Starbound - A JNSQ Adventure [Chapter 15]

[Maria Sirona]

That was an... Exciting... String of events. The explosion during the Leo 12 launch almost had me scared!

[grandmastergoober]

Howdy, Howdy!

[TwoCalories]

... will this get continued? I've been really enjoying this one, and it was one of the mission reports that inspired me to make my own.

[Misguided Kerbal]

  On 5/29/2023 at 3:56 PM, TwoCalories said:

... will this get continued? I've been really enjoying this one, and it was one of the mission reports that inspired me to make my own.

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Thank you, I'm sincerely flattered! Funny that you ask actually, since I've been meaning to pull myself up by the bootstraps and finish Chapter 15 today, which I'm about halfway through.

[Royalswissarmyknife]

  On 5/29/2023 at 4:04 PM, Misguided Kerbal said:

Thank you, I'm sincerely flattered! Funny that you ask actually, since I've been meaning to pull myself up by the bootstraps and finish Chapter 15 today, which I'm about halfway through.

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Lets gooooo!

Edited May 29, 2023 by Royalswissarmyknife

[Misguided Kerbal]

Sometimes it's funny how time passes so quickly - can you believe it's already been over a year since I started this mission report? Yeah, it's amazing how far we've gotten already, and I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you who have had the patience to follow along so far.

My original intent for this introduction was to write a long, rambly paragraph detailing exactly why the last chapter was on Christmas Day and how it's now the beginning middle end of March beginning middle end of April beginning middle end of May, but honestly, there just isn't any further excuse.

Well, okay, I might have also purchased Terraria... and Euro Truck Simulator 2... and Stellaris... and Cities: Skylines... (hey, they were all on sale!)

Although that might not be the complete truth... I might have also happened to purchase Rimworld  

Chapter 15

"We're tumbling end over end up here." - David Scott

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The successful rescue of Spacelab 4 had been a herculean, agency-wide effort, and while not the easiest lesson for the fledgling space program, it had undoubtedly been a hard-earned victory. It was a victory, however, which left agency personnel exhausted - despite a clear increase in overall enthusiasm and morale throughout much of the agency, such an operation had left most staff too tired to continue. After all, the Kerbal body, while hardy, was never designed to function for over three consecutive days in a row without proper rest, let alone with lukewarm mugs of koffee serving as the sole means of nourishment.

Thus, the space program would see a three-month hiatus in operations - primarily to allow fatigued agency personnel some well-deserved rest and recuperation, but also to allow for a thorough investigation surrounding Spacelab 4's failure and the measures undertaken to ensure the mission's successful recovery. Such a prolonged investigation was peculiar on many levels - while, of course, the agency usually conducted thorough failure investigations, they usually only spanned the course of a couple of weeks at most. However, considering the circumstances of this failure - most notably, that is, being a crewed mission, and with such a failure the most publicly visible one yet, it was quite understandable. In fact, considering the level of bureaucratic involvement and administrative red tape within the investigation, it was perhaps a miracle that operations were held up for a mere three months.

The coming of February would mark the formal return to operational status for the agency, with the launch of Frank and Bob Kerman aboard Spacelab 5. Due to the extensive use of Spacelab during the rescue of Spacelab 4 in a configuration unaccounted for in its original design, the primary mission goal would be to assess potential wear and damage caused to the station because of this, to be documented for future projects, as well as to perform maintenance on the station as necessary. The other objective of note would be the recovery of scientific data from the station's passive instruments during the extended duration it had maintained without crew, as well as monitoring some of the long-term experiments set up by the previous crew, anticipating a pause in operations. Otherwise, with the agency still reeling from the prior incident, Spacelab 5 would remain a relatively standard mission.

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Event Card:

Courtesy of the trusty Vanguard launcher, it was in all aspects a rather uneventful launch - performing admirably, the Vanguard had once again provided a (relatively) smooth ride to orbit. Of course, learning from prior lessons, this time the abort mode was switched to 'Orbit' mode right after stage separation. While controllers continued to monitor all aspects of the flight computer as closely as possible, all systems read back nominal, and Spacelab 5 eased into its scheduled orbital operations. 

Unfortunately, it would seem, while the spacecraft itself suffered no issues, it would be Spacelab that turned out to be problematic. As Frank and Bob began to unpack their fresh load of supplies and settle in for their nearly month and a half stay aboard the orbital laboratory, it was discovered, much to their chagrin and mission control's horror, that 10 out of the 16 gyroscopes aboard the station were completely nonfunctional. Whether due to the additional burden and maneuvering requirements placed on the station during Spacelab 4, the nearly continuous use of altitude stabilization throughout Spacelab's nearly half a year in orbit, defective and aging components, or a combination of all of these factors, the majority of the control gyroscopes had suffered irreversible mechanical failures.

Embedded within the structure of the station itself but located outside of the reach of the accessible pressure hull, the crew would be unable to access the gyroscopes in the first place, let alone if they had the proper training and equipment to remedy the issue - which they did not. Out of all of the potential failures aboard the station, mission planners had never accounted for a mass failure of the gyroscopes - with so many for redundancy, it was thought, the loss of a couple wouldn't matter. Attempts to reboot the flight computers to fix the gyroscopes were in vain, as it only served to confirm the prior findings - as far as the flight computers were concerned, all 16 gyroscopes were still completely online and perfectly functional, despite only 6 gyroscopes actively remaining in a functional state.

Future investigations, triggered by this failure, would conclude that the gyroscope design itself was faulty, due to the fact that it suffered from lubrication issues in the vacuum of space - without proper lubrication for the bearings, the flywheels would eventually seize up due to accumulated friction. While failures of gyroscopes with a similar design had been seen in the Pioneer probes, it was realized that perhaps, it was not simply age or vacuum exposure, but instead, a faulty design which had caused the gyroscopes in the probes to fail so prematurely.  

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I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with the "Small Radial Gyroscope" (I'm pretty sure it's a part added by Restock+), but BARIS simply doesn't like it - it's one of the most compact gyroscopes, which is the primary sticking point for me, but it somehow breaks down extremely often, even when it's properly integrated and displays the same quality as the rest of the craft. Maybe BARIS is just being realistic about the percentage of failures, who knows - however, in the future, I'll probably start clipping the slightly more reliable reaction wheels into my crafts instead. 

However, with nearly the entire mission duration remaining and both mission planners and administration unwilling to allow for yet another prominent public failure, the issue, while problematic, was not deemed abort-worthy as there was another perfectly functional means of altitude control aboard the station. Using both Spacelab and the Leo's onboard RCS systems and monopropellant reserves, as well as the remaining functional gyroscopes, such a system could more than compensate for the rest of the mission. However, while objected to by many mission controllers, citing the potential degradation of the RCS systems and the questionable merits of taking such a risky move after such a recent failure, administration was, in contrast to their previous behavior during the investigations, adamant that it was an acceptable solution, and thus, the plan was given the green light and Spacelab 5 continued their orbital stay. 

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Event Card:

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Event Card 2: Electric Boogaloo

Luckily, like usual, no one was actually hurt. 

Much to the chagrin of administration, however, the predictions of mission controllers would prove to be entirely accurate - over the course of a month, the RCS systems aboard Spacelab began to systematically break down, with the increased burden after the breakdown of each individual component only further accelerating the degradation of the rest of the system. Furthermore, it seemed, the extensive usage of RCS proved to have a substantial impact on the trajectory of Spacelab itself, modifying the orbit into an ellipse and bringing it dangerously close to the upper bounds of the atmosphere.

Nonetheless, despite the continuing issues with the onboard gyroscopes, Spacelab 5 would ultimately prove to be yet another successful mission for the books. With all mission objectives complete, Spacelab 5 transferred its remaining supplies to the station, and departed after its 40-day long orbital stay.

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I am pretty sure this is a bug with persistent rotation - I probably should have just left the RCS systems off when I was time warping, which I'll make sure to do moving forwards.

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Mission Summary:

While mission controllers were preoccupied troubleshooting the various ongoing issues plaguing Spacelab, the rest of the agency would continue to move forwards, working towards the debut of a perhaps revolutionary new spacecraft. Since even before the advent of the Spacelab program, mission planners had quickly concluded that the only real major limitation to the length and complexity of orbital stays was the limited payload capacity aboard the Leo spacecraft. The Leo, a continuation of the Moho spacecraft, had been designed as an entirely manned spacecraft. Of course, possessing the capability to support crew left some rather serious design tradeoffs - accounting for the crew, life support systems, and various backup and supporting systems, there was little remaining room left for supplies or experiments, constraining the length and productivity of orbital stays. 

Indeed, the limited payload capacity of the Leo spacecraft had long been a major grievance brought up by both mission planners and the science corps, as the agency was tasked with carrying out increasingly ambitious and scientifically productive missions. Notably, the science corps had also been advocating for a change in the type of station operations, desiring a shift from the current 'man-tended' operation of Spacelab to sustaining a permanent orbital presence, which would allow for the closer observation of experiments than remotely possible and a general increase in scientific productivity. Of course, such a permanent orbital presence would be nearly impossible to sustain with the limited cargo capacity onboard a Leo spacecraft. While it was proposed to use the autonomous 'B' variant of the Leo on delivery runs to and from orbit, which would have added benefit of providing a reliable stream of downmass, it was determined that even a relatively gutted Leo would still be unable to keep up with the sheer amount of pressurized cargo desired - although the possibility of a reliable stream of downmass looked rather enticing, engineers would begin designing a brand new solution.

Of course, adhering to the maxims of good engineering, the new vehicle would be named the extremely creative and original 'LARV' - short for Leo Autonomous Resupply Vehicle. It was very much a name which reflected the nature of the spacecraft - a revolutionary vehicle in concept, as an autonomous vehicle specifically designed for carrying pressurized cargo, but not exactly in its execution. Little more than a tin can bolted on top of a modified Leo service module, it was a hodgepodge of recycled components - a solar panel from Spacelab here, a flight computer from the Leo there, resulted in, according to most agency personnel, "a flying tin can". 

Nevertheless, with launch preparations complete and the vehicle ready for its maiden flight, LARV-1 would roll out onto LC 40 in mid-April.

Unfortunately for the LARV, an apparent failure in the Vanguard's gimbal mechanism would lead to the premature termination of the flight. On the bright side, however, the post-flight investigation concluded that the failure was not directly attributable to the Vanguard itself, but instead to the upgraded guidance algorithm implemented with the LARV. Thus, after some software modifications and more comprehensive testing, the LARV program was given the go-ahead to continue.

However, only two LARVs had been built in the first batch as I forgot to integrate a flight spare administration decided it would be wise to entrust an overworked, half-asleep intern to manually deliver the order to the construction offices very conveniently nestled in the top of the VAB, instead of just phoning the department over the space center line. Thus, some changes to the mission manifest would be in order - instead of resupplying Spacelab during Spacelab 6 as planned, the singular remaining LARV would be diverted to fly aboard the LARV-2 flight test in the place of LARV-1's failure. As the final mission to Spacelab, Spacelab 6 would instead have a much more abbreviated orbital stay, skipping much of the planned science manifest. 

This was of much annoyance to the science corps, until mission planners reminded them of the greater and much more capable spacelab successor program and assured them that the deferred science manifest would have top priority aboard the new station. With a vehicle secured, LARV-2 would roll out to the pad in late April.

The LARV's singular solar panel arrangement was simply a result of the engineering process - while peculiar, the arrangement had some clear advantages over competing designs. As the LARV's docking port connected directly to the pressurized compartment, the rear docking tunnel present on the Leo service module wouldn't be necessary, opening up an empty bulkhead. Mounting the solar panel on said bulkhead would conserve space, allowing for the use of an inline fairing when launched aboard the Vanguard and simplifying cost - in contrast to proposed dual panel designs, which would require a more expensive, enlarged diameter fairing. Furthermore, the singular panel could maintain constant power generation while the LARV performed a barbeque roll, rotating in sync with the spacecraft on the same axis where a dual-paneled variant could not. The only major critique was that due to the singular panel, the LARV lacked redundancy in its means of power generation. However, with plenty of battery capacity and only intended to make short orbital stays, it was deemed an acceptable design tradeoff.

The LARV would make various on-orbit maneuvers to test the inherited propulsion system, an identical copy to the engines found aboard the Leo service module. After raising and lowering its orbit several times, as well as modifying the orbital inclination to a satisfying degree, the already proven propulsion system would perform the retroburn to deorbit the spacecraft.

As expected, the LARV would not survive the rigors of reentry. While some continued to wonder if ignoring the prospect of a recoverable resupply vehicle was really the right option, mission planners appreciated the newfound means of proper waste disposal - especially when compared to having to manually eject waste from an airlock.

With a successful conclusion to the LARV-2 orbital flight test, the next mission in the lineup would be Spacelab 6, the final planned mission to Spacelab. The original plan for the mission aimed to set a new record for the length of an orbital stay, doubling the mission duration by incorporating a LARV resupply halfway through the mission. However, recent developments such as the unrepairable gyroscope and RCS failures during Spacelab 5 and the reappropriation of the second LARV threw a wrench into the works.

Without an available LARV resupply vehicle and with the station posing some rather serious problems in the wake of Spacelab 5, Spacelab 6's primary mission goal would be altered to instead bring a premature conclusion to Spacelab. Pete and Jim Kerman would crew the abbreviated mission, focused on the safe and controlled deorbit and disposal of Spacelab. While many viewed this mission as a loss, noting the premature end of the station after just 2 successful missions to date, it was conceded that the failed components aboard Spacelab were unrepairable and it would be easier to proceed towards the next, more capable station program rather than to continue to invest resources in an attempt to address the station's issues. Also, the maneuvers necessary to deorbit Spacelab would allow engineers to further catalogue the effects of acceleration and lateral forces on docking ports, something necessary for future missions...

With the station's maneuvering capabilities limited due to only a singular functional gyroscope and a only partly functioning RCS system, maneuvering to dock with Spacelab would become a complicated affair, with the station at times struggling to simply maintain a steady heading. However, with Pete's piloting capabilities and assistance from Mission Control, Spacelab 6 managed to navigate the complex orbital dance and approach the ailing station.

Spacelab 6 would maintain the standard rear-first approach to the station like the missions before it, utilizing the more advanced docking radar and cameras available on the rear for guidance. Shortly after docking with the rear docking port, however, the spacecraft would proceed to switch ports, undocking and flipping around to redock with the structural nose port. The allowed the engines to face rearward in preparation for an orbit raising maneuver - the RCS usage during Spacelab 5 had significantly degraded the station's orbit, and thus it was deemed necessary to raise Spacelab's orbit, even for the brief two-week duration before the planned deorbiting of the station.

With the station's orbit raised to a satisfactory altitude, actually somewhat higher than the original orbit to test the capabilities of the Leo, Spacelab 6 would repeat the earlier port-switching maneuver and finally allow the crew access to the station. Jim and Pete would spend the two week stay completing the activities of the abbreviated science manifest, comprising mostly of completing experiments, storing and archiving collected data, and sorting the rest of the items either for disposal with the station or to be returned aboard the limited cargo capacity within the Leo.

With their 17-day orbital stay aboard Spacelab complete, Spacelab 6 would repeat the port-switching maneuver for the final time, ahead of the imminent deorbit and disposal of the station. Mission Controllers would aim to dispose of Spacelab over the uninhabited ocean or as a fallback, the (mostly uninhabited) desert so the deorbit burn would largely be a matter of timing, leading to an additional parking orbit in order to correctly time the disposal.

With the Leo simultaneously deorbiting both vehicles and setting both spacecraft on a reentry trajectory, Spacelab 6 would undock from the station for the final time and would maneuver to steer clear of the debris from the station. Meeting the same fate as its failed sibling Spacelab 1, Spacelab would return to Kerbin in the same manner - as a shooting star.

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Mission Summary:

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Misguided Kerbal

[TwoCalories]

With that quote and picture, I thought that the Spacelab 5 would pull a Gemini 8! The LARV is quite an interesting design with the singular solar panel. I would suggest canting the engines outward so that the (usually fragile) solar panel isn't fried by the engine plumes. Other than that, it's a very creative use of Leo technology!  I'm a sucker for SDLVs and designs that use tech from previous vessels.

[TwoCalories]

  On 12/5/2022 at 2:04 AM, Misguided Kerbal said:

Haha, definitely. I once had a go at a career save, a long time ago. On a particularly disastrous (and quite expensive flight, featuring a load of RTGs), I managed to simultaneously take out the VAB, Runway, and Launchpad with all the debris. I thought it was a good idea to play without reverts when I started that save, so I just gave up. Fun times.

Definitely! I have plenty of plans for the Leo spacecraft (such as a 3 seater paraglider variant perpetually in the works), and I hope that the spacecraft line will see a long and storied history (think the ETS Apollo, for example).

I have somewhat of an idea for munar missions already thought out, which is:

1. The munar injection stage, derived from the Vanguard upper stage (probably a dual-engine version, for safety) is launched into LKO.

2A. For flyby missions, a stripped down version of the Block II will be launched to meet with the injection stage.

2B. For the eventual landing missions, either a Leo-derived direct ascent lander or a Leo Block II derivative plus a dedicated lander (I haven't really quite decided yet, but the more capable direct ascent lander is the direction I'm leaning towards right now.)

2C. In the future, the transit stage will probably carry payload, such as base/station parts. We'll get there eventually.

3. Flyby/land/base = profit (metaphorically speaking, this is sandbox mode haha)

4. In the the future, a reusable tug will replace the hardy injection stage, complete with fueling depots and ISRU equipment on the moons. Maybe, we'll see.

Of course, we'll probably proceed with the Spacelab (and Spacelab 2) programs first. If all goes well, perhaps a few chapters down the line Spacelab 2 will become a shipyard for munar-bound missions... 

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Are there any more plans for Munar explorations? We seem at a stage it the story where Mun exploration might start coming into play, with Spacelab-2 bringing the end of an era in LKO.

[Misguided Kerbal]

  On 7/19/2023 at 7:20 PM, TwoCalories said:

Are there any more plans for Munar explorations? We seem at a stage it the story where Mun exploration might start coming into play, with Spacelab-2 bringing the end of an era in LKO.

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Coming soon to a chapter near you!

Well, it depends on how exactly you view the timeframe, but the answer is indeed yes. However, we have a few things to knock out of the ballpark first - including, when I get around to doing the next chapter, some probes, since it's been a while since we've done that. After that comes the successor to Spacelab to serve as the jumping-off point for munar missions, and then off to the mun we go! (hopefully that is, anyway).

[TheKrakenHerder]

Any updates?

[Misguided Kerbal]

  On 9/4/2023 at 6:27 PM, TheKrakenHerder said:

Any updates?

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Unfortunately, I am currently being peppered by an absolute onslaught of schoolwork - I probably won't be free until at least the end of October haha 

However, I have everything for the next chapter already planned out - it's just a matter of finding the time to actually put these plans into motion. 

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Here are a few pictures from (completed) testing:

(This test totally went well, and of course everything went completely according to plan... )

 

[TwoCalories]

  On 9/5/2023 at 2:46 AM, Misguided Kerbal said:

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Love that heavy lifter!

As for the school part, I can totally relate, as I'm back in school as well.

Edited September 5, 2023 by TwoCalories

[Kerbalsaurus]

I have finally finished the thread, and all I can say is... absolutely magnificent! Your storytelling is top notch, your spacecraft designs are very cool-looking, and the way your able to immerse your audience in these missions is amazing! I was genuinely tense during the whole Spacelab 4 saga. I can't wait for the next update!

[Kerbalsaurus]

Hey, TOTM! Great job, man!

[TwoCalories]

  On 9/5/2023 at 2:46 AM, Misguided Kerbal said:

I probably won't be free until at least the end of October haha 

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Sorry if I'm being impatient, but now that it's November, are there any new updates?

[TheKrakenHerder]

Heya, any updates? I've really enjoyed this so far.

[TwoCalories]

Edited February 3 by TwoCalories

[Mr. Kerbin]

  On 2/3/2025 at 1:16 AM, TwoCalories said:

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pov: us  when we were waiting for road to the stars chapter 3

 

[TwoCalories]

  On 2/3/2025 at 1:19 AM, Mr. Kerbin said:

pov: us  when we were waiting for road to the stars chapter 3

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The "new chapter should be out soon" syndrome affects us all.