The Titan Missions: an Education in Space [lots of pics]

[mellojoe]

The Titan Missions

Titan 1 Mission: Launch Test, Systems Check

Titan 2 Mission: Orbital Mechanics, Re-Entry Test

Titan 3 Mission: EVA

Titan 4 Mission: Orbital Maneuvering, Orbital Adjustments

Titan 5 Mission: Docking

With brand new funding for a Kerbal Science Center, our team begins on its most ambitious project ever. We will reach the stars! Other space programs have leaped ahead of us, leaving us looking like we are behind. Yet, they don't know what Kerbals can achieve when they are pushed to their limits. The Titan Project has begun in an excersize in education. In order to learn the techniques and technology required for an advanced, sustainable space program, we introduce the Titan Project and the Titan family of missions.

These missions have spanned multiple flights with the mandate that every mission expands upon the current Kerbal understanding. There have been five seperate Titan missions, each with their own objectives and each building upon the previous. Our team of specialized Kerbalnauts have been in dedicated training for months. This current vehicle you see is the Titan V. In its final form it achieves a grandness and beauty that, frankly, our marketing team adores. This particular ship has flown 2 of the five missions, and will be used for further flights pushing forward.

[Editor's note: built by inspiration from the true Titan lifter used in the American Gemini program that preceeded the Apollo programs.]

The Titan V is a mostly recoverable, reusable rocket. Our Kerbal marketing team applauded our use of more boosters as our plans got grander and grander. The original Titan craft did not use solid rocket boosters, but once that technology was perfected, our Kerbal Science Team immediatly adapted it to our craft. The Titan family of vehicles had slight tweaks, but were mostly the same. The pictures below are mostly from the final variation.

LIFTOFF!

Jebediah, command team pilot, gently throttles up the four main engines, and fires all 6 SRBs. The four small SRBs are disposable, as costs to recover them would actually be more than the cost of the boosters themselves. Two other pilots have flown Titan missions including Bill Kerman and Bob Kerman, the only fraternal twins to be included in the Kerbal Space Program.

The Titan V lifts off slowly and steadily, gradually increasing in velocity as fuel burns violently in the side tanks.

Dropping the initial solid rocket boosters. These four are disposable and are dropped close enough to the Kerbal Science Center as to enable cleanup teams to clear debris for recycling.

Continuing to push to the heavens. The main SRBs provide plenty of thrust to push the massive Titan V continually skyward.

She does cut a remarkable profile, doesn't she? This is the shot our marketing team has been blasting across the TV channels for the past month or so.

Primary SRB separation.

These SRBs are fully recovered. Once detached from the main craft, they coast gently back to terra-firma under parachute canopy. Our pilots don't usually drop them so close to Kerbal Science Center, but Jebediah couldn't resist taking on a bet from Bill and Bob.

Here they are awaiting recovery. These two main solid rocket boosters will be refurbished, refueled, and prepared for the next launch.

Edited July 26, 2013 by mellojoe

[mellojoe]

The main Titan V craft. This is similar to the configuration of the Titan 1 mission. Four main engines propel the craft. The original Titan construction was a slightly smaller craft, and the original Titan 1 mission proved that a larger variation could be successful. And using a slightly larger varation could be used to put larger payloads into orbit.

Jebediah loves this part. Blasting skyward, reaching for the heavens. With no objective other than to explore and to learn. Jeb is truly in his element.

First Stage Separation

We have finally reached the point of main stage separation. The main four engines which have powered the Titan craft through the thickest of atmosphere into the upper stratosphere. This bank of fuel tank and main engines is also fully recoverable.

A glimpse into the middle stage of the Titan as it continues to accelerate to orbit.

Fully recoverable first stage of the Titan V.

Hundreds of Kerbal hours were spent perfecting this technique. Countless simulation hours, sleepless nights, and cups of koffee leading up to this.

The simulations didn't plan for the landing to be so vertical, but sometimes things on Kerbin just have that way of working themselves out. Stage 1 will float until the rescue ship can arrive to tow it back to space port.

Edited July 26, 2013 by mellojoe

[mellojoe]

We return to view the upper stage as it is powering to orbit. There were 5 main Titan missions. Each had its own objectives and goals. In order to accomplish the separate goals, separate payloads were required.

Here we see the fairings detatch revealing the craft inside. This craft displayed here is part of the Titan 2 mission. Titan 1's goals were simply to test the capability of the launch rocket. Its success lead to a slightly larger craft with the payload shown here. Titan 2 was to test and learn to orbit Kerbin, and to succesfully re-enter atmosphere and land safely. Here we are revealing the Titan 2 orbital craft.

The Titan 3 and 4 missions were to prove the viability of Extra-Vehicular Activites and test the EVA suit. A major redign of the orbital craft also opened the door for orbital maneuvering. Reaction control thrusters were designed into the craft, and proved to be highly maneuverable.

And finally, the culmination of the Titan misisons: Titan 5. The fifth mission was the most ambious yet. A specially designed orbital craft was build and launched. The largest of payloads, and the most complicated of orbital craft. Jebediah was charged with perfecting docking procedures. This special orbital craft was build with a docking separation ring, so that the crafts could be separated and then re-docked using techniques practiced only in simulators.

The first ever man to walk in space. the Titan missions made this possible.

The main craft was undocked from the unmanned dummy, put into a variety of positions, and then Jebediah was tasked with re-orienting the ship and re-docking. Multiple orbits of Kerbin were made in this extended mission giving Jebediah the record for most consecutive days in space. During his time, he did a dozen docking manuevers. Each one more starting farther away and in more complex orientation. Jebediah has actually published his doctoral thesis titled: Line-Of-Sight Guidance Techniques For Manned Orbital Rendezvous.

Titan 5 mission was a huge success. Funding was originally only for these 5 missions, but with the success and goodwill they have brought, more missions are planned in the future.

Edited July 26, 2013 by mellojoe

[mellojoe]

Editors note:

These missions were inspired by the American's Gemini program. This was the program that preceeded the Apollo missions, testing out the procedures and techniques needed to land on the Moon. I used them specifically because I need to learn docking in KSP. I've been so bad at it that I've skipped ideas just because they would have ended up involving docking. These missions were all stock, except for Procedural Fairings. These are a neat little mod that add a little asthetics without changing the game. I currently do not have MechJeb, and I wanted to learn docking without it.

The Titan lifter is made using the actual Titan lifter as inspiration. I've become fond of it because it is now a successful KSP launcher that is not asparagus staged. I'm looking forward to pushing it even further. The new stock parts make this a reality. I actually flew more than 5 missions. My final craft file is actually Titan 10. But I'm obsessed with saving and re-saving files, so I probably gave it a new version number more often than I needed.

Titan V lifter is going into my save folder. This guy is cool. I spent a ton of time getting the parachutes right on it, and I love it. The fairings at the top are not overly done, and the whole thing is fun to pilot. I start with zero throttle and just use SRBs. Then as they drop off I slowly increase throttle until I am maxxed out. The SRBs give it just enough boost that when the final is dropped the whole craft stops accelerating and just holds its velocity for a second. That one second is just enough time to burn off enough fuel to make it light enough to continue to accelerate. She hits orbital with only a little fuel left in the 2nd stage. The upper orbital stage is completely full when deployed. There is probably enough fuel to keep pushing for larger payloads. I don't know the max, and it won't be a whole lot, but it could be fun to find its limit.

This really has mirrored the Gemini missions. And not 100% of it was intentional. I've been playing KSP for about 2 months or so, but I've learned so much just by going back to the basics. Making orbital adjustments without needing to use nodes and just understanding the different directional inputs. Docking has been huge to learn. Even little things like learning how to de-orbit close to the KSP manually. All these things I've been able to learn from this project.

Edited July 26, 2013 by mellojoe

[HeadHunter67]

This is a great thread and a great mission program! I'll admit I still rely on MJ, though I don't let it do all the work for me any more. I am getting better at manual docking and I'm understanding rendezvous better (though I still can't get it all to work manually). I'll keep reading up and practicing.

When I think I've got the hang of it, I'll probably try a new save with a similar frame of mind. It's a real achievement when you do something all by hand - even little things like making an orbit that's perfect enough to match with a second craft to dock in space. So when you get to the point of assembling a space station in orbit, it's a real triumph!

[mellojoe]

What I loved about I too, was that my experience mirrored that if the actual space program. my milestones sort of matches the historical milestones. It was a surreal experience.