Messing with the Mun-A trip to the grey rock (with bunches of photos)!

[DMSP]

Well, I was bored tonight after 25 attempts at landing my Tylo Lander. Got it down on the 25th. After that testing ordeal, I decided to pull out and do a Mun Mission. Something nice and Classic.

Be warned, this is Image Heavy!

Part I-The trip there.

The Ares 1-x only flew once, but it is still one of my favorite launches. I've recreated it plenty in KSP, so I thought, why not strap my latest Mun lander to a (sorta) Arex 1-x. Thus: Mun Mk1 was born.

I set the 9 Kickback Solid Rocket Boosters to 70 each, and I had clipped reaction wheels into the adapter above the 8 boosters. I was really hoping the 70 would lead to a nice ascent path with an early gravity turn. It curved well and I ended up about 200 Kilometers above Kerbin. Personally, I think such an orbit is too high for a mission like this.

Once I was in Orbit, I blew the fairings, showing the lander. I've used it many, many times before. This is version 6 or 7. I've used it as my standard late save lander since I updated to 1.0.5. It basically is my spin on the Altair Lander. This one comes with extra battery power in the ascent stage, two docking ports in case one is lost (somehow), and inline reaction wheels clipped inside. Works like a charm. Time to see if it will work on this mission.

 

I was considering who to Bring on this mission, as it was the first of this "creative" save. I wanted Jeb to be on the Mun, with Val in orbit. After much consideration, I chose Bob, as I didn't have anything to construct in this version. The three of them rocketed off a few mornings later.

The atmospheric sunrise was brilliant. I should have kept Scatterer installed for a little while. I use it on and off. It probably would have made this mission really cool.

After a bit, I fired the escape tower and ditched the first stage. The second stage gave me a 5.3 Kilometer "flyby" of the lander.

Of course, as always, my second stage didn't preform as well as I wanted it too. I think I need second stage construction classes now. It's bugging me.

I used the RCS quite a lot during the docking. I didn't want to use more than 1/8 of my fuel. By the time I had pulled next to the lander, I had used most of my RCS and about 1/7 of my fuel. Dangit!

I docked the two, now ready for the Mun, and watched the first solar eclipse of this save.

They would move on to the Mun in the Morning.

 

After a bit of time warping, I pressed Z and shot towards the Mun. The sunrise looked great, although it would have looked better with Scatterer. I've got that thought stuck in my head, haven't I.

At about 2,600 m/s the departure stage ran out. Uh oh.

I thought about what to do. I had refilled the return spacecraft, and the lander's tanks were all full. Eventually, I decided to fire the lander's engines.

I was a bit late to catch the Mun on this orbit. They would have to wait 3 more to get to it. Oh well. Immortal Kerbals won't mind this.

I once again decided to use the lander's engines to enter orbit. I drained 1/2 of my return capsule fuel to assist this. The lander still had half its fuel left so it was go for landing. Jeb and Bob said their goodbyes to Val, promised to get her some rocks, and then undocked and fired retrograde.

With no landing target in mind, I took a random descent to the surface. The Thrust to Weight ratio of this thing is quite high, so I waited until I was relatively low to start the suicide burn.

Ok, maybe a bit too low.

 

I did use the TWR to pull up, and ended up plopping down somewhere around -6.8115 and 72.1362 (according to Kerbal Maps) in the East Crater. Not my favorite part of town, but since I played random, beggars can't be choosers...

Also, you can't see Kerbin. Yipee! How fun.

Soon after I landed though, I saw these two nice rocks and decided to hop between them.

 

That's it for it today guys, thanks for reading. Part II tomorrow.

Edited March 29, 2016 by DMSP

[DMSP]

Part II-Many hops.

Well, last time we left off with the lander in between the rocks. I'll pretend Bob can do better science here or something. The rocks seem like guardians or such.  After grabbing a celebratory chocolate, Jeb opened the airlock and stepped on the fuel tank. Sure, there was no ladder on this version (I don't know why), but that didn't stop Jeb from being happy.

Soon Jeb was looking out for more fun spots and Bob was taking samples from the rocks. He also carved "Bob waz here" in the softer one.

On the way down, I had noticed some weird depressions on the rim of the crater.

Bob switched on his EVA Pack and jumped. Soon he was traveling towards the crater, about a kilometer away from the lander. He slowed down, took note of a floating boulder, and plopped himself in the middle of the depression.

Bob planted a flag in the newly named Chiapas Depression. After collecting samples, he flew back to the lander, once again passing that rock.

Soon Bob returned, Jeb flew out to his excursion spot. On the way down, I had also taken note of two craters embedded in each other.

When Jeb touched down, I realized I didn't have enough fuel to get back to the lander. That's when Bob passed control over to the probe core, and the probe core flew from Rocksite, over Chiapas Depression, and to the Twin Craters.

Another part of it was that Jeb forgot his flag back inside the lander.

They planted a flag to make the name official, and then stayed at Twin Craters for about 15 minutes walking around and collecting samples. Bob collected them from both craters, the ridge between them, and from the soil around the lander.

I then took note of a cool looking peak/overlook, got the crew back in, and launched once more.

At this point, my fuel reserves were still looking fine. I probably had enough for 10 more hops.

After touching down, Jeb flipped a fund in the low gravity. Heads. Jeb got to name the overlook and plant the flag.

Jeb jetpacked over to the ridge, but made a mistake. He came in too fast, only by a meter per second, and went tumbling off the ridge.

Luckily for him, he regained control right before impacting the cliff.

He then flew back to the overlook and named it Hardmuth. Hardmuth overlook.

Then he found a tiny rock and named it Bob Jr.

My next jump was to the inside of a crater. It caught my eye because it was basically perfectly circular!

The crew touched down once again.

They then hopped out to plant the flag. Unnoticed to them, the engines of the lander were still running!

They were running on a thrust setting low enough not to take off, however. The engines did end up burning through 1/4 of the remaining fuel, cutting out 2 jumps.

Jump. Jump. Jump. The crew hopped across the surface, planting flag after flag.

The above image shows the crew at Goodwood Hill, inside Circle Crater.

But every good trip has to end. After expending all but 0.77 units of fuel (Liquid for reference), the crew packed their last samples, got a rock for Val, planted the last flag and prepared for liftoff.

That is the flight path. Rocksite-Chiapas Depression-Twin Craters-Hardmuth Overlook-Triple Rocks-Circle Crater-Goodwood Hill-The Far Side.

 

Ok, part two is done. Coming later today or tomorrow depending on real life.

[DMSP]

Part III-The return.

The crew waited a few minutes for Val to be above them, and they prepared for launch. Then they left the descent stage behind. The two Mono-propellant engines really pack a punch on this lander.

Jeb pitched over and began gaining velocity. 200. 300. 400.

Orbit was no biggie, and neither was setting up a rendezvous.

The crew looked out at the horizon, seeing the monochromatic surface shoot by. It was mostly the same everywhere on the Mun. Rock, Boulder, Crater. Maybe a larger crater's rim. A small canyon. A ridge.

And yet somehow, somehow it was beautiful.

They shut down the engines at half fuel. A 300 meter intercept was plotted and they slipped into the blackness behind the Mun.

At the same time, sitting on the surface, the Descent Stage would run forever, powered by a tiny nuclear decay reactor. The probe core would operate for a while. Maybe some future Kerbal would scrap it for parts, or maybe they would refuel it and use it as transfer stage to save the world.

Less than 30 minutes after liftoff, the crew engaged RCS and docked to Val's capsule. What a trip.

Jeb and Bob entered Val's capsule. She had carefully prepared a return party for them. They invited some of the samples and had Onions along with cheese juice.

The lander, after being scraped clean, was cast adrift. Its probe core used the last electric charge and deorbited.

Minutes later, the crew were heading home.

They went past the Munar terminator. It was quite a sight. The Mun became smaller and smaller.

Within hours, it was just the size of a two fund coin. Then it looked like it did from home.

Reentry began suddenly. Flames licked the capsule, chewing, burning away at the Ablator, trying to get to the crew inside.

But Val didn't notice that. She looked past the exploding Service Module to the tiny Grey Rock.

She hadn't stepped on it, but she knew. She knew she would be back there.

The sunrise was brilliant, the capsule shooting above the nation of Cratery Coast.

The drag chute deployed soon after. It slowed them down to the point where Bob wasn't about to hurl.

They were almost home. Only 500 meters now. The two orange chutes were visible for kilometers. They had made it.

And so ended another brilliant mission. A mission that explored, innovated and adventured.

But when Kerbals look up at the Mun, they know.

We'll be back.

 

Thank you everyone who has read this! I know this sort of mission seems boring by now, but it was nice to go back with no constraints of a story save.

DMSP Out.

[UnusualAttitude]

That lander is so cute, particularly the ascent stage

What is "Kaboom delay", by the way?

[DMSP]

44 minutes ago, UnusualAttitude said:

That lander is so cute, particularly the ascent stage

What is "Kaboom delay", by the way?

Part of a very old(ish) mod called Kaboom!

It allows you to destroy parts with the click of a button. Kaboom delay adds seconds to the part's impending doom!

 

Also, anyone reading, stay tuned for Mucking with the Mun coming Soon™.

[UnusualAttitude]

3 minutes ago, DMSP said:

Part of a very old(ish) mod called Kaboom!

It allows you to destroy parts with the click of a button. Kaboom delay adds seconds to the part's impending doom!

Awesome, might come in useful sometime....

3 minutes ago, DMSP said:

Also, anyone reading, stay tuned for Mucking with the Mun coming Soon™.

Shall do

[Wallygator]

Not boring at all. A quite cool mission and easy to read and enjoy report. 

Well done!  Very well done indeed!!

[DMSP]

10 hours ago, UnusualAttitude said:

Awesome, might come in useful sometime....

Shall do

 

9 hours ago, Wallygator said:

Not boring at all. A quite cool mission and easy to read and enjoy report. 

Well done!  Very well done indeed!!

 

Thanks again guys for reading, and Part I of Mucking with the Mun is out!