Journey to the Planets - Chapter 8 (Jool-5 Mission )

[Venturer2Space]

 

 

Hi all!  I'm going to be playing through @Superfluous J's fabulous Kerpollo challenge. This means that in a science mode game I'm only allowed to launch 9 self contained missions with a few additional caveats that are detailed in the link below 

 This has given me a great excuse to visit all the planets in the Kerbol system which I've been meaning to do for a while  ... 

I'm aiming to do at least one chapter per week. I'll try to post them on the weekend. 

My Mod list:

• TriggerTech (Kerbal Alarm Clock) 
•  000_ClickThroughBlocker
• 001_ToolbarControl
•  CommunityCategoryKit
• CommunityResourcePack
• Corvus
• HGR
• KAS
• KIS
• KronalVesselViewer
• ModuleManager.4.1.3.dll 
• ReStock
• RestockRigidLegs 

 

My Game Settings:

So without further to do here is the First Chapter of my Mission Report ... 

 

Chapter 1- Kerpollo Begins 

We begin as most Science Career modes do by grinding science from the KSC. Here Jeb can be bravely venturing forth to the most dangerous of places, the LaunchPad...

 After grinding for that oh so sweet science I end up with enough science points to unlock the necessary nodes to build an orbital capable vehicle. 

I present the Kerbin Flyer! The first of nine vehicles to be produced during the Kerpollo Program. This beauty is composed of three stages made from the most basic of parts but is capable of reaching polar orbit which will enable me to get that sweet science. (NOTE: I lowered the thrust level of the SRBs and the the Swivel Engine on the third stage so that the acceleration doesn't kill Bob) 

 

The Kerbin Flyer leaps off the pad carried aloft by those 4 Hammer SRBs. Crewed by our intrepid scientist Bob who is probably starting to regret his choices in life by this point... 

Those pesky SRBs are jettisoned and the Swivel lights up pushing the Kerbin Flyer towards a polar orbit. (Unfortunately I missed taking a screenshot of the stage separating as I was running science experiments while flying  ) 

 

 

We made it! Bob is safely in polar orbit where he begins the long procedure of running the various science experiments on the Kerbin Flyer 

 

Obligatory beauty shot of the Kerbin Flyer as it orbits over Kerbin's North Pole 

 

I raise Bob's orbit to 250km in order to grab that "high in space" science

 

Reentry occurs over Kerbin's North Pole. The capsule has no heat shield so I've kept the rocket stage attached to prevent Bob from being burnt to crisp. 

 

Bob lands safely in the North Pole. He's experienced a lot but has safely returned intact with his precious cargo of science! (NOTE: The outer science experiments mounted on the capsule exploded due to overheating but luckily I had made sure that Bob had stored the results within the spacecraft) 

 

Blast! My science gathering must have missed something as I just don't have that little bit of Science to unlock all the nodes on Tier 4.

Oh well, I still have enough to head to my next target the Mun...

 

Thank you for reading! My next chapter will be about my shenanigans on the Munar surface!  

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Venturer2Space
New Chapter

[Superfluous J]

Nicely done! Looking forward to the next 8 missions!

[Venturer2Space]

3 minutes ago, Superfluous J said:

Nicely done! Looking forward to the next 8 missions!

Same here dude. It’s a long journey ahead!!  

[Kerbalstar]

Awesome job! I’m doing my own play through of the challenge and look forward to seeing more!

 

[Venturer2Space]

@Kerbalstar thank you for your kind words!   I'm quite excited to visit Duna and Jool in particular 

Here's a sneak preview of what's to come.... 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Venturer2Space

[Grogs]

4 hours ago, Venturer2Space said:

Blast! My science gathering must have missed something as I just don't have that little bit of Science to unlock all the nodes on Tier 4.

Congrats on a successful first mission. You could always make another land craft and revisit the launchpad and runway if you need a bit more science for the Mun mission. Now that you have the Science Jr. you can probably pick up a decent bit of new science that way.

[Venturer2Space]

1 minute ago, Grogs said:

Congrats on a successful first mission. You could always make another land craft and revisit the launchpad and runway if you need a bit more science for the Mun mission. Now that you have the Science Jr. you can probably pick up a decent bit of new science that way.

Thanks for the tip! Now I can grab that final node  

[Venturer2Space]

Chapter 2

Once again I begin with grinding science. Having unlocked the Science Jr and thanks to @Grogs tip I was able to grab that final node in Tier 4 enabling me to have that very useful reaction wheel. This allowed me to create my next vehicle.... 

 

Blueprint:

I present the Mun Flyer! This glorious looking contraption was vaguely inspired by the real life Soyuz launch vehicle. It's composed of Tier 4 parts and has a sizeable amount of science instruments to enable the plundering of the Mun's science! I'll be aiming to head for a polar orbit around the Mun before landing in one of the craters near the Poles.

(NOTE: After I made this blueprint I decided to add fins to the bottom of the rocket because I got paranoid about this ungainly contraption flipping out) 

 

 

Launch and Ascent:

Here we have the rocket on the launchpad. The eagle-eyed among you may notice the addition of some struts because you can never have enough struts! This particular mission will be crewed by Bob once again. (NOTE: I'll probably bring Bob along for most of these missions because his ability to reset experiments saves on a lot of mass thereby saving fuel) 

Initiating gravity turn and climbing to orbit 

SRBs are jettisoned and the Swivel Boosters carry on for a little bit longer 

Swivel boosters are cast off and the main Swivel core lights up pushing the vehicle closer to orbit 

Trans-Munar stage ignites to give that final kick to push the Mun Flyer into orbit. Bob also heads out to utilise the brand new Science Jr in Low Kerbin Orbit. 

The Mun Flyer heads out towards the Mun destined for a polar orbit. 

 

 

Munar Operations:

Mun Flyer slows down into a polar orbit around the Mun. 

Bob begins the process of Science extraction!

Bob begins the descent phase. The Trans-Munar Injection Stage was utilised to slow down further before being jettisoned. 

Success! We are on the Mun with the obligatory flag planting ceremony by Bob  . He conducted many science shenanigans ensuring that all the science results are stored within the Return Capsule.

Mun Flyer takes off heading back to orbit having concluded a successful landing.

 

 

Return to Kerbin: 

Mun Flyer blasts its way out of Mun Orbit. Bob is particularly desperate to taste fresh air... Aerobraking will utilised to slow down sufficiently as this craft has no heat shield once again because that's the true kerbal way!  

Service Module starts to heat up. Bob starts to sweat buckets throughout this

Unfortunately the Service Module was destroyed due to overheating along with most of the parts mounted on the outside of the vehicle. Thankfully the rest of the Return Capsule remained intact. 

2nd Aerobrake takes Bob over the deserts. 

Bob splashes down in the ocean. He even steps out of the capsule for a little bit to grab even more science!

Not bad for a single Mun mission! I unlock the whole of Tier 5 which gains me access to the docking ports. This means from now on I will have to bring a crewed orbiter and a crewed lander to each target destination so that should provide some interesting ship designs from here on out.... 

The next target world will be Minmus where we shall gorge on that sweet mint ice cream!!! 

 

Once again thanks for reading!  

If you're enjoying this series or have any feedback please do comment on this thread or feel free to message me via the forums! 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Venturer2Space
Spelling :)

[Superfluous J]

30 minutes ago, Venturer2Space said:

Blueprint:

I totally mis-saw this image and thought you were making an off center, one SRB launcher.

Nice job on the cool grand from Mun!

[Venturer2Space]

23 minutes ago, Superfluous J said:

I totally mis-saw this image and thought you were making an off center, one SRB launcher.

Nice job on the cool grand from Mun!

Haha this thing was already difficult enough to fly! Only having one SRB would have sent Bob plunging into the depths of the ocean  

[Venturer2Space]

Chapter 3 

 

 

Tech Tree before I launch the mission 

 

Blueprints:

Orbiter and Lander 

Roll up roll up! Feast your eyes on the two major components of the Minmus mission. On the left we have the orbiter capable of holding two kerbals and on the right we have the lander capable of carrying a single kerbal (i.e Bob) and is equipped with a full science compliment. 

 

The Full Launch Stack :

Here we have the whole launch stack in all its glory. This rocket is probably a lot more DeltaV than I actually need for Minmus but I prefer to have a large margin for error. 

 

 

Ascent to Orbit and Boosting to Minmus:

Our intrepid crew is composed of Bob (yet again) and Valentina joins him on her first mission! 

We make it to orbit and we initiate orbital inclination changing procedures to match Minmus' orbital inclination. 

Boosting to Minmus. At this point I realised I had way too much DeltaV available, oh well  

En route the orbiter swings around and docks with the lander 

 

 

 

Minmus Operations: 

Victory! Orbit achieved successfully with Bob grabbing all that science! 

The lander (crewed by Bob) undocks from the orbiter (which is crewed by Valentina)  and we use the final remaining stage of the rocket to slow down. (NOTE: That stage had like 1500 DV left so I had really over-designed this rocket! )

Bob plants the flag of the Kerpollo Program proudly into that mint ice-cream! He somehow manages to extract many delicious science points from that minty surface. 

 

 

 

Return to Kerbin:

The lander takes off and heads back to polar orbit to rendezvous with the orbiter. There are no RCS thrusters on either of these vehicles so docking was a slightly painful process....

Bob goes on EVA ensuring to take that precious Science! with him and joins Valentina back in the orbiter. 

 

The lander is promptly ditched and the orbiter initiates the return to Kerbin 

I decide not to employ aerobraking this time as I have way too much DeltaV! (I've probably said that too many times  ) 

The Return Capsule of the Minmus Flyer lands safely back on Kerbin and Bob hops out again to gather Science!

 

I've now started unlocking Tier 5 stuff which should enable me to send my next mission to Duna

 

Once again thank you for reading !  

(Here's a joke: Why was 6 afraid of 7. Because 7, 8, 9) I apologise for my cringy humour... 

 

 

Next target Duna!!!! 

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by Venturer2Space

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, Venturer2Space said:

Here's a joke: Why was 6 afraid of 7. Because 7, 8, 9

Yoda asks why afraid of 7 was 5? Because 6, 7 8.

[KerballingSmasher]

11 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

I totally mis-saw this image and thought you were making an off center, one SRB launcher.

Nice job on the cool grand from Mun!

HA! I know, I did a double-take as well on that!

[Venturer2Space]

Chapter 4 : Dusty Duna

 

Today I set forth to Duna (and Ike)  and managed to survive! 

Blueprint: 

This is probably the largest vehicle I've ever designed.. 

Essentially it's the same design as the vehicle for the Minmus mission but with a couple of Liquid Rocket Boosters substituting some SRBs. 

 

 

Kerbin Ascent: 

The obligatory displaying of the Tech Tree before launch from Kerbin 

The Duna Flyer sitting proudly on the Launch Pad. Our brave crew is comprised of Jeb and Bob who'll be confined together for around the next three years...

Halfway through the ascent stage we ditch those SRBs and continue to Low Kerbin Orbit. 

The Liquid Rocket Boosters are now jettisoned enabling the rocket to fly even further. 

Orbit is established around Kerbin 

The Duna Flyer boosts for Duna. 

 

Duna and Ike Operations

After a long transit phase where Bob plundered all the glorious Science! from around the space enroute to Duna. Jeb and Bob arrive at Duna aerobraking into an orbit that would put them onto an intercept with Ike. 

Bob pops out to do some Science enroute to Ike orbit then quickly heads back inside. 

Around Ike Bob head out yet again to grab even more science. 

The Lander separates from the Orbiter and begins the descent phase to Ike's surface. (NOTE: This lander will be also used to land on Duna hence it is also equipped with parachutes) 

Touchdown! Bob plants the Flag of the Kerpollo Program and does the science experiments. 

After a successful excursion on Ike's surface the vehicle is reassembled in Ike orbit and transfers to Duna orbit. 

Aerobraking is once again employed to bring the craft into a nice low orbit around the dusty red planet. 

The lander drifts gently down on its parachutes.

Touchdown! After a harrowing descent Kerbals have made it to the surface  

The lander joins back up with the orbiter and Bob transfers over to the capsule together with the Science data

After a bit of waiting the orbiter boosts back to Kerbin

 

End of the Mission:

The return capsule drifts down into the ocean. Jeb and Bob are pretty much on the verge of insanity after spending days in a cramped capsule together 

Holy Kerbal! That's a lot of science. i get access to the nukes which no doubt will prove useful in the long run. 

 

Thanks for reading!!  

(Here's another joke: "Why do we tell actors to break a leg?" Because every play needs a cast.... ) 

As always I apologise for my sense of humour! 

 

Next Target.... 

(Will be decided by me eventually, I'm eying either visiting Moho or Dres)

 

[jimmymcgoochie]

I think you should include terrible jokes in all your updates.

Here's one for free:

Sheepdog: I got all fifty sheep gathered together in that paddock.

Farmer: I only have forty seven sheep!

Sheepdog: Yeah, I rounded them up.

I might have to try this Kerpollo challenge myself, although I might wait until 1.10 comes along to do it because DECALS!

Edited June 21, 2020 by jimmymcgoochie

[Venturer2Space]

@jimmymcgoochie it’s always great to see a fellow purveyor of terrible jokes  . This challenge is proving to be a lot of fun as it’s actually given me an excuse to explore the Kerbol system.  
 

Hope to see u in the running soon! (Of course with more jokes  ) 

[Space Nerd]

13 hours ago, Venturer2Space said:

Next Target.... 

(Will be decided by me eventually, I'm eying either visiting Moho or Dres)

I think dres is better, because it's quite a bit easier than moho.

[Venturer2Space]

1 hour ago, Space Nerd said:

I think dres is better, because it's quite a bit easier than moho.

Ah ok thanks for the advice I'll be sure to take it on board  

[Venturer2Space]

The Kerpollo Program now has a new flag! 

It's relatively simplistic but I enjoy that sleek simplicity. I've started experimenting with FireAlpaca and I'm quite happy with my first attempt. 

[Venturer2Space]

Chapter 5: Dres? Never Heard of it.... 

 

Today we visit that mysterious object floating in the sky named Dres? Is it a planet is it not? Regardless we have to visit it for this challenge 

Techtree before Mission: 

Blueprint for Orbiter: 

This is one of the most powerful vehicles constructed under the Kerpollo Program so far. It's outfitted with one of our newest developments the so-called the nuclear engine! This baby can hold two kerbonauts (in relative) comfort all the way to Dres and back. 

 

Blueprint for Lander: 

The lander can carry a single kerbal to the surface of Dres and return them to the waiting orbiter. It's outfitted with all the science equipment the Kerpollo Program has unlocked so far and will bring kerbals to the furthest they have ever been in the Kerbol System. 

 

Blueprint for Whole Vehicle: 

These two vehicles are launched on this behemoth! Collectively called the Dres Flyer hopefully all the crew will survive. (NOTE: Earlier in this series I said the Duna rocket was the biggest rocket I had ever built this is now the biggest!  ) 

 

 

 

Launch from Kerbin: 

The rocket waits on the launch pad ready to ascend. 

Liftoff! The Dres Flyer ascends to orbit on a pillar of flames and experiences some heating on the way up. 

The mission departs Kerbin's orbit and here all the mission components can be seen in all their glory. It will be around a 2 year transit to Dres. 

 

 

Dres Operations: 

The orbiter extracts the lander from the 2nd Stage of the rocket and prepares for Dres orbital insertion. Dres can be seen as a black dot on the middle right side of the picture. 

 

The mighty nuclear engine ignites beginning the insertion into Dres' orbit. It was a very slow process putting a lot of strain on Bob and Valentina. 

The craft slows down into Dres' orbit! After the initial burn a series of smaller burns is used to lower the orbit to an appropriate altitude so that the lander can land with minimal fuel consumption. 

Bob heads outside to grab some Science! and to board the lander which should hopefully carry him intact to the surface.... 

The lander undocks and begins heading for the surface. Bob notes that Dres appears to be as dull as rocks visually 

Touchdown! Another victory for the Kerpollo Program. Bob plants the flag and starts using the lander's extensive scientific equipment to extract that beautiful Science! 

 

 

 

Ascent and Return to Kerbin: 

The lander takes off and heads back to the orbiter managing to successfully dock. Bob is relieved to see Valentina after spending only a couple of hours on the desolate world of Dres. The Science! is transferred over to the orbiter along with Bob and the crew waits for a transfer window back to Kerbin. 

After a relatively short waiting time the orbiter reignites the nuclear engine setting a course back to Kerbin. 

Land ho! The ship begins another long and dull braking burn to bring it into Kerbin's orbit. The sides tanks were jettisoned as they had been depleted of all their Liquid Fuel. 

After bringing the trajectory down into Kerbin's atmosphere the nuclear engine is discarded. The crew bid farwell to the steaming pile of nuclear waste gently drifting away from them and breathe a sigh of relief. 

Another successful mission for the Kerpollo Program !

 

 

After-Mission Results: 

We bring in a respectable haul of 2086 Science! which enables me to unlock the 3.75 metre rocket parts and a few other goodies. 

 

 

Obligatory Bad Joke: 

Q: What is loud, fast and crunch? 

A: A rocket chip...... 

 

As always I hope y'all enjoyed reading and again I  apologise for my sense of humour  

[Venturer2Space]

Chapter 6: Icy Eeloo 

Blueprint: 

This monstrosity will lift the Eeloo Flyer to the far reaches of the Kerbol System. It's essentially the same design as the Dres Flyer except with MOAR booster plus some additional liquid fuel reserves for the nuclear engine. (NOTE: These rockets keep getting bigger and bigger! I'm dreading what I'll need to build for the Eve mission...) 

 

Ascent and Departure from Kerbin: 

Obligatory picture of the tech tree before the mission lifts off. 

I finally managed to get a launch picture during daytime! Our intrepid crew for this long, torturous I mean glorious mission is Jeb and Bob. Hopefully space madness will not occur during the voyage as to keep weight and fuel costs down there is only a capsule big enough for the two of them plus a single lander for Bob to land on Eeloo... 

The launch vehicle experiences some minor heating as it climbs through the atmosphere towards Low Kerbin Orbit. 

The first stage is jettisoned and the second stage pushes the Eeloo Flyer into orbit. As you can see from the above image the amount of liquid fuel tanks is a lot more than the Moho mission. This resulted in some very long burn times particularly with a single nuclear engine...

The second stage is used to begin the ejection burn towards Eeloo then the nuclear engine takes over. (NOTE: In real life time this took around 15 minutes) 

 

Eeloo Operations: 

After a long transit time of around 7 years our crew arrives at Eeloo still relatively sane. 

\

The long burning begins again.. In between burns Bob popped out to utilise the science instruments stored on the lander. 

Victory! After what seemed like an eternity of waiting the Eeloo Flyer has arrived at the cold, distant and dirty snowball that is Eeloo 

Bob heads into the lander and leaves Jeb waiting in the orbiter. 

We have done it! Kerbals have reached the farthest reaches of the Kerbol System! Bob heads out to plant the flag, conduct Science! and also tries to hit Jeb in orbit with snowballs. Bob unfortunately unsuccessful in hitting Jeb but he did however manage to plunder a truly glorious amount of Science! 

The lander docks with the orbiter and transfers Bob with his precious cargo of Science! back into the return capsule. The two kerbals settle in to wait for the return window to Kerbin. 

 

Returning to Kerbin: 

The lander is ejected and the orbiter begins the long process of burning its engine to get back to Kerbin. 

Land ho! After nearly 11 years mission time our intrepid crew is nearly back at Kerbin. But first another insertion burn is required.. 

The vessel performs another burn to lower its orbit into Kerbin's sphere of influence and sheds its now empty side tanks. 

One final burn plunges the Eeloo Flyer into Kerbin's welcoming atmosphere.

Touchdown! Another successful mission for the Kerpollo Program. Bob breaks out of the capsule to stretch his legs after the long mission. 

 

Results of Mission: 

A healthy amount of Science! is returned to the KSC's labs and is promptly used to unlock some more nodes in the tech tree. 

 

 

Bad Joke of the Week: 

Q: How do you stop an astronaut's baby from crying? 

A: You rocket...

 

As always thank you for reading and I apologise for my humour once again  

[KerballingSmasher]

3 hours ago, Venturer2Space said:

Bad Joke of the Week: 

Q: How do you stop an astronaut's baby from crying? 

A: You rocket...

Keep doing these, these make my day. Constantly and consistently.

 

Please?

Edited July 5, 2020 by Kerballing (Got Dunked On)

[Venturer2Space]

5 minutes ago, Kerballing (Got Dunked On) said:

Keep doing these, these make my day. Constantly and consistently.

 

Please?

Will do. I have an almost endless supply 

[KerballingSmasher]

1 hour ago, Venturer2Space said:

Will do. I have an almost endless supply 

YESSSSSSS

[Venturer2Space]

Chapter 7: Cursed Moho

 

Today we visited that cursed delta-v gobbling rock called Moho... (NOTE: This took a lot of long boring nuclear burns!) 

Blueprint:

I present this mega-Behemoth of a rocket called the Moho Flyer it's essentially the same vehicle I've been using for the past couple of missions but with a lot MOAR boosters and some additional liquid fuel reserves for the nuclear engine. It's crew will be Bob and Valentina Kerman who will try not to be fried by the close proximity to the sun.

(NOTE: It can't be seen here on the blueprint but I did add some radiators because I thought that the ship would heat up, but that turned out to not be an issue) 

 

Leaving Kerbin: 

Here we have the obligatory tech tree picture and a nice view of the launch vehicle in all of its mega-ton glory! 

Liftoff is achieved relatively smoothly thanks to the addition of the large fins located at the base of the rocket to keep things nice and steady. 

The first pair of boosters are dropped having expended all their fuel. The other two boosters and the central core continue to push the Moho Flyer to orbit

The second and final pair of boosters are jettisoned leaving the central core to push the spacecraft into Low Kerbin Orbit. The vehicle is one of the biggest ever built for the Kerpollo program even larger than the previous Eeloo mission that flew all the way to the edge of the Kerbol System. 

The departure burn begins and boosts the spacecraft towards an encounter with Moho. 

 

Moho Operations: 

NOTE: I didn't have much pictures of the transit and capture burn because it took so freaking long! The capture burn gave me enough time to leave my computer and read a book  

Here the Moho Flyer can be seen part of the way through its insertion burn with the nuclear burn with the discarded side liquid fuel tanks in the background. 

After what seemed like an eternity the spacecraft finally slows down enough to be in orbit around Moho. Bob heads out to do some Science! experiments using the equipment on the lander. 

 

The lander separates from the orbiter leaving Bob bound for the surface and Valentina patiently waiting in orbit. (NOTE: The redundant radiators can be seen on the orbiter. Oh well...) 

The lander is a proven design having been used on several missions now and has shown to be useful and versatile spacecraft. It required minimal modification for this mission requiring only a little bit more fuel and two retractable solar panels. 

Touchdown! Bob heads out and plants the flag of the Kerpollo Program and plunders this cursed rock for as much Science! as possible. 

 

Returning to Kerbin:

After a successful surface excursion Bob heads back up to orbit and redocks with the orbiter. He then proceeds to EVA over to the crew capsule of the orbiter carrying his precious cargo if Science!. After Bob is transferred over the remaining liquid fuel from the lander is pumped over to the orbiter to give an additional delta-v boost. 

After waiting for an appropriate window the lander is discarded and the orbiter blasts it way out of Moho's orbit. Thankfully the burn time was a lot shorter this time or I would have lost my sanity.. 

After a mercifully short transit period the orbiter encounters Kerbin's atmosphere. The ship had to aerobrake because it was low on fuel thanks to Moho's greedy delta-v stealing schemes. The radiators were extended in an effort to ensure that the crew didn't blow up, so they turned out to have a use after all  

Bob and Valentina splash down in the ocean and await rescue. 

 

After Mission Results: 

The mission's haul of Science! points was used to unlock the remaining nodes on the penultimate tier of the tech tree.

 

Weekly Joke: 

Q: How do you plan a space party?

A: You planet.....

 

As always thanks for reading! Next target is a Jool-5 mission. I'm gonna need a really big rocket....