After an extended stay on the surface Mitster and Kimmy double check the science equipment on the surface of Eeloo is functional and blast off for orbit!
“All systems nominal, orbital velocity and trajectory tracks good…”
-Mitster
“Systems look good! No scientific equipment problems!”
-Kimmy
Mitster rendezvouses with Horizon!
“Looking good! Horizon is ready to dock!”
-Chrisnic
Very slowly, the lander moves in to dock with the interplanetary spacecraft!
As the lander is being left behind on Eeloo orbit, Mitster docks with the front docking port, as maneuvers are more complicated when entering the DDV cargo bay!
“Docking complete! Looks like a good seal!”
-Mitster
“Let’s start moving over all the scientific data and samples! We can still do a lot of science from orbit as well, before we leave!”
After weeks in orbit calibrating equipment and scouting out a new landing site, Mission Control gives the OK to land on Eeloo! Mitster and Kimmy board the lander and undock from Horizon’s payload bay!
“Good morning! Let’s get the systems ready for the approach to Slate!”
-Chrisnic, Mission Engineer
The crew rushes to the bridge – when Mitster spots Sarnus!
“Get a picture Kimmy!” -Mitster
“Wow! That’s the first picture Kerbals have ever taken of Sarnus!” -Kimmy
“…and look how small the sun looks from out here – wow!” -Kimmy
The crew starts powering up systems and verifies full communication with the Kerbin Deep Space Relay Network! After a time delay, a message comes back from Kerbin!
“Horizon – this is Gene at Mission Control, back on Kerbin! We’re reading your transmissions loud and clear – good luck!” -Gene, at Mission Control
The Horizon speeds toward Sarnus…
…and arrives at it’s close approach to Slate, the large moon of Sarnus!
“Main engine … firing! Reactor is showing full power!” -Chrisnic
The capture burn into orbit lasts nearly 2 minutes!
Finally, the ship is captured into orbit of Slate!
“Looks like we’ve got orbit! Good work everyone! Time to disconnect the communications probe!” -Mitster
The probe drifts away from DSV-3 Horizon! The satellite arrays should provide full communication with Kerbin for missions!
As horizon orbits around Slate, the crew starts reviewing data from the orbital insertion, as well as collecting tons of new data from the Sarnusian moon!
Horizon’s cargo bay opens, and the science equipment on the lander starts collecting data! However, Kimmy is the first to crunch the numbers and has some bad news!
“Uh oh! It looks like Slate is much more massive than we thought… this data says that we’re dealing with a lot more gravity than the lander was designed for!” -Kimmy
The crew discusses the situation with Mission Control, and a novel solution is found – change the mission parameters to land on the smaller Sarnusian moon of Eeloo!
“No problem – we can transit to Eeloo in 5 days! Plugging in the maneuver!” -Mitster
Before departing, Horizon collects information over many biomes as it circles the moon – Kimmy even climbs out and conducts visual surveys for several full orbits!
5 days later, on Day 89, Horizon begins it’s maneuver to Eeloo!
The nuclear engine fires…
… and the Horizon is propelled away from Slate, toward Eeloo!
Another 5 days later on Day 94, Horizon circularizes it’s orbit around Eeloo!
“Looks like orbit has been achieved! Eeloo is pretty similar to Mun – just a bit bigger – our lander shouldn’t have an problems!”
-Chrisnic
“We just need to find a good landing site. Maybe we can repurpose one of the survey sattelites in orbit of Slate? They should have enough deltaV to make it here!” -Kimmy
Mission Control agrees, and scientists begin working on maneuvers to bring the Slate Surveyor to Eeloo!
Sarnus Surveyor arrives near Sarnus and performs maneuvers designed to navigate several of the gas giant’s moons!
The images sent back are breathtaking!
Eeloo, the first Sarnusian moon to be investigate will sadly have to wait until another pass… the sun blocks the probe’s power and the probe drifts on by!
The Sarnus Surveyor probe enters the Sarnus System! In 29 days the spacecraft will fire its engines and do a flyby of Sarnus itself and the moon of Eelo!
Finally, the craft fires its engines to circularize its orbit – extremely close to the rings of the distant, mysterious world!
Onboard systems relay amazing new findings about Sarnus that scientists on Kerbin will be pouring over for years!
Slowly, the probe’s long and eliptical orbit takes it away from Sarnus!
but the adventure isn’t over quite yet, the craft’s trajectory will take it into the gravitational sphere of Eeloo, one of Sarnus’s (many)moons!
Sarnus’s magnificent vista doesn’t fail to impress!
Frontier 2 silently passed by Eeloo – while the probe is not equipped with the modern scanning hardware of the Surveyor probes, Frontier 2 dutifully scans what it can.
The moon Slate can be seen in the distance.
What an incredible day for science! The most recent accomplishments of the space program have inspired all of Kerbin!
The Sarnus Surveyor probe enters the Sarnus System! In 29 days the spacecraft will fire its engines and do a flyby of Sarnus itself and the moon of Eelo!
Finally, the craft fires its engines to circularize its orbit – extremely close to the rings of the distant, mysterious world!
Kerbal States | Kerbin Space Exploration Administration 