Author: sayburstuff

Year 4, Day 340 (First Unity Space Station Landings Planned)

sayburstuff Year 4 , ,

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Mission Planners announce the first destinations of the Unity Space Station Science teams!   The first landing will be at USSLS01-A, in the Highlands.  Next, the lander will perform a short jump and land in the Southwest Crater.  From there, the lander will return to Unity Station and the next team will head down!

A scientist will be required for each landing, so Luly will get the most time on Mun! Tentatively, the crew rotation will be:

  • Landing 1:  Luly, Edan
  • Landing 2:  Luly, Dunwin
  • Landing 3: Luly, Kerlorf
  • Landing 4: Luly, Seely

This should let all crew on the station get some experience!

Year 4, Day 339 (Unity Station Arrives at Mun!)

sayburstuff Year 4 , , , , , , ,

screenshot1198.pngAurora 16 blasts off, taking Edan, Dunwin, and Kerlorf on their way to Mun (and with them, the new Lander that Unity Space Station will need!)

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Aurora 16 will also be a test of the new second stage for the Sarnus V Heavy – a mono-propellant based engine called the LV-601-4.  screenshot1203.png

Success!  Aurora 16 arrives at Mun.  First, the lander heads over… screenshot1208.png

Then the Command Module docks with the station.

“Wow! Quite the crowd up here!”

-Luly

Luly is correct – along with her, Seely, Edan, Dunwin, and Kerlorf are staying on the station for a decent amount of time.  The crew is mostly rookies, at least in regards to landing on other worlds!  Each of the crew will get a chance to head down and investigate a different region of Mun.  It should be quite teh adventure!

 

Year 4, Day 325 (Next Harmony Space Station Mission Planned!)

sayburstuff Year 4 , , ,

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The next landing site for the Harmony Science team is announced!  This mission will primarally focus on site A, the Poles, and site B, the Highlands.  If fuel is available, and the team deems it safe, a third landing will be performed at site C, the Flats.

Planners are optomistic, but a landing at the poles has never been tried before, so they want to play it safe! Kimmy and Gilian will head down to Minmus very soon!

Year 4, Day 322 (Explorer Returns Home)

sayburstuff Year 4

screenshot1171.pngIt’s time for Explorer’s brave crew to return home!  Onboard Explorer, Orlas, Mitster, and Chrisnic gather up all their things (including the invaluable science data gathered from Eve and Gilly) and head to the LARC!

screenshot1181.pngThe LARC detaches… and everyone watches silently as the ship that had been their home for almost a year drifts away… Explorer will ride Kerbin’s gravity and slingshot into deep space (taking its radioactive engines far away from Kerbin…)  while the LARC should touch down somewhere on Kerbin!

screenshot1184.pngThings are getting hot as the LARC capsule reenter’s Kerbin’s orbit! screenshot1192.png

The capsule reenters the atmosphere safely!  Everyone at the space center breathes a sigh of relief… this is the first interplaneteary return, and Explorer was going very fast!

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Mitster, Orlas, and Chrisnic all land safely!  Teams are sent out to rescue them at once.   Welcome home guys!

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Year 4, Day 296 (Harmony Space Station Upgraded, Harmony Crew Rotation)

sayburstuff Year 4 , , , , , ,

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The RCS Refuelling Mission to Harmony Station above Minmus arrives!

screenshot1162.png…and docking goes surprisingly uneventfully!

Looks like a good seal!   This will give Harmony plenty of monopropellant fuel for future missions – good work everybody!

-Gilian

screenshot1163.pngSamner and Robart prepare to head home… (Robart takes the long way, enjoying an EVA before heading home) while Gilian and Kimmy prepare for the next Harmony Space Station landing!  Scientists are still figuring out the best location for HSSLS02!

screenshot1164.pngSamner, Val, and Robart head home!

Year 4, Day 288 (Unity Space Station Heads to Mun!)

sayburstuff Year 4 , , , , ,

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Seely and rookie scientist Luly are chosen for the first crew aboard Unity Space Station!  Edan pilots them up in the refitted Adventure! The new Cargo Module performs well!

screenshot1123.pngUnity Space Station is sitting in a 100k orbit.  The shuttle is capable of reaching orbits up to 120k, however tolerances for errors and safety start getting pushed above 100k.

screenshot1130.pngAdventure docks at Unity Space Station!

screenshot1133.pngLuly and Seely head over… but Seely takes the scenic route and installs the new Gravity Sensors on the station! Edan takes a second to correct the orientation of one of the Station’s Habitat Modules…

“There we go… now the other side matches!”

-Edan

Then disconnects.

screenshot1135.pngUnity Station begins its transfer to Mun!

screenshot1136.pngThis time the launch goes much better than Harmony Station’s… keeping the insertion stage’s engine’s gimbals set lower appears to solve the problem (that and the station has been designed to be symmetrical!) Adventure will remain in orbit until KSEA signals that the Station is safely away!

screenshot1141.pngUnity Station arrives at Mun!It’s just a short 5 hours trip to Mun!

screenshot1145.pngWith just a little work, the station is put into a 31k orbit,.  Now all the crew needs is a lander, and science can begin!  (The Transfer stage still has a little precious fuel in it, so it will remain until the lander arrives!)screenshot1149.png

Adventure heads down (and ejects its cargo module!)

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Another great landing by Edan!

 

 

 

 

 

Year 4, Day 286 (RCS Refueling Mission for Harmony Space Station)

sayburstuff Year 4 ,

screenshot1113.pngEnterprise blasts off from Cape Kerman, carrying the RCS Refuelling Vehicle for Harmony Space Station!  screenshot1116.png

Edan releases the Refueling Vehicle – and Mission Control pilots it to Minmus! It should arrive there in a few days, then the crew rotation at Harmony Station can be complete!

screenshot1119.pngEdan takes Enterprise back to Kerbin. The last few shuttle landings have been a bit dicey, so this time everything will be done to slow the craft down before re-entering!

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It’s a successful landing!

“That went a lot better!  Pulsing the air brakes on descent appears to be the best way to use them to slow the spacecraft down!  It prevents overhearing and allows more control!”

-Edan

Edan’s advice is carefully noted by the other pilots in the KSC!