Duna

Year 18, Day 233 (Advanced Duna Lander Launches!)

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Construction is complete on the Advanced Duna Lander! The spacecraft is rolled out… and launches!

Launched on the Sarnus Va, the rover will sit in orbit for 41 days until the ideal transfer window to Duna!

In orbit, the lander ejects it’s fairing… and waits! The probe will be entirely un-crewed during it’s flight, including (hopefully) docking with the Spaceport!

The Advanced Duna Lander also includes a cargo segment on the rear that will attach to Duna Spaceport, carrying enough surface science equipment for 4 seperate landings!

Year 18, Day 137 (KSEA Announces New Advanced Duna Lander!)

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KSEA is excited to release plans for the next Duna Lander, the Advanced Duna Lander! Succeeding the Super Duna Lander, this new craft has greater deltaV, and additional life support and crew space – able to carry FOUR Kerbals!

The re-usable lander will launch on a Sarnus Va rocket, and travel a few days behind the Explorer 7 mission to Duna!

Year 14 Day 267 (Explorer 5 Reaches Duna… and Keeps Going!)

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Critics of reusing Explorer 5 were correct! The spacecraft didn’t have enough deltaV to overcome the high speed approach of Duna. Perhaps KSEA should have known better!

“Hmmm. Well, we all make mistakes! Back to the drawing board! It would be nice to have a spacecraft that can reach Duna without being quite a DSV-class vehicle!”

-Gene

To that end, KSEA begins work retooling what would have been Explorer 7 to use the Explorer design but with a more re-usable layout in mind!

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 12, Day 286 (Adventure Returns Explorer 5 Crew to Kerbin From Kerbin Spaceport!)

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Val, Bill, and Bob board Adventure!  Edan will pilot them back to the Space Center, since Val is still recovering from the long cryo-sleep!

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Adventure streaks through the atmosphere!

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“Trajectory seems good so far – hold on everyone!”

-Edan

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Edan performs a few manuevers to adjust the heading – Adventure‘s air brakes had to be used in pulses to slow the craft down – a few timed bursts of the engines accelerate the craft so it won’t land short of the Space Center!

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“Ok. Adventure is in the pipe – five by five!”

-Edan

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Adventure lands, returning the Explorer 5 crew to Kerbin!  KSEA scientists begin collecing the data brought back, and Val, Bill, and Bob head to the Astronaut Complex to recover!  Meanwhile, the crew shuttle is recovered and begins repairs and refits for it’s next launch!

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Year 11, Day 411 (Explorer 5 Departs Duna!)

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The Explorer 5 crew packs up their scientific findings (and various uneaten snacks) from around Duna Spaceport, and heads over to the DSCRV, the Val undocks the spacecraft!

“I can’t wait to get back with all these new findings!”

-Bob

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“I sure hope those return calculations are correct!”

-Bill

“They’re correct – don’t worry!  We’ll be home before you know it!  Now let’s get in those cryopods before we get hungry!”

-Val

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Explorer 5 finishes it’s burn back to Kerbin, and the crew heads to Cryo-Sleep!  They’re expected back at Kerbin in just 271 days!

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Year 10, Day 226 (Explorer 5 Crew Lands on Duna!)

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KSEA announces that Explorer 5 will be setting down in the Eastern Canyon – a site that is thought to be a similar to the Western Canyon, only a great deal more easterly.

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Bill, Bob, and Val board the Super Duna Lander and head down to the surface!

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“OK, starting our descent. Hang on everyone!”

-Val

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The Super Duna Lander speeds down to the surface! Right before landing the airbrakes are stowed and the gear is deployed, as the rockets fire one last burn to slow down before landing!

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“Contact!  We’re on the surface! ”

-Val

The crew prepares to head out and explore the Eastern Canyon at Duna!

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The crew waits until sunrise, and starts exploring!

Year 10, Day 220 (Explorer 3 Returns Home From Duna!)

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Explorer 3’s Aurora Command Pod detaches from the rest of the spacecraft, and begins its reentry into Kerbin’s atmosphere!

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After the radio blackout from reentry, the chute deploys!

“We came in a little fast, but within the spacecraft’s tolerances… everything’s fine!”

-Edan

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The crew touches down in the highlands, and quickly hop out to enjoy fresh air again!

“Feels good to be back on solid ground, but standing up in this gravity is hard!”

-Sean

Rescue teams are already en route to rescue the crew (and all the precious scientific data they brought back from Duna!

“I can’t wait to inspect those samples in the lab!”

-Glenica

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