Aurora Program

Year 3, Day 272 (Aurora 14 Launches!)

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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!

 

 

Year 3, Day 233 (Aurora 13 Returns!)

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It’s going to be a close one!  Food on Aurora 13 has run out!  Water and coffee will only keep the crew alive for so long!  Thankfully there was enough fuel to burn directly from Minmus here… so the crew needs to just hold on a little longer!

“So hungry!  We shouldn’t have had that feast to celebrate reaching solar space!  The hubris!”
-Orlas

screenshot229.pngAurora 13 comes in hot!

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The parachute deploys!  Almost homescreenshot231.pngMade it! The last time KSEA got this close to a  a loss of crew was Aurora 3, on Year 2, Day 242!  

Better care will be taken in the future for mission planning to avoid another close call! Mitster, Chrisnic, and Orlas are all rushed to the Space Center to check their well being!

 

 

Year 3, Day 225

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screenshot225.pngAurora 13 arrives in at Minmus!  And not a moment too soon, supplies are getting a little tight on the spacecraft. At 45 days into the flight, the crew is defenitely feeling the strain.

“Uh oh… foods running a little tight.  I don’t think we should have bothered with checking out Minmus!  I’m ditching the lander… we need to do a direct burn toward Kerbin if we want our supplies to last!”

-Mitster

The Minmus landing is cancelled! It looks like the calculations for deltaV were slightly off, and the food supplies won’t last as long!  Mitster fires the Aurora Spacecraft’s rockets, and Aurora 13 heads toward Kerbin at high speed!   This will be the fastest any craft has attempted reentry to Kerbin!

Potential disaster aside, this will be a good test of the Aurora era hardware for interplanetary journeys!

Year 3, Day 183 (Aurora 13 passes Minmus Orbit)

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screenshot213.pngAurora 13 passes beyond the orbit of Minmus, carrying Kerbals further into space than ever!  screenshot214.png

“Exciting!  This is the first true solar science experiment ever done!”
-Orlas

Orlas hops out and conducts some experiments….screenshot215.png

Then the rest of the crew takes their own chances at a quick spacewalk!

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“It’s so pretty… and Kerbin looks so … small!”
-Mitster

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“The Damage to the hull doesn’t look so bad from out here!”
-Chrisnic

Everyone’s a bit confused about Chrisnic’s non sequitur, since no one even mentioned any hull damage… but once everyone’s had some fun, Mitster pilots Aurora 13 back into Kerbin Space, on a course toward Minmus!

Back on Kerbin, Frontier 9 launches, also heading to Minmus!

 

Year 3, Day 178 (Aurora 13 Launch!)

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The crew is chosen for Aurora 13: Mitster, Orlas, and Chrisnic!  The three Kerbals are extremely excited that they might be the crew for Explorer’s mission to Eve! screenshot210.png

Aurora 13 blasts off!  Today’s mission: leave the Kerbin sphere of influence for a long duration space flight, re-enter Kerbin’s sphere of influence, transfer to Minmus, then return to Kerbin after the mission is complete! This will be one of the most complicated and longest duration missions ever attempted!

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The transfer stage fires and sends Aurora 13 on its way!  Unlike a normal Aurora Mission, the docking and transposition maneuver will be conducted much later in the mission. This is to allow extra fuel for mission planning purposes!

“Get comfortable everybody!  16 days until we leave Kerbin’s gravity and make history!:
-Mitster

Year 3, Day 169 (Frontier 8 Launches, Aurora 13 Construction, Explorer Crews)

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Frontier 8, the probe to Moho is rolled out to the launch pad!  With a launch window coming up in 60 days, scientists are hopeful that the Frontier-probe design will be tough enough to survive a trip so close to the sun!   The launch goes well, and Frontier 8 sits in orbit, waiting for the launch window in about 60 days!

3 other Frontier Probes remain in storage:  Frontier 5 (Jool), Frontier 6 (Duna), and Frontier 7 (Neidon.)

Work also begins on Frontier 9, a survey probe for Minmus!

Additionally, construction starts on Aurora 13!   Aurora 13 and 14 will carry two different crews beyond Kerbin’s sphere of influence as training for the long flight to Eve. The entire KSC complex is abuzz with gossip regarding who the “Explorer 6” will be!  Even if a Kerbal is chosen to be one of the 6… only 3 Kerbals will ultimately be Explorer’s crew!  However, the runner up crew will most likely be in line for the next Deep Space Vehicle!

Year 3, Day 156 (Aurora 12 Arrival At Mun)

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screenshot163.pngAurora 12 arrives at Mun!  This mission is to investigate the strange anomaly detected by Aurora 11 at the southern end of the Northwest Crater, and also as crew training for the rookie crew!

“You know, we should think about making a space station out here!  At the very least a fuel depot might be handy!”

-Orlas

screenshot165.pngEdan and Orlas head down in the lander! As they get closer, they spot something strange.

“What on Kerbin could that be!”
-Edan

screenshot167.pngIt looks like some kind of ancient structure – astonishing!  Edan sets the lander down…and Orlas hops out at once to investigate!  screenshot171.png

“It’s too far away to make on foot, I’ll have to use my EVA jets!”
-Orlas

Arriving at the base of the massive structure, Orlas is shocked… the object looks to be a giant monument… perhaps made out of Mun rock itself?

Get over here Edan! You have to see this yourself!
-Orlas

screenshot178.pngEdan hurries over, and the two gaze at the huge, cubical structure… then they head up to investigate!

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“Oh wow… astonishing!”
-Orlas

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“It looks like a lander… not that different from our own designs!  This flag is the same as the one on the side of the Oger space probe – it was the basis for the flag of the Kerbal States!”
-Orlas

The two look at every nook and cranny on what they agree is some kind of monument!

“I’m going to check the other side out that’s being eclipsed… ”
-Edan

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Edan and Orlas are speechless.  The two stare in wonder at the mysterious monument on Mun and wonder what kind of entities could construct such a massive object here!

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After taking lots of samples, Orlas and Edan launch back to the Aurora 12 Spacecraft…

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And head back to Kerbin!  Scientists are eager to do analysis of the materials gathered at the monument, and to examine the hundreds of images the astronauts took of the unusual anomaly!