The Fate of the KSS Inquisitive

[ruiluth]

Prologue

Apser: Thank you for all coming today. I will be briefing you on the next mission you will undertake. First of all, it will be different then anything else you have ever experienced. This will be the most distant mission to date, and as a result you will be separated from mission command for many years. You will also be testing an experimental new drive system which will propel you much faster than any current propulsion systems. [brings up a diagram of a piece of machinery] This is the Experimental Reactionless Spacecraft Propulsion Apparatus, or ERSPA. According to our simulations, this device should propel your ship through interstellar space at faster-than-light velocities. Your destination will be this: [brings up an image of a solar system] Beta Krakenis, a star with six planets, one of which with a similar atmosphere and gravity to Kerbin. We think that there may be life on it, but we can't say for sure from our own system. You will be surveying the planet and landing on it, and then returning with data. Once you leave the SOI of Kerbol, however, you will be out of commications range with Kerbin, so you will be on your own. Any questions?

Sidfrid:

Lemdo:

Bill:

Bob:

Jeb:

Edited May 21, 2013 by ruiluth

[ruiluth]

Launch

Mission Control: Engine ignition confirmed, begin launch countdown.

Mission Control: 5...4...3...2...1...launch clamps disengaged. Ascent autopilot engaged.

A few minutes later:

Jeb: Mission control, orbit established at 100km.

Mission Control: Copy that Jeb, control out.

Bill: Why do you think they launched us from the ground rather than build the ship in orbit, Jeb?

Jeb: Orbital contruction's very expensive. Besides, with these new engines from Impossible Innovations, we don't have to worry about fuel anymore.

Bill: Yeah I guess. By the way, we used RCS on the way up, but the flight computer isn't showing any monopropellant...?

Jeb: Oh didn't you know? The Inquisitive uses ion thrusters for RCS. Since we're on a multi-decade mission monopropellant just wasn't an option.

Bill: Huh. Weird. I'm going to go check the Munand the Minmus and reorient the Minmus.

Jeb: K I'll open the doors.

Bill: Uh... Jeb, there's a little problem...

Jeb: What?

Bill: The fairing from the Mun's engine is stuck to the docking port.

Jeb: Try hitting it on the tail, see if it breaks off.

Bill: Uh... Ok, if you say so...

Jeb: Actually maybe I better do it.

Bill: No, I think I can handle it.

Bill: Success! Re-docking now.

Bill: K I'm done. I'm going to the crew tank to get a snack.

Jeb: Nice work Bill. I'll finish the systems check and meet you there.

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Tell me what you guys think!

[Mekan1k]

Nice so far! My own story is on hold until 0.20 comes out, But I look forward to how you are going to pull this off.

[ruiluth]

Jeb: Okay everyone, here we are. In a few hours we will have our transfer window to the Beta Krakenis system. Bob, can you elaborate?

Bob: Well, we'll be burning to eject ourselves retrograde to Kerbin orbit, and we'll slingshot around the Sun. At perihelion we'll burn prograde and raise our orbit so that we escpae from our system. Once we pass heliopause, we will engage the jump drive and see what happens.

Lemdo: We won't know exactly where we'll end up after the jump, but we should be able to get there without too much trouble or fuel.

Jeb: Ok then. According to the readouts everything is in working order and we should be good to go.

[A few hours later]

Jeb: Ok everybody, strap yourselves down, engines burning in 5.

[A few minutes later]

Bill: that was a long burn. I can see why the Space Program was willing to spend so much on fusion propulsion.

Jeb: 3100 m/s that time, and 3500 m/s for our escape burn.

Bill: Something just occured to me; hey Bob, won't we be getting awfully near the Sun...?

Bob: Yeah, but it'll be fine. B9 Aerospace coats the ventral side of its parts with thermal protection tiles, unlike C7 which only painted them.

Sidfrid: [chuckle] Yeah I remember that scandal when they were found out...

Bob: Anyway, like I was saying we have heat protection, and we also have a strong magnetic shield which should protect us from jumpspace-level radiation. Just don't look out the windows.

Bill: Ok then, whatever you say...

[A few days later]

Bill: 10 minutes to perihelion, orbital velocity 30,011 m/s.

Jeb: 30 km/s orbital velocity, plus 3.5 km/s of maneuvering... that's a substantial amount of velocity...

Bill: Jeb!

Jeb: Right. Where were we?

Bill: Burning prograde...

Jeb: Oh right. Buckle up everybody, this might be a long burn. Full throttle in 5...4...3...2...1...Full throttle.

[a few minutes later]

Jeb: And there we are, escape velocity out of the Kerbol System. Say goodbye to home everybody, you might not see it for a while...

[Designer225]

Holy crap! That's gonna be a lot of years without FTL drive. Can the Kerbals arrived or will they be lost in SPACE? Dun dun DUN!

[Designer225]

By the way is this thread still alive?

[ruiluth]

It's not dead, just 0.20 made me think that I might want to do some things differently.