Not Apollo style, but efficient two part lander, lets call it "Land'em Jeb Style"

[nadreck]

So, having pushed to get the NERVA engine, I built and launched the lander pictured below, it is reusable in part because the Mk 1-2 command pod and it's science instruments and Jeb, Bill, and Bob return for maximum science points with their reports, while the lander (equipped with a Probodyne OKTO) waits in orbit.

It made a maiden voyage and proof of concept flight to land in the Polar crater on Mun and brought back 600 tech points (enough for the last two science instruments which will be on board the next science core and will be used for my first interplanetary mission (Eve and Gilly), I won't get a surface sample or EVA report from Eve, but I will equip my refuelling ship for my lander with a probe that it can leave docked to the refuelling docking port to get atmospheric, gravitational, seismic, pressure, temperature, goo, and materials data from Eve's surface and do EVA and sample return from Gilly. So to send it out to Eve I will send up two rendezvousing vehicles one with mainly fuel and a parachuting probe with everything it needs to do the best possible unmanned science on Eve. And a revamped science and kerbal carrying Mk1-2 command module that will dock and eventually land back on Kerbal. Probably I will just send Bill and Bob, just in case there is trouble and I have to mount a rescue mission with the same class of craft.

Note the ships name is "the NERVA that darn science lander"

[relin]

That's a cool design, having the command module rest right on the surface like that. Consider me inspired.

[Kromey]

So if I'm seeing this right, there's a docking port above the command module's RCS tank? The whole thing together lands on Mun (or wherever), takes off again, transfers back to LKO, and then the command module detaches, uses RCS to de-orbit and return, while the rest stays in orbit, ready to be refueled and reused for the next mission. That about sum it up?

I rather like this design. I personally don't like relying solely on RCS for my de-orbits, and would give the command module a proper engine, but nonetheless this is a brilliant design that will be inspiring my own future missions! This actually looks like it could -- maybe with a few minor tweaks -- be a great interplanetary transfer module as well!

[nadreck]

Yup Kromey you have it in perfect detail. However while I did use RCS on the latest mission for the de-orbit burn, if you are a Heller for efficiency you can aerobrake the whole thing into an elliptical orbit, disconnect, then put the command module in permanent orbit while leaving the sample and personnel return vehicle to re-enter at the next periapsis.

Oh and PS. the objective with this lander was to have as low a CG and wide a base as possible for landings on slopes.

[nadreck]

Well the lander worked on Gilly, and Bill and Bob got back without needing a rescue from Jeb, but the reusable lander was sacrificed to get them back using RCS on the science return command pod. I left a lot of science points on the table though the flight netted 2594 science points. There were some major screw ups and cluster chucks and some great saves and awesome luck.

Here is a kind of ÃŽâ€-V chronicle of the flight:

[TABLE=width: 800]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD]Maneuver ÃŽâ€-V

(m/s)[/TD]

[TD]Flight time

D:H:M [/TD]

[TD]Events [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]1040.4[/TD]

[TD]0[/TD]

[TD]Ignition in LKO when I thought everything was ready to go

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]425.9[/TD]

[TD]10:02:18[/TD]

[TD]change plane by 2.0° at node, now we have Eve intercept[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]15.4[/TD]

[TD]15:14:47[/TD]

[TD]fine tune Eve periapsis to 60km[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]0.6[/TD]

[TD]36:13:38[/TD]

[TD]decouple atmospheric probe

adjust lander periapsis to 75km as safety Aerobrake

since attention will be on the probe

Probe parachutes to a safe landing, I discover that I had

forgotten the batteries on the probe and the 10 units of

charge in the probe control module didn't cut it to

transmit anything! oops, had plenty of solar cells just no storage[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]560.0[/TD]

[TD]43:04:42[/TD]

[TD]Tried to fly by the seat of Bob and Bill's pants to intersect Gilly

from a just barely escape path near the edge of Eve SOI after

insufficient aerobraking to achieve orbit. [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]

165.0

[/TD]

[TD]44:02:20[/TD]

[TD]Missed Gilly by more than 2,000 km so I admitted my error

adjusted the Eve escape course down to a grazing orbit to do more

Aerobreaking[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]12.3[/TD]

[TD]44:16:33[/TD]

[TD]Raise periapsis post aerobreaking[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]117.6[/TD]

[TD]44:21:13[/TD]

[TD]Kerbin we have a problem!

We are more than 90° off the plane we want

Raise PE again starting to plan out inclination changes[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]399.7[/TD]

[TD]45:02:27[/TD]

[TD]first node inclination change

fuel is starting to be a serious concern

wasted seat of pants may cost mission

Bob and Bill consult with Jeb who is confident that he can mount

a rescue mission if needed, so they decide to go ahead with the

Gilly landing[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]346.8[/TD]

[TD]47:06:24[/TD]

[TD]Matched planes with Gilly[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]4.1[/TD]

[TD]58:05:25[/TD]

[TD]To be most efficient waited until a tiny course correction would

bring the craft into the Gilly SOI[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]202[/TD]

[TD]61:00:36[/TD]

[TD]Initial orbit of Gilly[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]4.4[/TD]

[TD]61:04:52[/TD]

[TD]Circularize Gilly Orbit at 13Km[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]17.5[/TD]

[TD]61:06:41[/TD]

[TD]Kill all orbital velocity to drop straight to Gilly[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]

~20

(based on

fuel use)

[/TD]

[TD]61:07:03[/TD]

[TD]Land

do science Bill gets the EVA (bob did the eva's over Gilly and Eve)

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]

~12

(as above)

[/TD]

[TD]61:07:20[/TD]

[TD]Take off to 8km Apoapsis ballistic trajectory[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]12.2[/TD]

[TD]61:07:31[/TD]

[TD]Establish Gilly orbit[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]1.1[/TD]

[TD]61:08:46[/TD]

[TD]Circularize at 15km

Look for easter egg on equator (but it isn't obvious

from equatorial 15km orbit)[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]5.2[/TD]

[TD]61:19:28[/TD]

[TD]Escape Gilly SOI

but now things are really tight for fuel

Bill and Bob decide to wait until the return window to

alter their near Gilly orbit[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]696.2[/TD]

[TD]170:11:41[/TD]

[TD]Establish grazing orbit (150km) to maximize hyberbolic velocity

(Oberth effect) orbit needs to have its ascending leg roughly along

vector for Kerbin Hohmann orbit

Fuel situation critical, there is definitely going to be a problem by the

time orbital plane adjustments will have to be made[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]179.3[/TD]

[TD]170:17:44[/TD]

[TD]Bill and Bob have all their digits crossed and recrossed

this course looks like it will work, but after this burn

they are down to just over 200 litres reaction mass and the next

maneuver is the 2° plane change, no matter how they slice it

they are not going to make it with the fuel left[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]362.5[/TD]

[TD]180:11:45[/TD]

[TD]Burn all the reaction mass, then switch to RCS and use 235 litres of

RCS fuel to get the last 70m/s now down to 332 litres of RCS left

The debates rage between Bill and Bob and via a high latency link

with Jeb. The next maneuver would take 175.3 m/s but at that rate

of RCS burn they wouldn't make it and that maneuver only establishes

the cross into the Kerbin SOI. However there is a plan, building a new

lander will be significantly cheaper than a rescue mission, if they

transfer all the RCS to the 320 litres of tanking ringing the crew and

science return capsule and block those tanks off from the systemic

cross feed they have 12 litres left for the lander. They then could

disconnect from it and go the rest of the way in the capsule. That lander's

technology was out of date anyway, so many new developments since

it was built.[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]175.3[/TD]

[TD]182:02:30[/TD]

[TD]After this burn the capsule just barely will cross into the Kerbin SOI and

there is 196 litres of RCS left[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]60.1[/TD]

[TD]182:06:53[/TD]

[TD]A very carefully calculated and monitored burn that put the capsule on

course for an 8km periapsis at Kerbin[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD]211:19:17[/TD]

[TD]Landed on the grasslands at Kerbin with 148 litres of RCS remaining[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=align: right]Total: ~4655[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]