Doomsday Ahead - Will Kerbalkind be Rescued ? (Story with Pictures)

[DocMoriarty]

Doomsday Ahead - Will Kerbalkind be Rescued ?

(Story with Pictures)

This day started like any other day ... more or less ... as chaotic as usual.

Bill and Bob were together with Brooke in S2 Cudgel Station orbiting Kerbin. They were preparing the station for departure to Eve and just waiting for two more krew members to complete the krew. Their mission goal was to set up and run an initial outpost and research as much as they can in orbit around Eve and Gilly. All were struggling with not eating up all snacks before the mission actually begins.

Bob the scientist did a routine check of the sky when suddenly the computer automatically calculating the trajectory of surveyed celestial bodies gave alarm ... trajectory for asteroid TCE-640 obviously showed that it was right on collision course with Kerbin!

---

Bob immediately gave GREEN ALERT and informed KSC, not without searching a snack first - you need to set priorities!

---

Bob: Oh my kawd! I wish Jeb would be with us now

Bill: Sigh yeah, too bad he and Val had to die in the early days of our agency!

Brooke (Kerman, not Shields): Who is Jeb?

Bill: I'll immediately start working with the guys down at KSC on a solution

---

Bill is contacting Gene at KSC to discuss the situation in a kerbalcom conference together with Bob and other important Kerbals down at KSC.

Gene: We have quite a bit of stuff in orbit. There is Marge 00-01, an asteroid mining barge, but it's not powered up and lacking fuel. We had no time to refuel it yet.

Gene: And there is Marge 01-02, but Caricca is currently doing a mission to bring a B-class asteroid into orbit around Minmus with it. Thats too far away to get it back to Kerbin on time.

Bill: So we have no ship nearby that might be able to intercept the asteroid? How long will it take the asteroid to hit Kerbin?

Bob: I fear it will only be like 5 or 6 days, hard to tell exactly yet. The estimated size is 18 meters radius and a weight of around 1900 tons.

Bill: So no time to prepare the mining barge, refueling from Minmus takes way to long, especially considering the amount of fuel this barge needs. Why is the barge not powered up and refueled anyway?

Gene: Well, this barge is a tad large, so it's not launched via a rocket. It launches more like an SSTO just with boosters. That means it's dry in orbit around Kerbin and needs to get refueled before it can actually start working ...

Bill: So we need another solution and launching another barge would not help

Gene: I fear so, yes, we need to talk to Linus and Gus engineers over at the research facility.

Linus: We are listening anyway, this is a conference circuit!

Gus: Well whenever you guys have something I can slap together let me know, I'll start right away

Walt: Heh not so fast guys, shouldn't we tell something to the public?

Bob: NO! Not yet.

Linus: Bob is right, we shouldn't go public yet as long as we don't know what can or can't be done. And if we can't do anything, it's probably better anyway if public doesn't know about it!

Brooke: OMK, all the top drawer Kerbals in one conference!

---

Linus immediately starts to work on a new asteroid interceptor together with other guys at KSC and with Bill's help as most experienced engineer. Not long and they come up with the Predator concept ...

The ship has lots of fuel and lots of nukes to make lots of use of lots of fuel. It's supposed to be able to intercept the asteroid and hopefully to change the asteroids course. As usual in Kerbalverse, ships are more or less created in an instant. Actually Gus Kerman is the specialist to make such things happen. So first tests of the concept on the starting ramp began more or less immediately.

There was only one little backdraw to this: The ship has a take off weight 211 tons and it needs to be brought into orbit with full tanks! And in ONE piece! It also comes with a price tag of more than 280,000.- funds.

Bill: Thanks guys, but guess we need to make more overhours ... we don't have a rocket strong enough to launch this thing even five millimeters off the ground ...

So they continue to work until they had a solution. The engineers strictly followed the first design rule - known as 'Moar Boosters' - and came up with the Thor rocket. Now the total assembly takes shape and finally can be tested on the launch pad.

Brooke: Awesome!

Bob: Dang, lets hope this thing will actually take off

Bill: At least we could set her on the launch pad without her collapsing right away ...

Mortimer: Guys ... look at the price tag - nearly 600,000.- funds. I hate to break it to ya's but we only have 1,700,000.- funds right now!

Bill: You are an old party-pooper, Mortimer! So we gotta make sure this thing flies at the first attempt

---

The inevitable happened and the launch was prepared, not without lots of Kerbals praying and searching snacks and stuff. After finishing launch preparations the thing took ... well ... not really off ... A huge cloud shrouds the launchpad while the Predator - Thor assembly disassembles in a fireball on the launch pad.

Bill: Doh!

Bob: Doh!

Brooke: Doh!

Gene: Doh!

Mortimer: Ouch!

Linus: Doh!

- Silence -

- Moar Silence -

Bill woke up first from the shock and searched a snack. You know - priorities.

Bill: Doh! I think I know what was happening. The logs tell that there was a structural failure between one of the radial attachment thingamabobs and a booster. Which let the whole assembly collapse like a house of cards.

So Linus, Bill and the other engineers and scientists from KSC start work on refining the model ... silently admitting they were totally ignoring the 2nd most important rule of Kerbal construction - 'Moar Struts' ! After adding in a s...load of more struts they were finally set to launch Predator again. So Gus took his turn and tinkered the final model after the guys new blueprints.

Mortimer: Well the first launch cost us nearly 700,000.- funds including repair of the launch pad. So we are down to 1,000,000.- and so this is our last chance ...

Bill: We were now following strictly the 2nd law of construction, it will work!

Brooke: Awesome!

Bob: ...

Gene: Let's hope it'll work. Would be a nice new ship for us in the control center. I mean aside of the rescue of Kerbalkind that is. mhm.

---

The new assembly took off ... and against all odds this huge thing did not disassemble again. Instead it launched straight up into the sky.

After an unusual gravity turn to the North ...

... Predator finally established a polar orbit.

Mortimer: Now the taxpayer can kiss another 700,000.- funds good bye. Oh and the launch pad was damaged again ...

Bill: That'll be a cheap price for rescueing Kerbalkind from desaster tho ...

Brooke: Doh!

Bob: I need to work on details for the interception now that we have this thing up in the sky.

---

The asteroid entered the Kerbin system on a trajectory with nearly 90° inclination, so the polar orbit was just a preparation for the intercept course to avoid wasting too much fuel for getting inclination right. After several tries and snacks and stuff they finally could set an interception course for the asteroid and guide the vessel remote controlled to it's destination.

After two days of waiting and praying and snacks and stuff, mixed in with course corrections, fingernail biting etc. ...

Predator arrives near the asteroid

Bob: We did it! There is our boogey! Just 10 km away ... setting nukes on afterburners tho, speed difference is higher than I expected ...

Bill: Wish we could have added bigger engines but that would have meant more weight for oxigen, less effective thrust. And we need as much dv as possible for changing it's course.

Manouvering continues ...

... until the ship is docks with it's clamp to the asteroid.

Bob: Wish we could have intercepted the asteroid earlier, it's already rather close to Kerbin!

Bill: Glad we made it at all.

Brooke: Awesome!

Mortimer: We still have 300,000.- to spend!

Gene: Yay and we got a nice new ship in orbit now, adding to our fleet ...

Bill: Now we need to begin changing it's course ... or it'll soon crash into Kerbin ...

---

Bob: Working on a course ... omg whats that, can't plan a node??? ... Guess we gotta do that manually then ...

Gene: We don't have control over nodes too from here in control center. Something must be bugged!

Bob nervously fiddles around with the remote control and tries to get the ship and asteroid to a heading that points away from Kerbin. But all he gets at the moment is at least pointing it somewhat prograde.

Bob: KSC we have a problem!

Gene: Yes? I know! We have the same problem.

Bill: What?

Brooke: Doh!

Bob: Can't really control the ship and can't plan manouver nodes! As soon as i start burning the whole thing starts to spin uncontrollably.

Bill: We made it that far and now we can't do anything?

Bob: Well, trying to burn whenever it makes sense while it's spinning for now ...

Bob continues to nervously fiddle around with controls ...

---

Bob works hard, sweating in his space suit while sitting in Cudgel Station remote controlling the Predator. Kerbin is closing in faster and faster as orbital speed increases. It more and more gets obvious that this isn't gonna work. Kerbin comes in closer and closer and finally the point is reached, where the Predator needs to disconnect from the asteroid to save at least it's own rear end.

Bob: I did what I could but the asteroid is still on it's course. It'll crash right into the desert! I can't help it. Sorry! I will try to save Predator tho, we might need all ships we have in the future. No idea what will happen to Kerbin when this thing impacts and whether any Kerbals will survive that at all or KSC

Gene: Doom! (starts looking for cover)

Bill: Doh!

Brooke: Awes .. I mean Doh! (starts to cry)

Bill: You did your best! It's not your fault. We had to slap together the technology in no time. More time and we might have succeeded. And more time to intercept and change course.

Walt: Ummm, now I'm kinda glad we didn't go public! Would be hard to have to admit we failed horribly!

- Silence -

Bunkers below KSC start to fill with Kerbals. Despite the impending doom there is pretty much a party ambience. Some even thought about bringing snacks and stuff.

---

Predator managed to change her course though and got into an orbit around Kerbin. For whatever this is good.

And once again something inevitable happens this day. The asteroid is still well on it's course and closes in on Kerbin.

... closer ...

... and even closer ...

Lots of kerbals holding their breath, searching snacks and even praying and stuff ...

... and ...

It finally impacts!

---

Brooke: WHOA!

Bill: WHOA!

Bob: WHOA!

Gene: WHOA!

Bill: What was that?

Bob: It seems the kawds of Kerbalverse saved us! The asteroid ... simply vanished into the ground. I can't believe it! It simply vanished, no explosions, no crater no nothing.

Bill: Thank kawd!

Gene: A well guys, we still have 300,000.- funds to spend. Any ideas? The control center needs moar ships!

Brooke wipes her tears off. Bill starts searching for a snack, priorities et al.

Linus: We still alive?

Gus: WHOA!

Walt: Doh!

Mortimer: Heh down to 300,000.- funds? Don't you guys think we should start working on some cash missions?

Bob: Mortimer, you are an old party-pooper!

- The End -

Edited August 28, 2015 by DocMoriarty

[Mister Dilsby]

Well, the mission was an unmitigated disaster--but the report was excellent!

When dealing with big rocks especially 1900 ton monsters I think it's always better to PULL than PUSH. Though with the asteroid that close even my Kranefly might have had trouble shifting it in time. Anyway, better luck next time and a good thing it didn't land on your launch pad with you so short of funds to repair it

[DocMoriarty]

Epilogue: A New Concept

A few days after the potential wipe of Kerbalkind, which didn't take place thanks to the kawds of Kerbalverse, Linus and Bob start a new kerbalcom conference.

Bob: We got incredible lucky the other day I think. I still tremble with fear thinking about what could have happened when the E-class asteroid would have impacted on Kerbin instead of just vanishing into the void after going through Kerbins surface.

Linus: We can't rely on the kawds of Kerbalverse always helping us. We need a more reliable solution.

(If the kawds would be listening this would be the right time for a little earthquake or something, just to show off their presence, but they are probably just off searching snacks or something and stuff).

Bill: By the way, what did you do with the Predator after the failed intercept?

Bob: I could manage to dock her via remote control to S1 Kepler Station around Kerbin. Getting it from polar to equatorial orbit took all the remaining fuel. Made it with like 300 units of 27000 left to the station. There it's waiting for being refueled right now. Makes Kepler Station look a bit tiny.

Gene: Yeah we are servicing the ship there from control center.

Linus: A rocket scientist named Kuzzter (Kerman?) contacted me yesterday. Anyone know him?

Bob: No?

Bill: Nope.

Gene: Never heard of him?

Mortimer: Did he offer money or something?

Brooke: No never seen a guy named Kuzzter or so. Is he a nice guy?

Bob: Geez Brooke get out of the line, this is a conference of the big dudes, not the average Joebob's!

Brooke: sigh

Linus: He offered advice how to handle the really big asteroids. To make it short, he said that they are better PULLED than PUSHED.

Bill: OMK, why didn't *I* think about that! Of course, it's so easy. At least that solves part of the problems we had with controlling the asteroid.

Bob: Good idea, sounds like we could try that next time. But logs of the flight which have been evaluated meanwhile also show the navigation computer had a problem. After docking to the asteroid, the asteroid was still selected as target, despite it was now part of the ship. That made the navigation computer want to bite into the ships tail, kinda, and thus the spinning. And we didn't notice! At least part of the problem. And of course missalignment of ship and the asteroid's COM.

Brooke: Doh!

Bill: Get outta here, Brooke, dammit!

Bob: I noticed this after undocking from the asteroid short before it crashed -not- into Kerbin. And then suddenly the navigation computer was out of control totally. None of it's programs worked anymore, no prograde, retrograde, manouver, and so on forth etc. pp.

Linus: That flight really sucked! Probably the kawds of Kerbalverse wanted to teach us a lesson or something.

Bill searching for a snack.

Linus: Anyway, Bill when we can have your full attention would be nice if you could help us work on a new asteroid interceptor design that can deal with these big dudes!

---

After a couple snacks and stuff they start seriously working on a new asteroid interceptor concept. The key element of the new design will be, that it will pull and not push the asteroid. Another design goal is to add in tremendous thrust, even more than the Marge-class asteroid miners have. Not to mention fuel. Moar fuel is always better, as long as there is enough thrust to shove it around.

Finally the first blueprints of the new design are ready and this is where Gus comes into play.

Linus: Hey Gus, we have the new design ready for testing ... would you please ...

Gus: On my way! I'll have it up in an instant on the launchpad!

Mortimer: Ummm guys, did you look at the price tag for this one? This is nearly 500,000.-! I mean yeah, we made some cash during the past few days but thats no reason to throw it out of the window with both hands and stuff!

Bob: Mortimer, you are an old party-pooper!

Gene: No risk no fun!

---

Gus works hard and in an instant the new design stands on the launch pad.

Gene: Wow! Another nice addition to our fleet! Looks like four rockets around a small one in the middle.

Linus: We call this design Raider-class asteroid interceptor. The middle rocket has a clamp and mining stuff on it's butt while the four surrounding rockets are mainly fuel store and incredible thrust. Also the four side rockets are far away from center so that their rocket jets don't hit the asteroid when it's pulled.

Gene: Let's launch it. Looks good to me. Hope you added enough struts?

Bob: Of course. Never violate the 2nd law of rocket construction: moar struts!

Someone in the control center hits the green button with the label 'Don't hit this Button' on it and the Raider 00-01 takes off.

At first it flies unexpectedly well. Good controllable and all. But after a while it gets obvious, that it doesn't have enough fuel to reach orbit.

Gene: We can't get to orbit! Not enough fuel!

Bob: OMK, there is a 3rd rule that we might have violated?

Gene: Which one?

Linus: The 3rd rule is: moar fuel!

Mortimer: And the taxpayer can kiss another 500,000.- funds good bye!

Brooke: He is a party-pooper!

Bill: Brooke!

While they still talk about this fail, the inevitable happens and Raider 00-01 plunges down into the sea.

Linus: Guess we gotta refine our concept.

---

Linus, Bob and Bill go back to work on improving the concept. They add a little of this, a little of that, fight about details, eat snacks and tell Brooke to steer klear from the conference circuit. After a while, they come up with the concept for Raider 01. Raider 01 has more fuel, basically. Mostly more LF+OX, less LF only since that was the problem. And some other improvements. When they are done with drawing the blueprints, Gus comes into play and creates the rocket.

Gus: It's on the launch pad!

Gene: Great! Lets launch it!

Mortimer: OMK, this is even moar than 500,000.- funds! You guys are insane!

Bill: ...

Gene: 10-9- ... -3-2-1

Gene: And we have liftoff!

What follows are insane 15 minutes while mission control fights to get this newest contraption into orbit. A rollercoaster ride is peanuts compared. At first they get an AP of 109 km, but running out of oxidizer. That means the 10 nukes have to burn it into the final orbit and that will be a bit tricky regarding the sheer weight of this vessel. Burning the nukes like mad and dropping down to 52km before they finally get a positive rate of climb again. They make it into orbit with some LF left.

Gene: (still trembling, wet hands) Whew!

Linus: Good job!

Bill: Wow that was a flight!

Bob: OMK, just think we have to do that again under the pressure of a real asteroid threatening Kerbin again!

Linus: Maybe you are right, we can't just leave it at that.

Mortimer: Oh oh!

Gene: Well even if you don't like that ship, but it's now in orbit and we can use it, once it is refueled.

---

So Linus, Bob, Bill and the rest of the engineers and scientists at KSC return to their construction boards and work on improving the design. The main problem seemed to be that they didn't have enough conventional rocket thrust after dropping the solid fuel boosters. So they had to add in better engines. But better engines mean also the 3rd rule, moar fuel, needs to be satisfied. There is nothing in between a KR-2L+ (2000kn) and a S3 KS-25x4 (4000kn). But they didn't have enough thrust and adding more conventional engines like 2xMainsail would just require even moar parts. Considering the 4th rule of rocket building is 'less parts', that was not an option. So they finally decided to swap out the two KR-2L+ for two S3 KS-25x4. Of course with the new engines they needed some extra fuel. It was best, to add it to the center rocket, since that was still the smallest of them all. They added plenty of fuel! Even the nukes got moar fuel in their side rockets.

Linus: Finally finished design. Wow look at the stats ...

Bill: Nice! OMK, nearly 1300 tons take off weight! and 280 parts or so. 900 tons without the solid fuel boosters, wet.

Bill takes a closer look at the final stats, which are pretty overwhelming taking into consideration that this is just one vessel (except for the solid fuel boosters).

Gus: That definitly is the biggest and heaviest single vessel we ever built!

Mortimer: You guys are aware that this thing will cost the tax payer 596,000.- funds, right ?

Bob: Yeah, but when another doomsday asteroid crosses our orbit we can make the taxpayer continue to pay taxes with it, otherwise the taxpayer wouldn't be able to pay anymore taxes if the kawds of Kerbalverse don't help us again!

Mortimer: Guess thats right. Ok so be it, here's your money.

Gus: Going right to work, be right back.

Bob: I need a snack.

---

Gus works hard as usual and sets the new design, official name Raider 31-02, in an instant on the launch pad. As the ship stands on the launch pad, the account meter shows something like 538,000.- funds left to burn.

Mortimer: Guys, don't mess this one up. We have only little funds remaining after this launch. Need to go back to work on missions and stuff. NOW!

Bill: Yeah, yeah! ...

Gene: Well lets see how she flies.

Linus: Man the center rocket got tall now! Always interesting to watch the evolution of designs ... it was so small in the first concept and now it's the tallest part of the ship.

Bob: Hit the button already!

Gene: 10-9-...-3-2-1 (pushes the button)

Gene: And we have liftoff!

Bill: I really like it having the cupola. This time we didn't use that cheapo lander can as usual for it's low weight. Whoever flies it will be happy to work in a cupola!

Bob: I love the sound of 20 boosters roaring together with two S3's!

Gene: Flies like a charm so far. It really feels like flying a small rocket like in the first days, very controllable. These two S3's were really worth it so far. Actually had to reduce thrust for liquid fuel engines to 1/3 or it would get too fast below 10km.

- Silence - while everyone is watching the ascending behemoth.

Gene: Stage 2 engaged, boosters dropping. Pushing throttle to 100 percent now.

Thunder rolls through the skies above KSC as the two S3's start working at full thrust. Something else goes through the skies too though, 20 boosters dropping down to the ground! At 15km Gene ignites the 12 nuclear engines. Their sound joins into the already tremendous concert over KSC after a few seconds.

Gene: Nukes engaged, at this height they already have most of their ISP.

Gene continues to control the vessel. As it reaches 70km he switches off S3's. Only the nukes are still working on the final insertion into orbit. Just to save fuel.

Gene: Finally - stable orbit!

Linus: Ah great! What a success. And only 3 attempts and just like 1,500,000.- funds burned on this one!

Bob: Average. But yeah, this is a great achievment for Kerbalkind et all.

Bill: I guess now we are really set if another doomsday asteroid comes our way.

Gene: The ship still has 19000 LF and like 900 OX. LF is enough to fly it to Minmus I guess for refuelling.

Bob: One thing needs to be decided though: We need an engineer to pilot this thing, they are most effective at operating the mining stuff. Flying itself isn't a problem with our newest version of RCU's.

Bill: I'd actually like to fly it myself, but I'm still on schedule for our Eve mission. Didn't Carrica just finish her mission bringing an asteroid to Minmus?

Gene: Yes, Carrica should be available by now. She has 3 stars and experience with asteroids and mining. She even ran the Mun mining hulk before she went on asteroid hunt. She'll certainly be proud to get the command over the biggest ship Kerbalkind built and sent into orbit this far.

Gene: Calling Carrica! Carrica are you listening?

Carrica: Yawn ... umm what? Who's calling in the middle of the day?

Gene: Carrica, what are you doing right now?

Carrica: Ummm ... nothing. Actually waiting to get some fuel from that lazy dude on Minmus delivered but he didn't show up yet.

Gene: We have an offer for you! Since you were doing so well the past time we want to offer you an once in a lifetime opportunity: you are getting the command of Raider 31-02, the best asteroid ship we have to date! What do you say?

Carrica: OMK, really! Sure I'd like to fly it. Love the smell of new cockpits and plastic and stuff. And drawers full of snacks.

Gene: It'll be coming your way the next days, needs to be refueled at Minmus too. We just launched it into orbit. And greetings to Tedcal on Minmus, he gots a lot work now. Raider 31-02 needs 60k LF and 50k or so OX.

Carrica: Great! Can't wait!

Bob: Ok we got this handled then too. Carrica is now commander of our new interceptor.

Linus: We actually reached our mission goal here! We finally have the means to deal with such crazy doomsday asteroids! Of course we have to fly a mission with it to see whether it works but i'm pretty positive all will be fine. Can't wait to see it in action. And with Carrica on board I have a good feeling.

Bob: Even better. I think with all them asteroid mining ships and stuff in orbit we can now really start the asteroid business for cash!

Mortimer: Cash? Did I hear cash? Yeah of course getting some return of investment for the 1,500,000.- that you guys burned today would be great!

- The End -

[Just Jim]

OK, that was fun!!! Love the Predator!

[Mikki]

Very cool read, i like the "whackjobian cathedrals", cool as hell! Also great crafts, kind of thing i use to make somehow...!

greetings Mikki, my rep for U

[DocMoriarty]

Epilogue of Epilogue: A Second Chance

ALERT - ALERT - ALERT

Walt: Umm wassup? Why that alert?

Linus: We have a new classe E asteroid approaching Kerbin! Just discovered it on our scanners.

Walt: On a crash course again?

Linus: Well, actually not this time. It's just passing by, not too far away though. Gave green alert to wake up everyone related with the project and because it's cool and i can!

Walt: Since it's not crashing I gonna inform the public this time. Maybe we can make this a big triumph for KASA and get more funds in return?

Mortimer: More funds! Yeah that would be great. No fun(ds) when we are always close to being bankrupt ...

Linus: Carrica, calling Carrica, ... , CARRICA

Carrica: Who disturbs my beauty sleep?

---

What happened so far

One day scientists from discovered a class E asteroid on a crash course into Kerbin. A new vessel designed for intercepting the asteroid was developed: the Predator. The vessel launched and could, remote controlled, intercept the asteroid. But problems with navigation computer and the concept of the vessel made it impossible to redirect the asteroid off of his deadly trajectory. It finally crashed into Kerbin but at the same time simply vanished! The Kawds of Kerbin have obviously had their fingers in the game and rescued Kerbalkind - this time. Lots of snacks were eaten to calm the nerves as a consequence.

After this incident and the unexpected survival, the scientists and engineers got a second chance to refine their concept. A lot of effort, and funds, was put forward to create a new ship named Raider 31-02. The biggest single vessel ever created and launched from Kerbin, 1400 tons with boosters, 900 tons wet (without boosters). Carrica Kerman, an experienced asteroid interceptor, was assigned as commander to the new ship.

The new ship was delivered to Minmus for refueling, where Carrica was parking with her old mining barge called Marge. As soon as both ships met, she switched over to the new Raider 31-02, totally impressed from it's size and the drawers full of snacks in her new cupola cockpit!

In order to get ready for the case that another class E asteroid meets Kerbin, the new ship was refueled and thoroughly checked, tested and stuff and snacks. Finally Carrica brought the ship into a 4000x4000km sentinel orbit around Kerbin - waiting for precisely what happened today: the detection of a class E asteroid entering Kerbin SOI!

---

What didn't happen so far but will happen now

Linus: Hey Carrica, we finally have a class E asteroid on track entering Kerbin system, have a look at the current situation. The roids name is IRD-777.

Carrica: Oh noes! It's in a retro-orbit.

Linus: Umm yeah, now that you mention it ...

Carrica: Well let me get to work. First of all, i need to reverse my orbit. Glad we decided to set up sentinel orbits much higher than normal orbits because that'll cost some fuel now to reverse it but not as much as in a lower orbit.

Carrica turns her ship retrograde. Then the ship starts swinging and shaking as the Carrica pushes throttle for the 12 nukes to full. An incredible loud noise comes from the engine sections of the nuke-siderockets.

Carrica: That'll be around 1400m/s dv just to reverse the orbit and quite a burn, even with 12 nukes. Be prepared for like 20 minutes straight burnin a the current ships weight.

Carrica turns to the drawer with the snacks.

Linus: Thats ok, it has a reason why we had the ship fully refueled at Minmus.

20 Minutes and 3 snacks later the reverse orbit burn was done.

Carrica: Still have 32° inclination though.

Carrica starts an inclination burn to match her orbit now with the asteroids. Once both orbits are in the same plane, she starts to plan an interception node and finds a pretty good solution.

Carrica: Now I have a solution to get within 16km of the asteroid within 6days roughly

Linus: Thats great! Excellent work. How's your ship doing so far?

Carrica: Well, basically a bit overSASed but thats ok. Wobbling quite a bit with those stacks of SAS modules in the center axis though. Hard to plan manouver nodes at times.

Carrica commences with the approach burn that'll bring her close to the asteroid.

---

Nearly 6 days later, Carrica arrives at the asteroid. Thanks to Carrica's excellent navigation the separation was pretty close.

But the speed difference was unexpectedly high, more than 500m/s! Now thats quite a burn, even with 12 nukes. So Carrica started with a retrograde burn with respect to the target right away, even adding in her 2 S3 engines at times. The ships hull was trembling from the sheer power unleashed in the breaking manouver. Finally Raider 31-02 and IRD-777 had their speed and location matched.

Carrica: Wow what a potatoe!

Linus: Now for the docking. First target the asteroids center of mass! We need a correct alignment this time.

Carrica: Ok. Target set to 'roids COM.

Linus: Excellent. Now switch nav to orbital mode and turn ship retrograde, that is the direction into which we want to pull the asteroid later.

Carrica: Ok. Done!

Linus: Switch SAS to assist. Now dock with the asteroid without altering your attitude. Switch to the rear-ends claw 'Control from Here'. When the yellow nose marker is precisely on the target marker on the navball, then attach claw to asteroid. That way the asteroids and ships COM are aligned for the retro burn and you don't need to turn around or something with that 1500 ton baby.

Carrica: Ummm ok. Working on it ...

After a few minutes of careful manouvering and a few hundred units of mono later the ship was docked to the asteroid facing the direction in which it needs to burn.

Carrica: Made it, docked to asteroid, a little deviation between nose marker and pink target marker but guess thats within the tolerance.

Linus: Excellent.

Carrica: I fear we have a problem. Despite the distance of the engines to the ships center, they are still too close to the asteroid! Let me do a test burn.

Linus: Ok. Don't overdo.

Carrica: KSC, we have a problem. As I already suspected the asteroid melts when I engage the engines! They are still too close to the asteroid, despite the construction of the ship.

Mortimer: Oh no. That'll be our next 600,000.- funds ruin in orbit if she can't deal with the asteroid!

Gene: As long as it stays under the control centers control I don't care whether it's a ruin!

Linus: Change of plans then: Mine the asteroid until your tanks are full and then we destroy it by melting it down.

Carrica: Ok. Switching to mining then.

The resource miners at the ships rear end next to the claw sink their teeth into the asteroid and start mining it. Carrica engages the ISRU and converts the ore into mostly liquid fuel and also refills the mono reserves. Due to the density of ore in the asteroid, the ore tank fills a lot faster than the ISRU is using it up. Once full, the mining process doesn't stop though.

Carrica: Oh no, the resource miners don't suspend mining automatically once the tanks are full!

Linus: DOH! Hmmmpf! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggh!

- a snack later -

Linus: That renders asteroid mining practically useless! I hoped we could pull a few E class 'roids into orbit around Kerbin and do the refueling stuff there. Then we wouldn't have to fly our IP-tugs and stuff to Minmus.

Carrica: Yes sigh. No unattended mining of 'roids like we do on Minmus or the Mun! Wonder what the devs thought when they were implementing the firmware for the miners?

Linus: Probably nothing! (See also bug report at: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/133443-Bug-Asteroid-Resource-Extraction-Continues-when-Ore-Tank-Full-!)

Carrica: Well for now going to fill my tanks and then destroying the roid!

The mining and resource conversion continues until tanks are full. Then Carrica fires the engines again, just a bit. After an unexpected short while the asteroid simply vanishes as if it never existed! The resource miners are still extended and pointing into the void now. Not even an explosion or anything else that could be told to your grandchilds and stuff.

Carrica: Did you see that? It didn't even take a lot to destroy the roid!

Linus: OMK, if we had known that before we coudda saved Kerbin last time just by destroying the roid with our engines!

Mortimer: What a fail and wasted funds!

Walt: I wouldn't say it was a fail. It was a great success actually. At least thats what I'm gonna tell the public. For the first time we docked and MINED a class E asteroid! Doesn't sound bad to me!

Linus: Guess we need to go back to work with todays experience and redesign our interceptor!

Carrica: It would only be a fail if we didn't learn from our experiences. Guess I return to my sentinel orbit for now.

Linus: Oh by the way, we have a problem on the Mun and we need you to help out. You are our last 3-star engineer available here in the vicinity around Kerbin. We need you for a rover repair on the Mun. So report back to Mun - Galileo station for now. Someone killed all 5 wheels on one side of his research rover and we have no funds to replace it now.

Carrica: LOL, sigh and ok. Omw! Over and out!

- The End -

Edited September 4, 2015 by DocMoriarty