The Neptune Mission Files: A Laythe Exploration and Colonization Saga

[Geschosskopf]

On getting to Jool

1. Gravity brake off Tylo.  At the very least, this will decrease further fuel expenditure.  At the best, it will capture you without any fuel.
2. Depending on how well the Tylo flyby works for you, leave your Jool Ap such that you intercept Pol or Vall, whichever ends up costing you the least.
3. Refuel at Pol or Vall
4. Transfer to Laythe, ;land, do whatever, and refuel as much as you can.
5. Ascend from Laythe, got o Vall and refuel for keeps.
6. Return home

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN

 

About 20 minutes ago, we have received word that the Neptune I capsule had splashed down on Kerbin's waters. All three of the men had arrived safe and sound with pictures and scientific data to send back to the KSC. 

 

• The pod had about 2,500 m/s of delta-V left, but it wasn't enough to circularize its orbit around Kerbin - let alone descend on the surface from said orbit. During the Kerbin approach, Ludlong fired retrograde to slow the craft down before establishing a 41-kilometer periapsis. Though the plan was to aerobrake and go around again, the capsule ended up splashing down on the first pass. Fortunately, nothing exploded that wasn't supposed to.
  • Though the science compartment was said to be "a bit of a mess," none of the instruments took any damage except from them bouncing side-to-side in the cargo bay. At least the probe core containing the scientific data was intact and uncorrupted upon recovery.

 

• The Neptune I capsule (and cargo bay) 500 m above Kerbin's water.

 

Besides the Neptune II, an aerial probe, and another Ultimate Relay Antenna, a car is already on its way to Laythe. It can hold up to four people at a time and carry all kinds of scientific instruments around whatever island it's at. Though the engineers are working on an amphibious boat design, some are discussing scrapping the Laythe boat project altogether and rely on planes instead to hop islands. I'm not willing to give up just yet, but I do see their point; planes can get around faster.

 

• One craft prototype. Though it managed to get off the runway and into the water, I'm not sure how we're going to get it to Laythe.

 

Gus has also informed me that we are behind in constructing Odin Station, and that we need to get Neptune III up and running. I am in no hurry to get the station competed, though, as we currently have no craft capable of getting up and down Laythe and docking with anything. More progress reports to come as we receive them.

 

Wernher Von Kerman

Year 39, Day 193

1H30M

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

BILL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y39D322 - 0H30M

 

Our aerial probe had managed to enter Laythe's atmosphere and fly over the Sagen Sea before landing on an island. Though the plane was pretty wobbly after the re-entry phase, it managed to fly as expected once we were able to straighten it out. I just hope getting the plane stable will be that easy for Neptune III.

 

• When the probe first reached Jool's sphere of influence, we fine-tuned its Laythe approach in order to save fuel. Though some of the scientists suggested trying a Tylo gravity assist to slow it down, Gene decided to go with the K.I.S.S. approach.
  • Keep It Simple, Stupid --> and kept it simple, we did.

 

• The probe as soon as it reached Laythe's SOI. It only took 1440 m/s of delta-V to circularize a 133-km parking orbit (and an additional 100 total to get the orbit down to 60 km before re-entry)
  • Depending on how much fuel we have left for the Neptune III, we could just go for a direct Laythe approach and a light aerobrake --> enough to secure the plane in Laythe's orbit before going around again.

 

• After we jettisoned the delivery rocket, the plane re-entered the atmosphere by itself and spent a considerable amount of time spinning around before we regained control.
  • I just hope we do the same for Neptune III before it's too late.

 

• Out of context, you'll never guess where this plane is flying. Looks like Kerbin's shores, but it's not. 
  • It's flying subsonic to reduce the risk of the ore scanner flying off.

 

• Probe approaching a small island before landing. Though the plane has only 2 x 500K antennae, the moon still has strong coverage.

 

• Plane after it landed on the newly-renamed Island KH-T. Though it may be small on the orbital probes, at least it is flagged down now. We'll launch the probe again during the day, when it's easier to see.
  • We also need to transmit our atmospheric GCMS data from above the Sagen Sea when it's daytime since those antennae use a lot of energy to send it.

 

• Judging by this data, that island seems like a good spot to land the Neptune III and do some refueling.

 

The Neptune III launch is only a few weeks away, and the Neptune II is still inbound for Jool. I just hope that they manage to get the de-orbit trajectory right and land on the ground, or else it will be stuck in the water. Good thing that the Neptune II capsule has a life raft, but that is mainly for after Kerbin splashdown. However, that would also mean that Johnfrid Kerman (its scientist and only occupant) would be stranded on Laythe until someone picks him up. That is why the Neptune III will only have two occupants instead of three - in case he needs a pickup.

• Besides, it's not like an on-board scientist is necessary for the Neptune III, anyway.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y40D210 - 2H45M

 

Finally, the Moment of Truth - at least Part 1.

• Part 2 is the return home.

 

When I reached Jool's SOI, I plotted a node for a direct Laythe approach. However, since I would run out of delta-V before I circularized my Laythe orbit, Gus hopped the Tylo gravity assist bandwagon and I changed targets. That was also a nice opportunity for me to get some science points from above that moon.

 

• Cockpit shot of Tylo during the fly-by.
• The gravioli detector shows that it has a gravitational pull similar to Kerbin's. Could life have existed on that moon - and if it did, what happened to it? Was there some kind of apocalyptic event that changed the climate dramatically to the point of its atmosphere becoming nonexistent

 

When I passed Tylo, I learned that I had a ~5 Mm periapsis above Jool. I then established a parking orbit with my apoapsis reaching Laythe's orbit and circled Jool many times until my navicomputer showed that I would get caught in Laythe's SOI. After fine-tuning my closest approach to 200-km, I circularized my orbit around the moon and programmed the landing guidance system to land on one of the larger islands near the equator. 

 

• After losing the booster, I inflated the heat shield and spun around the craft's vertical axis to dissipate the heat. As the Neptune I crew and the aerial probe photos reported, the moon was mostly water. If it wasn't so darn cold out here, I would recommend setting up some beach front property here.

 

• So glad the craft didn't land in water, otherwise I would be in big trouble.
  • At least the Neptune III SSTO came prepared and left an empty seat in case I needed a pickup.

 

• After the chutes opened fully, I lost the heat shield and deployed the landing gear - coming down at 9 m/s. To slow myself down, I activated the jets and came down at a much slower speed to ease the impact.

 

• My craft's current wherabouts.

 

Before disembarking the capsule, I gathered all the necessary scientific data (temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition, mystery goo readings, seismic readings, crew report) and deployed the ladders. Good thing we tested it back at the VAB before launching it, or else I could be stuck on the surface - and then I would definitely need the pickup. I then wrote a quick EVA report and took a surface sample; it looked like the island was underwater a long time ago. Either that, or the gravitational influence of Jool/other moons caused some tides to wash over this area and leave salty mineral deposits on the ground. 

• If the second scenario is true, then I have orders to cut the surface exploration mission short and leave before the waters drown my ascent vehicle. Yes, I could just wait for the SSTO, but the scientific data stored in the probe core will be lost if it doesn't take off.

 

I want to go out and see the beaches, but the nearest coastline is kilometers away and I don't even have a car. As such - unless I need to leave early - I will wait for the Laythe car to get here and it will land near my craft's location. On a somewhat related note, while I was outside, I heard what I thought was the sound of drums pounding - and my ship's music player was turned off at the time. However, from my current location, I can't see any other evidence indicating intelligent life on this moon. 

• If there is, I wonder what they thought about the Elegail rover or the aerial probe.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y42D76 - 4H30M

 

First of all, NEVER buy KSP cars. Sure, the rovers may be top-notch for their purpose, but the delivery sequence isn't really that assuring. 

 

• Image of my new car being taken seconds before touchdown. Coming in rear-end first through the atmosphere and trusting that the heat shield and exterior casing won't destroy your car is basically ASKING for trouble.
  • Good thing we got lucky during the landing sequence.

 

Despite the incredibly risky landing design and sequence, the car managed to work as well as expected. It landed almost 5 kilometers away from the Neptune II and I remotely controlled it back to my position.

• My car parked in front of Neptune II. It can hold up to four people and has all the scientific instruments (including ore-scanning mode on Kerbnet) available. Sure, the power gain may be weak all the way out here, but I'm sure that I (and whoever else uses it) will be stopping rather frequently - or at least going slowly.

 

• Me in front of the car. I need to wait a Laythe day (almost two Kerbin days) for the batteries to charge before driving off to the beach.

 

I told Mission Control I wanted to check out a possible Laythan village when my new rover arrived, but they decided against it. There was a chance I would be greeted with fear or hostility since, to them, my car would like a metal monster. Sure, they saw the Neptune II (I found tracks near the capsule that WEREN'T my own), but at least it was stationary and didn't pose a threat. I contacted Kerbin again and asked if I could at least investigate the Laythan presence after my beach mission, and they have yet to respond.

• What do you think I should do?

 

In the meantime, I hear we're stepping up our game in the SSTO department. Wernher started with ordering an old Mun Hopper prototype we left on the Mun to get back. From what I've heard about the old designs, I have no idea how it even got there without exploding or crashing first. 

• Picture of the old Mun Hopper (1 solar panel, only 1,070 units of charge, and 4 radiators) getting off the Mun.

 

To be honest, we didn't care what happened to it. Fortunately, we managed to land it back on Kerbin safely and save a lot of money.

 

While we were dumping an old plane, we were hard at work making a new one specifically for Duna. Yes, the cockpit, cabin, and ISRU units are the same as the Mun Hopper - and yes, we still need to land on Minmus to refuel - but it was designed for more thrust on Duna. More specifically, it would have TWO nuclear engines to propel the craft as soon as the rapiers flamed out.

• Duna SSTO with all its deployable components out. The engineers traded parachutes for aerobrakes, and they increased the total electric charge to 5,000 units - and doubled the solar panels from 2 to 4.
• If we keep up the good work in the SSTO department, we could send people DIRECTLY to Laythe without needing to refuel first.

 

I hope the Neptune III makes it here all right. Although I think I'll be okay for the return trip, I'm glad the plane has another empty seat for me in case I get stranded. Good luck, Lodock and Enmal. 

[Geschosskopf]

5 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

• What do you think I should do?

#1.  Suspect the so-called natives are merely cosplayers until proven otherwise.  Only approach with smallarms locked and loaded, flamethrowers lit, and ready to nuke the site from orbit, just to be sure.  If they are cosplayers, take no prisoners and leave no spore to sprout.

#2.  If they're actually legit aliens, hope they speak some variant of Tok Pisin, which is fairly easy to understand.  This goes a long way in making up for their horrific anime eyes  

At least that's my experience with aliens in KSP.  Your mileage may vary.  The main thing is, unless Johnfrid can defend himself or at least can call on fire support, he'd best stay clear.  The natives (if not cosplayers) are undoubtedly the top predators of their ecosystem so will be armed and willing to fight.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

7 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

#1.  Suspect the so-called natives are merely cosplayers until proven otherwise.  Only approach with smallarms locked and loaded, flamethrowers lit, and ready to nuke the site from orbit, just to be sure.  If they are cosplayers, take no prisoners and leave no spore to sprout.

Kerbin's central government had already performed a full-scale investigation: nobody else but Johnfrid has stepped foot on Laythe.

• The only way a bunch of cosplayers could get to Laythe unnoticed is if they had stealth space-travel technology. But even then, why doesn't the KSP have it?
• KSP also checked and determined nobody got on the aerial probe, which only has room for ONE possible stowaway.
  • And the probe is currently on a different island.

 

11 minutes ago, Geschosskopf said:

The main thing is, unless Johnfrid can defend himself or at least can call on fire support, he'd best stay clear.  The natives (if not cosplayers) are undoubtedly the top predators of their ecosystem so will be armed and willing to fight.

Unfortunately, Johnfrid has no weapons - and neither does the Neptune II (or anyone on board the Neptune III, which is now in-transit from Duna to Jool). At least he could run away and his car has some decent protection, but if he uses the Neptune II to evacuate there's no going back down. 

• Maybe the Neptune III crew could shred hostiles in the air intakes or burn them alive with a NERV. 

 

If you start with Ch. 3 of my fanwork (link below), you can learn about what Kerbin did with the Native Laythans. There is also a conspiracy to be uncovered concerning a Laythan tribe that Bob wants to uncover; unfortunately, there is a good chance that Val was involved.

 

[Geschosskopf]

12 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

Kerbin's central government had already performed a full-scale investigation: nobody else but Johnfrid has stepped foot on Laythe.

If you start with Ch. 3 of my fanwork (link below), you can learn about what Kerbin did with the Native Laythans. There is also a conspiracy to be uncovered concerning a Laythan tribe that Bob wants to uncover; unfortunately, there is a good chance that Val was involved.

Hmm.  Well, I haven't had time to read your story but if the Kerbals did bad things to the Laytheans, I'd expect they'll want revenge.  Thus, sending Johnfrid to Laythe unarmed was a bad decision.

So, to answer your question, Johnfrid should run away very quickly.  If not, he should write his will.

[fulgur]

Am I right in thinking that AMBS is set after these mission reports? After all, by the time AMBS is set in you have practiced enough to make some really good SSTOs :-).

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

if the Kerbals did bad things to the Laytheans, I'd expect they'll want revenge.  Thus, sending Johnfrid to Laythe unarmed was a bad decision.

To answer @fulgur's question, AMBS and the Neptune Mission Files are completely different timelines.

 

As for @Geschosskopf, in AMBS, the first two waves Laythe explorers were killed by a native Laythan tribe known as the Clivar. When the pictures of the Clivar attacking the second wave were received on Kerbin, most of the population wanted revenge and sent a large SSTO full of armed soldiers to Laythe. They teamed up with the Ryagii tribe and were victorious against the Clivar.

• The leader of the Kerbal Strike Force was Val's older brother, Victor Kerman.

 

However, near the beginning of the story (except the prologue, where Bill and Jeb were ~9 (Val was 10 and Bob was ~6)), nobody knows what really happened to the Clivar after the battle. Though the military claims that the Clivar were simply driven away and starved to death, there were rumors that the Kerbal Strike Force exterminated the entire tribe - men, women, and children alike. If you read the novel, you'll find out EXACTLY what happened.

• It's still a work in progress, but at least by now you should know what became of the Clivar (and the Ryagii).

[Geschosskopf]

8 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

To answer @fulgur's question, AMBS and the Neptune Mission Files are completely different timelines.

As for @Geschosskopf, in AMBS, the first two waves Laythe explorers were killed by a native Laythan tribe known as the Clivar. When the pictures of the Clivar attacking the second wave were received on Kerbin, most of the population wanted revenge and sent a large SSTO full of armed soldiers to Laythe. They teamed up with the Ryagii tribe and were victorious against the Clivar.

• The leader of the Kerbal Strike Force was Val's older brother, Victor Kerman.

However, near the beginning of the story (except the prologue, where Bill and Jeb were ~9 (Val was 10 and Bob was ~6)), nobody knows what really happened to the Clivar after the battle. Though the military claims that the Clivar were simply driven away and starved to death, there were rumors that the Kerbal Strike Force exterminated the entire tribe - men, women, and children alike. If you read the novel, you'll find out EXACTLY what happened.

• It's still a work in progress, but at least by now you should know what became of the Clivar (and the Ryagii).

Well, if AMBS is totally differrent from Neptune, I'm not sure how that relates to this story.

However, if the Laytheans have had prior contact with Kerbals and there's been violence, I wouldn't expect any major diplomatic breakthroughs.

Whenever folks of different tech levels have met, each side has always gone through the same decision trees.  The folks with the higher tech always win so for them, it's just a question of how effectively, if at all, the low-tech folks decide to resist, which depends a lot on the relative tech difference, the relative "advancement" of their civilizations, and how valuable the possessions of the low-tech folks (including mere  geographically useful real estate) are compared to the cost of taking them by force.  For the low-tech folks, it depends how how "advanced" their society was before contact.  The more "advanced" their society, the more organized the resistance but the easier it is for the masses to accept a new lord in the castle after a decapitation strike--peasants will still plow the same fields regardless of who wins.  OTOH, the less "advanced" their society (IOW, with more personal freedom), the less organized the resistance but the less likely they'll be to accept the existence of castles and lords to begin with, so the more likely they'll be to paint their faces black and say, "It's a good day to die."  And the more the various independent tribes will learn from the experiences of their neighbors and see the same thing happening to them.

So, like I said, Johnfrid should run away as fast as he can.  Just because the Ryagii might have settled an old score with the Clivar with Kerbal help doesn't mean they see the Kerbals as eternal allies.  They no doubt see themselves as impediments standing in the way of Kerbal imperialism and, seeing nothing to lose, will rather go down fighting than capitulate.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

On 9/8/2019 at 9:54 PM, Geschosskopf said:

Well, if AMBS is totally differrent from Neptune, I'm not sure how that relates to this story.

It doesn't, I just wanted to show you a fanwork of mine that involved contact with Native Laythans.

 

On 9/8/2019 at 9:54 PM, Geschosskopf said:

However, if the Laytheans have had prior contact with Kerbals and there's been violence, I wouldn't expect any major diplomatic breakthroughs.

In AMBS, the first explorers were unarmed (just like Johnfrid in the Neptune Files). Though the kerbals tried to explain that they came in peace, the Clivar kidnapped them and murdered them. When the picture of the Clivar attack was received, the kerbals (understandably) wanted revenge and deployed the Strike Force to wipe out the tribe behind the explorers' deaths.

• Once they defeated the Clivar, they found kerbal skeletons in a mass Laythan grave. 

 

About a quarter of the way into the novel, you'll find out what really happened to the Clivar tribe after their defeat. In the meantime, the kerbals set up a base several kilometers away from the Ryagii village and forged a friendly relationship with them.

• Until Bob left Jool for Dres, he was working on how to grow Laythan crops on Kerbin and make them usable for space travel.
  • Kerbals are photosynthetic, but Laythans aren't.
• When a kerbalnaut when Sheri Kerman was murdered, Major Victor Kerman (Val's older brother) suspects it's the Laythans. However, a Laythan eyewitness told the base personnel that he saw a "bright-eyed metal monster" drive away from where she was killed.
• Scott and Matt Kerman are working on designing a submarine to transport to Laythe, and Matt consults the designs for Laythan "boots."
  • Laythe's waters don't freeze due to its high mineral concentration; its average temperature is way below zero Celsius.
• Though it is implied that there are other Laythan tribes out there, they're smaller and more spread out due to:
  • Most of the planet being covered in water.
  • Limited resources on the islands due to the cold temperatures.
    • You try fishing where the water's mineral concentration is high AND where it can get to around -35 degrees Celsius (on average)

 

Yeah, Johnfrid shouldn't take any chances and run. At least the Neptune III can get away and return later or land at a different spot. 

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y42D254 - 0H30M

 

To all you haters who said that the Neptune II couldn't get me off Laythe. I say... WATCH ME!

 

• The engines right after ignition. It took a few seconds to warm up and achieve the desired thrust (blowing the flag away in the process), but I got going.

 

• The Neptune II finally flying after the engines were fully warmed up. It managed to get at the desired ascent angle with minimal to zero wobbling.
  • And the wings don't even have control surfaces.

 

• Reaching 1,100 m/s during the ascent. Finally, I got rid of the ice that formed on the spacecraft.
  • Though the internal heating systems managed to keep ice from forming on the important components, it was really annoying to deal with - like when it got on the ladder.

 

• After losing the jet engines and entered a suborbital trajectory, I deployed the panels and antenna while the craft waited to make its circularization burn at 95 km orbit.

 

• Orbiting Jool at 27 Mm while getting a shot of Laythe and Tylo.

 

In about 319 days, I will make my exit burn to Kerbin. Though I won't have enough fuel for the capture burn (let alone descent), I can at least do an aerobrake and parachute down on the surface. If I'm lucky, I can do a direct approach without any harm to the craft itself. 

• Good thing that the main capsule has two RTGs for power, since I will need to lose the solar panels when the Poodle engine burns out.

 

As for the issue with the Native Laythans, I have been ordered to stay as far away from them as possible while on the surface. Whatever pictures I took of them, I have also been instructed by the central government to keep them in the capsule to eliminate the risk of possible data corruption. Though I disagree with the fact that I got that from a bunch of politicians and not my immediate superiors, I will agree that the chance of my data being corrupted - and, therefore, leaving doubt among the scientific community and the general public - is medium to high due to my craft having a weak antenna (only 2 G in the main capsule) and no on-board engineer to fix it.

• The central government messenger who talked to KSP also wanted to hold back on the "we have confirmed intelligent life on Laythe" announcement until the Neptune III crew has made contact. Honestly, I don't know why I need to keep my "alien stalker pics" to myself since we'll get confirmation from the Neptune III before I make it back to Kerbin.
  • They're expected to reach Jool's SOI in 1 year and 303 days. However long it takes them to find the Laythans would definitely be shorter than how long it takes for me to reach Kerbin.

 

Wish us luck, everyone.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y43D107 - 3H15M

 

I got some good news, and I got some bad news. 

• GOOD NEWS
  • I won't be flying back to Kerbin alone. Four women who were stationed on Vall for years decided to rendezvous their ship with the Neptune II and allow me to spacewalk my way on board. 
    • Since I didn't want the pod to turn into the Kerbi Kerbi Lit Club (yet), I locked myself in the EVA suit closet while writing this report.
  • Mission Control approved this part of my mission - as well as Operation: Homecoming - since I will be flying back with an inflatable heat shield instead of inside a tiny lander can with an ablative shield.
    • In case the capsule blows up, Kerbin may lose scientific data - but not me.
• BAD NEWS
  • Their Jool orbit rendezvous cost those ladies a lot of delta-V. In other words, they're currently unable to fly back to Kerbin.
  • We have an ore transport on Vall, but it will take a long time to get ready - and an even longer time to get to us. It may take a few extra years, but the mission commander assured her that it was fine.

 

Essentially, while I'm upgrading my seat and getting better re-entry protection, I will be delayed in my arrival. Their engineer was ticked that their exit burn was delayed on my account, but the commander told her that it was all right.

 

• The Neptune II in sight of the Vall pod.

 

I don't know how long it will be before the ore transport gets to us - or when I'll return to Kerbin - but at least I won't be alone. I also won't have to worry about burning to death in a tin can during re-entry, now that I have the most powerful heat shield ever. In the meantime, the Neptune II will be remote-controlled from now on and Mission Control will only have to worry about the scientific data in the ship's probe core.

 

 

A lot could happen while we're waiting to make our exit burn. Who knows, we may even get a visit from the Neptune III crew. I hope we all make it back soon.

 

So far, it seems like Operation: Homecoming is making some great progress. Besides us five (originally four in the pod before me), only eight more kerbalnauts on Duna are coming back in a fleet. As far as I know, I'm the first kerbal who has participated in two separate non-tourist missions AT THE SAME TIME. While I'm still officially part of the Neptune Missions, I am now riding back with a Homecoming crew.

 

• Link to Mission Report thread

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

LODOCK KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y44D205 - 5H30M

 

At long last, we made it to Laythe in the Neptune III. Even better, it's a plane - so KSP would get almost a full return-on-investment when it gets back. Below are some pictures we took.

 

• The Neptune III in orbit of Laythe before making its de-orbit burn.

 

• Now entering a suborbital trajectory above Laythe, with Tylo in sight.
  • Almost looks like re-entering Kerbin from this angle, doesn't it?

 

• The plane caught fire at nearly 47 km above the surface. Re-entry kind of looks like your typical everyday Kerbin re-entry - only the heat is not as intense.

 

• 17 km above the surface, and we start gliding above Laythe at supersonic speeds. The weird thing is that we didn't see a shock wave until after we reached speeds like ~850 m/s.
  • We found that weird since, on Kerbin, we would see shock waves at speeds of about ~343 m/s or more. Perhaps the speed of sound works differently here than Kerbin.

 

• Since the island we first approached had too low an ore concentration, we decided to fly over the Neptune II landing site before landing at a better spot.
  • If only Johnfrid could see us now from the surface, he'd be jealous of us landing in style. Plus, that would make the perfect "Plane flying" picture.

 

• After landing, I got the green light to step out of the plane and plant our flag.
  • It was also okay for me to remove my helmet here, but I would rather keep it on since it's colder than Kerbin's ice caps here.

 

We're going to spend the next several days reloading the plane's liquid fuel tanks before exploring the planet. When it is time to leave, we'll land at a nice spot near the planet's equator and fill up both the liquid fuel and oxidizer tanks before taking off. I'm sure we'll have plenty of science to bring back home by then.

 

I've also paid attention to the Operation: Homecoming thread, and read about the Duna-bound kerbalnauts that were forced to return home due to their SSTO being declared unsuitable for atmospheric flight. I find it rather disappointing that they would be stuck in a plane that they didn't know would fail until the figurative last minute, but at least they'll get to survive. In the meantime, two more kerbalnauts are testing a third variant of the Duna SSTO - one that manage to re-enter correctly the first time without crashing. 

 

• Mk. III Duna SSTO at the KSC Runway. Notice how the wings are straight and that the rear stabilizers are fixed with smaller control surfaces.
  • It also has aerobrakes as well as parachutes to slow down during landing. At least the current design still has the most important feature of the previous one: the two NERV thrusters.

 

I hope we get done refueling soon and without any issues; I'm itching to explore this place.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

ENMAL'S KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y44D313 - 0H15M

 

When our plane was done filling up its liquid fuel tanks, we were instructed to fly to the Elegail rover's last known position a couple of islands (and a couple hundred kilometers) away. After takeoff, Lodock instructed me to do something incredibly risky and convert all the ore still in the tank to liquid fuel while flying; the reason it's risky is because the rapier engines don't have alternators to help recharge the batteries. Luckily, the ore supply was drained before the batteries were - and the plane's RTG helped recharge them slow enough to sustain the SAS.

 

• Cockpit shot of Jool while flying over the ocean. I hoped our landing spot would be bright enough to see the ground below us.
  • SPOILER ALERT: it wasn't.

 

• Look, up in the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane. No, it's the Neptune III going at a supersonic speed.
  • Apparently, as Jool becomes more obvious, the sky gets darker.

 

• Lodock cut the engines while we were going at supersonic speed to save fuel while slowing us down. For a while, we were in glide mode until the airspeed got below 250 meters per second.
  • I wanted to see what this plane could really do here, so we decided to stay supersonic until we were close to the target.

 

Unfortunately, by the time we got within 35 kilometers of the rover's tracking beacon, it was too dark to see anything below in order to pick a good landing spot. To make matters worse, we couldn't tell if we were over water or land. The only upside was that the surface ore concentration was high enough for the drills - assuming that we didn't crash or splash first. After flying in circles for five minutes, Lodock said "screw landing," and deployed the parachutes after cutting the engines. Good thing that the Mk. I cockpit took the impact - and that Lodock kept the plane upright on its wheels in the end - otherwise we would be in deep trouble now.

 

• After we landed, we immediately deployed the solar panels and started the refueling process.

 

What's luckier than landing in one piece in the dark was that we landed approximately 550 meters away from the rover. We plan to walk toward it in the morning to check it out. Good night, readers.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

LODOCK KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y45D31 - 1H30M

 

After we were done refueling the plane less than 100 days ago, Enmal walked ~550 meters toward the Elegail rover for performance inspection. During which, he got this neat shot of two of Jool's moons at once in the night sky.

 

• Looks like Vall and Tylo. Though they both look like they're the same size in Laythe's sky, we know that it's because Tylo is further away from Laythe than Vall is while being larger than Vall.
  • It's like how the Mun and Kerbol appear the same size in Kerbin's sky.
• This would make a good "romantic view" spot - if we didn't run the risk of freezing to death.
  • And if we ever expand Laythe operations, which will take up a lot of time and money.
  • Besides that, it's kind of hard to enjoy a romantic night with your heads encased in helmets
    • Though the air is breathable, it's average temperature is below freezing.
    • There's even a rumor - though unconfirmed - that the saliva would freeze at this temperature and cause the kissers' lips to stick.
  • What do you think?

 

When Enmal made it to Elegail, he said that he forgot that those kinds of rovers were the size of cars. Maybe Mission Control could send a whole fleet of little cars to Laythe's islands to drive around in.

 

• First time in decades this lonely rover has been in personal contact with another kerbal.
  • It may be older than Bill's kids, but it's still in top shape.

 

The next morning, we were ordered to fly toward Laythe's south pole - but first, we needed to find a good refueling spot for our trip back to the equator (and/or the north pole). I tell you, taking off at night is way easier than landing.

 

• If any Native Laythans were in the area, they would have seen this once we passed 430 meters per second.

 

The best landing spot I chose was about 750 kilometers away, yet it took us about 10 minutes to get there. Even better, it was almost daylight at our destination when we were getting close.

 

• Nice sunrise view while still going supersonic (and at 1/3 throttle)
  • While the sun was in front of us, Jool was behind us. 
  • Makes you wonder how often there is a "Joolian eclipse" on Laythe.
    • Where the sunlight goes RIGHT THROUGH Jool.

 

After landing and (forgetting) flagging down our landing spot on the plane's GPS*, we deployed the drills and started to refuel. During which, we captured an interesting image on my camera.

 * yes, the GPS works on Laythe. What else has Mission Control been doing with all its relays and orbital scanners (besides establishing a Kerbnet connection).

 

• If you look at the hill to the right, you can see three lit-up torches. According to Mission Control, the two of us and the plane are the only Kerbal presence on this island. Could this be a sign of Native Laythan existence?

 

Very soon, we'll be taking off for the south pole for further scientific data gathering. Hope it's not too dark when we get there.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

ENMAL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y45D134 - 5H10M

 

Sorry for the extra-long gap in entries, but we've been exploring a good chunk of the planet. 

 

After the plane was refueled, we took off and headed for Laythe's south pole. As we were getting up to cruising speed, look at what we found.

 

• Looks like a beach village on the other island with coastal torches.
• I think there's a road from the coastal settlement leading up to a second village.

 

This next shot is further confirmation of intelligent life active civilization on Laythe.

 

• At this altitude, it appears to be a large Laythan city with a defensive wall surrounding it.
• If I had to guess, I'd say that the largest building in the center was for the city's government.
  • Or that of a larger body, depending on how the Laythans run stuff here.
  • Lodock was going too fast to get a closer look (and I didn't want to get too low), but I'm sure everyone in that town saw us.

 

From the villagers' view, the Neptune III looks like a "Fire God" or a "Sun God" flying through the sky; kind of ironic since the plane is named after a sea god. I don't really blame the villagers, since Lodock loves to fly over 800 meters per second. Wernher von Kerman didn't mind, since Laythe is not only super-cold, but it has water - so what better way to prevent frost accumulation than setting the plane on fire? 

 

As we got closer to the south pole, we found less (if any) Laythan settlements on the surface. It was kind of hard to pick a landing spot there, but at least we landed where there was sun (or at least what we could get) and a sufficient ore concentration.

 

• The Neptune III refueling on Laythe's south pole while looking at Jool and the sun. Great shot for pictures, huh?

 

After the liquid fuel tanks were full, we flew all the way across the south pole and headed north. During the flight, we slowed down to get a picture of the aerial Laythe probe we dropped a few years ago. 

 

The next plan is to stop at a nearby island to refuel all our tanks - including the oxidizer - and take off in a polar orbit so we can say we flew all over Laythe. After that, we'll descend on an equatorial island and refuel, getting ready for the trip back home.

 

Back home, Mission Control was testing an SSTO prototype for the Neptune IV called the Integral S-3 Schmittou. While they had impressive Kerbin ascent thrusts (4 rapiers at once) and delta-V left upon achieving orbit (~3800 m/s at 237 km), both prototypes lost control and crashed upon re-entry. As of now, we only have two working SSTO models in our space program and the other one is designed for Duna use.

• If I had to guess, I'd say the Schmittou failed because the CoL and CoM were too close together.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

LODOCK KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y45D147 - 5H45M

 

We're now in a 100-km polar orbit above the moon. Sure, we already have an orbital scanner in place, but we can finally say that we've been "all around Laythe."

 

• We took off at a 45-degree heading since it was the only safe takeoff option from our location. Once we were 200 meters above the surface, I quickly steered the plane to 90 degrees (or at least the closest I could get) and started the orbital ascent.
• As expected, it was way easier to get up to speed (and by that, I mean +1300 m/s) on Laythe than on Kerbin due to the moon's gravity being lower than Kerbin's.

 

• We managed to get our apoapsis past Laythe's upper boundary layer (50-km altitude) while the rapiers were still running.
• Enmal called me a "reckless serial arsonist" after he saw our surface speed right before I cut off the engines. Sure, the plane has proven to be fireproof time and time again, but I understand his concern.
  • Enmal: "How long before the plane blows up because the metal's too weak?"
  • Me: "I think we're okay. I mean, this plane's been through a lot of fires already."
  • Enmal: "I don't want the next one to be our last. If the metal gives up before Kerbin re-entry, we're either dead or stranded."

 

• Our plane after we achieved a stable parking orbit over Laythe - and we just passed the north pole.
• We have a lot of delta-V to spare after that ascent (and yes, we still have oxidizer left). This number is great for when we make a transfer burn to another Jool moon to refuel before we finally go home.

 

After a while in polar orbit, we'll descend on Laythe and land along one of the equatorial islands to refuel. I don't know if we should explore the planet more or begin the flight home. What do you all think?

 

[fulgur]

On 11/5/2019 at 3:22 AM, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

Back home, Mission Control was testing an SSTO prototype for the Neptune IV called the Integral S-3 Schmittou. While they had impressive Kerbin ascent thrusts (4 rapiers at once) and delta-V left upon achieving orbit (~3800 m/s at 237 km), both prototypes lost control and crashed upon re-entry. As of now, we only have two working SSTO models in our space program and the other one is designed for Duna use.

Show us some pictures! We, your dogged followers and shouters of unheard improvements, shall help you with this design.
Do you really need 4 RAPIERS? That's a very heavy Mk2 / light Mk3 SSTO by anyone's standards.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN

 

In light of a recent demand for our SSTO progress reports to be made public, I am submitting this journal entry with such reports attached. 

 

In case the reader is not aware by the time they read this, the S-3 Schmittou was being tested to see if it was a worthy candidate for Neptune IV. Ultimately, the design was rejected because our engineers couldn't come up with a stable design for when the plane re-entered; perhaps it was due to the fact that the centers of mass and lift were too close together. I was close to trashing the design altogether, but Bill suggested modifying the aerodynamic structure so that the plane would stop spinning and start gliding after re-entry. His suggestions for improving the design included, but are not limited to:

• Increasing the wingspan length
  • With vertical tips.
• Replacing the 1x6 solar panels with Gigantors.
  • Multiplying the plane's power intake by a factor of over 7
• Adding aerobrakes - and a whole lot of them.
  • Given enough time within the atmosphere, the Schmittou could get up to 1,500 m/s
• Removing the front canards to keep the center of lift at a good distance behind the center of mass.
• Reaction wheels

 

After some time at the drawing board, the S-4 Hamacker was made and we started testing. Below are the pictures of our most recent field test - conducted by rookie engineer Shelus Kerman.

• And yes, we know the plane's safe for kerbal use. We tested it unmanned repeatedly.

 

• S-4 Hamacker with all its features deployed.

 

• The Hamacker during takeoff. And yes, I'm using all four rapiers at once.
  • Whoever designed the Schmittou must have felt a need for speed when they put in that many rapiers.

 

• After using the whole runway to take off, the Hamacker started its ascent at a low angle.
• If you look closely at the bottom, you can see some structural supports under the wings and rapier engines. This is because that, during one of the field tests, they were wobbling mid-flight. These supports are put there to reduce the risk of them falling off.

 

• I forgot the altitude when this picture was taken, but this is when the plane got past 1,400 m/s --> and that was before we fired the nerv engine at 21-km altitude.
  • On one test, we had to pull back on the throttle because one of the components was overheating while the plane surpassed 1,500 m/s.

 

• The Hamacker at 198 km orbital altitude with 2,739 m/s of delta-V left.
  • Orbital altitude and leftover delta-V varied significantly during testing. I'm guessing it had something to do with the ascent technique.
  • Even if the Hamacker is less aerodynamically efficient than the Schmittou, I'm okay with it since at least it didn't spin out of control --> as shown by the next several pictures.

 

• Finally, the moment of truth. We managed to fly the plane normally after getting below 30 km, but first we had to do a bit of supersonic gliding to lose speed.
  • This will really come in handy when it comes to saving fuel.

 

• As you can see, the exhaust trail is not a spiral.
• At last, Shelus is flying in a normal plane again --> but now for the hardest part.

 

• We were coming in too fast for a normal landing, even with the aerobrakes deployed, so we used the front parachutes and a couple of the back ones (two more were not deployed).
  • Shelus had to fire up the rapiers when getting close to the ground to not damage the nerv.
• Any ideas on how to get the Hamacker to land upright upon parachute deployment?

 

• The Hamacker, landed on the ground.

 

Since some concerned members of the public insisted on improvements, here are some questions I think should be addressed.

1. How can we maximize leftover delta-V after the ascent? What angle should we keep the plane at during the ascent?
2. Which parachute arrangement is necessary to keep the plane upright upon deployment - if possible?

 

I look forward to hearing the input.

 

Wernher Von Kerman

Year 45, Day 148

0H35M

[fulgur]

I don't think you need that much wing. You have plenty of thrust and it should be stable without so much wing, as long as the CoL is well behind the CoM.
Also, you could definitely increase your payload for a similar ΔV; if you put your stuff in a Mk2 bay it could survive aerobraking much better. You could also build a larger Mk2 SSTO which would have more fuel and so more ΔV when fully fuelled.

EDIT: I found an example of a 4 RAPIER 2 Nerv craft which had slightly more ΔV than you in LKO and could carry a large payload to the Mun or Minmus and return:

Spoiler

The only picture I could find of it in orbit.

In the hangar, loaded it up from an old save file. I use Restock now, which reskins everything, but all the parts are stock.

There is no LfO mix in any of the adapters, except the two in the main body.

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by fulgur

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

6 hours ago, fulgur said:

I don't think you need that much wing. You have plenty of thrust and it should be stable without so much wing, as long as the CoL is well behind the CoM.

Unfortunately, cutting the wingspan brought the CoL closer to the CoM than I think it should be. Though I managed to reach 237 km orbital altitude with 3,142 m/s left, it came at a cost too great to bear.

 

• After re-entry, the plane spiraled for a bit before I managed to regain control --> at <10 km. When I did, the controls were so sensitive that I spun around again after adjusting my flight path.

 

In short, I think I'll keep the large wingspan on the Hamacker (for now). 

 

6 hours ago, fulgur said:

You could also build a larger Mk2 SSTO which would have more fuel and so more ΔV when fully fuelled.

Building a larger SSTO is my ultimate goal; in fact, that would be my next go-to spacecraft if I ever get around to it. However, I'm still having trouble getting my Mk1 SSTOs to do what I want.

 

Also, @fulgur, is it okay if I use your Heofodraca I design for this mission? Modifications I had in mind include, but are not limited to:

• Installing a probe core to store science and remote control.
• Putting a drill and ore converter in the cargo area.

 

EDIT: I almost forgot to mention the part where the rapiers flamed in and out randomly after re-entry. That never happened with the long-winged prototype except for one time when I abused the timewarp.

Edited November 7, 2019 by Mars-Bound Hokie
I forgot something.

[fulgur]

Of course, I'll go and put it on KerbalX as soon as I've made some much needed modifications. It's not the best; it probably needs some more intake air if you're going to Laythe, and it doesn't have a good antennae as it was only meant to deliver light cargo to Minmus and back. It also doesn't handle very well on re-entry unless you have cargo in it. Oh, and I'll have to remove the kOS computer. (kOS allows you to write your own autopilot, unlike those not that argument MJ users).

With the swept wings a shorter wingspan will move the CoL forwards a bit, so you might need to move them backwards and maybe remove forwards canards if you have them.

EDIT: Hey, @Mars-Bound Hokie here is the Heofodraca I on KerbalX.

Edited November 7, 2019 by fulgur

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN

 

The good news is that the Neptune II has returned to Kerbin, and Johnfrid Kerman is all right.

 

The bad news is... you might want to read the news.

 

 

Over a day ago, we tried to aerobrake so that the can would not feel the full intensity of Kerbin re-entry the first time around. When the craft was at 5,000 km altitude, some people in Mission Control feared that the craft would either slingshot away from Kerbin or get destroyed. I ordered that all scientific data that could be transmitted be done so, but the craft had too low a power capacity for some of the findings. While everyone was aware that the can was unoccupied, there was a massive panic in Mission Control; the only time I saw anything close was when Bill and Val were stranded on Eeloo about 30 years ago.

 

Speaking of which, Val then got ambitious and tried to save the craft. Since all we had to lose was the scientific data - most of which was either transmitted or already recorded in the Neptune III - I told her to go for it. Had Johnfrid been inside the craft, I would have not risked it and sent the craft in a hyperbolic trajectory.

• In hindsight, I should have done that (regardless of occupancy). I could have also saved the data - and maybe even the capsule itself - in the upcoming rescue mission.

 

• Last photograph of the Neptune II capsule in one piece. 
  • I bet some meme-happy interns would put this under the "Pictures Taken Moments Before Disaster" category or whatever the kraken they like to call it.

 

 

Unfortunately, Val's bravery combined with her level head wasn't enough. Even though she was spinning about the retrograde axis at ~4700 m/s, the heat shield couldn't protect the can from overheating and blowing up when it reached 59 altitude. Our tracking station picked up several pieces burning up in the upper atmosphere, and the only re-entry survivor was the MechJeb module.

 

• Taken Y45D336 - 5H55M05S

 

It took the piece over an hour from when this picture was taken to splash on the ocean.

 

• Taken Y45D337 - 1H05M

 

I don't know if it was premonition or pure luck when Gene ordered the "Vall Girls" - the nickname associated with the women who are now returning from Vall - to pick up Johnfrid, but I'm glad he did. In a few hours, their pod will leave Jool's sphere of influence en route back to Kerbin. At least Johnfrid will be alive to tell his stories when he returns home, but we still need to get the lost data back - aside from having the Neptune III do it. I hope the plane holds it together better than the can; Lodock and Enmal don't have a pod to pick them up.

 

If anyone is interested in replying, I have a few things to ask:

1. Please press "F" to pay respects for the Neptune II's lost data.
   1. I don't know why; saying the letter "F" to pay respects is just so popular on chat forums these days.
2. Any ideas on how to prevent the Neptune III from ending up like its predecessor?
3. Aside from the usual "biome-hopping" that the Neptune III's doing, how can I get some of that lost data back - especially the goo and atmospheric GCMS data?
   1. The Neptune III doesn't have any atmospheric GCMS devices, goo canisters, or materials modules - or scientists, for that matter.
   2. I would like to strap a goo canister on the Hamacker (if we use it as the Neptune IV), but Gus objected and said that the plane was to be used by engineers only.
4. Continue to lend your support for the Neptune program. If what Johnfrid said about the moon's air being breathable is true, then we may have found ourselves a new home for kerbalkind.

 

I wish Johnfrid and his new shipmates (hopefully, it doesn't turn into "mates") good luck in their return. I also wish Lodock and Enmal good luck in their mission, and wish them a safe return when it is time. If anyone has any questions/concerns/comments, please don't hesitate to leave them in this forum.

 

Wernher Von Kerman

Year 45, Day 337

2H45M