DSV-2 Discovery

Year 17, Day 138 (Laythe Spaceplane Rendezvouses With Laythe Spaceport!)

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With Discovery now docked at Laythe Spaceport, the X-10 is remotely piloted to Rendezvous! With it’s transfer stage still attached the spacecraft is very unwieldy – but it’s important to use every bit of fuel – refills are hard to come by in the Jool system!

Endeavor arrives at the Spaceport!

“This is going to be a tricky docking… I better EVA over and do it manually!”
-Jeb

“OK – I have stepped outside the hatch… rocket packs on… heading toward the X-10!”
-Jeb

“Oh wow guys! Are you seeing this!?”
-Jeb

“…roger that Jeb – we see you!”
-Bill

“This thing is a lot bigger in person!“
-Jeb

Jeb detaches the X-10 from it’s transfer stage, and pilots it to the station! The inline docking port makes the procedure a little more challenging than normal!

“We read a solid connection – good job!”
-Bob

With that, all the components of the Laythe Mission are in place! The crew will start checking systems, and prepare for their first landing!

Year 17, Day 140 (Laythe Spaceplane, Laythe Spaceport Arrive at Laythe, Discovery Docks with Spaceport!

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The next spacecraft in the convoy heading to Laythe is the X-Laythe Spaceplane Endurance! It’s engines fire and the spacecraft is captured into a circular orbit of Laythe!

Later in the day, the Laythe Spaceport also finishes circularzing Laythe! The final orbit of the Spaceport is intended to be 60k, so the engines fire again to change the orbit!

Success! The Spaceport is put in a 60k orbit. The transfer stage (and the only engine on the station) will remain in place until it’s fuel is spent by the X-10!)

“Discovery – our boards show Laythe Spaceport is in it’s required orbit – you are clear to rendezvous!”
-Gene, at KSC

“Affirmative!”
-Jeb

Discovery performs multiple maunevers as it moves to rendevous with Laythe Spaceport!

After a few orbits, Jeb pilots Discovery to within 100m of Laythe Spaceport!

“It was a good idea putting those great-big RCS thrusters on these DSV’s… it feels just like I’m manuevering an Aurora Crew Vehicle!“
-Jeb

“Almost… almost… got it! Docking complete! Discovery is now docked with Laythe Spaceport!!
-Jeb

“Alright – we need to start getting ready for the X-10’s arrival! Power down nuclear reactor… switching power supply lines to Station Power…. tape put over all throttle controls, engines disabled!”
-Bill

Year 17, Day 137 (DSV-2 Discovery Arrives at Laythe!)

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After a very long journey, Discovery finally arrives at Laythe! With a loud “ding!” the cryogenic systems finish thawing all three Kerbals: Jeb, Bill, and Bob! Mission Control has started the insertion sequence to capture into Jool’s orbit – and now the engines fire to transfer into a Laythe orbit!

“Wake up guys! The computer says we’re here!!”
-Jeb


“I’m awake… I’m awake!!”
-Bill

“Me too!”
-Bob

“Mission Control – Discovery Crew here – we’re doing good! Assuming control of DSV – firing thrusters to enter Laythe orbit! “
-Jeb

Success! Discovery has circularized it’s orbit around Laythe, a pleasant 60k altitude above the moon!

“It almost looks like Kerbin!”
-Bob

In mere days the Spaceport, and the X-10 Laythe Spaceplane will perform similar maneuvers to enter Laythe orbit!

Year 17, Day 124 (DSV-2 Discovery Nearing Jool!)

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The Deep Space Vehicle Discovery is finally nearing Jool – and it’s watery moon, Laythe!

Along with it are two other components of the Laythe Mission, the X-10 Laythe Spaceplane, Endurance, and the hub of the entire mission, the Laythe Spaceport!

Jeb, Bill, and Bob remain in Cryo-Stasis – remote systems show they’re doing fine! The convoy of spacecraft arrive at Jool’ SOI tomorrow, and will perform circularize it’s orbit in 11 days!

Once there, the crew will thaw out, and prepare for the landing segment of the mission – a dangerous endeavor, as they’re the only Kerbals in the area!

Year 14, Day 279 (Discovery Leaves Kerbin for Laythe!)

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Discovery undocks from Kerbin Spaceport!

“OK – I’m backing Discovery away from the Spaceport… nice and slow!”

-Jeb

“Reactors are powering up – looks like full power should be available!”

-Bill

Jeb activates the three Magneto-Plasma-Dynamic thrusters and Discovery takes off!

“Everything looks good! We should be ready for the Cryo-Chambers!“

-Bill

Jeb hops in…

Then Bill and Bob!

“Freezing in 3….2…1…. “

-Bill

With a “ding!” the Discovery crew is frozen in stasis…when they wake up, they should arrive at Jool!

Discovery sails away from Kerbin – radio systems will allow for remote piloting, and monitoring of the crew!

“See you guys in a few years!”

-Gene

The three components of Discovery’s mission should all be in place by Year 17!

Year 13, Day 402 (Explorer 5 Readied For Second Mission)

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As an experiment, KSEA decides to test the capabilities of the Explorer 5 spacecraft. Having returned from Duna, is it capable of entering Duna orbit again, and returning safely to Kerbin orbit? If so it would provide a much more cost effective means of transporting Kerbals to and from the red planet.

Explorer 5 docked at Kerbin Spaceport. Discovery can be seen docked in the background.

The new Discovery-class spacecraft design is certainly capable of the trip, however it is overkill to the extreme – DSV-2 Discovery could travel to Duna, return to Kerbin, and repeat the trip without ever needing to refuel!

Gillian, Shepely, and Seely (the current crew on Kerbin Spaceport) start work refuelling Explorer 5 for it’s next mission!

Year 13, Day 158 (Intrepid Returns Crews to Kerbin from Kerbin Spaceport!)

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With the return of Explorer 5 and the test flight of Discovery the Kerbin Spaceport has gotten very crowded! Edan, Bill, Orlas, Glenica, and Sean all board CTS-3 Intrepid!

“Have a good flight – you soon!”
-Gene

Edan undocks from the Spaceport, and uses RCS thrusters to reach a safe distance from the station! Gilian, Shepely, and Seely remain on the station, conducting the vitally important scientific research that must certainly occur there.

“Come back soon! Bring more snacks! “
-Shepely

Intrepid fires its engines to de-orbit… then detaches the service pod that holds cargo (and provides for solar power!)

“Hold on everyone! Things are about to get pretty hot!”
-Edan

Intrepid soars through the atmosphere, occasionally usings its airbrake system to slow its decent.

Once past the mountains west of the Space Center, Edan makes the final manuevers to line up for a landing!

“Edan to Mission Control… Intrepid is in the pipe, five by five!”
-Edan

Intrepid touches down on the runway!

A perfect landing! The tired Kerbals exit the Crew Shuttle to rest up for their next mission – Intrepid is recovered and undergoes minor repairs and the standard recovery process to get it ready for its next flight!

Year 13, Day 129 (Laythe Spaceport Design Announced!)

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Designs are (finally!) complete for the Laythe orbital refuelling and science station to be used by Discovery in its upcoming mission! Construction begins on the absolutely massive Jool Ultra-5 Rocket that will take the spaceport to orbit, and then carry it to Laythe.

The Ultra-5 should be a ridiculous sight, basically 5 Jool Rockets strapped together with an equally massive inter-planetary transfer stage at the top. When it launches, it will be the largest rocket ever launched.

Most of our engineers think our DSV type spacecraft are only going to get bigger – I won’t be surprised if this is the first of many of these massive rockets!
-Gene

Year 13, Day 10 (Explorer 6 Update!)

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In just 60 days, Explorer 6 will enter the Joolian system! Computers on the spacecraft start waking up – transmitting data on the crew: healthy, lifesigns extremely faint from cryostasis but at expected levels. Radiation levels from Jool are high, as expected. Communication systems appear sufficient, barely, for communicating with Kerbin.

Explorer 6 was launched before Discovery had even been built, to test KSEA’s deep space capabilities. Ultimately, Explorer 6 will orbit Laythe, a world that on the surface looks very much like Kerbin! Eventually KSEA wants to land Kerbals on the planet – and to do that a permanent deep space station, like Duna Spaceport, will be required! Laythe Spaceport will hopefully be a destination for Discovery, and other Deep Space Vessels!

When the mission is complete KSEA will have learned a lot about deep space exploration – vital information for the space program to continue going further and further!