Year 19, Day 171 (Explorer 7 Arrives at Duna Spaceport!)

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Explorer 7 performs a circularization manuever as it passes it’s closest point with Duna!

“I’m showing a circular orbit – nice work!”
-Shepely

Next, Malcolm performs the rendezvous maneuver, and intercepts Duna Spaceport!

“Firing thrusters… just need to get lined up with the docking port!”
-Malcolm

Explorer 7 moves in to dock…

…and makes a solid connection with the spaceport!

“OK!  Time to get out there and reposition the Advanced Lander!”
-Malcolm

“Be careful out there!  There’s a lot of hardware operating very closely!”
-Dunwin

“It’s beautiful out here! The station and lander look to be in great shape! Hard to believe the Spaceport has been here for 13 years!

-Malcolm

Malcolm uses his EVA pack to maneuver over to the Advanced Lander…

…then grabs the handholds and climbs inside!

“It’s nice and roomy in here! Much cozier than the Mun Landers!”

-Malcolm

Using only RCS thrusters, Malcolm detaches from the Ground Science cargo payload that came with the lander (and will remain attached to the Spaceport, to be used on future missions) and moves away from the station!

“The lander is oriented away from the station, and momentum is carrying us away… ejecting engine fairing!”

-Malcolm

The interstage fairing protecting the engine (which allowed the Ground Science payload to be carried inline with the lander) ejects! The momentum away from the Spaceport will carry the fairing out and away from the station!

The Advanced Lander drifts slowly over the spaceport!

“RCS thrusters firing… Forward momentum should be enough to dock…”

-Malcolm

“I show you at .1 m/s … Alignment good…”

-Dunwin

With a loud ‘CLUNK!’ and some mechanical ‘whirs’ Explorer 7 is docked and securely attached to Duna Spaceport! Malcolm climbs over and the Explorer 7 crew prepares for their landing!

Year 19, Day 160 (Aurora 24 Returns to Kerbin!)

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Luly and Mirphe blast off from Mun’s surface!

Then dock with the Aurora 24 Crew Vehicle in orbit!

“That sure took a while! I almost ran out of snacks up here!”
-Seely

Mirphe burns the engines, and the Aurora 24 capsule detaches, and hurtles (safely!) to Kerbin’s surface…

Splashing down in the surface! Recovery teams are sent out at once, to recover the Kerbals and all the interesting science gathered on Mun!

Year 19, Day 155 (Explorer 7 Crew Thaw, Prepare For Duna Mission!)

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Explorer 7 is just days away from reaching Duna’s sphere of influence! Mission Control sends the automated signal to thaw the crew from Cryo-Stasis!

“Mission Control this is Malcolm on Explorer 7… we’re all thawed out and ready for our mission!”
-Malcolm

“… I could use something hot to drink though!”
-Shepely

Dunwin checks over the ship’s systems and makes sure everything is looking good!

“Explorer handled the transit just fine… all systems are good!”
-Dunwin

Year 19, Day 80 (KSEA Announces Construction of DSV-4 Endeavor!)

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While actually under construction for quite some time, a name hadn’t been chosen yet! Endeavor will be a “Horizon Class” DSV, that is, almost identical to DSV-3 Horizon!

Endeavor’s name is from the Crew Shuttle Endeavor, which has been out of service for some time now!

“I miss flying those Crew Shuttles… when are they going to be cleared for flights again!?”
-Edan

Unfortunately, it may be quite some time for them to get cleared again – the basic design of a spaceplane makes it difficult to create a design with multiple abort options throughout the flight. In fact, there are no launch aborts available right off the launch pad!

“The engineers are working on it! No promises though!”
-Gene

Year 19, Day 77 (Aurora 24 Launches for Mun!)

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Aurora 24 blasts off, heading for Mun! While some say that the Mun missions have become routine, the Kerbals who fly them know that space travel is never routine! In fact, even the simplest mission is quite dangerous and even deadly!

“Where’s the landing site this time? ”
-Mirphe

“The northeast basin! We’ve never been there before!”
-Luly

Mirphe and Luly transfer over to the lander…

… and head down to Mun’s surface!

“We’re almost there…. contact!”
-Mirphe

“OK… deploy the rover!”
-Luly

The rover detaches, and the RCS deployer lifts it up… and then gently sets it down next to the lander!

Next, Mirphe and Luly head out to explore!

Luly plants the flag at the Northern Basin, then salutes while the cameras on the lander take their portrait!

“For all Kerbalkind!”
-Luly

Luly deploys the scientific instrumentation, while Mirphe supervises!

“Mmmhmmm. Looking very scientific – carry on!”
-Mirphe

Next, the RCS deployer detaches from the lander, and expends all it’s fuel to fly up and away from the landing site! The seismic sensor will get interesting results from the impact!

“I feel a little bad littering on Mun! But I guess it IS for science!”
-Luly

Luly and Mirphe explore the surface in the rover!

After scouting out the landing site, the two return to the lander to rest! Mun missions have been getting longer and longer, training the crew for the rigors of landings on very distant worlds!

Year 19, Day 66 (Advanced Duna Lander Arrives at Duna, Docks with Duna Spaceport!)

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Mission Control remotely pilots the Advanced Duna Lander as it completes it’s final manuevers to dock with Duna Spaceport!

First, it circularizes it’s orbit…

…then rendezvouses with the Spaceport!

Next, it docks, backwards, with Duna Spaceport! This is so the crew of Explorer 7 can unload all the ground science experiment cargo that the lander carried with it!

Docking is a success! Duna Spaceport, and the new Advanced Duna Lander, wait for Explorer 7!

Year 18, Day 401 (Kerbin Spaceport Crew Rotation… and a Surprise Asteroid Mission!)

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It’s time for a crew rotation (and life support delivery) to the Kerbin Spaceport! Orlas, Glenica, and Edan will be returning, while Val, Sean, and Kerlorf will be heading up! Val will pilot ACV-2 to orbit!

“Launch was good! We’re on course for the Spaceport!”
-Val

The ACV floats past the station, as Val maneuvers to line up with the docking extension of the station!

Success! The ACV docks! Alongside it are the previous version of the Aurora Crew Vehicle that last crew took up, as well as the Aurora 23 command vehicle from the launch that delivered crew and supplies to DSV-3 Horizon!

“Hey – I have an idea! Before we head back… let’s see if the Aurora 23 command vehicle has enough DeltaV to reach that asteroid that’s been causing Mission Control so much trouble!”
-Orlas

Mission Command considers the request and gives the OK!

“If you three want to risk it, you’ve got our OK! Just be safe!”
-Gene

“I suppose if this spacecraft can reach Mun… it should be able to reach that asteroid!”
-Edan

Orlas, Glenica, and Edan transfer over to the Aurora 23 vehicle… and depart the station! While the ACV isn’t equipped with any advanced scientific instrumentation, surface samples should be able to be collected using equipment on the ACV!

“Engines are GO!”
-Edan

Edan brings the Aurora Crew Vehicle alongside asteroid

“Ok! I’m heading out! That’s quite the space rock!”
-Orlas

Orlas uses his EVA pack to move closer and closer….

…until he lands on the asteroid!!

“I’ve landed on the asteroid! I can’t quite get a flag in here… but I think I can get a good sample!”
-Orlas

Orlas uses his EVA pack to move back to the ship…

…and climbs back inside!

“Nice work Orlas!”
-Glenica

The crew makes preparations to return to Kerbin, now that a good Asteroid Sample has been taken!

Edan plots a return course to Kerbin… and fires the engine!

Aurora 23 burns through the atmosphere, until the friction slows it down enough to deploy the parachutes!

Success!! Aurora 23 sets down on Kerbin! Recovery teams rush to rescue the crew, and the science recovered from the Asteroid!

Year 18, Day 392 (Retriever 3 Asteroid Redirect Mission Launches!)

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Retriever 3 blasts off from Cape Kerman, on top of a Jool Rocket!

Once in orbit, the newly re-designed second stage maneuvers to rendezvous with the asteroid IIF-441, which previous Retriever Missions have worked to bring closer and closer!

The “Rhino” Second Stage orbital/Rendezvous engine fires!

Until it finally connects with the asteroid!

Retriever 2 and the orbital stage are ejected… but the connection is tenuous at best! The asteroid keeps ‘wobbling’ around!

“I think we’re gonna need a new design for ‘Retriever!'”

-Gene

Year 18, Day 381 (Aurora 23 Launches, Carrying DSV-3 Horizon Crew to Orbit – then Horizon Leaves for Sarnus!)

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Aurora 23 launches from Cape Kerman, carrying Mitster, Chrisnic, and Kimmy!

Once in out of the atmosphere, the protective fairing deploys, and the spacecraft starts burning to rendezvous with DSV-3 Horizon!

“There it is! Slowing us down to stationkeeping….”
-Mitster

Once Aurora 23 has matched speeds exactly with Horizon, Mitster heads over to the Slate Lander!

“I’m outside the lander… it looks in good shape! So does the relay satellite we’ll be leaving in a wide orbit of Slate!”
-Mitster

As the sun sets, Mitster climbs into the lander, detaches from Aurora 23, and moves closer to Horizon’s docking bay!

“This is going to be almost entirely by instruments… it’s dark in space!”
-Mitster

Thankfully, Mitster is able to dock with Horizon… just as the sun comes up!

Shortly after that, Mission Control remotely pilots the Relay Satellite over to the nose of Horizon!

“OK —- powering up the basic systems… things seem good over here! I think you guys can come over to Horizon now!”
-Mitster

First, Mitster EVA’s over…

…then Kimmy!

“Oh wow! Horizon is looking good! I can’t wait to wake up and be in orbit of Sarnus!”
-Kimmy

Chrisnic does a full survey of Horizon to make sure every single component of the mission is ship-shape!

“OK – Horizon is OK to go! Powering up reactor…. Radiator systems are functioning… Main Engine is showing full power available! We’re good Mitster…. light that candle!”
-Chrisnic

With that, Horizon’s massive engine fires, in a burn that lasts for several minutes, propelling the crew to Sarnus in just three years!

“Hold on tight everyone… once the burn is done, we’ll head to the cryo-section for a little space nap… and before you know it, we’ll be at Sarnus!”
-Kimmy