McKerbals Goes to the Mun! (A Munar Crusade)

[spacebrick3]

McKerbals Goes to the Mun

We all knew it was going to happen. McKerbals has restaurants all over the world, and once the space program started it was inevitable. They were bringing a restaurant (and an outdoor deck) to the Mun.

   The first to go was the restaurant itself (unmanned for safety reasons). After several failed attempts involving RUD (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly) and RUDOL (Rapid Unplanned Destruction Of the Launchpad), and an estimated cost of 3,964,327, (luckily, McKerbals has an infinite supply of restaurants), it was ready to go.

However, due to security reasons, it was not launched until the night.

After pushing it upwards for 5 kilometres, the Mainsails were lost and only the Rhinos remained. This was to be a "up-then-turn" launch, where there was no gravity turn due to the weight and instability of the restaurant.

The sun's rays, bending through the upper atmosphere, finally began to illuminate it.

Once it was in space, it finally turned and began adding to the horizontal velocity.

And here it is, in orbit, with only a small kick from the transfer stage needed to circularise.

Next time: The deck goes to orbit!

[kccda]

haha love the name. Can't wait to see more of the mission. Try make a drive thru if possible

[spacebrick3]

The Deck Goes to Orbit

Now that the restaurant was residing safely in a 114x75 km orbit, it was time to bring up the outdoor deck. The first tests also had some trouble with the Launch Stability Enhancers (seriously, I had to put about 20 on to stop them from failing), with explosive results.

However, after more were added it remained stable, and it was able to launch.

The Mainsails were dropped with no problems, and it continued upwards.

Due to the high drag, there was no gravity turn, and so it only began adding orbital velocity once it had cleared the atmosphere.

Finally, it made orbit, and even with a little fuel left because of a 20-ton weight difference between it and the restaurant.

Next time: To the Mun!

[spacebrick3]

To The Mun

   Now that both pieces were in orbit, they needed to go to the Mun. However, both were in highly inclined orbits due to drag during the launch and general piloting incompetence. After waiting a few orbits, the Deck was sent off first. 

It soon exhausted the side tanks, but the Skipper was more than enough to finish the burn.

The Restaurant was sent off next, after the Mun had lined up at its descending node.

   Only two hours after that, the Deck encountered the Mun at a high inclination, which all the pilots agree was totally to give it a better range of landing spaces, and not because of any mistakes during launch.

  It braked, and still had fuel left in its tank for deorbiting.

The Restaurant, encountering the Mun on the flip side of its orbit, came in at an even higher inclination, but was still able to keep fuel in its transfer stage after braking.

Next time: Landing...

[spacebrick3]

Landing on the Mun

The first to be landed was the Restaurant, for reasons that shall be explained later. However, during deorbit, a huge thrust offset angle was noticed that had appeared in the time between launch and landing. So, they deorbited it fully over the equator:

And then began descending at no more than 100 m/s, at 1/15 throttle, because the SAS could keep it pointed retrograde at that low thrust.

The Kraken (me)  blessed it with infinite fuel at 100 km, because apparently it likes large unstable structures on the Mun.

However, at 25 km, a problem was noticed: The engines would not lift it as the gravity increased, but they couldn't increase thrust, or it would flip. So in a moment of pure frustration, the pilots did the only rational thing. They cut off the engines and let it fall... as I turned on Unbreakable Joints and No Crash Damage.

It hit the ground at 235 m/s, and, after bouncing around for a while, it settled to the ground upright.

I decided to just accept that.

The Deck was chosen to land next, with a deorbit burn that would hopefully put it close to the Restaurant (they were on very different inclinations)

Once the restaurant came into view, a suicide burn was made, but it was slightly delayed due to the weak SAS power it had. However, there were no problems with thrust offset this time. It then began falling at a leisurely 10 m/s.

After landing, the sky crane was jettisoned and was crashed into the terrain because Kerbals like explosions.

The Deck had landed... 18 km away. But now the reason for it landing second becomes clear: it has wheels for the likely even of a un-precision landing.

It began the long drive over.

As the restaurant came into view at the crest of a hill, it was like meeting an old friend.

Finally, the two were reunited.

Next time: Party time (with Kerbals!)

Edited May 1, 2016 by spacebrick3

[spacebrick3]

The Kerbals Are Coming

Finally, it was time for the guests to arrive. Fourteen of them lifted off on a Mainsail-powered liquid fuel booster.

It was the only ship able to complete a gravity turn, and soon made orbit.

As they lined up for the transfer burn, an eclipse of the Sun was visible.

Then, using the transfer stage previously used for the Restaurant and Deck, (without the fuel lines since somebody forgot them), it fired towards the Mun.

As it fell towards the Mun, fuel remained to put it in a stable, but slightly inclined, orbit.

It completed the burn, and then deorbited with a little fuel. All the crew changed their names as well, after a dream where they all died because they didn't start the suicide burn soon enough, and no quick saves were available. After that, however, Jeb Kirfal managed to kill all the horizontal velocity almost directly over the Restaurant (sorry for the pitch-black shots)

With some small course corrections, they were able to set down less than 50 meters from the Restaurant.

Once the Sun had finally deigned to shine on their side of the Mun, the celebrations began. Kirfal was the first to leave the lander.

All those who wished to eat inside were very happy with their meal choice.

The Restaurant was a merry place.

But for those who wished to view the Munar landscape, the Deck, with its oversized heater and umbrellas, was the place to go.

Thanks for reading!

Edited May 3, 2016 by spacebrick3

[Ehco Corrallo]

Looks good! You're going on the board of crusaders!

[DMSP]

Wow! Now you can service all of the bases on the Mun! Will there be delivery?

[spacebrick3]

There might be, but currently I'm looking more towards bringing a restaurant to other places.

[spacebrick3]

So, there hasn't been time or motivation for me to bring my restaurant anywhere else, but here are some pictures of a new deck (with drive-through) that I've been developing.

http://i.imgur.com/Ykd9CGe.png

It uses the inflatable heat shield as its umbrella, instead of the small Comunotron-88s.

http://i.imgur.com/qlDvtZC.png

And a drive-through, as requested.

http://i.imgur.com/08Xq0Iv.png

Edit: That's odd, the images aren't showing up.

 

Edited May 7, 2016 by spacebrick3

[Astrofox]

You know, you should land one on Eve for the poor Kerbals you stranded haven't yet returned from the surface!

 

Maybe you should design another variant of the buildings - maybe even build a small shopping district on the surface of some planets/moons! Now with Dollar Kerb and various other mini shops that need naming! Maybe even a 'gas station' - for the lander-crafts!

 

EDIT: Whoops - I didn't even know this was a few months old!

Edited July 25, 2016 by Astrofox