Aurora 30 Mission Summary
KSEA announces the winners of the planet-wide raffle! Urberry, Guswin, and Siski are announced as the winners! Experienced pilot Malcolm will pilot the mission! The Aurora 30 rocket is amost ready and will be rolled out to the launchpad soon!
For the past month, Space Center Tracking Stations have been detecting an unknown signal in Kerbin orbit! Engineers have a strong suspicion that it is one of the many spacecrafts or satellites that were launched before KSEA was created by the Kerbal States!
While not technically an Aurora mission (those are missions specifically for Mun and Minmus) the mission still needed a name, and Seeker was chosen!
Seeker-1 will utilize Aurora and Crew Vehicle hardware to discover whatever it is that’s in orbit of Kerbin! Malcolm, Gillian, and Lobert get ready for launch!
The solid rocket boosters detach…
…and once orbit is achieved the Crew Vehicle detaches!
While the Seeker-1 crew prepares for a mission to the mysterious satellite, the N-8 Booster starts it’s descent!
Everyone in the Space Center gets to emergency positions – the booster’s trajectory is off and it’s heading right toward the VAB!
There isn’t enough thrust to slow the craft down! The VAB shakes violently as the booster rockets overhead, just meters away from the Vehicle Assembly Building!
With a mighty explosion, the Nebula III Booster N-8 detonates right next to the path used to move vehicles to the launchpad! Bits of the rocket go flying in every direction!
As the final bits and parts of the N-8 Booster roll to a stop, teams are dispatched to check out the damage, and pick up the mess!
After a very long wait, construction and stack integration of DSV-6 Odyssey is complete and the truly massive rocket is rolled out to the launch pad! Nova launches are rare, and large crowds turned up at the space center to watch!
As the countdown approaches launch the space center gets silent in anticipation. Finally, the count reaches zero and…
The Space Center shakes as the massive Nova Rocket takes off!
As the Nova Rocket carrying Odyssey rises into the sky ground crews carefully track the launch!
In orbit, the fairing ejects and the spacecraft fires its orbital stage engines to circularize the orbit!
The enormous cost, complexity, and danger of launching these mega-spacecraft from the space center has been quite a strain!
Besides the fantastic costs, the space center itself was tied up for almost a year building Odyssey.
Serious consideration is now being given to constructing an orbital assembly yard!
KSEA projects a need for the construction of at least one new DSV every year, which includes possibly retiring some ships in the current fleet!
With the construction of the latest Crew Vehicle 8 (CV-8) KSEA engineers took the opportunity to overhaul and refine the spacecraft!
With the Mk3 Crew Vehicle KSEA is retiring the “Nebula” name to avoid confusion with other similarly named systems. Going forward the craft will simply be called a “Crew Vehicle” with differentiations indicated with the “mark” number!
Celebrating two decades of space exploration!
To celebrate the September Anniversary of Kerbal States KSEA will be highlighting each year of Kerbal States history!
Year 2 saw the first Kerbals landed on Mun and Minmus! Probes were launched to explore the reaches of the star system and the first Space Stations were launched and assembled in orbit!
Key Events:
Kerbal States was originally published in September and October of 2016!
The Mobile Resupply Vehicle arrives at Mun, and achieves orbit!
Aurora Base (Mun) Mission Summary
The MRV detaches from the transfer stage, and drifts until…
… the engines fire, starting a decent to Aurora crater!
The MRV sets down safely, landing on its wheels!
The sun rises over the horizon, illuminating Aurora Crater! After confirming good communications, the MRV maneuvers toward the base!
Getting closer and closer, the supply vehicle lines up for its final docking position…
… and connects to the base!
Crews at Spacedock begin pumping fuel into DSV-5 Intrepid – refueling the craft for its next mission! Carson, Bob, and Sondo have all decided to stay onboard Spacedock for the time being as well!
Oxygen reserves and snacks at Aurora Base on Mun are running low!
Aurora Base (Mun) Mission Summary
Thankfully – there is! With the construction of the Neidon III rockets and their very fast turnaround, multiple Sarnus-class payload capable rockets are ready. The Mobile Resupply Vehicle that was developed (and sat in storage) until now is loaded onto N-4!
Later in the day, N-4 blasts off from the launch pad!
The re-usable Neidon rockets with their upgraded landing systems are anticipated to overtake the Sarnus-V rocket as record holder for “most launched!” They regularly break records for re-usability!
N-4 continues to rise, reaching an apoapsis of 100k – then continuing on to a near circular orbit!
The protective fairing detaches…
… and the Mobile Resupply Vehicle detaches!
N-4 streaks through the atmosphere!
Ground telescopes capture the re-entry heading toward the space center!
Finally the rocket slows down just above the landing site, and slowly descends!
In orbit, the Munar transfer stage shows full power and communications…
… the engines fire!
DSV-6 Odyssey’s hull has been fully assembled, and its nuclear reactors have been integrated!
Despite its massive size Odyssey’s construction consists of several well tested components: The engines, reactors, and radiator assemblies are the same design as the Discovery and Horizon class DSVs.
The central fuel hull is the same octo-hull components that are used in the Refueling barges, and the cargo bay is an extended version of the existing Cargo Bays used in the Horizon DSVs! The only completely new component is the crew and command section!
Full system integration and testing should be done by the end of the year!
Orbiting Mun, Aurora 29 Crew Vehicle and its VINCENT lander undock!
Aurora 29 drifts away from its lander! Once they are a few hundred meters away Summer begins plotting the return course to Kerbin!
Aurora 29 Mission Summary
Gilian, the mission Science Specialist, double checks Summer’s planned maneuver!
Lobert thinks about the conversation he just heard, and asks a question!
Summer nods and shows Lobert how the math works for that! After a few minutes…
As the spacecraft approaches Kerbin the crew prepares for the circularization burn!
At an altitude of 100km Aurora 29’s engine fires!
Summer fires the engines again, and then detaches the CRV’s command module!
Ground telescopes track Aurora 29’s re-entry – it looks like a big ball of fire and plasma! The engine and fuel module of the CRV can be seen burning up in the atmosphere as well!
After the firey re-entry, the parachutes deploy from the CRV!
After the firey re-entry, the parachutes deploy from the CRV!
The CRV sets down just west of the Space Center!
Kerbal States | Kerbin Space Exploration Administration 