The Neptune Mission Files: A Laythe Exploration and Colonization Saga

[SkyFall2489]

18 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

First of all, how do you know about the interplanetary travel pods that carry seven people? Did you come across one of my old reports/fanworks or something, because I can't find anybody else referencing such craft.

I've read a lot of your old reports.

Wait, do newer ITPs not carry 7? 7 crew is a hitchhiker and an mk1-3, so I might have assumed.

ITPs seem to be single-use, carrying equipment for Kerbin re-entry. However, re-entry and aerobraking are 2 different things - a ship could enter an atmosphere to slow down from escape velocity to a lower orbit, then raise its periapsis out of the atmosphere. This offers potential delta-v savings.

Also, with the ITV you may want to think about designing a specialized SSTO that can carry all that fuel, crew and cargo to LKO, but not have ISRU or much equipment to go very far as it won't need it. 

 

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

16 minutes ago, SkyFall2489 said:

However, re-entry and aerobraking are 2 different things - a ship could enter an atmosphere to slow down from escape velocity to a lower orbit, then raise its periapsis out of the atmosphere. This offers potential delta-v savings.

If my ITV was low on fuel when approaching Kerbin, aerobraking would seem like the logical option. However, I then run the risk of blowing something up in the atmosphere while aerobraking to lower my apoapsis. Worst-case scenario, I make a pit stop at Duna and send an ore transport to refuel the ship before going to Kerbin.

 

16 minutes ago, SkyFall2489 said:

Also, with the ITV you may want to think about designing a specialized SSTO that can carry all that fuel, crew and cargo to LKO, but not have ISRU or much equipment to go very far as it won't need it. 

I'm already in the process of removing the ISRU and science equipment from a P-5 Olympian while adding a SEQ-24 to it. Simple job, and I should be able to fly to Mun or Minmus orbit if the mission requires it. The modified SSTO may not carry enough spare fuel to give to the ship, but that's what mass ore transports and space stations are for.

 

16 minutes ago, SkyFall2489 said:

do newer ITPs not carry 7? 7 crew is a hitchhiker and an mk1-3, so I might have assumed.

As of now, the single-use ITPs still carry 7 - and no extra cargo modules. That's why I turned to the ITV in the first place; to increase passenger and storage capacity in a streamlined spacecraft network.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Mars-Bound Hokie

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

AGAFORD KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y66D164 - 4H30M

 

I cannot tell you how glad I am to be in a nice, (semi-)cozy spaceplane after being trapped in a smelly spacesuit for days. After I was done refueling the P-5 Olympian, I had to get out of the plane since the transfer window to Dres was opening soon. That meant I had to be stuck floating in Minmus orbit in nothing but my EVA suit until the Laythe speeder arrived.

 

• (Wo)man overboard!

 

Once the Laythe speeder rendezvoused with me, I jetpacked my way to the cockpit and fumbled for the airlock lever in the darkness until I got in. First thing I did before I landed, I washed myself as best as I could with what I had. After that, I refueled the plane's Lf tanks, flew out of Minmus SOI, and now I'm at a parking orbit 50 Mm above Kerbin.

 

• You can see Kerbin, the Mun, and Minmus (L to R) in this picture.

 

With 4,500 m/s of dV in my fuel tanks, according to the onboard Launch Window Planner, I have enough fuel to make it to Jool directly - but with almost 400 m/s of dV left over. After the KSP ran several simulations sending different craft - whether they be base parts or electric planes - they recommend I target Laythe directly as soon as I enter Jool's SOI. After that, I would fine-tune my approach to have a periapsis WITHIN the planet's atmosphere so that I could aerobrake. I would still have to make a braking burn when I enter Laythe's SOI so that I don't stay in a hyperbolic trajectory at best or explode from overheating at worst. Either way, too fast an approach would backfire on me. Once I can safely re-enter Laythe, I would have to find an island with a suitable ore concentration and fast. Cross my fingers I get lucky enough to fly near one.

 

Regarding the Base vs Station debate, I'd rather go with a station than a base. With a base, you have to make a precise landing; if you're unlucky, the only safe spots that won't end up with you sliding will be far away. On top of that, it will cost a lot more time than it would to send a completed orbital station - which would probably cost less on its own than all four base parts put together. Not to mention that, even if the craft lands smack-dab next to the base, kerbals will have to transport the cargo one-by-one in either direction. 

• I think we can send both, but only the first part of the base. It can serve as a warehouse for auxiliary equipment, which may not even be used since the orbital station has a lot of cargo slots as it is.

 

In other news, I hear we're doing great with our electric drones so far. So great, in fact, that the engineers there are building a luxury three-man transport based off the drone's general design. Since the electric engines were reportedly quieter than the jet engines, I would pay a lot of money to cruise around the planet in one of those planes if I could also take a nap in the middle and/or listen to some soothing music. But I don't have to worry about that now, since most of my time in the Neptune VIII plane will be spent in empty space with the engine off.

 

What do you all think? Base, or Station?

Edited February 26, 2023 by Mars-Bound Hokie

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

JEBEDIAH KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y66D242 - 1H30M

 

Remember that oversized drone that the guys at the SPH built for aerial recon on Laythe? Since it worked out so well (for the most part), it was redesigned to carry cargo and passengers - and go faster. I was then bestowed the honor of doing a westward test flight around Kerbin's equator.

 

• The E-40 Impulse flying above (one of) Kerbin's deserts.
• I then got a reminder to turn the nav lights on after this photo was taken.

 

• To my surprise, it was rather quiet flying this plane the autopilot was easy to set. All I had to do was set the altitude lock to 7 km and point the nose at a 270-degree heading, and I was all set. Since this was an electric plane, I didn't have to worry about a variable speed since the fuel wouldn't be draining.
  • After all, you can't run out of fuel if you don't use fuel.
• The plane was also quiet, like you could take a nap without needing earplugs.
  • In fact, I did that immediately after texting this pic to Bill.

 

• Looks like I'm running away from the death star in this plane.

 

• Approaching the KSC after less than a day of continuous flight.

 

I finished the equatorial flight around Kerbin in 5 HOURS, 11 MINUTES, 30 SECONDS. Bill said that if I lowered the propeller blade angle and flew west, I could leave the plane airborne forever; I have no idea what he meant. 

 

After that, a friend of mine from school - I forgot which one, but it was the guy who dressed in a Ohio Glenn jacket and fedora all the time (and once got suspended for bringing a whip) -  said that he found the Temple of Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn. According to legend, after the ancient king Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn died from sickness, some of his closest followers built a large religious temple in the empire's capital city to house his body. The king's heir, Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn-Dos, apparently saw an opportunity to strengthen his dynasty's influence by having the high priest announce that his dearly-departed father had become a member of their society's pantheon after his death. In other words, the dead king had become a god to be worshipped. 

• Also according to legend, the gods did not take kindly to the new king's attempt to compare a mortal to them. While Jeb-Ahn-Dos was away seeking his bride, the gods had buried the city and its "blasphemous" inhabitants in a year-long sandstorm. When the king and his new wife returned, they could not find the city anywhere; just large mounds in the desert.
• The temple of Tut-Un Jeb-Han has been the subject of mythology, fairy tales, classroom discussions, and epic movies (including the first Ohio Glenn) for thousands of years. But until now, nobody ever found it.

 

I then convinced Gus to let me fly to the temple dig site under the pretense that the E-40 needed to do an off-road landing test. He was a bit confused as to why I wanted to fly an hour west towards some incredibly specific coordinates in the desert, but he didn't seem to mind - as long as I brought a couple of Level One kerbalnauts with me for the ride.

 

• You can barely make out the resurfaced temple in this picture.
• Lenson Kerman (Level One - Engineer) was reading the plane specs and performance logs while Camlan Kerman (Level One - Scientist) was asleep.

 

• Another successful landing after a little less than an hour.
• I don't know why the plane has robot scanner arms installed in the back, but am I glad I'm not the one who needs to operate them - just the aircraft itself.
• Boy, does that temple look awesome - although I must say that whoever designed that crown must have been some edgy ten-year-old.
• Unbeknownst to us, Lenson has a sister who's a linguist that works at the dig site. That's how he knows so much about this legend.

 

• My picture taken in front of the statue of Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn.
• My dad's side of the family claims that they're direct descendants of him, but I'm personally not sure. I guess we could always ask for a DNA test after they find the body - assuming it wasn't cremated or turned to dust by time.

 

I then uploaded a marker onto our navigation systems in case the KSP wants to send any more personnel or equipment to the dig site. 

 

What does all this talk about electric planes and ancient tombs have to do with Laythe missions, you ask? Now that we proved the E-40's capabilities on Kerbin, maybe we can send it to Laythe as a quiet luxury tourist transport across the surface. It may not be as fast or as reliable in terms of fuel as the jet-powered counterparts (especially the refueling-capable ones), but you have to admit the quiet electric motors are easy on the ears.