My Overly Complicated First Mun Landing

[starkllr]

It took three NERVA-powered spacecraft, and plenty of good luck, but the Kerbal Space Agency has finally achieved the goal of landing a Kerbal on the Mun and returning him to Kerbin!

The mission truly lived up to the KSA's motto: Ex Kerbia Cum Ardua.

In an effort at methodical thinking and infrastructure-building, the KSA first built a refueling station in LKO. Kerbin Orbital Terminal Alpha would serve as a home base for the future Kerbin-Mun Taxi spacecraft, and Kerbonauts would return to Kerbin aboard Kerbin Return Capsules docked at the station (so that our ships to the Mun would not need parachutes or any means of bringing their crew back home).

We then launched a smaller version of the same station into Munar orbit. Munar Orbital Terminal Beta would serve as the destination for the Kerbin-Mun Taxi, and would also be the home base for the Mun Lander. It was launched into LKO on a heavy booster, and flew to the Mun under the power of a NERVA engine.

It didn't quite work out that simply. We had...difficulties...getting the Munar Orbital Terminal Beta into Munar orbit, and it ended up in a "backwards" orbit. We didn't realize this until too late, however.

We then launched the Mun Lander into LKO, where it would wait for the Kerbin-Mun Taxi to rendezvous with it for the voyage to the Mun. This went without incident, as the mighty NERVA propelled both craft into Munar orbit...a correct Munar orbit.

Our cameramen fell down on the job, sadly, so our photographic record only begins with the actual Mun landing...

The flag was planted by Neilbin and Milikin Kerman...

Meanwhile, the Kerbin-Mun Taxi burned a massive amount of fuel reversing its orbit to dock with the Munar Orbital Terminal and pay a visit to Jebediah Kerman...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/Approaching%20Station%20in%20Munar%20Orbit.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/Taxi%20docket%20to%20Munar%20Station.jpg

Unfortunately, this didn't leave the Taxi with enough fuel to rendezvous with the Mun Lander upon ascent from the Munar surface. So a robotic Mun tanker was launched, to rescue Neilbin and Milikin...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/unmanned%20tanker%20leaves%20kerbal.jpg

The tanker successfully rendezvoused with the Mun Lander, and rather than burn too much fuel to reverse orbits and dock with the Munar Orbital Terminal, the robotic tanker brought the Mun Lander back to Kerbin orbit, and the Kerbin Orbital Terminal Alpha...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/Final%20approach%20to%20space%20station.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/Lander%20docks%20at%20space%20station%21.jpg

After a brief stay in Kerbin orbit, Neilbin and Milikin boarded a Kerbin Return Capsule and headed back to the KSC...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/FLoating%20to%20landing.jpg

And, after a long and unprecedented and horribly dangerous journey, our two pioneering Kerbonauts set foot back on native soil!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5069296/Home%20at%20Last%21.jpg

Many lessons were learned for future Munar exploration:

Ensure that Munar orbits are established in the correct direction.

Make sure the lander's legs extend past the engine bell! We were very fortunate the lander didn't tip over.

Now that this goal has been accomplished, the next challenge is to build a rover for motorized Mun exploration!