Mission to Eve

[gilflo]

This is my biggest challenge, as I want to build a ship able to land on Eve, make some experiments for science, get my kerbal on Eve ground to take sample, then the ship must be able to take off to join and dock to a small pusher that will push it back to Kerbin. This ship will embark a Kerbal in a Lander can with all the material for science including a science Jr lab, atmosphere analysis, accelerometer, gravity detector, temperature, and seismic detector plus mysterious goo and 4 parachutes. The weight of this top unit is 3,7T. Landing on Eve will be done by parachutes, maybe the help of engines at the very end, just to get a touch at a maximum of 3m/s. Then the ship will leave all his gears and parachutes for take off. Landing of top unit on Kerbin will be done on parachutes only. I take help from Kasuha, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/63743-Eve-lander-capable-of-return-from-sea-level, for the design of parachutes and gears.

The need for Aerospike engine for take off from Eve is obvious, but the main problem with this engines is that you cannot set your ship on a lower stage by the means of decouplers on Aerospike. As the ship will be heavy, I used 3 central engines Vesta Wildcat to sit the whole ship on the last stage of the rocket that will send it into space. It is composed of 30 asparagus tanks and engines around a center tanker. Total weight including gears and parachutes is 265T for landing on EVE. Take off weight will be 220T and this design gives me 8500 DV, so I hope it will be enough and that means I must land on a mountain at a minimum altitude of 6000m.

Here is a pic of the ship. It is attached by the mean of the 3 central engines to a set of 5 braking rockets (750DV), under which are 3 Clamp o Tron docking Sr ports. The wole thing is set to orbit by 16 KW Rocketry 3,5m asparagus stages, with Griffon XX and Titan engines, plus a set of 7 rockomax tank and Mainsail engines.

There is 18 MK 25 parachutes that will begin to slow down the whole ship at 2500m (30m/s on Kerbin), then 180 more MK2 that open fully at 500m and give 6,2m/s on Kerbin

TAKE OFF 3200T 1225 pieces

Later 8000m

and 15000m

LAST STAGE

Then I tried a re-entry and landing on Kerbin. It was a success

All parachutes deployed

Take off, leaving all gears and parachutes

Then I design an atomic pusher to push my ship to Eve. I used 7 Rockomax tanks with 7 FTmN nuclear Rockets: Thrust 280 , 8,5 Tons each

On The top are 3 Sr clamp o Tron docking ports, the pusher will dock on the Back of the Eve lander by the mean of these 3 big docking ports. I tried with 3 Jr docking ports and there was so much wobbling that I couldn't use more than 35% of power and it took hours to reach Eve. I add some quantum struts.

I used the same launcher to put it on orbit

Here is ship docked with the pusher. First time, only the center docking ports were aligned, I had to undock, roll again to align docking ports and dock again. The nuclear engines helped me because it takes a lot of time to gain speed with only RCS.

The pusher weight is more than 300T

I add a lot of RCS and RCS quad to be able to move the ship as quickly as possible on its 3 axes as it is not easy to line up these 2 monsters for docking.

View of docking ports: The whole ship, pusher + lander + lander low stage weight 713T and we get 2900DV to go to EVE. We should make it.

Here is my previous try to EVE, the ship was broken during separation with the lower stage before landing, a part is missing but it landed safely. No return possible

[Geschosskopf]

EEEEgad

[gilflo]

Beginning transfert to EVE:

No wobbling, everything runs prefect.

[jacobgong]

you don't need that many parachutes, nor do you need that big of a lander to do this.

[gilflo]

Well, what's the good design to do this?

Kasuha design is lighter because he has only 2 seats for 2 Kerbals at the top of the rocket. I don't really see how he flies back to Kerbin after leaving Eve

Edited February 2, 2014 by gilflo

[jacobgong]

I think an Eve return lander could be done bwtween 200-300 tones, with stock parts and the small lander (no seat).

[gilflo]

That's it. My lander is 265T on Landing and 220 on take-off. I just add a lower stage for margin for maneuver around Eve. I could do this with the Atomic pusher but it's awfully long time.

You do not mean 200-300T departing from Kerbin?

[technion]

Well, what's the good design to do this?

Kasuha design is lighter because he has only 2 seats for 2 Kerbals at the top of the rocket. I don't really see how he flies back to Kerbin after leaving Eve

From what I can see, you're bringing all the science components back into orbit? If you can have a kerbal grab the science, then eject those components, that's a lot less weight. If a final stage involves a tiny tank/engine/probe combo, it can push 2800dv, but that drops to something like 1000 with just a few small parts added to the surface.

FWIW, I found it highly frustrating having to land 15 times to try and hit mountains at a certain height.

[gilflo]

From what I can see, you're bringing all the science components back into orbit? If you can have a kerbal grab the science, then eject those components, that's a lot less weight. If a final stage involves a tiny tank/engine/probe combo, it can push 2800dv, but that drops to something like 1000 with just a few small parts added to the surface.

Right, how do you proceed exactly for the Kerbal to grab the science, once all the science have been done? I mean where do you click, what do you click?

Edited February 3, 2014 by gilflo

[technion]

Pop a science .jr covered in instruments into LKO and test this out.

* Perform experiments

* Perform EVA

* Fly right next to the experiment

* Right click and "take science"

* Return to capsule

* Fire a decoupler that separates the science components

When you return, you'll land with all science attached.

In the Eve scenario, you'll need to deal with ladders to make that workable.

[gilflo]

Thanks, I am going to try that

[gilflo]

Well I try that on the launch platform and the Kerbal can take the experiments, but he is not able to access any platform via ladder. Once on the top of the ladder, he is so stupid that he can't walk on any platform at the top of the ladder nor grab an experiment,he just falls, he cannot move forward nor right or left, nor jump, he just falls.

So I do not how to use a ladder system that do not lead to crew hatch, once on Eve.

[Scotius]

Good Lord...this ship Whackjob himself would be proud of this unholy abomination And your processor must be visible from the orbit in infrared LOL.

[gilflo]

I like your sense of humour! but it's only a iMac intel core i5 2,8 GHZ .....

Edited February 3, 2014 by gilflo

[gilflo]

Pop a science .jr covered in instruments into LKO and test this out.

* Perform experiments

* Perform EVA

* Fly right next to the experiment

* Right click and "take science"

* Return to capsule

* Fire a decoupler that separates the science components

When you return, you'll land with all science attached.

In the Eve scenario, you'll need to deal with ladders to make that workable.

Following your advise here is my new ship. All the science stuff (lab Jr, sensor cones, Myst goo, all sensors are just above ground level and can be collected by foot around the ship while she is on her gears. Trying was successful.

Gain is 700DV, total will be 9090 DV which allows landing down to 5000m. Present mission is not successful as I miscalculate the orbit inclination, we are not orbiting above or around the highest lands to land and we don't have enough fuel remaining for such a de orbiting. See new mission next week.

[technion]

Gain is 700DV,

Yep, that's an awful lot when the total circularise is usually around the 1500dv mark.

[gilflo]

Here is the new design Eve lander in orbit around Kerbin before departure to EVE

I miss a lot of fuel when intercepting EVE orbit, so I send a giant tank for refueling in order to had enough DV to establish a 120km orbit passing over the highest mountains.

Here is the rendez vous and the refueling

[gilflo]

SUCCESFUL LANDING ON EVE !!

Mix photos of my 2 attempts, the first one fails because i let Mechjeb does all the job.

For the second one I land manually.

Now performing low orbit

Braking for entry. I used mechjeb for calculation and breaking

Atmospheric breaking

Separation from last stage

Parachute deployment, we should land at an altitude of 7500m

First parachute breaking at 2500m; The ship weight for landing is 262T

All parachutes breaking, vertical speed 6m/s; I intend to use engines on last 20m to break at 3m/s

ON VE GROUD !!!

Dust due to engine use

ON EVE WE ARE !!

[technion]

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

Did you launch the lander and that huge transfer stage in one go? How ever did you get that into orbit? I always ended up draining half the lander and refuelling it in orbit before sending up a separate transfer.

[gilflo]

I launched into Kerbin orbit the lander and its lower stage, then the atomic pusher, both with the same lifter. Then I docked the pusher to the lower stage of the lander by mean of Sr docking port with quantum struts to avoid wobbling. I made it to Eve orbit, the way I did it for the first ship, but I do not know why, I spend much more DV during interplanetary transfert than during the first try and I arrived on Eve with a bad inclination orbit that was not good for the landing site. that's why I had to launch a KW rocketry big tank and make a rendez vous to refuel the nuclear pusher.

The launcher is a combination of 17 asparagus KW rocketry biggest tanks with 13 engines on the lower stage, coupled to a 7 orange stock tanks with Mainsail engines, thus non asparagus. The whole thing weight is around 3215T at launch.

[gilflo]

Succesfull Take off from EVE

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/70190-successfull-take-off-from-EVE?p=979621&posted=1#post979621

Edited February 19, 2014 by gilflo

[Astronaut]

I think Whackjob found a new friend.

You guys should do missions together when multiplayer is released.

[gilflo]

Back to Kerbin after Rendez vous with space shuttle

Leaving Eve SOI

Approaching Kerbin for orbit

Undocking from shuttle

Atmospheric breaking

Parachute deployment

A few seconds and Jeb will be safe

On ground

Science report, should have been better, i certainly forgot to perform some work...

[technion]

I think Whackjob found a new friend.

You guys should do missions together when multiplayer is released.

It's similarly sized to the multiple sea-level Eve ascenders I've built.