The Misadventures of the Jade Bastion and Her Crew (Pic Heavy)

[Themohawkninja]

This is the story of my epic multi-body landing and return Jool system mission.

Mission Objectives:

• Pol Landing w/ science at high space, low space, and ground.
  
• Bop Landing w/ science at high space, low space, and ground.
  
• Vall Landing w/ science at high space, low space, and ground.
  
• Jool atmospheric probe suicide science.
  
• Near and far Jool space science.
  
• Return to Kerbin w/ crew.
  

Crew

• Jebediah Kerman (Senior Pilot/Commander)
  
• Patsey Kerman (Co-pilot)
  
• Muncott Kerman (Science Officer)
  
• Lenbro Kerman (Science Officer)
  

The Jade Bastion (that didn't actually end up doing the mission)

As it turned out, two engines with that much mass means a ~35 minute burn time from LKO to Jool. So... a small modification was in order.

The Jade Bastion (that did actually end up doing the mission)

The extra eight engines and more fuel both increased acceleration and delta-V!

NOTE: The docked parts on either side of the middle orange tank are the Jool Atmospheric Probe, and a counterweight (basically a small fuel tank).

The Mission Logs

The mission started out fairly well once it got going. I easily got into a Jool capture and began a nice aerobraking.

After heading out to apoapsis and raising the perapsis above the Joolean atmosphere, it was time for the atmospheric probe. I undocked both it and the counterweight, docked the probe and counterweight to each other (just for the heck of it, really), and then I dropped the periapsis to about 30k and watched it burn all while getting science!

Successful parachute release.

The ground is turning black... solid... black...

One last image with what I believe is Vall, Tylo, and Laythe in the background.

Now off to our first landing site, Vall.

Faultless landing.

Now then, over to Pol. (now Patsey is doing the flying/landing)

Asparagus staged tanks run out and are discarded during the orbital burn.

Another faultless landing.

It is during my Jool->Kerbin burn that after reviewing my fuel reserves and realizing that Bop was quite more inclined than I recalled, I decided to scrap a Bop landing and go back to Kerbin.

It is also at this point that I realize that I made a terrible mistake in the design. The lander has one crew seat and is the only section with parachutes. There are no parachutes on the lab/hitchhiker module. I decide to get into a Kerbin orbit, however eccentric, land the lander portion (it has all the science anyways), and launch a mission to save the crew.

Firstly, there is the aerobraking (for being a docked craft, it held together as if it were attached via nodes through both the Jool and Kerbin aerobraking).

A nice shot of the lander coming down.

Just as Jebediah gets out of the Hitchhiker module to get in the docked emergency craft, a large explosion throws Jebediah ~7km from the ship (I was too in shock of what happened to get a picture, sorry). Upon returning to the ship (only used 3.5 units of RCS fuel to decelerate and accelerate back to the ship) a horrific site awaited Jeb.

The science lab, which housed the two science officers was what exploded. Surely both crew died either from the explosion itself, or the vacuum of space shortly thereafter.

This wasn't to be the end of the horror. Unforseen forces ripped off one of the engines and the drogue chute when all of he emergency lander's parachutes partially deployed (it was on 4x when the chutes partially opened).

Even with five parachutes, the emergency vessel still smashed into the water at about 9 m/s, killing Jeb, and stripping off a Mystery Goo can (so much for a Pol surface Goo experiment).

Yet, even through all of this, a miracle occurs. Upon returning to the Astronaut Complex to morn the loss of the crew, the two science officers are there chilling out in the lobby!

The Result

Objectives

• Pol Landing w/ science at high space, low space, and ground. SUCCESS
  
• Bop Landing w/ science at high space, low space, and ground. FAILED
  
• Vall Landing w/ science at high space, low space, and ground. SUCCESS
  
• Jool atmospheric probe suicide science. SUCCESS
  
• Near and far Jool space science. SUCCESS
  
• Return to Kerbin w/ crew. PARTIAL SUCCESS
  

Total Science

Initial Science: 543

Post-Jool Atmospheric Probe: 850

Post-Lander Return: 6773 (http://i.imgur.com/WFbEXHf.png)

Atmospheric Probe: 307

All other science (landings, near/far space, samples, etc.): 5923.6

Total science gained: 6230.6

Crew

Returned: 3/4

Dead: 1/4

[DisarmingBaton5]

That looks like a fun... and rewarding... mission. How long did it take, both in real time and in game?

[Specialist290]

Certainly a harrowing mission there! Surely Jeb's sacrifice has not been in vain, however.

[Themohawkninja]

That looks like a fun... and rewarding... mission. How long did it take, both in real time and in game?

In game: ~1.5 years

Real Life: A few hours at least (starting at the completed ship in LKO).