Single Launch Land & Return from Slate (Pic Heavy)

[nsgallup]

After many, many failed attempts I finally have a reliable (if massively over engineered) rocket which could pretty much take me anywhere. My goal was a return from Slate, a large moon of Sarnus included in the OPM mod, the only Sarnusean moon I have not done a manned landing on. There was much auto-loading this day.

The Hades I rocket only cost over half of my entire accumulation of credits so far..

My Rocket uses parts from the Space Y heavy lifter pack and weighs in at 5,500t, has an initial thrust of 131.4MN, and has around 16,000 m/s of delta V. My frame rate was not the greatest for orbital insertion.

Dropping liquid fuel boosters

Circularizing (this is kinda a placeholder pic, the final craft had a larger engine and fuel tanks in the transfer stage, but I forgot to take close ups of it)

Val does some final checks as the craft enters Sarnus orbit.

Retro-burning gives me a lucky easy encounter with slate

I used the remainder of my transfer stage to help land (placeholder pic again, old wimpy transfer stage)

I didn't get pics of the lander approaching the surface because I was very focused with the nail biting suicide burn (which i failed about 5 times), and with the high gravity I would tip over if there was any slope.

Saying goodbye.. Val mutters something about never coming back here.

Leaving the beautiful gas giant behind, note the RTG as solar panels are useless at this distance.

Reentry from the OPM bodies is always extra hot and scary, hitting around 5km/s in atmosphere.

Though a little singed, Val is glad to be home.

This was the hardest mission I have done to date with the possible exception of Eve, though I have not yet gone to Eve with the new atmosphere.

Next up, a manned mission to at least two moons of Urlum.

Edited July 18, 2015 by nsgallup

[Bev7787]

NASA flag overkill on first picture

[nsgallup]

Lol now that you mention it.. There is a lot of NASA

[Diddly Feelerino]

Nicely done sir!

[Geschosskopf]

Monster ship .

I take it Slate is like Tylo only worse? How much gravity there?

[nsgallup]

Monster ship .

I take it Slate is like Tylo only worse? How much gravity there?

Slate requires a very similar lander to tylo, it just is harder to push something all the way out to sarnus

I think I can do a landing much more efficiently now that I've had some experience with tylo landers, as at the time of this mission I had not yet landed there.