Duna Polar Mission [pic heavy]

[Synapse]

Duna - Polar Manned Expedition

Objective: To perform tests and reconnaissance of the Northern ice-cap of Duna.

Lift Off! After 4 hours of testing the equipment, training our Kerbonaut and making sure things don't explode, the mission is underway.

Releasing some of our main engines, the Synapse Apollo-4 will be carried to a height of 100,000m on a single mainsail and four "Aerospike" engines.

Now that the craft is out of Kerbin's atmosphere, it begins it's long lonely burn to Duna. Carried by a single atomic engine, fuel conservation is critical to ensure a safe return.

The majestic red planet approaches!

The Apollo-4 lander module detaches and burns towards a landing just short of the North Pole. Meanwhile, the orbiter module will remain in a polar orbit, controlled remotely from the lander module.

Duna's ghostly plains await our plucky explorer.

Touch down! Sonvis Kerman becomes first Kerbal to set foot on Duna. He eagerly sets to work collecting samples and exploring the Dunar landscape.

Unfortunately, he can't stick around too long as the return journey needs to be made! The Dunar lander must now rendezvous in orbit with the orbiter module; if anything goes wrong Sonvis won't have enough fuel to get back to Kerbin!

This is just what they teach you at the KSC, but the stakes are far higher. Another successful docking for cool-headed Sonvis.

Desperately burning for home, Sonvis thinks of his family and whether he will get to see them again.

Thankfully, saving some fuel from the lander allowed that final push to break orbit into Kerbin. Home sweet home!

After 200 days away from home in the isolation of space, Sonvis Kerman splashes down. 8 hours later he was enjoying a hearty dinner at the Kerbal Space Center!

Stock, no mechjeb etc.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Synapse

[Sesni]

Broken pics spotted! Other than that, nice work.

EDIT : They're fixed now. Guess it was just that way on my end.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Sesni