At last - A fully documented Apollo style Mun mission (lots of PICS)

[tntristan12]

Using the same lander from my epic tale "To The Mun and Back Again," which regrettably was not fully documented, I decided to take my new and improved Munar Mission Package Mk II-cM for a spin by bringing two Kerbals to the tail end of the Mun and returning them safely back home to Kerbin. Just like my previous attempt, I will be adhering to a strict Apollo-style mission profile. Let's jump right in, with my beautiful rocket sitting on the launch pad, where Rayden, Melnard, and Rodlong Kerman await the start of their epic journey that will take them where so few have gone before!

Tension is as thick as the humidity in the afternoon air, as mission control begins the countdown. Outside the center, spectators have come to watch the launch unfold live.

"3... 2... 1... And liftoff of Munstak Industries Munspear, seeking knowledge and understanding from the soil of other worlds!"

As Munspear rises over KSC, the solid rocket boosters that supplement its initial ascent through the thickest layers of Kerbin's atmosphere detach and drift down to Kerbin beneath large parachutes. Not long after that, gravity turn is initiated. The Munspear turns downrange in preparation for burnout of the port and starboard Mainsails.

And we have our stage separation!

The ship now ascends under the power of quadruple LV-T30 engines, going up and up through the upper layers of the atmosphere. After a couple more minutes of flight, the tank runs dry and the final launch vehicle stage is activated. This stage burns until an Apoapsis at 150km is achieved.

Once at apoapsis, we circularize and then prepare a free return trajectory around the Mun (just in case something goes wrong).

After some systems checks and general accounting, our brave kerbinauts are given the go-ahead to begin Trans-Munar Injection. "Go flight!" Notice the Mun breaking the horizon. One thing these images fail to show is that during this point in the flight, the escape tower is ejected and sent into an escape trajectory from Kerbin where it won't bother anyone in Low Kerbin Orbit.

And with that, we're on our way! With the third stage nigh drained of its fuel, it is time to get rid of it, and eject the shroud around the lander.

In order to allow the crew to transfer from the command module to the lander, we must reconfigure the lander so that it is docked directly to the command module. First, our crew separates the lander, then turns around to dock with it. Once docked, the shroud around the service module "Poodle" engine is ejected.

With Kerbin shrinking in the distance, it is time to deploy our communications equipment and solar panels to keep the batteries charged.

As you can see we have a fairly large cloud of debris swarming around our spacecraft. One of the reasons for setting up a free return trajectory was so that most of this debris will return to Kerbin's atmosphere and burn up. As for the brave crew, well... Let's fast forward to Munar Orbit Insertion!

And at long last, the Kerbals' dreams of seeing Kerbin rise over the Mun becomes a reality!

The crew sets forth verifying that the systems in the Munar Module survived the hours long journey (which is a very long time in Kerbal time). Once satisfied, Rayden and Rodlong Kerman detach from the Command Module, deploy the lander's legs in advance of the anticipated landing, and use tiny bursts of RCS to navigate away.

Rayden and Rodlong are going to be taking the Munspear MM down to a site previously located by an unmanned satellite at the trailing end of the Mun. The site is ideally placed to witness an eternal Kerbin-rise (technically a Kerbin-set given the direction of the Mun's rotation). It is at the edge of a large gash in the surface of the Mun - a sheer drop of nearly a full kilometer. An impressive crater also lies close to the site, allowing unprecedented access to deep munar regolith that could possibly reveal the secrets of the solar system!

And touchdown! Mission control breathes a collective sigh of relief and Rayden and Rodlong prepare to do science. Also, planting a flag!

When Rodlong gets out to join Rayden by the flag, it's time for a photo op!

We're going to follow Rayden as he flies over to the cliff face to the east. Rodlong's going to be jetpacking over to the crater later to take soil samples, but unfortunately he forgot the camera to document that mission, so we won't be seeing the inside of the crater unfortunately. (Okay, the real reason is because I forgot to take pictures... I'll make up for it next time!)

With that little piece of exploration out of the way, Rayden returns back to the landing site...

...And into the lander!

Rodlong is already waiting inside, having filled the lander's cargo crate with Mun rocks ready for analysis back home at Kerbin. The Command Module has taken a full orbit around the Mun, and is now directly overhead. This is the perfect time to take off. The ascent module is primed, and the launch profile is entered into the flight computer... We're ready to take off!

Goodbye, Mun! It was nice uncovering your wealth of secrets!

We're already setting an intercept course for the Command Module, even as we make the final push into Munar orbit.

The Munspear Command Module looms in the distance as we approach and prepare for docking.

Using RCS the ascent module maneuvers into position and closes in for a nice, hard capture.

After loading the Mun rocks and soil samples into the Command Module, Rayden and Rodlong say goodbye to the ascent module that has treated them so well. The ascent module itself has just enough fuel left inside it to be de-orbited by remote control and crash into the Munar surface. An irreverent and violent end to a machine that has served its purpose so faithfully, but it is a sacrifice that must be made to keep the orbit clean.

The ascent module shinks into the distance as the Command Module burns for Kerbin.

The Mun soon follows suit.

Soon we are on our way back to Kerbin, and our orbit has put us on a course to land right in the middle of the sea to the west of KSC. So close to home, but our heroes are just glad to be landing in water.

Just before the fires of re-entry take our spacecraft, the crew says a hearty goodbye to their service module, and the engine which has seen them to the Mun and back again.

Perhaps a little too close for comfort, the solar panels blow off the Service Module and sling by the Command Module a scant few feet away.

As the flames of re-entry die, the parachutes deploy...

...And open successfully at 500 meters!

Splashdown occurs after 17 hours in the seat. Glad to be home, and already being hailed by the Kerbin populace as heroes, there is nothing left to do but wait for recovery. "And this is Rayden, Rodlong, and Melnard Kerman... Signing off!"

Thank you all for reading my mission report, and I hope that it was as fun to read as it was to execute and write about! I'm proud of my lander, and launch vehicle, but I would love to hear what you others have to say. My rocket, the Munar Mission Package Mk II-cM, was entirely stock with the exception of the procedural fairings used to shroud the lander, and Mechjeb which was used to fly the mission (which I have done several times before manually) so I could get all the lovely visuals used in this report.

Again, thanks for reading, and I hope you come join me in my next KSP adventure.

[Specialist290]

Nicely done!

Out of curiosity, what did you use to record the .GIFs?

[tntristan12]

Thanks! For the .gifs, I just hit F1 repeatedly and stitched them together in GIMP. I had to scale them down by half so they would upload onto imgur.

[Wayfare]

Great job, great ship! I particularly liked the lander. It's amazing how many different ways people have designed Apollo-style two-stage Mun landers around here. Yours is certainly one of the more compact.

[tntristan12]

Yeah, and the margins are great on it. With mechjeb flying, it can land in the same orbital plane as the CM, but not much farther away than that. The descent stage has very little fuel left at landing, and the ascent stage usually just makes it to the CM with enough fuel to de-orbit. It does its job very well.

[Javster]

Amazing!! I love your lander, it's complex and very utilitarian.