighty Sparkle V stack had more than enough capability to send the Celestia and Luna to the Mun, or even Minmus. The five SpaceY Ratite engines of the SIC lift stage, even running throttled rather than at full power, could still loft the whole 372,662kg vehicle well after the suggested 45 deg. @ 10km ascent profile. Upon staging, the four LV-T30 Reliants and single Rockomax Mainsail of the SII sustainer took over, as the craft continued to turn towards the horizon. The SII does not possess the power of either the SIC or the SIVB, but as a sustainer, it didn't need it: its only task was to boost the vehicle at the final stages of its gravity turn, and lift the apokerb out of the atmosphere to the desired parking orbit target.

If the Sparkle V is the workhorse of the project, then the Kerbodyne SIVB is its heart. The KR-2L Rhino had the power and efficiency to circularize the Celestia-Luna to LKO, and perform the injection burn to the Mun or Minmus, into almost any orbital profile at its destination. The SIVB also forms the upper stage of the Sparkle IB vehicle, used to deliver the Celestia to LKO, or lighter packages to cismunar space.

The excitement outside as KSC eagerly awaited the launch of SunShooter IX, and the first manned test of the Luna, was matched by the anger inside Gene Kerman's office, as Jeb demanded answers to his biggest disappointment to date.

"WHY ARE YOU BUMPING THE MUN LANDING TO XI?"

Gene glanced at Christina's direction. Her demeanor suggested that he'd better be the one to answer first, for everyone's sake. "It came as a request from KRISTEN. They want X for a survey mission."

KSP's most decorated, most experienced--and most notorious--pilot remained frosty. "Wouldn't landing on the Mun count as a survey mission?"

"Be reasonable," Chris growled. "You can't survey much from LMO, or from the munar surface, for that matter. This is going to be a manned SCANsat survey--"

"SCANsat? I thought they weren't in the program?"

"Things change. Carlisle put in the request directly to the Scientific Committee for Advanced Navigation. He wants good slope data to calibrate his craft for Phase 2."

"We're not even in Phase 2 yet. Come on!" Jeb all but jumped out from his seat. "We were supposed to be landing by X. Bill, Bob, and I. And now, the crew of XI would be the ones--"

"Actually, you're swapping with the XI crew as well," Gene interjected, interrupting the pilot's tirade. "As it happens, Crisgola's formerly from SCAN, so her crew would be perfect for the survey mission."

It didn't placate Jeb much. "You could have just sent a satellite over with a IB."

While SunShooter IX delivered--wait, why is Beaxy going to the Mun again?

Oh, and watch out, we have a BadS over here.

(There. The right crewcam.)

"SCAN wants it manned--at least initially. This is the first time their SAR will be deployed, and they need one of theirs at the console to tweak it right and get the data home, which means a manned station. EMILY's also weighed in favor of the swap. Gives them a chance to test out habitation and life support with the MOO."

Incredulity. "And exactly how are the space station engineers going to test habitation in a cramped Mk1 lander can?"

"The swap's done." Christina brought down the hammer on the discussion. "No further debate. Crisgola takes X, and you take XI. It's only patience, Jeb."

Jeb snorted. "I know you, Chris. You want the Mun landing as badly as I do, even if you have to see it from behind a desk than behind the stick. Why the bump?"

"The bump is because Wernher listens to Carlisle, and I listen to Wernher." That was all Christina could say. "Even I don't know why KRISTEN put in the request--or called SCAN before telling me about it. Carlisle's tight-lipped, he's not telling me something."

"Well, maybe he'll tell me. As he's been bugging me about the roster for Phase 2, it's time he owed me something."

"Good luck with that. Y'know the guy rarely sees sunlight, keeps his own company."

"Well, it's high time he made some new friends."

"And it's high time we got back to Mission Control," said Gene. "It's my shift now, and Ms. Kerman here needs to keep this program on track if you're to walk on the Mun by XI."

"Go on ahead." Jeb frowned. "I got other plans."

The Lily Evans hadn't much luck with her figure-8's, either

CAPCOM: "Lily Evans, CAPCOM. FIDO says still no-joy on the target profile."

Matlin Kerman: "Forget it, Mission Control. I don't know how they do it in the simulations. But if Val can't pull it off for real, then I'm not gonna sweat figure-eights anymore."

CAPCOM: "You know, you could just say screw figure-eights, Kulbits are the new figure-eights."

Matlin: "Uh, CAPCOM, what are you talking about?"

CAPCOM: "You know, Kulbits! Countermaneuvers. Press LB + RB (it's the new Z or R twice) to flip your aircraft and get behind an enemy chasing you."

Matlin: "Oh my gods, ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

CAPCOM: "What? Ace Kombat: Attack the Ground-Sky Interface was a needed shot in the arm for an increasingly repetitive genre."

Matlin: "You have got to be s&^%%ing me, Ace Kombat: Burning Liberty and Forever are infinitely better."

CAPCOM: "Bull and f!%#, multiplayer dogfights in those games turn to circle-jerk inside of ten minutes. At least Ground-Sky had conclusions to their dogfights."

Matlin: "You wouldn't know a dogfight from a peace negotiation--or a circle-jerk from a square dance. What, you also think Furious Avians: Galactic Conflicts has better gravitational orbit simulation than Human Space Project?"

I like both classic Ace Combat and Infinity, and Assault Horizon, believe it or not. Each on their own merits. I don't really subscribe to the AH controversy, especially when I've gotten to see the evolution of gamers through the PSOne to the present day, and the increasing challenges that the flight genre faced in attracting and keeping a new audience, and Project Aces finding a sustainable footing within a changing gaming audience that has shifted towards casual play and multiplayer-over-single player. So hopefully we won't carry over the Close Range assault or free-to-play controversies from the series over at this discussion. I've always been open-minded about the growth of gaming, and certainly the flight genre.

Hell, here I am playing Kerbal Space Program, am I not?

The standard Explosive and Controversially-Fragmenting Decoupling of Fairing of the CSM Lily Evans reveals her partner for this dance: the Luna MEM Alehna, named after a mythic figure from long-ago tales of a pirate of the East, and his adventures on sea and shore. A perfect name for a craft designed, like the dinghies of old, to kiss the shores of a foreign land.

Sally Kerman: "Alright, listen up. The Luna only gets one shot at this, so everything goes by the book. Once you're free of the SIVB, Evans executes the retroburn for sixty-kilo clicks to test her self-orbital insertion stats. From there, power up the Alehna and drop her to angels thirty. The nerds say thirty kilometers orbital separation would be enough to simulate the MEM ascent profile, they'll just fudge for the differences in the gravity well at the surface and at thirty. Got it so far?"

SunShooter IX crew: "Got it, boss." "Yep." "Loud and clear, teach."

Sally: "Next phase is where it gets cute. Calculate for a standard Hohmann burn back to the Evans. But right before you get there, retro the Alehna until you kill your horizontal velocity, but keep your altitude at thirty. Once you're hovering, turn vertical and stage. That'll hopefully neutralize whatever Oberth effect you've got by the time you're in the vicinity of the Hohmann burn, and make the simulated ascent-from-surface more accurate. You get this wrong, you'll be the first kerbals on the Mun-but it won't be pretty."

Grim silence from the SunShooter IX crew.

Sally: "If the engineers have their numbers right, you'll then fly the Alehna-Ascent either to a new parking orbit, or straight to the Hohmann turn, and rendezvous."

Matlin Kerman: "That's easy enough."

Sally: "One more thing. 400 m/s dV is your hard deck. Dip below that, and forget an RV on your own power. Circularize with what you've got, and let the Evans pick you up."

Edpont Kerman: "At 400? That's still generous. I know the Luna can pull dipsy doodles and still RV at 400."

Sally (sternly): NO. We still don't know the effects of the gravity well on the Luna's performance. You need a good safety margin in case there isn't enough gas. If you fail RV but are still suborbital, again, you'll become the newest permanent addition to the munar surface. Understood? Good. Now let's run those sims again."

"Beaxy. It's a surprise you're here at the Mun again."

Beaxy rolled her eyes, as Edpont made ready to enter the docking tunnel leading to the Alehna. "How else am I going to get over my fear of the dark? Besides, the prime for this mission got food poisoning, and his backup had a problem at the other end of the digestive tract."

A raidsed eyebrow. "You sure it wasn't because Val's still miffed at you for laughing when she didn't want to leave the capsule when you guys got back."

"Nonsense. She made sense: while you two guys putter around in the Alehna, there has to be someone at the CSM who's already had her rodeo in the munar corral." Beat. "On second thought, maybe she really is pissed at me."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I'm glad you're around for this trip."

"Why, thank you, Edpoint. And sorry, but I still can't accept your invitation for dinner. I don't mix work and play."

"Well, boo," he pouted, "where's the fun in the space program now?"

"There's plenty of fun right here with the Alehna, Ed, you BadS," hollered Matlin, impatient to start the drop. "Get in. We're about to shove off."

"Alehna, Mission Control, good read on your perimune, run your circ-burn when ready."

Matlin: "CAPCOM, Alehna. be advised. We have set up node WARWOLF for a simulated descent to surface from LMO angels thirty. Initial retroburn is about 203 m/s, with 900-m/s in the tanks, there's a lot for a stepped descent. How copy?"

CAPCOM: "Good copy, Matlin. RETRO, LAND-CONTROL, and GUIDO give thumbs up on your calculations. We have a landing profile. Now we need to know if we have an ascent profile."

Matlin: "Understood, CAPCOM. We are now setting up node RAZGRIZ for the Oberth-kill and RV burn to the Evans. Four hours till we execute the burn."

- Approaching node RAZGRIZ -

"S&^%, she's anemic," said Matlin worryingly. "The throttle is at the stops, but we're not killing off enough speed."

"VAB supposedly choked the engine down for 2 TWR," Ed observed, checking his instruments. Maybe it was the BadS in him, but he wasn't sweating the Alehna's sluggish retroburn the same way Matlin was. "More than good enough for orbital."

"Lousy for retro or landing." The pilot swore. "Or a suicide burn. Should we beef the engine up?"

"No need. We're not coming in for a landing. I'll just make a note for the VAB to reset the engine limits to about 3 TWR or something for X."

"XI. Her Majesty swapped the flights."

"Kraken damn. Jeb must be pissed."

"Alright, Mission Control, we're getting somewhere, 90m/s and dropping. Lateral speed 88m/s."

"Alehna, CAPCOM, copy. Remember that you have to hit RAZGRIZ at zero before you stage for RV."

"Got it, mom. You can tell Sally I still remember the briefing."

Edpont: "Lateral's at 3, Mat. We're as close as it gets."

Matlin: "Roger. CAPCOM, Alehna, stand by for ascent... and pivoting to vertical. RAZGRIZ, RAZGRIZ, RAZGRIZ, staging!"

- The Alehna jolts as the Ascent Stage is kicked up, the Descent Stage dropping to oblivion around thirty thousand meters below -

Matlin: "Engines igniting, good burn. Max thrust, pivoting to gravity turn."

- Not even a minute later -

Matlin: "Damn it, we're not picking up much speed. Ed?"

Edpont: "TWR at one-point-five, one-point-seven. We're past the apoapsis."

Matlin: "Damn, every time I pitch to pull it up and ahead, we lose horizontal velocity instead. And if I go back to the gravity turn, we drop altitude and time-to-Ap. S&^%. We're not climbing, we're trading off altitude for airspeed. What dumbass engineer had the bright idea of throttling the Luna's engines?"

Edpont: "They were thinking about exchanging power for burn time, that's what they said."

Matlin: "Damn feather-cushion wrench-pilots! What sort of moron thinks burn-time is what gets you off the ground?"

CAPCOM: "Alehna, Mission Control, you're on VOX. Can you make the ascent?"

Matlin: "Control, our tanks are still full. It's the TWR that's the problem. I know the Bahamutos can punch out more power than this. I need clearance to break out the engineering overrides so we can delimit the engines."

CAPCOM: "Stand by. Back room says you might burn out your fuel too fast, before you can make RV."

Matlin: "Damn it, their burn predictions were right, it's the TWR that's WRONG! They've underestimated the munar gravity well. We CAN make this RV if you clear the override. Do you copy, OVER?"

CAPCOM: "Understood. We are GO on all consoles for your override, keep an open line."

Matlin: "Thanks, CAPCOM. S&^%, we're still dropping. Ed, break into the engines now."

Edpont: "Done. Engine diagnostics running, green board."

Matlin: "Punch it up."

Edpont: "To what percentage?"

Matlin: "PICK A NUMBER!"

43 seems like a good, round number.

Matlin: "Alright! Control, Alehna, we are clear off and climbing."

CAPCOM: "You are still suborbital, Alehna. And 100 m/s from the hard deck."

Matlin: "Yeah, but at our current velocity, we've got enough to kick the perimune out of the boondocks. Executing RV burn at apoapse."

Matlin: "Told you, Control! We're zeroed for RV with the Evans, and we're still 30 m/s over the hard deck."

CAPCOM: "Understood, Alehna. There are a lot of relieved controllers in the room right now."

Matlin: "Yeah, well, it's the engineers at Flight Dynamics I want to talk to. Sternly. Later. Evans, Alehna. How you holding up there, Beaxy?"

Beaxy: "Fine and yay, Alehna. For a moment I thought I'd have to be the one to pick you guys up."

Matlin: "Well, cross-trained as we all are, you were still better with the beakers anyway, Beaxy. We'll be seeing you in forty."

Edpont: "You know, if you need additional lessons--"

Beaxy: "Nice try, Ed. Not happening."

Edpont: "Aww, and here I was, over twenty minutes ago, contemplating all the things I'd miss about you if I bit the munar dust."

"Evans, Alehna. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

"You know," Matlin mused, "anemic engines considering, she's a good ship."

"Yeah, well much as we want to, we can't take this good ship home with us." After an affectionate pat to the wall of the docking tunnel, Ed sealed off the Evans' docking hatch. "And we can't exactly foul LMO, either."

"Well, there's no finer sendoff for a ship than a funeral pyre. But a deorbit will suffice. Let's set up a retro."

As planned, the Evans burns retro to go suborbital, and the Alehna is released one last time. Freed of the weight of the MEM, the Celestia spacecraft now has 1,400 m/s of delta-V, well more than enough to get home (it only takes about 270 m/s from her parking orbit to get home; at 30km, the number would obviously be higher, but not signifcantly so). Indeed, even if carrying the Luna, the Celestia possesses impressive cross-range capability, to enter any orbit, any inclination, with efficient flight planning and prompt burn calculations, even without using the SIVB to carry some of the maneuvers. Certainly, the CSM can take a heavier lander--an implication not lost on KSP spacecraft designers working on the Evolved Luna MEM.

Upon decoupling the SBIV I was taken aback to see only 800 m/s with the Celestia-Luna. For a moment, I thought there wouldn't be enough for deorbit and to get home. As this run showed, however, I could safely burn a lot of gas (within reason, probably a hard deck of 200-250 m/s would be reasonable?) to get the orbital profile I want before cutting the MEM loose. When the mission's over, I could transfer what little fuel the Ascent Stage would have after RV, and the much lighter Celestia would still have the gas to get home. Hell, only about 300-350 m/s on checking out of Chez Mun would be enough for Kerbin reentry, right?

As I--and the crew of the Evans--would see, however, that extra gas could also have been used for a way easier (and targeted) reentry from cismunar space.

En route to Kerbin, the Evans made a small adjustment burn to ensure her VPA would hit the ground. Slam into the ground. Eat Kerbin regolith. Bite the big one. Look, the Pe node disappears into Kerbin's surface on the navigational screens. That should raise someone's blood pressure.

"Mat, are you sure that's wise?" Beaxy nervously asked.

"Hey, you were in VIII, remember? Val set her VPA at 40, and you ended up skipping out of the atmosphere and going around again." Matlin leaned back against his seat, letting Sir Isaak Kerman take the wheel. "This time, we are sure to complete reentry on the first pass, if we punch through more air going in."

"More, hell, you're punching through ALL the air," Ed pointed out. "A braking pass wouldn't be a bad thing, we have all the snacks we need."

"Hey, I said we'd get her down, we get her down. Val already showed that 40km won't scratch the paint. How bad will a ground-kiss VPA be, by comparison?"

One way or the other, you guys are about to find out.

Okay, maybe kissing the ground wasn't such a good idea, either.

"THIS IS WORSE THAN SCRATCHING THE PAINT, MAT!"

"OH STOP WHINING, ED, YOU THINK I CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT NOW?!"

"I THINK I CAN FEEL MY EYEBALLS POPPING OUT OF MY SKULL, GUYS!!!"

~~~

"Holy crap," Gene mused as he watched the flight plot. "They're borderline redlining their G's."

Val raised a wry eyebrow. "So apparently 0km VPA is just as lousy as 40km. You sure you don't want to test other deorbital profiles before we send X and XI into the air?"

The flight director shook his head. "No time. Jeb may think otherwise, but Chris is getting impatient. The politicians want results. The other subprojects want to kick off as soon as possible, they're getting envious that EVANNA's having all the fun. And there's only so much pressure a flight director can take."

"Apparently less pressure than a Kerbal could physically take. Did the G meter blip to ten there?"

"Well, perhaps G-loc isn't as deadly as we feared," SURGEON offered. "There are other tests from Medical which suggest that we shouldn't worry about redline instantaneous G-force... yet."

"That's twice now!" Beaxy moaned. "First, a skip and go-around, and now nearly being barbecued and pancaked coming in."

"You must be bad luck on reentries, Beax," Mat joked.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK. I'm not leaving this program!"

"Hey, relax, just kidding, okay?"

"Gods, for a moment there, I thought we wouldn't slow down," Ed said. But would you look at that?" He turned to look out the window, at the Mun they had just recently visited. "I couldn't ask for a beter sight. Unless it's a sight of you in a lovely evening dress, Beaxy."

"Ugh, you never quit, do you, Edpont?"

"Not when the effort is worth it."

"I agree."

"So you'll go out to dinner with me?"

"You misunderstand. I agree that I shouldn't quit when the effort is worth it So why give in now?"

"You are so impossible."

Christina: "Okay, Wernher?"

Wernher von Kerman: (adjusts spectacles) Well, mein fraulein, we have identified the mistake in the Luna engine settings. We let an intern handle the final calculations."

Val: "You... what? An intern?!"

Wernher: "It is an understandable mistake."

Bob: "What's understandable about letting an inexperienced nugget tweak the lander engines?"

Wernher: "I will admit that we have been overconfident in the design of the SunShooter program. Fraulein Valentina, for example, overestimated the ability of Kerbin's atmosphere to slow down her spacecraft."

Val: "Hey, don't drag me into this!"

Wernher: "As herr Matlin has almost underestimated the same atmosphere's capability to slow them down gently, without causing the capillaries in their eyeballs to explode. Or perhaps it was the other way around..."

Christina: (snapping her fingers) "Focus, Doctor."

Wernher: "As I was saying, we all believed that a munar thrust-to-weight ratio of around two would be sufficient, but this was in prior simulations. Engine performance versus gravity data was seriously misinterpreted, and I had sadly overlooked this when I gave my final approval to all designs. Also, I admit that I had about fifty tons of cotton candy during the design process, which would of course have detrimental effects to the kerbal mind.

- One year ago, during the Celestia-Luna design process -

Wernher: (in a sing-song and decidedly un-Wernher voice)"Oh, look at me, look at me, I can fly! I can fly and fart rainbows!"

Random scientist: "OH MY GODS DOCTOR DON'T JUMP INTO THAT ROCKET FUEL VAT!"

- Present time -

Wernher: "It is an important lesson for everyone to take to heart."

Dear Princess Celestia:

Never let a defecting rocket scientist eat too much cotton candy. It's not healthy for everyone concerned.

Your faithful student,

Christina Kerman

TrueStory.jpg: an intern DID set those lander engine throttle limits. Said intern being yours truly, a legal intern.

Scoring: Ugh and it was the prototype/boilerplate LEM I'd loaded onto SunShooter IX. Now I (EDIT: feel. FEEL) like a hypocrite for keeping the fuel-cell-only score; I'm dropping it.

At least until I launch XI, which will be a fuel cell-only mission. Then I'll put the score back in. I don't know if I have to keep the rest of the Mun landings fuel cell-only; the rover, for example, recharges with solar. Greg, will the fuel cell-only be legit if only one Mun landing out of the set is fuel cell-only?

Score = 61 - 10 (for the solar panels on the Alehna) = 51 points.

Next time: Why X won't land on the Mun. Also, Carlisle can be so dramatic.

File photo of Orbital Information Collation and Repository (OICR) Study Mock-Up

INTERNAL MEMORANDUM

EYES-ONLY SUNSHOOTER ACTUAL

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR ATTRIBUTION

(DATE: prior to the SunShooter VI launch)

To: Chris Kerman

Manager, SunShooter Project

From: Joshua Kerman

Project EMILY Craft Design Director

Ma'am:

It has come to our attention that for efficiency considerations, the Mobile Procesing Labs are being repurposed by KSP to Snacks! laboratories and processing hubs. tl;dr version: That blows the SKYbary design proposal out the window. We were going to need 100% of the MPL capacity for the OICR mission specifics, and now that is out the the door.

Irrecoverable. Unsustainable. Unworkable. Pick whatever adjective you want, Chris. The MPL is useless to us now. Kraken knows how much the Snacks! people lobbied upper management (read: all-expenses paid vacation to the Kerbinside grand tour, I'll bet) for the repurposing. I know life support is important, as well as ensuring a steady Snacks! supply to the program, let alone all Kerbin. But godsdammit, couldn't they have just provided their own module for the world to use? Why use one of ours?

Costs, I know. It's always the [SO CENSORED SYMBOLISMS CAN'T HANDLE IT] costs. Legitimate concern, I know, but where does it leave us?

Good news is that R&S came through with their 3.75-dee modules. And while the Taurus is (a) probably still too much for the Project, as the Mk1-2 is adequate for the task to date, and ( not my problem anyway--James at EVANNA should deal with that--their new Hab and (more importantly!) Science Modules look promising. With your permission, I want to contract them for a Mk2 SKYbary. The Habitation engineers LOVE the idea, by the way, the Science Bay workspace is far more generous than the MPL, even before the Snacks! conversion. And Wernher is absolutely beside himself now that the new SKYbary matches his original SIVB and SII conversion proposals. We can sustain a 3-kerbal crew longer and harder than with an MPL-based design. I can uprate the OICR solar panels to handle the increased load, and it'll look so good, I swear to the Big K, Chris, you'll wonder why we've dallied with launching Phase 2.

Bad news, though. Part of the deal with R&S Capsuledyne is that (a) their flag goes on the SKYbary, not KSP's. And ( WE HAVE TO LAUNCH HER ASAP. They won't wait for Phase 1 to conclude. They have stockholders to placate--especially since we're passing on their flagship Taurus for now--and they want to see something R&S orbiting Kerbin by end of the fiscal period at the latest. They swear to build her fast if we launch her fast. Otherwise, no deal. And you'll be left explaining to Kongress why we have a half-assed SKYbary running half-assed Kerbol information collation experiments and beaming half-assed results to a half-assed Phase 2.

If you give the GO, we can launch as early as after XI. We'll need, however, to calibrate some long-term habitability data before then, which I can put off until before the XI launch at the most. Carlisle at KRISTEN tells me he wants a SCANsat over the Mun for X. It's the perfect opportunity to launch the Munar Orbital Observatory. I know the SCAN weenies have had calibration troubles with their SAR radar, so they need a scientist on-site to wrench it into shape. MOO can provide the platform for the SAR, and we can rig up whoever we send up for the hab tests. I know the MOO is just a Mk1 can with rocket engines. It'll be enough, the medics say.

I need to know if you're on-board or not within a couple of days, Chris. I can't hold off R&S forever.

Do what you always do.

Regards,

Joshua Kerman

Project EMILY

Edited June 1, 2015 by B-STRK

[B-STRK]

When I mentioned in the last post that the Celestia-Luna had 800 m/s dV coming off the SIVB, I was mistaken. She actually had 1,000+ m/s on a full SM tank. That would burn down to around 800 in order to insert into a given LMO. I'd read my notes wrong, and did a simulation of SunShooter IX again (read: ran a backup save) to confirm.

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program Analogue by B-STRK

Interlude: Mission Creeps and Broken Dreams

Ecce kerbo, Crisgola Kerman: Mission Commander, Cable Gal, Guinea Pig.

Compared to the fanfare of SunShooters VIII and IX, or that expected for XI, SunShooter X took off without the glitz and flash. It was no less a mission for it, though, being a "working" mission to survey the surface of the Mun, and to test out the effects of a long space stay on the kerbal body. Crisgola Kerman, formerly a mid-level radar calibration specialist before the lure of space travel took her away from her desk job, found herself once more in the employ of her old bosses at the Scientific Committee for Advanced Navigation, though this time, her desk was seven hundred and fifty kilometers over the surface of the Mun.

Crisgola, too, found herself at the tender mercies of the Surgeon-General of the Kerbal Space Program who, at the behest of Project EMILY, prodded at her more sensors than a gyroscope to see how kerbal physiology adapts to space over time. For such purpose, the Mk1 can that formed the habitable portion of the Munar Orbital Observatory provided a small amount of additional living space and Snack!age for the crew of the CSM Astoria Greengrass. About as much room as a couple of telephone booths, and certainly nothing like the homey SKYbary proposals, but hey, any stretching room was an improvement over the confines of the Mk1-2 pod (itself a vast improvement from the almost claustrophobic Mk1 capsule).

Crisgola: "A couple of telephone booths, my green ass! Who the hell do they think I am, Supergirl?"

Tanchell: "OMG are you Melissa Benoist Kerman?"

Crisgola: "Ugh, this is going to be a loooooong trip."

And since they were due to stay for ten, fifteen, twenty, for how many days it took for her to calibrate the SCANsat SAR array, for SURGEON to be satisfied that her innards would not turn into outards in prolonged zero-G, even for the Snacks! to run alarmingly low, she and her crew mates would also have a front-row seat to the first kerbals to set foot on the Mun. So all in all, not a bad gig for an otherwise unremarkable SunShot.

Ecce kerbo, Crisgola Kerman, professional kerbonaut.

~~~

In the run-up to SunShooter X, though, Crisgola Kerman made well sure to stay away from Jebediah Kerman.

Ecce kerbo, Jebediah Kerman: utterly pissed off.

"I don't know whether to demand that Carlisle be fired, stuff him in the centrifuge, or just outright turn him into Goo," he fumed as he marched towards the SPH, Bob trying to keep up with him.

"Why don't you just try to listen to him," Bob reasoned. "You do have a habit of flying off the handle."

"I DO NOT FLY OFF THE HANDLE." Realizing the slip, Jeb theatrically coughed, and moderated: "If there's any subproject that would have good reason to change up the munar landing program, it's EVANNA. They're the ones that handle the light craft. What the hell would surface base development have to do with the Celestia and Luna, anayway?"

Thus it was until they stormed (well, Jeb stormed; Bob was just, well, Bob) into the hangar and found Carlisle Kerman in conference with a couple of the SPH engineers. Pale, pale Carlisle Kerman, pale green even by kerbal standards, he really needed to go out of the office and see sunlight.

Perhaps he feared blinding everyone with his glittering... knowledge?

"Ah, yes, the gentlekerbals I needed to see," he said amiably as Jeb barreled onto him.

"What gives you the right to mess with the launch schedule--"

"A favor I need to ask of you." Unruffled even by the lead pilot's anger, the designer waved them towards a cordoned-off section of the hangar. "Let me show you something."

Credit where credit is due: present and future heavy rover designs in this XL-3 configuration

take their inspiration from [thread=24775]Temstar's 0.19-era stock MOLAB design[/thread].

This guy can legit compete in the 1.0 Apollo challenge

and certainly get the MOLAB and Impress Me! scores.

"Behold, the MOLAB."

"I guess James was right," Bob observed. "It is a monstrosity."

"Gods, and I thought I was being mean to you, C," Jeb chuckled.

"Show some respect," Carlisle admonished, though he didn't seem put out by Bob's criticism. "von Kerman gave us the specifications for what he wanted out of the Mobile Laboratory, and we delivered according to those specifications. In fact, this study is smaller than our initial prototype, which needed six of the 'max's."

"Okay, no offense meant. It's a MOLAB. It's an MPL with wheels," Bob replied flatly. "Given that the Labs are now Snacks! centers, we could also call it the Food Cart. I have no problems with MOLABs, C. Even if they are as large as a small house. I'm hoping to drive one, in fact--as well as the RED Rover, of course. But I still don't get why it bumped our landing schedules."

"Not the MOLAB." Carlisle turned to Bob. "But ever since you passed on James'... unflattering description of the MOLAB, I've found the motivation to resurrect a design I had in mind since college." And he led them off to an even more cordoned-off section of the hangar.

Credit where credit is due: everyone just looooves using spaceplane and aircraft fuselages as rover chassis.

"Behold, the--"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Jeb fell to his knees.

"I do not see what you mean."

"You have taken a perfectly good spaceplane, and trashed it!"

Bob facepalmed.

"It is all a matter of perspective. You say I've trashed a spaceplane. I would say, on the other hand, that I have taken the pressure fuselage of a perfectly good spaceplane, and adapted it into a perfectly good rover."

"This fuselage of a proud and soaring eagle was not meant to peck at the ground like chickens," Jeb grumbled, before he prostated himself before the craft and wept bitter tears for its fate.

"The Space Society has often remarked how redundant KSP efforts were to produce a specialized pressurized rover chassis, when there were already perfectly good pressurized chassis in space plane fuselages, which only needed the additional framework for drive wheels. They've been saying it since we all were in college, Jebediah, which was what attracted me to engineering in the first place. The beauty of our craft, and of our program, lies as much in their ability to fulfill a wide range of purposes, as they do in aesthetics."

"My brudda's, compatriot's, and comrade's highly unprofessional behavior right now aside," Bob said, "what is it?"

"She," Carlisle corrected, "is the LRPR."

"Larper?"

"L-R-P-R. Long-Range Patrol Rover. She is designed for extended and near-independent extraplanetary operations. MOLAB is a highly capable vehicle, but her design specifications are not so extensive. All von Kerman desires are the heavy rovers to support landing and space base operations. This is compounded by the weaknesses of Kerbal Motion's wheels: prone to breakage, weak grip, questionable turning ability."

"I know. Earlier RED Rover designs fell apart once we started hitting high speeds and aggressive slope angles."

"Yes. This ties all existing rover designs, including the prototype of the LRPR, to a support base, due to limitations in performance and spare parts. Which is why I was lucky to have contacts with Kerbal Foundries. Initially, it was a consulting contract to improve all the Rovemaxes. That, plus new brake and wheel tread designs from Phoenix, and the reliability of all rover designs improved significantly. Lo-Fi says they will not go, until the rover itself goes. I passed on the improved wheels to James, who will integrate them to their version of the RED Rover."

Carlisle sidled over to the LRPR, stroking the whatever-the-hell-the-SPP-cockpit-is-made-of affectionately. "But I also elected, though I knew the risks if it pushed the SunShooter Project overbudget, to purchase the KF Medium Wheels and the RBI track design they acquired. With the KM wheels, the LRPR will rove. But even with this military-inspired half-track design, she will fly."

"She would have flown if you left whatever plane she came from well enough alone!" Jeb seethed.

Bob rolled his eyes. "Don't make me crowbar your skull, Jeb. Carlisle, I can say right now I'm looking forward to making LRPR fly across the munar surface (**Jeb = **), but again, I still can't see the reason for the schedule bump."

"Elcano."

"What?" Even Jeb's ears perked up.

"The Space Society has informed me that [thread=113778]the Elcano Challenege has issued a call for new participants[/thread]. And I want Elcano on the Mun."

"Now I get it," Bob replied, comprehension dawning. "SCAN's SAR radar. The slope data was not just for STEWArT, wasn't it?"

"Not really, no. We can adapt the base modules to a fair amount of slope tolerance, though I still would say the flatter the better for Mun bases. No, the slope data could be used as an aid for Elcano navigation. Though with the new KF wheels, I am more confident of rough-terrain performance than with any of the Rovemaxes."

"I see. And LRPR will be the vehicle to do so."

Carlisle shook his head. "Not really. LRPR will range far and wide from her operations base, to be sure, but I did not design her for the arduous task of circumnavigating her roost. That may require a different design, to maximize speed without compromising safety or controllability. But the LRPR's mission specifications of power-to-weight, solar-independent operations, extended life support capacities, and cargo transportation, provide an excellent base for the new design."

"I could almost forgive you for the heresy of turning a plane to a car," Jeb muttered, though not unmercifully. "I can see that you want this as badly as I want the Mun."

"I was originally part of the [thread=118390]Kerbin aerial circumnavigation team[/thread]," Carlisle began somberly, "before joining Sun Shooter. I wanted the circumnavigation then, too, as badly as you want the Mun. But it was not meant to be. No matter how much we tuned our designs, they all kept ditching in the ocean before they could complete the trip. The furthest we reached was half-way. Others could, of course, but we certainly could not copy their designs even if only to say we had something that would fly around the world."

"Certainly not," Bob agreed.

"Rather than let my bitterness destroy me, I instead focused on extraplanetary engineering, and joined you. But now that Elcano has put a dream once thought dead within reach..."

"Presuming your design will survive the Mun," Jeb pointed out.

"She will do so. That is, if you can land on the Mun and show me what it is like, in order to finalize and hammer out the final craft. Gentlekerbals, you have asked for and will accomplish a momentous honor that will be yours for all history. What I simply ask from you, is your support for the greatness of others. Not everyone can be the first on the Mun. But your landing will open the door to new achievements, and greater dreams. I want Elcano."

"What do you need from us?" From being hostile, Jeb suddenly was all profession and cooperation.

"I need you to sell the plan to Christina. I could not tell her, not yet--not until I was sure her lead pilot, scientist, and engineer were on board, and thus she will be less inclined to reject it outright, as it was not in the original SunShooter objectives. Where is Bill anyway?"

"She's with Ginny, being flown out here," answered Bob. "But he'll agree when he hears of this."

"Thank you. And I need a crew that can dedicate themselves to the ardor of ground circumnavigation. A pilot, a scientist, and an engineer, at minimum."

"Done," Jeb said. "I'll look over the list and see who'd want a shot at this."

Bob's eyes glittered.

"Okay, you've sold us, C," the pilot continued. "We head back now, we can try to sell this plan to Chris before Bob and I have to attend to XI."

"Again, thank you. Now, let us see the good Director, shall we?"

~~~

And that's it. That is my declaration of intent to join the Elcano challenge, by using Apollo (SunShooter) launch hardware to deliver a pressurized rover to the Mun that will accomplish the circumnavigation. When I'm not busy attending to SunShooter launches.

I must say that lo-fi's adaptations of the stock wheels are a dream to drive. Of course, as they don't have overspeed or impact damage modeled yet, some fidelity does get lost in the translation. I could always chalk it up to the Foundries' superior engineering, of course. But seriously: I wish the KF plugin, with its adjustable suspension behavior, variable turn angles what adapt to wheel position in the craft, and live-tweakable torque output, was stock behavior.

And in the end, I broke down. My intent of getting the KF-stock plugin was to get KF performance without having to load up the KF parts (considering that they're still heavy on memory, lo-fi having some trouble with an acceptable dds conversion). But nothing really beats his original wheels and tracks (even when impact and overspeed is finally modeled in, I'll bet!), so I got my old standbys from the pack. The stock wheels will still find use in an assortment of base rovers and other craft, I am sure. But the Elcano rover (and the LRPR) will feature KF wheels. Even if those wheels are a tad OP (just a tad. They do draw more power for their top performance than stock).

Next time: taking one small step (Already taken. Write-ups just take a lot of time with other work on the desk atm.​)

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program Analogue by B-STRK

Chapter IV: STEP

I SWEAR THE PARACHUTES WEREN'T PACKED BACK WHEN THIS FLEW OUT OF KALIFORNIA

YOU CAN'T SEND ME TO 2462 I'M JUST AN INTERN

HELP ME!!!!!!

For all of recorded history, kerbals looked up at the stars, saw the brightest object in the night sky, and dreamed of what they would find there. Angels. Demons. Fauna. Desert. A whole new world. Just more of the same. Snacks!

Well, the Snacks! thing turned out to be precient, once spectrometers were able to detect the potential presence of Ore on the Mun--and when the Bonbon ORESAT confirmed those readings.

But today would launch the mission that would change it all. No more wondering. No more hypothesizing. Okay, maybe some guesswork on the way.

But the call of President Kerman that launched the SunShooter project was now about to be decisively answered: by designs perfected over previous SunShooter flights, with protocols refined by the experiences of previous SunShooter crews; by the Celestia-Luna-Sparkle V vehicle to be flown by the Program's best crew, the Original Three.

There were many adoring eyes. There were many envious eyes. There wasn't a dry eye in the press conference, or in Mission Control, or even in the office of Christina Kerman, who had driven the Project to perform, sometimes driven it even to the ground, though not as hard as she drove herself.

And to be honest, considering she was consigning three (admittedly talented) kerbals to the unknown, she felt an awful burden at being responsible for their fate.

She could only hope that the entire investment in the program, and in SunShooter, would be to their profit, as well as to all else.

But this was not the time for tears.

This was the time to go.

Best upgrade to launch pad ever: warning and safety lights

(c/o RoverDude)

BOOSTER - GO. CONTROL - GO. EECOM - GO. FAO - GO. FIDO - GO. GUIDO - GO. GNC- GO. INCO - GO. NETWORK - GO. RETRO - GO. TELMU - GO. SURGEON - GO.

Valentina Kerman (CAPCOM): "SunShooter XI, green across the board. We are go for launch."

Gene Kerman (FLIGHT): "And now it begins."

Chris Kerman (MOD): "Indeed."

Considering a design discussion on the SpaceY Ratite cluster's ability to shut down the center engine with Norcalplanner--although I wasn't going to shut down the engine here, the Sparkle V is too dependent on positive control to manage the gravity turn, and shutting down the center engine also disables the Ratite gimbals--I lowered the TWR of the SIC from 1.8-1.9 to 1.6. I also shallowed out the gravity turn as a result, seeing if I could pack more horizontal speed out of the first two stages. The result was that I was in middle and upper atmo for longer than with the original flight profile, necessitating a longer burn from the SIVB to keep the apoapse on target. On the other hand, the flatter profile did save me in the circularization--only 50m/s needed. Still, the longer atmo time had drag penalties that couldn't be ignored, which means I'm sticking with the old profile.

Oh, and trivia: the launch clamps bug happened here, tearing off the Sparkle SIC. F9

Editor's note: Night shots can be a b(yay!) to take, but at the right moments, they are awe-inspiring.

Bill inspects the SIVB for any defects, prior to the TMI burn.

"How she look, Bill?"

"She look like you didn't even do a dent to her, Jeb. That ain't like you."

"Hey, we're finally going to the Mun. Nothing gets dented, banged up, or blown up until we touch Munar soil."

"You mean until we touch down on Kerbal soil, right?"

"Er, yeah, that too."

"HERR JEBEDIAH THERE WILL BE NO DENTING BANGING OR BLOWING UP OF THE METICULOUSLY CRAFTED VEHICLE I HAVE SO GENEROUSLY PROVIDED YOU WITH THE SWEAT OF MY BROW. IF I HEAR OF ANY DENTS OR BANGS OR BLOW UPS I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE INFLICTED WITH THE SAME TREATMENT UPON YOU UPON YOUR RETURN. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Cheese and crackers. Weasley, CAPCOM, sorry about that. We really should not have let Wernher into Mission Control after that much candy floss. Your mission priorities and your safety remain the prime and equal objectives of this mission. So dent away if you must."

"WOULD YOU PREFER THAT YOU FACE THE FURY OF THE BLITZKRIEG FRAULEIN VALENTINA?!"

Source: Show me your moves!

"Weasley, CAPCOM. Sorry about that again. But Christina took care of it quickly. Damn, she has a mean swing."

"By the way, I thought you were more foul-mouthed than that, Val."

"It's one for the history books, Jeb. Let's not traumatize the poor children with our behavior. von Kerman's little outburst was bad enough."

Ha! Finally, visual proof of a free return-to-reentry trajectory.

Inset: Ha! Visual proof of complete insanity. I mean, garbage disposal.

Jeb: "Free return established and aproaching the munar SOI, Control."

CAPCOM: "Copy, Weasley. Pay attention to current orbital parameters, minor pertubations as you cross over into the munar gravity well could cause orbital shifts. It might dislodge your FTR VPA.

Jeb: "Won't matter now, Control. We are not free-returning. We are committed to the Mun. Setting maneuver node HUFFLEPUFF, for transposition debris dump.

On the right: standard debris control maneuver sends the SIVB to the Mun, while the Celestia-Luna reestablishes perimune.

In other news: munar citizens decry "Unprovoked aggression", declare war on Kerbin

The CSM Ginevra Weasley breaks free from the TMI stack.

"Control, Weasley. Decoupling complete, MEM fairing jettisoned. Pivoting for target lock."

It all leads to this: if the crystal is the heart of the blade, and the Force is the heart of the Jedi wait that's not right if the SIVB is the heart of the Sparkle V, and the Celestia is the heart of survivable kerballed space exploration, then the Luna is the heart of SunShooter's raison d'etre.

"Good lock on the port, thrusting forward. Bill, call out the range."

"200 meters. Park this thing, Jeb."

And this Luna could not have a more appropriate name, a more apropos christening, for the singular mission she was crafted to do: to prove that a kerbal can land safely on the Mun, and return him or her to Kerbin and to glory.

"Magetize. Good lock! Mission Control, Ginny Weasley. MEM hard-latch ten-green. We are ready to extract the Luna Lovegood."

"Copy, Weasley. Set CSM heading to antiradial and prepare to decouple the Lovegood from the SIVB."

"Weasley, Greengrass-actual. We see your circularization burn, and you are looking good."

"Crisgola! Jeb. How are things looking from up there?"

"I'll be honest. I'm damn jealous you're the one riding the pony down to the Mun. I mean, were it the other way--"

"You'd be the one in my place, I know. Sorry I screamed at you when I first learned of the swap."

"You wanted that seat. I understand. Heck, considering I used to work for SCAN, maybe it was my fate to miss this one out."

"Hey, you know I don't believe in fate."

"Nope, you believe in fart. He he."

Every time Jeb tries something stupid, Danny2462 sacrifices a kerbal to the Kraken.

Please, think of Jeb.

It's been a long time since Danny has graced us with a video (apart from the 1.0 showcase, I mean)

Jeb: "CAPCOM, Jeb. I want to try it."

Val (CAPCOM): "You have got to be kidding me."

Jeb: "Hey, you and Mat showed that the Celestia has the gas to spare."

Val: "This is cutting it close, Jeb. No, don't do it."

Christina (MOD): "Val, what's going on?"

Val: "Jeb wants to do something... stupid."

Jeb: "It's not stupid, Val, I can hear you over the comms!"

Val: "We haven't simulated it!"

Chris: "What's going on?"

Jeb: "I call this maneuver STEEL RAIN."

Val, Bill, and Bob: "Oh, Kraken's crap."

Jeb: "What? This maneuver allows for multiple simultaneous and devastating deep strikes with our lander craft."

Gene: "Oh gods, this is what happens when we let Jeb read military-oriented Kodexes for leisure."

Chris: "CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL STEEL RAIN IS? And tell Jeb to keep this on VOX, in case it IS that stupid."

Val: "Weasley-actual, CAPCOM, VOX your sitch."

Jeb: "STEEL RAIN is: we use the Celestia to put the Luna into the landing profile, then we cut her loose."

Chris: - dumbfounded silence and crickets - "You're right, Val. This is stupid."

Jeb: "Hear me out! Since the Cel set the Lune into deorbit, the MEM doesn't have to retro burn for it. Then she can use as much gas as she needs for the landing burns."

Val: "And in the meanwhile, we down here will have to juggle recircularizing the Weasley AND guiding the Lovegood to the ground. I don't know if we have the time or the bandwidth for it. And that's presuming the Celestia can curcularize after the manuever. "

Jeb: "The Celestia can circularize fine, she's got the gas."

Val: "But not the power. Her TWR profile with the Terrier is meant for deep space and in-orbit maneuvers, not a deorbit-reorbit. And it'll take time for you to get the periapse out of the hills again, while we have to worry about the Luna's descent."

Jeb: "Come on, this is THE way to really show off just how much the Celestia can do. And besides, you guys never let me have any fun."

Chris: "By the Kraken, Wernher was right. You're going home with dents at this rate."

Jeb: "Hey, I'm the one flying the mission, plus that it was a delayed mission, let me make the call."

- Val, Gene, and all Mission Control turn to Chris -

Chris: "I thought the Mission Operations Directorate wasn't supposed to make the mission-critical decisions."

Gene: "It ain't mission-critical yet, Chris."

- Beat -

Chris: "Fine. Jeb, it's your ass. I won't weep for it if it doesn't work."

Jeb: "ALL RIGHT! I promise you a show you won't forget. Bob, let's set maneuver node STEEL RAIN, before we get into the MEM..."

"Kaurava was a huge mistake. I will not speak of it again." - Scout Sergeant Cyrus

Bill: "Mission Control, Weasley, we are now suborbital. Approaching landing profile. Jeb, light Luna up."

Jeb: "Okay. Hatch is straight-board shut. Descent Stage tanks opened.

. Good to go, Bill!"

Bill: "RCS mode on. Translation controls active. STEEL RAIN in ten... five, four, three two, one--"

Jeb: "Cutting loose! Clear!"

Bill: "Upward thrust!"

Jeb: "Craft deconflicted. Pitching Luna to retrograde."

Bill: "Pitching prograde. Circularizing!"

"Luna, CAPCOM, transferring you to Landing Control, I need to see to the Ginny."

(Having another controller speak to the kerbonauts was off-protocol for Mission Control. But then again, STEEL RAIN was off-protocol, too.)

"Roger that, Val. LAND-CONTROL, Lovegood."

"Copy, Luna Lovegood. Telemetry shows good descent, you are on the mark. Initiate your stepped descent at angels ten."

Would it be impressive to try and land at 4x time warp? No? Nah, I'm not a risk-taker.

"Easy Jeb!"

"I got it Bob. Tweaking throttle, keeping her under fifty m/s..."

"Lovegood, LAND-CONTROL, call the ball."

"Roger ball, two-point-oh. Hard burst, 20 m/s--"

"Slope alert! Gradients of fifteen degrees, twenty degrees, oh crap, I'm seeing forty."

"I hear you Bill. LAND-CONTROL, Luna, hovering."

"Lovegood, LAND-CONTROL, we see you dancing all over the place."

"LOUD AND CLEAR, LAND-CONTROL. One step at a time. I'm seeing a crater in front of us, and I'm trying my best to stay high and dry, AND not plant us on a crater wall here."

"Understood, Lovegood. Your discretion."

"Copy. Bob, give me a site, I'm gonna go for just outside the crater rim."

- Keyboard strokes -

"No SCANsat data here, switching to landing radar. Jeb, I have one propable, but I'm reading fifteens there. Are you sure that's safe?"

"I'm running out of gas here, Bob! Is it a rock garden?"

"Zero scatter, as far as I can tell."

"That's it! Mission Control, Lovegood, on the ball, one-point-oh, committed like the pig. Landing!"

.

.

.

.

.

"We're down, Jeb."

Gasps from a shaken, but not stirred, pilot. "Yeah. We are." The two kerbals could only look at each other in awe, or with otherwise stupid grins on their faces, at what they've done.

At what SunShooter had done.

It is better to aim for the Sun, the old saying went, that even if you miss, you may hit the Mun.

Some claimed that the saying was backwards. That it's supposed to go Aim for the Mun, so that even if you miss, you will hit the stars.

But these kerbals did not miss the Mun. And they did not miss the stars.

SunShooter, indeed.

Val: "Lovegood, Control. Jeb, you're down right?"

No response. Jeb was still speechless.

Val: "Jeb! We're getting hysterical here. Are you--"

Jeb: "We're alright, Val. We're alright."

Mission Control, the crew of the Astoria Greengrass--and all Kerbin--erupted with glee. Controllers hugging each other in joy. Val jumping around like a nine-year-old who found her desired pony under the Kristmas tree. Gene wringing his balding head in his hands as a lifetime of tension bled away. Behind him, Mission Operations Directorate, Christina Kerman, collapsing into her chair, silent tears falling down her face.

(BTW, Wernher was still passed out. Kerbal, Chris had a mean swing. But, somehow, one could detect a faint smile appearing on his face.)

They did it.

They all did it.

First kerbals on the Mun.

One small step into the vastness of space.

Jeb: "Mission Control. Twilight Base here. The Luna has landed."

To be continued...

STEEL RAIN was absolutely unnecessary. I loaded a pre-landing save and had the Luna deorbit and drop under her own power. Except for the part where I was careless and didn't pay attention to altitude-vs-vertical speed controls (hence, I crashed), it was otherwise a textbook munar landing. There was enough gas for the stepped descent and deorbit. In this run, I deliberately used up the gas I theoretically "saved" with the Celestia doing the deorbit to find a landing spot, which led to the above events. But really, STEEL RAIN is absolutely unnecessary.

Unless it gets me Impress Me! points... nah, not likely.

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program Analogue by B-STRK

Chapter V: LEAP

"Lovegood, CAPCOM. We read you stable-one on the munar surface. EVA clearance granted by TELMU and FAO. When ready, depress and execute munwalk."

The Mk2 can having been depressurized, Jeb took hold of the hatch latch. "Care to take the honors, Bob?"

A wry grin. "Oh no. It is your honor. Age before beauty, after all."

"Says the guy who couldn't get a date since high school."

Jeb makes this look good.

CAPCOM: "Jeb? No historic words?"

Jeb: "Shhhh, Val. You're ruining the moment. Just... let me soak it in."

Chris: "Great. Kerbalkind takes its greatest step in history, and the first words on the Mun are 'You're ruining the moment.'"

Val (CAPCOM): "Well, then again, Jeb isn't known to be philosophical."

Bob: "Or poetic."

Bill: "And he's known more for

."

Gene (FLIGHT): "Or more known for ruining moments than establishing them."

Crisgola (Greengrass-actual): "Hey, knowing him, Val, if you hadn't bugged him about historic words, he might have just cracked a fart joke instead."

Jeb: "Oh, ha ha, best pilot creates history and all you guys do is rip on his rep."

Crisgola: "And so humble, too!"

Jeb: "Fine. Small step kerbal, giant leap kerbalkind, PAO (Public Affairs Officer) can fill in the blanks."

Val: "Uh, Jeb? We're actually broadcasting live for the press."

Jeb: "WHAT?"

Val: "It was part of the publicity deal."

Jeb: "YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE I GOT OUT OF THE LUNA!"

Gene: "On the bright side, we might be able to sell the options on this for a comedy film."

Jeb: "BOB! GET YOUR GREEN BUTT OVER HERE!"

Bob, on the other hand...

Jeb: "You know, Bob, for a guy who's supposed to work with dangerous chemicals and stuff, you're quite the klutz."

Bob: "At least I an quite confident to show the world who I am, Mr. Moment, comma, Ruining D. Flaws and all."

Jeb: "Ha ha, laugh it up. *sigh* But who cares? Would you look at that view?"

Bob: "A magnificent desolation. It's weird how a whole lot of nothing--a hostile nothing, even--can be so attractive."

Jeb: "We're just the first, bruddah. The first of many."

Again, Bob. Smooth.

Bob: "Mission Control, Bob. I did promise you guys some surface and gravity observations. I just found that if I jump, I can use RCS to hover."

Val: "CAPCOM. That light?"

Bob: "Or the RCS is that powerful. Forward thru--whoa! This is going fast."

Val: "Be careful, Bob!"

Bob: "Alright, gonna slowly touch down, and use the surfac friction to--"

FACEPLANT.

Val: "Bob? Jeb, what's going on?"

Jeb: "Mr. Klutz, comma, I. M. just landed on his face. And he's still going down the slope."

Val: "Is he okay? Do something?"

Bob: "I'm fine! Finally stopped. On the bright side, I finally got that surface traction data that Carlisle wants."

Jeb: "So? How was your little **snicker** trip? :sticktongue:"

Bob: (all seriousness) "Slippery. I just got a surface sample to take home. I'm heading back up the same way."

Val: "Whoa whoa whoa, don't do this again if you're just gonna rip a tear on your spacesuit."

Bob: "I got it, Val. Using counter-RCS to arrest my momentum."

Having nothing better to do, Jeb climbed up the slope, to the rim of the crater he saw and feared only moments ago.

"What is it, Jeb?" asked Bob.

"We don't get views like this back home," replied the pilot. "I grew up on the plains, you look out the window, you see rolling hills. Like these. And nothing like these."

Stunned silence from Bob.

"I mean, here I am, looking at rolling hills not unlike I'd see back home, only devoid of the waves of grass and grain. It's like they instantly remind me of how far we've come, and yet how close we still are to home. As barren as the desert, as gentle as the hills, as quiet as the meadow and as bright as the sea."

"Oh my gods," Bob finally breathed.

"Twilight Base, Mission Control," Val called in, in her role as CAPCOM, to ask the one question that was on everyone's lips at that moment. "Did Jeb actually become philosophical?"

"If I didn't see it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't believe it, either," Bob deadpanned.

"Wow, wonders never cease today."

"Careful, Jeb," Crisgola piped, "space travel can be harmful to Stupidity!"

"Our little Jeb's growing up." Cristina mimed wiping a tear.

"OH COME ON GUYS! Can't you just let me have my moment, after all I've been through--"

"AHEM."

"I mean, we've been through to get here? Ugh, you guys are impossible. I'm in a high spot, I'm planting the damn flag."

All rise for the

.

NO, NOT THAT.

Who the hell handles the mp3 files in Mission Control?

Danny wants his ass!

"Gene?"

The Flight Director ambled over to LAND-CONTROL. "Yeah?"

"I've just correlated Twilight Base to the geomaps from the Bonbon, and they couldn't have landed in a worse spot."

"Pardon?"

"At the EVC (economically viable concentration) cut-off of 70%, the Luna practically landed on a dead spot. I mean, they're on 20% concentrations, but--"

"Twenty's not suitable for sustainable munar resource operations," Christina contributed, joining them at LAND-CONTROL's console. "Theoretically, you could run a drill there for however long it takes to get the required Ore, but..."

"No one has forever." Gene patted LAND-CONTROL's shoulder. "Start plotting the best land sites for SunShooter's XII and XIII. And if the two are done having fun and making history, tell them it's time to go home. We need to make more than history now."

Editor's note: If you will notice on the right, there is the distinct lack of solar panels on the roof

and the distinct un-lack of fuel cells on the underside.

There. Fuel-Cell Only Mun Landing.

"I could have stayed forever," Jeb lamented as they started down the Ascent checklist.

"So said your last girlfriend," Bob chuckled, "until she discovered you only change your underwear once a month."

"You have to admit, it's practical."

"Riiiiight. Anyway, Ascent engines are 100%, there should be no more velocity problems that the IX crew had. Do watch the throttle, though, Flight Dynamics says it's too easy to run the gas down."

"Too bad I couldn't join you guys," Bill groused good-naturedly as Jeb and Bon flew though the hatch.

"Someone had to babysit the Ginny," Jeb smiled. "Pilot's ship."

"Pilot's ship," Bill confirmed, relinquishing the pilot's seat to Jeb. A bag of Mun rocks flew into his gut the very next moment. "Oof! Watch it Bob!"

"Sorry. Sealing off the Luna. It's a shame we have to let her go like this, historic ship and all."

"Only half of her," Jeb reminded him. "We're only letting go of half. No one will be able to deny what we've accomplished, Bob." He keyed his mike. "Control, Ginny Weasley. We are ready to deorbit and deconflict the MEM. We're going home."

Editor's note: Nighttime photo artificially brightened for clarity.

This artificial brightening scares me.

- A trip through cismunar space later -

"The Weasley is confirmed for a 20-kilometer VPA, Gene, reentry interface in one minute" GUIDO reported.

"Good. Landing predictions?"

"You know MechJeb's atmo guidance was pants even before it was decertified. And Trajectories no better, either. Footprint's about two hundred kilometers by seventy.

"FLIGHT, EECOM. Confirmed separation of SM from CM. The Weasley is committed to reentry."

"That footprint will have to be good enough." Gene rose to address the Recovery team. "Launch the Skyranger."

Editor's note:

Credit: craft by forum member Andiron, [thread=124077]posted in the Spacecraft Exchange[/thread] (Mk2 variant)

HOORAY FOR XCOM 2

20km is best VPA

"That's how we're supposed to reenter," Jeb shouted over the roar of reentry as the G-loading remained nominal and there was no danger of skipping out of the atmosphere. From now on, THAT'S HOW YOU REENTER!"

"Four up and puffy. We have good recovery!"

Gene: "Vector the Recovery Team in!"

"Prepare for deployment, STRIKE-One."

Jeb acknowledged the XCOM trooper recovery diver rapping on the command pod window. "Mission Control, we are stable one, the Weasley is secure," he reported with a smile that nothing will ever wipe off his face. "This is SunShooter XI, signing off."

To the Mun and back.

They did it.

Wernher would call it conquest. Christina had a better description for it: moving.

Kerbal kind moving from their old home, to a new one. Up in the stars.

Would wonders ever cease...

I have a confession to make.

One of the mission photos above is slightly photoshopped.

It's the Historian timestamp on the Skyranger recovery scene, where the mission elapsed time reads 3h+.

The truth is: I'd completed SunShooter XI before coming across Andiron's XCOM Skyranger replica. After a test flight, I thought of including her as the Official Recovery Craft of the SunShooter Program--but by that time, I'd already recovered SunShooter XI. As in, there was no splashed-down capsule at the actual splashdown landing site for the Skyranger to fly to for photo ops. Hell, the capsule had already splashed down before the Skyranger could take off (read: I uploaded the craft file into the save).

So what happened was that the Skyranger launch and recovery scenes was quickly reenacted in a backup install of KSP. And by quickly I mean that the capsule was splashed down only 3 minutes away from the KSP runway, not 3 hours. And it just felt weird for the mission-elapsed timer to read only 3 minutes, considering the sequence of events above.

Other than that, I swear to God, all the flights were legitimately flown.

So, the scores. Back to the top, and with explanatory notes:

Saturn V uses 5 + 5 + 1 = 20

(starting Shooter 4)

Free-return trajectory until Mun SOI = 10

(confirmed Shooter 11)

Lander stored behind a fairing = 10

(since Luna was the Luna that landed, Alehna being practice, I'd say it scores here)

Leave descent stage on the Mun = 5

(which happens here)

Launch escape system = 5

(Orion-style MRS boost protective cover)

Use fuel cells for power generation only = 10

(True with Shooter 11. 4 flew a boilerplate Luna with solar panels. 8 and 10 did not deploy the solar panels on their associated docked craft as long as they remained docked, running on fuel cells only. 9 "accidentally" used the boilerplate Luna for the Alehna. Hopefully the score sticks? There may be solar panels in the future.)

Use a life support mod = 26

(IF SNACKS! COUNTS AS A LIFE SUPPORT MOD. On the one hand, currently Snacks! doesn't impose any appreciable penalty in sandbox mode, not even USI-LS's disabling of the crew. On the other hand, I am "simulating" the USI-LS effects with Snacks!, in that I treat a deprived craft as disabled, until a resupply can dock in. Kerbals who run out on EVA have to drop what they're doing and return to craft. This is controversial, I'll bet--Greg, it's your call. I'll drop the points if you say so.)

Total points as of Apollo 11 = 86 if Snacks! is legit, 60 if ruled otherwise

Next time: I got impatient. Greg said okay.

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program Analogue by B-STRK

Chapter VI: Alicornication

EDITOR'S NOTE: Look, the title's a visual pun based on the Skylab configuration, a'ight?

(As though naming the Saturn V the "Sparkle" wasn't a dead giveaway of my proclivities...)

Space may be the final frontier/But it's made in a Hollywood basement

Cobain can you hear the spheres/Singing songs off station to station

And Alderaan's not far away/It's--

"Cali[are there young impressionable kerbals reading this?]" by The Quite Overheating Snacks! Condiments

(The following article is reprinted with kind permission of the Daily Kerbal. © Year 001 all lefts reserved)

SKYbary: The SunShooter Gamble

by Hailey Eerie Tate Ted Kerman

Jeb, Bill, and Bob Kerman may be the heroes of the hour. Heroes of the age, even. Almost upon touchdown of the Skyranger sent to pick them up from the ocean, the three were whisked immediately to the nearest van, to be taken immediately to the President's office for photo ops (over the objections of KSP's chief medical resident, who moaned about the need to check for "munar microbiological contamination" and "bone calcium loss", which certainly are lesser priorities compared to being the toasts of the town). From thence, immediately to the nearest talk show that could fete them.

You would be forgiven if you'd think that the scientists and engineers of the Program would rest on their laurels, on this most historic achievement of kerbalkind. Fact is, even as the "Original Three" were taken to yet another talk show, yet another celebrity event that wanted the glamor of a Mun landing to rub off on them, after a short celebration the Kerbal Space Center was once again humming with work, this time wheeling out a spacecraft of an entirely different species.

A space station.

+++---+++

Unlike previous, equatorial/zero-inclination launches, the SKYbary (and her future crew replacement and supply missions) is launched

at a 45* inclination to the equator to maximize her visibility of Kerbin's surface--and all Kerbin's visibility of the space station.

Note the SIVB SAS ring around the SII sustainer, giving it additional control authority.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This mission profile roughly emulates Skylab's 50* inclination for her earth observation experiments

which, if I read Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab right, really threw off a lot of people

(okay, maybe I'm exaggerating)

BOOSTER: "FLIGHT, BOOSTER. Package is nominal, Apoapse at 170, SII booster shut-off in 3, 2, 1, shutdown!"

FIDO: "FLIGHT, package is out of atmo. Staging booster and fairings. The package is clear."

BOOSTER: "Confirm package clear. SII clear, deconflicted. We are now suborbital, FLIGHT."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Nope, no micrometeorite shield problems here!

The problem is if the fickle hand of fate decides you need a MACROmeteorite shield, baby.

Probably a Class C.

Gene (FLIGHT): "Okay. One down. Call it, Josh."

Joshua (MOD): "Alright. Look alive and smart, kerbals. This is being broadcast live to all the major networks and streaming sites. Christina's at Kongress giving them the brief. Let's not let her down." (Turns to the gallery, where the Public Affairs Officer is giving a live commentary to those press representatives that could be spared from covering every waking hour of Jeb, Bill, and Bob's lives. Turns back to Gene.) "Showtime."

Gene: "Okay. SPARTAN (Station Power, Articulation, Thermal, and Analysis). Bring her to pegasus configuration."

- At the press gallery -

Reporter: "Wait, did I hear 'pegasus configuration'?"

PAO: "Yep. The Repository's solar panels. You know... (extends arms outwards) Wings!"

With arms wide open/Under the sunlight

Welcome to this place/I'll show you everything

(Er... if you have any complaints about the soundtrack, would you prefer Alter Bridge?)

- back in the pit -

SPARTAN: FLIGHT. "Wing boom and panels are outwards and extended. Reading power flow from the panels. Arms locked. We are at pegasus configuration."

Gene: "Understood, SPARTAN. BOOSTER, circularize for 175 by 175. ADCO (Attitude Determination and Control), swing her around for power-max."

The monopropllant-based circularization booster is decoupled, revealing the observation and control canopy.

Also, who the hell mounts a rocket engine to a glass pane?!

BOOSTER: "Package is at 175 by 175, give or take fifty meters at the periapse, decoupling and disposing COD (Circularization Orbit Delivery). Passing control to TOPO (Trajectory Operations Officer)." (Following is said theatrically for the benefit of the live broadcast.) "And that's how the Program does it, folks!"

Gene: "Indeed. SPARTAN, bring the running lights on."

PROP (Propulsion Engineer): "FLIGHT, PROP. That circ burn emptied the main orbital control propellant tanks, all that's left are the reserves in the Adapter and the Cupola. We're going to need a resupply."

BOOSTER: "Damn, I thought I had that flight profile nailed."

Josh: (pointed look at BOOSTER)

- at the gallery -

Reporter: "Wait, are they saying that the SKYbary has run out of fuel?"

PAO: "No... let's not jump to conclusions. The circularization tug was intended to draw from the SKYbary's own propellant supply, in order to save weight. A resupply mission was already in the plans, we're just going to have to adapt and accelerate those plans. And as you'll see, adaptation is Mission Control's key specialty."

- in the Pit -

Gene: "Understood. Tell the VAB: SL-2 expedite job. Weld Tantares mono tanks for 400 units. ASAP, before we drift too far away from the mission orbital plane." (to Josh) "The Celestia just became a tanker truck."

+++---+++

Days after the launch of the SKYbary cluster, I spoke with Joshua Kerman, the chief designer of the space program's space stations, on why it was a space station, and not another munar mission that sat on the pad two days after SunShooter XI's splashdown.

"Simple. It was never just about 'kerbal on the Mun,'" he said. "SunShooter is meant to establish a permanent presence in space for kerbalkind. If it was just about chauferring us to the Mun and back, where would be the permanence in that?"

But did it mean that we would now abandon the Mun?

"Absolutely not. Look, we have SunShooter XII launching shortly to scout for a munar base. Maybe XIII and XIV. Then we need to schedule a SunShooter for the mintchip. We are not yet done with Phase 1, the exploration of cismunar space, although we have accomplished its core goal. That does not mean, however, that we cannot simultaneously pursue Phase 2: the exploitation of cismunar space."

SKYbary SL-2 on the pad

Mission Crew: Mirice Kerman, Engineer/Station Systems

Felix Kerman, Pilot/Station Control

Hudgar Kerman, Scientist/Mission Commander

Mission Executive Producers: 40 exquisitely trained Ekuadorian llamas

Then why the need to do both phases simultaneously?

"Honestly?" A sour grin, if such could even exist, grew on Joshua's face. "Kerbals are fickle. Kerbal politicians, even more so--you can quote me on that. Even as the Weasley was headed home Christina (Kerman, program director) heard rumblings that people started thinking that we were done. We win all the points just by getting to the Mun, nothing more needs to be done. Hell, apparently, five hours after Jeb's first steps on the Mun were broadcast, the ratings dropped--everyone moved on to Taylor Kerman's latest video. If there is one constant in kerbal existence, it's complacency. You have to make them want space. So Chris threw down the gauntlet with Kongress: she would launch Phases 1 and 2 simultaneously, before they could even propose cutting back on or terminating the program. She'd show them what kerbals in space would be capable of, what the program could do."

And broadcast it live to a global audience?

"Yeah. I can't blame her for proposing a spectacle. She all but offered 'Big Brother' in space, live feed of the SKYbary crew living and working in space. Hell, the kerbonauts first protested being put in a social petri dish, but when they saw how the world greeted Jeb and co. when they came back, they wanted a piece of that. But the bright idea was soliciting experiments from eager students around the world. It made them heroes to young kiddies everywhere--and who wouldn't want to be a hero to a child? That would get the politicians' attention. And with that, we'd all get to keep the Program, make it all the way to Phase 3: leaving Kerbin for other planets."

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Figures 1 and 2: the SKYbary Mk2 Cluster

Orbital Information Collation and Repository (OICR), Modular Docking Adapter (MDA), and SunShooter Selfie Stick (S3)

(images courtesy of R&S Capsuldyne and KSP)

(ERRATUM: a previous version of this article mistakenly identified

the Universal Storage Equipment Bay's capacity as eight wedges.

The illustration has been corrected. (Also, the illustrator has been fired.)

Kicking off Phase 2 was the SKYbary, Kerbin's first habitat in space. It housed a laboratory and living space (known as the Orbital Information Collation and Respository (OICR)), and the SunShooter Selfie Stick, a camera lab designed to observe and study Kerbol from high orbit. Never mind the irony of having a kerbolar observatory named after the century's most pointless invention (more theatrics, Joshua explained). What was curious about the SKYbary was that it was constructed not by the Kerbal Space Program, but private firm R&S Capsuledyne.

"Yeah. Not my idea. The problem was that our original design was no longer feasible--as the Mobile Processing Laboratories were converted to Snacks! production modules, the Mark 1 design could no longer fulfill all the missions we had planned for the SKYbary. R&S had a more capable laboratory, but demanded that we also purchase their Taurus capsule--a purchase we could not make yet, not until Phase 3 would be approved by Kongress. The compromise was that the OICR would be their construction and their branding, and half of the commercial profits, while we provided the crew." Joshua shrugged, though one could see that he was less than comfortable with the compromise he himself proposed. "Sometimes you just can't do everything."

Weren't you an entrepreneur in the private sector before you accepted the station design position at KSP? One would think you'd be more supportive of private ventures in space exploration.

"Please don't mistake my lack of enthusiasm for a lack of support. Like you said, I've been in the private sector. Heck, my work was what got me the invite to KSP in the first place. It's just a little frustrating to have to see your work taken over by someone else, just so that you can see it fly."

In other words, you're frustrated that it's not your baby anymore.

"Maybe," he grudgingly allowed.

Earlier: SKYbary Mk2/SL-1 mission on the launch pad

And no, the Kerbal Space Program is not bitter about the branding of this mission at all. No they are not.

The space station also showcased orbital construction techniques that the KSP says are necessary for the further exploration and exploitation of the kerbolar system. "More opportunities for theatrics," Joshua quipped, forehead wrinkled at the thought.

+++---+++

ENGINEERING NOTE: with SKYbary's monoprop resupply on board, the Celestia's dV capability dropped to around 1,700 m/s on decoupling.

From there, it took about 900 m/s (if my math is right) to (1) circularize, ( align orbital planes, and (cuatro) rendezvous with the station.

No wonder Skylab's 50* inclination threw just about everyone off.

Next time, I time launches when KSC is aligned with the station's orbital plane.

Killing 10* inclination is no joke.

Felix: "Crystal Palace (the new Mission Control callsign, considering that the original could be confused with LAND-CONTROL), SL-2. We're all caught up with SKYbary."

CAPCOM: "Roger that, SL-2. How's the Celestia handling with the extra tanks?"

Felix: "You know, it's a good thing they gave this baby a lot of gas to play with. That SIB booster lacks the kick to lift us in inclined orbits. The Celestia had to do a lot of the work to get here."

CAPCOM: "Well, don't tell that to Wernher. He's gonna flip if anyone suggests his rockets don't have the kick to do the job. And Christina ain't here to spank him if he misbehaves. Anyway, Mirice. You up for a little blue-collar work?"

Mirice: "Hooah, CAPCOM. Bill taught me everything I need to know."

CAPCOM: "Wait--Bill taught you? He's a fine engineer and all, but... The last class he taught was instructed to build a bridge for their final exam. That was the first bridge in history to ever make orbit on its own."

Mirice: "And that's a good thing... right?"

+++---+++

"Initial designs for the S3 (the SunShooter Selfie Stick) was to use robotic arms to move it from launch to operational position. The Stick's meant to be mounted overhead the Modular Docking Adapter--but that complicates launch due to increased fairing sizes and a misaligned center of gravity that the launcher had to compensate for. But the robotic arms were a no-go, too expensive. So the plan was to start the S3 docked to the forward port, and have a probe core and RCS on the Stick so she could self-transpose from her launch position to her operational mount. But then Christina overruled us. She wanted kerbals to make the transposition, using the Celestia as the docking tug. More complicated than the idea we proposed, but like I said: kerbals are fickle. Maybe Kongress wanted to see the Celestia be more than just an orbital vehicle. Maybe the Studying Channel wanted footage for some reality series." Again Josh frowned. "I really don't know."

+++---+++

The Celestia CSM approaches the S3 module. A docking mechanism is installed in place of the Primary Instrument Package for UNICORN transposition.

Inset: SL-2 extracts the S3 from its launch mount.

Felix: "We have capture of the S3."

CAPCOM: "Copy, SL-2. Back away and execute UNICORN transposition."

- the gallery -

PAO: "Now, they call this the UNICORN transposition because this leads to the mounting of the SunShooter Selfie Stick on its overhead operational mount on the Modular Docking Adapter. Now, if we look at the SKYbary as a creature, let's say a fine horse, then the S3 module sticking out of what could be considered its head, the Docking Adapter, could be considered very much like the horn of a unicorn, does it not?"

Another reporter: "Yeah. If you squint and tilt your head to the left."

Inset: Navyfish Avionics DPAI-assisted precision positioning of the S3.

Main photo: S3 module mounted to the Docking Adapter's Module Port.

SKYbary in alicorn configuration.

PAO: "Unlike the transpositions in the SunShooter munar missions, the SKYbary requires precision placement of the S3 on its operational mount. This is in order to align hatches and control leads, line up the instruments properly in relation to the station, and preserve the whole cluster's physical balance for its attitude and orbital control systems."

- in the Celestia CSM -

Hudgar: "Felix, we are still off alignment. give me 1.5* clockwise."

Felix: "I got this, bro. Nice and easy, just like Val taught us."

CAPCOM: "SL-2, Crystal Palace. Call the ball."

Felix: "Crystal Palace. Alignments are green. Attitude control is locked. We are 2 meters from docking. UNICORN is green."

CAPCOM: "Excellent. Bring the SKYBARY to alicorn configuration."

Felix: "Roger. Docking the 'horn.'" (Hums to himself, but is heard on VOX) "You're horny... do this... riding--"

CAPCOM: "FELIX KERMAN YOU ARE ON AN OPEN MIKE! This is being broadcast to schools everywhere."

Felix: "Well, why didn't you say earlier that this mission was rated E for Everyone? I could have brought my Barney the Eve-colored Prehistoric Colossus mp3s instead!"

CAPCOM: "Ugh. Let's get back to script. SL-2, we read green lights on S3 to MDA connection. The SKYbary is in alicorn configuration. You are GO for docking and station initialization. Bring her to life, kerbals."

+++---+++

On EVA, Mirice Kerman installs the support struts for the SunShooter Selfie Stick.

Inset: and inspects the Universal Storage Equipment Bay.

There had to be some benefit to making the construction a little more hands-on, right?

"That I can't deny. Sometimes Christina really does know what she's doing, for someone from upper management. We were able to take the EVA experience Bill had in SunShooter VII, and use that to great effect in bringing the SKYbary operational. For example: thanks to Christina's requirements for kerballed mounting of the Selfie Stick, we had to uninstall its primary camera, and install in its place a docking mechanism for the Celestia to latch on to. Once the triple-S was firmly in place, we had to uninstall the docking equipment, dispose of it, and reinstall the camera. Oh, and the little matter of disposing of the S3 docking mechanism the same way Bill disposed of the SIV booster. With a little Kemtex."

Inset: KILL THE UNINSTALLED DOCKING MECHANISM WITH FIRE

Main photo: Installing the Primary Instrument Package

(which is totally not a Reaction Wheel, no siree, it is not)

You kerbals have a habit for explosive solutions to problems, don't you?

"Hey, it's in the agency motto."

Ad astra, per aspera?

"That's just half of it. It's Ad astra, per aspera, via kabum mega. I mean, what else is a rocket but a controlled explosion?"

+++---+++

Mirice: "Crystal Palace, Mirice. I am back in the hab module. All installations successful."

CAPCOM: "Good to hear. Felix, let's bring the windmill online."

Felix: "Opening S3 windmill solar panels. One, two, three... all four panels nominal. SKYbary is live and operational."

PAO: "Ladies and gentlekerbals. The mission crew has confimed that the space station is now fully operational."

- a live video feed the SKYbary, taken from a nearby camsat flashes on Mission Control's map screen -

PAO: "The Kerbal Space Program is proud to present Kerbin's first long-term outpost in outer space, the Lilly Truscott."

+++---+++

With the SKYbary, christened the Lilly Truscott, in orbit around Kerbin, her first mission crew--Hudgar Kerman, Felix Kerman, and Mirice Kerman, has become the new toast of the town. When we last saw them Jebediah, Bill, and Bob were happy for their fellow kerbonauts, though Bill moodily admitted no longer being given swag bags, complimentary buffet tickets, and free valet parking, "which sucks a bit," he said. Nonetheless, they marched on to their next assignment, this reporter silently wondering what kept them going back into space--or what will keep Hudgar, Felix, and Mirice up in space on what is expected to be a marathon mission of research and experimentation.

In the face of this new popular acclaim, Christina, too, became the toast of a grudging Kongress. They had to admit that the original Mun exploration program had far greater utility than expected. Criticisms of the Mun and Minmus mining programs, or Duna settlement projects, being "pipe dreams" and "castles on clouds" grew dim as politicians scrambled to claim their wholehearted support for the SKYbary and the expanded SunShooter Program. Josh was right: politics is fickle, they ride with the popular tides. And though it did irritate him to no end that one of his hallmark projects had to be handed off to another firm (though he would never admit it), he was nonetheless proud of the Truscott, her lineage traceable to the original OICR designs he had proposed to the Program years ago, a design which he desired to see grace the Kerbin sky.

Perhaps what drives the kerbonauts, what drives Joshua, is also what drove Christina Kerman to gamble on launching SKYbary, and Phase 2, even while they still had plans to launch more Phase 1 missions. In order to head off the complacency of politicians and kerbals alike, to keep a program designed to ultimately allow kerbals to live and work in space alive, when everyone else is wondering what other reasons would kerbalkind have to go back into space, the SunShooter Program had to employ theatrics. Maybe it's the price to pay in order to continue going into space, again and again, and see what lies there, beyond the glory and beyond the Ore. And share that story with others.

In the end, theater is all about sharing our stories with others, and giving them reason to listen.

CAPCOM: "Greengrass, Crystal Palace. You'll be glad to note that the SKYbary is now live. Your stage-one long duration hab data is now being used for fine adjustment of the station's life support and habitability. Good work, kerbals. Pack it up and head on home."

Crisgola: "Thank the Kraken! Nine days of this, two more to get home, and the entire place is starting to stink. First thing I do, I get in a hot tub for a loooong soak."

Edpont: "Me too!"

Tanchell: "Ooh, ooh, count me in!"

Crisgola: "I meant a long soak away from you two!"

Tanchell: "BOO! What kind of hero are you to deny your fans?"

Crisgola: "For the last time, Tanchell, I AM NOT SUPERGIRL! Gods! Two more days of this! :confused:"

And with that, the mandatory (and non-scoring) Apollo Applications Program mission is launched and live. It will not be the last, however, with the Elcano Challenge entry being the next in line.

The NASA sourcebook Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab provided information for designing and launching the SKYbary, and a background of the engineering and political challenges that drove the design of Skylab herself, which somewhat influenced the story elements in this chapter. As a NASA technical document, it is available in the public domain through online archives, e.g., here.

It was a [yay!] trying to get those offset solar panel booms lined up horizontally, in nearly the same way they were on the (undamaged) Skylab design documents (were they really offset like that, not on the same horizontal plane?). Thank the Kraken for the Rotate and Offset widgets.

Next time: Nope, I haven't abandoned the Mun.

Edited June 9, 2015 by B-STRK
Erratum by the Daily Kerbal

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program Analogue by B-STRK

Chapter VII: Bumpy Ride

CSM Parvati Patil and MEM Padma Patil approach the Mun

(My, that's a long tail you have there, Grandma)

(The better to CAL you with, m'dear)

"I really can't believe you, Bob," groused Podvey Kerman. "You've already been to the Mun--on the last trip, even. And now you get to make a return trip, bumping off Marliana in the process."

"The mission needs an experienced hand on the surface analyzer," replied Bob--rather lamely.

"That's your excuse? Admit it: you want the Mun so badly that you don't care who you step on to get there. Again."

"Hey! Jeb wouldn't have flown XI if Bill and I weren't there. That's why I was there. We're tight, since the earliest days of the Program, when all we launched were bottle rockets. And Evolved Luna and the rover weren't ready for XI."

"You can't skip XI, and you couldn't skip XII."

"I'm a pathfinder. Experience and all. I can't skip the test missions."

"And that's supposed to make Marliana feel better?" He poked Bob in the chest which, in microgravity, nudged the veteran kerbonaut to the side of the capsule. "You ever thought that my crew's as tight as yours?"

A moment's reflection. Of the original three, and as a scientist, Bob was less given to impulse, more to critical thinking. Though he still had his impulsive moments, which did make him think, sometimes. "Sorry I bumped your scientist off."

"Well, at least Marliana's all but wetting her pants on the Elcano rover, so I guess she's not too bad off for skipping this run, and I have a little less reason to hate you," Podvey allowed, slightly mollified.

"When we get back," Bob promised, "first-class Snacks! are on me for the whole crew. Marliana included."

"Bob Kerman, bribery is unethical, unconscienable, and a terrible, terrible thing. Tab me up for five rounds. :D"

~~~

Before the launch of SunShooter XII

Design considerations, Part III

Bob Kerman (scientist), James P. Kerman (Project EVANNA craft design director), and Christina Kerman (later), attending

Bob: "This is the new RED Rover?"

James: "Yep. The Resource Exploration and Detection Rover, Mark 2-dash-C (C is for "Compressed"), ahead of time by one launch, and better than before."

Bob: (squints) "I don't see the difference."

James: "You don't... what? She's elegant, she's compact, agile, and capable, she's lighter--"

Bob: "She's lighter by sixty kilograms! Sixty! What difference does it make?"

James: "Well, the first one's closer to four hundred. This one's closer to three hundred."

Bob: "Is that the same excuse you use when you try to sneak off an extra slice of cake at the commissary every lunch hour?"

James: "And I'll have you know that I more than make up for it with a steady regimen of exercise and strenuous activity."

Bob: "Ha, the only strenuous activity I've seen you do is the swishing and flicking and clicking of your mouse hand over some craft design or another."

James: "Laugh it up, Kerman. If we hadn't asked Carlisle to hand over the unpressurized rover design to us, we wouldn't have made the adaptations to the Evolved Luna in time for XII. RED Rover Mk2-C is designed to fit in the redesigned descent stage recesses, and as a bonus, we can now smush in a KIS-spec cargo crate on the other side, when we couldn't before in the earlier iteration of Evolved Luna. Gods, I miss the old, smaller crates sometimes..."

Chris: (storming into the hangar bay, waving a memo) "What is the meaning of this?"

Bob: "We were just discussing the wisdom of James' rover designs--"

Chris: "I mean bumping off Marliana from XII!"

Bob: "It's on that memo I sent you. We need an experienced scientist to operate the surface analyzer--"

Chris: "Do you really expect me to buy that excuse? You're already on XI--"

Bob: "Because you know Jeb wouldn't fly to the Mun unless Bill and I were on the same boat, and if he didn't, you'd be out and up a creek on your first-on-the-Mun hero. No one else would have gone unless he showed it could be done first. So I had to be there. And if we had a Luna capable of carrying RED Rover then--"

James: "Don't pin whatever screwup you're in now on me, Bob--wait, who bumped who?"

Chris: "Bob here struck off Marliana from the XII crew and slid himself into her place. The crew assignments for the Munar missions were pre-approved--"

Bob: "Look. You need me on this flight. I'm the guy that has to verify the protocols for using the surface analyzer--"

Chris: "Then do so. CAPCOM XII through it."

Bob: "It has to be hands-on for me."

Chris: "You want your hands on the rover, that's what. You get to ride RED, then you get to ride the Elcano rig... Bob, you're just greedy, you know that? One trip isn't enough for you. Jeb and Bill--"

Bob: "Jeb has the upcoming fly-by, whether or not we make the first Duna window. Bill's off designing that craft with the DEMI and ALY teams, then he'll probably take command of Mun base construction. All I command is a lab. I couldn't even have the Truscott scientist position because I already have my Mun ribbon, and you said it's someone else's turn in the spotlight. And before you say it, Christina: this isn't the spotlight for me. This is my job. And right now, the job is prospecting for ore, and I'm the kerbal that drew up the surface analyzer plans, and I need to be there to see it done right!"

Chris: "Lovely speech. I hope you're ready to say the same to Marliana, who is very NOT happy right now."

Bob: (silence, looks down the hangar bay at RED Rover) "I drop Elcano. Give it to Marliana."

Chris: "Just like that? I thought you'd be all 'Prospector Bob' all over us now, claiming your stake in every ore scan mission."

Bob: "Something Carlisle said. Everyone's gotta have a shot at glory. Well, XII isn't glory for me. I just heard that the press are getting bored with Mun shots, they're waiting for the other biggies. Elcano would be glory. Marliana can have that. I already have my first-on ribbon anyway."

Chris: "Damn well you do. But it's you that's gotta break it to Marliana. She may just not want in."

Bob: "Tell her to meet me at the KRISTEN offices. I'm gonna go get Carlisle."

~~~

Is... is that an 8?

It is, it is an 8!

Oh happy day (oh happy day)

Oh happy day (oh happy day)

CAPCOM: "Parvati, Crystal Palace. Do our eyes deceive us?"

Rodsy: (smugly) "Nope, they do not. That, ladies and gentlekerbals, is a figure-eight free return trajectory. :cool:"

Jeb (in Mission Control): "Of all the flights and all the pilots to..."

Val (also in Mission Control): "And to think you were the least promising pilot in the Program..."

Rodsy: "Ha! I've done what no one else has done. Not even the one who taught me! Textbook free return, baby! Let's see you guys top that!"

Val: "Okay, I've had it with being proud of this numb nuts. Say you and I turn his stuff into a celebratory bonfire, Jeb?"

Jeb: "I hang a big roger on that, Val. Though spare his original Rolling Potatoroids vinyls for me, I've always wanted those. Worth a fortune, too."

Rodsy: "Guys? I was just kidding! Guys? DON'T GO THROUGH MY STUFF! ESPECIALLY THOSE VINYLS!"

~~~

This is a most precarious situation.

Inset left: delta-V calculations for a Constant Altitude Landing

Bob: "Five seconds to touchdown. There's a bit of slope down there, probably 3-5 degrees."

Podvey: "Copy, Bob. Crystal Palace, Padma, cutting engines and... WHOA!"

Bob: "She's tipping!"

Podvey: "No, no, Padma, don't screw up on me, RCS on, thrusting--"

Bob: "Twenty degrees list, come on, kill it Pod!"

Podvey: "Blipping the throttle!"

CAPCOM: "Padma, we read you in the air--"

Podvey: "Hopping a bit! VVI (vertical velocity indicator) zero, VVI neg(ative), touchdown! We're stable, Crystal Palace."

Bob: "For a given definition of stable. We're still on some incline, Crystal Palace. The Lovegood wasn't this... tippy. Why the hell did we go with this design, anyway?"

Right: The Luna Evolved + (Luna Ev+) Munar Excursion Module

Left: A Luna Ev+ stacked beneath the Celestia-A CSM, with a RED Rover Mk2-C

and a KIS SC-62 container (opposite side of RED Rover) on board

Publicity material for the Luna Evolved + MEM

Immediately after coming up with the Luna MEM design, Project EVANNA engineers felt her to be underpowered for more extensive operations on the Munar surface. Though they stuck with the original design in order to have a Mun landing as early as SunShooter X, an upgraded version was immediately laid down on the drawing boards.

The original Luna Evolved MEM shared the same design lineage as its predecessor. The design, however, could not accommodate either the SC-62 cargo container, the rapidly established Kerbal Inventory System standard for modular storage, or a planned one-kerbal unpressurized munar rover then being drafted in Project KRISTEN offices. The solution was the use of narrow-profile Modular Rocket Systems radial fuel tanks to replace a majority of the 1.25m and 0.625m tanks of the original Luna and prototype Luna Evolved design.

The results were dramatic. Fully fueled, but without embarked rover or cargo, the Luna Evolved + weighs in at 13,302kg, compared to the original Luna's 9,695kg. Yet with much of the increased weight being propellant, the total available delta-V on the Luna Evolved increased from the Luna's 2,134 m/s to 2,602 m/s on the Luna Ev+. Descent Stage dV on the Ev+ rose from her predecessor's 1,009 m/s to 1,265, representing increased hover times or retroburn capacity, made more formidable by the use of a T-1 Toroidal Aerospike engine in place of the LV-909 Terrier in the original Luna Evolved. This is made possible in a stack-mounted design thanks to the efforts of Dr. Jet's Chop Shop, to whom the engine mount design was subcontracted. Finally, construction of the Luna Ev+ is streamlined at 42 parts, compared to the 49 parts of the Luna.

The increased delta-V capability and the narrower profile of the MRS fuel tanks also enable the Luna Ev+ to safely carry cargo to the Munar surface. This includes the Resource Exploration and Detection (RED) Rover, mini-satellites, small work platforms, or munar surface escape systems. These may be suspended and deployed from robotic hinges nestled in the port and starboard tank interstitial gaps serving as recesses for these cargo. In addition, the interstitial gaps are also wide enough to accommodate an SC-62 container each.

This is not with some cost, however. Besides being heavier, the Luna Evolved + is taller, at 5.4m compared to the original's 4.3m. In order to deal with this, stronger and wider-covering LT-2 landing struts are used. Care must be employed in landing to prevent the Luna Evolved + from tipping over, particularly in inclined landing sites. (A solution to this is being sought as of this writing.)

Still, with the narrower profile of the Luna EV+'s Descent Stage, even these larger landing legs and the side-slung cargo will all still fit within the confines of a 3.5m-diameter fairing. This is meant to make the ascent of the Sparkle V stack through the Kerbin atmosphere easier (earlier Luna Evolved designs had outsized fairings to accommodate MEM cargo capacity). Nonetheless, larger cargo within the Ev+'s limits may still be carried, with the fairings outsized to accommodate as need be.

The Luna Evolved +: truly an evolution in the safe delivery of kerbals to and from the munar surface.

Bob's handwritten annotations, written and distributed after splashdown of Parvati Patil

Safe delivery, my a$$! We nearly pancaked ourselves down that slope! It wasn't even much of a slope. By the Kraken, don't these engineers even realize we need these things intact to get off the Mun? The next time these guys want to build the Leaning Tower of Kisa, make sure to keep all kerbals away from riding in it!

~~~

CAPCOM: "Podvey, while Bob sets up the RED Rover, you are go for construction of the SEPOMS."

Podvey: "Really? That's the acronym you guys came up with? Sounds like what you'd call the crust that collects between your toes."

CAPCOM: "Hey, wasn't my idea. Or Gene's. Or even Chris, if you ask them. It came from the nerds over at Theoretical Sciences: SunShooter Experiments Performed On Munar Surface."

Podvey: "And that is why we go to the "Artists Too Cool For You" to come up with the acronyms for our stuff. I mean, nerds may rule the world, but they sure need help naming it."

CAPCOM: "So says a straight-A nerd."

Podvey: "At least I know my limitations. Okay, the accel-meter goes here, the gravioli, the HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE RTG THAT I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE LETTING US HANDLE--"

Podvey: "At least it ain't Jeb--or Mr. Trips-on-Every-Munar-Rut over there--"

Bob: "HEY I HEARD THAT!"

Podvey: "Power's good, now the Goo... Alright, everything is in place, awaiting the antenna."

CAPCOM: "I'm going over the checklists, Podvey, you're missing something."

Podvey: "What? My crate is empty, all I have is the antenna in my hand--"

CAPCOM: "Try turning the SEPOMS on."

Podvey: "Fine, as though that would... OH CHEESE ON CRACKERS I FORGOT TO PACK THE PROBE CORE!"

CAPCOM: "Yep. Might as well complete what you've got, we'll find a way to fix this."

Podvey: "Okay, of all the damn things to forget. Installing antenna... whoops! Whoa!"

CAPCOM: "Say again, Podvey? Did I hear a--"

Podvey: "You heard right. I dropped the antenna, and it blew up on impact."

CAPCOM: "What the hell? Did Wernher dip the whips into a vat of rocket fuel or something?"

Podvey: "Great. Now I have a bunch of experiments on the Mun, but nothing to run it or send the data back."

CAPCOM: "Don't worry about it, butterfingers. Maybe we can send a crew up there to fix it up after you get back. We promise that mission won't slip through the cracks."

Podvey: "You guys will never let me live this down, will you?"

CAPCOM: "You know us to well, Grease Lightning. :sticktongue:"

~~~

CAPCOM: "Still the magnificent desolation of your dreams, Bob?"

Bob: "It's gonna be a lot less desolate--or a little less magnificent--once I put the RED Rover through its paces."

CAPCOM: "Well, just remember your first hop, skip, and jump back at Twilight Base. James and Carlisle both say to watch your acceleration. You ain't on 1-G up there. Traction, torque, centripetal and centrifugal force, they'll all not be what they are here on Kerbin."

Bob: "Got it, Mother. Alright. Based on the map, we landed on the east edge of a potential ore field, fifty percent estimated concentrations.

CAPCOP: "Right. And those are some pretty wide estimates."

Bob: "So I put some distance between me and the Padma, towards the center of the ore field, see what's downrange, and get a sample. We get to test the rover, test mechanized mobility on the Mun, test the surface analyzer, and generally have a good time."

CAPCOM: "Copy. Don't forget the surface samples as well."

Bob: "Yay, more Mun rocks for the posterity of kerbalkind. I do hope there's a good safe we can keep them in, these things would be worth a fortune."

CAPCOM: "Probably not, if we can make frequent trips to the Mun a reality. EVA is GO for your joyride."

Bob: "Roger. Opening battery pack one."

~~~

Bob: "Opening up the throttle--yikes! You were right. Torque's pitching the rover up. Countering with reverse throttle... Alright, keeping her on a steady 3.5 m/s. Good so far."

CAPCOM: "Observations?"

Bob: "Tell Carlisle I could kiss Lo-Fi and Gaalidas the first chance I meet them. Whatever they did to these wheels, they make rovers easier to control in the turn."

CAPCOM: "Yeah, straw poll says it's probably black magic, considering these wheels won't even break, before the rover itself breaks."

Bob: "Kerbal, I don't care if it's the Kraken making these wheels go. The old ones make me want to grab on to an 'Oh, S$%&!' handle every other turn or so."

CAPCOM: "I wouldn't go that far, Bob. I'm sure it's not the Kraken running these wheels. And honestly, considering the Kraken is a fickle, capricious beast, I'd rather not."

Bob: "Tight turning radius, still holding--whoa! Wheel caught a rut, almost lost her there. Disabling the steering on the rear wheels, I don't need to make J-turns anyway when I can make K-turns. You know what these rovers need?"

CAPCOM: "What?"

Bob: "Going downhill. Tapping on the brakes to keep speed at 4. SAS. I'm being damn careful considering I might not have a way to recover from a spill. At least with SAS on board, I can right her if she threatens to upend."

CAPCOM: "There's been a lot of discussion about that among the space enthusiasts. Some believe that SAS makes things worse."

Bob: "Well, considering that in this gravity, it doesn't take much to take to the air, I'd have to disagree. Maybe on Duna or Eve we could try and leave it off. But if the rover ends up jumping off the ground more often than not, I'd rather have positive control than tumble out of control."

EVA: (to intern) "You. Intern Kerman. Over here. You hear what Bob's saying? Good. Take notes. Get them to Carlisle after Bob gets back."

Bob: "Alright. I'm over a kilometer from the Padma. Seeing a lot of relatively flat ground over here. Slope's two or thereabouts."

CAPCOM: "That would be nice for a base."

Bob: "If the ore down here is good. Running surface analysis. Starting to get data. That's strange."

CAPCOM: "What?"

Bob: "Readings at this location are only around six percent."

CAPCOM: "You sure? Wow, those estimates are way off."

Bob: "I know. This is not a good place to base. Unless we had no other choice."

Chris: "Bob, this is MOD. I know it's off protocol, but... Head back when you can. We need your data to correlate with earlier scans."

Bob: "But we just got here!"

Chris: "It's just the job, remember? We need firm locations for a base ASAP if we're going to get Phase 2 on track. Get what data you can from that location, then let's pack it up. We need you back here to build the ore maps."

Bob: "Got it. I guess this is my punishment for bumping Marliana off XII. Opening up the throttle for the return trip."

~~~

Podvey: "That was fast."

Bob: "9, 9.5 m/s if I push it, and that wasn't even downhill. I REALLY will kiss Lo-Fi and Gaalidas when we get back."

Podvey: "On that jalopey? Sounds dangerous."

Bob: "True, though I was ready on the brakes anyway. Found the secret to these things is to drive it like we do our gravity turns: keep an eye on the ball and don't drift past the prograde marker. Keeps me from tipping over, or making a wheel catch another rut or something. Not perfect, though."

~~~

Bob: "Crystal Palace, you got Marliana?"

CAPCOM: "She's here."

Bob: "Hey, sorry about the bump again. Now that I had time to think about it, you could have done just as good a job as I did."

Marliana: "Damn straight. Still, can't complain. Even with your return trip to the Mun, I'm about to spend a way longer time up there than you."

Bob: "Glad to see you're positive about it."

Marliana: "Why not? Carlisle promised me that with Elcano comes a whole hangar full of rewards: a new Korvette, two year's supply of the finest Snacks! kuisine, a new beachside mansion--"

Bob: "Wait wait--he promised you all that? The 'vette, the Snacks!, the mansion? No joke?"

Marliana: "No joke. You know he's loaded." (off the mike, aside to the Mission Control team) "Five funds says he buys it."

Bob: "OH THIS IS BULLS$%&! You get a date for Elcano and all I get for first-on are valet parking, the latest tanning lotions, and Stephen Kolbert!"

Rodsy Kerman: "Hey, don't knock Kolbert, he's awesome! If it wasn't for Truscott being the priority name, we could have named the SKYbary after him."

CAPCOM: "He already has a coffee maker on the SKYbary named after him, Rodsy."

Rodsy: "Still not enough!"

Yeah, I now realize in personam the problem Apollo 12 and (initially) 13 faced. Once you've landed on the Mun, documenting the entirety of the succeeding missions becomes redundant. Same launch, same TMI, generally the same deorbit, landing, ascent. So this post stuck to the highlights: bringing the munar rover and ALSEP to the Mun.

And then realizing Podvey forgot the f^%$#*@ probe core to remote-run the experiments, and dropping the antenna! If I wasn't such a merciful game runner, Danny would have a new recruit. This will be fixed, oh this will be fixed, in the next launch.

Which brings me to my next point: I'm deferring 13. I really need to launch the next phase of SunShooter Beyond/AAP. I am treating 13 as if it had flown, however, and also had its accident, and having to return to Kerbin. Considering I've splashed down in the afternoon of Day 30, I am treating the interim until Day 35 as the Apollo 13/SunShooter XIII mission (which I could probably return to, as a separate story in a backup save). So the next launch, and the next chapter, will be in Day 37 or 38 to account for this.

So, scoring:

From SunShooter XI: 86 points

Include Lunar Rover on Apollo (12) = 10

Include ALSEP Science Package on Apollo (12) = 10

technically, I have science experiments on XII's landing site. So, even if no probe core and antenna? I promise to fix this in the succeeding chapter(s)!

Total = 106 points (or 96 if that forgetting-the-probe-core bites me)

Next time:

Yeah, I'm such a tease.

Edited June 12, 2015 by B-STRK

[Geschosskopf]

This is a great thread in all respects. Love the dialog . Good luck with future endeavors!

[B-STRK]

This is a great thread in all respects. Love the dialog . Good luck with future endeavors!

Thanks, Gesch! Considering the journey of the VACUOUS is both a fun read and an inspiration, your compliment is an honor.

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program and SunShooter Beyond

An Apollo Applications Program Analogue and an Elcano Circumnavigation Challenge entry by B-STRK

Chapter VIII: Standalone

With my decision to defer an Apollo 13 recreation (which may yet be revisited in a separate post), this chapter makes a time skip from the splashdown of SunShooter XII to the events portrayed here. SunShooter XIII happened as scheduled (sometime between Day 30 and 35), but an accident had happened, and catastrophe averted thanks to the crew's bravery, Mission Control's sagacity, and the capabilities of the Luna. And as the crew had recovered safely on Kerbin, it would have an impact on missions down the line...

Even as SunShooter XIII safely returned to Kerbin, program director Christina Kerman called a hiatus to flight operations as the Space Program evaluated the mission's accident and the chances that it could afflict future flights. When pressed for comments, the Public Affairs Officer only offered the following statement:

"I cannot comment on the fate of the program from here on out. If there is a decision to defer, it will be because it is the best decision to make. Similarly, if there is a decision to go on, it is because it is the best decision to make. Space flight is not without risks, but what matters to the program is that these risks are minimized through technical skill and kerbonaut training. We are lucky that no one was lost in space these past few days, and with all the good will in the universe, we hope to keep that record for the time to come."

"Alright," said a determined Christina during the evening staff meeting on the 35th day, "we've held off on a decision to defer long enough. I don't want to risk kerbals' lives at all, but if we don't get back into space, we'll lose momentum we had with XI and SKYbary, and then we'll definitely be cut off by Kongress. So if the audit says XIII was a one-in-a-million thing, we go with it, and we press on. Carlisle, where are we?"

The Program also calls this the Electric Charge Destroyer

(which is not healthy for sustainable energy use, really now,

but seriously, look at that air drop!)

"ESME is fully tested, certified, packed, and ready to launch," said a beaming Carlisle C. Kerman, quite proud of his latest creation. Then he frowned. "However, the whole delivery package turned out to be heavier than expected. I do not think Sparkle V can get her to the Mun."

"What? I thought the rover was only medium-weight class?"

"She is, about thirteen tons. Even the Celestia is heavier. Her lander truck adds just under 19 tons to that package, of course. At 33.8 tons combined, she's just about as heavy as the Celestia-Luna stack, which was why we thought the Sparkle V was enough."

Then he picked the aerodynamics report, and tossed it in Chris' direction as though it utterly displeased him. "But the real irritation are the fairings. At 16 and a half tons, they're even heavier than ESME, and about a third of the Sparkle mission payload. The SIVB stage has to use up a lot of its fuel just to circularize the package, so much that we can't be sure of making TMI."

"SunShooter XV has the same problem, boss," added Val, who was the commander of that mission.

"I don't believe it. Initial estimates said that the SIVB had the juice to get to Minmus."

"With the first-gen Luna. The Flight Dynamics dweebs used that stack to make the calculations they gave you. We're carrying the Evolved-Plus, as well as two surface mission packages for Minmus. And since the EV-plus is taller than the first-gen--"

"More overweight fairings to carry."

"Yep. They underestimated the effect it would have on inclination change and Hohmann burns." She still hadn't forgiven Flight Dynamics for the erroneous VPA in SunShooter VIII.

"So you're saying we have to scrub XIV? Or Elcano, for that matter?"

"Hell no!" said Val.

"Not when we are this close, Christina," answered Carlisle, equally unwilling to see his hopes dashed (though marginally freaking calmer about it...). "As I see it, perhaps we can eject the fairings at the earliest possible opportunity, to lower the workload for the SIVB..."

"Maybe, but since they have to stay on during ascent, they still eat up the first two stage's capacities, anyway, so it doesn't give us much margin for error." Chris' lips pursed tightly. "And after XIII, we need all the margins for error we can get."

"Perhaps I can help," piped Wernher. "The flight data from all the previous launches have shown that we are reaching the limit of the performance of the Sparkle V launcher. But fret not, fraulein, for we have also been hard at work on the next generation of launcher after Sparkle V. As part of that effort, we have developed a stretched SIVB to serve as an improved TMI booster for heavier loads. We have a small number of such boosters ready for use, constructed from... creative savings from prior budgets. I have run the calculations, and I say we can use those for the Minmus and Elcano launches. They will ensure successful delivery."

"I don't know," said the program director, who wondered how many ulcers Financial would get upon hearing of these "creative" savings being spent without his knowledge. "If Kongress gets word of a new launcher they hadn't called for--"

"Then you may tell the good kongressmen--" a derisive snort from a kerbal from a kountry known for exacting, even tortuous engineering precision above all else "--that in the first place, the stretched SIVB is still a SIVB, not a new vehicle, and she still fits in the Sparkle V package, so they have gotten what they have asked for. And second, since we have also the budget for the development of the Sparkle successor, the new SIVB also fits into that program. In either case, well-justified." Another derisive snort. "It is as if these good kongressmen do not want us to go into space."

"Not that, they just want to profit from it," Christina corrected. "If they can be made to see the profit. Alright. I'll cover for you guys. But get these launches in the air. Elcano on the 36th, followed by the mission crew on XIV, then XV first possible chance after. I want us back on track." A look at the calendar, where "55" was circled with a red marker. "I want to clear the table as soon as possible."

~~~

Stages of ES-1's launch: liftoff, sustain, circularize

(Note: doesn't online Photoshop have a proper rotate clipping function?)

GUIDO: "FLIGHT, GUIDO, confirm BOOSTER call Stage 1 clear. ES-1 is still dancing around a bit, we're having to correct for inclination drift."

Gene: "Very well, GUIDO. It wasn't this hard with the SKYbary. Opinions, Carlisle?"

Carlisle: "As it is, compared to the SKYbary, the Elcano package CoM is somewhat off center, considering the distribution of parts. And unlike the SKYbary launch using only the SIC and SII, we must include the SIVB-plus in today's launch. Not to mention the outsized fairings catching a lot of air. But it seems that we are still within tolerances, especially since we added control fins to the SII. I recommend continuing with the mission."

Gene: "You heard him. BOOSTER, we are still GO for ascent."

The heaviest mission payload the Sparkle V so far had to lift, at 50 tons the Elcano package (fairings and all) had shown the limitations of the mighty Munshot vehicle. Nonetheless, with the SIVB-plus, there was the fuel to raise the apoapse, circularize, and TMI. And even a little left over, it seemed, to insert into munar orbit.

The (godawful heavy, really, are these designed to stop a Class E potatoroid,

or was there tequila in the Squad fridge when they balanced this part?)

fairings are released to reveal the ES-1 lander and ESME within

Still, with mission packages getting heavier and heavier, the Kerbal Space Program had to start looking at the Sparkle's successor very, very soon...

~~~

SunShooter XIV's turn: liftoff, sustain, circularize

"Katie Bell, Crystal Palace. You are go for TMI. How is the package?"

"Checking umbilicals," flight engineer Leevy Kerman replied. "NARGL's still good. There was a bit of wobble during launch, though, it was straining the SM interstage. Any news on that, CAPCOM?"

"None so far yet, Leevy. Hypothesis is that since the NARGL's so tall, and with such a slim form factor, it's harder to strut her for longitudinal stability than the Lunas have been. At least the expendable MEMs had multiple lateral surfaces to pass the axial load up and down the structure. Like building a skyscraper on the foundation of an upright uncooked spaghetti noodle, they said. Anything compromising?"

"Nope, had to be careful with maneuvers and using SAS, though. They could set up a destructive harmonic. James still b*%$&ing down there?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. He's been telling Christina, Gene, Jeb, Bob, Bill, Val, even the janitors, 'too fast, too soon'. That he wasn't even done with checklists yet."

You could hear the skepticism in Leevy's voice. "You think we have anything to worry about?"

"Well, NARGL's mostly made up of proven parts, the dV calculations are more or less acceptable. I mean, the only thing new there are the MRS legs, but since they're on the ESME's lander as well, it's fair game. We'll get to find out how they work soon enough. Most importantly, however, we needed a three-kerbal lander, which meant Luna was out, and NARGL in, whether James likes it or not... This way, at least, you also get to test out if the reusable MEM Taxi concept works."

"As though we didn't have enough to worry about on our plate--testing out the ESME, circumnavigating the Mun, scouting hot spots and curiosities."

"You mean 'Samene and Marliana didn't have enough to worry about'." You could hear CAPCOM's wry grin in his voice. "You're relishing this moment, aren't you, you BadS?"

~~~

Design considerations, Part-I-have-to-stop-numbering-these-things-already

Presentation of the ESME-01, following SunShooter XII

Jebadiah Kerman (chief, Kerbonaut Corps), Valentina Kerman (chief, Training Division), Bill Kerman (lead investigator, extraplanetary construction), Bob Kerman (chief, Space Sciences Activities Division), Carlisle C. Kerman (Project KRISTEN design director), and pretty much everyone in the Space Plane Hangar (pretty much everyone in the Space Plane Hangar), attending

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Hasty handwritten corrections are the mark of a quick-thinking designer.

Carlisle: "Behold, I present to you ESME-01. The Elcano-SunShooter Magellanic Expedition, first of her class, for the Mun."

Bill: "Magellanic? Didn't the blueprints you sent me say Munar there instead?"

Carlisle: "True, but we realized that, since the LRPR she was derived from was designed for operations on just about any celestial body in the system, the ESME could also be similarly adapted for other worlds as well. Who knows if future long-range, even circumnavigation opportunities will arise in other planets or muns? So I replaced 'Munar' and instead redesignated her in honor Captain Magellan Kerman."

Val: "Oh yeah, he was the guy whose expedition Elcano Kerman worked for. But I can't recall, why wasn't he able to complete the journey that Elcano did? What happened to Magellan?"

Carlisle: (completely deadpan) "He took an arrow in the knee."

IMPORTANT PSA: FOR BEATING ON A DEAD HORSE

I AM SO, SO, SO SORRY, MY FELLOW INTERNETS.

(also, technically, that's the lower leg)

Jeb: "Still wondering why you asked for a pilot for a rover."

Carlisle: "Based on your experiences on the Mun, and Bob's use of the RED Rover, I am expecting the ESME to take to the air on hitting upslopes. She is in fact capable of making leaps even here on Kerbin soil, given sufficient speed, but in the Mun's weaker gravity such effects will be magnified. At worst, hitting a rut may also have the same effect, but with greater intensity as the rover flips up, then down. As we cannot rely on MechJeb to actively stabilize the craft and correct attitude, a pilot is necessary in order to actively maintain the vehicle's orientation to the ground, and avoid disaster."

Bob: "Which explains why there are three sets of reaction wheels in this vehicle."

Carlisle: "Correct. It was your advice that led me to add a third SAS unit, for added effect and as redundancy."

Val: "Three pairs of KF wheels, three SAS sets, three crew... Carlisle, you sure you're not falling in love with the number three?"

Carlisle: "I fail to see the humor, Valentina. There are four Universal Storage wedges that comprise the long-duration power pack."

Bill: "Yep, Carlisle's sense of humor has failed to make orbit."

~~~

Javascript is disabled. View full album

FIDO: "FLIGHT, FIDO. Both ES-1 and Katie Bell are in munar SOI."

Gene: "Spacing?"

FIDO: "About an hour, ES-1 ahead. We have enough time to monitor the orbital insertion burn for each."

Gene: "Acknowledged, FIDO. O&P (Operations and Procedures)?"

O&P: "Alright, listen up, kerbals. This one will play out different. Before, we've done debris disposal maneuvers in order to dispose of the SIVB and the Celestia-Luna baffle on the munar surface. Today, however, we will be using the respective SIVB boosters of the ES-1 and XIV to conduct the orbital. Each is mounted with recently-acquired TAC self-destruct modules triggered by staging, so suborbital disposal is not necessary. For the ES-1, we want to maximize the fuel the lander has in order to ensure a safe landing. For the Katie Bell, we will be putting her in a quiescent state for her crew's return trip much later, so we are keeping her tanks topped off for anything. It's no different than using the Celestia for orbital insertion, only you have a lot more TWR to use, and we have to make sure that the boosters are clear of the mission packages before self-destruct. Which means I want you guys to pay attention during NARGL extraction. Make sure that the staging for the TAC is correct. We are definitely not losing anyone on this trip, either."

~~~

Katie Bell extracts the NARGL, as ullage motors pull the SIVB away

The Katie is a Celestia-B model, rigged with a strapon MRS probe core and solar panels

for uncrewed, quiescent orbital stationkeeping (she retains her fuel cells as secondaries)

Inset left: SIVB+ self-destructs behind ES-1

Inset right: SunShooter XIV fairings decoupled

Samene: "Crystal Palace, transposition is complete, and we have extracted the NARGL. And... BOOM! That SIVB does sure 'splode good, not like the Kemtex."

CAPCOM: "Just so as long as you aren't in the vicinity of either, Katie. Be advised, ES-1 has also completed her booster staging and is on standby for your landing. Further advice: Snow White Base (MEM Padma Patil's landing site) is still in munar night."

Marliana: "Oh damn. Now we have to wait till it sees sunrise."

CAPCOM: "Big roger on that, Marliana. We cannot risk a night landing without autothrottle control, and since MechJeb is still out... In any case, sit tight. You and the ESME are in stable orbits, and we now need to see to the launch of SunShooter XV."

Leevy: "Look on the bright side. We land at sunrise, we get all the sunlight we can get."

~~~

Sally Kerman (briefing officer, Flight Planning Division; assistant chief, Training Division):

"Listen up, girls. Originally, the plan was you'd pick your way though the munar surface until you arrived back at your point of origin. Basic circumnavigation, complicated only by the terrain you face, the low gravity, the duration of day and night on the Mun, the extreme and hostile environment that could rapidly and unplannedly disassemble you in two heartbeats, and any act of stupidity that, even if you could survive, could condemn you to a lonely and Snacks!less existence for a long, long time."

All three Elcano crewmembers gulped.

Sally: "But that changed thanks to the loss of XIII's landing. Originally, other SunShooter MEM missions would scout out potential Mun base sites on ore hot spots--they have to be as flat and level as possible, otherwise real estate values would plunge to the basement, you understand? That plan has changed, Her Highness wants to minimize the risk of running the same mission, dropping the same package, again and again, waiting for another XIII to occur."

Marliana: "So, how are the base sites going to be surveyed?"

Sally: "That's where you guys come in. Why launch Sparkle after Sparkle, when with just two launches, we have a scout team that can hit all the sites, and more besides? You are now a circumnavigation with a mission, just like the exploration mission of Elcano Kerman."

Sally brought up a projection of the Mun.

Sally: "We have five ore hotspots identified from the surface scanning data Bob brought back, correlated with the ORESAT scans we already have. You will visit these sites in your journey. In addition, while Crisgola was out there with X, she noted some visual observations of curious areas of the Mun she wants you to check out. Potential anomaly sites."

Marliana: "Don't we have satellites for those?"

Sally: "Not installed in the MOO, ORESAT, or COMSAT, either too late or wrong orbital profile. So there are two additional locations you are to visit. Before that, however. (Points to Padma Patil's landing site) SunShooter XIV will land you close to Snow White Base. Bob located prime ground to receive both you and the Elcano Challenge vehicle nearby."

Samene: "Wait. All three of us are on the ESME crew. The Luna can only take two--not even at a time, she's a one-shot lander. How does the third crewmember get down?"

Sally: "You won't be taking the Luna with you this time. You are cleared for the first operational tests of the Luna-NARGL, the Non-Atmospheric Reusable Generic Lander. And she will accommodate all three of you."

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Leevy: "I thought she wasn't ready for prime time, not until next month?"

Sally: "James says she's not, until Christina started twisting his arms. Literally. NARGL can fly. She's certified for deep space. James just wanted to complete all tests, not just the critical ones. Anyway, you will touch down near here, bring ES-1 in, and check out the ESME. After that, your circumnavigation will begin with a short test run to Snow White Base to evaluate her operational capability, and fix Podvey's earlier screwup with the SEPOMS. That's where you come in, Leevy. The relevant parts to bring the experimental package online are stowed in the ESME's cargo bay. After that, you make your run for Elcano and the survey sites. You will travel westward to maximize sunlight for visibility purposes. Other than your mandated checkpoints, and any special requests from Mission Control--that you are free to reject if you feel it will compromise the circumnavigation, mind you--you are free to chart the best course..."

~~~

Mission Control now took the opportunity afforded by the long munar night of Snow White Base to launch SunShooter XV, with mission commander Val, her VIII crewmate Ronlorf, and nugget kerbonaut Jormon Kerman on board the CSM Nymphadora Tonks, for SunShooter's first mission to the mintchip, Kerbin's second mun, Minmus. That long munar night afforded the time for XV to circularize, change inclination, and TMinI with time to spare. As promised by Wernher von Kerman, the stretched SIVB was able to complete the maneuvers with a little gas left in the tanks (about 150 or thereabouts m/s of delta-V) for Minmunar orbital insertion. Maybe. This was the first time the space program has aimed outside of the Mun's orbital circle, and those old delta-V maps were starting to prove very optimistic for mission controllers still grappling with the enormity of their task...

In other news, Valentina had banned Ronlorf from carrying ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING material, immaterial, spiritual, physical, metaphysical, astrophysical, and let's-get-physical related to Miley Kerman into the flight, on pain of another Heimlich maneuver, this time to a more sensitive portion of the anatomy. And if he dared bring up VIII's 40km VPA again, OR try twerking to "Antialiased Lines", Ronlorf's sorry butt was going out the hatch. Ronlorf was quite attached to his sorry butt, please and thank you, and took the instructions with great severity.

~~~

Three days after arrival at Mun. Snow White Base sunrise.

The Regan conducts her Constant Altitude Landing burn

Samene: "Alright, Crystal Palace, we are three strapped and locked in the NARGL. Katie Bell is now quiescent, the only thing running are solar panels and SAS. NARGL systems are online, engines still shut down. Accessing probe core control options. I am assuming direct control. Docking controls now active."

CAPCOM: "Copy. You are GO for undocking and activation of NARGL engines."

Samene: "Undocking. We have push-back. One meter. We are clear of the Katie Bell. RCS to deconflict... complete. BD TRR-1 engines online. To all players: the Munar Excursion Module Regan is now alive. Calculating for CAL over Snow White Base. You know, at our altitude, we're not going to get much in the way of landing precision with this maneuver."

CAPCOM: "In the absence of MechJeb or Trajectories avionics, we may just have to gut-feel it with the instruments we have. In any case, you're not directly aiming for the Padma's landing site either. You're looking for flatter ground that Bob was able to identify while roving around there."

Samene: "Ten-Four, CAPCOM. Still, this is going to be the first time we've ever had to do a precision land-on-target. Even with XII, it was just 'Whatever looks good in that general area.' Approaching node MOBIUS, burn time set for complete-at-node."

CAPCOM: "That's odd. CONTROL says he has guidance telemetry from the Regan, but not control telemetry."

Samene: "Well, I have control. Nothing seems to be wrong."

CAPCOM: "Run diagnostics."

Marliana: "Running. Uh-oh. The thingy says the antenna's missing."

Suddenly, through the bunker walls of Mission Control, and even picked up clearly by CAPCOM's mike, came the shrill cry of one James P. Kerman, who declared: "SEE! I TOLD YOU SO. EFFING TOLD. EFFING YOU. EFFING SO. EFFING TOO FAST. EFFING TOO SOON. YOU FORGOT TO INSTALL THE FREAKING ANTENNA YOU IDIOTS!"

CAPCOM: "Okay, before we have to shoot tranquilizer darts at James, preferably elephant tranquilizer darts, can you confirm operation is normal?"

Samene: "So far, yeah. I guess we caught a lucky break. Maybe the Kraken forgot to flip a switch or something. We can set her down, no problem."

CAPCOM: "But how about after you transfer over to the ESME? What if we have to wake up the NARGL?"

Leevy: "Crystal Palace, Leevy. There are spare whip antennas in the ESME, right? We can use those to rig up a temporary. Since there are relays in orbit, the whips will do."

CAPCOM: "Understood, Leevy. Good call. We are going to have to plan some sort of on-site upgrade mission to give the Regan her proper antenna, though."

What happened was that I forgot to reactivate Antenna Range's LOS probe control enforcement functions when I transferred my save to a new install on account of that blasted settings-won't-save/keep-resetting bug. Having gotten this far, I hoped you'd let this slight violation of my own internal consistency pass and just continued on.

That being said, because I was wary of clipping the Mk1 inline cockpit in the Mk2 adapter tank you see in the above image (particularly for crew transfer purposes), I could not build in a manned control option into the NARGL (so far). Maybe I might change my mind (I mean, there is supposed to be a docking tunnel there, as the blueprints indicate, and the cockpit could just connect to it), though I worry about the bug effects of parts clipping like that. Still, as the NARGL was designed for both manned and unmanned operations, but the Antenna Range rules I use would conflict with it in that, since the only control is a probe core, if it's out of antenna range, even with passengers on board, it wouldn't be controllable. So in the future, NARGL operations will also have the Antenna Range rules temporarily suspended if there are able and qualified passengers in the crew tank.

I wish there was a stockalike radial cockpit we could use...

~~~

EDITOR'S NOTE: You know, with her ovoid and flat profile, and those MRS landing legs, and the extended solars,

the NARGL could actually look like what Luna Lovegood's nargles might look like, don'cha think?

(But let't not tell Aunt Jo or Evanna about this, they might overrule me,

especially with the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie...

even if Luna in all her professional life never found a nargle in the first place)

Samene: "Alright! Regan is four on the floor! And not too bad, we're only three kilometers or so from Snow White Base."

Marliana: "And look at those fuel gauges! There's plenty more for ascent and circularization, and even some inclination as well. Crystal Palace, I think we can consider the Reusable Munar Taxi concept validated."

CAPCOM: "Understood, Regan, and great to hear! Once we get a gas station down there, then the concept can really pick up."

Leevy: "And these MRS legs are holding. Damn, do those guys know how to make their stuff."

CAPCOM: "Admittedly, the EVANNA engineers (who are not named James P., who is still on an I-Told-You-So kick) say that has more to do with where the legs are installed, which makes for more stable behavior on landing. The real test will be the ESME's landing, which is coming up shortly."

Samene: "Speaking of which: since the Regan's antenna is still on the ESME, how do we control the landing from here?"

CAPCOM: "You don't. I have Tanchell here who will remote the ES-1 lander to the ground. It'll be up to you to provide her guidance."

~~~

Main photo and insets left: The EL-1 makes a successful (near) precision landing

Inset right: TIMBER! (Not the song. Trust me, not the song.)

Tanchell: "Regan, I am on final approach, how do I look?"

Samene: "Looking good, Tanchell, keep her slow and steady. Light throttle, slowly bleed off your speed."

Leevy: "Laser rangefinder on. Triangulating. You are fifty meters, Tanch, keep her on 4 m/s..."

Tanchelle: "Coming down, whoa! I'm registering heavy compression on the upslope leg--"

Samene: "You're rebounding, Tanchelle!"

Tanchelle: "Throttles up! Recovering. Back in the air, and under control again."

Leevy: "Good news, girl. That little spill doesn't seem to have affected the ESME one bit from where I'm looking at. Struts are holding. Most of all, you've drifted closer to us, and on flatter ground. Try setting her down again."

Tanchelle: "Got it. Leevy, you make a better Supergirl than Crisgola, you know."

Meanwhile, in the kerbonaut complex, Crisgola felt a familar chill down her spine.

Crisgola: "Why do I feel like I've just been insulted by Tanchelle?"

Back in Mission Control

Tanchelle: "Locking SAS guidance to retrograde. Retrofire to cancel horizontal (velocity). We are top-ball (vertical)."

Samene: "Remember to face the ESME's wheels downslope."

Tanchelle: "Rolling. We're good, Regan."

Leevy: "Fifty meters, Tanchelle. Forty... twenty..."

Tanchelle: "Okay, I'm at one m/s, cutting throttle, and..."

Samene: "ES-1 is down!"

Mission Control erupts in celebration.

Gene: "Good job, people. Good job, once again! We now have demonstrated heavy cargo landing capability on the Mun. Carlisle?"

Carlisle: (overwhelmed) "Great. Really great. How is ESME, Regan?"

Samene: "On my way out to check!"

~~~

Samene: "I'm at the ESME, Carlisle. She looks intact."

Carlisle: "Perfect. Simply perfect. Thank you, Samene."

Samene: "Don't worry, Doc. We'll get that Elcano for you. Cut her loose from the lander, Tanchell. It's time to bring this baby to life!"

Inset: Samene Kerman boarding the decoupled ESME

The ESME is decoupled from the tipped-over lander. Disconnected from the lander's power systems, she is shut down, her brakes engaged. Samene manually lowered the ladder.

Samene: "In the cockpit now, Crystal Palace. Everything seems intact. Alright, turning the ignition--well, actually, opening up the battery packs. We're alive! Lights are on, power is flowing to the wheels. Fuel cell is still off, running on reserves. Taking her over to the NARGL to pick up the rest of the crew."

~~~

Marliana running over to the ESME

Insets: Leevy jury-rigging the antenna to the Regan, and checking ESME's supplies

After having installed the whip antenna to the Regan, Leevy climbed up the ESME to inspect her supplies. "Yo, Marliana! You done yet?"

"Just about, Leevy!" Marliana set the remaining systems on the Regan to hibernate, putting her in quiescent status. Like the Katie in orbit, she would sit here, her solar panels keeping standby systems alive and batteries charged, patiently waiting for her crew to accomplish their momentous mission, to circumnavigate the Mun (and do some other important stuff, besides), and gain the accolades worthy of an Elcano (Mostly for being patient behind the wheel. But admittedly, there has to be some technical design skill there too, to make sure that the rover doesn't crap out on this glorified rock garden at 4x warp). "Done! Regan is in sleep mode. Heading over!"

Nearby, Samene planted a flag on the munar regolith, in the vicinity of their landing site, as per the rules of the Elcano Challenge. "Crystal Palace, be advised. I have marked the start position as per challenge rules."

"Roger that, Samene," replied CAPCOM. "You are GO for Elcano circumnavigation. First stop, Podvey's Folly--" he grinned at the joke "--I mean, Snow White Base. Remember: you'll mostly be on your own up there. Any rescue and resupply will be a day out at least. So do be careful."

"Safe journey, Samene, Marliana, and Leevy," bade Carlisle, a moment of pride glittering glistening his eyes. "May following winds carry you home."

"Copy, KRISTEN-actual." A rare grin crossed Samene's face--she was fretful more often than not. Not today, though. Not on the eve of their own play for glory and reknown, right up there with Jeb's and Bob's first footsteps on this very Mun. "Crystal Palace, SunShooter XIV is changing callsigns. SunShooter XIV is now Elcano-One." And towards the ESME, Samene Kerman called: "Strap yourselves in, sisters. We're in for the ride of our lives!"

Besides being SunShooter XIV's chapter, this is also the launch chapter of the story of the Mun circumnavigation of ESME (the announcement post in the Fengist's Elcano challenge thread will link to here). What I haven't decided is if Standalone will be a separate thread or integrated into this thread. The Elcano is meant to be played while waiting for SunShooter mission-critical events to arrive. Also, I don't know how long the adventure will be, only that it has to hit the mission-critical waypoints at least, and make it back to the Regan the long way round. Considering I also have the first post for Standalone under composition, I'll have to make that choice soon...

But anyway. While she isn't a MOLAB (MObile LABoratory; there is a distinct and severe lack of laboratory in this rover), ESME is nonetheless a pressurized rover. So hopefully she meets the requirements GregroxMun set out for MOLAB scoring, despite the lack of a lab. But hey, there's a SCAN BTDT and a surface scanner! That has to count for something, right?

Score:

From SunShooter XII = 106

Because Elcano-One's first job is to fix Podvey's screwup with the SEPOMS/ALSEP.

So now there is a working ALSEP on the Mun.

Apollo Applications Program Scoring:

Skylab = 0

SKYbary/STN Lilly Truscott. Mandatory non-scoring first AAP mission

MOLAB/Giant Pressurized Rover + Apollo mission for the crew = 20?

I mean, I guess ESME is giant enough? Also, hopefully NARGL doesn't screw up

the Apollo hardware requirement? I kinda need to keep the number of lander

descent stages scattered on the Mun down... there are already 14 flights active in the list. )

Total = 126?

To be continued in: SunShooter Standalone: The Elcano Missions...

Edited June 14, 2015 by B-STRK
Three days. Three. (flashbacks to Majora...)

[B-STRK]

EDITOR'S NOTE: While KSP is readying its next sent of launches (due in three days' time), Crystal Palace is taking that downtime as the opportunity to direct Elcano-One through the munar terrain. That journey is technically not part of Greg's Apollo 1.0 challenge, but Fengist's Elcano Circumnavigation challenge.

[thread=125587]If you are, however, interested to see how Sam, 'liana, and Leevy are doing making tracks in mundust, you can visit their journey here, where the first leg of their journey has already been documented[/thread]. As of this posting, Legs 2 and 3 have been completed, and an anomaly has been found and a potential base site located--the latter of which the SunShooter Program is looking at very closely, while ESME-01 revs her motors up for Leg 4...

To be continued in: (I'll probably decide whether it qualifies as a chapter or an interlude later...)

[Geschosskopf]

Hehehe, provided it's been long enough, it's OK to bring back the "arrow to the knee" thing once in a while. I think it was long enough---made me chuckle

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Applications Program Analogue by B-STRK

... because I've gotten used to her already and I'm not sure if the design of my craft will hold up in 1.0.4. I mean, most likely it will, but the... well, not bugs, but unintended consequences of 1.0.2 designs having to deal with new 1.0.4 dynamics, yeah. Until I'm sure that my game will survive 1.0.4, I'll save the update in a separate install for a future time.

Also... yeah, it's been a long time since I updated this report, while I've been busy guiding the girls through their munar circumnavigation. But now the alarm has rung for a SunShooter Program launch. A big one.

Interlude: The Shape of Things to Come

Elcano ES-02 supply launch on a Sparkle IB for the Elcano-One expedition

Inset: Aww, ain't she a wee wittle probe bringing an early Kristmas present to the good little girls on the Mun?

BOOSTER: "FLIGHT, CARE Package to Elcano-One is away. airspace is clear. You know what's in the Package, Gene?"

Gene Kerman (FLIGHT): "Now, now, BOOSTER. If Her Highness hasn't seen fit to tell everyone else, do you think I'd be able to answer the question?"

BOOSTER: (hopeful) "Yes?"

Gene: (sigh) "Focus on the prime vehicle on the pad, Timmy. We'll all find out soon enough what the girls will be getting. Alright, kerbals, give me a GO-NO GO for launch."

GNC: "Wait, no countdown?"

Gene: "No countdown. MOD directs. Just stand by to launch on my mark."

FIDO: "That's unusual."

Gene: "Welcome to the show." (on the mike to another communications channel) "Go ahead, Christina."

---

Proposed munbase rovers parked outside kerbonaut complex

Morning of the SL-03 press conference

Press conference conducted at the Kerbonaut Center

Press Briefing Room

SunShooter Project Director Christina Kerman, speaking

(speech ghostwritten by Carlisle Kerman, Project KRISTEN)

Kerbals have wondered if the near-disaster of SunShooter XIII would spell the end of the program, whether it would ratchet down our ambitions. Whether it was too much work, too much risk, to venture into deep space, even for Ore; whether it was the work of a future generation. Well, SunShooter has given its answer. If the Lilly Truscott orbiting high above our heads, and her crew performing daily experiments impossible to perform here on Kerbin have shown anything, it's that it is not too much work to venture into space. If the adventures of the Elcano-One expedition, or the journey of SunShooter XV as it approaches Minmus have shown anything, it's that it is not too much risk to venture into space. XIII was a harsh lesson, that both space and technology are unforgiving mistresses, but XIII is not the end of SunShooter. It is not even its speed bump.

Why do we venture into space? Why go further, after we had fulfilled the President's mandate to put a kerbal on the Mun and bring him back home alive? Some in politics and elsewhere have asked us that question, and again, we bear the answer: we believe we are the children of creation, and as children, we have made Kerbin our cradle. And as a writer once said, like children we cannot stay in the cradle forever. We learn to crawl, we learn to get up and walk; we venture forth beyond the walls of our cradles to a wider world, else we choke in infantile stagnancy.

---

Meanwhile, at the R&D Center/Projects Management Office

Joshua Kerman (Project EMILY), Tess Kerman (Project DEMI), Courtney Kerman (Project ALY), and James Kerman (Project EVANNA) attending... well, actually, loafing

Fig. 1. Comparison between the SKYbary and the Dodge Junction-class CmLS

Joshua: "You know what the funny thing is?" (munches on Snacks! chips while watching live telecast of press conference) "Christina says we're using the Dodge CmLS (Cismunar Logistics Station) as one of the showcases of the press con. Okay, fine, I say, give me time to break her down into her assembly modules. She overrides me, says keep it in one piece. What, is she insane? The whole assembly weighs 48.8 tons dry, completely unloaded. Even if the Sparkle V can lift that much weight to the Mun--and she can't, she's rated to just under forty--the whole station's too big for her. Too unwieldy. Is she dropping another launcher we're only hearing about now?"

(Tess and Courtney share a look)

James: "I know that look. Last time that happened, Jebediah found himself haging off the launchpad flagpole by his underpants. What did you girls do?"

Tess: (coyly) "Well... Court and I might have had something to do with today's launch."

Courtney: "And keeping Josh's baby in one piece."

Josh: "Oh my gods. You got Wernher to make an all-new launcher. And on our budget and charter restrictions--"

Courtney: "Don't have a cow, kerbal, it's not all-new... well, maybe not a whole cow, stage 2 is new. But the first stage's all old tech, just buffed up."

James: "I guess we're about to find out if you actually have an excuse..."

---

Director Christina Kerman:

SunShooter was about putting a kerbal on the Mun. SunShooter Beyond is the legacy of the mandate: it is kerbalkind making their place among the stars. Some may have believed the President's mandate was about bringing the Ore home to Kerbin, and that remains true, to be sure. But that was not his dream. It is not our dream. We do not just feed the cradle in its complacency; we expand our home into cismunar space. The Ore is so that we may step forth from the cradle into the stars beyond.

And if we are to transform our tentative first steps into space into giant leaps, we will need bigger shoes to walk in. The Saturn-class Sparkle V was sufficient to bring Jebediah Kerman and Bob Kerman to the Mun. But this is the gait of a toddler, unsure of his steps in the Munar gravity. To carry us beyond the Mun, to seat ourselves among the planets, we need a new generation of launch vehicles, unprecedented in strength and power. And as a popular saying goes, "Go big, or go home."

---

Tess: "'Go big, or go home'? Apparently Carlisle has been reading Urban Dictionary again."

Courtney: "Considering the guy speaks like he's from the 18th century, I'd call it an improvement. Oh look, there it is!"

James: "Holy... what in the Kraken's unyielding tentacles is that?"

Josh: "That thing is... huge."

Tess: "That's what she--or he--said!" (giggles)

---

Director Christina Kerman:

Ladies and gentlekerbals, I am proud to present to you, the Nova-class Next-Generation Launch Vehicle: "Shimmer."

---

Gene: "LAUNCH!​"

[maximum engine output intensifies]

[jimmies rustled]

---

Director Christina Kerman:

The two-stage Shimmer is built on the success of the Sparkle V. Her first stage alone, the Quin-Sparkle, comprises five SIC+ Stretch engines, originally developed for the Sparkle Modified Launch Vehicle (MLV) study, merged as a single unitary stage. Combined with the Sunset 9X Swingrole Vehicle (SRV) second stage, the Shimmer can put up to four hundred tons into a 75 kilometer standard (zero-inclination) Low Kerbin Orbit, a five-fold increase from the Sparkle V.

The QuinSparkle: delivering 400 tons of AWESOME, baby!

(Actual payload above is 200+ tons for other mission purposes, fingers crossed!)

---

Josh: (drinking juice, until hearing Christina saying "400 tons", then a spectacular spit-take) "FOUR HUNDRED TONS?!"

Tess: "Yep! Wernher was positively giggling with delight when we asked him if he could design a launcher for that LKO weight with what we've got. The guy's TWR-giddy, I tell you."

James: (equally dumbfounded) "W-w-WHY?"

Tess and Courtney: (they look to each other, shrugging) "We've got plans."

Josh: "To what, build the Battlestar Kalactica?!"

---

Inset: the distinctive eight-point pattern of the Sunset 9X's thrust flame wake that inspired the vehicle's name

Director Christina Kerman:

The Sunset SRV is a new vehicle for the program, but she takes to her heart the development lessons of the Sparkle SIVB, itself a swingrole vehicle. For a 400 ton payload, the SRV will complete the orbital circularization at 75 kilometers, much like the SIVB used as the upper stage of the Sparkle IB vehicle. For payloads up to 200 tons, however, the massive lifting capacity of the Quin-Sparkle, combined with the power and efficiency of the Sunset 9X, turns the latter into the Kerbin Departure Stage, capable of placing heavy payloads into Munar orbit just like the SIVB in a Sparkle V. This is the role that the Shimmer plays today, as we bear witness to her carrying a fully ARMED--I mean PROVISIONED--and OPERATIONAL space logistics station straight into munar orbit.

---

Courtney: "And again with the Urban Dictionary. Although, this time, I guess he didn't know what he was writing into Christina's speech."

Tess: "And 'swingrole'. It's nice to see him expand his vocabulary."

Joshua: "At least I can now also see why Christina asked me to also keep the Dodge fully fueled. She's just under 200 tons with all the gas on board, just over 200 with the fairings. But... I mean... holy..."

James: (still too dumbfounded at the idea of the two girls getting the cranky Wernher von Kerman to draft a all-new BIG launcher for them--even if half the launcher technically is recycled SIC+'s)

---

Fairings dispensed to reveal Dodge Junction-class CmLS. SRV performing circularization burn.

Director Christina Kerman:

Suffice to say there is more than enough power for lighter payloads to be delivered into the heart of interplanetary space.

But much as Kerbals grown cannot forget their cradle of birth, even as we usher in a new era of space exploration, we will not forget or abandon the old. The Sparkle V and IB will still serve alongside their newest stablemate, faithfully delivering payloads within their respective weight classes. Kongress' allocations will be well-spent, as they have been well-spent transforming Sparkle V successor research into the Nova-class Shimmer. Even now, a Sparkle V stands ready to deliver the Spike Multipurpose Base Rover, the first component of our proposed munbase "S. Maria."

Inset: Sparkle V launching Spike Multipurpose Base Rover to the Mun

LMO prepositioning for future base construction

Ladies and gentlekerbals, our work today will not immediately result to the colonization of space, that's for sure. But we are laying the foundations today. Much work remains to fulfill the legacy of the President's original mandate, to develop a return to the capital spent, let alone to make space colonization worthwhile. But we might as well take that step now. Kerbin will always be our home. But it cannot be our only future.

Let the shimmer of a new dawn guide us to the stars. Even if it is the journey of a thousand steps, let us take the first step into a sparkling future. A shot at the sun, to join the stars above.

Thank you.

---

James: "All in all, a lovely little speech... for a sales pitch to Kongress for a new launcher."

Tess: "Let's not be too pessimistic. There are many interesting applications for a launcher with a 400-ton throw weight. ARM, solar-orbit observatory, interplanetary pit stops..."

Joshua: "Presuming you can get the launcher approved and cleared for operational use. Jeez, 'Nova-class.' I never thought I'd hear those words ever used." (shakes head) "I mean, I am happy and surprised that the Dodge is being delivered intact, no assembly required. But come on, you really think a bunch of short-sighted kongressmen will give the idea a pass? You see how impossible it was to get the Project ROVER NTRs past them? And that's supposed to be our best long-run cheaper option to interplanetary space!"

James: "Well, admittedly the start-up costs were high. A new rocket by comparison would look cheaper, especially to short-sighted kongressmen."

Courtney: "Well... we'll all get there eventually. At the start, though, sometimes you just need a little bit of stubborness. And a kick at the door of short-sighted kongressmen."

Tess: "A four-hundred-ton kick, that is!"

---

FIDO: "Alright, all three vehicles are now headed for the Mun. Staggered arrival, CARE to drop, followed by Spike to park an hour behind, and the CmLS a day out, also to park."

Gene: "Good job again, kerbals. Triple-launch event, and the debut of the Shimmer."

BOOSTER: "So as long as it's not her last launch. Did you see the windows shake?"

Gene: "CAPCOM, get on the horn to the girls. Tell them to head for their next waypoint and await the package drop."

BOOSTER: "Though you still won't tell us what's in the Package."

Gene: "All in good time.:wink:"

Some notes on the design of the Shimmer are required, to see if it will conform to GregroxMun's AAP Challenge rules regarding a Nova rocket:

Is this real lif--YES THIS IS REAL LIFE (STUDIES, none of these even made it to prototype)

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Or is this fanta--YES THIS IS FANTASY, ALL IN KSP

Also, I hate how the spoiler tags screw with Imgur albums--or is it the other way around?

There's pretty much enough designs for the Nova that you can make your own, provided it uses some of you Saturn/Apollo hardware. A really good design that I couldn't find a picture of was using four S-IC Stretched boosters.

The take-off point for the Shimmer design came from Greg's suggestion about the S-IC boosters, as well as further inspiration from this pre-1.0 monster found in Reddit that used six stretch S-ICs as strap-on boosters for the core rocket. Unlike Greg's suggestion and the Reddit inspiration, though, the 5 SIC+s here (please see picture 2 in the album above for cross-comparisons of the different first stages) are not used as boosters to a core stage, but as the core stage itself, surface-bonded together in quincunx and cross-piped to drain the tanks evenly. Hopefully this meets Greg's reuse-Apollo-hardware requirement (asking him in the main thread).

The second stage is a vehicle unique to the SunShooter program--or to the Apollo program, for that matter, as it's given the dual purposes ("swingrole") of either a ascent-to-low-orbit 2nd stage, or as a departure stage. It does mimic the roles the S-IVB played in real!Apollo (ascent with IB, EDS with V), but does not reuse its hardware.

The Nova-class portrayed here follows the post-Saturn V Nova proposals, not the pre-Apollo NASA studies for the direct ascent launch vehicle. The 5x performance increase between Shimmer and Sparkle V, while it may seem excessive for the challenge's purposes, actually isn't too far off from the many of the proposed Novas--the Martin Marietta proposals illustrated above (provided helpfully through Greg in the challenge OP) offer up to 10x the payload performance of the Saturn V--and even I'm not sure whether those payloads compared against Saturn V represent payload-to LKO or payload to TLI-LLO, I need to review the source material. The Shimmer is built as a two-stage vehicle, much like many of the Nova proposals (apart from SSTO, solid booster-based, or more exotic designs).

Hopefully it passes muster for Greg that it can be the heavy launch vehicle for the SunShooter program. As a safety measure for the score, however, the munar base modules themselves are rated to be carried by Saturn V-class Sparkle V's.

To be continued in: SunShooter Standalone Complex: Elcano-One, Leg 7

:cool::sticktongue:

Edited July 2, 2015 by B-STRK

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Applications Program Analogue by B-STRK

Chapter IX: Attempt, but DO NOT

"I can't believe they actually made this a mission objective," Jormon observed with some apprehension. Quoting the briefing slate, "'Test RED Rover design under Minmus gravity conditions. Attempt flip-overs, but do not flip over.' ATTEMPT, BUT DO NOT. Really? Next thing you know, they'll ask us to run with scissors."

"Welcome to the Kerbal Space Program, Jormon," replied Valentina. "As though the Elcano run was any less dangerous for Samene, Leevy, or Marliana. And now they're on their way home. Anyway, our job on Minmus, besides the requisite exploration, is to evaluate mobility solutions and limits on the mintchip. Hence, the whole 'Attempt, but do not' bit. Now scoot on over, J-mon, let me through the docking tunnel. We're coming up on our drop point."

---

Inset left: the MEM's robotic arms swing the rover packages to deployment position.

Inset right: Jormon steps out to mark Jumper Base.

"Crystal Palace, Jumper Base here, the Ella has landed!" announced Valentina.

"We copy your status, Ella," replied the CAPCOM. "How's it feel to be first on Minmus, Val?"

"As great as Jeb felt being first on the Mun."

"And that more than makes up for not being able to join the boys in XI, don't it, Val?" One could hear the wagging eyebrows in CAPCOM's voice.

"Between Jeb and I, I was still first to get to orbit the Mun in the Cho Chang, CAPCOM, and don't you forget it." She blew a raspberry. "And now, I'm part of the crew that's gone the furthest from Kerbin. If anything, I'm just glad to let the boys bask in the shadow of my glory."

"Don't count your chickens yet, Ms. The-Shadow-of-My-Glory Kerman. Jeb's the one slated to captain the first interplanetary."

"Not for a long time, and I can lord it over Jebby that long."

"You're lucky Jebby's in the munbase meeting with the bosses right now, or you guys will be going on and on about your leaderboards."

"Well, at least I can share the leaderboards. It'll be Jormon who'll be one-small-step on Minmus, since I can babysit him with the Minmus Dart on the ready while he 'Attempts, but do not' the RED Rover."

---

The RED Rover finally gets moving, after setting the wheels stronger.

"Crystal Palace, Jormon." The scientist's voice rang clear enough through Mission Control's radios to hear the slight nervousness tickling the back of Jormon Kerman's throat. After all, no one was sure if RED Rover's impressive, Kerbal Foundries-provided capability was too much for Minmus' gravity. "Battery Pack One is unlocked. I've set the torque on front wheels to .5, rear to .25. Throttling up."

A pause. The rover barely ticked forward on Mission Control's maps. "Okay, throttling up, now..."

Another pause. Flight Director Gene Kerman raised an eyebrow. Not a good sign. "Throttling--"

CAPCOM broke into the comms, before Gene could even order him to do so. "Jormon, what's with the broken record?"

Now the scientist's voice rang clear enough to hear the embarrassment coating his throat. "Setting the torque to 1/0.5. I guess we were being overly paranoid about torquing ourselves into Minmus orbit."

Moral of the story, boys and girls: Minmus' strong enough that you can leave the defaults in the KF-modified RoveMax S2's.

The other moral of the story: Never take counsel of your fears.

I mean, unless those fears are well-justified. This is Kerbal Space Program, after all. Fear is a commodity around here​.

---

Valentina: "Crystal Palace, Val. Jormon's parked and off collecting dirt north of Jumper Base, so now it's my turn. Heading over to the Minmus Dart. And I hope this thing works, considering the designers didn't run it through simulations."

CAPCOM: "Hey, they said the math works out. Balanced COM-thrust, sufficient delta-V and all."

Val: "Famous last words, boy."

CAPCOM: "That's the reason why you're a test pilot, right? To make sure the math works out?"

Val: "Shooting me into space on nothing but number-crunching as an insurance policy? You guys owe me a raise for this."

Inset: Valentina approaches the Minmus Dart Test Bed

Main photo: and discovers she can strip off her pressure suit, no problem at all, thanks to the USI HERP Jumpseat.

EDITOR'S NOTE, in case RoverDude sees this: am still using the last 1.0.2-compatible USI ExpPack,

in case this had been addressed in a successor pack.

Val: "Dart's airborne, Crystal! SAS is good, balanced profile, responsive to controls. Power flow is nominal. Fuel flow nominal; locking ventral tank as a reserve. I'm taking it to the mesa we saw east of Jumper Base. Should be able to hit a few biomes to scan on the way there and back."

CAPCOM: "Turns out the math was okay, innit?"

Val: "Yeah, yeah. The math was okay this time. And 40 kilometers was a good VPA."

CAPCOM: "You are never going to let that go, are you?"

Val: "Never. :sticktongue:"

---

Inset, red: location of Val's landing spot, Sophie Mesa

Though it did look solid enough to be a production vehicle, the Minmus Dart (whose design was inspired by MEM training test beds used to train pilots for munar landings) was meant only an experimental vehicle, to test the use and viability of manned maneuvering units on Minmus' lower gravity. Four Puffs and the available tankage (Two Sphericals and a USI Exploration Pack AES RCS tank) gave 1,225 m/s of delta-V--and with the O-10s set to their lowest thrust limiter setting, that translated to almost five minutes of burn time. Almost a third was used to head over about fifteen kilometers east, to a flat mesa Valentina observed while coming down on the Ella, which she marked for mapmakers as the Sophie Mesa.

Yeah, look at that smug look on her face. Jebediah may have marked the mun with kerbalkind's first footsteps on another world. Hers, though, is the mintchip. Hers to mark as she pleases.

---

Jormon: "Taking the Rover back to Base Crystal Palace. I've reset the torques back to one-even. Seems like having one end stronger than the other is more likely to tip the Rover over when accelerating or braking towards the direction of the stronger end."

CAPCOM: "We copy your findings, Jormon. Guess the Minmus flats are copacetic enough for rovers; no need for the biased braking precautions we'd take elsewhere. Tried going for the hills, J?"

Jormon: "Nope, sorry, I don't have enough points invested in Courage, CAPCOM. I'm keeping the Rover on nice, flat ground."

CAPCOM: "Let me guess, you haven't tested a stronger torque setting, either."

Jormon: "Actually, I did bump it up to torque factor 2 on all wheels for about 300 meters."

CAPCOM: "Then what happened?"

Jormon: "I got nervous."

CAPCOM: "I wonder how you made it to the Program."

Jormon: "The way I hear it from Bob, you guys were desperate."

---

Val: "And this is why a test pilot is assigned to the Dart test. Damn, without a vertical navball orientation, it's a right b[yay] to land."

CAPCOM: "Well, helicopters don't come with vertically-oriented navballs either, and neither does the Skyranger, but they manage quite well, please and thank you."

Val: "Thanks for reminding me. VTOLing the Skyranger has to be about the hardest lesson I've given as the Program instructor. Which again returns me to my point: the Dart's still a right b[yay] and honorable f[squee] to land, if the pilot doesn't know what he's doing. Why do you think there are very few Skyranger-qualified pilots in the Program?"

CAPCOM: "Gee, I don't know, maybe because you're impossible to please, Val?"

Val: ":rolleyes: And this is why you're not Skyranger-qualified, CAPCOM. And who says I'm impossible to please?"

CAPCOM: "All of your exes."

(A full minute of silence over the radio)

Val: "You better run the minute I get back to KSC, CAPCOM. Because I'm going to shove the CAP in your job title into your knee. Can you hear me, Gene? Get that in the POD (Plan of the Day) for the day after I get back. I want it official."

Gene Kerman (FLIGHT): (to CAPCOM) ":rolleyes: You heard the lady. Put the disassembling of your kneecaps into the POD. :P"

CAPCOM: "I hate you right now so very much, Gene."

---

"Okay, Crystal Palace, we're both back in the Ella," Jormon radioed after Val had re-press'd the MEM cabin. "As per mission requirements, we're staying over for an additional day or two for surface experiments and observations, before returning to the Tonks for the trip home. Although..."

"Although what, Jormon?" asked CAPCOM.

"Well, the KER readouts say we've got a lot of delta-V left. I think it's enough to hop over to somewhere else on Minmus before we head back. What do you think, Val?"

A beaming smile from the hotshot pilot. "Jormon, I love the way you think!"

"Well, we're not quite in the lovin'-it part yet," cautioned CAPCOM. "We'll have the backroom kerbals check out the math, while we deal with the upcoming munbase assets launches and shuttle test."

"Wait--amplify that last, Crystal Palace," Val demanded. Through the resulting confusion, CAPCOM complied.

"While we deal with the upcoming munbase assets launches and shuttle test--"

"A SHUTTLE?!" Val hit the MEM roof with that outburst--and on Minmus, that's five meters-per-second of delta-V. Jormon held on to his seat restraints as Val continued her rant. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE PLANNING A SHUTTLE LAUNCH?! I THOUGHT STS WAS CANCELLED?"

"Don't lay it on me, Val, we thought so, too, but James worked out a rope-a-dope. We only found out today."

Being the test pilot that she was, Val was suddenly torn up with the desire to punch a hole in the sky with the new craft CAPCOM was all but dangling in front of her face, like one would dangle a bone in front of a puppy. (That meanie.) "And here you have KSP's premiere test pilot stuck on a mintchip in the middle of nowhere when she could have been shepherding a shuttle through her paces... who's taking stick for the test flight?"

"Jeb."

"Oh great. He'll never let me hear the end of it."

"So much for lording it over him, eh Val?" One could hear the grin in CAPCOM's voice, as he echoed Val's earlier words back to her.

"I am going to have so much fun hanging your kneecaps on my trophy wall, CAPCOM."

---

Finally back to Apollo Challenge missions after a long interlude completing the Elcano circumnavigation challenge on the Mun! And with this mission, I've finally popped my Minmus ch [REDACTED FOR POLITE COMPANY] landed, set foot, explored, and run a mission on Minmus.

After over a year of owning a full copy of Kerbal Space Program, just about after the NASA ARM update came out, I've finally, finally landed on Minmus.

I'm deplorable as a space explorer, aren't I?

Next time: Home Improvement

[Geschosskopf]

Congrats on your 1st Minmus mission . And keep up the witty dialog

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Applications Program Analogue by B-STRK

Chapter X: Laying the Foundations

The following takes place before the events of Chapter IX/the end of Leg 10 of "SunShooter Standalone Complex", while the Elcano-One crew departed the munar surface for the Lelani Mayolanofavich. Any pictures of launches or space activities occur after the events of Chapter IX, where Valentina and Jormon Kerman returned to the MEM Ella after testing of their respective rovers.

Whosoever of the Command Staff was still on Kerbin soil attended the meeting called forth by Carlisle Kerman (Project KRISTEN: surface habitation and exploitation systems) to brief them on the munbase components to be launched the next day. "Thank you, ladies and gentlekerbals," he announced after everyone found their seats around the table, "for attending this briefing on STEWART: Static Explotation Work-based Architecture Technologies."

"Talk about trying to make the acronym fit the name..." muttered Joshua Kerman (Project EMILY: space station systems).

"STEWART is an evolution from the baseline Experimental Munbase Architecture (EMA) originally drawn up, before Director Christina Kerman set the goal of an operational munbase with refining capabilities by Day 55 or thereabouts. With such a deadline, we cannot implement the more advanced munbase concepts, such as large-scale surface assembly; and with the demand for operational capability, nor could we use the baseline EMA, since it was simply a Luna MEM with the ascent stage replaced with what practically is a a camping tent. A space-rated camping tent, most certainly, but nothing more than that. Such will not sustain long-term stays.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

"STEWART Generation One is designed to be (mostly) deliverable straight-launch to the Mun by the Sparkle V launcher, or in the event of an outsized and heavy package, the Shimmer NGLV, in the same fashion as the Munshot vehicles, which means no EOR assembly of module and tug. In addition, the increased capability of these modules, necessitating larger and heavier packages, means that we have to delete the Celestia CSM from the launch package, meaning fully remote delivery to the munar surface. We will need a pathfinder crew separately launched to the proposed base site to guide these modules in."

"Hence, why you asked for us to launch SunShooter XVI to the Mun," Christina Kerman (SunShooter Program Director) observed. "And have Bill on board as mission commander."

Present day: Engineer Bill Kerman leads an intrepid crew of pioneers to turn the surface of the Mun

into the urban sprawl of strip malls, freeway gridlock, and apartment complexes begging for suburban amenities.

Who says socio-economic progress in space shouldn't be boring, rote, and mundane?

"Yes, Bill Kerman (Lead Investigator: Extravehicular and Extraplanetary Construction) would be the appropriate kerbal to lead the surface delivery and assembly of the Munbase Maria." Carlisle brought up a slideshow standard for such briefings everywhere.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

"The habitable modules are built on a 3.75m-profile Thud-based landing platform, whose engines can be disassembled upon landing for safety and reduction on resource requirements. This gives the modules self-deploying capability. Multiple variants have been developed, but to save on launches and resources, we have settled on two multi-purpose designs. The first, the Workshop and Habitation Module, provides both base command and control, and scientific research activities. The second, the Multipurpose Lab converted into a Snacks! processing center, the younger members of Project KRISTEN have dubbed the 'Snacks! Shop,' but I would more formally call it the Life Support Module. Both modules also contain habitation for a maximum of eight kerbals each--though four to six would be the more comfortable occupancy.

"Two other modules, smaller and lighter in size, are delivered via integrated expendable skycranes. The Logistics Module is built around the standard KIS 250 container, and provides materials storage for the munbase. The other is an electrolysis recycling station for the Universal Storage fuel cells we use as a standard modular powerpack for solar-independent or high-EC operations. I am proud to say that the extended operations of the ESME on her munar circumnavigation, and the kind assistance of Daishi from Nox Industrial in providing a US-spec radiator when he heard of our earlier predicament, have proven the viability of medium and long-term Hy-Ox fuel cell powered operations.

"Now, the heart of the munbase operation is the DAWG Combined Surface Resource Module. It encompasses resource extraction, ISRU, and storage in one package. She is also self-deploying through expendable strap-on engine pods that feed from the DAWG's LFO storage tank. As the entire package is undoubtedly the largest and heaviest of the munbase modules, at a little over a hundred tons, her delivery will be via the Shimmer NGLV."

A raised hand. It was James Kerman (Project EVANNA, light crewed space transportation/exploration systems). "A question. What does DAWG stand for?"

"Well... admittedly nothing. Personally, I believe it's because the name is apropos for a creature that digs holes in the ground, in search of its riches."

"Well, badgers also dig holes in the ground, and you haven't called your drill thingy a 'BADGR.'"

"Well, the name was already taken to refer to a bomber design back in the bad old days."

"You sure there's no elaborate backstory involving a treaty between an indigenous tribe and foreign emigrants forbidding the latter to hunt in the former's home grounds? And also something about the liberal application of glitter?" A glare from Carlisle. "Okay, shutting up now."

A sigh. "In any case, the name is not important, as the function it provides. Without ore, the base cannot refuel visiting craft, it cannot provide ore to the Lelani space station for on-orbit ISRU and refueling, or for return to Kerbin, for that matter; no Snacks! can be produced for the munbase, space station, or other craft, which means our kerbonauts starve without Kerbin-based resupply. The DAWG is the heart of the munbase, and the munbase is the heart of Phase Two of SunShooter. The development of the Shimmer NGLV was, in hindsight, prescient to the success of Munbase Maria."

"You're welcome, C," chorused Tess Kerman (Project DEMI, Deep Space Vessel-class design) and Courtney Kerman (Project ALY, autonomous/unkerballed vessel design and remote control), the self-appointed cheerleaders of the development by Wernher von Kerman of the Shimmer Next-Generation Launch Vehicle.

A wry eyebrow in response. A new slideshow flashed on the screen. "On to vehicles. The SPIKE Multipurpose Base Rover, you have seen launched earlier along with the Lelani into parking orbit around the Mun, serves as personnel transport, light Snacks! tanker, and general utility functions, with the use of its cargo bay and robotic arm. The Berryshine Propellant Tanker, well, I need not explain its duties. And neither the Macintosh Ore Tanker, obviously. Finally, the Crusader Ore Unkerballed Tanker (OUT), to shuttle such resources to the Lelani for processing."

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Flight Director Gene Kerman raised a question. "Uh, Carlisle? Why not just loft processed LFO instead of Ore?"

"Good question. The simple answer is because we all grew tired of trying to design a compact and efficient vehicle to tank LFO from the Mun. Our LMO fuel tanker designs became bloated and unwieldy to maneuver. Perhaps it would be much easier to loft fuel straight from Minmus, due to the lower gravity. When you come down to it, ore is simply a more compact load to deliver, and relatively easier to design a tanker around, than the equivalent load in fuel and oxidizer. The LFO capacity of the OUT is enough to lift the ore to the Lelani and return to Maria, depending on the base site and difficulty of rendezvousing with the orbital station.

"The intention is to launch the habitable base modules and the DAWG, and the pathfinder team to the Mun first. Once the components of Munbase Maria are established, we can then deliver the other components and the rest of the munbase crew complement."

Present day: Space sure has become a high-traffic zone with so many ships on the board.

Let's see.. there's 'Shooter XVI, Shooter XVI's Tonks and Ella plus their rovers, the four munbase modules thus far launched (DAWG alarm not set),

the space stations Lelani and Lilly,the returning SunShooter XIV, the ESME-01 on the Munar surface, plus the descent stages of XI and XII--

[Core i7 laptop processor fries an egg]

Another raised hand to draw Carlisle's attention. "Yes, Jeb?"

The Head of the Kerbonaut Corps, and all-around irascible pilot, was gravely concerned. And when Jeb was gravely concerned... "And just exactly how large is the munbase crew complement, C?"

"As we have envisioned it, two to three pilots, four engineers, and three scientists minimum, inclusive of the pathfinder crew. Not to mention a two to three kerbal complement to operate the Lelani... why do you ask?"

"And how do we get the crew to the Mun?"

"Well, the original plan with the EMA was that the crew would be on board the Celestia CSMs launched with the Luna EMA conversions..." and stunned silence followed. "... and we did not think this through, did we? Our original assumptions still revolved around the Celestia as the crew transport."

"Ten to twelve kerbals... that's four Celestias to launch. Four Sparkle V launches. We're throwing a lot of rockets out just to get a soccer team into TMI..." Jeb fell silent as he was greeted by the shocked expressions of the kerbals around the table. "What? I'm reckless, not stupid! I know the economic implications, even if we've been given a blank check."

"Well, it's my job to worry about the checks," Christina said. "James? Light crew transport is your brief."

A glitter in the light crew vessel designer's eyes. "Yes, well. For the pathfinder crew I propose what we call the 'Baby Celestia', or the Celie CSM. She's built with drone controls and smaller LFO tankage in the Service Module, considering she doesn't have to brake herself and a Luna MEM into LMO. That means less to throw away in the SM, and we can return an empty CM to Kerbin for reuse--or even throw it away completely if return isn't an option. But agreed, each Celie to the Mun still eats up one Sparkle V launcher, Project EVANNA is painfully aware of that. Kongressmen have threatened to turn my entire team over to the 2462 Office for lack of economy--as though those armchair economists know anything about economy!"

"Well, if you're to be taken there, we are all going with you," Christina assured.

"Uh, I'd like to keep my buttocks in one and wholly assembled piece," countered Joshua, "please and thank you."

"No need to worry, Christina," replied James. "We've been working on something... interesting ever since SunShooter XI. Though if Kongress were to hear of it..." He handed her and Gene each a sheet of paper. "If you would kindly, ma'am, Gene? An artist's impression?"

The stern look on Christina's face could have melted steel girders. "James P. Kerman. You've got some 'splainin' to do."

Next time: Gotta stay fly, gotta stay strong, (SP)Ace ready all day long!

Edited July 29, 2015 by B-STRK

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Applications Program Analogue by B-STRK

Interlude: Gotta Stay Fly

(No, Three 6 Mafia. Only Namco Bandai Games gets to sue my butt for this unauthorized use. And besides, you meant "Stay HIGH".)

"Showerthought - KSP will almost certainly accomplish what the space shuttle could not: convincing a generation of space enthusiasts that spaceplanes suck."

--Title of a thread on the KSP subreddit critical of the Space Shuttle, but willing to extend it to the very notion of spaceplanes

"Yeah... Ah don't see it, sugarcube. (You're better off justifying your position on the socio-economics of it, and narrowing the parameters of your argument, rather than KSP experience)"

--B-STRK's likely reply in disagreement to said thread, had he a Reddit account, moments after completing the mission on this post,

and seeing a lot of working VTHL and HTHL KSP spaceplane designs on Reddit and in this forum,

which kinda makes KSP the wrong mechanism for convincing others of the weaknesses of spaceplane designs.

Especially if your KSP Forum username is Wanderfound, inigma, Helldiver, and so on...

A little bit of Shuttle in my life, a little bit of Saturn by my side

A little bit of Buran is all I need, a little bit of Dreamchaser is what I see

A little bit of Dyna Soar in the sun, a little bit of ACRV all night long

A little bit of X-37 here I am, a little bit of you

(makes me susceptible to a C&D and lawsuit from Lautstark, BMG, and RCA for this Lou Bega lyrics parody)

"Luna Lovegood, Launch Control, SunShooter XVI has deconflicted from the orbital insertion corridor. You are five minutes from liftoff."

Jeb Kerman turned to his copilot Tanchell Kerman. "Okay, before Gene gets on the mic for the systems check, review the ascent procedures?"

The slightly nervous Tanchell did not turn to Jeb to reply, her terrified gaze fixed on the instruments. "50-power at pre-launch. Pitchover at one hundred mee's. Do not pass the VVI, do not pass two-point-twenty TWR. Plus-forty-five by angels ten, roll to upright at plus-thirty, do not pass three-point-zero TWR. Stage on empty, set full power, ignite OMS, boost Ap to test orbit 500 clicks, and maintain."

"Relax, Tanchell." He bopped her on the shoulder. "It'll be alright. Just another spaceship ride."

"Yeah, well they never take me out to fly the spaceship's test flight, Jeb. I'm not a test pilot. That's your job."

"That's right. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to share. Besides, Val's not here, and sooner or later, we gotta push you out of the nest." He turned to the back, where Flight Engineer Podvey Kerman and Test Flight Scientist Crisdolin Kerman sat. "Right, guys?"

"Uh, we're not pilots, and we like the nest, thank you very much," Podvey nervously replied. Jeb facepalmed.

"Just run through the prelaunch checklists before you chicken out of this flight."

I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine...

(Oh great, now Steppenwolf's lawyers are going to lawnmower my butt...

)

Christina Kerman: "James P. Kerman, you've got some 'splainin' to do."

Gene Kerman: "Didn't we cancel STS?"

James Kerman: "Yes, we cancelled the STS Program to focus on SunShooter. What wasn't cancelled was the Orbiter already constructed--which we decided was asking for too much capability, for too little gain, with too little resources. And we hadn't the approval for the ET-SRB launcher, being limited to Saturn and Nova-class hardware, and admittedly our engineers were not able to successfully piggy-back the Orbiter to a Sparkle V."

Christina: "Which was why we finally decided on 'No', James."

James: "I know. Too much, for too little, with too little. So... I chopped the payload requirement from the Orbiter and rebuilt her from there, to a better-than-expected result. That is the Cadenza High-Capacity Crew Shuttle. Flies with two, seats eighteen, goes up while stood on her buttocks, and flies back down lying on her belly, like expected of STS. And she will fly with Sparkle hardware--in fact, serially stacked rather than parallel, which simplifies so many things."

Carlisle Kerman: "And you managed to spring this on us unexpectedly... how?"

James: "After we terminated STS, and the idea came to me, I asked the STS team to check it out at KSC-2. They had been doing the computer simulations and operational tests there ever since XI. And since we already had the simulation data from STS to begin with, it wasn't exactly reinventing the wheel."

Christina: ":huh: You told me you had to 'let them go', James. You lied to me."

James: "'I do solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. Though they agreed to work without pay just to prove the concept right, Christina, you don't have to worry about the budget cuts to their salaries. They are hoping you will take them back after this."

Christina: "Alright. This is your STS team's audition. Impress us."

---

Keep rollin', rollin' rollin', rollin'!

(Aaaand now I expect a C&D from Limp Bizkit!)

Tanchell: "Executing roll command... Upright. Stick to neutral."

Jeb: "I have pitch. Continue pitch-down. Raise TWR limit to three."

Podvey: "Down to twenty percent fuel. Systems nominal, arming staging bolts. Poodle OMS on standby."

Jeb: "Just make sure we're at 2,000 mee's by the time we stage."

Crisdolin: "No worries about that, Jeb. We have over a thousand mee's left in the SIC."

James: "Taking out the cargo requirement was the key. It was what one of the commissioned STS studies suggested anyway, separating the passenger and cargo requirements into separate vehicles. Thus, we could fix the Cadenza's operational weight to a hard number."

"It also reduced the size and weight of the new orbiter which led to three benefits. One, a single Sparkle SIC stage is enough to put the Cadenza high and fast enough for orbital insertion, without the need for a kicker stage or an external tank. Two, given her Mk3 profile tankage and serial staging, with her Poodle OMS she'll give over fifteen hundred meters per second until she's dry."

Joshua Kerman: (Whistles)

James: "Finally, since we chopped off a lot of actual and expected weight from the cargo bay, associated wing area, thermal protection, extra engines, and so on, we found room to add a couple of Wheesly jets, with their own dedicated fuel tanks, twenty minutes worth at full throttle, to make the touchdown just that much safer."

Jeb: "I think I'm in love."

---

Tanchell: "Executing circularization burn... Aaaaaand shutdown. Crystal Palace, we're at five by five. Locking down for orbital checkout."

Jeb: "See? That wasn't so bad."

Crisdolin: "Yeah, going up is only half the problem anyway. It's coming back down that's the issue."

Jeb: "Guys, I know everyone can't be a BadS, but let's focus on the positives here!"

Tanchell: "Okay! I'll go first: I'm positively terrified of being in a prototype vehicle!"

Jeb: (facepalm again) "Okay... how about another positive?"

Podvey: "Well, I do like how the Cadenza's a lot roomier and more comfortable than the Celestia CM."

Jeb: "See? Now that's a positive!"

Podvey: "Makes it easier to scream in terror!"

Jeb: (facepalms harder)

---

As the second craft to bear the first Munar lander's illustrious name settled down for her orbital systems test, other events that needed Mission Control's attention happened in rapid succession.

Leevy Kerman: "And I'd like to thank B-STRK for guiding us to a gentle and panic-free landing! Apparently, 30km is also a good, and even gentler VPA!"

Samene Kerman: "Okay, I'm really worried about Leevy now."

Marliana Kerman: "I guess I haven't provided sufficient oxygen to the ESME's passenger cabin throughout the trip."

First, the triumphant munar circumnavigation crew of SunShooter XIV reentered and returned to Kerbin, pilot Samene Kerman and driver Marliana Kerman looking forward to kerra firma, standing still, and a comfortable vacation after a hectic and at-times harrowing journey... and systems engineer Leevy Kerman spouting running commentary about how cool that leg of their journey was, or how wonderful New Horizons and Nox Industrial parts were, or what the defects of Samene's and Marliana's respective MP3 playlists were... does she ever shut up?!

Second, the previously-launched munbase modules were inserted into orbit by Crystal Palace, their burns taking place in the dark of the Mun (which made for lousy documentary photographs, and a very disappointed Public Affairs Officer).

Sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight!

Valentina Kerman: "NO SUCH THING IS HAPPENING HERE RIGHT NOW! WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THE SCIENTIFIC TOOLS

TO EXPLORE THIS BASIN TO OUR DELIGHT! WHO DO WE HAVE TO SEND TO DANNY FOR THE APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT?!"

Third, on Minmus Valentina Kerman and Jormon Kerman relocated the MEM Ella from Jumper Base to the Greater Minmus Flat east of their original position, whereupon they cursed with words not fit to print in this post the lack of a Surface Analysis Module in the Evolved Luna... or leaving back in the Celestia CSM the Flight Engineer (Edpont Kerman) and his trusty screwdriver who could have uninstalled the instrument from one of their rovers and mounted it on the MEM. So, they settled for more soil samples. Gee, I wonder if those could be used to prospect for Ore on Minmus?

Not likely.

Linus Kerman (KSC Sciences Division/Associate Head, Launcher Development): "Fifteen hundred m/s in delta-V. That's enough to get her to the Mun."

James: "Not quite. On the SIC, depending on ascent efficiency the Cadenza'll have to spend up to 500 more m/s to ascend and circularize at a decent orbit. Operationally, that leaves somewhere in the range of 800-1,100 m/s for a wide range of orbital operations, though. But... (appropriate dramatic pause) if you give her the SII stage, she'll give you the Mun and back.

Carlisle: "Felipe have mercy... you're telling us that you've given us an 18-kerbal surface-launched Mun passenger ferry?"

---

Jeb: "Crystal Palace, Luna Lovegood. VPA set for 20 clicks, burn node adjusted for Trajectories prediction for KSC landing, approaching burn node." (turns to the shuttle crew) "Strap in, kerbals. It's showtime."

Podvey: "Okay, time to test out the Mk3 cockpit's acoustics again." (deep breath)

Jeb: "Crystal Palace, can we add earplugs to the Mission Essential Items list for the next flight?"

James: "One more bonus. We've had to modify the SIC and SII to handle the aerodynamic loads of the Cadenza on ascent. Thanks to that, however... at the very least, with the right ascent profile, we can make the SII stage recoverable."

Courtney Kerman: (stands up, makes a dramatic stage exit) "Okay, he wins at life, I'm out of here..."

James: "And with a little extra research time, maybe even the SIC."

Tess Kerman: "Look out, we have a BadS over here."

---

It's been a long road, getting from there to here...

(No. Just, no. Although I actually liked Enterprise a bit. Just a bit. Not really a hater.

But save the song for the closing credits, will ya?)

Jeb: "Crystal Palace, we are at 40 degree AoA, rapidly bleeding speed. We are at one thousand meters per second, and we're not even at the thicker part of the atmosphere yet."

Podvey: "I guess reentry wasn't horrible after all."

CAPCOM: "Well, you know what they say, Pod. Landing's the most dangerous part of any flight."

Podvey, Tanchell, and Crisdolin: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Jeb: (facepalms so hard it broke the sound barrier) "DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT, CAPCOM?!"

Carlisle: "There must be some flaw, James. Nobody's perfect."

James: "Yes. There is one flaw. Reentry at cismunar return velocities is at the Cadenza's thermal limits. Even with the weather report at 1.0.2 bar, you're looking at the thermal limit on the more exposed portions of the airframe, particularly the jet engine pods. And since we do not have the option of automated thermal control-flight profile management, ever since MechJeb went kerbicidal, we must turn to a sharp pilot to manage the interaction between drag, speed, and reentry heat."

Jeb: "Well, I'm still happy with this vessel. You have my vote, James."

Bob Kerman: "You'd say that of any vessel you'd pilot, Jeb."

Jeb: "Well, especially this vessel. She's a pilot's craft, true and true."

---

Jeb: "Approaching touchdown. Podvey, dump the LFO tank."

Podvey: (flips the fuel bleed valve switch) "Okay, okay, okay, okay..."

Jeb: "And breathe."

Podvey: "Okay, okay, okay, okay..."

Jeb: "Crisdolin, slap him out of hyperventilation."

Crisdolin: "Okay, okay, okay, okay!"

SLAP!

Jeb: "Calm now, Podvey? Now do the same for Cris. I think she's about to pass out."

---

Jeb: "Jets are online. Lining the Luna up for landing. Tanchell, she's all yours."

Tanchell: ":confused: WHAT?"

Jeb: "It's just like landing the T-Bone (T-80NE trainer aircraft). You just need to lead the throttle since we're carrying more weight, but she's nearly 1 TWR at full throttle. You've got a wide safety margin. You can do it."

Tanchell: "In the dark?"

Jeb: "Buck up and get us down, pilot!"

James: "Just to play the devil's advocate, not that I'd agree with them, but some would say that capsules would be far easier, a more elegant solution, and safer to use."

Jeb: "They would say that, Jimmy. And they may have their point. Well, (a) they're not me. ( I don't see them coming up with an eighteen-pax cismunar transport. © Until we choose to acquire R&S' Taurus capsule, we don't have a capsule that can Candenza, and even then, the Taurus'll only do six to seven pax. And (d), they still are not me. Or the pilots of this Program, either. Or the engineers who'll work out the kinks. All Candenza's got to do is bring a lot of kerbals from Kerbin to Mun and back. And if you say she works well enough, then I say she's fit for duty."

Christina: "Well, you can't say that until you test her."

Jeb: "Yeah. And so we test her. After we send the first munbase components to the Mun, we launch her. When she checks out, it'll be in time to send the base crew to the Mun."

Christina: "Fine. You get one SIC for an LKO test. Jeb, James, don't disappoint me."

---

She calls out the farther that I fly,

I love that sound so give me one more line,

And from the sky she pulled me down tonight...

(Yeah, "Rough Landing, Holly" isn't the right song for this scene. Also, Yellowcard's lawyers)

"And we're down!" announced Jeb as the Luna Lovegood coasted to a stop. "Okay, maybe we're way right of the centerline, but not bad for your first time as a test pilot, Tanch'!" He bopped her on the shoulder.

"Okay," Tanchell shakily replied. "Another hundred of those and maybe I can get used to this." Jeb keyed his mic.

"So, Your Highness, you there?" Perhaps the entire program called Director Christina Kerman that behind her back. Only the orange-suits could call her that directly to her face. Most ascribed it to Jeb, Bill, Bob, and Val being such hotshot kerbonauts Christina had no choice but to tolerate their lip. Only Jeb, Bill, Bob, Val, and Chris knew the reason why. "Disappointed?"

In the Mission Control Center only a few hundred meters away, Christina allowed a small smile on her face, as James Kerman jumped all over the place in glee and the Mission Control crew cheered. "Not at all, Jeb. Not at all."

---

Next time: Hammers and nails on the Mun.

Edited July 31, 2015 by B-STRK

[B-STRK]

The SunShooter Program

An Apollo Program analogue by B-STRK

Chapter XI: Bill and Ed's Excellent Adventure

(DISCLAIMER: not actually excellent. Also, Rodsy's along for the ride.)

The STN Lelani Mayolanifavich serves as the waystation for kerbonauts in transit between Kerbin and the Mun.

It is also well-stocked with barf bags for Mun-bound kerbals of timorous construction.

"Crystal Palace," Bill solemnly radioed, "we have a couple of problems."

Back on Kerbin, in Mission Control, Flight Director Gene Kerman palmed his face as Bill's announcement brought the post-Cadenza test flight celebration to a halt. "Did he just say a couple?" He gestured at the Capsule Communicator, who quickly returned to his post.

"What's the sitch, Bill?" the CAPCOM radioed back.

"We just ran diagnostics on the DAWG. We're getting telemetry back--but from the Sunset's antenna. Meaning--"

"Meaning the DAWG's antenna is broke or not there," concluded the GNC along with Bill, who had the responsibility of plotting the orbital drops of the MunBASE Maria modules. "And how are we supposed to remote-drop the DAWG now? Carlisle?"

The munbase module designer allotted himself a pensive minute, as everyone awaited his reply. "The control room for the DAWG is a repurposed Mk2 lander can. In the repurposing I did not, however, delete the flight control systems, believing that controlling and stabilizing the module's attitude could still be an important contingency during surface resource operations. The DAWG can be piloted to the munar surface, I believe."

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted pilot Rodsy Kerman, who was the pilot for the munar base pathfinder team. "I heard that over the radio. So you're saying you want me to get in that beast, and ride in it all the way to the ground?"

"It'll be fine," assured Bill next to him. "It's just like landing the Munar Excursion Module."

"The MEM didn't weigh a hundred tons!" countered Rodsy. "Piled on top of it!"

"How about we install an antenna instead?" offered the INCO flight controller. CAPCOM relayed it to the STN Lelani.

"Yeah, about that, the other problem. The... tool bag... er, must have... ripped... away," Bill hesitantly replied.

This earned another facepalm from Gene. "He forgot to pack his bags, didn't he?" He turned to a mission planner. "Get a CARE Package on the pad, right now." To Carlisle he asked, "Can you assure the DAWG will drop safely with a kerbal on board?"

Sending a CARE Package (using the Sparkle IB launcher) to the Mun is like a mother sending you your packed lunch because you forgot it at home.

Along with a change of clean underwear. Delivered right in front of your classmates. And your crush.

Remember to thoroughly pack your bags to be spared the embarrasment, kerbals.

"The simulations say yes. The SpaceY landing legs are mounted on the LFO tank, and the control cabin suspended underneath it. All the weight on landing will be taken by the legs. So as long as his aim is true, Rodsy will be safe."

"Alright. We do this fast, but we do this thoroughly. CAPCOM, tell Bill and Ed to drop in the RMEM and mark the drop zone. Rodsy transfers over to the DAWG with the Celie, then manually drops it to the ground. After which, we return to our regularly scheduled mission plan for the rest of the base. When the CARE Package comes in, we drop it straight to Bill on the ground. He and Ed will need those tools to work. Controllers, I want you to feed Rodsy with everything he needs to safely pilot the DAWG down. I do not even want him peeing his pants when we are through. Celebration is over, kerbals. Let's get back to work."

---

With such extensive activities occurring on and above the Mun, and equally voluminous documentation, the KSP PAO has elected to deliver a condensed narration of the work that Bill, Edpont, and Rodsy undertook to establish SunShooter's first extraplanetary surface base...

Javascript is disabled. View full album

---

And with that, expedition leader Bill called it good enough for government work, and he and his team settled in the Workshop to await the other base modules and, more importantly, the crew to bring the place to life. But it was a munbase, true and true, ticking off yet another mandate from KSP-SunShooter's charter.

Meanwhile, Bill Kerman's mother penned in her agenda a small notation: "Spank Bill until his buttocks are as red as cherries for forgetting to pack his bags before going on a field trip."

You might want to stay up there for some time, Bill. You're in for quite a scolding.

---

Next time: either getting SunShooter XV home from Minmus, or getting the crew shuttle to the mun.

Why not both?

Credits: Geschosskopf [thread=126995]for an informative resource base tutorial[/thread], and Universal Storage again for swooping in when solar panels fear to tread (blame Edpont).

[Geschosskopf]

Cool project and some pretty nifty designs. I'm going to steal your Cadenza idea someday, I know .

Are your base modules outside of physics range with each other? I frequently do that whenever possible to reduce lag from massive numbers of parts in 1 place. Besides, then I have an excuse to make a lot of silly little rovers so Kerbals can get from module to module.

And tbanks for the props on my prospecting tutorial. I was thinking nobody liked it (only 1 star )

[B-STRK]

Yep, they're all in physics range with one another. The DAWG is about a kilometer from the main base components, with the Logistics module in between. Which wasn't a problem in the last base drop evolution, but just became one now when I dropped Part II of the base components (FPS drop to 25). I actually thought about spreading the base out, but the slope goes into >5 and the double digits for most of the terrain 2 kilometers out, and doesn't get better until after 5km. Although I do have the SPIKE for crew transport duties--and I did drive the terrain with the ESME in the Elcano challenge, so I know the commute isn't that bad. I guess I got lulled by the smooth FPS in the initial drop to just leave the modules where they dropped.

If it gets annoying, though, I found inspiration either from here or in the KSP Reddit group on how to move the modules to a new location. But so far, all the components I need are on the ground (subject of upcoming post), and the framerate is still at 25 (about two sec. of real time for one sec. of game) and the RAM monitor hadn't triggered, so I can live with it for now.

Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask, it's something I haven't figured out: is the physics range on the surface of an airless body the same as in space? Or is it like on Kerbin--in which case, it's going to be one hell of a commute! (I wonder if the same is true, for example, on Duna, Eve, and Laythe.)

And do steal away the Cadenza, as you please! Although I must be honest, it's inspired by a Reddit KSP submission that built a shuttle around only one engine (http://imgur.com/a/Kb3xk) ; I thought of that + Dreamchaser to get to the Cadenza (and make it fit the parameters of the Apollo 1.0 challenge, plus make it easier to build around and launch).

Oh, and as for the rating of your Paydirt! tutorial, I fixed it! (I really can't believe whoever one-starred it. The only other 1.0 resource tutorial I found was the one posted in Steam, but it didn't include the idea that the NBS worked on the ground as well as in orbit, or SCANsat integration, or putting it all together, which I got from looking at your and Kuzzter's respective missions. Hence, why I turned a base utility rover into a ghetto ore scanner, because I launched my Elcano vehicle before I learned that NBS can be used on the ground.)

[Geschosskopf]

If it gets annoying, though, I found inspiration either from here or in the KSP Reddit group on how to move the modules to a new location. But so far, all the components I need are on the ground (subject of upcoming post), and the framerate is still at 25 (about two sec. of real time for one sec. of game) and the RAM monitor hadn't triggered, so I can live with it for now.

Let's hope it continues to work. Sounds like there's really no good places in the vicinity.

Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask, it's something I haven't figured out: is the physics range on the surface of an airless body the same as in space? Or is it like on Kerbin--in which case, it's going to be one hell of a commute! (I wonder if the same is true, for example, on Duna, Eve, and Laythe.)

I believe physics range is still 2.3km in all cases, atmospheric or in vacuum, unless both vessels are flying in an atmosphere, in which case it's 23km. That change was made so that boosters dropped early in a launch could fall on and destroy parts of KSC---er, I mean, so you could recover them . But if both things are on the ground, or both in space, then it's still 2.3km. I think. There was a discussion on this in the general forum like the day after 1.0 came out.

And do steal away the Cadenza

OK . Thanks.

Oh, and as for the rating of your Paydirt! tutorial, I fixed it! (I really can't believe whoever one-starred it. The only other 1.0 resource tutorial I found was the one posted in Steam, but it didn't include the idea that the NBS worked on the ground as well as in orbit, or SCANsat integration, or putting it all together, which I got from looking at your and Kuzzter's respective missions. Hence, why I turned a base utility rover into a ghetto ore scanner, because I launched my Elcano vehicle before I learned that NBS can be used on the ground.)

Thanks for that glowing review . And glad you found it helpful.