Time to Stay - Project MMEEC

[Astraph]

Hello again!

My previous project (link) might have ended not quite as I had expected... But KSP has this strange feature - failrues only make me more ambitious, instead of discouraging. So, without further ado - welcome to my new AAR!

Project MMEEC stands for Munar-Minimus Exploration & Extraction Complex - and, as you may guess, it's main goal is to establish a permanent foothold outside LKO. Still, the full list of objectives is a bit longer and includes:

1) Mapping of Mun in search for Kethane deposits

2) Establishing a fully-functional Kethane refinery

3) Creation of a permanent settlement, capable of sustaining a crew of kerbonauts

4) Exploration of Munar surface using rovers and spaceplanes in search for anomalies and other interesting features

5) Last but not least... Exploration of Minimus!

So... Let's commence!

[Astraph]

Phase I

Project Atom

Project Betelgeuse was a ambitious, yet reckless attempt - without any precise objective or plan, apart from going to the Mun and back. This time KSP planners decided to adapt a long-term approach.

It was decided that a future Munar colony should be designed as a stepping stone for Kerbal expansion outside their homeworld's orbit. Therefore, the priority would be to establish a base that would function both as a staging point for interplanetary travel, as well as a refueling point for craft returning from their voyage.

The first phase was to establish a permanent reconnaissance presence above Mun and Minimus, searching for an appropriate place to set up first foothold. Data collected by two Munshots and Betelgeuse I, as well as Mun II orbiter, was deemed unsatisfactory. Remote probes were capable of examining only limited sections of land (or doing so from orbit), while the small supply of oxygen and power prevented Betelgeuse expedition from exploring much of Jebediah Basin.

Two craft - KSP-012 "Elektorn" and KSP-013 "Atom" - were designed to perform the first, remote, phase of reconnaissance. A single, automated Atom vessel was to carry four Electrons into high Kerbin orbit, where the probes would be detached and sent towards their respective targets.

Elektrons were essentially orbital Kethane detectors, propelled by twin ion engines. Their objective was to enter low Munar and Minimus orbits, assuming equatoral and polar trajectories. This way it was expected that a large portion of surface would be covered, faciliating location of a suitable place to perform manned landing.

on screen - Atom's orbit (blue) and Minimus II's transition trajectory (green)

Due to ion engines' extensive power consumption, it was decided that the Atom vessel would enter a very eccentric orbit, with apokerbis located on the night side of the planet. Thus, the craft would enjoy six hours of constant solar exposure, with only a couple of minutes spent in Kerbin's shadow, should initial manouvers fail to hit the transit window. The first craft - Minimus II - entered transition trajectory without any issues, followed by Mun VII and VIII.

Minimus II performing a "cold burn". Note the twin engines

Mun VII on its way to target

Not everything went as smoothly though - Minimus III's accelerometer malfunctioned mid-burn, giving a far lower thrust read than it was in reality. The computer onboard the Atom responded by activating the probe's RCS engines to correct the thrust - which in turn gave the probe a far higher velocity than required to complete the orbital synchronisation. Another manouver was planned to correct this, this time directed from the surface control centre on Kerbin.

And to think we started with 3° inclination...

Finally, the empty Atom was set to braking position, its final stage engine activated to bring the vessel back into Kerbin's atmosphere. The redundant vessel burnt safetly, its debris falling into the ocean.

* * *

I invite everyone to comment & advise about my project. I'm still pretty green at KSP (my first interplanetary flight is yet to be made) - and, as you might have seen in my previous AAR, I still have troubles with some advanced features of the game (I know, 20 nuclear engines IS and overkill)... ^^' I'll greatly appreciate all help, support and advice. Thanks for reading so far!

[Captain Sierra]

ion engines are really crappy for setting up in low orbit or when going short distances. Best used for interplanetary flybys, I prefer to use nuclear engines within the kerbin system and for missions that need to circularize at low altitude (which ions really suck at). I also see you have figured out that efficiency is not top priority and a secondary more powerful (but less efficient) ejection stage is worth the time and effort saved.

[indigo_dc]

This and your first report are interesting reading

Seeing how others take their first steps into space is great fun.

[Astraph]

Thank you for commenting - time to carry on since the forums are back online and I've finally found time to write down another part

@ Captain Sierra -> Well, I scrapped low-orbit ions alltogether during the next stages of setting up my base... But let's not spoil the fun Indeed, I prefer my middle stages to be more powerful than efficient, as I am an impatient man - and seeing my craft reaching apokerbis and then starting losing altitute before reaching orbital speed is a very stressful moment I'd rather avoid as often as possible.

And one more question - I'm hesitating between giving my craft Polish names to make them sound more... Kerbal, and sticking with English ones. What would you prefer? So far, so good - elektron and atom are loans from Greek, which means they sound the same in both languages... But later on it will get worse

Phase II, part A:

Establishing the Deep Space Network - KGB Communication Module

With most of the Elektron probes on transistion orbits, the command centre started implementing the second phase of preparations - establishment of a network of relay satellites, designed to provide constant communication between craft located on the far reaches of the Kerbin-Mun-Minimus system and beyond. To avoid atmospherical disturbances, it was decided that the centre of this Deep Space Network was to be relocated from Kouston to the KGB - the first and only permanent Kerbal manned space installation so far.

I realise nighttime launches aren't the best looking ones...

The module itself was rather simple - it consisted of a deployable array of antennae and signal amplifiers, with a small technical room in the middle, allowing crew access and attachment point to the KGB. A pair of small engines was to be used for docking and jettisoned soon after.

Launched by a regular S-I lifter, the module entered orbit with no issues. Approach to KGB took place on the night side of the planet - a manouver practiced many times before, yet always used as an awe-inspiring feat by Kerbal massmedia. Well, people don't reall need to know the space isn't as dark as they think.

And so, the first part of the Deep Space Network was put in place - 300 kilometres above Kerbin surface. Powered up and deployed, it established contact with Mun V & VI probes on Munar surface - or more precisely, it would have, if it had the crew to operate properly...

[Astraph]

Phase II, part B

Project LEM

Project MMEEC encountered one significant problem when it came to delivering the expected crew of 20 kerbonauts to the Mun; the sturdy and efficient Antares lander was able only to carry two personnel to the surface, which would require at least 10 launches to relocate the crew alone. Constructing a bigger lander was advised, but the concept was scrapped in favour of creating a SSTO vehicle, capable of carrying the whole crew in 2-3 flights.

LEM (short of Lotniczy Egzoplanetarny Mobil*) took several weeks of intensive testing and flights, resulting in a true monster of a flying machine - weighing over 140 tonnes in start configuration. Fourteen turbojet engines, four Maverick-DB dual rocket thrusters and VOTL-capable flight engines - all propelling a hull capable of carrying up to 10 Kerbonauts. The first mission of the serial craft - codenamed Sen - was to carry four kerbonauts to the newly installed DSN array on the KGB.

Massive and sluggish, the gigantic aircraft reached orbit... But the fuel consumption exceeded expectations - resulting in the Sen turning into little more than an orbital station. Luckily, Kouston already had an answer.

An automated Smok tanker has been deployed even before Sen's launch and rendezvoused with the spaceplane, replenishing its liquid fuel and monopropellant tanks. However, due to several misjudgements on Kouston's side (as both vehicles were remotely controlled), the refueled amount has proven to be insufficient for rendezvous with the KGB - and the whole manouver had to be completed with yet another Smok flight.

All in all, the spaceplane approached the KGB without further issues, and the brave kerbonauts could perform the most daring EVA ever attempted - the so-called spacejump across the 300 metres separating the spaceplane from the station.

With the array finally crewed, the spaceplace began its descend into Kerbin's atmosphere... Where it met its grim end. The initial plunge into the atmosphere was rather uneventful - with the craft reaching speeds of around 2200 m/s. However, at around 30 kilometres the craft's front started going up rapidly. Instant closure of air intakes and air brakes' retraction only slowed the process down - and at 25 kilometres the spaceplane stalled, dropping into an uncontrolled spin. An attempt to fire up the turbojets and stabilise the flight failed - resulting in a brutal lithobraking.

The last photo taken before the spaceplane went into a spin

The post-mission investigation resulted in the following conclussion:

-> The main cause of the crash was either the centre of mass moving too far into the spaceplane's rear after emptying the fuel tanks, or the excessive lift on the frontal half of the ship due to airbrakes' positioning.

-> Further investigation is required to see if the fuel efficiency could be increased, so that the craft would retain manouverability in orbit. Also, the amount of monopropellant was deemed insufficient.

-> Drone core's powering was insufficient - sharp manouvers resulted in temporal power losses, and the solar panels installed on top of the core provided not enough energy to effectively replenish the batteries when on Kerbin's dayside.

-> Orbital VOTL trials have shown aircraft's instability during such manouvers - which may prove fatal when approaching Munar landing zones. This links to the CoM problem and should be resolved alongside.

* * *

All in all friends - my ambitious SSTO ended with 75% success. Still, as I lack experience in correcting such designes, I would like to ask you for help. I can provide you with the craft file & list of mods used to design it, and if somebody could tell me how can I improve this little toy (mostly in terms of fuel supply and CoM, but any help would be greatly appreciated), I'd be most happy to repay him/her in some way. Sure thing, I could do this myself, but judging by the amount of time it took me to make Lem spaceworthy (two RL weeks of 2-3 hours gameplay), I'm afraid I won't make it to the next patch...

* -> Polish for Aerial Exoplanetar Mobile... And, coincidentally, the name of our most famous science-fiction writer. Yes, I decided to play along the B9 mod's creators in creating spaceplanes like Vonnegut or Bradbury.

[Astraph]

Phase II, part C

The Gigant has... failed

After the partial success of Lem spaceplane, the design has been rushed back into the testing area, where Kyakovlev's best engineers attempted to increase its parameters and survivability. Surprisingly, they managed to turn a potentially successful plane into a complete nightmare - unstable in flight, barely able to even reach the rim of Kerbin's atmosphere. Two new variants wre developed - a heavier, fuel-packed LemB and shorter, more sturdy Lem-II - both of which failed to solve the arising problems. Kouston slowly started swaying back towards the concept of an Antares-style lander - but decided to give Kyakovlev a few more days before scrapping the project.

In the meantime, the first Mun-based part of the mission was entering critical phase. Mun VII has confirmed two fields of Kethane present on Munar surface - and what was more, one of them turned out to be very close to Betelgeza's successful landing. It was decided that Jebediah Basin was to be revisited, this time by a larger, permanent crew.

Such crew required an adequate infrastructure; workshop with tools neccessary to conduct research, as well as food, air and energy. In order to provide those vital supplies, the enourmous Gigant rover was designed. Weighing 30 tonnes alone, the unmanned machine was launched into LKO using the most sophisticated lifter so far - dubbed quirkarrow by some members of the KSP team.

Refueled by yet another Smok mission, the rover was put to Munar transfer trajectory without much issue.

However, misfortune seemed to plague the MMEEC project; the skycrane designed to safetly put the rover onto Munar surface turned out to be badly balanced (possibly by the same team that designed the unfortunate Lem VOTL module), which resulted in the Gigant getting into uncontrollable spin just above Munar surface - and it slammed hard into the grey dust, becoming the largest object lost outside Kerbin so far. However, unlike the spaceplane, the rover was deemed irreplacable for the MMEEC project to succeed; and as such, the KSP engineers rushed back to their posts, doing their best to improve the prototype for yet another mission...

* * *

I once again invite all good souls out there to this thread, where I've posted my Lem spaceplane, asking for help in correcting at least some mistakes I've made designing it. I think I know how to fix the skycrane - but only time will tell if I'm right.

And once more - I'm looking forward to any feedback/comments/hints/criticism regarding this little project of mine.

[Geschosskopf]

Amazing creations! It's a shame the monster SSTO crashed. I was awed by that beast

[Astraph]

The problem with this SSTO is that I can't really get a grasp on KSP aerodynamics; adding a pair of canards in front of the plane literally turns its handling upside-down. I put them too much to the front - the airplane darts up as soon as it lifts off, gets vertical, stalls, crashes. I put those canards too close to the CoM - the front doesn't even try lifting and everything crashes into the ocean. I put them on the VOTL engines - everything is fine, then at around 10 km it suddenly loses all lift and plummets to the ground. I'm really confused... :/

[Astraph]

Phase II, part D

We have a breakthrough!

The consecutive fail of both Lem and Gigant has mobilised the KSP engineers. All efforts was concentrated on improving the rover-base design, which resulted in finally perfecting the rover and the means to bring it to the Mun. The final result - an impressive, 1111 ton S-IIIB lifter - set up the first record to be broken during Gigant II project; the heaviest object to leave Kouston so far.

Unlike the previous lifters, S-III was effectively a 1.5 stage design - after detaching solid boosters and quadruple liquid side cores, the central module reached the orbit easily before releasing the penultimate stage.

Four Vesta boosters gave Gigant II sufficient velocity to enter transition orbit - with the final thrust being performed by highly-efficient Service Propulsion Module engines, second only to nuclear thrusters (deemed too expensive and complex for close-Kerbin missions) in terms of ISP.

Meanwhile, the Elektron scanning programme produced satisfying results - despite Mun VIII & Minimus III being lost in transit (they both crashed into the surface while attempting to reach polar orbits), patches of Kethane-rich soil have been found on both satellites. The Minimus exploration was scheduled to begin as soon as permanent settlement on Mun would be complete. Since the orbital movement of the Mun made Jebediah Basin move to the night side, a new landing zone was picked up - the yet-unnamed plain on the southern hemisphere.

The redesigned skycrane has proven to fulfill the expectations - albeit just barely. Upon touching the Munar surface, the lander had around 5% of its initial fuel capacity. Still, the first complete success since the famed Betelgeza landing was received with understandable awe and joy in Kouston - ending the unlucky streak of failed launches. Gigant II was safe on the Mun - and ready for the crew to arrive!

Several other records marked the Gigant II landing - the heaviest Munar lander so far, the heaviest unmanned craft outside LKO so far and the most complex vehicle so far.

Although the perspective of setting one more record - driving several hundred kilometres to the Kethane-rich area was... Less apalling.

[BostLabs]

Wow! Congrats on getting the rover down safely. Your space plane was an awesome monster. Did you try pumping fuel forward for the landing?

[Astraph]

Actually I had so little fuel left upon reentry that it barely made any sense... And then I "tweaked" the design, making it completely unstable on ascencion, forcing me to quite the project alltogether. Tough luck to me But don't worry, the Lem project is still on my "to fix" list.

Phase II, part E

KSP-017 "Piskorski"

The failrue of Lem project did not discourage the Kyakovlev from experimenting with their "spaceplane to the Mun" Holy Grail. The idea of a slow, air-breather powered ascent was scrapped, in favour of a less complex, booster-aided launch system. The troublesome and unreliable VOTL system has also been discarded, effectively turning the newly-born KSP-017 "Piskorski" into a huge lander, utilising classic landing struts and vertical landing engines to slow down the descent.

Several prototypes have been tested, using a combinations of liquid-powered staged rockets and solid boosters. Ultimately, the thrid prototype - using enormous Thor solid rocked boosters as sole propellant, was launched for a test suborbital flight just as the Gigant-II was making final preparations to touch down on the Munar surface.

Autopiloted by a computerised drone core - one of the few remnants of the Lem project - it left the Kerbal atmosphere, performed a series of short manouvers, and began its descent. The reentry system was perhaps the most unorthodox module of the new project - and the one that caused most doubts during design process.

Realising the greatest flaw of the Lem was its overwhelming mass, the Kyakovlev design bureau took any means neccessary to reduce wieght - with the greatst cut being made on the amount of fuel carried. Faithful to the spaceplance concept, the chief designer wanted to allow as much of the hull to return to Kerbin surface safe - but also wanted the reentry to use as little fuel as possible. Ultimately, the so-called "ultrachute" concept was devised.

Equipped with over twenty parachutes, the hull entered the atmosphere, using RCS engines and thrust vectoring to keep a steady angle of attack. At around ten kilometres the chutes were deployed, slowing the craft to reasonable speed. At half a kilometre the velocity dropped to as little as a dozen m/s - but the resulting inertia broke the robotic core away from the ship. Despite this, all essential parts of the craft - including the core itself and the almost intact crew module - splashed down to the ocean, safetly, not taking any damage in the process.

[Astraph]

Phase II, part F

The flight of Piskorski-II

Kickstarted by the successful sub-orbital flight, the shuttle project progressed rapidly. The spacecraft itself has been thoroughly redesigned - with fuel tanks relocated to the lower half of the hull, while crew compartment has been moved upwards. The launch modules have been redesigned as well - creating a monstrous, yet compact, contraption sporting 29 individual engine modules and weighing over 700 tonnes.

The main challenge was installing a sufficient amount of fuel tanks to propell this machine to LKO; apart from detachable solid rocket boosters and careful throttle manpulation, the main trick used by Kyakovlev engineers was so-called "reverse staging" - higher fuel tanks were being jettisoned as they emptied, driven away from the spacecraft's front by Separaton thrusters.

At LKO, the highly efficient Vesta (480 isp with 500 kN thrust) thruster was used to give the spacecraft sufficient speed to attain stable orbit.

Shorthly before the Munar transfer burn, Vesta has been jettisoned as well. Thus the ~100 tonnes craft was lightened by some 5%, increasing fuel efficiency. Double Poodle thrusters took over, propelling Piskorski-II on its way, and then slowing it down upon reaching the Mun.

The landing was considered the toughest and most risky part - but due to complex calculations sheer luck, Kouston managed to put the shuttle on an almost equatorial orbit, directly above Gigant-II's landing site. Using last remnants of fuel (or rather, its vapours), the craft slowly descended upon Munar surface, finally resting upon an array of heavy landing struts.

[Astraph]

Phase III, part A

Let's go!

With only four kilometres separating Piskorski and Gigant landing zones, it was only a matter of a short leap to "fetch" the mobile Munar base. Not surprisingly, it was commander Geofhat - faithful follower and disiple of Jebediah - who was tasked with this important mission.

Hibernated just after the landing, the Gigant was ready to roll as soon as Geofhat managed to reboot its central computer. Extendable ladders, oversized antenna for communication via the DSN, powerful solar battery array, a box of cookies hidded unter the mainframe - all was intact after travelling from Kouston to the Mun.

The rest of the crew has been transferred smoothly and quickly, taking places in trusted Hitchiker crew compartments. Phase II of project MEECC - setting up a makeshift foothold on the Mun in search of favourable Kethane deposit location - has been officially concluded.

Let's roll, then!