The Scrape of Things to Come - Phase 7: Inner Planets Missions

[TheSaint]

Okay, so, I have a confession to make.

I've been cheating on you all.

I rebooted the save months ago.

I got to a point in the original save where I (once again) started to encounter some instability and kraken-errors in the save. So I started to troubleshoot what was going on. And I thought I figured out what was going on, and what I thought was going to fix it involved starting over again from scratch. So I started over again. But since I was starting over again I said to myself, "Self, since you are starting over again, instead of doing everything exactly the same, why don't you just fix some of those nagging little things that have been bugging you for the last year?" So I did. And then I got to the point where I thought that the fix was going to fix things, and it didn't. And that happened to coincide with the time when my life was getting really busy and overwhelming, so I kind of just let this drop to focus on the rest of it. After a little while, I got back to this. After some really extensive troubleshooting, I finally figured out what was causing the kraken-stuff, and it had nothing to do with starting over. But I had already started over and put all the work into fixing all the little annoying stuff. So, after some brief deliberation, I've decided to just forge ahead with the second save. If this offends you, I apologize.

So, here is a quick rundown of what is different now in The Scrape of Things to Come 2.0:

Of course I started with Kerbin Station. It's mostly the same. A small change: I swapped the escape pods and the supply module, because having the supply module on the south side makes it easier to swap supply modules on resupply.

But then things start getting different. I added a couple of elbow modules to provide permanent homes for the cargo drones. And one of the biggest changes I made (everywhere) was that I added actual numbers to all of the drone vehicles. It makes it much easier to keep track of which vehicle is which.

Another major change to the timeline: I built at Minmus first. Development went much faster because I didn't have to fly as much fuel to build at The Mun. So now, on Day 164, Minmus Station is much more developed.

But it has otherwise followed the same development path. Minmus Base is also much the same.

Although I did decide to only use two pylons for lander connections, which let me place the reactor even further away. (Safety Third!)

The only other change on base design was that I redesigned the airlock module, which cascaded down and made the entire base construction process much easier. I realize that probably isn't very intuitive, but you just have to trust me there.

Then I moved on and built Mun Station, which is identical to the one in the original save.

Farside Base is also mostly identical. Although I think I like the original site better than the site in Save Two. It was flatter and had less rocks.

But the biggest change in the second save is to the spaceplane. I decided to redesign it to be unkerballed.

This was a huge quality-of-life upgrade for me in the second save, because I no longer had to manage these huge rosters of kerbonauts. The only time kerbals go up is when they are going to stay up. Plus deleting the mass of the life support system and replacing it with fuel increased the payload capacity of the spaceplane. Although in practice all that really did was increase its operational margin, since most of its payloads never even come close to its maximum payload mass.

You may be asking, "If it's robotic, how do the kerbals get into space at all?" Well, that would be the Cargo Bay Personnel Pod, or "The Pod", as the hangar guys call it. It carries up to sixteen kerbals in relative comfort up to or down from orbit in the spaceplane's cargo bay.

It's actually safer than the original design, because in the event of a vehicle failure the entire pod can be ejected from the spaceplane. It can survive reentry on its own and lands with parachutes. (Yes, I've tested it.)

Another side effect of having an unkerballed spaceplane is that I decided that it is no longer required to operate only during daylight. Unkerballed flights can launch and land at night. Which really increases the operational tempo. We're back in black.

Since the Kerbal Space Agency only numbers robotic spacecraft, the four drone spaceplanes don't have official names. However the ground crew have given them unofficial nicknames which are painted on their sides: ArToo, Robby, Gort, and Marvin.

So, that's where I'm at. I'm otherwise roughly in the same place I ended the first save. Sarnus Explorer is on it's way, and Jool Explorer is just about to leave. The Duna rovers are a couple months away from departure, and Project Draco is still waiting in the wings. I'll try to squeeze out another update this week. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

[TwoCalories]

18 hours ago, TheSaint said:

Project Draco is still waiting in the wings.

Good to have an update, but what is Project Draco?

[TheSaint]

3 hours ago, TwoCalories said:

Good to have an update, but what is Project Draco?

 

[TheSaint]

Departure of Jool Explorer - Y1 D156-164

Wow. I had the weirdest dream last night. It was like everything was the same, but somehow totally different. Like the spaceplanes all had kerbonauts on them. And we built Farside Base before Minmus Base. And none of the orbital tugs had numbers on them and nobody could tell them apart. And Britney Spears was all crazy and shaved her head and was running around with knives and stuff. I mean, it was wild. No more coffee after dinner for me.

Anyway, back to the tasks at hand. Jool Explorer is departing Minmus Station today. Captain Kirkpatrick does the honors and undocks the Tug 6/tank/probe stack from the station and backs it away.

(Author's note: That was another change I made: I did away with the Interplanetary Tugs. I realized that I could get more dV by simply flying the probes with a regular orbital tug with a full hydrolox tank attached. That made the Interplanetary Tugs redundant hardware.)

Once the tug is clear, Mission Control takes over and the tug burns to depart Minmus. Once the burn is complete and the tug is on a departure trajectory, they deploy the fairing around the probe to reduce the mass of the stack.

Now everybody settles in and waits. The Jool departure burn won't be for about another eight days at this point.

===========================================

Well, now it's day 164, and we can take a break from managing the crew changeover at Farside Base to oversee the departure of Jool Explorer. Tug 6 is approaching Kerbin periapsis.

All systems check out, and we are go for burn. 

Burn complete. Jool Explorer separates and the tug turns around for its braking burn.

Then the tug burns into a highly elliptical orbit around Kerbin.

That went very well. The Orbital Mechanics guys just got back and told me that the tug is due to burn again in nine days to plot a course back to Minmus, where it should arrive in about three weeks. Good job everybody!

[Angelo Kerman]

Quote

Cargo Bay Personnel Pod

Chuck Y. Kerman derides the astronauts who fly in that as "Spam in a can."

Nice to see your mission report taking flight again.

[TheSaint]

Duna Probes - Y1 D165-210

Well, now that Jool Explorer is off and away, it's time to focus on Duna.

Our initial efforts in exploring Duna will naturally be unkerballed probes, just as with the outer planets. However, since the dV requirements to get to Duna are so much lower, we can afford to send a lot more hardware.

Behold the Duna Explorer-series probe. Built by Kerman Systems Group on the same basic bus as the Sarnus/Jool Explorer probes, it has been heavily modified to accommodate operations in the inner system.

• The RTG power supplies have been replaced with solar panels and batteries.
• The single large communications array has been replaced with two smaller arrays.
• The science experiment suite has been updated to study the unique conditions on Duna.
• Most obviously, a roving lander has been added to enable surface exploration of Duna.

Two separate Duna Explorer probes will be launched, allowing exploration of two different locations on the surface of Duna while the orbiters provide almost complete coverage of the Duna surface from orbit.

In addition to pure scientific curiosity, one of the other goals of the Duna Explorer program is to provide imagery and data that will aid KSA leadership in selecting landing sites for future kerballed missions and possible locations for permanent Duna bases.

So as we are currently about two months out from the Duna launch window, we should probably get on with bringing these things up to orbit.

Duna Explorer 1 gets loaded on Marvin, the next spaceplane in the rotation, and gets flown up to Kerbin Station.

Then, once Marvin is safely back on the ground, ArToo flies up carrying Duna Explorer 2.

Then, once the two probes are stacked, Captain Keeling brings Orbital Tug 5 over to dock with the stack, and the tug departs with the probes for Minmus.

Tug 5 arrives in the vicinity of Minmus about eight days later.

It rendezvouses with Minmus Station and Captain Kirkpatrick brings it in to dock.

Tug 5 gets moved over to an empty docking port where the engineers get to work refueling it. Meanwhile, the pilots get to work arranging the probe stacks. The station and base crews have been busy for a few days, getting Orbital Tugs 1 and 4 and their external tanks fueled and arranged. Now the station pilots bring the tugs around and dock them with their probes.

Everything is now prepared for the probes' departure. All we have to do now is wait for Minmus to align itself properly so that the departure burns will take place at the proper time and place.

About four weeks later, the planets finally align. Captain Kirkpatrick does the honors once more and undocks Orbital Tug 4/Duna Explorer 1 from its port and backs it away from the station.

Mission Control takes over the tug and burns for Minmus departure.

A day later, they repeat the same process with Orbital Tug 1/Duna Explorer 2. Once the tugs are clear of Minmus, they each separate the fairings that have been protecting the probes to reduce mass.

The tugs coast down towards Kerbin, gaining orbital velocity as they go. Tug 4 reaches its Kerbin periapsis of about 400km, and then it burns for Duna.

Once the departure burn is complete, the tug releases Duna Explorer 1, which immediately deploys its solar panels.

Tug 4 then turns retrograde and burns to enter its return orbit.

Much like Tug 6 after Jool Explorer, it will burn again in 9 days to return back to Minmus Station in about three weeks.

A day later, Tug 1/Duna Explorer 2 arrives in the vicinity of Kerbin and repeats the same procedure.

So both Duna Explorers are now on their way to the Red Planet, they should arrive in about six months or so. Excellent work, everyone.

So, the next project on the plan will be some expansions and improvements at Farside Base and Minmus Base. We'll also be launching a probe to Eve when that window opens up, but that isn't for a while yet.

[Angelo Kerman]

When your tugs burn for Duna at Kerbin periapsis, are they in circular orbit around Kerbin? Science editors of Kerbal Space Science Report would like to know. How do you time it so that the tugs are in the right position to burn for Duna when they're departing from Minmus and arriving at Kerbin to do their work?

[TheSaint]

1 hour ago, Angelo Kerman said:

When your tugs burn for Duna at Kerbin periapsis, are they in circular orbit around Kerbin? Science editors of Kerbal Space Science Report would like to know. How do you time it so that the tugs are in the right position to burn for Duna when they're departing from Minmus and arriving at Kerbin to do their work?

Why, I'm glad you asked. <straightens tie>

No, the tugs that are carrying the interplanetary probes don't circularize before they perform their departure burns at Kerbin periapsis. That way the excess orbital velocity they gain after coming down the gravity well from Minmus helps offset the dV requirements of their departure burn. For example, if we were to have launched Duna Explorer 1 directly from Kerbin Station, the departure burn would have required somewhere around 903 m/s. As executed, the departure burn required right around 300 m/s. Now, if you want to compare apples-to-apples, you need to include the departure burn from Minmus in your dV budget as well, which was around 142 m/s. But still, you can see that by launching the probes from Minmus we reduce the total departure dV requirement by a considerable amount.

To coordinate the Minmus departure time with the Duna departure burn in Kerbin orbit we basically start about four weeks before the departure window, go into the map view for Kerbin Station and set up a Duna departure node, then warp forward until that node, Kerbin, and Minmus are lined up in a straight line make the interns in Orbital Dynamics figure it out. That gets us close enough. Obviously the departure burn almost never lines up with the optimum departure window date, but because of the dV gains from the Minmus slingshot that doesn't really seem to be an issue. We're working on better ways to coordinate this more closely, as well as other ways of reducing the dV requirements such as possibly performing plane change burns out at Minmus orbit where they require less dV.

Obviously at this point these dV gains are somewhat academic. The tugs have more than enough dV to launch these probes from LKO. In fact, it looks like we didn't even need the extra tanks on the Duna Explorer launches, we probably could have launched them with just fully-fueled tugs alone. The goal at this point is to gain experience with the maneuver so that we can use it effectively with later kerballed launches. Shaving 400-500 m/s off of the dV budget of a large kerballed mission to Duna or Jool is huge. And when we begin to build a permanent base on Duna, these dV gains will translate directly to more payload per mission.

[Angelo Kerman]

Neat! That's a great way to do it. It sounds like you have to first escape Minmus SOI, then drop your orbit, and when at Kerbin periapsis, boost all the way out of Kerbin's SOI. Could you also wait for Minmus to line up, then boost out of Minmus orbit and directly on escape trajectory, or is that too tricky to pull off? Also, would that affect your correction burns to Duna later (in Kerbolar orbit)?

***

I've always started from LKO, never tried a boost from Minmus or when dropping from Minmus orbit. I can never get the angles right...

[TheSaint]

58 minutes ago, Angelo Kerman said:

Neat! That's a great way to do it. It sounds like you have to first escape Minmus SOI, then drop your orbit, and when at Kerbin periapsis, boost all the way out of Kerbin's SOI. Could you also wait for Minmus to line up, then boost out of Minmus orbit and directly on escape trajectory, or is that too tricky to pull off? Also, would that affect your correction burns to Duna later (in Kerbolar orbit)?

***

I've always started from LKO, never tried a boost from Minmus or when dropping from Minmus orbit. I can never get the angles right...

I have tried escaping directly from Minmus, and surprisingly it takes as much or sometimes more dV than launching directly from LKO. Your orbital velocity is really low so you lose the Oberth boost.

[TheSaint]

Y1 D211-218 - Farside Base & Minmus Base Expansions Part 1

Ugh. The guys from Flight Ops caught me in the hall first thing this morning. Didn't even get to the coffee pot first. They pointed out that after launching the Duna Explorer probes both Tug 1 and Tug 4 still have almost a full load of fuel on them. So bringing them back to Minmus is like hauling water to the sea. I gave them my best baleful stare and asked, "So?" They whipped out a pair of flight plans from OD that route both of the tugs directly to Kerbin Station from their current orbits in about 3-4 days. (Confirming once again that everything that goes on in this office is a conspiracy I'm not party to.) I signed off on both, then headed off to the Fountain of Enthusiasm.

==========

So, here we are on day 214, and Tug 4 has completed its burn and is arriving at Kerbin Station.

So now our next step is to give these tugs something to haul. Our goal here is to expand operations at both Farside Base and Minmus Base. Farside Base is already conducting some very extensive scientific studies of The Mun in addition to its deep space surveys, but the folks over in Research would like to expand their reach. So we're going to give them some wheels. Introducing the Expedition Rover.

It's designed to house two kerbonauts, in relative comfort, as they roam away from an established base to collect samples and explore the surface of an extraterrestrial body. It is capable of autonomous operation, and with solar and battery power it's range is only limited by the life support on board.

In order to facilitate use of the rovers, we will also be sending up a rover docking module to integrate into the base.

This module will allow kerbonauts to board and disembark the rovers in a shirt-sleeve environment.

So, for Farside Base, we will be sending up a pair of rovers and a rover docking module that will allow the existing science team to undertake longer-ranged science activities on the surface of The Mun.

At Minmus Base, the expansion will be more extensive. To date, Minmus Base has been focused exclusively on providing fuel to support Kerbin system activities, a task it has performed excellently and which it will continue to do in the future. However, Research would like to expand Minmus Base to support scientific pursuits on Minmus as well. Obviously this would require the addition of a science lab module. It would also be logical to add rovers and a rover dock as we are adding at Farside Base to enable longer-distance missions. And, because Minmus base would now be supporting both fueling and scientific missions, we're going to expand the crew of Minmus Base to twelve to support the increased work load, which will require the addition of another habitation module and more pylons to support an additional lander on the ground.

So, we have a lot of hardware to get into orbit. Let's get to it.

First up, Robby will be bringing up the rovers, Tranquilitus and Imbrium, and rover dock for Farside Base.

It's a straightforward mission: Robby lifts off from KSC at night and about an hour later it is docking at Kerbin Station.

The crew uses Cargo Drone 1 to ferry the rovers and dock to the docking complex, then they move Orbital Tug 6 over to dock with the stack, and it departs for The Mun.

Not twenty minutes later, Tug 1 arrives.

Once Tug 1 has been safely docked and secured, the crew undocks Robby and turns it over to Mission Control, who brings it safely back to land.

Now on to Minmus Base. Our first load of cargo for Minmus consists of the new habitation module, the pylon dispenser, and the rover dock.

Gort is doing the lifting this time, with a lovely sunset liftoff.

Once Gort is securely docked to Kerbin Station, Cargo Drone 2 is used to stack the new modules on the docking complex, with the rover dock below the habitation module. Then Gort undocks and returns to KSC.

Next is Marvin loaded with the laboratory module and rovers, Temporis and Undarum, for Minmus Base.

Marvin lifts off from KSC and is soon docking at Kerbin Station.

There the crew once again bring Drone 2 around and stack the lab module with the habitation and pylon modules. Then, once the cargo drone has been moved out of the way, they bring Tug 1 and an empty hydrolox tank over to dock with the stack.

(Once the two tugs had returned with their hydrolox tanks and been fully refueled, we were left with two empty hydrolox tanks. So each of the tugs will also be bringing an empty hydrolox tank back to Minmus as part of its cargo stack. It seems like a lot of mass, but Flight assures me that they can handle it.)

Once the station reaches its departure point, the on-watch pilots undock Tug 1 and back it away from the station.

They turn it over to Mission Control, and it burns for Minmus.

Then Marvin undocks and burns for home.

Once Marvin is cooling its jets in the hangar, ArToo brings up the additional crew and lander for Minmus Base.

The crew enjoys a midday takeoff from KSC, and soon they are coming in to dock at Kerbin Station.

Once on board, the new crew starts moving their gear over to Pisces for the transfer to Minmus Station. The crew of Kerbin Station gets to work moving the lander, Aristarchus, over to the cargo stack so that Tug 4 can haul it up to Minmus. Then they move Tug 4 over to the stack with its now empty hydrolox tank.

Then when the station reaches the departure point for Minmus, they undock the tug and turn it over to Mission Control, and it burns for Minmus.

Shortly afterwards, Tug 6 arrives at The Mun and then rendezvouses with Mun Station. However, Farside Base is experiencing munar night right now, so it will be some time before we will be able to land the dock and rovers there. So we'll focus on Minmus Base.

Back at Kerbin Station, ArToo undocks and reenters.

Kerbin Station comes back around to the Minmus departure point, and the crew of Pisces bids Kerbin Station adieu then burns for Minmus.

Next time we'll see the cargoes and crew delivered to their destinations and integrated into their respective bases.

[Angelo Kerman]

Gort: Klatu, Verata, Ne-*clears throat*

[TheSaint]

Y1 D219-228 - Farside Base & Minmus Base Expansions Part 2

During the long munar night, Captain Kemp down at Farside Base relieved his boredom by taking remote control of Tug 6 and undocking it from the rover stack that it brought up from Kerbin Station. Then he brought over Cargo Lander 2 to dock with the stack in preparation to bring it down to the munar surface. So now, on day 219, dawn finally breaks at Farside Base. Kemp takes control of Cargo Lander 2 and undocks it from Mun Station, then instructs it to burn for landing.

Once it is safely on the surface, he brings Cargo Drone 6 online and uses it to lift the rover dock off of the lander and bring it over to its final site next to the laboratory.

Once the rover dock is safely on the ground, Assistant Engineer Gracie Kuntz goes on EVA and connects the rover dock to the laboratory module.

Once Gracie is all clear and back in the base, Kemp gets the drone back in flight and uses it to deploy the rovers to the ground, stacking their docking adapters back on the lander for their eventual return back to Kerbin.

Once the rovers are on the ground and the drone is back in its usual parking spot on top of the monoprop tank, Kemp now takes remote control of the rovers and guides them over to dock with the rover dock module.

Once the rovers are docked, all that is left is to get the lander back up to orbit. When Mun Station comes around again Kemp guides the cargo lander through its liftoff and brings it in to dock with the station. Then he maneuvers the lander and the tug around to attach the tug to the adapter stack and releases the tug from the station, turning it over to Mission Control to burn back to Kerbin Station.

Now that their work is over, the crew open the hatches to their new rovers and have a look at them. They can't wait to start getting out and about!

After another week, spacecraft start arriving at Minmus. First, we have Tug 1 with the new habitat and lab modules.

Followed a couple of hours later by Tug 4 with the rover stack and new lander.

And then Pisces arrives, carrying the additional crew for Minmus Base.

(Spacecraft image not to scale.)

After some shuffling of the cargo stacks, tugs, and landers, we're ready to start landing hardware. First down is the hab and lab. Captain Kirkpatrick at Minmus Station cuts the lander loose and Captain Key at Minmus Base brings it down to land.

Once the lander is on the ground and safed, Key brings Cargo Drone 4 up and guides it over to dock with the cargo stack on top of the lander.

He then lifts the hab module off the stack and brings it over next to the existing hab module.

Then Assistant Engineer Muriel Kaye goes EVA and connects the new hab module to the station.

Once the modules have been connected, Muriel gets a safe distance away. Then Captain Key lifts the cargo drone off again and brings it over to the lander. The rest of the stack consists of the pylon dispenser on top of the lab module. So Key lifts both off of the lander and brings them over to the lab module's spot next to the base core module.

Kaye attaches the lab module to the core module. Then Key lifts off the pylon dispenser and attaches it to the empty tank module already attached to the base. Kaye takes a connector from the adjacent tank module and brings it out to about 25 meters. Then Key lifts the pylon dispenser off and brings it out to meet Kaye.

Once the drone is on the ground near Kaye, she attaches the connector to one of the pylons on the dispenser. Key has the drone drop that pylon, thus creating another landing pylon. The drone flies back to the base and redocks the pylon dispenser, and Kaye goes back to the airlock and reenters the base to take a breather. XO Kidwell takes over for Key and guides the lander back to orbit when Minmus Station comes back around.

So, for the next phase, the lander brings down the rover stack.

Kidwell defeats Key in an impromptu thumb wrestling tournament, so she takes control of the cargo drone and uses it to lift the rover dock off of the lander and bring it over next to the lab module.

Then Chief Engineer Stewart Kaye (no relation) gives Muriel a break and goes on EVA to connect the rover dock.

(Watch that first step! It's a doozie!)

Once the dock is connected and CE Kaye is safely back inside, Kidwell lifts the drone off again and uses it to deploy the rovers.

Then Kidwell guides the rovers over to dock with the rover dock.

Once the cargo lander is back in orbit and docked with Minmus Station, the additional crew of Minmus Base is ready to come down. They board their lander, Aristarchus, and undock from Minmus Station.

Commander Knotts guides the lander down to a perfect landing near the new pylon at Minmus Base.

And now, as Kerbol is setting over Minmus Base, the new crew make their way to the airlock and enter the base. Then they get settled in to their quarters, and everyone settles down to a good hot meal in the wardroom. BARs are broken out, and a toast is raised to the new science mission at Minmus Base!

At this point, I have some housekeeping to do. Mun Station is low on hydrolox, tugs need to be restationed, etc. I won't bore you with that stuff anymore. The next exciting event is the arrival of the Duna probes, so we'll catch up with that next, hopefully next week, if not the week after.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by TheSaint

[Angelo Kerman]

Rex Wall IV from Aviation Leak here, can you elaborate on what a "landing pylon" is?

[TheSaint]

30 minutes ago, Angelo Kerman said:

Rex Wall IV from Aviation Leak here, can you elaborate on what a "landing pylon" is?

Why absolutely, Rex.

<reads note handed to him by engineer>

A landing pylon is one of our standard connection pylons that is placed away from the base, usually close to the connection limit, around 25 to 30 meters, and used to connect a lander, either a personnel lander or a cargo lander, to base power and fuel transfer. It allows the lander to touch down a greater distance away from the base, reducing the risk of accidental contact, and also reducing the impact of dust and debris on the base due to the lander exhaust.

<reads second note handed to him by engineer>

And my fly is open.

<reads hastily scribbled note handed to him by engineer>

Apparently I wasn't supposed to tell you that.

[TheSaint]

Y1 D229-Y2 D49 - Duna Probes Arrival

Well, it's a monumental day here at KSC. No, I'm not referring to the new espresso machine. (Although, that is kinda cool. Have you seen it? You just put your cup underneath the spout and press the button and, wham-o, instant espresso! I mean, does it get any better than that? Well, anyway.) Today we will be discussing the arrival of the Duna Explorer probes at Duna! These probes represent kerbalkind's first exploration of worlds beyond the Kerbin system.

If you recall, several months ago while the rest of us were distracted by the latest crew rotation, Mission Control guided the Duna Explorers and Jool Explorer through their mid-course correction burns.

Then, early last week, Duna Explorer 1 arrived in Duna's SOI.

Mission Control guided the probe through some burns to adjust its periapsis and inclination, and then we waited.

While Duna Explorer 1 was coasting down to Duna, Sarnus Explorer reached its mid-course correction.

It will reach Sarnus in just under three years.

Meanwhile, back at Duna, DE1 approaches periapsis.

As the altitude ticks down, the probe reaches its burn point. Its engine ignites and brings it into a 100km orbit around Duna.

Another milestone reached: Our first probe to orbit another planet!

The probe then continues to orbit the planet waiting for the rover's target landing site to come around into daylight. Then the probe burns for rover entry.

Once its trajectory is set, the rover is decoupled from the orbiter.

Then the orbiter burns to regain orbit.

Once back in orbit, the orbiter will decouple the rover cradle and then begin its Duna observation mission.

Meanwhile, the rover continues its descent.

Thus begins the "Seven Minutes of Terror". It's almost as stressful as when my phone rings and my ex-wife's number is on the screen.

After the rover capsule has shed most of its velocity, it begins to descend rapidly towards the dunes of the Midland Sea.

3,000 meters above the surface the heat shield and aeroshell separate and the parachutes are deployed. Almost there...

And...TOUCHDOWN!

As soon as the rover hits the dirt, the parachute assembly decouples and two solid rockets carry it away.

That's it, ladies and gentlekerbals! Break out the champagne! Duna Rover 1 has made it to the surface in one piece! And right side up!

The Science team waste no time. They start giving the rover instructions to begin its mission.

Up in orbit, the Flight team instruct the orbiter to raise its inclination to 45 degrees to increase its coverage of Duna's surface. This uses up almost all of its remaining fuel supply, but it makes the Science team very happy.

Four days later, Duna Explorer 2 arrives at the edge of the Duna system.

Because the probes are identical, their mission profiles are obviously very similar. At the edge of the system the probe performs burns to trim up its inclination and periapsis. Then when it reaches periapsis it burns to enter orbit.

Once again the rover's target landing site is in darkness, so the probe orbits until dawn breaks at the site. Then on the night side of Duna it performs the rover entry burn.

Once the trajectory is confirmed, the orbiter and rover separate. This time we separate the cradle with the rover. This will reduce the mass that the orbiter has to bring back to orbit, decreasing the amount of fuel it will expend. Not sure why we didn't think of that before.

The orbiter then burns to regain orbit. The rover sheds the cradle, allowing it to burn up in Duna's atmosphere. It then orients itself for entry.

After the rover has shed it's velocity, it finds itself plummeting towards the Dunatian surface.

At 3,000 meters, the aeroshell and heat shield are jettisoned and the parachutes deploy.

And the rover touches down on the surface and the parachute assembly is jettisoned.

And it's official, Duna Rover 2 has successfully landed!

As the science team gets to work with DR2, Flight instructs DE2 to adjust its inclination to 45 degrees as well.

So now the scientific study of Duna can begin in earnest. Additionally, the orbiters and rovers will also be evaluating the best locations for future kerballed Duna landings, and a possible permanent Duna base.

[TheSaint]

Y2 D50-162 - Eve Explorer and NP-1

As the Duna probes continue their exploration of The Red Planet, we approach the departure window for the last of our Explorer-class probes: Eve Explorer. Once again, Kerman Systems Group has taken the basic Explorer probe bus and modified it to produce a customized probe to continue our exploration mission.

Eve Explorer is very similar to the two Duna Explorer probes, but instead of bearing a rover payload it carries a smaller, lighter lander. This will give the probe increased dV, which is necessary for entering the Eve system.

A couple of months before the launch window, Eve Explorer is loaded on board Marvin and lifted into orbit.

Once there, it is transferred to an orbital tug and hauled out to Minmus Station.

Then it's just a matter of waiting for Minmus to align itself for the departure, which happens about a month-and-a-half later. In the meantime, Orbital Tug 2 has been fully refueled and is ready to go. We've determined that an extra tank is unnecessary for this launch. The tug pulls away from Minmus Station with Eve Explorer in tow and then burns to exit Minmus orbit.

Once the tug is clear of the station and on its way out of Minmus SOI, it jettisons the probe's protective shroud.

Once it has left Minmus SOI, the tug burns to trim up its inclination and periapsis. Then it coasts down Kerbin's gravity well for eight days until it reaches the departure burn. All systems check out, so the tug begins its burn.

Once the burn is complete, Eve Explorer separates from the tug and deploys its solar panels.

Then the tug turns retrograde and performs its braking burn.

It will perform a series of maneuvers over the next week or so to arrive at Kerbin Station to pick up an empty hydrolox tank and then return to Minmus Station.

Now Eve Explorer is on its way!

A few days later it reaches its first course correction burn at the edge of Kerbin's SOI.

It should be arriving at Eve in about six months.

In other news, I had a four-martini meeting with some executives from Combined Kerbal Aerospace Industries this week. Apparently Project Draco is moving along smartly. They've successfully tested their nuclear-powered rocket engine in a land-based prototype, so now they are ready to move on to a space-based prototype.

They have taken an orbital tug chassis, converted it to use a nuclear engine, and dubbed it Nuclear Prototype - 1, or NP-1 for short. We'll be lifting it to Kerbin Station this week so they can get it up and running and run it through some tests.

NP-1 is loaded on ArToo and ready for liftoff. Funny, there's normally a larger crowd here on launch day....

Once ArToo is docked, Captain Kline guides NP-1 out of the cargo bay and docks it with the station. Then ArToo undocks and returns to KSC.

Once NP-1 is docked and safed, the crew of Kerbin Station break out their new procedures from CKAI. They check the prototype reactor's systems and double-check them, and consult the engineers on the ground. Once everyone is sure that the reactor is ready to go, Captain Kline gives the GO, and NP-1 is undocked from the station.

The vessel is maneuvered to a safe distance away from the station, and then Mission Control gives the instruction for the reactor to be brought critical.

Everything appears to go smoothly, so then the flight plan is updated and the ship burns for Minmus.

While the prototype is enroute to Minmus, safely between worlds, the CKAI engineering team puts the reactor through its paces, performing startups, shutdowns, brief burns, and safety drills designed to test the reactor systems. It passes all of them flawlessly, and these tests provide excellent data for future reactor designs in the project.

Eight days later, NP-1 arrives at Minmus Station. It burns in at twice the normal distance to minimize radiation exposure.

Then the reactor is shut down, and Captain Kirkwood at Minmus Station guides NP-1 in to dock.

So far the testing and development have been a resounding success! But now that NP-1 has arrived at Minmus Station, many additional procedures need to be tested and developed. Busy, busy, busy.

And if this prototype is working well, maybe we can find a practical use for it too....

[TheSaint]

I have been very remiss in updating this thread. Had a lot going on since Christmas. Nothing catastrophic, just committed to other projects. Rest assured, the thread is neglected, not abandoned. Hopefully I will get an update out this week or next.

[TheSaint]

Y2 D163-209 Near-Kerbin Asteroid Mission

So the folks over in the Science department have been talking about doing an asteroid mission for a long time. Apparently these giant space rocks keep hitting Kerbin every couple thousand of years. Science would like to learn more about them, their composition and such, to help us figure out ways to divert them in the future. To, like, you know, save the world and stuff. Sounds like a pretty big deal. But apparently not a big enough deal to get funding from Kongress. Go figure.

So we were putting our heads together trying to come up with a plan for another mission for NP-1, and one of the interns said, "Hey! Why don't we put together an asteroid sample return package for it!" And everyone thought that was a terrible idea. So we kicked around a couple more ideas, and then I said, "Hey, I know! Why don't we put together an asteroid sample return package for it!" Which was obviously brilliant, since everyone immediately told me so.

We forwarded the idea to the executive team over at Kerman Systems Group, and they were all on board with it. They got with our science team and cobbled together a science package. It's basically a framework with a capture arm, the science experiments, and sample return capsules attached. It's all designed to be run by the computers onboard NP-1. It's super-cheap, totally affordable in our current science budget. And it gives us a chance to test the nuclear propulsion systems on NP-1 on an extended mission. Win-win.

We'll be sending the NKAM package up on Robby, along with an LH2 tank to refuel NP-1 at Kerbin Station.

NP-1 departs from Minmus Station and begins its 8-day journey back to Kerbin Station.

Then Robby lifts off from KSC and delivers the NKAM package and LH2 tank to Kerbin Station.

About a week later, NP-1 arrives at Kerbin Station and docks with the NKAM package.

During this time the Science team has been busy picking a target asteroid. The one they have selected is FHT-377. It's a large-ish body that is in a stable orbit slightly behind Kerbin in its orbit. So it should be relatively easy to get to, well within NP-1's dV capability.

When Kerbin Station comes around to the departure window, NP-1 undocks with the NKAM package.

Once it is clear of the station, it jettisons the package shroud, revealing the capture arm. Then it burns to exit the Kerbin system.

A week later, NP-1 reaches the edge of Kerbin's SOI. Here it burns to intercept FHT-377.

A couple of weeks later, it arrives at the asteroid and burns to match velocities.

Now the Flight team carefully plots an intercept course and, over the course of several hours, guides NP-1 in to contact the asteroid.

As the capture arm sinks into the asteroids surface, it secures the package to the asteroid. Success!

Once the package is secure, the science team gets to work. They activate the sample retrieval devices, which collect core and surface samples from the asteroid.

Several other experiments collect pictures and other data from the asteroid over several hours. Then, once the science team is satisfied with the results, it is time to depart.

Because we could not be assured that the capture arm would successfully disengage from the asteroid, we designed the package to separate from the capture arm. It does so now.

NP-1 backs away from the asteroid. When it is clear, it burns for Kerbin.

About a month, and several burns later, NP-1 arrives back in Kerbin orbit.

After a couple of hours, it arrives back at Kerbin Station.

It docks once again, it's long mission over. Stupendous!

Now we need to get the sample return capsules back down to Kerbin. We also need to refuel NP-1. We could just have it take the LH2 tank up to Minmus and refuel. But CKAI would like to take the opportunity to test another of its capabilities.

Gort is up in the rotation. It will be bringing up another LH2 tank and two sets of radial docking adapters. NP-1 and the LH2 tanks are designed to be connected (and disconnected) radially. These connectors may be used in the future to assemble arrays of fuel tanks for large interplanetary spacecraft. The radial docking adapters we are sending up now will allow normal cargo drones to handle the LH2 tanks (and potentially other cargoes) radially during these assembly procedures. We're sending up two sets, one for Kerbin Station and the other for Minmus Station.

Gort launches perfectly and soon Captain Keeney is bringing it in to dock with Kerbin Station.

Once there, we need to shift some vehicles around to get things where they need to go. We extract the two sets of docking adapters and install one on Kerbin Station and then set another in a position where it can be picked up by NP-1 for transfer to Minmus Station. Then we shuffle around NP-1 and the Orbital Tugs to make room for the radial docking evolutions that need to take place. Kerbin Station's docking complex gets pretty crowded sometimes. We should probably do something about that at some point....

When we finally get things organized, Keeney uses CD2 to bring the NKAM experiment package to Gort's cargo bay for return to Kerbin.

Now we can start with the radial docking stuff. Keeney moves CD2 over and picks up a radial docking adapter. Then she moves in and picks up the new LH2 Tank.

Then she takes the whole package to the other side of the station and docks it to the existing LH2 tank.

Once there, she undocks the drone and moves it over to dock radially with the LH2 tank.

Success!

She undocks the LH2 tank and gets a feel for moving it while it is attached radially to the drone.

Then she brings the tank over and docks it radially to NP-1.

Excellent!

She brings the drone around again and docks it to the other LH2 tank, then moves it in and docks it to the other side of NP-1, balancing the vessel.

Then she brings the drone over and returns the docking adapter to its holder.

Success! The crew has added fuel tanks to NP-1 to triple its fuel capacity. Now it will test the in-flight fuel transfer capabilities of the connections during its flight to Minmus. There the crews of Minmus Station will train with the docking adapters as well and test the use of the LH2 tanks to refuel NP-1 with liquid hydrogen from Minmus.

Once the drone is back in its parking spot, Kerbin Station is just about at the departure point for Minmus. The engineers have just enough time to balance the propellants in NP-1's tanks. Then the vessel undocks with the adapters and departs.

Then, when Kerbin Station has come around in its orbit, Gort undocks with the NKAM package and returns to KSC.

Fantastic job, everyone!

[Angelo Kerman]

Excellent new modular tank designs that enable you to create more advance spacecraft! I could see you using those radial tanks as drop tanks for extended missions to, say, Duna and beyond. Bravo!

[TheSaint]

Y2 D210-364 - Eve Explorer Arrival

NP-1 arrives at Minmus Station about eight days later. Once it is there, the crews at Minmus Station and Base get to work. First they use the docking adapters to remove the external tanks and get some experience handling the tanks radially.

Then they dock the cargo lander with one of the LH2 tanks and land it at Minmus Base so it can be refilled via the ISRU refinery. Then the lander lifts off with the refilled tank to return it back to Minmus Station.

These exercises provide vital experience and proof of concept for procedures that will be used once we begin sending nuclear-powered missions to Duna, Jool, and beyond.

However, once all this has been accomplished, it is decided that Nuclear Prototype - 1 has outlived its usefulness, at least for now. The crew of Minmus Station removes the two external tanks for future reuse, then undocks the prototype and backs it away from the station. They then then fire up its reactor to place it in a 100 km parking orbit around Minmus. Once there the reactor is shut down and the vessel is placed into hibernation.

A couple of weeks later, we have one more housekeeping task to undertake: We finally expand the docking complex at Kerbin Station.

That should help relieve some of the overcrowding we have been experiencing there, especially as Project Draco starts to pick up in the upcoming year.

Now, however, we get to the highlight of this report: The arrival of Eve Explorer. It has been in transit for about six months and now it has finally arrived.

As the probe approaches periapsis, it burns to enter a highly elliptical orbit.

It reaches its apoapsis about a day later. Here it makes a very precise burn to adjust its periapsis. This will select the landing site for the Eve Lander after it has been released on this orbit.

Almost a day later, about half-an-hour before impact, the probe is instructed to release the lander.

Then the Eve Orbiter burns to raise its periapsis above Eve's atmosphere, since we obviously don't want it to reenter.

Now the lander is in free fall towards Eve. Not an enviable position. It strikes the upper atmosphere at almost 5,000 meters per second. Let's hope the heat shield does its job.

Four minutes later, the lander makes contact with the orbiter again. It has survived reentry! It is descending on its parachute, and appears to only be a few kilometers off of its projected landing point.

And touchdown! Eve Lander has made it! As dawn breaks a couple hours later, the lander has deployed its solar panels and antennae and is beginning its science mission. It remains to be seen how long it will last in the brutal, unforgiving environment of The Purple Planet. (Intern Steve is starting a betting pool, if anyone else is interested.)

Meanwhile, back in orbit, Eve Orbiter is also getting settled in for its science mission. At its next apoapsis, it adjusts its inclination to about 45 degrees to increase its coverage of the planet's surface. Then when it reaches periapsis again it burns almost all of its remaining fuel to circularize its orbit.

Now it is set to begin studying the planet in earnest.

Eve Explorer is the last of the major interplanetary probes to be launched as part of our exploration program. And with its successful arrival we will be drawing Phase 6 to a close. The next report will be the announcement of the exciting new phase in kerbalkind's exploration of space!

[TwoCalories]

9 hours ago, TheSaint said:

(Intern Steve is starting a betting pool, if anyone else is interested.)

50 Funds says those solar panels alone last 30 minutes!

Edited February 7 by TwoCalories

[jimmymcgoochie]

4 hours ago, TwoCalories said:

50 Funds says those solar panels alone last 30 minutes!

One week’s worth of puddings from the VAB canteen says it falls over due to landing leg overstress within a munth.

[TheSaint]

Y3 D232-313 - Duna Mission Assembly and Departure

So, as you all know, the last six months have been pretty busy. We've reworked the crew rotation schedule to annual instead of semi-annual. Then we had the recruiting drive and station and base crew rotations. And that brought us to our first Kerbin-System-wide resupply event, with all of the associated hiccups and hi-jinks. Once all of that was done we had a month of stand-down, just to give everyone a break.

But while we've been busy, CKAI has been busy as well. They performed a full Duna dry run with the Project Draco design in the test save took the data they received from Nuclear Prototype - 1 and used it to finalize the design of Project Draco. They have delivered the modules for the initial vessel, dubbed fittingly enough, "Draco", and we have been given the greenlight to proceed. So as the next departure window to Duna approaches we are going to begin assembly of Draco in anticipation of launching our first kerballed mission to another planet!

Here is the final design:

As always, the vessel is broken down into modules that can be flown in the cargo bay of the spaceplanes. A marvel of engineering!

Additionally, they have also delivered a lander and habitat for the crew which will support a one-year surface mission on Duna.

The lander uses new advanced engines that burn methane and liquid oxygen. Methane is denser and easier to store than liquid hydrogen. And, based on the initial results from the chemistry experiments coming back from the Duna rovers, we believe that we may be able to synthesize it from compounds available on the surface of Duna once we establish a permanent base there.

So we're just around two and a half months out from the departure window, and we're set to begin the task of assembling Draco at Kerbin Station. First up, we'll be lifting the operations module and spin habitat with ArToo.

ArToo, like the rest of the spaceplanes, has undergone a full maintenance cycle during the stand-down. So it is ready to go as it ignites its engines at the end of the KSC runway.

Soon, Captain Kennedy at Kerbin Station takes the handoff from Mission Control and guides ArToo in to dock.

Once there the engineers deploy the operations module, and Assistant Pilot Kenyon uses Cargo Drone 2 to bring it over to dock on the station docking complex. 

He then brings the drone back over and uses it to move the spin habitat over and dock it with the operations module.

One last detail: The adapter used to mate the operations module to the cargo erector in ArToo's cargo bay is actually a docking adapter that will be used in the final assembly of Draco. Kenyon uses the drone to bring it over and dock it at a different port on the docking complex for now.

He then returns the drone to its docking spot.

Now that its cargo has been delivered, Kennedy undocks ArToo and turns it back over to Mission Control, who guide it back to land at KSC.

Back on the ground, the hangar gang is preparing the next payload. Robby will be doing the honors this time, carrying up the laboratory module and the propulsion module.

Robby takes off, carefully lifting the most advanced nuclear engine ever created.

Look! There goes our reactor! <nervous laugh>

Thankfully, Robby reaches orbit safely, and is soon being guided in to dock by Kerbin Station's XO Krauss.

Once docked, the crew gets to work deploying the cargo.

Then Assistant Pilot Kirkwood brings CD1 over and extracts the propulsion module. The propulsion module will actually be attached to the core module, which will be flown up next, so for now it will be docked to an empty port on the docking complex.

Then Kirkwood brings the laboratory module over and docks it with the spin habitat.

She then returns CD1 to its docking spot. Then XO Krauss undocks Robby and Mission Control flies it back to KSC.

The next module to be flown is the core module. The core module provides all of the basic functions needed for the vessel to operate: control, communications, and guidance. It also provides the core fuel tankage, and a docking hub to allow attachment of a wide variety of modules and cargoes. It also contains a drone computer core, allowing the ship to operate without a crew. This means that if in the future it is decided that Draco is no longer needed to transport personnel, it is simply a matter of removing the crewed modules, and the core module will allow the remainder of the ship to operate as an interplanetary drone cargo ship. Flexible!

In any case, Gort is flying the core module, which is too large to allow any other cargo.

Gort lifts off into a bright, beautiful morning sky and is soon docked at Kerbin Station.

There the crew quickly deploys the core module for installation.

Captain Kennedy is handling Cargo Drone 2 himself for this delicate operation, and soon he is threading the core module past the station structure towards the growing Draco.

Once the core module has been installed, he brings the drone over and picks up the propulsion module, installing it on the aft end of the core module.

He then brings the drone over and carries the docking adapter to the core module's docking hub.

Draco is really beginning to take shape here!

Captain Kennedy takes a breather and quaffs a much needed BAR, so AP Kenyon undocks Gort and sends it home.

Next up we will be adding Draco's fuel tankage. These tanks are bulky, but not heavy, even when filled with liquid hydrogen. So the spaceplanes can easily carry two of them on one erector. Because power on the spaceplane is a concern, the tanks' cryogenic cooling systems will not be turned on until the spaceplane is docked to the station. This will result in some boiloff, but the tanks will be refilled at Minmus before Draco departs for Duna, so there should be no mission impact.

The first pair of tanks will be flying up on Marvin.

Night launch! Thrilling!

Soon XO Krauss is guiding Marvin in to dock.

The tanks are stored in the cargo bay with the radial docking adapters against the bay walls for clearance. This makes it awkward to dock the drones directly against them when the tanks are erected in the bay. So we're going to remove the tanks from the bay and dock them to the docking complex first, then move them radially to Draco.

There we go.

Ohh, that was kinda tight...

And the first tank gets mounted on Draco's dorsal port.

Going back for the second tank...in the dark...really close to the observation cupola....

...okay, I can start breathing again. I think this procedure needs more work, folks.

The rest of the maneuver is uneventful, and the tank gets installed on Draco's starboard port.

Since we're just going to be installing more tanks on the next trip, we decide to leave CD1 docked there on the tank with the radial adapter in order to save monoprop.

XO Knauss undocks Marvin and it burns for home.

ArToo is back up in the rotation with the last two tanks.

It's a bright and sunny day as ArToo lifts the last two modules for Draco!

And two hours later, Captain Kennedy brings it in on final approach.

So, we had some discussions of how we could make the tank transfer procedure easier and less stressful. First up, let's move Orbital Tug 5, which is docked next to Draco, to the other side of the docking complex.

Then, when we extract the tanks from ArToo's cargo bay we can dock them to the port the tug was docked at, which is closer to Draco and further away from ArToo and all of the other station modules.

And we can align the radial docking ports on the tanks perpendicular to the docking complex, rather than parallel to it, which makes clearing other objects docked on the complex much easier.

Much better! Clear thinking to the rescue!

Makes it much easier to grab that second tank and maneuver it over to its port.

As Kenyon maneuvers CD1 over to put the radial adapter away and park the drone, let's take a second to survey our handiwork.

Draco is complete! Inactive, but complete!

Captain Kennedy undocks ArToo and hands it off to Mission Control who fly it back to KSC.

The next flight will be Robby flying up the Duna habitat.

The habitat provides living space, supplies, and a laboratory for the use of the crew while they are on the surface of Duna. There is also a rover for extended science operations. After studying the results of the Duna Explorer missions, it was determined that, with the proper reentry profiles, vehicles entering Duna's atmosphere don't require heat shields, or even aeroshells. So none have been added to the Duna habitat or lander.

Robby lifts off with the habitat and soon reaches orbit.

About an hour later it is docked at Kerbin Station, and the crew is deploying the habitat from its cargo bay.

After the ordeal of the fuel tanks, moving the habitat over to Draco's ventral docking port seems like child's play.

And then, after a single orbit, Robby is on its way back to KSC. Turn and burn!

So now the seventh and final flight. This flight will see Gort carry up the Duna lander, Olympus, and the personnel pod with the crew for this historic mission aboard.

The crew selected are the most experienced kerbonauts on our roster. All of them have flown multiple missions on both stations and bases. They are:

Mission Commander Rolando Krueger
Command Pilot Lincoln Kline
Chief Engineer Kermit Kirkpatrick
Assistant Engineer Rocco Kirk
Chief Scientist Crystal Kovach
Assistant Scientist Penny Kohl

The crew is sent off with a hearty breakfast and much fanfare. They board the pod in the hangar, Gort's cargo bay doors are locked shut, and the spaceplane is towed out to the runway. As Gort's wheels lift off of the runway, our intrepid crew won't touch down on Kerbin again for over two years.

A couple of hours later, Gort is safely docked at Kerbin Station. As the crew of Draco move their gear over to their quarters and begin to take stock of their new vessel, the crew of Kerbin Station have one last task to accomplish: moving over the lander. However, this is not as easy as it seems. Due to the fact that you can't attach parts to the shielded docking port in the VAB reasons known only to God design choices made by CKAI, the lander is docked engines first in the cargo bay. So we need to turn it around so that it can dock properly to the docking adapter on Draco. This will require both of the cargo drones working in concert with each other.

First, AP Kenyon uses CD2 to extract the lander from the cargo bay.

Then  Captain Kennedy brings CD1 over and docks it with the engine end of the lander.

Once the lander is completely under control, Kenyon undocks CD2 and moves it back to its docking spot.

Then Kennedy brings the lander over and docks it to the docking adapter on Draco.

Then he uses the drone to remove the shroud from Olympus' engines. He takes the shroud and replaces it in Gort's cargo bay for return to Kerbin.

After CD1 is safely back in its docking spot, Commander Krueger and his crew begin the process of bringing Draco online.

First they jettison the shroud surrounding her nuclear engine.

Then they extend the ship's radiators and bring its cooling system online.

In addition to providing propulsive thrust, the reactor will also provide electrical power for Draco, eliminating the need for solar panels.

As can be seen in this closeup, the propulsion module has two radial docking adapters, one on each side of the support structure. This will allow the propulsion module to be removed from the vessel in the future for replacement after the reactor has used up all of its nuclear fuel. CKAI has specifically designed this reactor to be easily overhauled and refueled in space in anticipation of their semi-automated nuclear fuel reprocessing station which is still in development.

The next step is to inflate and deploy the spin habitat.

The crew go through and inspect the ship, double-checking her systems and performing all of the little tasks necessary to bring it 100% online.

Meanwhile, Captain Kennedy undocks Gort and Mission Control guides it through reentry back to KSC.

The next day, the crew of Draco has finally completed their checklists. Draco is ready to depart for Minmus! The crews share a final meal together in the Kerbin Station wardroom. Then the crew of Draco take their stations on her command deck. They close the hatches and undock, and Commander Krueger fires up the RCS thrusters and backs Draco away from the station.

Once Draco is well clear of the station, Chief Engineer Kirkpatrick flips the switch and takes her reactor critical. After evaluating all of the ships systems, Commander Krueger gives the GO, and Command Pilot Kline initiates the burn for Minmus.

The burn finishes flawlessly, and the crew settle in for the trip to Minmus. They have a minor course correction burn about four hours later, and then they power up the spin habitat to test it out. They spend the next week testing out every single system on the ship, and everything appears to be in order.

Eight days later, Draco arrives at Minmus. The crew secure the spin habitat, then burn to circularize in Minmus orbit.

A couple more hours and a couple more burns later and Draco arrives at Minmus Station.

The engineers shut down the reactor, then Commander Krueger expertly guides the massive ship in to dock.

So now the ship and crew have been proven ready. The departure window for Duna is still just under two months away. One task that must be completed is refueling. Draco used up almost half of its liquid hydrogen climbing up to Minmus. This may seem alarming, but it is all part of the flight plan. Thankfully, the crews of Minmus Station and Minmus Base have been busy, so the two hydrogen tanks docked at the station are full. However, one more fuel run down to Minmus Base is required.

In addition to liquid hydrogen, Draco is restocked with monopropellant and life support supplies. Once these tasks are completed, her crew spend their days relaxing, communicating with their families back on Kerbin, and keeping their skills up to date for the mission ahead.

Finally, on Year 3, Day 300, the planets align. Literally. The nerds in Orbital Dynamics have decreed that this is the day. Draco's crew share a farewell meal with the crew of Minmus Station, then close the hatches and climb into their seats. They undock and back Draco away from the station.

This is is, folks. The Big Event. We're actually gonna do this. <nervous chuckle>

Krueger backs Draco a respectful distance away from Minmus Station, then Kirkpatrick starts up the reactor. It won't shut down again until they arrive back here in two years.

Then when they reach the departure point they burn to leave Minmus orbit.

Once they have left Minmus' SOI, they plot their course. First they burn to zero their inclination, then they plot their departure burn for Duna. Their Kerbin periapsis is only 140 km, which is the lowest we have ever set for a Minmus maneuver before. And it shows. The Duna departure burn is projected to be only 161 m/s. The total dV for Draco's departure, including the Minmus escape burn and the plane change, is about 335 m/s. This validates everything we've been working on perfecting this escape maneuver. Extra pizza for Orbital Dynamics tonight!

In any case, now that the crew has performed their burns and calculations, they can relax again for eight days as they fall down the gravity well towards Kerbin.

Once they reach Kerbin and are approaching periapsis, break time is over. They gather on the command deck and buckle their seat belts. They give the ship's systems one final check. When everything is GO, Commander Krueger gives the final order, and Kline burns for Duna.

The burn is successful, and Draco is on her way.

Three days later Draco leaves Kerbin's SOI and her crew makes history.

They spin up the centrifuge and settle in for their long journey. They will have a course correction burn in about three months, and then they will be entering Duna's SOI about six months after that. God speed, Draco.

[TwoCalories]

That's one of the best-looking interplanetary transfer stations I've ever seen. Where does it get its electricity though? I don't seem any solar.

Edited February 18 by TwoCalories