One-way ticket to Duna

[Bekiekutmoar]

Its a sunny day when Jebediah boards his rocket to embark on a dangerous mission to Duna, a planet at around 20 million km from the sun.

Liftoff ... !

In parking orbit after 6 minutes. I'd rather keep my orbit around Kerbin as low as possible to maintain speed, so less fuel is needed to reach escape velocity ...

One last look at Kerbin after the escape burn. Jebediah will probably never come back ... !

The Hohmann-transfer to Duna was messed up due to horrible timing, but after a while I managed to hit its SOI.

Approaching the strange red planet with its enormous ice-caps.

Time to lose some velocity before entering the atmosphere ...

The parachute fully deployed just several hundred meters from the ground, and when velocity was reduced to around 50 m/s by retroburn.

Jebediah Kerman, the first Kerbal to actually set foot on Duna.

He is now a famous celebrity on Kerbin. Too bad he is stranded on Duna forever. Unless ... an improved interplanetary vessel comes to rescue him ... !

[Hillstache]

I have a similar mission, a stranded Kerbal on Duna (though I haven't gotten any of the original 3 yet since .17). My plan is to rescue mine, it'll be a lot of fun! Nice album & story!

[Carthaginian]

And this is why I plan on interplanetary mapping missions to all valid targets prior to any manned landings. ;-)

I'm sick of trying to land and 1.) the ground not being in the right place, 2.) the ground being slanted in precisely the wrong direction and 3.) tacking on one more name to my Kerbonaut Memorial List. My space program is going to put safety above timing concerns.

And yet, most likely, little green men will still die courageously.

[air805ronin]

Its ok, there is a constant stream of public buildings to name after your heroic kerbalnaughts.