First Successful Interplanetary Trip

[PTNLemay]

I know a lot of you veterans probably do this regularly, but I'm so hyped I just had to announce this. My first successful mission to Jool (or any planet aside for Kerbin for that matter).

It's unmanned, but I'm still proud. I equipped it with tons of sensors, I plan on flying into Jool's atmo to get some data out of it. Please no spoilers (assuming anyone reads this thread) I want to figure it out myself. I've actually done my best to avoid looking up too many things about the planets on the wiki or on Let's Play videos.

01) Orbit achieved.

http://i.imgur.com/hqWjCpt.png

02) The sphere of influence is huge way out here, I can't even see the planet I'm so far out:

http://i.imgur.com/ck91Mci.png

03) Planet spotted!

http://i.imgur.com/bMVHdVk.png

04) I may be coming in a little eccentricly... it's hard to tell. Accelerometer is giving me 0.6 Gs.

http://i.imgur.com/lRZyNn4.jpg

05) I've started the measurements, but the gravity sensors are too far from the planet to give me anything. Thanks to the thermostat I've leared space is cold out here... (duly noted).

http://i.imgur.com/JHQbe7A.jpg

06) We have a Laythe encounter! I have no idea what I'm doing and yet everything is turning out better than I'd hoped.

http://i.imgur.com/tp4yxOX.png

07) The surface appears to have oceans.

http://i.imgur.com/ukZse3L.jpg

08) Laythe orbit achieved. I'm tempted to dive in close to see if it has an atmosphere.

http://i.imgur.com/mO3Ji6D.png

09) Gravity successfully measured! Still not in the atmo, but I can see it is there.

http://i.imgur.com/p4ACjWt.jpg

10) I struck atmosphere at around 50 kilometers. It was too thin for the barometer to register, but I definitely saw the top meter drop by a bit (the game also threw me into physical time acceleration).

http://i.imgur.com/hUjqG6X.jpg

( Part Two )

11) Leaving Laythe.

http://i.imgur.com/gb6tkgO.png

http://i.imgur.com/9fnuF6C.png

http://i.imgur.com/QWOPNQt.png

12) Approaching Jool, even this far out I start to detect it's gravioli signature.

http://i.imgur.com/9kxdXTm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mG1M1jn.jpg

13) Bringing her in slowly... (maybe too slowly).

http://i.imgur.com/b81uwSx.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/DM0RcgH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/umYFWM2.jpg

14) I hit Joolian atmosphere around 135 Km.

http://i.imgur.com/yJCn1bT.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/RxhsP3N.jpg

15) Here I'm freaking out.

http://i.imgur.com/l5cko9Z.jpg

16) I panic and start burning into the atmo, hoping that it will keep my speed up and prevent me from sinking too deep.

http://i.imgur.com/tesVcKQ.jpg

17) I find an interesting measurement bug with the thermometer, it gives me -430 during re-entry, compared to the negative 200 I had while drifting in space.

http://i.imgur.com/EzTcVpK.jpg

18) Things are going well so I decide to finally bring her in (passing the point of no return).

http://i.imgur.com/EW84qnq.png

http://i.imgur.com/ENae7GO.png

19) I detach the final stage and start using RCS to kill my velocity.

http://i.imgur.com/DlBbDzl.png

20) The temperature starts to increase again.

http://i.imgur.com/LClGygZ.jpg

21) I start really killing my velocity, re-entry effects are gone, temperature and pressure continue to increase. At 36K it hits 100 degrees and 40% kerbin pressure.

http://i.imgur.com/ik8spz7.png

http://i.imgur.com/omsOvih.png

22) These are the highest points I could screengrab before the capsule explodes. In actuality I think it hit 1000 degrees and 15x normal kerbin pressure.

http://i.imgur.com/WyTsPQH.png

http://i.imgur.com/CMRNoiP.png

23) The capsule is destroyed 250 meters bellow the "surface" it was travelling only 26 m/s or so.

http://i.imgur.com/ov97X2Q.png

Edited August 3, 2013 by PTNLemay

[astropapi1]

Congratulations.

I remember when I first saw Duna in the black sky. That was a hell of a fast fly-by.

[jwenting]

hehe, yes. Nice mission. Have yet to orbit Laythe, got one mission close, but it ran out of fuel during the circularisation burn, ended up in orbit around Jool instead. Every other attempt I've made at Jool has met failure (tbh, there was only one, it broke up trying to aerobrake in that green muck).

[PTNLemay]

Mission concluded! Probe destroyed 250 meters bellow Joolian surface, but it successfully transmitted valuable data before it succumbed to the pressure and heat.

I'll try and create a neat imgur album like I've seen in other threads (rather than just throwing all of the links out like I've done here), is there a quick guide or something on how that's done? Also, does anyone know what units the thermometer uses? Kelvin or Celsius?

Edited August 3, 2013 by PTNLemay

[PTNLemay]

Went to Duna this time, I didn't take as many pictures but I still felt like adding a few to my little scrapbook.

1) Bigger probe this time (since the target is so much closer and thus less fuel was needed). Trying out different looks.

http://i.imgur.com/O4ABVrQ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eSpiifw.jpg

2) Huge mountain!

http://i.imgur.com/QnmfFEX.jpg

3) Coming in for a perfect landing...

http://i.imgur.com/us8AmiL.jpg

4) Nailed it!

http://i.imgur.com/ycqhHle.jpg