Year 10

Year 10, Day 90 (Pathfinder 4 and Pathfinder 5 Update!)

sayburstuff Year 10 , , ,

KSEA LogoKSEA regrets to inform the public that Pathfinder 4 and Pathfinder 5 have both overshot their targets, failing to achieve orbit.  It would seem speed is the problem, as those probes were simply traveling too fast to be slowed down by single NERV engine – the future of the Pathfinder program however remains in doubt.

Of even greater concern is Explorer 5, already en route to Duna, built on the Pathfinder frame!  Scientists think that Explorer’s much lower transfer speed will allow the craft to slow down in time – but time will tell.

 

Year 10, Day 7 (Construction Starts on Pathfinder 6 Plock Probe)

sayburstuff Year 10 , ,

pathfinder6.pngConstruction begins on the next Pathfinder probe, Pathfinder 6 – heading to the distant world of Plock.

Plock will be the furthest mission ever attempted! Pathfinder 6 will be virtually identical to Pathfinder 5, with the same lander layout as well.

(Note: The Patch Department notes in the fine print that no one has ever seen Plock before, and as such Moho may have been used in the patch design)

Year 10, Day 2 (Aurora Payload Vehicle Destroyed!)

sayburstuff Year 10 , ,

screenshot340.pngThe Aurora Payload Vehicle separates from Kerbin Spaceport, carrying with it the kuarq experiment payloads!

screenshot341.png

The APV does its descent burn, and begins falling through the atmosphere… faster and faster… until Mission Control notices a critical problem.

“Oh no. I think we forgot to add parachutes to the ACV!”

-Gene

The ACV falls into the mountains west of the Space Center at terminal velocities… the entire vehicle is utterly destroyed!  Thankfully crewed missions are reviewed more carefully!  Construction begins at once on a new APV!