Press Conference: Shakedown Cruise of KSS-18 Parasol

[Vanamonde]

Dudmon Kerman, spokeskerb for the Space Program: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. As you know, we used to have a very robust space program, with interplanetary cruisers which could travel to other worlds and return to Kerbin to be refuelled and sent out again. But then there was that bizarre alteration to the physics of the universe, in which air became thinner but also made fast things hot, and time slowed to a crawl around ships with many parts. 
Reporter: Yeah, what caused that? 
Dudmon: Not a clue. More recently, we lost our ability to telepathically communicate with our ships, and must put antennas on everything. Quite a nuisance. 
Reporters: Indeed. 
Dudmon: Anyways, our tried and true ships started flying like intoxicated bats and even burning up, but we couldn't work out replacement designs because they had too many parts. Thus, our program stalled for a couple of years. 
All are sad. 
Dudmon: But I'm pleased to announce that we recently discovered that time runs faster around big ships again, and so back to work we went, remaking our reuseable ships for a new era of space flight, sticking antennas on them, and making them heat resistent. I am now ready to report to you on the shakedown cruise of the new Mark CXXVI Parasol class, in the form of a Duna mission by KSS-18 Parasol! 
Riotous applause. 
Dudmon: Parasol launches to orbit, 
 

and then needs to have its fuel supply topped off by a tanker. 
(The ship requires the use of one mod, so that the tanks only carry fuel and do not waste storage space on oxidizer. Other than that, the mission is completely stock.) 
Dudmon: We then flew multiple missions up to dock sub-mission craft to this mothership, and embark a crew of scientists. 
 

Fully loaded, the ship massed 323 tons and carried 503 parts. 
 
At the destination, the first test of this new design was the arrival aerobrake. Experimentation had proven that a ship needs shielding against heat, but that the shields created terrific drag, which tended to cause the ships to flop around. Needless to say, that was catastrophic. But this first test flight of the full Parasol design went well, with the ship holding attitude and taking no heat damage. Note that the engines are up toward the front and much of the drag from the heat shields is toward the back, to keep the center of mass ahead of the center of drag and thus aerodynamics and physics hold the ship facing the right way while passing through atmospheres. 
 
Once orbit was established, it was time to go to work. First, we placed a pair of relay satellites to ensure that we could maintain contact with other craft the mission would launch. 
 
 
A reporter: Aren't those satellites much more massive than they need to be, with those girders and huge solar panels? 
Dudmon: Yes. When bulding them we were thinking that a large antenna would need a lot of power, forgetting that most of the time they'd be serving as relays and not actually drawing any power. (Shrugs) Live and learn. The next version will be smaller. But these satellites do have thermometers and gravioli detectors so that they can take readings while orbit, and send the science home. 
Another reporter: What's with the thermometers on those? You know only one reading ever needs to be transmitted about each biome's temp, right? 
Dudmon: Of course. But occasionally companies pay us, like, THOUSANDS of dollars for unspecified "science from space near" places, and the temp is the quickest one to use for that. So thermometers are a license to print money. 
Same reporter: Isn't that kind of cheaty? 
Dudmon: Who are we to question what our customers want? Moving on, the next step of the mission was for the science lander to take a jaunt to the surface of Duna. 
 
 
 
The heat shield was not actually needed for this run, but the idea of this project is to settle on designs which are versatile and can be used many places, so we tested the shield as part of the design for possible future use at Eve and Laythe. Since it had a probe core, the lander could be piloted by a scientist. That would earn science bonuses and allow the materals bay and goo pod to be reset for multiple runs. And the new Experiment Storage Unit allowed for multiple runs of the other instruments, in addition to transmitting one run of each. 
Second reporter: Why does the lander have a big docking ring at the back? It wasn't used. 
Dudmon: Again, these are intended to be versatile designs, and future missions may have additional cargo docked behind the lander. And so the additional docking ring was carried on this test flight, despite not being needed. 
First reporter: What about rumors of near catastrophe during this Duna landing? 
Dudmon: I can confirm that a dangerous situation arose during this phase of the mission. 
Reporters: Hubbub! Commotion! 
Dudmon: See, the lander came down on this REALLY steep slope, and it started to slide. And slide. And slide. 
 
In fact, it slid for 23 minutes and all we could do was watch nervously. 
Reporters: Gasp! 
Dudmon: But it finally did come to rest almost a kilometer from where it started, and the mission went on. 
Reporters: Sigh!  
Dudmon: Scientist Danra Kerman got out and did a bunch of science stuff. She also jumped around some, because, who wouldn't? But then it was time to bring the science back. With that big docking ring for a nose, the lander is not the smoothest ship to fly an ascent with, but it worked and returned to the mothership. 
 
So the crew refueled it from the mothership's tank, swapped out scientists, and flew it to Ike and back. 
 
Then it was time to drop the large science rovers on Duna. One landed on the polar cap, and the other in the temperate lattitudes. 
 
 
 
 
 
These rovers carry science instruments and beam back readings. And can continue to do so after this mission concluded. 
Second reporter: Aren't-- 
Dudmon: Yes, yes. These rovers are larger than they need to be just to haul some science instruments around. But once this test flight confirms that they work, we plan to use this chassis for larger vehicles with other purposes. Next, we sent the other pair of relay satellites to positions around Ike to support missions there. 
Same reporter: Wouldn't it have worked better to place those before the lander mission to Ike? 
Dudmon: Yes, but we forgot to. So, the small rovers were next dispatched to Ike. Again, one landed near the pole and the other in the middle lattitudes. They also sent back science. And yes, they have atmosphere analyzers even though they are intended to operate on vacuum worlds. We thought even null readings would give us science, like the barometers do, but again, live and learn. The next model of small lander will not have atmo analyzers. 
 
 
Meanwhile, the lab module on the mothership had been performing research, taking readings of its own from orbit, and collecting the science retrieved by the lander. It beamed home batches of 500 science several times during the trip. 
 
Once all the rovers and satellites had been deployed, we realized the lander was using much less fuel than we anticipated and the mothership still had a signficant fuel reserve. So what the heck? We swapped out crew again and sent it back to Duna. 
 
And still had a bunch of fuel, so off it went to Ike again. 
 
Eventually, though, all the sub-missions had been deployed and there wasn't enough fuel for additional lander jaunts. So it was time to come home. We had planned to bring the lander back for additional missions, but this test run had revealed some problems with the design, and so we sent it to a Viking funeral at Duna. 
 
First reporter: What design flaws? 
Dudmon: Firstly, while we were messing with the engine configuration we removed a pair of RCS thrusters and forgot to put them back on, and secondly, it was a stone bitch for an engineer to repack the parachutes where they were sandwiched between the docking ring and battery. These shortcomings have been fixed in the next version. And then, having delivered all the payloads, the mothership came home, where the most dangerous part of the mission still awaited it: aerobraking in the thicker atmosphere of Kerbin! 
 
Which it weathered just fine.
And as the last phase of the mission, the lab module detached and re-entered for full recovery of as much science as possible. 
 
 
Parasol is now back where it started, in Kerbin orbit, awaiting new cargo and a new mission. I'm pleased to say that we found no serious problems with the designs, but did find several ways to improve the system for future missions, as described above. Between science returned, reports beamed, and science generated by the lab during the voyage, this mission netted our program 12,558 science! 
Second reporter: Awesome! What will you research with all that science? 
Dudmon: Well, nothing, actually. We've already invented everything that can be invented. It's more of a point score than a practical benefit now. But still worth doing! 
Reporters: Agreed! 
Dudmon: In conclusion, we are now rotating the crew and refuelling the mothership for a mission to Eve. 
 
Reporters: Riotous applause. 

 

And now, here is an assortment of scenery shots from the mission. 


 

 
 

[CatastrophicFailure]

Hey SQUAD, Vanamonde's goofing off & actually playing the game again!

 

no seriously, this is great. I had several questions but you managed to answer them  already. 

[sjwt]

4 hours ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

Hey SQUAD, Vanamonde's goofing off & actually playing the game again!

 

Your report and accusation has been evaluated and found to be true, we will look at striping Van of all KSP interactions until such time as their is no decent on the forums, your actions in bringing this to out attention are truly inspirational. 

 

[Vanamonde]

The man can't keep me down. 

[CSE]

+1 for the sepafleas.

[Climberfx]

Wow, he is alive! Yep Yep Urra!

 

Great mission Vanamonde. I see i don't know more how to do this anymore. Heat Shields, aerobrake, so much to learn again after the KSP updates.

But for now, my energy is going to finish my mod.

So, keep going my friend, and amazing accomplishment.

P.s.: I love the ship name, Parasol. Like GuardaSol, the think brasilia beach people use to block sun.

[Just Jim]

On 11/18/2016 at 9:56 PM, Vanamonde said:

The man can't keep me down. 

 

What???  A moderator in the fan works area???  How dare...

Just kidding... hehehe  

That was a really fun mission, and I love the ship(s).  

Edited November 20, 2016 by Just Jim

[Geschosskopf]

On 11/18/2016 at 8:56 PM, Vanamonde said:

The man can't keep me down. 

I've missed your style.  I still snicker when I recall your mission to Dres several years ago and am glad to see the years haven't dulled your wit

 

[Frybert]

Flying Mushrooms

[Mister Dilsby]

A moderator? Appearing in Mission Reports to say something other than "This report of a mission has been moved to Mission Reports?" 

Hubbub! Commotion!

And well done--riotous applause!  

Edited December 4, 2016 by Kuzzter