Blueprints

Year 3, Day 240 (Explorer Design Announced)

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After a long wait, KSEA administrators finally release designs for the first interplanetary vessel: Explorer!

Utilizing many lessons learned from the KSS, the vessel will be the largest crewed vehicle and also the most comfortable: astronauts will get beds to sleep in, proper facilities, and much, much more room.

The Deep Space Vehicle, or DSV, may leave Kerbin orbit with a docked payload consisting of an Atmospheric Probe to land on Eve, and a low gravity lander meant for exploring Gilly. There is also consideration being given to sending  a the payload as a separate launch, to conserve deltaV!

All told, Explorer’s first mission will be quite the undertaking… once it is finally done!

The risk is high… Some KSEA staff want to launch unkerballed to test Explorer’s capabilities. This would set the program back a few years, and is somewhat controversial!

Year 3, Day 6 (Crew Shuttle Revealed!)

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After exhaustive modeling and testing, KSEA scientists and engineers excitedly unveil their new space vehicle – the KSS Crew Shuttle!KCS.pngConstruction begins at once, with an automated launch scheduled immediately after the first vehicle is made.

Unlike previous spacecraft, the KCS is, hopefully, entirely re-usable. The first stage (the KCS-Launch Vehicle, or KCS-LV, is a massive, automated space plane that carries the shuttle nearly to orbit.  After the Launch Vehicle’s fuel is exhausted, the Crew Shuttle detaches and heads into orbit!

The test vehicle will be named Adventure – some remain skeptical about the practicality of a space plane for moving crew between the station and Kerbin, but KSEA is always willing to try the next big thing… even if it’s a tiny shuttle!

Year 2, Day 281 (Sarnus Launch Vehicle Announced!)

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KSEA excitedly releases the plans for the Sarnus V launch vehicle!  The Sarnus Rocket itself has been through several trial runs while construction the Kerbin Space Station, and with just a few modifications to the basic lifter design a Mun Mission should be quite possible!

The Launch Stage blasts off, firing the primary engine as well as the two (recoverable) solid rockets.  The solid rockets detach, and the main engine carries the rocket to an altitude of about 90k.  Along the arc of the launch (once the primary engine stops firing) the Orbit/Munar Insertion Stage fires as the Luanch Stage detaches and falls back to Kerbin.  Once orbit is achieved, the same stage carries the Aurora Spacecraft and the Mun Lander toward Mun!  Along the way the craft performs a docking and transposition manuever.  The Aurora Spacecraft itself will then orbit Mun, and the Lander will head down.

That the plan, anyway!  A test launch will be done as soon as funds can be found to build one of the things!

Year 2, Day 254 (Mun Lander Announced)

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KSEA unveils the design for the Mun Lander!  A prototype is being built to experiment with on Kerbin, and allow crews to practice the vehicle!   The lander itself is designed to operate in the very low gravity of Mun and Minmus… the practice lander will be built with a heavier engine to allow more thrust, simulating the Munar environment.

Once training is complete, the Aurora Program will have a Crew Vehicle, a Lander, and the powerful Sarnus V-Heavy rocket to carry them both to Mun and beyond!  All of Kerbin is abuzz with excitement!

Year 2, Day 235

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scihubConstruction begins on the next massive KSS upgrade – a new science hub with additional solar arrays.  This new hub will (hopefully) be the starting point for several other science additions… putting them on the far side of the station ensure greater levels of safety if the experiments get too dangerous!

Ingeniously, the delivery stage of the module will double as an emergency escape vehicle, the RCS system has been balanced to work in tandem with the rest of the module for delivery, and the remaining fuel will let the Escape Vehicle re-enter Kerbin’s atmosphere. Future delivery modules are planned to use the same design to allow several Escape Vehicles to be docked in case of an emergency.

Year 2, Day 204 (Station Service Vehicle Announced)

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To conduct ongoing research at the Kerbin Space Station, regular deliveries of science vehicles will be needed.  KSEA scientists and engineers have been working on two designs – one, a re-usable space plane, the other a more standard cargo pod based off the Aurora Program’s design.

After hours and hours and hours and hours of simulation, the Space Plane plan is thrown in the trash bin… the much simpler Aurora Program-derived vehicle is given the green light!  Using the most recent version of the Discovery Rocket, the Discovery 5, the SSV is launched into orbit, and can carry a small payload to the KSS, and return the payload back to the surface.

In addition to ferrying science experiments, this should also provide a simple means of delivering food and other important supplies!

Year 2, Day 39

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KSEA releases plans for the new Scout Probe – a robotic lander designed to actually set down on Mun itself!   Launched on top of a Discovery Rocket, getting to Mun should be no problem.  Actually setting down (and remaining in communications with the Space Center) will be another thing entirely!  This will be a good test of the new communications systems deployed to Mun.

Additionally, construction begins on 2 X-4 Jetplanes to assist in exploration of Kerbin!