7 Kerbal lander saved by Interkerbinal Rescue!

[boolybooly]

This is a rescue mission in the career game of a lander constructed before docking ports were unlocked. Having acquired valuable science and having no transmission capability the lander became unable to leave the Munar SOI when it ran out of fuel entering a very low Munar orbit.

KSC command shoved it with a defunct satellite and a purpose made tug into Kerbin orbit but it still could not return to Kerbin safely, as its chutes ripped it to pieces without power assisted deceleration.

Mission control considered saving only the Kerbals but decided they wanted the science the lander had done as well, so set out to save the entire ship by building a cradle which could safely bring it in...

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Scotius]

Congratulations That was one tricky mission i reckon.

[kiwi1960]

That second photo with the kerbals in the pod... that thing between their legs looked like toilet paper for a second...

I thought... how apt, these cowardly Kerbals think of everything...

From one old enough to remember the Thunderbirds on TV.... I salute you! From one nut to another!

[indigo_dc]

Well done for thinking outside the box to bring the important science - and the kerbals - back safely.

[wminsing]

Totally crazy solution, I love it!

-Will

[kiwi1960]

Well done for thinking outside the box to bring the important science - and the kerbals - back safely.

I suspect it was more about the science.... who cares about kerbals... right?

[boolybooly]

Thanks for viewing and replying.

It is actually something I did kind of rehearse a long time ago in a version far far away. Made a video of it, it was much harder to rendezvous then as maneuver nodes had not been invented. Its interesting to compare the two, KSP has come a long way since then.

[jocax188723]

That's...actually very impressive. Kudos to you, sir.

[Astraph]

Note to self - landing struts are not only for landing it seems

A splendid example of Kerbal engineering, thank you for sharing