[AAR] Race To Duna

[NASAFanboy]

Dr. Robert Kerman: What our space program lacks today is a goal. It lacks a objective for itself to accomplish, and as a result, we've been stuck in Low-Kerbin Orbit for what? Fourty years? Probably more. [...] I've been telling these guys down at Aseria, that if you don't take the intiative, someone else will. And now look. The Chaiqeng have sent up their space station module of the Heavenly Palace-2, and we're still languishing away in Low Kerbin Orbit. I'm not saying the NASA itself is a failure, our operations such as Commerical Orbitals were rather spectacular successes, I'm saying that we need to step up our efforts to reach Duna. Duna, it is the next step for Kerbal civilization, and should be the next step for the United Provinces. The question is......are we going to go for it?

CHAPTER PORTAL

Chapter 2

★★★★★★★★★★★

November 2016, NASA Headquarters, Aseria

Two well-dressed Kerbal officals set near a fireplace. One was taller, one was shorter, one was an Senator, the other, an Administrator of one of the most underfunded agencies on Kerbin. They spoke in hushed tones, trying their best to ignore the massive snowfall outside and the whistling of the wind. They sat quietly for a while, sipping their coffee and silently brooding over an report on the coffee table.

Director Jedfrey Kerman: Have the Kerbals on the Space Exploration Vision reported back? Vice President Posey is pressuring us to quikly file a report regarding the Space Launch System and the Asteroid Retrival... I've never had a good feeling about asking to file a report by a politican, and I never will.

Senator Nedbob Kerman: Uh, Mr. Administrator, they've reported back alright. But I don't think you would like it. Well, nevermind, its both good news and bad news.

Jedfrey shuddered. The good news was always mediocre, the bad news was always horrid to an major extent. He had learned from his years as a politican that bad news was the death of an entire program, or something with potiental that the politicans sponsors didn't like.

Director Jedfrey: Hurry up. What's the news form the committee?

Senator Nedbob: Asteriod Retrival Mission, cancelled. Space Launch System is to be redesigned and launched in two years, but luckily, Planetary Science was left alone, allowing us to continue spending and operations on the Europa Clipper, New Horizons, and Cassini. Our 2020 rover has not bee-oh, look, it's been changed to Sample Return by 2021.. The Multinational Space Station has been extended to 2030, and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, has been kept intact.

Director Jedfrey: Anything else?

Senator Nedbob: Si-,sorry, I mean, Mr. Administrator, the Vice President wants us to return to the Moon. Mars mission has been postponed to some "date no later than 2050". We are to establish a lunar outpost capable of hosting a small crew semipermanently for three month stays by 2025. Asteriod Retrival Cancelled, Space Launch System has been redesigned and will launch in 2017 with new ECLSS system that has been rushed.

Jedfrey tightened up. Oh bother, Charlie is never going to forgive me for this, he thought, thinking about the Kerbal who held his post before him. Charlie Kerman was an staunch opponent of any attempted return to the Moon, and so were many of his friends in the enviroment he grew up in.

Director Jedfrey: A lunar return? Do we have the funds for that?

Senator Nedbob: They've ordered us to return to the Moon by 2022 and have given us 18.5 billion dollars for the 2017 Fiscal Year. Orion has been left untouched, although their report does hint at an 6-Kerbal version of it. However, we are to launch Exploration-Mission Two in 2020, on its typical Apollo-8 style lunar flyby. With a twist, of course. They're going to bring an the hardware of the Luanr Excursion Vehicle with them, and test the systems and avionics.

Director Jedfrey: Have we done the 2016 test for the Orion LES?

Senator Nedbob: That's a check. Most of our equipment is still here, like the LER's. The last President didn't cancel them, he just cancelled their purpose. But we're bringing it back. When should we make the announcement to the press? They're claiming that we're losing to the Chaiqengs...

Director Jedfrey: But the ARM...

Senator Nedbob: The ARM has been indefintely postponed, and the equipment for it has been placed in the government archives. We will likely repurpose the probe as an Moho orbiter or something. Something its hard to reach. It's solar propulsion shall do it much good.

But, but, we should go to both the asteroid and the moon. Jedfrey wanted to protest, but kept his mouth shut. Its not going to do you any good, Jedfrey. Just shut up and listen before Ned makes it worse. He hated politicans.

Director Jedfrey: Ah, ok. Now, what should I say to the press? Should I call it an "Bold new intiative for space exploration?".

Senator Nedbob: Add something about our intiative using something like "groundbreaking technologies" or some crap like that. The media eats that up with glee. Also, can you pull some political strings to get my Congressional reelection money flowing into the right direction? I have to speak with some sponsors about that.

Director Jedfrey: Certainly. You represent one of the Space Provinces, yes?

Senator Nedbob: I do. I have to go right now, another hearing about some genetically modifed food or some boring stuff like that...

Director Jedfrey: I'll get to that, then.

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July 2017, KSC

The sun rose over the horizon, its rays lightening up the dark landscape below. An massive rocket stood on the launchpad, its boosters gleaming in the morning dew. At Mission Control, an small crowd of scientists and engineers amassed, watching in awe as the rocket began its liftoff preparations. The massive vehicle lacked a paint job, but they didn't mind. Sending it out without one would get it launched earlier, after all. Years of their work and tests had given birth to an new benemoth, one of massive scale and one to be proud of.

Exploration Mission One was ready.

Flight Director Gene: All systems nominal, ready for liftoff. Liftoff preparations have been finished, T-1 minutes to launch and counting.

Geoferry: Roger that Gene, T-1 minutes to la-wait, nevermind, its T-40 seconds to launch and counting. All systems are go, prepare for SRB and engine ignition.

Flight Director Gene: Got it. Engine is preparing for ignition.

Geoferry: We have a slight issue with hydraulics, but flight is go. SHouldn't trouble us, mostly with first stage. The radial decouplers are also experiencing some issues.

Geoferry: T-10 seconds! Main core engine ignition! Liftoff!

A loud cheer arose from the Mission Control Center as the rocket's engines roared, screaming their defiance and challenges to the gravitational chains that had bound it to Kerbin for so long. The machine soared into the sky, an masterpiece of Kerbal engineering and technology, daring the heavens.

Fred: Altitude 3,000m...4,000m....preparing for gravity turn, Apogee at 70,000m.

A dozen miles away, Jedfrey was unaware of the happenings of at KSC, until he was phoned by his assistant. Picking up the phone, he wonderedWhat could it be now? Another budget cut? More reports?.

Adam Kerman: Jedfrey! The SLS test is an success! Except that the radial decouplers failed. We'll be on that.

Director Jedfrey: What? Is that cheering I hear behind you? What for?

Adam: We have the Orion on an transmunar injection course, that's why!

Director Jedfrey: Don't tell me you did the launch without me; my PR approval ratings are already pretty low. I never knew that the public could love the Asteriod Redirect Mission so much, much less the original SLS plan. Seriously, I have to admit, can you ask the design team if they just broke out the old Ares V blueprints and went from there?

Adam: I think so.

Director Jedfrey: We spent 3 million for someone to plargarize a Ares V blueprint? Couldn't we just give that job to an intern instead and have him do it for what? Ten grand? Two hundred bucks? Free ice cream even?

Jedfrey felt his anger rise, and quickly calmed himself down.

Adam: I'll get a investigation started on that.

Director Jedfrey: When will it arrive at the moon? And hold off on the investigations, they're way more trouble than they're worth.

Adam: Two days. The J2X is performing much better than planned.

Director Jedfrey: Great. Uh, anything else?

Adam: No analomies other than the failure of the radial decouplers, and that isn't much of an critical failure.

Director Jedfrey: What about the Lunar Landing Vehicle?

Adam: We've just had one prototype complete its milestone. We're building another prototype to test in Low-Kerbin-Orbit next year. Also, the Space Launch Ares, whatever you call it, we will have another ready soon. We're going to be producing atleast two of these little monsters a year.

Jedfrey sighed in relief, and settled back down in his office chair. It was a year into his job, and his luck was holding. For now, atleast.

Two days later, a new visitor arrived at the Mun. It sped across the lunar surface at thousands of miles an hour, flying in an eccentric orbit before once again flinging itself back into space and toward its home planet. It fired its decoupler. Of the service module and the capsule, only the capsule would survive reentry - the service module would be reduced to ashes. The capsule impacted the atmosphere at 3,000 m/s, the friction of the air heating its headshield to temperatures hotter than the corona of the sun. Surviving the hellish flames, the battered spacecraft softly touched down onto the wet grass, its spent parachutes flapping in the wind. Overhead, an comet streaked - its companion service module that had fed it for its long journey.

Exploration Mission One had ended.

But it was not radiation, or the harsh temperatures that was going to deal the biggest threat to Kerbal exploration. The biggest threat lay at Aseria, where Jedfrey now was..

★★★★★★★★★★★

Provincal Congress, Aseria, July 2017

It was an hot summer day in the capitol of one of the most powerful nations in the world as a heatwave made its way across the region. Senator Nedbob stood at the door of his office inside the building, awaiting his guest. Finally, he appeared, and Nedbob quickly ushered him past his bodyguards and into his office. It had been an while since they last met, and he badly needed to update his friend on the recent happenings inside the Senate.

Senator Nedbob: Jedfrey! I need to speak to you for a second regarding the new Beyond-Earth-Orbit programme.

Director Jedfrey: What is it?

Senator Nedbob: In the past month, there has been three different attempts to shutdown the new lunar exploration program. And I've finally found whoever is messing with my run for the 2020 Presidental Nomination.

Jedfrey felt his heart sink. Congress was much less than enthusiastic to fund his program than he first thought - and it wasn't even his. Vice President Posey had decided almost everything, and he didn't have much of a say, if anything.

Director Jedfrey: Three? Are you kidding?

Senator Nedbob: No worries, my friend. I've formed a political alliance in support of it. Most people from the Conservative Party, but there's a few Liberals. Anyways, we had to do a couple filibusters to keep the bills from being voted on. You have got political enemies out there, be careful.

Director Jedfrey: Why wasn't I informed of this?

Senator Nedbob: Because they didn't want to, and didn't have to. I'm really sorry about that, it's just not in the law. Both parties are in an huge standoff over an education and healthcare bill, and there have been filibusters almost daily in the Senate. Some people don't even come anymore.

Director Jedfrey: Uh, anything else?

Senator Nedbob: In fact, yes. Vice President Posey is a huge fan of the path that NASA is taking right now, but the current President isn't as enthusiastic. So, me and him are drawing up a method to impeach him in order to secure more funding for your agency.

Director Jedfrey: How?

Senator Nedbob: This.

Nedbob pulled out an VHS tape labelled PRESIDENT TAPE NO.241, and waved it at Jedfrey.

Senator Nedbob: Tape recordings of President Garrett's conversations. He's engaging in some illegal busniess to get his bills passed.

Director Jedfrey: But-aren't the ways you're using illegal too?

Senator Nedbob: Its not illegal if you don't get caught. And now we've caught the President.

Director Jedfrey: But - how did you get it?

Senator Nedbob: The tape? I got it by sending some hired goons to break into the offices of the Central Intelligence Agency. They've got files on almost everyone that lives in this big country, all four hundred million of us. Don't worry. Posey will be President in no time, and he will veto every bill that cuts your funding. He's a spacestater at heart, after all.

Director Jedfrey: But who will be the Vice President?

Senator Nedbob: Me. And I'm going to ensure that you get your funding on time, ok?

Nedbob shook Jedfrey's hand firmly, and left the room. Jedfrey stood there, dumbfounded at what he had just heard. He walked back to his car shaking his head.

Politicans nowadays, he murmured wryly. A new era was just beginning...

★★★★★★★★★★★

Edited March 12, 2014 by NASAFanboy

[NASAFanboy]

★★★★★★★★★★★

NASA Headquarters, 2020

As an government agency, the space program had alot of bureaucracy. Lots of it. Which is probably why the heads of all its departments were gathered around a wooden table, staring at a map of the Mun. Jedfrey Kerman truly hated the annual meeting, but they were critical to both maintain the red tape that the agency had, but to manage the divisions and ensure they were pointed in the right direction - sometimes, they were, the other times, they were building something that completely was not what was requested.

Director Jedfrey: Well?

Dr. Bill: Well what? Here's our entire map of operations until 2025. We'll get our base done before the 2025 deadline, and then we'll move onward to Near-Kerbin objects and Duna. I'm also petitioning the science community for an rendezvous and EVA with Asteroid 832 Tokeua when it flybys us in 2032. We are also working on the LER to use it as an EVA pod. For now, we'll explore the Mun. My team used the images from the Munar Reconaissance Orbiter to pinpoint the landing sites.

Director Jedfrey: I see. However, we only have an limited quantity of rockets, and we need atleast five to execute the Duna surface expedition. Time is running short guys, I can already feel the Chaiqeng catching up. They've just deorbited Heavenly Palace-2, and they're planning to send up the first module of their Fir-type station sometime this year. We need to do something big. Something...amazing. Something to get the public excited. Johann, when will the Munar communication satellites be ready?

Johann: We've already got the first satellite in Low-Munar Orbit, and we intend to launch the second one soon. It'll make it so we don't need Kerbin-based communication and give us coverage of the entire surface.

Director Jedfrey: That's good. Also, this year, we're sending a second prototype Lunar Cargo Vehicle to the Mun to test out ISRU systems and operations. The LCV will also deliver a rover to the landing site, which we intend to use to its fullest extent. We're still choosing a base site, but its been narrowed down to two locations.

Johann: Also, Planetary Sciences is almost ready to send out the Europa Clipper probe to Laythe. We might launch before 2025, and get there by 2027.

Director Jedfrey : Can anyone get an update from Vice President Nedbob?

Nedbob and Posey's attempt at the Presidency had succeeded. President Garrett resigned after the allegations about him were made, and handed the Presidency to Posey. Jedfrey wondered where the former President was now. Probably playing golf on some resort, happily living his life.

Bill: He says something about being proud of us for the landing of ULLV-1, but is urging us to take a bold new path to get to Duna before 2050. All political pandering, as far as I am concerned. Anything more?

Director Jedfrey: No, not as of yet.

Johann: Mr. Administrator, another Representative is attempting to scrub our Munar plans.

Director Jedfrey: Let him. We've got allies who can fillibust the crap out of him. Anyways, I need the ULLV-1 to be launched next month if we are to stick to our schedule. How many launchers do we have in storage?

Bill: Two of them, with a third one halfway complete.

Director Jedfrey: That's good enough. We'll get ready for an lunar flyby mission next year. But for now, ignore political opposition, and keep going. Got it?

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