Author: sayburstuff

Year 3, Day 350 (Aurora 15 Launches, MunBase Alpha Construction)

sayburstuff Year 3 , , , , , ,

screenshot341.png

Edan, Bill, and Bob blast off from the Space Center on Aurora 15!  Their mission is to find a suitable, and ideally scenic, spot for MunBase Alpha!

screenshot346.png

After docking and transposition, the orbital stage is ejected… and Aurora 15 sails to Mun!screenshot349.png

After just a few hours, Aurora 15 arrives … and the crew starts looking for a good site!screenshot352.png

Landing confirmed!  Now to find a nice flat spot with a good view!screenshot353.png

Edan stays at the lander… while Bob heads out in his EVA jetpack to find a good spot!

screenshot358.png

“I think this is it!  I’ll put a flag here so we know where to find it when we come back!”
-Bob

The site for MunBase Alpha will be in the center of one of the large Midland craters, in a flat area between 3 others:screenshot361.png

This location should be easy enough to set a base at, flat with few large rocks or other obstacles nearby!

Ok then – that’s a go!  Let’s start construction on MunBase Alpha at once!  Meanwhile, Edan and Bill take off, back to the orbiting Aurora Spacecraft!

Edan and Bill say hi to Bob, and share the good news!  Meanwhile, back on Kerbin, mission planners work on last minute adjustments to MunBase Alpha!  The plan is to have Aurora 15 stay in orbit, while the MunBase launches!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year 3, Day 320 (Aurora 15 Construction, MunBase Alpha Announced)

sayburstuff Year 3 , ,

MunBaseAlpha.pngConstruction starts on Aurora 15, which will scout for a location for KSEA’s next big adventure… MunBase Alpha!  This Munar Outpost will be the first attempt at long term habitation of another world!  This is the first of hopefully many Deep Space Colonies!

KSEA hopes that lessons learned from MunBase Alpha will help develop new technologies to make future colonization possible.  This also provides a great excuse for some great new Mission Patches!

256x256-12.png

 

Year 3, Day 317 (Explorer Departs for Eve!)

sayburstuff Year 3 , , , , ,

explorer1crewpatch

screenshot311.png

This is the day!  Mitster triple checks the calculations, and Orlas does the same.

“Looks good!  Let’s light this candle!”
-Mitster

Explorer fires what’s left of the orbital stage to get a little extra ‘kick’ to Eve!  Then….

screenshot316.png

The protective fairings on the nuclear engines fire!

screenshot317.png

Explorer soars out of Kerbin’s orbit… screenshot320.png

and heads to Eve! If calculations are correct, and they better be, Explorer will arrive at Eve in 120 days… on Year 4, Day 33!

The engines stop firing, glowing red from the heat! Orlas activates the primary communication antenna as well!screenshot323.png

“Wow… those engines sure get hot!”

-Chrisnic

After the engines are done firing, the crew moves to the habitat section and get comfy… 120 days is the longest mission ever attempted by Kerbals!

screenshot326.png
Orlas and Mitster, goofing around in the Explorer’s Habitat Section!
screenshot325.png
Chrisnic.. waiting for something to break!

 

 

 

Year 3, Day 307 (Explorer Crew Announced… and launched!)

sayburstuff Year 3 , , , , , , ,

explorer1crewpatch.png

The crew for Explorer 1 is announced… the brave crew of Aurora 13 are chosen for the first interplanetary journey!  Mitster, Orlas, and Chrisnic excitedly put on their new Mission Patches, and head out to the waiting Crew Shuttle Adventure! screenshot283.png

Mitster pilots Adventure into orbit… the plan is to dock with Explorer, then the crew will be on their way!

screenshot288.png

Edan lines up with Explorer, in a 80k orbit of Kerbin…

screenshot290.png

Once in position, Endeavor undocks from its mission cargo (the atmospheric probe and LARC), and spins around, very slowly, until its lined up with the Crew Shuttle.

screenshot291.png

Edan then uses the RCS thrusters to dock with the huge space craft!

screenshot292.png

Mitster, Chrisnic, and Orlas all rush over to Endeavor.  Orlas gets serious, and starts going over all the mission parameters and scientific systems.  Mitster runs through the piloting systems, while Chrisnic does a survey of the ship (and checks out the great new Habitat section, that will make the journey to Eve much more comfortable!

“Good luck guys!
-Edan

The crew get comfortable and begin getting Explorer’s systems running!  It’s a long mission to Eve… so its important to make sure that everything on the new ship is in good working order before departure!

screenshot300.png

Meanwhile, Edan takes Adventure back to the surface!

screenshot301.png

Mitster dives Adventure, toward the Space Center, after cooling off from reentry!

screenshot304.png

Uh oh!  A little too much speed… Adventure flies by the Space Center….

screenshot305.png

Thankfully all Crew Shuttles have enough fuel for manuevering in just this kind of situtation… Edan pilots the Shuttle around, and heads back for a good approach!

screenshot306.png

Ok… I’m in the pipe, five by five…

-Mitster

screenshot308.png

Perfect landing!  Good job Edan!

 

 

Year 3, Day 274 (Frontier 5 heads to Jool!)

sayburstuff Year 3 , , ,

screenshot258.pngFrontier 5’s computer is instructed to commence its burn to Jool!  The probe will reach Jool around Year 6, Day 200, after a journey of 2 years and 370 days!

If calculations are right, specifically encounter Jool’s innermost moon, Laythe!  After the Laythe flyby, an attempt will be made to circularize orbit in the Joolian system.  Having never attempted such a thing, no one knows how it will go down!

Year 3, Day 272 (Aurora 14 Launches!)

sayburstuff Year 3 , , , ,

screenshot248.pngAurora 14’s crew is selected!  Val, Kimmy, and Bill will take the next Aurora Spacecraft to Mun!  This completes the “Explorer Six”, the pool of 6 astronauts that are in training to crew “Explorer” and the mission to Eve!screenshot252.png

The Aurora Spacecraft has had a slight adjustment made to its cargo bay, allowing more food and supplies to prevent a repeat of the near disaster that Aurora 13 very nearly became!

KSEA has decided to remove the on board power generator, and replace it with more supplies, as the solar panels have proven themselves for many missions as being a reliable source of energy for missions in the Kerbin sphere of influence. screenshot253.png

The first priority is to take the crew beyond Kerbin’s sphere of influence, and into ‘solar space.’ The mission will also be slightly less fuel efficient, demanding greater speeds of the spacecraft in order to maximize onboard crew resources. After reaching solar space, Aurora 14 will return to Kerbin’s SOI, and attempt a landing on Minmus, before returning to Kerbin.  It will be the most complicated mission attempted since Aurora 13! screenshot257.png

Val performs the docking and transposition maneuver, then ejects the orbital/insertion stage.  The protective cover over the Aurora Spacecraft’s engine is also ejected, and Aurora 14 rides the momentum out of Kerbin’s SOI!