[0.20] Ancient Launchers

[maro]

Thor-Agena– KH-1 to KH-4B „Corona“ / KH-5 „Argon“ / KH-6 „Lanyard“

Juni1959 to July 1963

The„Keyhole“ aka „Discoverer“ programe was a series of US strategic reconnaissance satellites producedand operated by the CIA with substantial assistance from the USAF.

The recconnaisance systems where buildt in to Agena A, B and D upper stages and lifted by Thor and Thrust Augmented Thor rockets from AFB Vandenberg into polar orbits. 144 Corona satellites where launched, of which 102 returned usable photographs. Mission duration was usually 2 days for the Agena A/B variants and 4 days with the Agena-D variants.

Satellites used special 70 millimeter film and different optics. Film was retrieved from orbit via a reentry capsule (nicknamed "film bucket") which separated from the satellite and fell to earth.The capsule was intended to be caught in mid-air by a passing airplane towing an airborne claw which would then winch it aboard, or it could land at sea

The Corona programwas officially classified top secret until 1992.

Iprovide three variants

• 
  
• Thor-Agena A – Corona
  
• Thor-Agena B – Corona
  
• Thrust Augmented Thor-Agena D - Corona
  

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(rocket_family)

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor-Agena

Programe:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(satellite)

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RM-81_Agena

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KH-6

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KH-5_Argon

Instructions

(Sorry no stock-camera until 0.19 therefore i simulate the cam with a spotlight that can be activated with „1“....and i pray to the KSP gods for a camera...once....

There where also Weather and ELINT satellites launched with this variants, but KSPs simulation is limited to what they give us......lets see what the future will bring to us)

All upper stages can be deorbited if you have some fuel/RCS left

(Thor-Agena A & B variants)

Because the Agena B is heavy for the booster & starts with less then 1:1 thrust-to-weight ratio you will loose some speed after staging –but ist is possibe to reach a low Kerbin orbit with some 2-3% fuel left.

(Hint: You can support the Agena B engine with the RCS system – very effective imediately after staging until you get some acceleration back.)

• activate ASAS with „T“
  
• stage for engine activation
  
• rev to 100%
  
• stage for liftoff
  
• reduce thrust between 1000m and 10000m
  
• rev to 100% at 10000m and turn to a 315° heading and 80° upwards trajectory
  
• stage away booster after burnout ignite upper stage, keep trajectory and activate RCS
  
• start compensation for a 0° heading when apropriate and keep the upwards trajectroy at 80° until at least 40000m until you start to flat your trajectory for a low circularised orbit.
  

(TAT– Agena D variant)

Most powerfull of the Thor launched reconnaissance satellites will have some 25% fuel left after orbiting for trajectory corrections to achieve precise target overflights

• activate ASAS with „T“
  
• stage for engine activation
  
• rev to 30%
  
• stage for liftoff
  
• prior to solid booster burnout rev to 100%
  
• stage away solid boosters after burnout
  
• at 10000m turn to a 315° heading and 80° upwards trajectory
  
• start compensation for a 0° heading when apropriate and wait for burnout booster.
  
• Stage away booster after burnout
  
• ignite upper stage, activate RCS and start to flat your trajectory for a low circularised orbit.
  

filmbucket recovery – all variants

• turn satellite retrograd and 60° nose down
  
• stage film bucket
  
• film bucket will reentry in a ~30° angle
  
• at <300m/s you can activate chute
  
• sorry no recovery plane.... :-)
  

• Thrust Augmented Thor-Agena D – Corona on the ramp
  

TAT-AgenaD liftoff

TAT-AgenaB liftoff

AgenaB after staging

AgenaA orbiting

AgenaB in orbit

AgenaA retrogradand 60° nose down prior to stage film bucket

filmbucket staging

andthe result (~30° reentry)

filmbucket reentry

Edited May 5, 2013 by maro

[dimovski]

Is there a Lunokhod?I badly need ideas for a landing ramp,Id be fine with any mod...

[sodopro]

Nice rockets.

[maro]

Is there a Lunokhod?I badly need ideas for a landing ramp,Id be fine with any mod...

I have a lunokhos..but failed also with the ramp.

Instead i attached the descent parts with TT-70s on each side...thats no ramp, i know, but it works

[maro]

Atlas-AgenaB – Ranger, 1961 to 1965

The US Ranger program as a series ofmissions toobtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon. Onlythree missions out of nine attemps where successfull.

Ranger7, launched on July 28^th,1964 sent more than 4,300 pictures from six cameras. Ranger 8,launched on Feb. 17, 1965 sent more than 7,000 images and the finalprobe Ranger 9 was launched on March 21^st,1965 and provided 5,800 images.

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Agena

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_SLV-3

Upper stage:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RM-81_Agena#Agena-B

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_program

Ranger 7:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_7

Ranger 8:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_8

Ranger 9:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_9

Instructions

Note: New version of space probe has a RCS tank and a thruster to simulate the 224N thrust hydrazine system of the real porbes

• Deactivate the RCS tank on the probe
  
• Activate ASAS with „T“
  
• stage for activate engines
  
• rev engines to 100%
  
• stage for liftoff
  
• reduce acceleration to minimum between 1000m and 10000m
  
• rev up to 100% power after passing 10000m and start grav turn to ~20° heading and 90° upwards trajectory
  
• when reaching 800m/s press „R“ to activate RCS
  
• when reaching 900m/s press „1“ for spearation of booster engines and LES tower
  
• correct your upwards trajectory to 45°
  
• change upwards trajectory to horizontal when reaching 70km apoapsis and reduce throttle to 50%
  stage away booster at burnout
  
• circularize orbit with upper stage and stop engine
  
• manage your trans-mun-injection node for a direct hit of the Mun
  
• TLI burn
  
• after TLI burn stage away upper stage
  
• activate probe by pressing "5"
  
• activate RCS tank on the probe
  
• correct flight path of probe with RCS for a direct hit
  

on the pad

liftoff

booster engines separation

booster separation

trans-mun-injection

Ranger separates from upper stage

Spacecraft activated

click, click, click, click

Edited May 5, 2013 by maro

[maro]

Titan IIIE–CentaurD - Viking 1, Aug20, 1975 to Nov. 13, 1982

• First spacecraft successfully land on Mars
  
• record for longest mission on Mars (6y, 116d or 1775 sols) until „Opportunity“ broke it on May 19^th, 2010
  

Launcher: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_IIIE

Upper stage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur_(rocket_stage)

Payload: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_1 / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_2

the first image:

Instructions

The orbital module of the Viking spacecraft provides 600m/s DeltaV for orbit insertion at Duna.

The more fuel you save for orbit insertion the more you have to circularize a low Duna orbit (this ishistorically not exact as the Viking 1 orbital mudule was put into a~350x34000km orbit around Mars. Even such a high eliptical orbit will enable to land the Viking lander, but its much harder because you will have much more speed at atmospheric reentry - with the orbital module engine, RCS and a good mission planning you can put the combointo a 50x50km orbit prior to spacecraft separation)

The most economic way to Duna is also the best in this case. The optimum point for intercepting Duna is on the oposite site of the Kerbin orbit. Use fuel and RCS of the Centaur upper stage to manage a Duna intercept as close as you can. Furthe roptimization will take place mid course and end course)

also the lander staging is not exact - but it would be hart to make a "real" timing - with all that staging

• activate ASAS on the pad by pressing „T“
  
• stage to activate engines
  
• rev engines to 100%
  
• stage to liftoff (solid booster activation)
  
• at 1000m rev down 10% and rev further down to 70% up to ~2500m ( solid booster burnout there / try to gat not faster then 100m/s)
  
• after burnout stage away solid boosters and rev to 100% (you will loose some speed from ~100m/s to 80m/s until rocket accelerates again...thats normal)
  
• at 10000m turn to heading 90° and 75~80° upwards trajectory
  
• stage away 1^st stage after burnout (~550m/s), ignite 2^nd stage and keep heading at 90° and upwards trajectory at 75~80°
  
• once reaching 60000m flat your upwards trajectory to 45°
  
• stage away 2^nd stage after burnout, ignite Centaur upper stage and flat your upwards trajectory to 70°
  
• circularize your orbit
  
• plan your trans-duna-insertion (TDI) burn with at least energy as possible – your transfer orbit should not (far) exceed the Duna orbit (in this case you would be to fast and you would need more fuel for orbit) and your intercept sould be as close to Duna as possible (100km would be perfect)
  
• stage away centaur after TDI
  
• plan a mid course correction at some 30days after TDI. If you where not able to plan your intercept as close as 100km – or the intercept point shifted during stage separation and Kerbin escape – now its easyer and „cheap“ to correct (cheap means you need only a fraction of the fuel for a correction now than late in the transfer orbit)
  
• some 5-10 days prior to Duna intercept you should make your final corrections. Duna periapsis must now be corrected down to 100km.
  
• After Duna capture wait for Periapsis and burn to orbit Duna. (1^st burn should cost you something like 300m/s and will put you into a high eliptical orbit)
  
• When you reach the apoapsis of your initial orbit reduce periapsis to 50km (cost you some 10~20m/s)
  
• When you reach periapsis again (now at 50km) you lower your apoapsis as much a possible with the rest of your fuel. And you can spend some RCS fuel to circularize if you wish (depends on your overall energy state)
  
• press „1“ to activate orbital module and stage to separate lander (be sure you have your engines deativated prior to staging – otherwise your lander retros will fire)
  
• chose a low landing area at Duna (you can use this map http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/ especially avoid the blue and black areas!!)
  
• at the opposite side of your area chosen use the RCS to reduce Periapsis above your landing area to 20km
  
• At 41km height you will hit Dunas atmosphere and this will further reduce your periapsis and speed (keep spacecraft retrograde from now on until landing)
  
• entering your landing area (but latest at 10000m) activate ASAS and RCS and burn your retro engines on the heatshield until burnout
  
• reduce engine thrust to 1/3 after burnout stage away heatshield (parachute activation & lander retro engine activation)and press „G“ for landing gears
  
• when parachute fully deploy deactivate retro engines
  
• Manage ASAS and RCS to keep your space craft vertical during last sequence of landing and reduce landing speed with RCS
  
• on the ground activate lander by pressing "3"
  

Titan IIIE on the pad

liftoff - boosters burning

staging away boosters at ~2500m

above 10000m heading 90° and 75~80°upwards trajectory

2ns stage keep heading and flat upwardstrajectory to 45° at 60000m

circularize orbit and trans-duna-insertion with the Centaur upper stage

optimum transfer orbit with a „flat“Duna capture

Duna orbit insertion

orbiter and lander separation

The Viking orbiter

The Viking Lander

braking burn

parachute out

reduce landing speed with RCS

The Viking lander on Duna

Edited May 10, 2013 by maro

[GusTurbo]

This is the coolest contribution yet. Good job.

[Commander Zoom]

Viking is the first space mission I actually remember. You've done an amazing job replicating it (and all the others in this thread).

[teo]

look at that, mini ISS and Soviet Union space station Mir

Edited May 19, 2013 by teo

[gigaforce90]

I love it, can't wait for gemini and voyager now that you have the titan launcher

[maro]

Titan IIGLV – Gemini, 1965-1966

• second human US spaceflight program
  
• first US EVA
  
• first rendevouz maneuvers
  
• first docking maneuver (with GATV)
  
• first long endurance flights (13d, 18h)
  
• several developement and equiment tests required for Apollo program
  

Launcher:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_II_GLV

Payload:http://historicspacecraft.com/Gemini_Capsules.html

Project:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gemini

Missions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_5

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_6A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_9A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_10

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_12

Instructions

Until0.19 KSP stock engines do not offer a engine strong enough for the Titan booster – Mainsail is to large and to strong and the LV-T30 is to weak. Therefore i added in total 24 x 24-77 engines to the first stage to keep the two-engines optic and reach a the trust level required.

Also KSP offers no two-crew capsule right now – therefore i took the Lander-can and put an adapter on top – works and looks still like a capsule.

The Gemini had no launch escape tower because of weight restrictions.Instead crew was placed on ejection seats – what we also not havein KSP right now. There is a emergency sequence programmed that stopps the engines, and uses the retro system to seperate the capsule.

• Activate ASAS with „T“
  
  
• stage for engine activation
  
  
• rev to 100%
  
  
• stage for liftoff (do not wait to long for liftoff otherwise tower will be damaged at liftoff)
  
  
• as acceleration is quite slow (24-77 are not that effective) wait for throttle down until ~2500m
  
  
• once reaching 10000m rev to 100%, turn to heading 20° and trajectory 70° upwards
  
  
• burnout first stage should happen 19-20000m and 460~470m/s – stage twice to separate first stage and ignite second stage – turn to heading 29° and trajectory 70° upwards
  
  
• start flatten your trajectory once passing 50000m
  
  
• there is not much fuel margin – but enough to reach a 80 x 90km orbit with the second stage if you operate economic – keep you apoapsis below 90km and manage your engine thrust to circularize your orbit.
  
  
• stage away second stage after burnout
  
  
• use RCS for orbital maneuvers
  

Landingsequence

• 
  
• orient prograde
  
• stage away equipment section (RCS fuel tanks)
  
• orient retrograde
  
• stage to activate retro boosters
  
• stage away retrograde section
  
• between 10000m and 15000m stage away docking node
  
• below 300m/s activate prachuteturn to heading 20° and trajectory 70° upwards
  

Edited May 11, 2013 by maro

[maro]

Atlas LV-3 – Agena ATV, 1965-1966

Unmanned spacecraft used during theGemini programm to practice space rendevouz and docking techniques.Agena ATVs where also used to lift docket Gemini capsules into higherorbits.

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agena_target_vehicle

Instructions

Very easy...lots of Delta V. Use RCSfor trajectory changings (!).

Orignial Agenas had batteries fordurations of several days but no solar arrays – this one is fitedwith a PB-NUK and will live forever.....deorbit with the lastfuel/RCS.

• 
  
• activate ASAS on the pad with „T“
  
• stage for engine activation
  
• rev to 100%
  
• stage for liftoff
  
• reduce acceleration between 1000m and 1000m
  
• at 10000m rev engines to 100% and turn to heading 20° and 45° upwards trajectory
  
• at 800m/s press „1“ to stage away booster engines and change heading to 29°
  
• flat your trajectory and manage thrust for a apropriate low Kerbin orbit
  
• stage away booster after burnout
  
• circularize orbit with Agena ATV
  
• press „1“ for Agena ATV antenna
  

liftoff

i improoved the shape of my Atlasfurther....

the Agena in space

[maro]

8K78M„Molnya-M“- 3MV „Zond/Venera“, 1964-1972

The USSR „3MVplanetary probe“ where common designs for Mars and Venus missions and lifted by „Molnya-M“ rockets, another variant of the sucessfull and well known R-7/Semyorka.

AlltoughZond 1 and 2 made flybys at Venus and Mars at 1964, communication where lost prior to flyby and the missions – intend to flyby with the „bus“ and land a probe - where unsuccesfull.

Zond 3 made a successfull Moon flyby in 1965.

Vernera 2 to Venera 8 used almost the same general design with improvements implemented each time. They are among the most succesfull USSR probes and the USSR is by now still the only nation who successfully landed spacecrafts on Venus.

Venera 7 survived the immense pressure and heat on Venus surface(470°Celsius/~855°Farenheit , 90 atmospheres/9.5 MPa) for 23 minutes and Venera 8 for 50 minutes and 11 seconds.

• 
  
• first manmade object to impact another planet's surface (Venera 3)
  
• first sucessfull lander on another planet (Venus), first broadcast from another planet's surface (23 min) (Venera 7)
  
• first successfull Venus lander (Venera 7)
  
• first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet (Venera 4)
  

Launcher:8K87M „Molnya-M“: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molniya_(rocket)

Payload„3MVplanetary probe “:

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/venera-3mv-4.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3MV_planetary_probe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_program

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3MV_planetary_probe

Programmes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_program

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_program

Instructions

WhileZond 1 and 2 where intend to flyby Venus(1) and Mars(2) they should expose a landing capsule..that never happened, but is a nice idea and you can try that.

The Venera lander altough the same general design worked slightl ydifferent. Instead of expose the probe and flyby, the bus stayed with the probe during athmospheric entry and cooled the probe as long aspossible prior to separation.

Tip: Plenty of DeltaV. You can go for an early approach and using the resulting eliptical orbit around the Kerbol star to manage another planetary flyby....

• 
  
• activate ASAS on the pad with „T“
  
• stage for engine activation and ground power off (note: you are on batts now until probe activation!!)
  
• rev engines to 100%
  
• stage for liftoff
  
• rev down to limit acceleration between 1000m and 10000m
  
• once 10000m passed rev up to 100%, turn toe heading 90° and 70° upwards trajectory
  
• stage away boosters after burnout
  
• start circularize orbit when passing 50000m
  
• stage away booster after burnout
  
• stage to activate upper stage and circularize orbit
  
• manage your transfer shot
  
• stage away upper stage after transplanetary injection and early correction
  
• activate probe bus with „5“
  
• make flight path correction as apropriate for a direct hit or close flyby
  

a) Option Zond-style: expose landing probe and bus flyby

• 
  
• after reaching the SOI (sphere of influence) of your target planet set your periapsis as low as apropriate to ensure a capture of the landing probe
  
• max. 10 hours prior to periapsis stage for landing probe separation
  
• after staging switch from landing probe to bus
  
• rise your periapsis apropriate for a close flyby
  
• switch back to landing probe
  
• at atmospheric entry activate landing probe with „6“
  
• stage for parachute activation below 10000m
  

b)Option Venera-style: impact bus and landing probe

• 
  
• after reaching the SOI (sphere of influence) set your periapsis as low as apropriate to ensure a capture of the landing probe
  
• at atmospheric entry activate landing probe with „6“
  
• after deceleration below 1000m/s stage for landing probe separation
  
• stage for parachute activation below 10000m
  

NOTE: landing probe will only work for some hours....this thing works only on batts!!

padat night

groundpower off

liftoff

„Molnya-M“with „3MV“planetary probe

boostersaway

onthe way to orbit

stagingthe Molnya away

Orbitcompletition and transplanetary shoot with the upper stage

directhit

separationfrom upper stage

spacecraftactivation

midcourse correction

withinSOI manage a direct hit

separationfrom landing probe

Landingat Eve night

whata speed....thats survivable !

sunrise

Edited May 12, 2013 by maro

[gigaforce90]

I really like your gemini/titan 2 launcher, and like you said i had barley enough fuel to get a 89 by 68 km orbit. Keep up the good work

[maro]

Atlas-Centaur(AC-34) - Mariner 10, Nov3, 1973 – Mar 24, 1975

• first spacecraft to use the gravitational slingshot effect to reach another planet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_slingshot
  
• first spacecraft to visit Mercury
  
• first NASA mission to visit multiple planets
  

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Centaur; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas

Upperstage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur_(rocket_stage)

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_10

Instuctions:

Asi wrote in the original (lost) posting – this is a mission with acomplex trajectory. Once the trans-eve-injection burn and first correction is done and you stage away the Centaur, you have 850m/s(4min) of fuel left to manage a Eve flyby and three Moho flybys. The trick is to make a very „late“ shot to Eve. You have about 500-1000ms/ more DeltaV in the Centaur then the most economic Mohoshot will cost you...no problem with fuel here. Therefore you can reach a periapsis around Kerbol star much lower then the Moho orbit. But if you are to fast at Eve agrav shot will not work that well because of the high speed pass resulting. For the optimum time to launch look at the first picture.

• dectivate Batteries on the probe (2x)
  
• Activate ASAS with „T“
  
• (option) activate light on the pad „U“ (was a night start)
  
• stage for activating engines
  
• rev to 100%
  
• stage for liftoff
  
• throttle down 5% at 2500m and a another 5% down a little later – not more then 10-15% (upper stage is heavy)
  
• at10000m rev up to 100% and turn to heading 90° and 80° upwards trajectory
  
• at 600m/s press „1“ to stage away booster engines
  
• at 40000-45000m 45° upwards trajectory
  
• at burnout stage away Atlas and igite Centaur
  
• circularise orbit with Centaur then stopp engine
  
• manage your trans-eve-injection (TEI) shot as close as possible to Eve (Note: Centaur batteries will last for a few orbits (probably 5) + time to leave Kerbin SOI (keep an eye on)
  
• after your initial TEI correct your trajectory to Eve for a direct hit (you have a lot of RCS for that tiny corrections)
  
• activate Batteries on the probe (2x) prior to stage away Centaur (check if thy are full!!)
  
• stage away Centaur and activate Mariner 10 probe with „2“ (now you are on solar power)
  
• mid way to Eve add a few m/s speed prograde to arrive „early“ - you have to pass Eve close in front for the gravitational slingshot effect we need
  
• whene you arrive within Eve's SOI manage your gravitational slingshot - passing Eve your resulting orbit should cross Mohos orbit twice – with aperiapsis lower then Mohos orbit and an apoapsis higher then Mohos orbit.
  
• Now its time to manage your fuel in order for passing Moho three times close. You had 850m/s out of Kerbin, the mid course boost should cost you a few m/s and the Eve pass should be ~50m/s (without large correction). What is left you can split three times – each part (~200m/s+) is your budget for one correction to reach Moho. Probably within the Eve gravshot you can find a cheap sollution to Moho (i found one with 31,8m/s for pasinge Eve and reach Moho within the first Kerbol orbit)
  

optimumtime to launch

lift off at night

staging booster engines

staging Atlas away

trans-eve-injection done making final corrections with RCS

staging away Centaur stage and activating Mariner 10 probe

direct hit trajectory to Eve

Luckyi am....31,8m/s for the pass of Eve and reaching Moho...saving a lotof fuel in my overall budget

flybyEve

niceto have a heatshield

flybynumber one at Moho

manageagain trajectory

Flybynumer two at Moho

manageagain trajectory

flybyNumber three at Moho

Edited June 9, 2013 by maro

[maro]

I really like your gemini/titan 2 launcher, and like you said i had barley enough fuel to get a 89 by 68 km orbit. Keep up the good work

thanks...like the original one. they had even to less power to add a launch-escape-tower - and the capsule was small as well. From all the Mecury-Gemini-Apollo astronauts i admire Frank Borman and James Lovell most for living allmost 14 days in this telephone cabin..amazing .....and Gordo Cooper for managing to save landing Mercury-Atlas 9with so many systems gone... (practically a wreck).... On Wednesday 15. May its 50 years anniversary of Gordos first and Mercurys last flight !!!

[maro]

SaturnV / Apollo 11 to Apollo 17

Most powerfull launch vehicle ever buildt; first manned landing on the Moon; only manned program so far landing on another celestrial body

Launcher:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_V

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Command/Service_Module ;

Programe:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program

Missions:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Roving_Vehicle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17

Launchinstructions:

Launch is not critical, ship moves straight (except at staging between 1^stand 2^ndstage – RCS recommended) and there is 500m/s+ more DeltaV available then required to reach the Mun.

Transposition,Docking and Extraction instructions:

Because the Lunar Module(LM) is located below the Command Service Module(CSM) head-to-tail it is required for the CSM to separate from the S-IVB, travel a short distance, turn 180 degrees and then dock with and extract the LM.

The separator could be problematic in this sequence – it will remain on the LM docking port after separation.

The solution is simple but you have to be precise. After separation(staging event) activate RCS and move a little bit forward then stop your movement. Then you start a 180° turn with the RCS within this movement you can push the separator away with the nose of the LM and dock.

Landing instructions:

Thereis enough fuel to make a relative slow descent landing. Burn retrograde above 20.000m until you quit your horizontal movement. I would recommend ~100m/s descent rate at 10.000m and ~50m/s at 5.000m and then you can further decrease you descent rate using RCS also.

Theonly difference between the Apollo 11 and 17 files is the Lunar Rover and slightly more fuel in the landing stage of the Lunar Module. I would recommend you try Apollo 11 first as the Apollo 17 is harder toland because of the Rovers of center weight.

Rover instructions (apollo 17 file):

Separating the rover is a additional staging event.

Rover will fall of LM. You can then turn the rover on its wheels using the buildt in RCS. Batteries on rover are good for some 3-5km and are supported by a small solar panel – you need sunlight for charging(!) or you can chose and add an Nuke

Mun liftoff instructions:

Deactivate the landing stage engine manually. Set throttle to 100%, activate ASAS and RCS and stage for lift off. Keep vertical until you pass 50m/s then you can slowly start to turn to the required heading for a CSM rendezvous.

Staging

Activate ASAS on the pad

1)Activate Engine SI-C Booster

- Set to 100% thrust

2)Release Clamps

- Full thrust up to 1250m, then you can gradualydecrease thrust to about three quarters until you reach 10.000m Thenincrease thrust to 100% an turn to a 90° heading and 70-80° upwardstrajectory

burnoutfirst stage – this should happen at 12.000m+ .

3) ActivateRCS and stage away SI-C Booster

4) Stage to activate Engine S-II Booster ( Stages away Launch Emergency System)

- Aim for anapoapsis about 150.000-200.000m.

5)Stageaway SII Booster after burnout

- Set throttle to 0% (!)

6)Stage to activate S-IVB Booster

- You can set now a maneuver nodeto help creating an orbit (you will have some minutes untilapoapsis)

- Fire S-IVB Booster when close to apoapsis

-Wait until orbit achieved, then stop engine

- Set maneuver nodefor the trans-lunar-injection (TLI)

- Wait for the node and fireengine again apropriate for TLI

7) Stage to separate ApolloCommand Service Module (CSM) from the third stage

- Activate RCS

-turn 180 degree

- dock with the Lunar Module (LM)

- (theseparator could be problematic in this sequence read instructionsabove)

8) Stage away S-IVB Booster

-move CSM/LM-combo away from the S-IVB using RCS

9) EVA -moove two Kerbals from the CM to the LM

10) stage to activateCSM Engine

- Wait for mun periasis and circle your orbit about50km

- The more exact the orbit the better, this will help whenyoure LM comes back

- Deactivate CSM Engine(!)

11) Stage todecouple LM

- Lower you landing feet

- Activate landing lightsif you wish

- Set maneuver nodes for landing

12)stage to activate descent engine

- Land the LM

- Deactivatelanding stage engine(!) important

12a)(Apollo 17 file) stage to release rover

13)LM Starting sequence

- Activate ASAS

-activate RCS

-CHECK your LM descent engine must be DEACTIVATED !!!

-set Engine to 100%

14)stage to activate LM ascent engine and separate from landing stage

-Burn straight up full power until 50m/s

- Set throttle to 0%

-Set maneuver node for apropriate orbit for a renedevouz with theCSM

- Fire engines again to complete orbit

- Rendevouz anddocking with the LM

- deactivate LM ascent engine (!!!)

15)EVA - moove two Kerbals from the LM to the CM

- activate CMengine(!!)

- Set maneuver node for the trans-kerbin-injection(TKI)

- Wait for the node and fire engine again apropriate for TKI

16)Set flightpath to reentry Kerbin athmosphere

17)stage Decouple CM

- reentry

18)(St 0) Activate chute

Saturn V on the pad

SI-C Booster running

staging SI-C Booster @ 12.000-13.000m

S-II Booster running

S-II Booster close to burnout

staging S-II Booster

ignitinon S-IVB booster - completing orbit and TLI

Transposition,Docking and Extraction

EVA - moving two kerbonauts in lander can

leaving Kerbins SOI

Orbit insertion

separating LM from CSM

LM gear down

LM braking burn

LM at the finals

LM touchdown

staging away rover

turn rover with RCS

On the move....

LM ascent stage liftoff

LM and CSM rendezvous

LM and CSM docked again

From he Mun back to Kerbin in one burn

reentry

Edited June 9, 2013 by maro

[Febin]

Impressive crafts.

[SDIR]

My god, you either are a total genious, or have the most time in the world. I'd never have the motivation to pull any of this off, hell, I'm having trouble assembling my Mun Base!

[maro]

Apollo LLRV (Lunar Landing Research Vehicle)

SimulatorforMoonlandings,research and crew training

-Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LLRV

Instructions

Learn to land on the Mun like Neil Armstrong..... :-)

You will find out thats not easy...because of the reduced reaction time of the jet engine and you experience the effets of using RCS close to the ground changing your descent rate and the required changes to the engine power resulting. If you are able to land this constantly, then you can land A LOT....

On the pad

1. Extend the ladder of LLRV
   
2. Make an EVA and climb the LLRV
   
3. Enter LLRV seat
   
4. IMPORTANT (!) Mark the remote guidance unit (below air intake) and press “control from here†- otherwise your gimbal will show you wrong indications.
   
5. retract the ladder
   
6. Press T (ASAS)
   
7. Press R (RCS)
   
8. stage to activate Engines
   
9. rev to 100%
   
10. stage to liftoff
    
11. ...for god's sake, improve your landing skills !!!
    
12. if something happens... SPACE will activate the ejection seat and the last staging event will activate the chute.
    

eject, eject, eject....

Edited June 9, 2013 by maro

[csiler2]

Love the LLRV. You are making some great machines!

[maro]

Zenit - Fobos-Grunt, November 9^th, 2011 to (August 2014), sadly a mishap

Launcher:Zenit-2SB:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenit-2M

Upperstage Fregat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fregat

Payload:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fobos-Grunt

Piggyback:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinghuo-1

OnNovember 9^th,2011 russia launched the Fobos-Grunt space probe intend to collect aupto 200g sample of Fobos (one of the Mars moons) soil and bring it back to earth in August 2014.

After reaching orbit around earth the probe suffered from a computer failure/programming error and never left the orbit instead stayed malfunctioning and it fell back to Earth in an uncontrolled re-entry on January 15th, 2012.

This is KSPs-stock part rehearsal mission to Ike, Dunas moon…..hopefully you have more luck then the russians.

Instructions

Alot of stages and a lot of Delta-V here in…all together ~10.700m/s.

The sample return stage alone has 1800m/s, able to lift from Ike, orbitit, changing to a high orbit around Duna and then to transfer to Kerbin.

Onthe ramp

• Deactivate the four Stratos-V tanks on the transfer stage of Fobos-Grunt
  
• Activate ASAS
  
• stage for engine ignition
  
• Rev to 100%
  
• stage for lift off
  
• reduce thrust to minimize acceleration at 1.000m
  
• and reduce thrust further down to 2/3 up to 10.000m
  
• target speed at 10.000m is ~200m/s
  
• turn to a 90° heading trajectory 70-80° upwards.
  
• Rev up to 100% thrust
  
• Prior to burnout 1^st stage activate RCS
  
• Stage twice to separate 1^st stage and start engines 2^nd stage.
  
• correct heading of 2^nd stage back to 90° heading trajectory 70-80° upwards and deactivate RCS
  
• Once passing 50.000m start to flat out for an orbit around Kerbin
  
• After burnout stage to separate 2^nd stage
  
• Set throttle to 0%
  
• Stage to activate Fregat upper stage engine
  
• Wait for apoapsis and complete orbit
  
• Plan your trans-duna-injection (TDI) shot
  
• The Fregat itself has two stages and has the ability for multiple restarts. After the first 900m/s are burned you can jettison the external tank and then you have an aditional 590m/s until burnout. To use ist best find the last tank in a row (there are two) and mark it to visualize its burnout. You can jettison the external tank at full thrust.
  
• After TDI is done stage to jettison the Fregat
  
• Move out solar panels of Fobos-Grunt
  
• Stage to activate the space probes engine
  
• A typical low energy Duna transfer takes about 100 days, Optimize your trayecory several times during the transfer – activate Stratos-V tanks and use RCS - and try to acchieve a “direct hit†trayectory to Duna.
  

@Duna – Instructions

• Imediately after reaching the sphere of influence of Duna correct your trajectory for a high eliptical orbit around the poles – the target orbit should be a 3 day orbit around Duna (around 80km x 15Mm). This uses about ~450m/s
  
• Move out solar panels of your Yinghou-1 piggyback, activate sensors and light and stage to release the Yinghou-1 once reaching the 80km x 15Mm orbit. (probe activation is programmed as custom â€Â9†and releasing the prob is custom “0â€Â
  
• Move out landing feet of Fobos-Grunt
  
• Correct your orbit for a close Ike flyby ~ 20km periapsis. Depending on Ikes position this can cost mor or less fuel – I used about ~400m/s. (Reccomendation) This maneuver is the least tim critical in the Duna orbit and you can spend all your RCS fuel for this task in order to save fuel for the final brake at Ike.
  
• Brake into a low orbit around Ike. This uses about ~400m/s.
  
• Plan your landing at Ike, chose the sunny side (!)
  
• Move in solar panels of Fobos-Grunt (security reasons in case of landing mishap)
  
• Use the rest of the fuel in the transfer stage for the first part of the landing brake
  
• Jettison transfer stage after burnout and stage for activating engines of lander
  
• Land at Ike (I got it on the ground with a slow descent profile and had still 327m/s fuel left, so ist not critical if you spend the fuel of the transfer stage wise)
  
• Activate lander, solar panels, antenna, sensors – and deactivate lander engines (programmed as custom “5â€Â)
  

Samplereturn flight

Basicinstructions

• Check if all four engines of the lander stage are deactivated – if not DEACTIVATE (Important!)
  
• Set throttle to 100%
  
• Activate ASAS
  
• Stage for liftoff
  
• You need some 500m/s for a low Ike orbit
  
• Then you swich to a high orbit around duna – costs you ~100m/s+ more
  
• Circularize that high orbit – another ~50m/s more
  
• And then you have some 1200m/s left and you will ned about 730m/s for the flight back to Kerbin
  
• Aim for a ~30km periapsis for a atmospheric brake/re-entry
  
• Activate chute ist the last staging event
  

onthe ramp

2^ndstage in action

2^ndstage burned out

Duna-transferplan...100 days

mark the tank to visualize the burnout of the last external tank – once emptyyou can stage to jettison to achieve a higher deltaV

staging the external tank of Fregat

stating the last Fregat part

Fobos-Grunt during transfer

direct hit trajectory

direct hit is not good – planing flyby into a high Duna orbit

howit should look like

releasing the Yinghou-1 piggyback

managing the transfer from high Duna orbit to Ike flyby

Ike here I come

transfer stage used up and staged

on the finals

oh yeah..what a nice panorama

Yinghou-1orbiting Duna....and Fobos Grunt landed on Ike

from a low Ike orbit to a high Duna orbit for just ~150m/s

byby Duna and Ike

back to Kerbin trajectory

back at Kerbin

final kerbin re-entry planing

samples nearly at home...

Edited June 13, 2013 by maro

[Jamie Logan]

Nice! I love everything in this project. keep up the good work.

[iDan122]

Phobos-Grunt was something I was looking forward to flying since the real one kind of broke and reentered, why does Roskosmos have more bad incidents than any other space program?

Fun fact: the craft carried certain life forms from Earth and when Phobos-Grunt went through the fiery reentry, all of these life forms survived just like in the Columbia disaster.

Edited June 13, 2013 by iDan122

[LawnDartLeo]

Not sure what the issue is but I have some incompatibilities with the 0.20 version of this download.....

Apollo LLRV

Saturn V - Apollo 11

Ssaturn V - Apollo 17

Titan II - GLV Gemini

Titan IIIE - Viking 1

Zenit - Phobos Grunt

All simply state "incompatible with this version of KSP". I am using whatever is the latest update via Steam. Is there something I need to change?