Six Six Science - Duna Trek Mission Report with craftfiles

[Frank_G]

Over the past 8 weeks, i planned, built and flew a mission i wanted to do for a long time.

Here is the report and the craftfiles. Enjoy, download, comment!

Frank

 

Special thanks:

Major Jim - for his awesome stock hinge system and tons of comments during construction of the crafts

Raptor 9 - for his inspiring craftfile page

Note:

All crafts are completely stock, with the exception of the satellites. They will require the SCANsat mod.

 

 

Complete Mission Album:

Edit: 2016-11-26 - Here is a clean link, so you can view the album, that was linked here, directly on IMGUR, as the inserted albums do not display correctly at the moment: http://imgur.com/a/G0fjX

 

 

Profile:

Mission: Orbital Assembly*

Central Engine Block - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Central Inline Tank - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Left Engine Block - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Right Engine Block - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Left External Tank - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Right External Tank - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Habitat|Lab Section - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Payload 2 - T4 Kerberos SLV-H

Payload 1 - T4 Kerberos SLV-SH

Heat Shield - T2 Pegasus I

Payoad 3 - T2 Pegasus I with special docking vehicle

Crew - T2 Pegasus III with Mosquito crew carrier

* listed in correct launch order

 

Mission: Orbital survey of Duna and Ike (prior to crewed mission*)

Duna Hi Res surface scanner - deployed in high polar Duna orbit

Duna Biome scanner - deployed in medium polar Duna orbit

Duna Lo Res surface scanner - deployed in low polar Duna orbit

Ike Hi Res surface scanner - deployed in high polar Ike orbit

Ike Biome scanner - deployed in medium polar Ike orbit

Ike Lo Res surface scanner - deployed in low polar Ike orbit

Duna transfer stage - deployed in very high polar Duna orbit (serve as comms-relay for Duna SOI system)

*delivered on a T2 Pegasus I with interplanetary transfer stage, satellites listed in order of deployment

 

Mission: Duna Trek

DTV

   Bring crew and equipment to Duna

   Break up into 2 vehicles - One stays in orbit around Duna, the other moves on to Ike

   Re-assemble

   Return crew to Kerbin orbit, then break apart for de-orbit

Rhino Lander

   Land on Duna

   Construct Habitat

   Ground mission - get samples from 3 different biomes

   Return to DTV

Octopod Lander

   Land on Ike

   Deploy Habitat rover

   Ground mission - get samples from 3 different biomes

   Return to DTV

Solar Bird

   Perform high altitude atmospheric scans of Duna

   Move to parking orbit, to serve following missions

Mole science carrier

   Assist in orbital assembly of Solar Bird

   Perform high orbital survey

 

Download .zip file: [STOCK 1.1.x] All mission craft, packed for orbital assembly, including launchers [added 2016-05-16]

 

Action-Groups:

   1 - toggle DTV LV-N engine blocks

   2 - toggle RCS blocks

   3 - toggle DTV equipment (solar arrays, antennas etc.)

WARNING: DONT DO, WHILE FRAME IS CONNECTED TO DTV

   4 - jettison mission crafts from transport frame

WARNING: DONT TOUCH THESE WHILE PILOTING DTV

   5 - toggle return stage engines

   6 - toggle descent stage engines

   7 - cut drogue chutes / deploy main chutes

   8 - deploy cover / toggle rover reaction wheels

   9 - deploy payload

   0 - toggle equipment (solar arrays, antennas etc.)

   Abort - launch return stage / jettison de-orbit capsule of DTV

 

Mission Infos:

The Crew

Command

   Valentina Kerman - DTV Pilot and Mission Commander - stays on DTV

   Bob Kerman - Chief Scientist - stays on DTV

Duna Landing Team

   Jebediah Kerman - Rhino Lander Pilot

   Catly Kerman - Science Officer

   Dandrin Kerman - Field Engineer

Ike Landing Team

   Jean Kerman - Science Officer

   Bill Kerman - Chief Engineer

Mission time:

Launch Date 1y 327d 02:03:23

Return Date 4y 234d 05:20:12

SCIENCE:

4.006,8 from recovered data

 +500,0 transmitted from Science Lab

 +188,0 transmitted Crew reports

Ike biomes:

Midlands (LZ-01)

South Eastern Mountain Range

Eastern Mountain Ridge

Lowlands

30 different science reports were brought back

Duna biomes:

Lowlands (LZ-01)

Midlands

Highlands

33 different science reports were brought back

 

Analysis & necessary optimizations (already done in the downloadable craftfiles):

- Add docking port to Ike lander transport frame - HOW COULD I FORGET IRGS HNGN…

- Add fuel to landing stage of Ike lander to prevent suicide burn as only option

- Add antenna to Ike ascent module

- Check action group on Ike landers RCS thrusters

- Add antennas to auxiliary tank module

- Remove shroud from doublepacked inflatable heat shield due to jettison bug

- Remove shielded docking port from science module, as it is bugged (may not release docked craft)

- Add searchlight to Mole science carrier

 

Optimizations for next mission (not done in the downloadable craftfiles):

- Add second hinge to Rhino rear cargo ramps to prevent it from falling off from phsyics wobble

- Close hinge mounts to prevent ramps from falling off due to landing gear bug, resulting in wobble

- Add monopropellant storage to DTV, current load is sufficient but very limited

- Add reaction wheel to DTV to save more RCS monopropellant

- Move mass of DTV to the middle of the craft for better aerobraking capabilities (prevent flipping)

- Remove 1 or 2 tanks from the DTV as it carries far too much liquid fuel

 

You have done it, this is the end

Edited November 26, 2016 by Frank_G
Added clean album link, due to problems with Imgur albums here on the forums.

[Majorjim!]

Dude, I am staggered by the complexity and elegance of this creation. Your presentation too is flawless. I am in awe!

 Amazing, amazing work! Time to make a cup of tea and flick through the mission pics.

[Frank_G]

Thank you very much! Have fun

And a cup of tea is exactly what i need now, too!

Edited May 16, 2016 by Frank_G

[TangerineSedge]

Amazing mission you have there, give it a few years and I might attempt something like it

One thing, in the penultimate image of the Solar Bird (Where it is a top down view above Duna) you incorrectly labelled Duna as Kerbin. But hey, that's just nit-picking an incredible mission.

[Frank_G]

Thanks a lot - the mission was so much fun planning, building and flying. And thanks for pointing me to that little mistake. I will correct it

Edited May 16, 2016 by Frank_G

[PointySideUp]

Great mission and report @Frank_G!  I really like all of the details in the Duna and Ike landers and that orbit-assembled glider is pretty awesome! 

[Frank_G]

3 minutes ago, PointySideUp said:

Great mission and report @Frank_G!  I really like all of the details in the Duna and Ike landers and that orbit-assembled glider is pretty awesome! 

Thanks a lot. I am glad the glider made it into the final mission. I had a lot of problems and actually redesigned it, while the rest of the mission was already under way. However, its function is, well... questionable, but i found it cool to have such a craft. The lack of electric propellers made it necessary to reduce its mission to small dives into the atmosphere. With electric propellers, i would have made a landable version that would take off from Duna when needed and otherwise park on the ground.

[EVA_Reentry]

Wow. I seriously love the rhino. Have you considered submitting this to the constellation mission thread? Also, that glider...

[Frank_G]

16 minutes ago, EVA_Reentry/Strangelove II said:

Wow. I seriously love the rhino. Have you considered submitting this to the constellation mission thread? Also, that glider...

Thanks! I could do that, but it isnt intended to be a replica. I am visiting that thread regularly (horizontal landers are awesome). Maybe i´ll just throw it in, together with my Ares I replica

[EVA_Reentry]

...Not a replica? But it's better than some of the replicas on that thread!

[Frank_G]

6 minutes ago, EVA_Reentry/Strangelove II said:

...Not a replica? But it's better than some of the replicas on that thread!

okokok... I will post it tomorrow

[EVA_Reentry]

Yay!

Not to push...

 

[septemberWaves]

This mission was incredible. Wonderfully designed vehicles and a very well-organized mission plan. I'd love to see similar missions for other planets, if you have any planned (perhaps a long-term Eve exploration would be interesting; those seem fairly rare).

[Frank_G]

7 minutes ago, eloquentJane said:

This mission was incredible. Wonderfully designed vehicles and a very well-organized mission plan. I'd love to see similar missions for other planets, if you have any planned (perhaps a long-term Eve exploration would be interesting; those seem fairly rare).

Thank you. I will do a Jool-5 for sure and Eve would be nice as well. Now that Eve is much easier to escape, the time of 200t landers is luckily over. But that is something for fall this year... or winter ;). 

[Frank_G]

Checking for a more intelligent DTV configuration:

This one would allow better control during aerobraking, would make heatshield shuffle obsolete and allow the Ike lander to use only a single engine block and not engine and auxiliary tank... the complete front section could be left alone during the mission, its just dropping payload now... Also the fuel mass has been reduced by one tank. Much much better...   

Edited May 20, 2016 by Frank_G

[Majorjim!]

On 05/18/2016 at 8:33 PM, Frank_G said:

Checking for a more intelligent DTV configuration:

 

This one would allow better control during aerobraking, would make heatshield shuffle obsolete and allow the Ike lander to use only a single engine block and not engine and auxiliary tank... the complete front section could be left alone during the mission, its just dropping payload now... Also the fuel mass has been reduced by one tank. Much much better...   

Did you try a propulsive braking maneuver with this vehicle?

[Frank_G]

No, only for final orbital correction. It had enough fuel for engine assisted capture in the  original configuration, far more than actually necessary, but i currently tend to make the craft lighter instead and shift weight more to the front, to prevent flipping during aerobraking.

[Frank_G]

I am currently thinking of modifying the ship for Jool transfer. I think it can deliver the same payload mass to Jool with ease... Would be an interesting mission, sort of an feature extended Grand Tour. Well... Winter is coming...

[Frank_G]

Started working on a new habitat for my next mission. It will house six Kerbals and return them to Kerbin at the end of the mission. 

While i always went for a vertical landing previously, this time i will land the capsule in horizontal position, to prevent it from flipping over, which was always a risk in previous missions. The 2 images on top show the heatshield, the de-orbit engines and the habitat itself, the bottom image shows the habitat connected to the DTV lab module, that is still in orbit around Kerbin among with the rest of the ship. So far, all tests have been successful, even when landing in very rough terrain and on slopes.

I thought about refueling the DTV by delivering fuel from Kerbin, but a much more efficient way would be, to refuel it with a mining operation on Minmus. The DTV has still fuel in its tanks and can easily move to Minmus, so the plan is, to get it into Minmus orbit, once it is fitted for the new mission.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Frank_G

[Frank_G]

And the module with completed mounting frame and the new "Worker Ant Mk. 1" orbital utility vehicle on top (here with a clipped on science module).

This is a very early iteration and might change a lot, during development.

[Atlas2342]

Awesome just doesn't cut it! 

[Frank_G]

1 minute ago, Atlas2342 said:

Awesome just doesn't cut it! 

Thanks a lot

[septemberWaves]

I can't wait to see this new venture. The current designs already look incredible.

[Frank_G]

Just now, eloquentJane said:

I can't wait to see this new venture. The current designs already look incredible.

Thank you. The habitat was the easiest part to start with. I plan to go to Jool this time, as i still havent completed a successful Grand Tour. Its about time

[septemberWaves]

With the new commnet system, are you going to be deploying some relay satellites, or will you control your autonomous vehicles from the mothership with the crew control feature?

 

Also, since you're going to the Jool system, will you deploy an atmospheric entry probe into Jool's atmosphere? I don't see many people do that sort of thing, but I feel like it's quite a good way of getting science data from the lower atmosphere of gas planets.