[stock] The Kerbol System Program: Copernicus-like missions to every planet

[Parkaboy]

Introduction:

A big part of the fun of playing KSP these days to me is the emergence of a narrative. Since the game is unfinished, playing it involves a lot of imagination, and that's great. Keeping a journal of the playthrough is something that really enhances that experience, but it's hard to keep a persistent save between updates, particularly if you're using lots of mods.

So I decided to do something a bit different this time: instead of just posting reports of a career save, I'll propose myself a goal: to reach every single body (except asteroids) in the Kerbol system, one at a time. Some are very familiar to me; others I've never been to. I'm skipping the Mun and Minmus, since those are too close and I did tons of missions to visit their biomes. I'm starting a new save, and I'm editing the save file to unlock all the teck. That's cheating, I know, but I just want a sandbox where I can do science; not for the points, but for collection purposes. I don't just want to visit all the planets, I want to explore and research them.

Since I won't be using any mods other than MechJeb and Kerbal Engineer, this reduces the trouble between updates. And since I'll be doing goal oriented missions, I can create a new save if needed, and continue with this thread for a long time. I'm researching real life mission proposals as inspiration, and I want to plan very carefully each mission. My main inspiration at this time is the Copernicus Crew Transfer Vehicle, a model than I think could be used for what I have in mind. Hopefully this will be as fun to read about as it is to play!

Program parameters:

• Manned expeditions to every planet on the Kerbol system, with unmanned probes on the extreme cases (Eve and Jool)
  
• This is a scientific program: design should maximize the science data acquired
  
• Missions will involve living kerbals; design must take into account their safety and comfort, rather than efficiency;
  
• I want to keep things as plausible as possible, so I'll be using the Mars Design Reference Mission as, well, reference. Changes will be made, but I'll try to keep everything looking like something that could exist in real life;
  
• Only stock parts will be used, with two exceptions: MechJeb 2 and Kerbal Engineer;
  

Mission Index:

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Ship Schematics:

The Heavy-K is the program's heavy cargo hauler; it was designed to put payloads in free fall towards the surface of the target planet (make sure the payload can land under its own power/parachutes). Created with Duna in mind, it actually has delta-v enough to go much further, and can be aerobraked to save fuel. The docking ports on its sides allow the spent stages to serve as emergency fuel supply to other ships.

The FLS is the unmanned vessel used to refuel ships in Kerbin orbit. It can carry one of those medium 3m tanks full up to a 500 km orbit, and it can maneuver and dock using RCS.

The MPKV is the main ground to space manned vehicle, designed to take the crew to the interplanetary ships and back to the surface. The capsule is very versatile and is an important component of many planned missions. While returning home, the MPKV ditches its service module and lands under parachutes.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Parkaboy

[Parkaboy]

Destination 1: Duna (part 1)

Having chosen Duna as the first destination, some preparations must be made. The thing about a mission to another planet is that the kerbals tend to spend a lot of time travelling, but even longer waiting for the return window to open. With that in mind, we'll be sending some equipment in advance - including a very comfortable habitat. That way when we send our ship we can be sure everything is in place and our brave kerbonauts won't be stuck in cramped quarters waiting for the next transfer.

The habitat module is quite large, but the main bulk of the payload is the unmanned Nuclear Transfer Stage. In this I've decided to do differently from NASA's proposal: instead of sending the payload and transfer stage separately, I'm sending the whole ship up in one trip, and sending a latter launch to refuel it. That way I get a ship more structurally sound and save on a few parts (such as docking ports). But that means we need a really heavy lifter, so here it is: the Heavy-K.

After gaining some speed and altitude, the two huge boosters are discarded and fall back into the ocean. The ship then reaches orbit with the single main engine, draining half the fuel from the Transfer Stage.

After that, the Ascent Stage separates from the Nuclear Transfer Stage. Only the fuel needed for the landing back at the KSC is left on the Ascent Stage.

The Transfer Stage then burns towards a higher orbit. This is so it will be easier for the refueling mission to rendezvous with it, and is also a good test for the nuclear engines. The Ascent Stage, with very little fuel left, burns retrograde and returns to the KSC. It actually misses the Center by a few kilometers, but it lands safely and can be recycled to keep costs down.

It's time for the second launch: the Fuel Launch System, or simply "FLS" is a smaller rocket than its cousin Heavy-K, but it can put all the fuel needed to complete the Transfer Stage tanks in orbit.

The FLS is smaller and more efficient because its third stage can be used while still inside the atmosphere, unlike the Nuclear Transfer Stage - not only because that would be unhealthy, but also because it doesn't have enough TWR, or Thrust to Weight Ratio.

After reaching orbit, the FLS meets with the Habitat Module and docks to transfer fuel, refilling the Nuclear Transfer Stage. The first cargo ship is now ready to depart towards Duna, but it will still wait for a second ship to be prepared, so the two can burn at the same transfer window, only a few minutes apart.

The FLS, having accomplished its mission, returns home. This time I let MechJeb handle the landing, and it managed to come much closer to the landing pad than my previous attempt. Another piece of hardware successfully recovered.

Next: the Mobile Lab Module is launched, and the two unmanned ships depart towards Duna

Edited April 27, 2014 by Parkaboy

[Parkaboy]

Destination 1: Duna (part 2)

Next comes the launch of the Mobile Lab, a rover containing all the scientific equipment for the study of the surface of the red planet.

The Mobile Lab is launched on an identical vehicle to the Habitat's. The huge boosters are ejected and the ascent stage returns to land at the KSC.

As with the Habitat, the Nuclear Transfer Vehicle for the Mobile Lab needs to be refueled before burning towards Duna. Another FLS is launched to dock with the Mobile Lab and transfer the needed propellant.

Then, 10 days and 4 hours after the first launch, the first of the two unmanned ships departs, being followed by the other a few minutes later. The Habitat is launched secind, but is placed on a faster trajectory that will actually let it reach its destination ahead of the Mobile Lab.

200 days, 31 minutes later

The ship carrying the Habitat reaches the Duna system and aerobrakes safely, ending up in the elliptical orbit shown above. After a few maneuvers, it settles in a circular orbit 200 km above the surface.

Four days later, the Mobile Lab arrives, aerobrakes, and maneuvers into a 150 km orbit. The final orbits of the two vessels are shown.

It's time to send half of the equipment down. This should serve as a test for the landing procedures, since the rest of the equipment will only land later, with the crew on board. The capsule containing the Mobile Lab separates from the Nuclear Transfer Stage and starts burning its tiny engines to send it towards the chosen landing site. Ike is seen on the horizon as the capsule dives into the thin atmosphere.

The protective shroud is ejected, separating from the payload thanks to small solid fuel separators. The Mobile Lab then ditches the descent stage, burns its own engines to lower the speed of the fall, and finally open its parachutes and drops softly on the red sand. It's the end of the first stage of the Duna Mission.

Next: The crewed transport is prepared, as we await another transfer window between the planets.

[meve12]

Nice mission so far.

What are you going to do with the spent transfer stages?

[Parkaboy]

Nice mission so far.

What are you going to do with the spent transfer stages?

Thanks!

Right now the plan is to keep them in orbit as extra fuel sources. They have nearly half their fuel left, so I might use that to my advantage and have the manned ship dock with one of them to refuel. I think this extra fuel might make a short trip to Ike quite possible as part of the mission.

Since I'm not planning anything long-term (the bases are only supposed to keep my kerbals comfortable for the duration of each mission), I haven't worried about giving them any further purpose. Maybe later models will have docking ports instead of stage separators, and I'll send them back to Kerbin for reuse, but right now the spare fuel seems more valuable.

[Parkaboy]

Destination 1: Duna (part 3)

1 year, 262 days later

A new transfer window to Duna is about to open. The second stage of the mission starts with the launch of the Kerbal Transfer Vehicle, the nuclear-powered behemoth that will carry four brave kernonauts to the red planet. The KTV is launched on top of a Heavy-K rocket and weight roughly the same as the unmanned Nuclear Transfer Vehicles. Unlike them, however, it has no protective shroud; engineers decided that the interplanetary ship, designed to survive aerobraking, was aerodinamic enough for launch purposes.

After reaching low Kerbin orbit, the KTV can open its solar panels and antennae, and ditch the ascent stage to reveal its four NERVAs. Notice that it has two communication dishes, one pointing forward, the other to the rear of the vessel; that way, whether it's coming or going, it can keep one antenna pointing to Kerbin during the trip.

As the KTV, still uncrewed, accelerates into a higher orbit, the ascent stage burns retrograde and reenters the atmosphere, to land near the KSC.

A FLS is then launched to replenish the KTV fuel tanks. This version of the rocket has one upgrade: lights were added to help with docking in the shadow of Kerbin. As we can see on the last picture, however, the engineers didn't planned the placement of the lights very well, and they end up partially blocked by the open port. The designer responsible promised to fix this by the next launch. Anyway, the lights actually work well, and their green tint make the KTV seem a lot more radioactive than it actually is.

The FLS docks with the KTV, transfer most of its fuel, then separates and returns to Kerbin.

Then it's finally time to put some kerbals in space for this mission. Half of the crew goes up on board the MPKV, which is making its debut here. The engineers were quite proud of their new Launch Escape System, and were partially disappointed that they didn't get to use it. The kerbonauts are the pilot Henfred Kerman and the commander of the mission, the charismatic and strangely accented Scott Kerman.

[Funny think, Scott was actually amongst the first batch of recruits for this save game. I couldn't resist picking him as the commander.]

Scott:"Are you sure you don't need me to turn the docking autopilot on?"

Henfred: "No problem, I can handle it! I can't understand why people find docking maneuvers to be so hard. In fact, they were the first thing I've mastered in the simulators. And I don't trust the autopilot with docking: it spends too much monopropellant, and tends to drift around. Remember that we need to stay away from those NERVA engines. There's only so much radiation a kerbal can take before acquiring that unhealthy glow."

Scott: "Fine by me. My family already has a history of hair loss, I don't need radiation to speed that up. And 'fly safe' is my philosophy!"

With the two first members of the crew on board, the MPKV 1 separates and is left in orbit to be used when the KTV returns from Duna. Meanwhile, the MPKV 2 is launched, carrying Gerford and Aldbart Kerman.

The MPKV 2 meets with the KTV and docks with it. The four kerbals are finally together on board, and they throw a little party to celebrate. On that occasion, they pick a name for the ship, and from that moment on, it's known as the KTV Von Kerman. At last comes the moment of departure, and the ship starts accelerating towards Duna, carrying the MPKT 2 - the docked ship will be useful in case of emergency, and if everything goes well, adds some valuable extra living space.

Next: We skip 250 days to the future to watch the arrival of the Von Kerman in Duna's orbit.

[PlasmaticInc]

very, very well done. I knew that the new SLS parts could be used for something other than giant lifters. any more progress?

[panzerknoef]

Very nice! I love the ship schematics! +rep for you!

And if you would ever need some help, i'd be honoured to help you out! I'm guessing this won't happen though. And may I suggest you make those craft available on the spacecraft exchange, I bet people will love them!

Edited May 12, 2014 by panzerknoef

[Parkaboy]

Hi, folks! Thanks for the comments!

I'm a bit busy these days and couldn't post, but I hope to write about the Duna arrival, landing and surface exploration later this week, probably during the weekend. About the ships, I think I'll wait a bit before sharing the files at the exchange, because the first mission shown me there are a few improvements that can still be made.

[Parkaboy]

Destination 1: Duna (part 4)

249 days, 5 hours and 37 minutes later

Aldbart: "Please, please, with all due respect, sir, stop talking about the toilets! I can't take it anymore!"

Scott: "All I'm saying is that the early kerbonauts didn't have the same comforts we have. There are things that only work under gravity, and we're lucky they thought about spinning the Von Kerman to create the semblance of a planet's pull..."

Henfred: "Better not talk about the artificial gravity either, captain! Poor Aldbart never quite managed to get used to the gravity gradient between parts of the ship."

Aldbart: "Don't pity me. Pity the fool who suggested this to Mission Command, if I ever get back to Kerbin..."

Scott: "Well, I like that the main living portions of the ship have gravity similar to Duna, while if you go down the corridor to the docked MPKV, you get an environment similar to Kerbin. Feels like home down there."

Henfred: "Smells like home too, since that's where we go to exercise. Can't we just seal it and dump all the air?"

Scott: "Not while we're spinning, Henfred. Good news is that we're getting near to Duna, and will stop the spin to start the arrival maneuvers in a couple of days."

Since the KTV Von Kerman has a lot of delta-v (it still has fuel inside the discardable orange tank), it won't have to risk an aerobrake. Two plans for aerobraking were contemplated: if the orange tank was empty, it would be ditched and the MPKV would "hide" in the belly of the ship; or else the MPKV would undock and aerobrake separately from the ship, since that would be safer. But in the end they decided to just burn retrograde so the ship were captured in orbit, quickly putting it in a trajectory that would allow the rendezvous with the Habitat Module.

As soon as the two vessels were close to each other, Henfred took the pilot seat at the MPKV and undocked it from the mothership, maneuvering it into a position that avoided the radiation from the NERVAs on the two vessels. Scott then took the helm at the Von Kerman and docked it to the module, while Henfred docked the MPKV on the other side.

Next the fairings that protected the Habitat module were ejected, flying quickly away thanks to eight separatrons. One by one, the four kerbonauts left the Von Kerman and entered the landing cabin on the module.

And finally the Habitat Module separated from the transfer stage, preparing to land on the red planet.

Henfred took care of the landing, and it wasn't easy. It's trick to deorbit using one stage, drop that stage after facing most of the heat from atmospheric deceleration, and then turn the ship 90º to activate the landing engines. One misstep could mean the module wouldn't have enough time to decelerate, and would end up lithobraking quite hard.

The Lab module, unmanned, managed to land relying mostly on the parachutes. Henfred ended up spending all the fuel on the Habitat Module to make his landing, although he got quite close to the chosen spot. In the end, the landing site wasn't as perfectly flat as intended, and they had to bring the Lab Module rolling under remote control, to get it closer to the Habitat.

Finally everything was ready for the momentous occasion of a kerbal's first step on another planet. The captain had that prerrogative, of course, but he could have chosen better words to be recorded in the history of kerbalkind:

Scott: "Hellou, it's Scott Kerman here, and I'm talking to you from Duna!"

Soon all the four kerbonauts left the landing cabin, took their first steps on the red sand, and started moving to the living cabins. That's how the first day of kerbal occupation of the red planet ended.

[Cashen]

These are incredibly well designed launch vehicles, considering they use only stock parts. I'm really impressed.

[Parkaboy]

Thanks! Vehicle design is probably where I spend the most effort for this series. Everything has to look both functional and plausible.

I only wish we had stock fairings. The Procedural Fairings mod is awesome, but even so I want to keep everything stock, to lessen the trouble between updates.

[Parkaboy]

Destination 1: Duna (part 5)

Night falls above Duna Base, and our brave kerbonauts start settling on their new quarters. Everything must be ready for the first scientific excursion the next day.

The night in the red planet is a lot longer than in Kerbin, but the members of the crew have a lot to do, checking up on the supplies and getting all the equipment working. Later, when they're finally resting, Aldbart approaches the commander privately.

Scott: "Is there something bothering you, mate?"

Aldbart: "Well, sir... There's nothing wrong with me, except for the back pain, the sore neck and the overall dreadful feeling that we're never gonna see our home again."

Scott: "The usual stuff. What brings you to the boss' quarters, then?"

Aldbart: "To be perfectly honest, I'm quite worried about Gerford. We've been together on this trip for over one year and I don't think I'v heard his voice more than a handul of times."

Scott: "Oh, don't worry about that. He's just a quiet guy. I have known him for many years, and he was always like that. I can assure you he's handling the pressure of the mission well, that's just his normal self."

Aldbart: "That's not what I mean, sir. It's just... I've been talking to Henfred about it, and we're convinced that... well, we think he's a robot.

Scott: "HAH! That would be something, right? I mean, if he were a robot, it would be great. We'd have a lot more snacks for the rest of us."

Aldbart: "But you're not seeing the danger, sir! We know very well from all thos movies that in space, artificial intelligence always turn psychopath! I'm telling you, he'll turn on us! And of course, with my luck, I'm going to be the first to die..."

As the sun finally rises over the red horizon, Henfred dones his spacesuit and exits the habitat. His first task on the surface of Duna will be to prepare the Mobile Lab for the first scientific excursion, releasing it from the landing stage.

Henfred: "Commander, now that we're on a private channel, there's something I'd like to discuss..."

Scott: "You're not talking about that crazy idea that Gerford is a robot, are you?"

Henfred: "It's not crazy, sir. We've been paying attention, Aldbart and I. That guy is definitely strange!"

Scott: "I don't argue with that, but he's definitely not a robot. He's just a serious professional, unlike, apparently, the rest of my crew."

Henfred: "But boss, in all the time we've spent together, he never laughed at one of my jokes! Not even once!"

Scott: "There's a much simpler explanation for that, my friend. Your jokes just aren't very funny. Not focus on the work you're supposed to be doing."

After Henfred gets the Mobile Lab out of its "garage", Albart joins him to test the scientific equipment. The first reading from the surface of Duna are taken, and the data is stored on the ascent stage. Aldbart then enters the Lab to prepare for the first trip on the surface of the red world.

With Henfred on the wheel and Aldbart on the lab, the rover finally departs from Duna Base, rolling slowly over the surface of the Pan Crater. This feature was so named because it looked like a frying pan from space, with a large canyon serving as the handle. The target for this trip is the center of the crater, where there's a large mountain. Scott and Gerford remain on the base.

Henfred: "Do you think we're going to find the commander alive when we return?"

[Parkaboy]

Destination 1: Duna (part 6)

Henfred and Aldbart travel across the surface of Duna, crossing the bottom of Pan Crater. The target of their first excursion is the mountain at the center of the crater, temporarily named "Mount Lump". Henfred guides the Mobile Lab slowly, since the rover ended up being wuite top heavy and prone to tumbling.

They have a rudimentary map of the crater, based on pictures taken from the Von Kerman in orbit. Those pics were taken from quite far away, though, and not from an ideal angle, since Pan Crater is a bit further north than the ship's orbit. Guided by this map, they turn to investigate an unusual rock formation on the way to the top of Mt Lump, and are quite surprised to find out what seems to be a rock shaped like the face of a kerbal.

Aldbart: "Is t-that wha-what I think it is?"

Henfred: "If you're thinking it's a stone that looks like a kerbal's face, then I'm guessing it is. Holy Minmus, that's fantastic!"

Aldbart: "That's s-s-scary, isn't it? D-d-don't you know wha-what it m-m-means?"

Henfred: "You're not going to say 'aliens', are you? Probably someone is trying to pull an elaborate prank on us. Take a closer look. Doesn't it look familiar?"

Aldbart: "Well, it k-kind of looks like Commander Scott..."

Henfred: "So, there you go. Somebody at the KSC is probably having a great laugh at our expense right now."

Aldbart: "B-but... How could they have even p-pulled it off?"

With Aldbart too scared to go out near the Scott-stone, Henfred ends up doing the exploration work: he exits the rover, marks the spot with a flag/transponder, climbs the rock using his jetpack and collects some samples from the weird formation. Later analysis and further visits to the spot would reveal little about the mystery of the Face on Duna: its composition is no different from the many other rocks scattered around Pan Crater, and it shows no signs of being carved by any known method other than plain erosion. The most conservative scinetists back on Kerbin see that as proof that it is actually a natural formation, and that its resemblance of Scott Kerman is simply a coincidence. After all, they argue, the Commander has very ordinary features.

Eventually the duo moves on and reaches the top of Mount Lump, where another flag is planted, and more samples are collected. Aldbart seems more interested on learning about the mechanics of crater formation and the intrincacies of Duna's surface features than in the mystery of the Face. Maybe thinking about it scares him too much.

And finally they return to the base, after a few hours away. The first surface excursion was a success, and quite a shock. The discovery of the Face will be the talk on Kerbin for months to come, and the increased interest in space exploration might be the boost the program needs to go on. For our brave explorers, however, life on Duna is just starting.

[windows_x_seven]

The End?

Or is there more to come?