After taking a few days to recuperate and prepare, Malcolm, Dunwin and Shepely talk over their upcoming mission in the Crew Cupola of Duna Spaceport!
“Does it ever bother you that we’re sitting “up” but we’re flying “sideways”?
-Shepely
“Up, down, it’s all relative in space! I just like going fast! “
-Malcolm
“Well, we’re not going anywhere fast sitting here! Let’s get down to the surface! I wanna see how this new lander performs!”
-Dunwin
After packing all their science gear (and some snacks) Dunwin, Shepeley, and Malcolm head over to the lander!
As the sun sets on the horizon, the lander sets out!
“Look at that sunset! So blue!”
-Dunwin
“That’s from the dust in Duna’s atmosphere! It’s the right size to let blue light in more than other wavelengths… and scatters it!
-Shepely
“Hmm – neat!”
-Dunwin
“Undocking! RCS reverse thrusters firing! Landing airbrakes deployed!”
-Malcolm
The lander fires it’s aerospike engine! This mission will be to investigate some anomalous readings detected from orbit!
Unlike previous Duna Landers that entered the atmosphere “engine first”, the Advanced Duna Lander enters “nose first” like a spaceplane!
The rear airbrakes provide just enough lift!
“Lander is on course for target… Atmosphere is slowing us down a bit more than expected… We’ll need a short engine burn to adjust our approach!”
-Malcolm
The engine fires, and the lander accelerates enough to stay on target!
“Oh wow! We’re really close to the surface! Speed is down to 200 m/s…. Is that enough to deploy the parachute?”
-Dunwin
“Not quite! Almost at target…. Almost… Deploy the chute!!”
-Malcolm
The landing parachute deploys! The airbrakes retract and the landing gear deploys!
This is one of the most dangerous phases of the mission, as the landing gear and airbrakes must retract with the parachute cords clear so nothing gets jammed or tangled! The chute then lifts the nose up, and orient’s the lander for landing!
“Chute is deployed, gear is down and locked! Starting slow burn to decelerate!”
-Malcolm
The lander slows to just 1 m/s as it gently sets down!
“Mission Control, this is Explorer 7 Lander .. we have set down on Duna! All systems are good!”
-Malcolm
On Kerbin, cheers fill Mission Control! The new lander performed perfectly!
“Nice work everyone!”
-Gene, at Mission Control
Malcolm, Dunwin, and Shepely will rest for a day, then suit up and head outside!
Aurora 16 arrives at Minmus, and Edan pilots the spacecraft to dock with Harmony Space Station! Glenica has been waiting for a crew for sometime now!
Aurora 17 docks! Edan and Shepley quickly transfer over to the lander, eager to get their turn down on Minmus!
Samner, Edan, and Shepley launch on board Aurora 17! Edan is particularly excited, as this will be his first landing! This is the first launch of the overhauled Aurora Mission, utilizing a longer term habitation module, similar to that on the upcoming Explorer 2mission! The purpose is to make space flight more comfortable, and to give crews experience on maneuvers and working environments similar to those in future planned deep space missions.
Endeavor completes a minor refit to its orbital maneuvering system. Ever since the rear cargo addition was added to the Crew Shuttles orbital handling has been off, it’s hoped that this update will make the craft easier to control during docking! In addition, air brakes developed during the Heavy Cargo Shuttle Program have been scaled down, and installed on Endeavor. Hopefully they assist in landing safety! 
Shepley, Jeb, Bob depart in the Intrepid, which is due for its own upgrades once it returns to Kerbin! 
Kerbal States | Kerbin Space Exploration Administration 