Starflight One: The Tube Rescue

[ihtoit]

DISASTER! The first stage of our new Space Colony construction has hit on one or two little snags. For a start, some dimwit forgot to attach the Clamptron Senior to the ass of the beast to allow the attachment of major station parts including science, a docking hub with escape pods, and long-term life support systems. The second crew capsule sent up with constructors including Bill and Bob also carried an unwanted passenger. A computer virus invaded the guidance system, and sent the station core on a direct course into the Sun, right before it jettisoned the entire propulsion system! The last communication we had from the crew suggested that the docking port had taken some damage when the propulsion systems were jettisoned as the rockets were still firing. The last bit of that transmission indicated that they had in fact enough air and power to survive until impact, but radio range of only about 3,000km. Suits and EVA systems are all nominal.

The station is on a trajectory that will bring it outside of Kerbin's orbit for approximately 8 days, then it's an unpowered 22 day swan dive into Kerbol.

The mission brief is a single ship on a powered intercept, then EVA of each crew member to the rescue ship, then off for a nice leisurely flight back home.

The plan: Perform the intercept and rescue, circularise close to Kerbol, then perform a Holmann intercept of Kerbin. With the "hot" nuclear engines available we should be able to do this in a fairly compact ship, even if we're firing them all the way in.

[ihtoit]

The Mission:

I knew I had to design in a lot of delta-V, I went for 47km/s hoping that would be enough...

Sorry, Jeb! It'll be gone in a minute then you can get back to your Pon-Farr...

Burning for high Kerbin escape...

Pretty!

Setting the controls for the heart of the Sun...

(free carrot for whoever got the reference!)

The errant core on its outward arc...

A happy encounter with Mun, that just happens to be firing us off in the right direction...

...or not. Bringing the periapse down gave us this - the apoapse is in the wrong place!

nearly LOTSOFkm/s burned later, and a very long burn, the apoapse is in the right place (inside the arc of the target body), but we're now orbiting retrograde! So, a bit of time acceleration until we're actually physically inside the target arc, some more burning and we're going the right way again... now we have to slow down for intercept...

The Tube...

Setting up for terminal intercept, running VERY low on fuel...

The first Kerbal is away!

Safely aboard...

Last two Kerbals waiting their turns...

Last Kerbal Out, Captain Bob takes one last look back at the Tube...

All safe...

and ready to go home!

Confirmation of the Tube having been completely evacuated...

Just in time, too, as it starts to drift at Ludicrous Speed toward the loving embrace of Kerbol...

Rescue is at a safe periapse distance...

Just as well, we're out of fuel! SEND RESCUE!

Oh, fer... this is going to bite into my score! 7000 for the rescue...

[AtomicNinja17]

Great Job Man Keep It up

[ihtoit]

mission lessons learned: get into Kerbolar orbit before Kerbin's orbit carries you outside of the target arc, otherwise you're going to be burning through something like 40km/s just to move your apoapse (you seriously don't have time to orbit round). Oh well. I have plenty time to put a boat into Kerbolar orbit, pick my apoapse kick burn and rendezvous, do yet another crew transfer and get the lads home!

Launcher note: this would have been infinitely easier if I'd packed extra LF and gone for the Poseidon's Revenge engines instead of the Super Atomics, I'd've been able to drop inside the arc on the first go.

I might do a slight redesign on the rescue can to do that (I'll have to, I got two extra bodies to rescue!), saves me repeating the mission with an improved design - though I may still do that anyway.

[ihtoit]

ok, new plan: sending up a Poseidon's Revenge rescue boat, crew of 2+12 passenger capacity, and instead of a huge fuel tank which will end up as dead weight by the time I get back to Kerbin, I'm going to add several small detachable tanks, loads of chutes and plan for a tail landing on engines. Provided I have the fuel. I don't think any amount of strutting will give me the integrity to withstand a dozen chutes yanking back on the ship I'm planning.

[ihtoit]

OK, correction: 1 crew, 12 passengers.

Here's "The Tube Rescue Rescue". Same basic design as Starflight One. Top stage boost, one Poseidon's Revenge, lots of intermediate fuel stages:

Liftoff!

Fuel first stage sep.:

"Uh... control, we heard a clang!"

"Never mind that, burn for escape."

"Roger."

"Plotting first periapse correction."

"Plotting second periapse correction..."

The Beauty Shot. Prior to external Poseidon inspection.

Bartdred Kerman doing laps...

"Hey, you got work to do!"

"It's uh... it's... it's round."

"...and glowing."

"Dare me to get closer?"

<Beavis>"Yeah yeah! Go on, light it! Light it!"</Beavis>

"GET BACK INSIDE! NOW!"

::glum::

"Uh, ok the engine is blown. Suggest we jettison."

"OK, go on and do that. We'll have to adjust your plots."

Low orbit Holmann intercept

PERFECT!

...and across they go...

...one by one...

"Uhh... I think there's a problem back there."

"Specify...?"

"I'll let *them* tell you."

"HEEEEEEELP!!"

"KRAKEN! FLEE!"

Mad scramble for a berth...

(flying six EVA Kerbals simultaneously is NOT easy!)

"WE'S'A GOIN' HOOOOME!"

Bringing the periapse back up...

Happy Kerbals...

Now, this might look a mess (it is), but let me tell you what's happening here: I'm coming in on a polar encounter, so first thing I need to do is get into orbit, then bring my inclination to zero (I'd like to try a KSC landing), then bring it in for a low KO and entry burn. They're all queued.

NO! I'M NOT!

LKO insertion

Target ILS for KSC touchdown

Re-entry:

Chutes deployed:

HAVE IT!! I did actually land on the tail, some fool decided it might be fun to add terrain to the KSC VAB track! Ten Kerbals, safe and sound!

Got five out before the thing got Krakened (I knew it had followed us in!)

Parade formation:

206d15h8m:

Score: 7,000 (IT LANDED! Then it exploded.)

Minus MET: -4959

TOTAL: 2041

[ihtoit]

OK, I'll admit - I was going for a VAB roof landing!

[nli2work]

Crazy mission setup

how are you packing 20km+ dV into 57 tones with only 4 stock NERVAs, at 2+ TWR no less?

[Tw1]

I claim the Free Carrot!

Now, to go back and finish reading this...

Edit: Those are some expensive maneuvers you made. Those engines must be pretty efficient.

Edited May 25, 2014 by Tw1

[ihtoit]

they're not quite as efficient as the new plasma gear. But I still love 'em because I don't have to futz around with nuclear reactors to get them to fire...