The crew for Explorer 1 is announced… the brave crew of Aurora 13 are chosen for the first interplanetary journey!  Mitster, Orlas, and Chrisnic excitedly put on their new Mission Patches, and head out to the waiting Crew Shuttle Adventure!

Mitster pilots Adventure into orbit… the plan is to dock with Explorer, then the crew will be on their way!

Edan lines up with Explorer, in a 80k orbit of Kerbin…

Once in position, Endeavor undocks from its mission cargo (the atmospheric probe and LARC), and spins around, very slowly, until its lined up with the Crew Shuttle.

Edan then uses the RCS thrusters to dock with the huge space craft!

Mitster, Chrisnic, and Orlas all rush over to Endeavor.  Orlas gets serious, and starts going over all the mission parameters and scientific systems.  Mitster runs through the piloting systems, while Chrisnic does a survey of the ship (and checks out the great new Habitat section, that will make the journey to Eve much more comfortable!

“Good luck guys!
-Edan

The crew get comfortable and begin getting Explorer’s systems running!  It’s a long mission to Eve… so its important to make sure that everything on the new ship is in good working order before departure!

Meanwhile, Edan takes Adventure back to the surface!

Mitster dives Adventure, toward the Space Center, after cooling off from reentry!

Uh oh!  A little too much speed… Adventure flies by the Space Center….

Thankfully all Crew Shuttles have enough fuel for manuevering in just this kind of situtation… Edan pilots the Shuttle around, and heads back for a good approach!

Ok… I’m in the pipe, five by five…

-Mitster

Perfect landing!  Good job Edan!