Kerpollo-5: The End of an Era

[Grogs]

Author's Note: I'm doing the Kerpollo challenge, and I've reached the final mission: Joolollo, or what is commonly referred to as a Jool-5: Land on all five of Jool's moons in a single mission. Since the Kerpollo is focused on gathering science, I'm going to do the Jool-5 mission at Jebediah's level according to that challenge. In addition to gathering as much science as possible, that level specifically requires landing two kerbonauts on each moon, one of which must be unique. Additionally, the Kerpollo rules require the mission to be conducted with a single launch and an Apollo-style landing, i.e., leave a kerbed vessel in orbit and redock the lander after each landing.

Given that this is a complex mission, I thought it would be worthwhile to document the planning and execution here in a mission report. I'll let the kerbals describe most of the mission and only step in when necessary.

Albums from the previous Kerpollo missions are below:

Kerpollo/Munpollo: https://imgur.com/a/sbe1zVx

Minpollo: https://imgur.com/a/bn1PLWn

Drespollo: https://imgur.com/a/k0pwRNw

Dunpollo: https://imgur.com/a/l181y1r

Eelollo: https://imgur.com/a/XDhZs6X

Mohollo: https://imgur.com/a/74ljnp8

Evepollo: https://imgur.com/a/k5etULX

And here are the related challenge threads:

Gene Kerman was in his office early checking email. Gene was head of the Kerpollo program. During its 23-year run, the Kerpollo program had launched eight successful missions that had landed kerbonauts on nine celestial bodies and generated tens of thousands of units of scientific research.

Most of the messages were routine until he opened one from the KSA administrator that shocked him. Apparently public interest in the Kerpollo program had waned and the administration was looking for places to reduce spending. They were going to terminate the Kerpollo program! They did offer to fund a ninth mission, but after that Kerpollo would be shuttered for good.

Since Gene wasn't ready to retire or greet people at Ker-Mart yet, he wanted to make the final mission a doozy. Because the Kerpollo program had visited every body in the Kerbol system except for the Joolian moons, they were a logical choice. But which one? They were all so interesting. After weeks of debate, Jeb Kerman suggested they just land on all of them to finish landing on every body in the system. Most people in the room laughed at the idea, but not Wernher Von Kerman. He quietly left the conference room and wasn't heard from again for two weeks. When he reappeared in Gene's office, he was shouting and waving papers around in each hand.

Gene: Slow down, Wernher! I can't understand a thing you're saying.
Wernher: I said I figured it out. Vee can do it, Gene!
Gene: Do what?
Wernher: Land kerbonauts on all five of Jool's moons in a single mission. I can build the ship if zee kerbonaut team can fly it. Vee'll call it a Jool-5 mission!
Gene: Hold on, Wernher. This is a Kerpollo mission. All of our missions end in -ollo.
Wernher: Fine, fine, call it zee Joolollo-5 mission then.

Gene liked the name, but before he could say so Wernher started shoving various pieces of paper in front of him that sketched out the idea of the mission. Gene couldn't understand everything, but it looked plausible. He decided to bring in the rest of the team and see what they thought of the idea.

---------------------------------------------------

Two hours later, they were all gathered at the conference table. In addition to Wernher and Gene, the other members of the mission planning team were:

- Bob Kerman, chief scientist and veteran of all eight previous Kerpollo missions. Bob's unending quest to gather science had brought the program to the pinnacle of technology.
- Jebidiah (Jeb) Kerman, chief pilot and veteran of seven Kerpollo missions. Jeb was a world-class pilot and he never missed an opportunity to let everyone know.
- Valentina (Val) Kerman, second pilot and a veteran of four Kerpollo missions. Val was every bit the Pilot Jeb was, but with half the ego.
- Bill Kerman, chief engineer and veteran of the Eeelollo mission. Bill made sure Wernher's ideas got put into reality and spent most of his time in the Vehicle-Assembly Building.

 

Wernher started the briefing without formalities. "Most people consider landing on all five of Jool's moon's impossible, but I've designed a ship that vill let us do just that. Before I get into zee details of zee design, let me explain zee mission profile. Vee -- and by 'vee' I mean Bob, Jeb, and Val -- will fly the mission in the following phases:"

A. Lift the transport stage and mission vehicles into low-Kerbin orbit. [I've allotted about 3400 m/s of dV for this phase]

B. Transfer the mission vehicles from low-Kerbin orbit to a parking orbit around Jool. [3500 m/s]

We'll leave the transfer vehicle here and call it Jool Station. I suggest an altitude of about 80,000 km to avoid unwanted encounters with Jool's inner moons. I'll add some docking ports so the mission ships operating in the Jool system can refuel if needed. From Jool station, we'll launch missions to each moon:

C1: Jool station to polar Laythe orbit and back [4500]
C2: Jool station to polar Vall orbit and back [2300]
C3: Jool station to polar Tylo orbit and back [3500]
C4: Jool station to polar Bop orbit and back [1500]
C5: Jool station to polar Pol orbit and back [1700]
C6: (optional) Jool station to the upper atmosphere of Jool (195 km) and back [2500]

D. Return the crew from Jool station back to Kerbin [4000]

"Total Delta-Vee for this mission is about 27,000 m/s, not counting zee landings. I'll cover them later. Are there any questions about zee mission profile?"

Gene: That's a lot of Delta-V, Wernher. Are you sure you can manage that?
Wernher: Ja, I'll build the ships for operating around Jool with nuclear engines so they'll have plenty. And vee already know from zee Eelollo and Evepollo missions that vee can get a large mission package to our destination.
Jeb: Why visit the moons one by one? Wouldn't it be easier to go from one to another?
Wernher: Tylo and Laythe will require heavy landers. Dragging them from one moon to another might outweigh any savings. Still, it might be possible to combine moons, but I'll let you and Gene decide if that's zee better option once you get there.
Val: Do these numbers include a safety margin? Jeb has been known to fall asleep in the middle of a burn and overshoot.
Jeb: Hey!
Wernher: Ja, these numbers take Jeb's piloting 'efficiency' into account. And you're likely to be able to use gravity assists from the inner moons to reduce these.
Gene: When can you have it ready? I'd like to launch before the administration has a chance to pull our funding for the last mission.
Wernher: The next launch window is in 413 days. I'd suggest having it ready 30 days before that.
Bill: We'll have to pull a lot of overtime to meet that deadline! Order several more pallets of coffee, Gene!
Bob: I won't be able to properly prepare for all the moons that fast. We need to recruit more scientists, maybe one for each moon.
Val: Maybe we should do that with the pilots, too.
Gene: Hmm, well that will make a crew of 10, one pilot and one scientist for each moon. Wernher, can your designs support that?
Wernher: I'll have to make some modifications, but I believe I can make it work.
Gene: Alright. Bob, I'll send you a list of scientist applicants. Jeb and Val, I'll send you the list of pilots. Make your choices and we'll meet back here in the morning to start going over Wernher's design.

 

And so, the first official act of the Joolollo-5 mission was to hire seven random kerbals who needed a job world-class kerbonauts. Diny, Dashpont, Natalo, Sanlin, Raler, Herdon, and Jim(!) will join Jeb, Bob, and Val to make up the crew of the Joolollo-5 mission.

Next post: Ship design

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, Grogs said:

And so, the first official act of the Joolollo-5 mission was to hire seven random kerbals who needed a job world-class kerbonauts.

Loving it! Can't wait to see what you cobble together your crack team can produce!

[Grogs]

Early the next morning, the Joolollo team met again to start going over the design of their ship.

Gene: I trust you all had a good night's sleep.
Wernher: Sleep, vat's that?
Gene: Up late Wernher?
Wernher: Ja, and early too. I had to redesign zee landers to add room for a second kerbonaut. And zen make the transports larger and zee parts below that. Vee need to repeal zee rocket equation!
Gene: That took a lot of work then?
Werner: Just a typical day at KSC.
Gene: Well we have plenty of coffee. Why don't you start going over the ship?
Wernher: As you know, I like to start with zee lander designs. If you can't land safely, there's no point building a ship to get there. I vanted zee landers to fit in a Mk3 cargo bay, which made things more difficult, but I think they vill all vork. Let's go over the zee moons one by one.

Tylo will be zee hardest moon to land on because it has 80% of Kerbin's gravity with no atmosphere for parachutes. Kowgan Kerman estimates 2270 m/s to land from 10 km. I vouldn't recommend that by the vay because the highest peak is over 11,000. From 25,000 meters you won't be going much faster and you'll have more time to stop the horizontal velocity before crashing.
Jeb: Hardest you say? Sounds like that where I'll be landing.
Wernher: Ja, I figured. I added some extra dV.
Jeb: As if I'd need it!

 

Wernher: Here's zee Tylo lander as it will be in orbit. I put in lot of fuel and a big Wolfhound engine to de-orbit and slow down. There's a science package on top. I vanted to stick with the Mk1 lander can so I added a seat for the scientist to sit in. Total mass is 27 tons.
Bob: Command seat? I think I'm needed elsewhere. Maybe one of the new guys would enjoy that. How about Jim?
Gene: OK, Jeb and Jim for Tylo. Anything else on this one, Wernher?
Wernher: I designed all the landers to fit in a Mk3 cargo bay, so no drop tanks on zee bottom stage. Zee Wolfhound will do most of the braking, but run out before landing. Make sure you have plenty of time to finish slowing with the Spark stage because the TWR will be lower.

 

Once you land and finish gathering zee science, drop zee materials bay off zee top. If you land efficiently (ja, right Jeb!) then you'll have at least 3000 m/s left to return to orbit. Just remember to release zee drop tanks once they empty. Five sparks will give you a good TWR so you can pull zee nose down once you clear zee terrain.

Gene: OK, that does it for Tylo. What's next, Wernher?

 

Laythe also has 80% of Kerbin's gravity, but it has an atmosphere. It's thinner than Kerbin's, but should be enough to use parachutes to land. Zee only hard part about landing on Laythe will be landing on a flat spot. Most of zee planet is water and zee islands tend to be pretty hilly. I'd suggest the polar caps if you can get into a polar orbit. Getting back into orbit will be much like a Kerbin launch.

 

To land, just fire the Dart engine long enough to de-orbit. Then open zee airbrakes to keep the re-entry stable. Parachutes vill slow you down, with maybe just a burst of thrust needed right before landing. Total mass is about 18 tons.

 

For liftoff, I designed zee ascender like for Evepollo. Zee science package, landing gear, parachutes, and A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S are jettisoned. Once zee Dart engine burns out, zee Cub engines vill give you 1800 m/s. Vith just vernier engines for steering, don't make any aggressive turns or zee engines will end up pointed skyward.

 

Then zee two Spark engines vill give you another 1900 m/s to finish getting to orbit and rendevous.

Jeb: Easy landing, eh? Sounds like a job for Val.
Wernher: Vell, don't let the landing fool you. Getting back to orbit will be nearly as difficult as on Kerbin. Val vould be a good choice.
Gene: OK, Val for pilot. Bob?
Bob: Natalo looks pretty sharp. Hopefully she can handle Layhte.
Gene: OK, Val and Natalo for Laythe. Next moon, Wernher.

 

Vall is the easiest of zee three inner moons. Gravity is only 0.235 gees, not much more than zee Mun, and there's no atmosphere. You'll need at least 860 m/s each way from a 15-km orbit.

 

Zee Vall lander has about 2000 m/s and eight Spider engines give it a starting TWR of 2.07 und more after the drop tanks are released. This lander is only 3.4 tons.

 

After finishing zee mission on Vall, you can detach the science to add another 300 m/s to the upper stage dV.

Gene: What about the other two moons, Wernher?
Wernher: Pol and Bop are easy to land on once you get there.

 

Pol is zee smallest moon with a gravity of only 0.038 gees. You'll have a harder time staying on zee ground than landing. Zee terrain can be quite hilly, but it shouldn't cause many problems in the low gravity. Kowgan says 130 m/s from orbit.

 

Bop is only slightly larger with a gravity of 0.06 gees. It has some very high mountains though so keep your orbit above 25 km. Flat spots will be an issue again, but with zee low gravity it shouldn't cause too many problems. 230 m/s each way.

Gene: How about the landers for these moons, Wernher?
Wernher: You can use zee Vall lander there. It has plenty of Delta-Vee and I'll include a tank for refueling it. If you do Pol and Bop first, you can keep zee science package und then leave it on Vall.
Gene: OK, Bob, Jeb, crew assignments?
Bob: The KAS has reported an anamoly on Bop I want to check out so I'll go there. Dashpont to Vall and Sanlin to Pol.
Jeb: Eenie, meenie, minie, moe, pick the kerbals who will go. Diny to Val, Raler to Pol, and Herdon to Bop.
Gene: OK, we have our crew assignments then:
- Jeb and Jim to Tylo
- Val and Natalo to Laythe
- Diny and Dashpont to Vall
- Raler and Sanlin to Pol
- Herdon and Bob to Bop

Now we can start training teams for their moons. Take a break and then Wernher can go over the rest of the ship.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Grogs

[Grogs]

After a break and some much-needed snacks, the group reconvened.

Gene: OK, Wernher. Tell us about the rest of the ship. I know this is your favorite part.
Wernher: Ja, Gene. Big bleeping rockets are my favorite things in life und I don't think zis one vill disappoint.

 

Let's start with the mission ships. I call zee first one Titan. 'T' as in Tylo. It vill carry the Tylo lander around the Jool system. It's powered by two Nerv engines. TWR is low at 0.14, but this shouldn't present too many problems. When you release zee drop tanks and finish vith zee lander it vill increase. Zee total dV is about 4600 with the lander in the CRG-100 bay. Vithout zee lander, dV is nearly 8000 m/s. I've also added a solar panel, a thermal regulator, antenna, and a command chair where zee scientist can sit to collect EVA data from all zee biomes around Tylo. Titan mass is 89 tons with fuel and lander.

You'll notice that zee science package is mounted on zee front of Titan. Before descending to Tylo, Jeb vill have to dock zee lander and pick it up. Otherwise zee lander vas too long to fit in the cargo bay.

 

For zee Laythe mission, zee Leviathan is nearly identical to zee Titan. Zee Laythe lander also fits inside a CRG-100 bay. Zee dV is slightly larger because zee Laythe lander weighs 9 tons less. Because zee lander is not as long, zee science package is already in zee bay. I put a telescope on top to capture observations around Jool and Laythe. Delta Vee is about 5000 vith zee lander and 8000 m/s without. Despite its name, Leviathan is zee lightest of zee three ships vith a mass of 80 tons including fuel and lander.

 

Finally, vee have zee Victory, which will carry zee Vall lander. Zee lander fits into a smaller CRG-25 bay except for zee science package, which is mounted on the nose. Because zee bay is smaller, I've added larger fuel tanks. Zee Victory will also serve as the return ship to Kerbin. I've also added a passenger module to serve as crew cabins.

Val: Thank goodness! I won't have to put up with Jeb's "pull my finger" pranks for the whole trip.
Wernher: It's not zee Four Seasons, but you'll have some room to stretch out.

You'll also notice zee Victoy has a small FL-T400 tank for refuelling zee lander between missions and an inflatable heatshield.

Gene: Are you planning to aerobrake at Jool?
Werner: Nein, too risky. Zee heatshield is for zee return trip to Kerbin. If you inflate zee heatshield and point zee ship retrograde it vill keep you from flipping. You'll want to have zee Vall lander move it to zee nose or else it vill be difficult to dock vith.
Jeb: Don't you normally put the heatshield between the ship and, well, the heat?
Wernher: Ja, but I believe zee ship would flip over and explode if you tried that. A two-shield solution like Eve would be too difficult to design. If you set your periapsis at the right altitude, zee engines should be able to vithstand zee heat. Our simulations suggest 38,000 meters is about zee ideal Pe. Much lower and zee ship will explode.
Bob: I'd rather not explode!
Val: Sounds like a dynamite idea of paper. Of course, the guys who came up with the plan will be down here and we'll be up there.

Zee Victory weighs about 118 tons vith fuel and lander.

 

Wernher: Zee Victory, Titan, and Leviathan vill be joined together for zee trip to Jool. They can move around linked like this if necessary, but most likely you'll separate them once you set up Jool Station. I used decouplers at zee connection points because I don't believe they could be realigned well enough. Zee total mass of zee mission package is 288 tons.

Gene: So you just have to get 288 tons into orbit around Jool. I trust you have a good plan for that, Wernher?
Wernher: Big bleeping rockets, Gene. And if those don't work, moar boosters.
Gene: I'm glad they didn't give us a budget for this mission!

 

Zee three mission ships will go inside a 5-m fairing for launch. Zee fairing adds another 45 tons or so to zee launch mass, bringing total payload up to 333 tons.

 

To get zee three mission ships to Jool, I'll use an S3 stage. Two S3-14400 tanks vith a Rhino engine. Zee Rhino is a very efficient vacuum engine although thrust vill be lower than some similar Vector-based designs. For this center stage, I've also added a reaction wheel, docking ports, and a probe core. This stage should still have most of its fuel and will become Jool Station once there. Zee mission ships don't need zee oxidizer, but can take zee liquid fuel if needed.

 

Six radial boosters vill go around zee center S3 tanks. These have zee same fuel tanks and Rhino engines. These tanks will be staged away two at a time in asparagus fashion. Zee total delta-vee for all zee S3 engines is about 4500 m/s. That should be more than enough to transfer from Kerbin to Jool orbit. Zee transfer stage has a mass of 1570 tons.

 

Zee center of zee lifter stage uses an S4-512 tank vith 9 Vector engines.

 

Six more S4-512 tanks and 54 more Vector engines give this stage a healthy TWR of 1.65 and about 1950 m/s dV. I decided not to interconnect zee fuel lines to simplify zee design because dropping massive radial tanks vithout hitting them can be difficult.

 

Finally, I added 36 Clydesdale boosters in two rings around zee S4 tanks. Zee initial TWR is somewhat anemic at 1.14, but it should be enough and pick up quickly as zee solid fuel burns down. Zee Clydesdales will provide about 1550 m/s, or 3500 m/s total vacuum dV for the lifter stages. You can probably reach about a 200-km orbit vith that amount of dV. Total pad mass is about 9000 tons.

 

One note on flying zee launcher stage. You need to be exactly on zee prograde marker when staging away zee Clydesdale boosters.

 

Our simulations show that if you're not exactly on prograde, something like this will happen. Needless to say, that vould be bad.

Jeb: Maybe this is a good time to go over the abort procedure?
Wernher: Ha, that's funny Jeb! Vell, I suppose that if zee thousands of tons of boosters below don't smash you to bits, you could detach zee Victory and use its parachutes.
Gene: If you screw up the launch, don't bother deploying the chutes, Jeb. I'll kill you myself if I have to go get a job at Ker-Mart.
Jeb: As if I would ever screw up!

Val: <Uncontrollable Laughter>
Wernher: Vee have a very good simulation program. Just practice on that until you get it right. Once you get zee ship out of zee atmosphere, the probability of it randomly exploding drops to about 1 in 5.
Gene: Pretty standard stuff, then. What can you tell us about the mission timeline, Wernher?

Wernher: According to Rich Kerman in astrodynamics zee optimal launch window is year 24, day 207 at a total cost of 3305 m/s dV.
Val: Rich Kerman is a steely-eyed missile man!
Jeb: So true!
Wernher: Today is year 23, day 233. Launching 30 days ahead of zee window gives us 379 days to get ready to launch.
Wernher: Zee trip to Jool vill take 2 years, 315 days arriving year 27 day 96.
Wernher: Zee first optimal return window would be year 27 day 314. That vould give you 218 days to complete landing on all zee moons and zee ship would reach Kerbin year 30, day 227.
Gene: Good. That will give me plenty of time before I have to start warming up my golf game.
Gene: Time to get busy everyone! Bill, get on that build. Jeb, Bob, Val, get those new recruits trained.

 

And so, the following months were filled with intense training using something we threw together using spare parts world-class simulators ...

 

... and taking publicity photos of the crew and their spaceship.

Author's Note: Funny story about the picture above. I managed to kill Bill while taking the photo. I put him in the cockpit of the Victory for the photo, then rolled the crew out to the crawlerway using the rover in the picture. After I finished the photo, I noticed the rover had rolled away and Bob started chasing after it. In an effort to speed things up, I hit time warp, and then boom! When I looked back the Victory had exploded on the pad and poor Bill was no more. Luckily (after a revert) it turned out that Bill was fine, but he did have to rebuild the rocket.

Next up: The launch!

[Grogs]

Chapter 4: Launch Day, in which Gene discovers his career path for the next six years.

Author's Note: I'm going to start putting these in spoiler tags so the page doesn't take forever to load with all the pics.

 

Spoiler

 

KSC Mission Control: All systems go for launch. T-1 minute. Sure is a beautiful day for a launch.

 

Jeb: We wouldn't know. Not much of a view under this fairing.
KSC: Just think of it as a little IFR practice Jeb.

 

KSC: Liftoff of the Joolollo Victory!
Jeb: Lots of noise and shaking, but the gee forces aren't much at all.
Bob: I'm still able to drink my coffee and read the newspaper.
KSC: I'll pass that along to Wernher.
Sanlin: What's a newspaper?

Jeb: Beginning gravity turn. Controls are slow with this beast, but very stable. It stays dead on heading.

 

KSC: Jeb, you're a little flat on your gravity turn. We show you at 45 degrees and 7400 meters. Hold the nose at here for a bit.

 

Jeb: Roger control. Holding for a bit. I'll have to move back onto prograde before booster sep in 10 seconds.

 

Jeb: Back onto prograde. Temperature guages on the SRBs are reading in the caution range.
KSC: Roger, Jeb. That's expected just prior to burnout. You're a go for separation.

 

Jeb: Clean SRB separation. Vectors to maximum thrust.
KSC: Roger, Jeb. Tracking shows you at 14.8 km moving 709 m/s. Ap is 22.5 km. You're well within the planned flight envelope.

 

Jeb: Picking up some heating on the ship, but no temperature warnings. Approaching 1100 m/s.

 

KSC: You're at 1950 m/s, Jeb. Switching to orbital mode.
Jeb: Roger, all systems go. The fairing is starting to glow. Bob says it's like being inside a lava lamp.
KSC: Should start cooling soon. You're at 36 km and pressure is dropping sharply.

 

KSC: You're at 51 km with an Ap above 150 km now. Go ahead and throttle down, Jeb. Target Ap is 200 km.
Jeb: Roger, throttling down to 8%. We're through the worst of the atmosphere. Barely shaking at all now.

 

KSC: Ap is up to 200 km now, Jeb. Go for engine shutdown.
Jeb: Roger, engine shutdown.
Natalo: Whee, I'm weightless!
Jeb: What a noob!
KSC: Gene says to cut the chatter, folks. You're on a good flat trajectory. Just a small burn will be needed at Ap to circularize.

 

Jeb: Pressure readings are zero. Ready for fairing release?
KSC: Roger, go for fairing release.
Jeb: That's better. Nice to be able to see out the windows again.
Natalo: Whoa, look at that view!

 

KSC: We're transmitting your 200x200 km circularization burn now, Jeb. Looks like you'll have to dip into the transfer stage slightly to finish it. Wernher says that's no problem. Thare's dV to spare in the transfer stage.

 

Jeb: Opening cargo bay doors and deploying long-range antennas and solar panels.

 

KSC: You're go to begin circularization burn, Jeb.
Jeb: Throttling up. Whoa! The ship seems to have spaghettified. We're getting some crazy bending between the stages.
KSC: Can you complete the burn Jeb or do we need to abort.
Jeb: Keeping throttle at about 5%. The bending is dragging us off course, but I think it's manageable. Releasing radial boosters. They're spent.

 

Jeb: Roger, stage 12 burnout and jettison. That thing really went flying off to the side when we decoupled!
KSC: Wernher says it must have been a bad autostrut. He doesn't think it will be a problem now that the launcher stage is gone.
Jeb: Good to hear, control.
KSC: Gene wants you guys to do a thorough inspection of the exterior. Make sure nothing got damaged by the bending. Check antennas, solar panels, thermal controls, and especially the landers. We don't want you guys to get all the way to Jool and discover your lander engine is missing.
Bob: Roger control.

 

Bob: Full systems check complete. No sign of any damage on internal and external cameras. Crew is doing well except for a couple that lost their lunch. I've got them cleaning up the crew module now.
KSC: Gene wants you to check out the transfer stage engines and confirm the "spaghettification" problem has been resolved. We're transmitting you a maneuver to raise your Ap to 250 km.
Jeb: Roger, moving the ship into position.

 

Jeb: Burn was solid. No troubles with the transfer stage at all.
KSC: Roger, that confirms Wernher's hypothesis about the autostrut problem. He says you guys shouldn't have any more trouble with it. Go ahead and circularize at 250-km. We're sending you the maneuver.

 

Jeb: These Rhino engines seem to gimbal a good bit, but they hold course well. Finishing up circularization burn.
KSC: Roger, Jeb. We show you in a 249.6x250.2 km orbit. Solid piloting.
Jeb: Of course.
Val: What are a few hundred meters between friends?
KSC: Gene is popping the champagne down here now. Something about not having to retire today. You guys take a break and grab some snacks. We'll talk to you in the morning after Gene sobers up.
Bob: Make sure he gets home safe, control.
KSC: Will do, Bob. Sleep tight. Control out.

 

 

[Grogs]

Chapter 5: Kicking Periapsis Tail, in which Rich Kerman proves he's a steely-eyed missile man

Author's Note: This wasn't really necessary, but I thought it would be a good chance to practice my periapsis kicking. With the low TWR on my Jool mission vehicles I may need to use it some there.

 

Spoiler

KSC: Good morning, Victory crew. Rise and shine. I hope you had a pleasant sleep.
Bob: To be honest, I can barely sleep in gravity anymore. It's good to be back in space.
KSC: Roger. I guess you'll be sleeping like a baby for the next six years.
Natalo: I barely slept a wink. I kept floating off my bed even with the straps!
Jeb: Noobs!
KSC: Uh, yeah. OK Jeb.

 

KSC: We transmitted you the maneuver node for the Jool transfer burn while you were sleeping.
Bob: Pulling it up now. Got it. 1.3 billion meters? Not a very good intercept.
KSC: There'll be a small mid-course correction to fix the inclination. You'll be shooting through the inner moons once that's complete.
Bob: Good to know.
KSC: It's a pretty long burn. Since you've got 31 days until the transfer, Gene would like you to do some periapsis kicking maneuvers to break it up.
Val: That sounds great. It will give us something to do instead of just waiting for the transfer.
Raler: What's periapsis kicking?
Bob: Control, we didn't get a lot of time to go over advanced techniques with the new crew. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to give them a lesson on how it works.
KSC: Sure. Let me put Rich Kerman from astrodynamics on. He's the expert on those maneuvers.
Val: Ooh, Rich Kerman! Go ahead, KSC.

Rich: Greetings, Victory crew. Periapsis kicking is a way to break one really long burn up into several smaller burns.
Diny: Why would we want to do that?
Rich: Ships with a really low TWR can require really long burns, sometimes an hour or more. A long burn like that can cause a lot of problems. It means that the start and end of the burn is a long way from the maneuver node. This can cause several problems.

If you burn along the prograde line, then part of your thrust is in the wrong direction, and the transfer will cost more dV.

If you keep the ship pointed towards the maneuver direction the whole time, it can cause the periapsis to drop during the first half of the burn. If it drops too far, then you could get an extreme lithobraking event. This nearly happened during the Eelollo mission.

Raler: OK, so how does it work?
Rich: If you look at the maneuver screen, you'll see the transfer burn is scheduled for about 31.5 days from now. One of the controls on your screen is a +orbit and -orbit toggle. Go ahead and hit the -orbit button.
Raler: Ooh, the time to the maneuver went down.
Rich: Right. Your orbital period is about 43 minutes, so each time you hit that button the time until the node decreases by 43 minutes, but it stays in exactly the same position on the orbit. Now go ahead and keep hitting the button over and over and over again until the node is on your current orbit.
Raler: Clicking. Still clicking. My god, how many times do I have to click this thing? There's got to be a better way! [Author's note: Seriously!]

 

Raler: OK, finally got it. I think I have carpal tunnel now from all the clicking.
Rich: Since the Jool transfer is a pure prograde burn, we can just shorten the maneuver node to where we want it. Instead of the full 1925 m/s, let's do 300 m/s on the first burn. That will make a nice short 30-second burn.
Raler: OK, pulling retrograde. There! 300 m/s exactly.
Rich: Now your burn is in 2 minutes. Go ahead an perform the burn.
Diny: Can I do this one?
Val: Sure, go ahead. This one doesn't need to be too precise, but try to get it close.

 

KSC: You're go for the first Pe kick, Victory.
Diny: Performing burn. Ooh, a nightside burn, how cool!
KSC: Good burn, Victory. Our tracking shows a new Ap of 1037 km.

 

Rich: OK, now don't delete the node. Go to the maneuver controls again. This time, you're going to use the +orbit button.
Raler: Pushing the button. Maneuver is in 1 hour 13 minutes now.
Rich: And still in the same spot. The maneuver node is on your periapsis now, and you'll notice it's still at 250 km. Because it was such a short burn, it hardly changed it at all.
Gene: Since you're almost to the end of stage 11, why don't you add a little more prograde. 335 m/s will exhaust that first set of tanks.
Raler: Roger, adding prograde. OK, got it exactly to the end of stage 11.
Rich: You have an hour so I'm going to grab lunch. We'll finish up after the next burn.

 

Dashpont: Hey everyone, check out the eclipse!

Bob: Hopefully that's a good omen.

 

KSC: Victory, you're go to initiate the next Pe burn.
Raler: Roger, I've got this one. Making the burn.

 

Raler: Burn complete, first set of external boosters is completely dry.
KSC: Go ahead and jettison stage 11.

 

Val: Roger, boosters jettisoned.

 

KSC: We show your Pe at 4656 km now Victory. Orbital period is just under 5 hours.
Rich: Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry I missed the burn, but it was taco Tuesday in the cafeteria.
Jeb: Sure, rub it in, man!
Rich: OK, it's time to set up the final periapsis kick.
Diny: Why is this the final one? The transfer was 1925 m/s and we've only done 635 in two burns. Shouldn't there be about 4 more burns?
Rich: Good question. There are two problems. The first is that it only takes a little over 900 m/s to eject from Kerbin's sphere of influence completely. That's the most that you can "prepay" with periapsis kicking, at least from Kerbin.
Raler: What's the other problem?
Rich: It's the Mun. If you push your Ap up past about 8900 km, you'll eventually have an enounter with it. The Mun's gravity could completely screw up your orbit and make you burn extra fuel to fix it. So it's not a good idea to go higher than that until the final burn.

 

Rich: I'm sending you the final periapsis kick maneuver now. This one needs to be a lot more precise. I took the previous node and just hit the +orbit button a few times. If you look at the countdown timer I set with Kerbal Alarm Clock, there are about 30 days until the transfer burn. I put the burn about 15 days from now, or halfway. There's no particular reason I picked that orbit, but it should be early enough to give a nice final kick.
Rich: Now the trick for the final kick is this: After the burn, you want to return to the periapsis as close as possible to the transfer window.
Raler: Sounds tough!
Rich: It just takes a little math. Now the final periapsis kicking burn is about 14 days and 5 hours from now, and that burn will take place at the same spot where the transfer burn will be, namely the periapsis. The transfer burn for Jool is 30 days and 2 hours away. So when you you adjust the prograde burn, you want to look at the orbital period on your maneuver console. 30 days 2 hours minus 14 days 5 hours comes out to 15 days and 3 hours. So while editing the maneuver node, just adjust prograde until the period is 15 days, 3 hours.
Raler: Ooh, I see it. 179.6 m/s gets almost exactly that.
Rich: And that's it. Just perform that burn and it will take you almost out to Minimus. When you swing back around to Pe, it will be time to burn for Jool.
Diny: Ooh, Minimus! Can we stop and get some ice cream?
Jeb: We probably won't even be able to see it. It's barely a speck.
Bob: It's not really ice cream anyway. Bill lied about that.
Diny: Awww.
Rich: One other thing you have to take into account on the final kick is the Mun. It's not in the way for this one, but it could have been since you're going past its orbit. If so, you would have just had to move the maneuver forward or back a couple of orbits and recalculate. That's why you need to allow plenty of time to do periapsis kicking.
Val: Thanks, Rich! We really appreciate you walking the new crew through this.
Rich: Good luck on the mission, crew! Now it's back to my cell.
KSC: OK, Victory, time for a systems check ...

 

... 15 days later
KSC: You're go for final periapsis kick Victory
Val: Roger, performing burn. Ship is holding target nicely.
Val: OK, almost there. Throttling down... got it! Our orbital period is within a few minutes of the countdown for the transfer burn. We should be all set.

 

KSC: Good work, Val. Showing you in a 250x41,800 km orbit.

 

KSC: Transmitting you the new maneuver node for Jool transfer. It's down to only an 1109 m/s, 2 minute 3 second burn. That's down from the original 1925 m/s and 3 minutes 26 seconds.

 

Jim: Wow, we're way out here, aren't we. Kerbin looks so tiny.
Bob: We'll swing around one last time for the transfer burn, then you won't see it again for about 6 years.

...

KSC: Time for your final sendoff, Victory. Transfer burn in 15 seconds.
Jeb: All systems green, initiating burn. It's good to feel the engines again.
KSC: Coming up on burnout on the second boosters.
Jeb: Roger, booster burnout. Jettisoning.

 

Jeb: Throttling down.  Burn complete.
KSC: Looks like a good burn. You're on your way to Jool! God speed, Victory!
Jeb: Tell Gene he can pop the champagne.
KSC: He's way ahead of you Jeb. We'll send you the course correction once you've left Kerbin's sphere of influence. KSC out.

 

[Grogs]

Chapter 6: Traveling to Jool, or a game of cosmic pinball

KSC: Victory, we heard about that zero-gee limbo contest you guys had last night. Hard to believe Jeb managed to win a limbo contest with his gut.
Jeb: Hey, these are rock-hard abs here!
KSC: Sure, we believe you Jeb. We're transmitting you a mid-course correction for your Jool intercept.
 

Spoiler

Bob: Pulling it up. Wow, that's impressive!
KSC: Compliments of Rich Kerman. He thought you might appreciate a nice game of pinball to celebrate your arrival.
Jeb: Let me see. Wow, look at those intercepts! It's a Tylo-Laythe-Tylo maneuver that puts us in Jool orbit directly.
KSC: Rich says you'll probably need to clean it up once you get in system, but our software can't display any more conic patches.
Val: Nice.
KSC: The timing isn't really critical here, but you need to hit the dV and direction as precisely as possible.

 

 

Jeb: I'll reduce the engines to 5% for the burn. Not much to do but wait now.
KSC: Enjoy the trip out. KSC out.

... 342 days later ...

Jeb: Mid-course correction complete. They weren't kidding when they said it had to be precise. I had to correct twice to keep the intercepts.
Val: We're a long way out. It makes the burns cheap, but they're twitchy.
Bob: Remember to bring the engines back to full thrust. And then don't even change the ship's orientation or it might throw off our intercept.
Jeb: Sending the report back to KSC. Hey Val, pull my finger!
Val: It's going to be a long trip!

... Nearly two years later

FROM: KSC Mission Control
TO: Bob Kerman, KSS Joolollo Victory
DTG: 27:63:1:45
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

Victory crew, our tracking shows you've entered Jool's SOI. Congratulations on making it. It's all "downhill" from there.

Proceed with the Rich Kerman maneuver and enjoy the ride.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

 

Bob: We've finally made it. We're in the Jool SOI!
Natalo: Where? I can't even see it.
Jeb: It's that green speck over there. I think. Or maybe that one.

 

Bob: It's a big planet so it's SOI is huge. We're still a long way out. I'm going to grab an EVA report and turn on the automatic science collection system now that we're here.

 

Natalo: There it is. I can see it now. It looks like a pea.
Bob: Wait until we get up close. It's huge!

 

Jeb: We're coming up on Tylo fast now.
Val: Wow, looks impressive. Glad I don't have to land there.
Jeb: It'll be a piece of cake.
Jim: Anybody want to trade moons? That doesn't look safe.
Bob: You're the Tylo expert. I'm sure Jeb will get you down safe. Mostly.

 

Jeb: Say, we're coming up on the equator. I'm going to do a quick burn to fix our inclination.
Bob: Good thinking. That will keep us from ending up in some nasty polar orbit after the intercepts.

 

Jeb: There we go. Inclination is almost perfect now. 0.001 degrees.

 

Val: I'm using the onboard flight computer to set up a small burn as we pass by Tylo. This will pull our Ap around Jool to about 80,000 km.

 

Jeb: Burning now. We're whizzing by Tylo.

 

Jeb: Going to do one more small burn on the way out. This will raise our final Ap a bit, but also raise the Pe a lot. That will make putting into the final orbit for Jool Station a lot cheaper.

 

Bob: Here's the new nav chart. Looks good. Now we can just enjoy the view.

 

Jeb: Passing around Jool.
Natalo: It looks much bigger now!
Bob: Wait until the next pass!

 

Jeb: Passing by Laythe. Do you see your landing spot, Val?
Val: Should be that icy spot near the top.
Natalo: Why don't we just send out the landers since we're passing by?
Bob: We're still moving pretty fast coming in interplanetary. It would take a lot of dV for the lander to stop from here. Once we're in a stable orbit, it will be cheaper. Besides, if we detach one of the mission ships now, the rest will be out of balance. We wouldn't be able to use the transfer stage engines anymore.

Jeb: Heading away from Laythe. Next stop will be a close-encounter with Jool and then Tylo again.

 

Val: I'm dialing in a maneuver to raise our Pe after the final Jool encounter.
Bob: Looks good. Only 658 m/s. All these encounters with the moons really help.

 

Bob: Coming back down past Jool again. I'm going to get some readings from our instruments.
Natalo: Cool, I'll help.
Bob: Um, guys. There's something up with this materials bay.
Natalo: Who's Dave? It keeps calling me Dave.
Jeb: You're the scientists, figure it out.
Bob: OK, I got a reading. Let's just try not to make it angry.

 

Val: Passing Tylo again. This will be the last go round before we put into orbit.

 

Bob: One more pass around Jool. Not nearly so close this time.

 

Val: Back out at apoapsis. Making a burn to raise Pe to 80,000 km.

 

Jeb: One final burn to bring the Ap down and circularize.

 

Jeb: Dropping the final pair of external boosters. Only 8 m/s left on the burn.

 

Bob: Looks like Wernher was right about being able to use the final tank for refueling. There are over 12,000 units of liquid fuel left.
Bob: Welcome to Jool Station everyone. It's been a long trip, so take some time and enjoy the view.

 

 

[Grogs]

CHAPTER 7: Off to the Moons, or Breaking up is hard to do

FROM: KSC Mission Control
TO: Bob Kerman, KSS Joolollo Victory
DTG: 27:145:1:30
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

Victory crew, we're happy to hear that you arrived safely at Jool Station orbit. There are a bunch of smiling faces down here in mission control. We're sending you a small maneuver to match your inclination to the inner moons. After this burn is complete, you have the go-ahead to proceed with separation ops.

We received your recommendation to move the telescope off the Leviathan over to the Victory. We agree now that you've already flown by Laythe there's no need for Leviathan to carry it. Wernher did some calculations and mounting it on the ventral docking port of the Victory should have a negligible impact on your center of gravity. That will let you get observations around Vall, Pol, and Bop. Recommend you use the Vall lander to reposition it.

We're also including burns for the Victory, Titan, and Leviathan to transfer to their respective moons. Modify as necessary to meet mission objectives.

BTW, Rich set up a special two-burn maneuver for the Leviathan to get a close-up look at Jool's upper atmosphere. We hope you like green because you'll be seeing a lot of it.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

Spoiler

 

Jeb: Here's the inclination change. Looks pretty standard, and only 15 m/s.
Val: I guess we did a good job getting it lined up on the way in.

 

Bob: They sent a picture of the simulation Wernher ran showing the CG with the telescope mounted on the ventral port.
Val: Wernher's really cautious. That thing only weighs 0.1 tons. I can't imagine it possibly throw off the CG of a 100-ton shuttle enough to matter.

 

Bob: We've got a day and a half until that inclination burn. We may as well reposition the telescope. Any ideas on who should do it?
Jeb: How about Herdon?  He seems pretty sharp, but could definitely use the docking practice.
Herdon: Oh, boy! This is going to be fun!
Val: Just make sure you're careful. If you damage the lander or some other part of the ship, we could fail the mission. If you get in trouble, jettison the telescope. It's not mission critical.
Herdon: No problem. This will be a cinch!
Val: Great. A younger version of Jeb. Just what we need.

 

Herdon: Taking the shuttle out of the cargo bay. That sure was a tight fit. I'm glad I don't have to redock in there.
Val: I don't think there was room to put a docking port in the bay.

 

I'm well clear. Boy, I sure do feel tiny out here like this.

 

Val: We'll swing the docking port on the telescope in your direction. Just point at it and move in slowly.
Herdon: Moving in.
Jeb: Don't move in too fast. You only have lateral RCS thrusters. You'll have to turn around and use the engines to slow down.
Herdon: Everything lined up. Moving in 0.28 m/s.

 

Herdon: Got it! Solid capture with the infrared telescope.

 

Val: OK, when you're ready undock the telescope and move it to the ventral docking port on the Victory.
Jeb: This one will be tough because the docking port is angled 90 degrees to your centerline. You'll just have to work slowly to line it up.

 

Herdon: Got it!
Jeb: Wow, that was... um, pretty good for a rookie.
[Author's note: Maybe it's just me, but it seems like docking is more forgiving in the latest version. I was still trying to line up the ports, not doing a very good job IMO, and suddenly I got a capture.]

 

Val: OK, last one. Just redock the lander to the science package on the nose of the Victory. Use the lower docking port on the lander.
Jeb: Pointing the docking port towards you.
Herdon: Lined up. Moving in.

 

Herdon: Got it.
Val: Shut down the engines or else they'll throttle up when we do our next maneuver and screw thing up.
Herdon: Shutting them down. Wish they were on an action group. I have to do them one by one.

 

Val: Refuel the lander and then come back in. Don't forget to top off your monopropellant.
Herdon: All set. Coming back over.
Jeb: Pretty good work for a noob.
Bob: Three years into the mission, I don't think anybody is a noob anymore.
Herdon: Thanks, old guy.

 

Jeb: Coming up on the inclination correction. Burning.
Jeb: Got it down to 0.03 degrees. I think that's as good as it gets unless we want to wait another half orbit.
Bob: I don't want to wait another week for that. Even I'm not that OCD.

 

Bob: OK, crew. Time to get ready for separation. Everyone transfer to their respective shuttles.
Jeb: I'll be on the Titan with Diny and Jim.
Val: And Natalo and Dashpont will be with me on the Leviathan.
Bob: OK, that leaves Raler, Sanlin, and Herdon with me on the Victory. Everyone moved over?
All: Yes.
Jeb: Bob, how come you get to keep the crew compartment and we're stuck with just a Mk3 cockpit for the next few months?
Bob: Seniority I guess. We'll try not to enjoy the extra space TOO much.

 

OK, go for separation. See you guys in a few months.

 

Bob: No sense dragging these girders around. They make nice missiles when I decouple them.
Jeb: Watch where you're shooting that thing!
Bob: Just a shot across the bow. We come in peace.

 

Bob: Here are the maneuvers from KSC. Looks like the window to Pol comes before Bop for the Victory, so we'll go there first. It's still 29 days and 5 hours away. 277 m/s will be a pretty long burn with the Nerv engines.

 

Jeb: Our Tylo stransfer looks pretty straightforward. Only 140 m/s, but 29 days 3 hours from now.

 

Val: Looks like Rich put something special together for us. Our first burn gets us a Tylo encounter, but there's a second maneuver around Tylo that gets us a Laythe encounter followed by a trip down into Jool's upper atmosphere.
Jeb: Be careful with that one and make sure you don't go too low.
Natalo: I'll make sure I get some good science when we pass through the atmosphere.
Val: Our maneuver is 118 m/s and takes place in 28 days and 4 hours.
Bob: That's actually the first one. I guess we'll have plenty of time to run systems checks and make sure all the shuttles are in top condition.

 

Bob: Looks like we'll be practicing social distancing for a while. We're all together, but apart.

 

Val: Looks like our maneuver node is here. Everyone ready?
Natalo: Yes
Dashpont: Check!
Val: OK, burning. The Leviathan handles well. The low TWR means is pretty easy to perform the maneuver accurately.

 

Val: Got it. I'm within 500 meters of the target Pe around Tylo.
Bob: Good flying Val.

 

Val: I have to tweak the second maneuver slightly. The we go. 149 m/s around Tylo will send us through Jool's upper atmosphere.
Bob: Good luck, Val. See you on the flip side.

 

Bob: Looks like you're up next, Jeb.
Jeb: Here comes the node. Burning. And got it. Just a few hundred meters from target Pe.

 

Jeb: Adding a node for Tylo capture. Looks like 45 m/s is enough to get a capture.
Bob: Good luck down there, Jeb. Keep in touch.

 

Bob: And now we're the last ones.
Raler: Maneuver node coming up. Burning.
Bob: You can tell we have a large normal component to this burn.

 

Raler: That was a pretty long burn, but we've got a good intercept with Pol.
Bob: It's pretty inclined, but it won't matter since we'll be putting into a polar orbit.
Sanlin: Polar orbit around Pol. How approrpiate.

 

Herdon: I've set up a capture node around Pol. 239 m/s to capture into a high elliptical orbit.
Bob: No problem, we've got plenty of dV in the Victory.

 

Sanlin: Sure feels lonely now that we're out here all by ourselves.
Bob: Once we reach Pol there will be plenty to keep you occupied.

 

FROM: Bob Kerman, KSS Victory Prime
TO: KSC Mission Control
DTG: 27:176:5:15
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

All initial burns completed successfully. Ships now in transit to Tylo, Laythe, and Pol.

Next maneuver will be Titan capture at Tylo in just over 3 days. All systems performing well.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

 

 

[Grogs]

Chapter 8: Jeb's Tale, or Tackling Tylo

Spoiler

Jeb: Coming up on our Pe at Tylo. Get ready for the capture burn.
Diny: This doesn't take much at all. I guess this moon's gravity nearly captured us all on its own.

 

Jeb: Welcome to Tylo. I left the Ap really high. We'll pull into a polar orbit with a pretty reasonable burn once we get there.
Diny: Why does it show the Leviathan in orbit?
Jeb: Beats me. That would be really weird. Probably just something screwy in the display.

 

Jeb: Doing the inclination change.

 

Jeb: There we go. 90.000 degrees. Will that do?
Jim: I should think so.
Jeb: It will take quite a burn to pull our Pe down and circularize.

 

Diny: Heh, look at that view on the external camera. Looks like we're holding up Vall and Laythe with our engines. They look so tiny.

 

Jeb: Burning. This is a long burn so I'll have to watch the Pe and make sure it doesn't get pushed down into Tylo.
Diny: That would be bad.
Jim: I'm not in that big a hurry to get down there.

 

Jim: Getting gravity scan data. Looks like there may be some hollow spots down there.
Jim: OK, got scans from all the biomes. Move us down.

 

Jeb: I'll move us down.

 

Jim: I'm going out to collect EVA reports. This is relaxing, but I feel dizzy staring down there.
Diny: Just keep your eyes on the horizon.
Jim: It's OK. I've got EVA reports for all the biomes now.
Jeb: OK, let's get ready to go down.

 

Jeb: Moving the Teardrop lander out of the docking bay. It's pretty sluggish on RCS.

Diny: I'll point the ship around so you won't have to maneuver around too much.
Jeb: OK, got it lined up. Moving in to dock on the modular science package.

 

Jeb: Solid capture. Get over here Jim. It's time to land.
Jim: OK, I'm in.

 

Jeb: Releasing docking clamps. Preparing for descent.
Jim: Maybe this isn't such a good idea? Are you sure we can land safely?
Jeb: Oh, be quiet you big baby!

As Jeb deftly maneuvered the lander into a retrograde position, he realized the insides of his gloves were slick with perspiration. "Sweaty palms? Really? What am I, some rookie on his first training mission?"

 

Jeb: The Grissom crater looks like a good spot to put down. I'll plot the descent.
Jim: I should have chosen Pol. Or Bop. This thing looks huge!
Jeb: Don't worry about it! You've got the best pilot in the KSA flying. Nothing will go wrong!
Jim: I hope you're right!
Diny: It'll be fine, Jim. Have fun down there, guys!

 

Jeb: Starting deorbit burn. Looking good so far.

There were hardly any outward signs that could have been detected. Jeb's heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure were all well within normal ranges. Truth be told, he had been doing this so long his body simply didn't show any abnormal signs of stress. But truth be told, he WAS nervous. No, not nervous. He was scared. But why? He certainly wasn't afraid of dying. Jeb's instructors had predicted he'd die in a fireball since his first day at the training academy. He had always prided himself on proving them wrong, doing those things they said were impossible. That had earned him a reputation as the best pilot in the KSA.

 

Jeb: Approaching vertical and main landing stage burnout.

That was it, really. It wasn't a fear of death. Jeb had none, but he was petrified of failure.

 

Jeb: Main stage burnout. Jettisoning. All systems green. Just going to coast for a while.
Jim: That ground is coming up fast! Fire the engines, Jeb!
Jeb: No worries, partner. I'll put her down soft as a feather.

Jeb had always had "the voice". That calm voice that pilots use to casually report that the wings just fell off, the parachutes have malfunctioned, but have no fear because they're working the problem. The voice was almost a requirement in this job. If you sounded like you were going to panic then evaluators would assume you WOULD panic at some point and ground you. Never let them hear the fear.

 

Jeb: Firing engines for suicide burn.
Jim: Do you have to call it that?

If he mistimed the landing and exploded, then everyone would know he wasn't infallible. Still, at least he'd be dead if that happened. The worst thing would be to survive, but disable the lander. They'd eventually send a rescue mission, probably with Val flying. And after she saved him, he'd live the rest of his life with everyone saying Val was a better pilot than he was. He wondered how hard it would be to set off the fuel tanks if that happened? Maybe he would wait until Jim got out of range, but he certainly wouldn't be here for a rescue mission.

 

Jeb: Final approach. Looks like I've got it timed perfectly. Maybe a little too perfectly.
Jim: We're gonna die!

With that, the lander slammed into the ground. The legs on one side compressed ominously, and time seemed to stop. Just when it looked like the legs would break, they bounced back and the craft steadied.

"Not today," thought Jeb. Today I'm still the greatest pilot who ever lived.

 

Jeb: We're down Jim. You can open your eyes now.
Diny: I read you down Teardrop. Good job! Titan out.
Jim: We made it? I mean, yeah. Of course we did. Once I stop shaking I'll start making some scientific observations.

 

Jim: I've finished with all surface observations.
Jeb: Plant the flag and let's pose for our selfie.

 

Jim: I'm ready to get out of here!
Jeb: I'll release the science package and you push it off the top.

 

Jim: Wait, it's falling towards me! Aww, crap. <Thud>
Jeb: Quit screwing around and get back in your seat.
[Author's note: I love that pic of Jim apparently flattened in the bottom right.]

 

Jeb: Liftoff. We're on our way back up, Titan.
Diny: Roger, Teardrop. I'll put some fresh coffee on. See you in a few.

 

Jeb: Jettisoning drop tanks. We have you on the HUD, Titan.

 

Jeb: Nearly up to orbital velocity. Still plenty of dV left.
Jim: Thank goodness!

 

Jeb: Since the ascending node is near the apoapsis, I'll match inclinations and put us into orbit with one burn.

 

Jeb: We've got a good intercept with the Titan. Just have to wait an hour or so to catch up.

 

Jeb: Got you locked in, Titan. Coming in on final approach to the front docking port.

 

Jeb: Good contact, we're securely docked. Head back over, Jim.
Jim: Gladly. I'm happy to be off that rock.

 

Jeb: I grabbed what little liquid fuel was left in the lander. Time to cut it loose.
Diny: It served you well.
Jeb: Yes it did. Goodbye, Teardrop.

And that seals it. Unless he did something really boneheaded on the way home, Jeb knew he wasn't going to screw up on this mission. "And this is the last mission!" He smiled knowing he'd go down as the greatest pilot of his era. Still, he had lost a step or two over the years. It was probably a good time to let the younger generation take over while he was still at the top of his game. That Herdon seemed pretty sharp. And Diny, too. The space program would probably be fine is their hands after Jeb and Val were gone.

If Diny and Jim wondered why their boss was smiling as he watched the lander drift away, they didn't say so. Quite some time passed in silence.

 

Jim: I think I'll review the scientific data. What? Oh, sure. Now you tell us that!

 

Jeb: I'll plot us a course out of here. Looks like we'll have to wait about three weeks to get a good window to intercept with Jool Station.
Diny: Good thing I brought a lot of movies.

 

Jeb: Making the burn. It'll be a direct transfer to Jool Station from here.
Jim: I won't be sad to leave this place behind.

 

Diny: Coming up on the station. Only about 1600 km now.
Jeb: I've got a maneuver node set for the encounter to match velocities.

 

Jeb: Burning target retrograde. OK, got it. Zero relative velocity. I'll just point at the target and thrust until we get a good intercept.

 

Diny: Good intercept. We'll pass within a km of the station in about 5 hours.

 

Jeb: Here we are.
Jim: It's been a long time since we left. Over two months.

 

Jeb: Moving in. I've got the station lined up.
Jim: I'm afraid the probe core on the station will corrupt our research if we dock. Maybe we should hold off.
[Author's Note: When I tried docking all the science reports got moved into the probe core and I couldn't take them back out. I didn't want to risk permanently losing them so I reloaded and skipped the docking.]

 

Jeb: Um, OK. I'll just bring us to a stop relative to the station. It won't move away too far.
Diny: Now I guess we just sit back and wait for the others to get back.

 

FROM: Jeb Kerman, KSS Titan
TO: KSC Mission Control
DTG: 27:214:04:00
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

Tylo mission complete. KSS Titan now in orbit with Jool Station. Awaiting return of the other ships.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

[Grogs]

Chapter 9: Val's Tale, or Ladies' Night on Laythe. Also, Natalo gets a little hot under the collar.

Spoiler

 

Val: Coming up on Tylo flyby. Preparing for burn at periapsis.
Dashpont: There's the Titan on tracking. Looks like they put into orbit OK.
Natalo: Maybe we can spot them when we swing by.
Val: Not likely. They're a long way off and it looks like they'll be on the other side.

Val: Making the correction burn. This should send us past Laythe and then skimming through Jool's upper atmosphere.
Natalo: It's actually kind of nice being away from the boys for a while.
Dashpont: Poor Diny. She's stuck with Jeb for the next two months.
Val: Jeb's not so bad as long as you ignore everything that comes out of his mouth.
Natalo: That one's a bit cocky.
Val: He back's up the talk, but still, he takes risks I would never think about.

Val: We're on a good trajectory now. After we pass by Jool we'll figure out how to get into Laythe orbit.
Natalo: You can do all kinds of neat tricks using these inner moons.

Val: Flying by Laythe now. It's funny we've been by so many times, but haven't stopped. Maybe the next time around.

Val: Approaching Jool transit. I'm going to pull in the antennas and solar panels.
Natalo: I'm strapping into the external command seat to get some EVA reports.
Dashpont: I'll move down into the lander and take atmospheric readings as we pass through.
Val: I'll leave the bay doors open so you can get readings.

Val: Entering the atmosphere.
Dashpont: Looks like I've got a good set of measurements. Everything I need.
Val: OK, I'll close the bay doors to make sure the lander doesn't get damaged.

Natalo: It's getting kind of hot out here!
Val: Don't try to come in. You'll get pulled away from the ship. The worst will pass in a minute.
Natalo: I hope the worst doesn't include my suit catching on fire!

Val: Looks like we're heading back out of the worst of it.
Dashpont: You still OK out there, Natalo?
Natalo: Just a bit singed. Hopefully they don't withhold my deposit on the spacesuit when we get back.

Val: I'll make a correction to pull us above the atmosphere on the next pass. After that, we'll just wait until Laythe swings back around and we can get an encounter.

Val: Making the burn to raise Pe.
Natalo: Jool was fun to visit, but I hope to never see it like that again.
Val: Yeah, sorry. I took that pass a little too low. At least we went tail first so your face shield didn't melt.

Val: I've found a maneuver that will give us a flyby of Laythe to raise our Pe. Then several orbits later we'll meet Laythe again.
Dashpont: Why another pass?
Val: The first pass will slow us down. On the second we should be going slow enough to aerobrake to a capture.
Natalo: I think I'll stay inside for that one.
Val: Too bad. Your head would add some nice drag to help slow us down.

Val: Making the burn. This should be the last time we see Jool this close.
Dashpont: It's a pleasant green color, but I think I've seen enough of it for one lifetime.

Val: Coming through Jool Pe for the last time. Next stop, Laythe.
Natalo: That would be a neat trajectory. It's cool how we have Laythe, Vall, and Tylo encounters all lined up.
Val: Let's just put into Laythe orbit. I think I've done enough moon pinball for now.

Val: Coming up on Laythe aerobrake. Closing everything up for atmospheric entry.
Dashpont: Getting some heat warnings on the engines.
Val: We're near maximum pressure. They shouldn't have any issues.

Val: We got a free capture and now I'll put us into a polar orbit.

Val: Now I'll bring our orbit down and circularize.
Dashpont: Keep it above 200 km so we can get high orbit gravity scans.
Val: Will do.

Dashpont: I'm reviewing our measurements from during the aerobrake. It looks like the air down there is breatheable.
Natalo: Maybe if you land us on a beach we can catch some rays, Val.
Dashpont: Looks pretty cold though. I wouldn't go swimming unless i was in my spacesuit.
Val: The lander isn't exactly set up for water landings either. Unless we want to risk being stranded here we need to land as far inland as possible.
Natalo: Just as well, I guess. I forgot to pack a swimsuit anyway.

Natalo: Science is all done up high, Val. Take us down low.
Val: Roger, moving to just above the atmosphere.

Natalo: I'll go ride on the outside to gather EVA reports.
Dashpont: Try not to get singed this time.
Natalo: That's not even funny.

Natalo: EVA reports all done. Val, can you skim through the upper atmosphere for a while so we can gather atmospheric analyses?
Val: Will do, moving down. I'll avoid any serious heating, but come on in just to be safe.
Natalo: I'm in. I managed to grab an EVA report from the atmosphere on the way.

Val: This is rather tedious, but by adjusting the engine thrust way down I can almost maintain a stable orbit.
Natalo: The orbit seems to decay really fast considering we're less than 100 meters in.
Val: How many more readings do you need?
Dashpont: I have most of the biomes. Head on back up if you're ready.

Val: OK, I've got us back up to a 70-km orbit. I'm going to head over to the lander.
Natalo: I'm on my way, too.
Dashpont: I guess I'll mind the store while. What do I do if you get in trouble down there?
Val: You could call Bob and ask for advice, but most likely you'd have to leave without us.
Dashpont: Let's not even think about that.
Val: If I get into trouble on the ascent and need a pickup, I'll talk you through it. I don't plan to let that happen though.

Val: Taking the lander out of the bay. RCS handles well for such a long ship.
Natalo: Staging is all screwed up. Let me fix it so we don't jettison parachutes when we fire up the engines.
Val: Good call.

Val: Deploying A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S. Ready for deorbit burn. Staging set. Ready, Natalo?
Natalo: All set.
Dashpont: See you girls soon.

Val: Deorbit burn complete. Looks like we headed for the north pole.

Val: Lots of reentry heating. Temperature warnings on the A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S., but we're slowing rapidly.

Natalo: Drogues are out. Wow, that's an incredible view.
Val: You don't see this back home in Kerbalstan. Or anywhere else for that matter.

Natalo: Main chutes are out. I'm going to jettison the A.I.R.B.R.A.K.E.S. so I can do a brief EVA on the way down.
Val: Don't let go of the ladder!

Val: Touchdown!
Natalo: Good landing, Val. Wow, it's really stark out there, but it's beautiful in an alien sort of way.
Val: Reminds me a bit of the steppes back home. We didn't have a giant Jool on the horizon there though.

Natalo: This is amazing that we can run around without helmets out here.
Val: The air is thin, but it has a nice frosty feeling. Feels like a nice Spring day.
Natalo: I hope I don't ever visit your homeland. Sounds cold.

Val: Let's just sit here and enjoy the view for a while. This might be the highlight of your life. Try to take it in.
Natalo: Tylo rise, kerbol set. What a scene. I'll remember this when I'm old and gray.
<Several hours of quiet contemplation pass>

Val: Time to go. Let's prep the ship for launch. I'll jettison the science package and you push it off the top. Just don't fall off the ladder.
Natalo: That's silly. Who would ever do that?

Val: Jettisoning parachutes. What the heck do they put in those things to make them explode like that?
Natalo: I can't believe we were flying around with something that dangerous attached to the ship!

Val: Liftoff, dropping the lander legs.
Natalo: Goodbye, Laythe.

Val: Dropping lower stage. I've got you on the navball, Leviathan. On our way back up.
Dashpont: I'll be here. See you in a few.

Val: Heading looks good. Performing gravity turn. All systems nominal.
Natalo: Look at that view, such pretty lakes.
Val: Maybe they'll let me build a house up here after I retire.
Natalo: That would take getting away from it all to a whole new level!

Val: Lifter stage burnout. Heading to orbit on the Sparks now.
Natalo: Vall finally made an appearance. That's such a pretty moon.
Val: Hopefully we'll get to see it up close before too long.

Val: Out of the atmosphere. Setting up the final orbital insertion burn.
Dashpont: Guess I can stand down.
Val: Happy to say it doesn't look like we'll need a rescue today.

Val: We've got a good intercept with you Leviathan. We'll be there in about 40 minutes.
Dashpont: First round is on me when you get here!

Val: Coming in to dock. Just point the docking port our way and I'll do the rest.
Dashpont: Roger, got you lined up on the crosshairs.

Val: Solid capture, clamps engaged. I'll move the last of the liquid fuel back to the Leviathan. I doubt we'll need it, but no sense tossing it out.

Val: Goodbye, little lander. You served us well.
Dashpont: Marguaritas, anyone?
Val: Hey, how'd you manage that?
Dashpont: It's a little bit of Tang mixed up with a little fermentation "experiment" I've been working on in the back room.
Val: That's totally against regulations. Pass the pitcher or I may have to report you.
Natalo: It's a hard life being a kerbonaut. Cheers to all of you!
Val: Now I wish we had some nachos.

Natalo: Ugh, what a night. Laythe followed by marguaritas. What'd you put in those things, Dashpont?
Dashpont: I'm a chemist, but brewing ethyl alcohol isn't exactly my strong point. I probably made it too strong.
Val: Time to plot a course out of here. Looks like I can get a Tylo assist that will put us close to Jool station. I'll clean it up once we're en route.

Natalo: Buh bye, Laythe. It was fun to visit, but I prefer Kerbin.
Dashpont: I'm jealous I didn't get to go down.
Natalo: You'll get to visit Vall later. That looks like a really beautiful moon.

Val: I've plotted a course correction near Tylo. That will get us pretty close to Jool station about 17 days from now.
Dashpont: Do we have to go back? I really like it out here by ourselves.
Val: Unfortunately, yes. You need to get ready for Vall and Diny is back on the Titan.
Natalo: Poor Diny. I hope she's been OK cooped up with Jeb and Jim for so long.

Val: Making the correction burn.
Natalo: Sounds like Jeb landed successfully on Tylo. I guess we'll hear all about it when we get back.
Val: I usually just mute his mike when he starts on one of those stories. Just nod every once in a while and he'll never notice.

Val: One more burn to match inclinations and we'll be on our way back.

Val: Good intercept. We'll be there in about 4 more days.
Dashpont: Guess I'll enjoy the solitude while it lasts.

Val: Making the burn to match velocities with the station.
Natalo: I wonder why Titan isn't docked to the station? Did they just get here?
Val: No, they've been here for quite some time. I guess we should go link up with them.

Val: Titan, we're on approach. Point the docking port our direction and we'll link up.
Jeb: Come on in, Leviathan. The garage is open.

Val: Good contact. Engine shutdown. It's good to see you guys.
Jeb: Let me tell you about the Tylo landing. It was awesome. First I <click>
Val: He'll keep at that for a while before he realizes I have him on mute. Natalo, why don't you see if Diny wants to come over for a drink? Dashpont, you tend the bar. Maybe we'll share with the boys if there's any left over.

 

FROM: Valentina Kerman, KSS Leviathan
TO: KSC Mission Control
DTG: 27:223:03:35
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

Laythe mission complete. Linked up with KSS Titan IVO Jool Station. Awaiting return of KSS Victory from Bop.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

[Grogs]

Chapter 10: Bob's Tale - Red Shirts; What the heck is that thing?

Spoiler

 

Bob: Entering Pol Sphere of Influence.
Sanlin: Starting scientific analysis.
Raler: I thought it would be bigger. Looks like an asteroid.

Raler: Capture burn. It has a rather brownish hue, doesn't it.

Bob: Put us in a polar orbit so we can get gravity scans on all the biomes.
Raler: Roger, got the maneuver dialed in.

Sanlin: I'll start collecting EVA reports as soon as we get lower.
Bob: OK, have fun out there.

Sanlin: I've got everything I need. I'll head to the lander and we can start down.
Raler: OK, I'll meet you there. Undocking. See you in a few, Victory.
Bob: Good luck down there.

Raler: Making the de-orbit burn. This should be pretty easy.
Sanlin: Good.

Raler: You know, I think I've figured it out. We're red shirts.
Sanlin: What do you mean?
Raler: Like in Star Trek. Whenever there was some random security guy like "Ensign Taylor" he always died on the mission because he was just a throwaway character.
Sanlin: Well I certainly hope we don't die.

Raler: Nah, not likely. I just mean they gave us probably the least interesting moon. We're totally forgettable compared to Bob and Jeb and Val. And there's no real challenge to landing here. I could probably fall asleep and miss the suicide burn and we'd be OK.
Sanlin: Well at least the rocks are kind of pretty.

Raler: We're down. Piece of cake.
Sanlin: I'll start getting surface samples.

Raler: After this one little bit is over, I doubt anybody will even remember our names.
Sanlin: Well, our name is on the flag. Whenever anybody looks at Pol, this flag will always be here.
Raler: OK, good point. It's not a lot, but I'll take it. Ready to go?
Sanlin: Yup.

Sanlin: Oh oh, our lander tipped over.
Raler: No problem. The gravity here is so weak our reaction wheel will flip us over. Hop in your seat.

Raler: We're on our way back up, Victory.
Bob: Come on up. We'll be waiting.
Sanlin: You know, Bob, Jeb, and Val will probably retire after this mission. Then guys like you and Herdon will be running missions. That doesn't sound like a red shirt at all.
Raler: When you put it that way, it sounds pretty good.

Raler: Coming in, we've got the docking port lined up.

Raler: And contact. We're safely back from Pol.
Sanlin: Good job, fellow red shirt.
Bob: Refuel the lander for the next mission and come on back in. Well done down there.

Bob: Plot us a course out of here, Herdon.
Herdon: Roger. I'll just move us away from Pol first and then we'll find an intercept with Bop.

Herdon: OK, got an inclination change lined up ...

Herdon: ... and then an intercept with Bop. We'll be there in about 48 days.
Sanlin: I guess I have time to catch up on my reading.

...

Bob: Coming in on Bop. Collecting scientific data.

Herdon: I'll put us into a polar orbit.

Bob: I'll go out and collect EVA reoprts. These chairs sure do make it easier than drifiting away 10 km and having to get back with thrusters.

Bob: I've got all I need from orbit. You ready to head down, Herdon?
Herdon: I'll meet you in the lander.

Bob: I've downloaded the coordinates the Kerbal Astronomy Society asked us to check out. Apparently there's something strange on the surface there.

Herdon: I'm plotting a maneuver to take us down there next time we fly over.

Herdon: Coming down, I think I see something.
Bob: I can't see anything from this angle.

Herdon: It's huge. It looks like a broken watermelon or something.
Bob: Try to put us down close by.

 

Herdon: OK, no problem boss. Maneuvering is pretty easy in this low gravity.

Herdon: How's that? Close enough?
Bob: Uh, yeah. What the heck IS that thing?
Herdon: No clue, you're the scientist. Um, by the way, we seem to be sliding off the top.

Bob: Go ahead and let it slide off, then set us down on level ground. It doesn't seem to be a separate biome or anything so no harm done.
Herdon: OK, nice and level here. We're down.

Bob: It looks like some type of giant octopus.
Herdon: Are those supposed to be eyes?
Bob: I hope so. Better than if they're eggs.
Herdon: Just to be safe, I would stay away from them. If something jumps out and attaches itself to your face, I'm leaving you down here.

Herdon: I'll go ahead and plant the flag.
Bob: The exobiology department will go nuts when I tell them about this thing. Maybe they'll convince the brass to send another mission out here to study it.

Bob: I'm going to plant one more flag on top. Maybe I should get a sample while I'm up here?
Herdon: Are you crazy? You want to go chasing baby aliens all over the ship?
Bob: OK, good point. I'll leave it for the next mission.
Herdon: It'll be a lot funnier when it happens to someone else.

Bob: That's not something you see every day. Good thing we have the pics or nobody would ever believe us.
Herdon: You ready? This place gives me the creeps.
Bob: I've seen enough. Let's head up.

Herdon: Heading back up Victory. We'll be there in about 40 minutes.
Raler: Roger, come on back up. You find anything interesting down there?
Bob: You won't believe us until you see the pictures.
Herdon: And even then you might not.

Herdon: We've got the docking port lined up. Coming in.

Raler: I'll start planning our return to Jool station. First up is a maneuver to get us out of Bop's SOI.

Raler: And then an inclination change.

Raler: I got a good intercept with the station. We'll be there in about 9 days.

Bob: We're arriving at the station. Herdon, take the lander out so we can dock.
Sanlin: Where are the other ships? Shouldn't they be here already?
Bob: Jeb, Val, where are you guys?
Jeb: We're about 25 km away. Don't dock with the station or it will corrupt your scientific data. [Author's note: I had the same problem with ForScience moving all the data to the probe core and had to reload.]

Bob: We'll just set up next to the station. You guys get over here so you can transfer crew to the Victory.

Jeb: OK, we're here. I'm transferring all of our observations from Tylo and Laythe over.
Bob: Good. Jeb, move your crew over and then go dock with the station.

Val: We're docked, Victory. Transferring crew over.
Bob: Good, now go dock with the station. We'll leave the Titan and Leviathan here for future missions.

Val: We're both docked.

Jeb: I'm going to turn out the lights and shut everything down.

Jeb: Coming back over. You could have at least parked closer, Victory.
Bob: A crack pilot like you should have no problem with a little space walk, Jeb.

Jeb: OK, I'm in.
Val: Me, too.
Bob: OK, I guess we're all done here. Next stop is Vall.

 

FROM: Bob Kerman, KSS Victory Prime
TO: KSC Mission Control
DTG: 27:279:02:23
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

Pol and Bop missions complete. Linked up with KSS Titan and Leviathan and consolidated crew. Preparing for mission to Vall.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

[Grogs]

Chapter 11: Victory over Vall; Homecoming

FROM: KSC Mission Control
TO: Bob Kerman, KSS Victory Prime
DTG: 27:279:03:00
-------------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS

Understand you've reunited at Jool Station and are now preparing for mission to Vall. KAS has detected another anamoly on the surface of Vall at 60° 5′ 10″ S 83° 46′ 48″ E. Please investigate if possible. Good luck on your final moon.

-------------------------END MESSAGE

Spoiler

 

Jeb: I've got a transfer to Vall plotted.
Val: For once, we couldn't get a good assist from Tylo. We'd have to wait quite some time for it to line up properly.
Bob: We've got plenty of dV left in the Victory. No need to wait.

Jeb: OK, plotting the capture maneuver as well. It's not too bad even without the gravity assist.

Val: Entering Vall sphere of influence.
Dashpont: I've got a good set of high orbit measurements.
Bob: Go ahead and jettison the telescope. We've collected data over all the moons now.
Val: Roger. Telescope away.

Val: Setting up inclination change to polar orbit.

Dashpont: I'll go out and collect EVA reports.

Diny: Meet me at the lander when you're finished and we'll head down.

Bob: Here are the coordinates for the anamoly the KAS sent us. Looks like we'll go over on the next orbit.

Diny: I've good the coordinates punched into the lander. Looks like I can get us pretty close.
Dashpont: Do you think it's another space monster like Bob found on Bop?
Diny: I guess we'll find out pretty soon.

Diny: Heading down. We'll let you know what we find, Victory.

Diny: Dropping the external tanks. No sign of the anamoly yet.

Diny: Got it in sight now.
Dashpont: It looks like some kind of geometric pattern. Try to bring us down close.
Diny: I'll do my best, but there's not a lot of extra fuel for maneuvering unless we want to walk home.

Diny: Coming in next to the structure, whatever it is.

Dashpont: Too regular to be a natural phenomenon. This must have been constructed by some intelligent species.
Bob: Make sure you get good photos. The science team back home will eat this up.

Diny: Planting the flag.

Dashpont: You can see how regular the shapes are now that the sun is up. Looks almost like marble or something. I'll take some measurements.

Dashpont: Might as well plant a flag on the top while I'm at it. This makes a good observation point.

Diny: You have what you need?
Dashpont: Yeah, I've learned all I can here. Maybe a team with better instruments can learn more about the origin.
Diny: We're on the way back up, Victory.
Bob: Roger. Good job checking that feature out.

Diny: This upper stage is really hard to control. With you mounted on the side it keeps dragging the nose down.
Dashpont: Well I'm not getting off! I'm sure you can manage.

Diny: I should be able to get us into a low orbit, but we won't have much fuel left.

Diny: Victory, we're in orbit, but almost bingo on fuel. Can we get a pickup?
Val: OK, we're on our way.

Val: We've got you in sight now. Can you make it from there?
Diny: Roger. Heading your way.

Diny: Almost there. We've got the docking ports lined up.

Diny: Contact. Transfer the science and head back to the Victory, Dashpont.
Dashpont: Roger. Thanks for the lift.

Bob: Before you finish, we have some housekeeping for you to do, Diny. First, refuel and then get rid of that Rockomax node. We don't need it anymore.
Diny: OK, pulling it away.

Bob: Now go grab the heat shield and install it on the nose of the Victory.
Diny: Roger. Maneuvering the heatshield into place now.

Diny: OK, got it lined up on the docking port. Attaching it now.

Bob: We can go ahead and jettison the rocket fuel tank now that we're done with lander ops.
Val: Tank jettisoned. Should we ditch the lander, too?
Bob: Let's keep it for now in case we need to reposition something. I can't imagine we'll need it, but I've grown kind of attached to it.
Val: I know the feeling. Come on back in, Diny. Good work out there.

Jeb: I'm plotting a course away from Vall and back to Jool Station orbit.

Bob: I guess that's it for the moons. All landings accomplished. Now we just have to get home.

Jeb: The maneuver computer says we have to wait over a year for the optimal launch window, but it looks like we can leave directly from this orbit in about a week.
Bob: How much more dV will that take?
Jeb: Less than 100 m/s.
Val: We've got plenty of fuel. Wernher really over-engineered the Victory.
Bob: Hmm, 100 m/s to shave over a year off the mission? Seems like a no-brainer. Make it so, Number one!
Jeb: LOL, aya aye, captain! Gene may be a little disappointed to start his retirement earlier, but everyone else will be happy.

Bob: The time has come, everyone. Time to leave and start heading home.
Jeb: It's a long burn, but our Pe is so high it shouldn't affect anything.
Val: Looks like the external tanks are spent. I'll go ahead and jettison them.
Jeb: We still have nearly 5000 m/s left in the central tank. You can really get around in this ship.

Bob: We've reached the Jool SOI. I guess that's the last we'll see of that little green dot.
Val: Time to go home now. We've got a long trip ahead.
Bob: It'll give everyone time to think about those experiences. It seems like we've been at Jool forever.
Jeb: About a year and 100 days. That's a pretty long time.

Jeb: Now that we're out of the Jool SOI, I'll plot an inclination correction. That will really clean up our approach.

Jeb: Maneuver plotted. I can get our pe on target for aerobraking from here.
Bob: I guess we'll just get comfortable and enjoy the trip home. Only 2 years and 240 days.

...

<Jeb, Bob, and Val are gathered in the rec area while the rest of the crew is sleeping or working>
Bob: Looks like we'll be reaching Kerbin tomorrow. I confiscated some of Dashpont's hooch so we could celebrate. It's pretty bad, but it's all we've got.
Val: It's not so bad when you mix it right.
Jeb: Tastes like rocket fuel. I like it.
Bob: We sure have been through a lot together. Eeloo to Moho and everything in between. It's kind of sad it's coming to an end.
Val: What do guys have planned for after the mission?
Jeb: I hear they're putting together a program to develop an SSTO. I'm sure they'll need a really good pilot.
Val: I hope they can find one.
Jeb: Heh, funny Val.
Bob: You don't ever quit, do you Jeb?
Jeb: If I ever slow down, I'll die Bob. I just want to go out with my boot on. Preferably not for a long time though.
Val: I think I've had enough flying. At least the high-pressure mission stuff. I've got my eye on a nice cabin up in the mountains. It's a very quiet and beautiful spot near a lake.
Bob: Sounds peaceful.
Val: You can come visit sometime if you'd like.
Bob: That would be nice. Maybe I'll take you up on that.
Jeb: What about you, Bob? What are your plans?
Bob: I may take a university job. It will give me time to continue researching all we've discovered. In my free time, I may join Gene out on the golf course.
Val: Well, here's to the three of us. It's been quite a ride!
All: Cheers!

Jeb: Coming up on Kerbin aerobraking.
Bob: Jettison the lander, open the heat shield, and prep for atmospheric ops.
Jeb: Right, I've got everything buttoned up.
Val: I sure hope Wernher's calculations were right. This aerobraking may be a little hairy.

Bob: There goes the lander.
Jeb: Picking up some heating. Nothing too bad, yet.

Jeb: Temps are approaching critical levels on the engines. Initiating a roll to try and distribute the heating.
Val: We're close to our Pe. I think we'll make it through unharmed.

Jeb: We made it! We're captured in a really high elliptical orbit now.
KSP: We show you captured, Victory. Good to have you guys back.

Jeb: We'll do one more powered aerobraking pass and then we can put into low-Kerbin orbit.
Val: Much less heating this time around. That heat shield on the top really holds us steady.

Jeb: We're in low-Kerbin orbit now. Getting ready to re-enter for real.
KSC: Good luck! We'll see you when you're on the ground.

Jeb: Jettisoning heat shield. Looks like we're on a good approach to KSC.
Val: I'll try to time the chutes to put us down close.
Bob: Good, I don't think they have a recovery vehicle in the budget and I don't feel like walking too far.

Val: Drogues are out. Looks like we're going to be very close.

Jeb: Main chutes are out. Final descent.
Val: It will be a fairly abrupt stop, but I think the ship can take it.

Jeb: Nailed it!
Bob: So how do we get down? Umm, KSC, can you send a ladder over?

Final science: 34,902.0

Bottom of the list. The only science collected was from Jool and it's moons.

Final science tree. There's an overflow of 53,863 science.

 

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by Grogs