[Video] Kerpollo 18 - Why we never went back.

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Just as a quick note, the video is probably better then the writing just because the writing is based off the video and I haven't watched or read anything that has really inspired me. When I'm inspirired obviously the writing is better.

Kerpollo 17, the 2nd to last Mun Mission was launched 1972. It was the 17 manned mission to the Mun using the old outdated Mun-Bug, on the the last mission the lander almost crashed which would have killed all a board. KASA decided they needed a new lander! This lander was much more simple then the MunBug style lander then before, with only 4 small fuel tanks 4 engines and a lander can. KASA thought they had an amazing new lander until Kerpollo 18, this is their story.

Kerpollo 18, scheduled to launch May 23rd, 1976. This mission was to be launched using the new revolutionary T-800 launcher system by USKS. Another major difference is that the lander did not have a Command Module. The rockets booster stage was to achieve munar orbit, the lander would then separate and land. Jeb Kerman was chosen to taken a rookie on the mission and get him use to the new lander even though he does not know how to use it himself.

Launch day came rather quickly and the two man crew jumped on board with great excitement. In their earpiece they heard the countdown to launch. "Ignition!" A sudden shaking of the craft as they are pushed back down into their seats by the G-Forces being exerted as the craft begins to pick up more speed. At 9km they feel the craft roll over on its side to start the gravity turn, quickly after the turn the force of the engines stop as they run out of fuel. "Booster seperation."

"Main engine firing" The crew get forced into their seats once again as the main engine fires pushing them into a sub-orbital trajectory. Once thing was difference about this, instead of doing a burn at apoptosis to circularize the orbit the engine continue to fire. The engine was burning for a total of 11 minutes to get a Munar encounter. The hours waiting to reach the Mun were boring at that, but also filled with anxiety not knowing how well the new lander performs.

The main engine fires one last time circularizing an orbit at 7.5km off the Mun's surface. It is seperated and left in orbit around the Mun. The crew orbits looking for a good landing location. Once a nice smooth surface was spotted they waited to come back around to it and fired the booster engine. All horizontal velocity was killed quickly and booster engine separation was clean. This was the last transmission from the crew... In memory of Jeb Kerman and "New Guy" Kerman.