CosMech Astronautics: Project Constellation

[TerLoki]

This is basically just an account of my current projects in career mode.

Following the poor execution and near disaster of the Dyson's first manned Eve flyby, the decision was made to focus on exploration of Kerbin and its moons while simultaneously assembling infrastructure and researching components and techniques required for more advanced long duration missions. This initiative will take the form of three orbital stations and a small fleet of support craft built to take on various tasks. Each station will be modular and built from mostly the same components, or modifications there-of, to differing specifications based on role and location. The three stations will include:

Libra Station: Built in Minmus orbit, Libra Station is the first station to be constructed and will serve a dual role as an orbital kethane refinery and scientific research outpost, eliminating the need for landers to return to Kerbin after each mission. The station will consist of a core including solar panels, orbital thrusters, and 9 docking ports of 1.25m and 2.5m sizes, a fuel module with storage tanks and kethane refining equipment, at one or two habitat modules with docking nodes supporting .625m and 1.25m sizes, one or two science laboratories, and two solar trusses. The station will also have docking space for up to four 2.5m fuel tanks. Finally, the following craft will be permanently assigned to Libra Station: 1 "Dres K" kethane lander, 1 "Dres 2" scientific lander, 1 "Gilly Work-Bee" material handler. Enough Crew Transfer Vehicles to facilitate evacuation will also be present at all times.

Gemini Station: Gemini Station will be in LKO, and serve as the hub for all Kerbin orbital activities, specifically serving as a dry-dock and refueling depot for multi-part vessels, with fuel provided from either Libra station via orbital tug (LF/O, Monopropellant) or Kerbin via direct launch (Xenon, Argon, Hydrogen). The station will consist of a core including solar panels, orbital thrusters, and 5 docking ports of 1.25m size, a control module with cupola and attachment points for two to four 2.5m docking ports, four habitat modules two with docking nodes supporting .625m and 1.25m sizes, two permanent fuel tanks of 2.5m size, two gantry docking arms for berthing large spacecraft, and two solar trusses. 1 "Gilly Work-Bee" material handler will be permanently assigned to Gemini Station, and enough Crew Transfer Vehicles to facilitate evacuation will be present at all times.

Capricorn Station: The last station to be constructed will be Capricorn Station in Munar orbit. This will primarily be a scientific station with some refueling capabilities, primarily servicing Crew Transfer Vehicles and various landers stationed at the Mun, enabling scientific studies without the need to return to Kerbin. As such, Capricorn Station will be smaller, consisting of one core module of the same type as Gemini's, two standard habitat modules with docking ports, two science laboratories, two solar trusses, and a 2.5m fuel tank. 1 "Gilly Work-Bee" material handler and a yet-to-be-designed lander will be permanently assigned to Capricorn Station. Enough Crew Transfer Vehicles to facilitate evacuation will be present at all times.

The stations will be serviced by the following vehicles:

The "Duna 2 CTV" is the current workhorse Crew Transfer Vehicle of CosMech Astronautics. It uses a "Duna" Mark 1-2 three man command pod, and when launched atop a Draco Heavy rocket can easily make a round trip to Minmus with fuel to spare to a few rendezvous.

Kethane mining on Minmus will be carried out by the "Dres K" lander. The Dres K is our heaviest successful lander yet, capable of mining 6000 units of kethane and returning to Minmus orbit for processing.

Minmus science will be carried out by the smaller and more conservative "Dres 2". The Dres 2 is a two-man lander powered by an LV-909 engine with a small suite of science experiments, and was designed in response to the need for a lighter lander for the Constellation program. A heavier variant with a replaceable science palette for Kerbin return is being investigated.

The "Gilly Work-Bee" is designed to be a small, nimble craft for maneuvering heavy modules and fuel tanks into position once they arrive on station. The one-man craft has yet to be tested, but projections show that it should be capable of making the trip from Kerbin to Minmus on its own.

Designed alongside the lighter Work-Bee, the "Gilly Orbital Tug" is meant to move fuel tanks around Kerbin's SoI, particularly to and from Libra Station. This one-man craft uses 4 LV-909s, rather than the typical LV-N NERVAs, in order to decrease difficulty docking cargo to the large rear-mounted 2.5m docking port.

*Image To Be Added*

Two craft are currently being evaluated as replacements or expanded counterparts to the three-man Duna 2 CTV, the KSO mini-shuttle and in-development "Tylo CTV". The Tylo CTV will be a bulkier craft, but with longer range and planned seating for up to seven. The KSO on the other hand offers reusability and flexibility, as flights to LKO can carry cargo and launch small ion-driven satellites and probes as well.

As of this writing construction on Libra Station has begun, and its status is "operational". With the core, fuel module, and Dres K in place the station was manned for the first time by the crew of LSE-1, consisting of Commander Greglock, Pilot Thompfred, and Mission Specialist Cortrey. So far the crew has performed the first Kethane retrieval mission successfully, and are awaiting the arrival of the next two station modules before their return.

Edited March 1, 2014 by TerLoki

[TerLoki]

Construction of Libra Station continues to go smoothly, with the first habitat/docking module now added to provide a more comfortable environment for our crew.

Help in preparing the station for full operation also arrived in the form of LSE-2. The absence of a second hab module means that the crew of LSE-1 will need to return sooner than a typical mission, but they'll still be around for the arrival of the first science lab.

Testing of the KSO mini-shuttle are also going quite well. The first test article had a perfect take-off and was able to make a controlled gliding descent with ease, but unfortunately overshot the runway considerably and was forced to ditch in the ocean. Thankfully this was an unmanned test. A second trial run is intended as KSC's next launch, followed by the delivery of Libra Station's first science lab and the return of the LSE-1 crew.

[TerLoki]

New analysis of the Constellation Program has led to a few changes, resulting in a bit of streamlining due to budget cuts (read: worries my computer can't handle everything on one station). Because of this the requirements for Libra station have been modified, reducing it to one habitat and one laboratory module, and adding the second docking node to the lab. Additionally the development of a long range KSO and the Tylo CTV have been put on hold indefinitely, as the Duna 2 CTV has reliability and lower launch vehicle demands in its favor. Still, launches are proceeding on schedule.

The lab module was remotely launched and docked successfully on the first try. Now Libra Station can start serving its purpose as an orbital lab, and the real work over Minmus can begin.

Of course that's still a little ways off, and until then it's time for the crew of LSE-1 to head home.

This was the first time for a Duna capsule to return with the new "Block C" heat shield and parachute/docking ring equipment from Minmus orbit, and I'm happy to say it went off flawlessly! Kudos to Sumghai for the great parts.

And with LSE-1 on the ground it's time for LSE-3 to head out. This mission was the first launched on a standard Draco 1 rocket rather than a Draco Heavy, and the first to use the KSPX launch escape tower.

Well if NASA isn't going to use it, I may as well, right?

The station as it is now, with LSE-3 and the lab module docked. LSE-3 is the one with the open antenna. The next launch is a little uncertain right now, and will either be the first solar truss (if our engineers can settle on a design) or the delivery of the Dres 2 lander.

[TerLoki]

Today's docking was long, tedious, and few other adjectives that aren't quite forum appropriate, but ultimately worth it.

Before any real work could begin, the second of Libra Station's compliment of support craft arrived: The Gilly Work-Bee. The little work-bee was redesigned a bit, now as a pure RCS tug rather than the more conventional capsule with liquid-fuel main engines that it had been. It didn't really need those anyway, it's small enough to jsut hitch a ride anywhere.

It took three days for the solar truss to arrive, about the standard trip from KSC to the station, and enough time for Milbert to familiarize himself with the little ship. Good thing he did, because next came the hard part.

Despite the simplicity of the maneuver involved, those lightweight trusses proved a real pain to get into place. Next time I make something like this I'll have to check the CoM and RCS placement more thoroughly. Hang in there Milbert, you're half done!

This one truss could probably run the whole station by itself, then again it was running fine with just the panels on the Dres K, station core, and a single Duna CTV, but what's a station without big ol' solar panel arrays, right?

Not the cleanest alignment in the world on that last bit, but good enough for government work. So with that done, the work-bee docked, and Milbert cozy in the hab module's hitchhiker with the guys, it's time for a well deserved break for our crew, as mission control readies the Dres 2 for the next launch. See you all then!

[TerLoki]

It's been an eventful (in-game) week for Libra Station to be sure.

Kicking things off was the arrival of the long-awaited Dres 2 exploration lander. Modeled after craft like the Apollo LEM, the Dres 2 is an RTG powered lander with seating for two, driven by a single LV-909 engine. Unlike the LEM however, the Dres 2 is refuelable and fully reusable, provided access to an orbital facility like Libra Station, of course.

The crew was itching to see it in action, and as soon as all systems were double-checked and everything was at the ready the little lander was off on its maiden flight, with Milbert and Ribfield as its crew.

The crew poses for a remote camera photo at the newly named Newton Basin.

Excited Kerbals jumping around on EVA have been a bit of a headache for KSC engineers, causing at least three previous landers to lose solar panels. This is the main reason why the Dres 2 is RTG powered.

Lift-off! The Dres 2 flies pretty good, though admittedly the experiment payloads are a bit off-center, which leads to a bit of a list when at low throttle. Nothing Milbert can't handle, though. I'm glad to report that it is also rather overpowered for its role, carrying enough fuel to land on Minmus and dock with Libra station 3 times and still have some to spare.

The lander crew takes a well deserved break while Philman and Donbal analyze the samples and experiment modules in the lab.

Meanwhile at KSC, the delayed Surveyor 10 global mapping probe has finally launched and started its trip to Minmus. Hopefully this probe will help aid in selecting future landing sites.

And help it does! Even before munar scans are completed the probe's multispectral scanner picks up an anomalous signature in the northern highlands. The crew and KSC alike are mystified as to what it is, but one thing is clear: Someone needs to go down and find out!

That will have to wait however, as LSE-2 has hit the end of their assignment and needs to return home. This was my first descent with deadly re-entry. I'm very relieved to say that it went off without a hitch on the first try. Maybe I'm better at this than I thought?

The anomaly resulted in a last-minute change of crew for LSE-4. Now in charge of the mission is Commander Bob, one of the first to land the Mun and Minmus. Within three days they'll have arrived, bringing a shiny new "Block D" Duna CTV with them.

The anomaly isn't the only thing on LSE-3/4's docket. Assuming all goes well a second Kethane excursion is planned, and, launch window provided, KSC has approved flight testing of the Dres 2 on the Mun, using one of the CTVs as an orbiting command module. The result of these flight simulations and live tests could step up the timetable for new Mun landings, and cause KSC to reevaluate the immediate need for Capricorn Station.

[TerLoki]

The first few days aboard for LSE-4 were anything but restful. Almost as soon as the crew was settled in Bob and Adlas were sent off for a landing at the anomaly. Adding to the already high tension on this mission was the fact that the landing site was on the dark side of Minmus at the time.

The crew put down roughly 500m away from the anomaly, not bad on a planetary scale, but still a bit of a hike for Bob. What you see here is what they found, the "Hawking Monolith" as they dubbed it. KSC is contemplating a long term base at this location for further study.

That will have to wait for another time however, as the launch window for the planned inter-munar transit and landing test was a mere 16 hours away. In that time the crew had to return to Libra station, drop off and clean out the samples, then have the Dres 2 refueled and ready to go.

It was a tight schedule, but they pulled it off. At 2 hours before the launch window Bob, Donbal, and Munsey rendezvoused LSE-3's CTV with the lander and moved off from the station.

The flight inbound to the Mun was uneventful, though Munsey raised concern that there may not be quite enough fuel for a proper landing. The Duna 2 CTV was just a crew transfer vehicle after all, it wasn't designed to haul around landers in Kerbin's SoI.

Again, a clean landing, this time in the canyon between the Mun's twin craters, named "Foglio Canyon" by the crew. But it seemed Munsey may have been right about fuel in one regard: It had taken nearly half the lander's fuel to touch down.

Still, this being an unexplored area of the Mun the crew took their time in getting ready for lift-off. Need to collect all those samples and readings after all. It had been high noon when they landed, and the Dres 2 took off from roughly the terminator.

Orbital rendezvous. Again, taking more fuel than estimated. The lander only had ~100m/s of the 2000m/s it had started out with, not much to donate back to the CTV.

Low fuel reserves on both craft by the time they entered Minmus' SoI meant that the crew needed to use an RCS-assisted burn to circularize. Cutting it a little close guys... .

And a collective sigh of relief from both LSE crews and KSC as the two spacecraft rendezvoused with Libra Station, with only 3m/s of bipropellant remaining. Two things are for sure: We won't be trying THAT again, and next on LSE-3/4's to do list is a Kethane run. But that can wait for a bit, for now there are samples to process, and I'm sure Bob and his team could use a good shower.

[TerLoki]

Quite a bit happened today, though most of it was rather routine.

Adlas and Donbal took the Dres K on a kethane run, bringing up enough kethane to fuel the two CTVs, and both landers with quite a bit to space. This was followed by the departure of LSE-3 and arrival of LSE-5.

Next was an exploratory landing on Minmus' flats. Bringing back all the usual stuff, soil samples, gravimetric readings, goo canisters.

There were also two deliveries to Libra Station: The second solar truss and two brand new inflatable habitat modules. These two modules are intended to replace the one currently on the station, which will have its docking port taken by a second science lab.

Here we see the station with all modules in place or deployed. The original hab module still has to be replaced, but there's no big hurry there. Libra Station is a bit of a mess of construction at the moment, but has served as a pretty good proof of concept for the rest of the Constellation program's orbital facilities. Capricorn and Gemini station are both being prepared for launch and assembly at KSC, which will unlock further possibilities for exploring the Mun and beyond.

[wasmic]

Looks great. Nice read indeed.

[TerLoki]

Lots of activity recently.

Bob went on his last landing of LSE-4 before heading out. This leaves only one or two biomes left to cover on Minmus, then moving most of my efforts over to the Mun.

The core of Capricorn Station was launched into Munar orbit and will soon be receiving its first module, which will be a newly designed utility module. More on that in a minute

Ering and Adlas took the Dres K on its third kethane run.

And here we see LSE-5 returning. No, not LSE-4, that crew already left. LSE-5 is leaving here, and the station is now uncrewed. This is connected to that utility module I mentioned, which is replacing Libra Station's original habitat module.

Here's that module on its way to the station, the habitat module having already been deorbited. The reason for this change in plans, the utility module replacing the second lab, is that I decided to install TAC life support to complete the holy mod trinity alongside FAR and Deadly Reentry. So the station was evacuated during the transition.

And here's a shot from IVA during LSE-5's return to Libra Station in a new TAC-compatible Duna CTV. I seem to have forgotten to get any good exterior shots, I was too busy admiring the new launch cameras. Whoops.

Next time: Delivery of the upgraded Dres 2 and Dres K landers, development begins on the Dres 3, Capricorn Station gets its first deliveries, and LSE-6 prepares for launch.

Edited March 8, 2014 by TerLoki

[TerLoki]

After two rather boringly routine lander deliveries and the arrival of LSE-6, including Bill, Wilzer, and Ribfield, Libra station is once again back at 100%. Kethane mining is expected to resume soon followed by the delivery of the two modular fuel transfer tanks, which will be filled and then shipped off to Capricorn Station.

Here we see a rough mock-up of a completed Capricorn Station as it is currently planned. Gemini Station will appear very similar, except that the lab module will be replaced by expanded crew housing and life support facilities, given that Gemini will serve as a port for multiple crews and interplanetary ships.

In the mean time the utility module and first solar truss (shown here packed) have arrived at Capricorn Station, upgrading it to livable status. The Gilly Work-Bee (not pictured) also arrived and performed several auto-pilot flights to deploy the solar truss.

Commander Jebediah, Pilot Milbert, and Mission Specialist Hersen launch on CSE-1, the first crew rotation to Capricorn Station. Also the first flight of the TAC-upgraded Duna CTV and improved Draco 1 rocket that I remembered to get pictures of from the outside while in-flight.

CSE-1 arrives at the station. Most of their mission is going to be house-keeping, receiving modules, deploying trusses, and testing equipment before the next crew and lander arrives and the real science begins. Conditions are going to be a tad spartan without either of the hab modules, but I'm sure they'll manage, especially since Capricorn has a hitchhiker and cupola as living space in its core, rather than the small lander can and two nodes comprising Libra's.

Jeb checks out the view from the core's cupola while Milbert and Hersen double-check life-support systems in the utility module. I wish you could move around a bit in IVA, it'd be neat to have a Kerbal's-eye-view, poking your head up further into the cupola to look out and around.

Currently undergoing final ground testing is the new Vall automated transfer vehicle. The Vall ATV will service Libra, Capricorn, and (eventually) Gemini stations regularly. It features a pressurized cargo module for transferring necessities such as food and water.

It also has an unpressurized cargo bay for small station payloads that don't warrant their own launch. Here we see the first Vall ATV test-fitting a Mariner 1 reusable probe lander meant for Libra Station.

Edited March 9, 2014 by TerLoki

[TerLoki]

KSC has been focused primarily on the completion of Carpicorn Station and final checks of various logistics craft as of late, and so far most of it has gone smoothly.

Realizing that launching a Vall ATV for every cargo run regardless of the need for extra cargo would be overkill, our engineers have developed the smaller Loona ATV to work alongside it. The Vall has been reclassified as a "Heavy ATV".

Capricorn Station's first habitat module arrived, and CSE-1's CTV was relocated to its reserved docking port at the end. Though docking parallel to the solar truss is certainly possible, it was thought best to add an in-line docking module to the standard inflatable habitat. Adapters will be sent to Libra Station at some point to provide the same capability.

Capricorn's lab module was also delivered, meaning that only one more habitat module, the second solar truss, and the Dres 3 lander need to be installed before the station can be considered operational.

Then, right before a routine check-in with Libra Station, this happened.

Libra Station: Control, this is LS Actual, do you copy?

Kerbal Space Center: We read you LS Actual, everything alright up there?

LS: Well we're fine, but we've uh, had a bit of a glitch up here, Control.

KSC: Uh, copy that Actual. What kind of "glitch" exactly?

LS: I'm not sure how, but, uh, we've had service module separation on both Dunas.

KSC: Repeat that Bill, did you say that SM sep has occured?

LS: Affirmative, Control. We have visual confirmation from the lab on both SMs floating away.

*silence*

LS: So uh, can we have an ETA on replacements?

*silence*

LS: Control?

KSC: Look into the cause, Actual. We'll... Uh, we'll run a few simulations down here and get back to you.

The obvious solution was to launch two new crew vehicles to Libra Station. KSC simulated sending both at the same time following a rendezvous in LKO in order to streamline the operation. It didn't go well. The rendezvous was fine and there was certainly enough delta-V for the task, but the CTV's flight computer just couldn't handle an unmanned transfer with twice the usual mass in transit. So two single launches were planned instead.

The first one, LSC-E1, has already made rendezvous with the station, while LSC-E2 is on the pad. Good thing this happened while the station had more than two months of extra supplies on board.

Edited March 11, 2014 by TerLoki

[TerLoki]

Manned exploration of Minmus is winding down for the time being. There may be more activity in that regard later if a surface base is established, but today Wilzer and Herlan landed in the lowlands, which means the highlands are the only biome left to hit. There will be other scientific landings of course, but since all that remains is the materials bay those will be carried out by the Mariner 1 reusable return lander.

Meanwhile at KSC experiments are underway with VASIMR propulsion. The results look promising and could lead to Gemini Station's core module using VASIMRs for orbital adjustment rather that liquid fuel rockets, though that all depends on how much power can be generated by solar arrays.

Also under consideration is a fourth space station in Kerbin's SoI, Ophiuchus Station, which would be placed at the Kerbin-Mun L3 Lagrange point. It would be a smaller design than the others, and serve as a port for interplanetary ships, leaving Gemini Station the task of LKO research. An early mock-up with liquid propulsion is shown here, current designs call for a trio of argon-fueled pulsed inductive thrusters to be used.

Meanwhile at the Mun, the second solar truss arrived at Capricorn Station. Here we see Milbert deploying it with the Gilly Work-Bee.

Only one permanent module remains for Capricorn Station to reach completion: The second hab module. Though KSC is considering sending the Dres 3 lander on ahead for testing before then.

Either way, the view from the cupola never gets old.

[MikeBenton]

I like your thread so far. What mods are you using? I especially like the internal view from the cupola above.

[TerLoki]

I like your thread so far. What mods are you using? I especially like the internal view from the cupola above.

A bunch, I may still be forgetting some:

Kethane

Deadly Reentry

FAR

TAC Life Support

Near Future Propulsion

KW Rocketry

MechJeb

ScanSAT

RPM

Home Grown Rocketry

Inflatable Habitats

Active Texture Management

SDHI Service Module

B9 (lights, RCS, and mini-SRBs only)

KSPX launch escape system

Hullcam

6S Service Module Tubes

I've also got the KSO and ALCOR pod installed, but I have yet to make a satisfactory design with the ALCOR and I can't fly the KSO for crap, so don't expect to see those any time soon.

Edited March 12, 2014 by TerLoki

[TerLoki]

Haven't played as much as usual the last few days, it's been busy around here and a Minecraft server I've been waiting for is about to go live, but we do have some progress.

The improved Dres 3 munar exploration lander and the first of two fuel transfer modules arrived at Capricorn Station. The lander came fully fueled, and the orange tank holds enough for at least three additional landings. Note that the rather large battery pack attached to the main tank is not in fact part of the fuel module, but rather a permanent addition to the station that hitched a ride up on the same rocket. The transfer module itself is designed to be transported via orbital tug to Libra Station for refueling, then brought back.

Ran a few tests on the new HGR "Soy-Juice" Soyuz analog system in sandbox mode. It works just great, but I probably won't be implementing it in career until the design is more finalized and the IVAs are installed, just to be on the safe side.

Jeb and Milbert take the Dres 3 down on its maiden voyage.

Touchdown! Time for some munar antics!

Right, that's enough fooling around for now, there's science to be done and photo ops to be had. Milbert forgot the tripod, so he had to hold the camera.

Coming in for a rendezvous. In hindsight the Dres 2 could probably handle this job, but the extra 400+ delta-V could be useful for polar landings, and I like a large safety margin.

[TerLoki]

The next update will take a while, there's been a bit of an accident.

Bill and Cortrey went down for the last Minmus landing in the main series, targeting the highlands near the south pole. The deorbit, landing, and EVA went fine, but then something weird happened when Cortrey boarded the lander.

It may be a bit hard to tell from this picture, but the lander is in an end-over-end spin. All attempts to stabilize, including RCS, SAS, and steering via the main engine, had no effect.

This is all that was left after the spin-out. My first thought was to mount a rescue mission, but then I checked the resource count left in the pod. There was plenty of food and oxygen, but both water tanks had ripped off in the crash, leaving Bill and Cortrey only 2 days of supplies. I reverted to the last quick-save after failing to come up with an immediate rescue plan, which sent my progress all the way back to the post at the top of this page. To make matters worse, I only just remembered the Dres K while typing this, which could have flown down on autopilot to recover the crew. In light of this the next missions I fly will be bringing things back up to where I had them before, and the "Kerbal lost" stripe will be added to Minmus' ribbon.

Edited March 16, 2014 by TerLoki