Jebediah snuck on to my rocket.

[bsimms606]

I finally made my first trip to other planets. Proud of that. Anyway, I did an orbit around Eve, collected some science, then went to Moho. I collected some more science there and was about to crash it to end the mission in a blaze of glory. This was a probe... so I thought. I look in the corner and sure enough, there's Jeb having a hell of a time. This trip took a lot of fuel, so there's no getting him back to Kerbin. I can't leave my top pilot out there. Rescue mission it is.

Moral of the story: Always check the crew before you launch.

I tried to make the best of it and do an EVA. Jeb flew off the ladder and tore the solar panels off.

Edited December 21, 2014 by bsimms606

[Pecan]

You went to Moho for your first interplanetary?! That's the hardest place to reach or return from (Eve being the hardest for surface-return). Well done.

If you include a manned pod KSP will put someone in it.

[magnemoe]

You went to Moho for your first interplanetary?! That's the hardest place to reach or return from (Eve being the hardest for surface-return). Well done.

If you include a manned pod KSP will put someone in it.

Yes, remember my first flight to Moho back in 0.18, probe hit Moho at 6 km/s.

Main problem with Moho is that its hard to get into orbit around it, you have to take great care to reach it at your Ap and preferable close to its Pe.

[moogoob]

Yes, remember my first flight to Moho back in 0.18, probe hit Moho at 6 km/s.

Main problem with Moho is that its hard to get into orbit around it, you have to take great care to reach it at your Ap and preferable close to its Pe.

Isn't that "try to reach Moho at apoapsis"? Because it's slowest at that point. At periapsis it's screaming past the sun.

Once I flew from Minmus to Moho just for the hell of it - testing out an ion-powered probe and wanted to put it through it's paces. Where better than where there is plenty of sun, right?!?

[magnemoe]

Isn't that "try to reach Moho at apoapsis"? Because it's slowest at that point. At periapsis it's screaming past the sun.

Once I flew from Minmus to Moho just for the hell of it - testing out an ion-powered probe and wanted to put it through it's paces. Where better than where there is plenty of sun, right?!?

Yes, its the Ap obviously, and for probes ion is an pretty obvious engine for Moho,

[LordFerret]

As far as I'm concerned, much to the dismay of Jeb, Bill, and Bob ... they are just Public Relations figureheads, doomed to hang out at KSC and do interviews with reporters - while the real expendables are out there in space, reaping all that glory and science, occasionally sacrificing themselves to the Kraken. lol

[SkyRender]

Moho isn't that hard to reach as your first interplanetary target, actually. You can get an encounter with it for as little as 2500dV. Circularizing is another matter, of course, but if you unlock either ion or nuclear tech, you can totally manage that. My first interplanetary vessel on my latest Career mode file is indeed a Moho science rover, powered by the majesty of a nuclear transfer stage that has (well, had) over 10,000dv in it. Launched it out there on day 10 of year 1, well ahead of the curve.

[Norpo]

I wonder if it would be possible to lithobrake on Moho to match it's velocity when coming from Kerbin? I did it once with The Mun... (see: a crap ton of Vernor engines, as they are weightless but still have a ton of crash resistance. 400 m/s velocity relative to the surface or so survived, I think.

You'd need a REALLY big tower of structural pieces or something, because physics wouldn't be able to keep up (half your rocket would clip through Moho upon "collision"). You'd also want to mess with the Physics Delta-Time, to update physics faster to limit this effect...

...Lithobraking on Moho from Kerbin Orbital Velocity... Crazy idea, or sane proposition?

Anyways, have fun with that rescue mission.

[Pecan]

...*snip*...

You're right, of course, but would you recommend Moho as a first interplanetary (apart from the availability of transfer windows)?

Personally, I'd say Duna/Ike then off to Jool when you know what you're doing.

[SkyRender]

You're right, of course, but would you recommend Moho as a first interplanetary (apart from the availability of transfer windows)?

Personally, I'd say Duna/Ike then off to Jool when you know what you're doing.

For a less experienced player, no. For an expert, however, it's a fun challenge (especially on Hard Career mode).

[UmbralRaptor]

Isn't that "try to reach Moho at apoapsis"? Because it's slowest at that point. At periapsis it's screaming past the sun.

Nope. Keep in mind that you're at your periapsis, so going notably faster than circular speed at that distance form kerbol. Arriving at Moho's periapsis minimizes the velocity difference if you're in the same plane.

[bonyetty]

Yep been done like that too in previous vertions. Trying to make it a habit to assign crew before launching with 0.90 myself. Although I've got a backup pilot on a training mission at the moment. With an ion probe I have always not had enough time in Mohos SOI, yet plenty of DeltaV to pull off a capture in previous saves. If SkyRender can do it what am I missing or doing wrong? I'm thinking try for a higher Pe on insertion on the opposite side from the sun this save. My brain says this should reduce the DeltaV and increase the time in Moho's SOI to insert into a Moho's orbit?

[SkyRender]

Yep been done like that too in previous vertions. Trying to make it a habit to assign crew before launching with 0.90 myself. Although I've got a backup pilot on a training mission at the moment. With an ion probe I have always not had enough time in Mohos SOI, yet plenty of DeltaV to pull off a capture in previous saves. If SkyRender can do it what am I missing or doing wrong? I'm thinking try for a higher Pe on insertion on the opposite side from the sun this save. My brain says this should reduce the DeltaV and increase the time in Moho's SOI to insert into a Moho's orbit?

It is a lot harder to circularize around Moho with an ion drive, since it has such low TWR. It was 10 times harder a few versions ago, though! You still tend to need to start your burn before you actually enter Moho's SoI, and be prepared to have to keep burning even after you've left it. It won't be as efficient as advertised, but it will still work out; just follow the maneuver node's instructions and start your burn when you're T-minus half the time the burn is going to take. Also, if you're going to send an ion probe to Moho, make it as light as you can possibly manage. Stick to the massless Z100 batteries for power, for example. It really does work better to get the LV-N engine so you're only burning for 10 to 15 minutes upon reaching Moho instead of for 25+, but if all you have to work with is ion, that's the way to do it.

[merendel]

For a less experienced player, no. For an expert, however, it's a fun challenge (especially on Hard Career mode).

I agree. I once tried for a lowest tech build to get there (5thhorseman flew the design later in his teamwork series) Didnt need nukes or ions to make it work, just docking ports. transfer landing and return used poodles, 48-7s, and 909's respectively. Was a fun design challange to make it work with the normal goto tools absent from the toolbox. Experts only though for sure, that little speed devil is hard enough to even intercept for someone just poping their interplanetary cherry.

[bonyetty]

It is a lot harder to circularize around Moho with an ion drive, since it has such low TWR. It was 10 times harder a few versions ago, though! You still tend to need to start your burn before you actually enter Moho's SoI, and be prepared to have to keep burning even after you've left it. It won't be as efficient as advertised, but it will still work out; just follow the maneuver node's instructions and start your burn when you're T-minus half the time the burn is going to take. Also, if you're going to send an ion probe to Moho, make it as light as you can possibly manage. Stick to the massless Z100 batteries for power, for example. It really does work better to get the LV-N engine so you're only burning for 10 to 15 minutes upon reaching Moho instead of for 25+, but if all you have to work with is ion, that's the way to do it.

Thanks I will give it a go once I get ion's. I normally only make manover nodes in the same SOI. Just habit I guess. Oh and that will mean there is no chance of crossing SOI's in time warp and buggering up the Pe, because I will be under power. Nice one.