Polaris Initiative: Phase 2

[DunaManiac]

It has been 57 years since Jebediah flew his first rocket from his island space center. The Official Kerbal Space Program's glory days are over. After the failure of Ares 1, Kerbin's first interplanetary ship, the OKSP's public influence waned. Compounding the problem, The Kerbin Federation needed to deal with internal problems of it's own, starving the OKSP of funding. The organization became defunct, and for 45 long years, not a single rocket was launched.

This is my program to settle kerbals on laythe: the Polaris Initiative.

Spoiler

Timeline:

Phase 1:

Polaris Test #1

Polaris Test #2

TSM-1 Core Module

Polaris 1: Extension Module #1

Polaris 2: Extension Module #2

Polaris 3: Extension Module #3

TSM-2: Zero G Lab

Rigel Test #1

Rigel Test #2

Outlook Station Core

Rigel Crew Transfer 1

Outlook Station Fuel Tank 1-6

Short Term Habitation Module

Phase 2:

Unfortunately, the KSC was re bought by the millitary, so all the Polaris Initiative was able to acquire was Woomerang.

The very first launch of the Polaris Initiative: Polaris Test #1

Polaris Test #1 Successful!

Edited October 2, 2019 by DunaManiac

[DunaManiac]

The final test launch of the Polaris. Polaris Test #2 will take a dummy capsule to orbit and back. I based the booster after the soyuz, simply because I think it looks cool.

Launch!

We have cleared the Tower!

Separation of the LES and the Polaris Booster System.

Separation of the main stage. By the way the Polaris in this image is extremely stripped down, it will look different in the actual launches.

Orbital Insertion.

Orbit!

Separation of the Service Module.

Who doesn't love these reentry shots?

Parachute deployment.

Touchdown! The Polaris is hearby cleared for manned launches. More missions coming soon.

[Geschosskopf]

It'll be interesting to see how being based at Woomeranga influences things.  Good luck!

[DunaManiac]

Alright, here is my plan for the Kerbol System:

Kerbin:

Terra Station (a refueling depot for SSTO's (my ssto's are trash)

Mun: Selene Station Refueling Depot (Refueling Depot), Artemis Mun Base (To facilitate Selene Station, and for... reasons)

Minmus: (Polaris 3)

Duna: Ares Station, Ares Base (To investigate the Face on Duna, never been there) Ike: Ike outpost.

Eve: Surveyor

Moho: Surveyor

Dres: Surveyor

Laythe: Laythe Colony.

 

[fulgur]

I would give these a like, but the like button is broken.

[DunaManiac]

Alright

Phase 1 Begins

(apologies for the bad patch, I have terrible editing skills + bad image editor)

The first launch of Phase 1: TSM-1 Core Module.

On the launch pad.

Liftoff!

Clearing the Wommerang Mountains.

Booster Seperation.

Core Stage Separation.

Station Reveal! Minmus can be seen in the background.

Orbit!

TSM-1 Core Module is ready!

Edited September 23, 2019 by DunaManiac

[fulgur]

Since you have Woomerang as your launch site, are you going to do a plane change every orbit? Or are you going to wait until Woomerang is under Terra Station and launch then?

[DunaManiac]

4 hours ago, fulgur said:

Since you have Woomerang as your launch site, are you going to do a plane change every orbit? Or are you going to wait until Woomerang is under Terra Station and launch then?

Yeah, I'll wait until the inclination relative to Terra Station is 0 degrees so I don't have to do a huge plane change.

Anyway, my Idea for the launchers are for them to evolve as I progress. For example in Phase 2, The polaris will get upgraded to the Polaris II etc.

Edited September 24, 2019 by DunaManiac

[DunaManiac]

I have launched Polaris 1 to add the first extension module to the Terra.

Terra Station is aligned With Woomerang.

Lifftoff! Polaris 1 uses a variant of the Original Polaris that holds a small amount of cargo. In this case, Extenision Module #1 Is up first.

Some cinematic shots of the launch.

Preparing to separate boosters over the Woomerang mountains.

Booster Seperation and LES Seperation. As a general rule, I plan to add Launch Escape Towers to every manned launcher.

Core stage separation.

Solar Panel Deployment

Orbit!

Payload Reveal!

Orienting to dock with the EM #1, the decupler shroud I tried to push out of the way, but I phased through it, and after a lot of glitching an near kraken attack...

We got away. Now that I think about it, the decoupler was still physically attached to the stage, I should add separators next time.

Burning away to Terra Station.

We have stopped near Terra Station.

We are docked!

Deploying Gravity Wheel, and we are preparing to transfer the crew over.

In you go Bill!

Bob, you too.

IVA View.

For some reason, when I undocked, they jolted away from each other like magnets with the same pole oriented toward each other. Jebediah, the lone kerbal aboard was able to re stabilize the Polaris and Terra.

Terra Station in a different view.

Service Module Separation.

Flames are subsiding.

Parachute Deployment.

Polaris 1, the first manned launch of the Polaris Initiative, is over. Polaris 2 coming tommorow!

Edited September 24, 2019 by DunaManiac

[fulgur]

So instead of doing a plane change every launch, you just do it going munar? Makes sense, munar craft need more dV anyway.

[DunaManiac]

12 hours ago, fulgur said:

So instead of doing a plane change every launch, you just do it going munar? Makes sense, munar craft need more dV anyway.

I probably will.

[DunaManiac]

Polaris 2 Extension Module #2. This time with several changes, including a separator so the decoupler will actually separate from the 2nd stage.

Liftoff!

Clearing the woomerang mountains in heavy cloud cover.

Stage separation.

Core stage separation.

Orbit!

We've stopped near Terra Station.

payload reveal (sorry about the bad lighting).

Beautiful sunrise.

Docked!

Solar panels deployed and we have undocked!

Accidentally smashed the solar panels. (Don't you hate it when that happens)

We are burning toward our target.

We have a Rendezvous with Terra station.

Lining up for our final approach.

Docked!

Decoupling from the Terra leaving Extension Module #2 behind.

Undocking.

Time warping down into kerbin's atmosphere.

Service module detached.

Terra station in the background.

Parachutes have been deployed.

Almost on the ground!

Landed!

[DunaManiac]

Modlist: Click-through blocker, Atomic Age, B9 Aerospace P Wings, Custom Barn Kit, Distant Object Enhancements, Easy Vessel Switch, SciFiVisualEnhancements, FlareReplacer, Hangar Extender, Grannus Expansion Pack, RasterPropMonitor, Kerbal Attachment system, Kerbal Engineer, Kerbal Inventory System, Kopernicus, KW Rocketry, Near Future Solar, Near Future Solar, Near Future Spacecraft, Other Worlds Reboot, Planetshine, DeepFreeze, Resonant Orbit Calculator, SCANSAT, TAC Fuel Balancer, Tokomak Industries, Trajectories, USI Reactors, Akita and Karibou rovers.

[DunaManiac]

Polaris 3: Extension Module #3

Liftoff!

Booster Separation.

Clearing the woomerang mountains. On this mission, I picked a very steep gravity assist so I could rendezvous with Terra Station.

Stage separation.

We have have a close encounter with Terra Station but not an orbit yet.

Solar Panel Deployment.

Payload reveal.

Preparing to redock.

Coming in for the final approach.

Docked!

Undocking.

The Polaris 3 is slowing down/finishing insertion into orbit.

Terra Station is within sight.

Preparing to dock to the Terra.

Nearly docked!

Docked!

After waiting a bit at the station, the Polaris separated from Terra Station.

My descent approach.

Service Module Detach.

Reentering over Crater lake, near crater island.

Semi deployment of the Parachute.

Full deployment.

Splashdown! (The water became invisible for about 2 seconds. Sorry if it looks weird).

 

 

[DunaManiac]

Finally, The final module of the Terra, TSM-2 Zero G Lab is ready for launch.

Another launch of the Leo I launcher.

Clearing the Woomerang Mountains

Stage separation.

The second stage separates from the core booster.

Just some nice shots of the launcher.

Payload reveal.

Solar panel deployment.

Orbit!

Coming in for the final approach.

Instead of carrying it's own RCS Fuel, the TSM-2 has it's own tug to dock it, and will be disposed of later.

The tug has cleared the stage.

Coming to a stop roughly 50 meters from the Terra.

Docked! The Terra is complete!

Now, as for the tug, the tug is clearing the station to deorbit.

The tug fires away to it's doom.

The tug is going to be burned up.

Splashdown with the Mun in the background. Now that the Terra is complete, there are two new proposals I want to check out.

[DunaManiac]

I have came up with the Rigel: A short range crew transfer spacecraft primarily meant for transferring from low kerbin orbit stations.

Preparing to fire the escape tower.

Solid rocket boosters firing.

Parachute deployment,

Landed! More of the Rigel coming soon.

 

[DunaManiac]

The Rigel Test #2 is ready for launch.

Liftoff!

We will soon be clearing the Woomerang mountains.

We have cleared The Woomerang mountains, down there is the woomera cliff.

Stage separation.

Stage separation confirmed.

Current trajectory.

Orbit!

Fairing separation.

Stage separation.

The Rigel has separated from the second stage.

Service module separation.

Reentry.

Parachute deployment.

Landed!

 

 

[DunaManiac]

This is what my next station, Outlook is going to look like. It has 8 modules, and will be the last major mission of Phase 1.

it is intended to be a refueling outpost in the place of Terra, which is a science station and won't be used very much at all. This station will serve as a fuel hub for Interplanetary SSTOs.

 

[DunaManiac]

The Polaris Initiative was in a bad spot.

The Polaris Initiative needed a launchpad closer to the equator to make launches to the Mun easier. There were only three options.

KSC: Which was a fortress that held out for 87 years of the great war, before the soldiers dying out from starvation. It was repossessed by the military before the KSP was formed, and when the KSP became the OKSP, the military base was used as a launch site. The military fought long and hard to keep the base, but ultimately lost. They weren't giving up their prize. The Polaris Initiative tried though, but failed quickly.

Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn Launch site: It is not privately owned, and is currently used as a base for missile tests, but since the KSC was repossessed, now the site is defunct. It's not on the equator, but is closer than Woomerang, but apparently you can't drop fuel tanks down onto the ruins of Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn, so a little maneuvering may be required.

Eventually, the Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn Launch site was chosen, Outlook station will be launched from there.

Edited October 2, 2019 by DunaManiac

[fulgur]

What? You can't drop massive cylinders of metal containing rocket fuel residue onto ancient monuments anymore? What is the world coming to? For... 57 years according to your OP... damage from tanks has been one of the best methods of dating - more accurate than carbon dating by a factor of 10!

Of course, you could always just add a couple of parachutes. But that would be boring.

[RealKerbal3x]

Post to follow. Great work, @DunaManiac! I wish I could give you some rep

[KerballingSmasher]

40 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Post to follow. Great work, @DunaManiac! I wish I could give you some rep

*ding* what he said

[DunaManiac]

4 hours ago, fulgur said:

What? You can't drop massive cylinders of metal containing rocket fuel residue onto ancient monuments anymore? What is the world coming to? For... 57 years according to your OP... damage from tanks has been one of the best methods of dating - more accurate than carbon dating by a factor of 10!

Of course, you could always just add a couple of parachutes. But that would be boring.

I would like this if I could. *Like

[DunaManiac]

Outlook station's first module is going up! It's launching from Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn Launchsite boarding a Federational park, so dropping fuel tanks on it would irreparably damage the park, plus damage the Polaris Initiative's reputation among the Desertian Federate.

We have liftoff of Outlook Station Core.

There is Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn off in the upper right corner. We can't drop stages on those mountains.

Aerial view of the Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn Mountains, home of a prehistoric civilization of kerbals, dating back to before the great Catastrophe 40,000 years ago.

Stage separation, luckily clear of the park.

Reaching Apogee.

Stage separation and payload reveal.

Orbit!

Separation of the second stage.

Solar Panel Deployment.

[DunaManiac]

The second module of Outlook station is ready for launch!

Outlook Station Fuel Tank 1 has liftoff!

Lifting up, up, and up.

About 16 km up the rocket ran into a problem. The SRB's had run out, but we were still over the park. The mission operators had to keep the boosters on until the rocket passed the park.

The booster has finally shed the SRBs.

The core stage has separated.

Payload reveal.

Orbit!

After a day of chasing the station, we have finally gotten close to it.

Roughly 700 meters out from the station.

100 meters out from Outlook Station.

Stage separation.

The tank is coming in for it's final approach.

Docked!

The tug has separated.

As the tug reentered, terra station could be visible.

At this point, the mission operators had realized that they would be splattering radioactive material all over the crash site, so they tried to soft land it with the RCS thrusters, but they weren't powerful enough to slow it down.

But in a completely unexpected fluke carefully planned and flawlessly executed maneuver, the probecore and RTG survived, so the tug can be properly cleaned up.