Things are busy at the VAB! Resolute and Enterprise are both being refurbished for their next missions, and the Crew Shuttles Endeavor and Adventure are both being outfitted with the second generation launchers! (Intrepid is currently docked at the Kerbin Space Station – it will be outfitted with a new launcher once it returns!)
Meanwhile, construction has begun on the Duna Surveyor… based off the Mun and Minmus Surveyors, this advanced probe will scan the surface of Duna for future missions!
It’s now just days until Frontier 1 reaches the influence of Sarnus – Kerbin’s longest range probe has worked well so far… although scientists note that the signal strength is only at 70 percent. Hopefully this won’t result in any lost scientific data!
Uh oh. There’s a small problem! Looks like the Habitat Module wasn’t equipped with a communications device. What a disaster! But… there might be hope.
KSEA decides to green light the mission – in fact, this will allow testing of a new cargo module for the Crew Shuttle program! The small module will allow a small cargo payload to be carried behind the shuttle, and once emptied will still allow crew to move through the module! It should also solve the problem of where to put solar panels on the crew shuttles. Endeavor is rolled out, and has some antennas put on it that can easily be detached in orbit. No one’s ever tried something quite like this! Rookie engineer Gillian says she’s practiced just this kind of thing underwater, and assures it can’t be that much more difficult in orbit!
The lander sets the crew down perfectly at HSSLS01-A, the Greater Flats. This is the first time a mission has been conducted entirely by a science team – some of the pilots look a bit nervous about this!
Next, on to HSSLS01-C – the Midlands! This landing goes much better… however not much science is gathered. Hopefully site “D” will have better luck! This time, a more precise landing along the Slopes of Minmus will provide some interesting data. Probably another tricky landing though!
The lander docks with Harmony Space Station! However, a small problem has become clear… the station is not equipped to handle refueling of the RCS thrusters that make docking possible! A mission will have to be done soon to resupply the station… and Unity Space Station’s design has already been changed, swapping out two Life Support bays for RCS fuel. This will reduce the amount of time crews can inhabit the station, however it is doubtful a crew would be left without supplies for over a year!
Frontier 6 adjusts its orbit to skirt just barely the atmosphere of Duna – a somewhat dangerous maneuver, the craft may experience extreme heat, depending on the (unknown) density of Duna’s atmosphere.
Kerbal States | Kerbin Space Exploration Administration 