Topic: The Kerpollo Program

squeegee started this discussion 10 years ago #49,739

long before kerbalnauts were being hurled towards Duna, engineers at Cape Kerbnaveral were hurling monkeys and robotic probes to the surface of the mun. the kerpollo program was the culmination of decades of hard work sending 21 kerbals to the mun, many of whom died. despite the deaths great glory was achieved for all of kerbalkind. this is the story of Kerpollo 1.

beckyderp !4aMoRa.T2Q joined in and replied with this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later[^] [v] #646,498

You inspire me not to smoke pot.

Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo joined in and replied with this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 10 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #646,499

petey Pablo
sao Paulo call auto
call collect
1 800 no bitch
hitting licks
sending pics
licking hits
picking nits
throwing j's
blowing haze

squeegee (OP) replied with this 10 years ago, 30 minutes later, 41 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #646,510

weighing in at 275 tons the whole vessel is just enormous. it's a 3 stage affair with 4 huge primary engines and one enormous midstage. the voyage requires multiple dockings, landing and orbital rendezvous. this particular configuration has not been out of orbit before, so this mission was planned to see where i stood on fuel. the mission called for insertion into low munar orbit and then testing of the lander. needed to see if #1 i had the fuel for a return trip, #2 if the lander could land and then reach the same orbital altitude. so, basically the test would either be a complete run or would be scrubbed if any problems prohibited one.

squeegee (OP) double-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 46 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #646,511

looking good for launch. the only mod being used right now is mech jeb (flight computer), aside from that it's vanilla parts.
on the side you can see a narrow-band scanner that's used to help look for suitable landing spots. not the best spot for something to stick out, but there's not much room for anything. luckily it doesn't shear off during launch, so, it works.

Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo joined in and replied with this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 53 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #646,516

@OP
Not sure if Scott Manley or just really high.

squeegee (OP) replied with this 10 years ago, 9 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,520

@previous (Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo)
i have to launch using mech jeb. i did a few test launches manually and it's a bitch to fly. i was able to trim out the flaps and stop the whole ship from oscillating but it's a bitch to zero and mech jeb kills the bouncing completely. the restricting i had on building it meant that it has a natural weak spot at the lander. (technically the lander would be down in the cone shaped area underneath but there's not a stock part that works like it did in real life so i went with that looked best.) it's strong enough with plenty of struts.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) double-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,522

it gets up there pretty quick. there's a lot of thrust in the first stage

squeegee (OP) triple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,523

last shot as one vehicle. first stage almost spend. a majority of the fuel weight already spent and the flight only started 40 seconds ago

squeegee (OP) quadruple-posted this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,525

the first stage is dropped and falls into the ocean. the second stage engine fires and raises the vehicle into orbit.

squeegee (OP) quintuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,527

everything made it intact. we're good to go for reconfiguring the ship for munar transit.
first we'll have to lose the nose cone escape tower, then have to decouple the transit stage from boost stage, rotate the ship 180 degrees, dock to the lander, decouple the booster stage, and then head to the mun.

squeegee (OP) sextuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,528

here you can see that i dropped the escape tower and rotated the ship to dock with the lander.
neat trick: i waited to decouple the engine shroud you see floating away until after i rotated 180 degree. the kick was just enough to propel me towards the lander for a perfect propellant free docking

squeegee (OP) septuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,529

pulling the lander free from the second booster stage

squeegee (OP) octuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,530

Kerpollo 1 preparing for munar transfer window

squeegee (OP) nonuple-posted this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,534

burning for the mun. i should have plenty of fuel to make the trip. it kinda all depends on the lander. it's possible i might have even more fuel than i need if the lander has a surplus.

squeegee (OP) decuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^] [v] #646,536

so far so good. fuel situation about where expected. needed to perform one small correction burn to fine tune final munar altitude. craft reoriented for retro burn. cookies were eaten around this time.

squeegee (OP) undecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 23 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,543

going to have to do the burn on the dark side of the mun, just like in the movies. since the fuel looks good we're going for capture.

squeegee (OP) duodecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,544

this burn put Kerpollo 1 in an orbit about 35000 meters above the surface

(Edited 39 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) tridecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,545

some time was spent using the narrow-band scanner looking for a landing spot. found a nice crater with a bunch of science in it. after a couple of orbits i was ready to transfer crew to the lander break hard dock. Commander Valentina remained in the command module and bob and bill loaded into the lander.

squeegee (OP) quattuodecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,548

then there was an emergency. immediately after decoupling the docking collar it was evident something was wrong. the flight computer was completely unresponsive. i had manual control, but no autopilot. well great. not that big of a deal for landing, but it's going to be hard as fuck to time the launch window by hand. the mission was almost scrubbed. but, decided bill and bob knew the risks. so, i manually engaged the engines and held attitude with gyroscopes. few minutes later and we have touch down in minichan crater.

squeegee (OP) sexadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,549

much science was performed

squeegee (OP) sedecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,550

many exploration

squeegee (OP) septuadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 22 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,552

the next bit i didn't catch any pictures for. i was sure i was going to fail every second from start to finish. i loaded up and readied the ship for launch and set a save spot. and i'll be honest, this took me more than a couple of tries. launching from the mun is easy, but rendezvous are fucking hard. i kinda just eyeballed it and waited until the command module was at about the right spot overhead and launched. the first try missed by a long shot. but, my heading got all fucked up because i'm all rotated around on my navball. second try was much closer, but i was still too late. 3rd try was good, but my inclination off. i adjusted and rode it out and ended up looking pretty fucking good. the command module was very close. so i kicked on the engine and matched speed. ended up about 500m away. i was pretty pleased with that so i cut off the engine and switched over to the command module. valentina would have to pilot the command module over and perform the actual docking.

but, problem. i fucking forgot RCS thrusters. shit. mechjeb doesn't like docking without RCS. so i decided to try and do it manually since mechjeb will fail. pretty much i have to thrust slowly towards the target and rotate my ship around to kill any unintended lateral movement. so, i get heading towards it pretty slowly and then go about rotating all over the place and thrusting a throttled main drive trying to make tiny micro movements. i wish i had taken a video, because it was actually pretty boss. right at the end i nailed the relative motion and pitched up just in time to slip into the docking collar. doing it with a single 3 ton engine and not 8 tiny RCS maneuvering thrusters felt pretty hardcore tbh. the result was no dead kerbals and an intact ship and all objectives complete save returning. i was surprised.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) octadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,553

safe back in the command module with valentina the crew jettisoned the Munar Excursion Module and headed for home. the MEM consumed 90% of its fuel on landing and ascent, but the remaining 10% was transferred over to the command module for the return trip.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,555

service module released with fuel to spare. command module heatshield exposed. there's no more maneuvering or any kind of piloting to be done, it's all up to newton now.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,556

coming in very, very fast and hot. the heat shield ends up losing near 40% of its ablative plating.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,558

hit the lower atmosphere at 2200m/s and dropped like a rock. surprisingly enough everyone on board survived reentry and the capsule landed in the ocean near Kerbindia. honestly, for a maiden flight i couldn't have asked for things to have gone better. there were a couple of hiccups, but everything went very smoothly. except for the munar ascent problem of me not being a literal rocket scientist who knows how to calculate launch windows it all went incredibly straight forward.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,559

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 12 minutes later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,561

and that's the exciting tale of Kerpollo 1 and her heroic crew. the lessons learned were invaluable and work immediately began on a slightly bigger and upgraded version, Kerpollo 2, which was built to solve many of the problems experienced during Kerpollo 1

Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 3 hours after the original post[^] [v] #646,563

@previous (squeegee)

squeegee (OP) replied with this 10 years ago, 1 day later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,927

kerpollo 2 stands atop the launch pad ready to send brave and stupid kerbalnauts to the mun. Kerpollo 2 is commanded by Jebediah (acting as engineer) and piloted by Rosala. Thomlas, a geologist by training, is along for the ride with Jeb down to the munar surface in the MEM. several new science packages have been added to the MEM to perform a geological survey, measure surface radiation, monitor surface temperature, and take seismic readings.

upgrades include the addition of a flight computer to the MEM and RCS thrusters on the Service Module.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) double-posted this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,931

oh. my. god.

squeegee (OP) triple-posted this 10 years ago, 49 seconds later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,932

squeegee (OP) quadruple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,933

(Edited 4 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) quintuple-posted this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,934

squeegee (OP) sextuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,935

lock the doors

squeegee (OP) septuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 hour later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,952

Remarks by the Kerbal President on the Loss of Kerpollo 2:
My fellow Kerbals, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Cape Kerbnaveral began receiving corrupted telemetry data from the Kerpollo 2 spacecraft. A short time later, an explosion occurred on the launchpad. The Kerpollo 2 is lost; there are no survivors.

On board was a crew of 3: Colonel Thomlas Kerman; Lt. Colonel Rosala Kerman; Commander Jebediah Kerman; These individuals assumed great risk in the service to all Kermanity.

In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of Kerbin. These Kerbalnauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more.

All Kerbals today are thinking, as well, of the families of these heros who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.

The cause in which they died will continue. Kerbalkind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.

On the Launchpad today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah Kerman, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the Kerpollo 2 did not return safely to Kerbin; yet we can pray that all are safely home.

May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless Kerbin.

(Edited 44 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) octuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 hour later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,976

Remarks by Wernher von Kerman, lead designer:
The accident of Kerpollo 2, mission 51-L, interrupting for a time one of the most productive engineering, scientific and exploratory programs in history, evoked a wide range of deeply felt public responses. There was grief and sadness for the loss of three brave members of the crew; firm national resolve that they be forever enshrined in the annals of Kerbal heroes, and a determination, based on that resolve and in their memory to strengthen the Kerpollo program so that this tragic event will become a milestone on the way to achieving the full potential that space offers to Kerbalkind.

squeegee (OP) nonuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,977

In view of the findings, the Commission concluded that the cause of the Kerpollo 2 accident was the failure of this rod. The failure was due to a faulty design unacceptably sensitive to a number of factors. These factors were the effects of temperature, physical dimensions, the character of materials, the effects of reusability, processing and the reaction of the joint to dynamic loading.

squeegee (OP) decuple-posted this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^] [v] #646,978

The Commission has conducted an extensive investigation of the accident to determine the probable cause and necessary corrective actions. Based on the findings and determinations of its investigation, the Commission has unanimously adopted recommendations to help assure the return to safe flight. The Commission urges that I submit, one year from now, a report to the President on the progress that KSA has made in effecting the Commission's recommendations.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) undecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 hours later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,024

Kerpollo 5 launching from Cape Kerbnavarel. the newly designed vehicle was further optimized. the lander was reduced in weight significantly. it carried way more fuel than it needed and fell apart when leaving it behind so it's lighter, needs less fuel, can actually carry more payload and the landing stage doesn't break up when the escape stage breaks away. so the landing stage can be left behind as a functional remote science station and i can bounce signals off of it with satellite mods i might start running, which is cool. i also rebuilt the rocket. i really needed the third booster stage to put me on a lunar insertion trajectory instead of using any fuel from the service module to get there (just the correction burns.) so, with a better built rocket i was able to reduce the fuel in the service module by half. not only did it give me more room to add a service bay, but it allowed for extra payload. overall it's more stable the entire way through. missions are going like clock work. pretty much the only issues i'm actually having are with sequencing. there's a very specific procedure for doing, well, everything, but if you execute it all flawlessly then it's just perfect. but, there's little margin for fucking up, especially during a few critical maneuvers. pretty much they're being sent with exactly the fuel they need for each step of the trip. the lander carries a small amount extra to account for bad landing spots and a little hovering.

everything is modeled as closely to the apollo spacecraft and the Saturn V as i could manage, and the flight plan is also as close as what was logical. at 295 tons it's bordering on the heaviest i can make a single column rocket (with the parts available.)

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) duodecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,025

1:40 into the ascent and the first stage is dropped into the ocean. the second stage kicks in
(technically this launch was reset to load the right kerbals but it shows the time, so, it's in)

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) tridecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,026

the second stage burns through all its fuel in one shot

squeegee (OP) quattuodecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,027

the third stage lights up briefly to finish circularizing orbit

squeegee (OP) sexadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,028

excellent, looking at the delta V chart i've got over 1000m/s of fuel left. but, not much time to think about more payload, i've opted to not orbit but rather launched straight into the munar insertion window. only a few minutes to make sure everything is working.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) sedecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,030

okay, time for beauty shots

squeegee (OP) septuadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,031

that's a nice looking bucket of screws ain't it

squeegee (OP) octadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,032

Bang Zoom! Straight to the Mun!

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,033

4 seconds of fuel left, lol. 178m/s. uh, well that's not a lot of extra payload. maybe some sweet headlights for the lander and some batteries for longer remote scienceing.
well, like i said, not much overhead here. a fuck-up is mission ending.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,034

the vehicle is now on a collision course for the mun. this is intentional. it's time to drop the booster and reconfigure the lander to. the front of the command module. the orientation of the spacecraft here is important. dumping debris perpendicular to your trajectory helps prevent collisions. also, dumping it ahead of you or behind you could result in the booster picking up enough speed to shoot right past the mun and orbit Kerbin forever. dumping it to the side will ensure the booster slams into the mun and is destroyed. in fact it even raises the inclination just slightly enough to not even impact directly along the horizon which is good for not hitting anyone who happens to be landed or contaminating a landing site (not that that's a real issue, but that's how it's done i guess)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 35 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,035

the ejection also has a negative impact of your own orbit though (newton is a bitch)
it fucks up your inclination more than the boosters, so after everything is all configured for transit there's at least one more correction burn to make. not to mention we're on a collision course, so, gotta tweak that into a proper intercept.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,037

apollo 5 before rejiggering

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,038

after rejiggering. i dumped the escape tower on the nose, undocked from the MEM, rotated the command module 180 degrees, decoupled the engine cowling and then docked them together.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,039

all the junk i just dumped is headed for the same place the booster stage is headed.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,040

good look at the service module. inside there's monopropellant for RCS, an RTG for power, batteries, and room for food and air is i decide to do a life support mod.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,041

performed a very, very small correction burn. something like 21m/s was enough to get my periapsis where i wanted it over the munar surface

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,042

at periapsis a 300m/s or so retro-burn is performed to settle into a 30km orbit

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,043

close to 600m/s of fuel left. but, that's for the entire ship. the lander is about to spend some of that, so, it's going to be tight.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,044

there was an eclipse.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,045

munar polar orbiter 1 is working to highlight broad areas of interest. a landing spot is picked on the bright side of the mun, right along the equatorial plane, and in an area with significant mineral deposits.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,046

the crew is transferred to the MEM. this time as commander Valentina will ride with Shelman to the surface and Naris will remain on board the command module to do docking later on. the lander powers up, undocks, fires a short retro burn and begins to descend.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,047

slowing down.

also, the fuck is that on the ground on the other side of that crater? seriously. the fuck

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,048

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 34 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,049

touch down

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 54 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,050

Valentina looks so happy

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 39 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,051

somber work

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 42 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,052

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 54 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,053

Valentina is going exploring to see what the fuck that was on the ground a few km away

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 45 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,054

...what the fuck?

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 55 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,055

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 44 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,056

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,057

back at the MEM Shelman is sciencing the on board gadgets and deploying the omnidirectional antennae

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,058

close up of the service bays and a couple of the instruments
lots of room for more junk, and plenty of fuel to land it.

(Edited 26 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,059

crew on board, surface samples collected, science data transmitted, area explored. the crew prepares for ascent and waits for the launch window.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,060

ascending to rendezvous

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 56 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,061

tbh getting the escape module to do that where it doesn't obliterate the lander entirely was the most difficult part of the whole thing. i had to make a bunch of compromises in the design to get something that both worked and at least resembled the actual lunar lander.

pictured: lunar lander test 3

(Edited 25 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,062

but, i finally got something made that functions as intended. it's now a remote science station and can bounce a signal which probably won't be helpful but it's cool nonetheless

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,063

rendezvoused about 2km away. once i got into orbit i switched over to the command module to do the final docking.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 37 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,064

mind the gap.

after docking it's crew transfer time. what little fuel remained was transferred to the service module to be used on the return trip. everyone loads into the command module and the extraneous escape module from the MEM is undocked and left in orbit for eternity. the crew then burns for home.

(Edited 5 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,065

burned to drop out of munar orbit and back into orbit around kerbin

(Edited 7 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,066

a few more adjustment burns were made to adjust my reentry trajectory and shave off a little speed. i burned through the rest of the fuel entirely. after that the service module is decoupled leaving the heat shield and physics the only things slowing the capsule down. the service module will burn up in kerbin's atmosphere

(Edited 9 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,067

pretty sure it doesn't matter much, i'm hitting the atmosphere at around 2900m/s. truth be told i probably end the trip with a couple of tons of fuel or so. not much help on the return actually, because the maneuvers are super inefficient. it'd be better to take some extra payload and use that fuel earlier like when slowing for munar capture. it's not a great deal of fuel remaining though, so it's not much extra mass that can go as it's currently built.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,068

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 9 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,069

every objective of the mission was completed and there were zero complications
the capsule landed in the remote tundra of Kerberia where the crew were picked up by an international response team in a soviet helicopter

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^] [v] #647,070

work begins on Kerpollo 6. proposals for additional science package mods and life support mods are under review. more surface EVA experiments are being planned and a more comprehensive ground based observation plan is being looked into. there is talk of a rover.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 days later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,311

the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) has been completely overhauled. first of all i was landing on 4 engines for a total of 240kN of thrust and i need way less than that. more like 60. the real life LEM landed under merely 45kN. what the flight computer was doing was waiting till the last few seconds and doing a hard suicide burn. which was fine, it worked, but it did mean i had too many engines and too much thrust. so i dropped down to one 60kN engine for the descent stage. not only did it make the LEM much lighter but it also allowed me to make it narrower. it can hump a real good bit of equipment down to the surface. every (stock) science instrument, extra batteries, fuel cells, a probe core, and even a 2 seat munar rover for long distance science.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,313

it lands with about 1/3 of its fuel if you have a clean landing. you'll have maybe 50 seconds of fuel to hover with and look for a landing spot. maybe less actually. surveying for a landing spot is really not a bad plan.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,314

pictured with the rover attached. funny story. i didn't even mean to build the rover. i was just wondering how to and wasn't even going to fly one on this test run. i was just kinda playing with a couple of structural parts and i sorta made a car shape. i hate the rover body the game provides, it's massive and heavy and looks terrible. so i took the little car body made from a small girder and 2 octagonal struts and put wheels on it. couple of minutes later i had a small, 2 seat, battery powered rover that snapped right to the side of the ship. i didn't even have to get clever with the clipping to get it mounted. just kinda fits. my only concern is that it's not perfectly balanced with a rover on the side, so it could effect landing. (or even be too heavy)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,315

my "solution" is to roll the rover onto the "belly side" of the landing. if it's causing any problems it'll be on one axis of rotation and not two.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,316

looking good for landing. pretty much in these test runs i don't intervene. i set the flight computer and see what happens. so that means sometimes it decides to land in the dark. not actually a good idea in either real life or this game.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,317

everything went fine. touched down, shut everything off and then EVA'd a kerbal. his job was to catch the mun rover after it's detached from the lander. unfortunately we landed on a bit of a slope and so the buggy turned and kinda went right by him. so i had to chase it down almost a kilometer away at the bottom of a crater. here he's on his way back to pick up his buddy.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,318

i love it that in real life men flew to the moon and took a car so they could drive around up there.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,319

and it was an open top roadster

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 18 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,324

alright, so about a kilometer on a single battery. i was driving up a slope so i could definitely go further, but the range isn't super great. certainly a solar panel would to a long way towards improving the range. of course apollo didn't take solar panels, they took fuel cells and batteries. the LRV used batteries it looks like, and had a range of about 40km. i don't think the batteries in game are going to go that far unless i use a lot of them. solar panel isn't a huge compromise anyway.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,325

ascent stage is in orbit with crew aboard. the descent stage and the LRV remain behind and continue to gather science. the probe core allows for control, there's an antenna, fuel cells keeping batteries powered with the remaining fuel, and half a dozen instruments gathering data. it should be able to gather science for a good while. the LRV is immobile and has almost no battery left anyway.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 10 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,326

tons of room in the service bays too. i need to install some mods so i can take parts to build little science stations around like they did. apollo 17 had at least 8 that they put up about a kilometer out from the lander or something like that. i could recharge the LRV off the LEM's fuel cells too. landing in the right area would give access to all 3 "biomes" and using the rover to go build little science stations in each would net a ton of science in career mode. having a mun buggy is tits.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,327

i think the buggy does need some tweaks, it's a bit short and it's got a high center of gravity. need to sort a few things out with the placement and overall dimensions, but this is 95% ready for launch with Kerpollo 6

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 hours later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,349

tweaked. went ahead and added a solar panel, lowered the center of gravity, made it a bit longer, and loaded up the front end with science instruments to balance it out and make it useful.

space jeep!

(Edited 22 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,351

getting some science done

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,352

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 55 seconds later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,354

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 45 seconds later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,355

well fuck

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,356

this is why we test these things

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,357

really it's all in how you drive it. unsafe speeds are unsafe. 5m/s is the max safe speed.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,358

so, everything has been tested and the new LEM/LRV has been replaced onto Kerpollo 6. the CSM has had a huge reduction in RCS fuel, i just had way too much. installed the ground survey scanner inside the service module and removed the RTG (which i don't believe apollo carried) and replaced it with fuel cells and batteries. there was an overall weight reduction of nearly 3 tons less than Kerpollo 5.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,359

Kerpollo 6 being prepped on the launch pad...

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 11 hours later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,448

and we have lift off. Kerpollo 6 is not only the first mission to fly a munar rover, but it's also the first all-female mission. this will also be the first mission to land in the lunar highlands and collect soil samples from deep impact craters. good luck ladies.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,450

i've pretty much covered the flight to the mun and the booster stages and the process behind dumping debris so that it collides with the mun and all of that so i won't hit every single point again.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,453

i will say that it feels like it's slugginsh in the lower stages now. i didn't really change anything to make it heavier or increase drag, so idk. it still gets up there but it takes a pretty shallow and slow trajectory. i probably need to alter the launch parameters and climb a bit more before starting my gravity roll. i can probably get to orbit more efficiently, but, i'm ending up with the fuel i need to transit so it's not a big deal unless i add those couple of tons back onto the lander that i trimmed off in engines.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 10 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,458

dumped the booster and let it slam into the mun, i'm also doing a not-fuel-efficient insertion burn. taking a more direct and costly burn, the sort you might take for full-abort return trajectory. but, i'm taking an equatorial orbit so i don't have to worry about saving fuel for inclination changes or really any maneuvering. also i've taken the more direct burn ever since kerpollo 1 had so much fuel left over after taking the most fuel efficient corrections. later missions will likely land in more difficult to reach latitudes and fuel efficiency will be much more important.

pictured: the service module with ground scanning radar in the middle. RCS fuel tanks, fuel cells and batteries are in there too. definitely need to do a life support mod and add oxygen, food and water.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,461

crew is transferred to the new LEM after a landing spot is selected.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 57 seconds later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,462

nice flatish area in the highlands near several large craters

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 48 seconds later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,463

just look at all that science

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,464

the landing went very well. probably the best landing yet for all of the Kerpollo landings. came in nice and over the top and settled in straight down very gently. other flights have been coming in shallow and fast and sideways. probably it's the difference between "land anywhere" and "land at a specific target."

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,465

the descent stage once again lands with about 1/3 of its fuel. enough for 46 seconds of hovering, so i could totally have found a flatter spot. but not worth the risk since there's no chance it's going to topple over.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,468

the rover is doing great, every single "release" of it has gone great, save the very first one. it always lands in its wheels. and with the added weight and balancing it's not nearly as prone to catching a bad bounce and careening out of control.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,469

a single solar panel was a pretty good compromise for this thing. the battery still loses charge when under full load, so you can run out of juice and need to stop for hours and let it recharge. so there's still an effective range even though it can drive indefinitely.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,471

i've pretty much hit the effective range at this crater. it's about 5km out from the lander. i can't quite make it back on the charge that i have remaining, so i'll have to stop here and let it charge up a bit. we're going to take some soil samples and take some instrument readings in the rover. probably not a good idea to try and drive the LRV into that crater.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 hours later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,599

got all the science done. Delina eva'd down to the bottom of the crater and collected a soil sample.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,600

and further than it looked. luckily she had enough eva propellant. almost ran out going back up.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,601

heading back to the lander to drop off samples, upload data and rest. pretty cool, since the mun it tidally locked the Planet Kerbin doesn't move across the sky. it just sits there slowly rotating. forever.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,602

the trip back was pretty rough. up hill the whole way. had to stop and recharge the batteries twice and partially a third time. it was bad enough i killed power to two wheels.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,603

it'll get you where you need to be, though. just slowly. beats running out of EVA propellant 3km away from the ship. there's no way i could have gotten the samples from as far as i did. i had enough to hit the bottom of a crater and get back out, not enough to also get there and back. so the rover has proven itself useful.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 6 days after the original post[^] [v] #648,604

we visited one more crater. this one was a bit closer, but also had very steep rims. getting the LRV down there just doesn't seem possible. i doubt i'd get it back out, either. so another EVA to the bottom for another soil sample. much better view too. Kerbin dangling forever overhead.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 14 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,607

the rest of the mission went like the others. after returning to the lander we uploaded data and stowed samples and buttoned up the science instruments in the lander descent stage. the flight computer was set and the ascent stage was fired to an altitude of 20km. then, i switched over the the orbiting CSM and set up rendezvous maneuvers. after a few orbits the 2 craft were docked, the crew was transferred, the lander ascent stage was de-orbited and released to crash into the surface then the CSM made 3 more short burns to drop out of munar orbit and set a return trajectory for Kerbin. a final retro burn was made before entering the atmosphere to burn off the remainder of the fuel and slow us down as much as possible. still slammed into the atmosphere at something like 2800m/s, but there's not much helping that. at the time of re-entry you're actually moving faster than at any other point in the mission relative to kerbin. but, that's what heat shields are for.

pictured: the descent stage stays behind to act as a probe and gathers data to send back to KSC

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 20 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,613

apollo 6 lands in the ocean off the coast of Kerbindia and is later picked up by a navy aircraft carrier. all mission objectives were completed and all crew returned safely. all flight objectives were completed too. every piece of debris went where it was intended, we inserted into a 180 degree inclination (clockwise) orbit around the mun, then later ascended the lander into the same inclination.

this is where the only problem would have been. i wasn't able to launch to 30km. i was just a little shy of having the fuel. this is because i'm trying to launch against the mun's rotation. even though it rotates very slowly it still rotates and launching into a clockwise orbit from a counterclockwise rotating body uses more fuel than launching into the direction or rotation. (tbh don't ask me why, they say it's like the planet helps fling you in the direction you're going. i guess it's like trying to jump off the back of a moving car or something.) anyway, i was able to establish a 20km orbit which left me with just a squirt of fuel left in the lander. i'm not exactly sure why nasa sent the apollo ships around like that. my guess is that what you lose on the ascent you gain on the return. i had way more fuel coming back this time. i think my escape burn was all of 8 seconds, so i got home with 14 seconds left - quite a lot! helped to burn off a good bit of speed before re-entry. so, i guess that course makes for an easier return trip. i can totally see how a direct abort merely requires you just burn less than you would to orbit and then you're flung home.

i will probably continue to use that course because it's more fun. but that means i should probably start ascending to about 10km instead of 20km. again i'm probably getting nit picky but it's nice to have a margin for some error.

(Edited 5 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,651

Kerpollo 7 being prepped on the launchpad

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 28 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,659

294.75 tons. all that weight shaved off the new LEM has returned as science packages and life support! we're good and modded up now. the science mod looks pretty fun, you build a ground based observation station with lots of experiments. all the equipment ends up being pretty heavy, i'm not 100% confident the LEM will land it all on just the one engine. everything else should be fine, but the munar landing could be a white knuckle ride if it's not a death trap.

the food should be enough for the few days it takes to do a mission. i forgot what the consumption rate is and it's boring to look things up. i'll just send a couple of boxes of food and a third for emergency use on the lander. this'll kind of be a trial run for life support as well. there could totally be deaths. this should end up being a pretty complex mission with lots of objectives and a very tight flight plan.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 10 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,725

had to swap the crew out, jeb is supposed to be dead :/ there's a plaque on the mun and everything. sending the a-team though, valentina, bill, bob. the booster has been gussied up with new paint.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 hour later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,736

kerpollo 7 begins ascent. this will be one of the more technically challenging missions yet.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,737

still shallow i think. i might just try launching to like 60km in the future. i'm not staying in orbit long, if this flight is a success then kerpollo 8 will try different launch profiles.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,739

i guess i could just be using too much throttle on the higher stages, idk. i'll try "up more turn later" before fucking with acceleration.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,740

shedding stages, ship configured for trans-munar injection.

(Edited 11 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,741

made a mid-course correction to fine tune my course for 180 inclination orbit. retroburned at periapsis to achieve a 30km orbit.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 43 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,742

the debris is all on course for munar impact

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,744

here's what happens if you ditch debris and miss (from Kerpollo 6)

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,747

so far so good. preparing for landing. everything has gone just like previous missions, this next bit will either succeed, or kill bill and bob kermin.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 hour later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,763

crew transfer, landing site selection, then undocking.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,764

the flight computer has judged the fuel to be sufficient, that's good enough for me. i do have the ascent computer programmed for emergency abort. if things go south hopefully bill and bob can eject into a low 10km orbit and wait to be rescued by valentina in the CSM.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,766

doing fine on fuel, actually.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,767

i'm certainly landing with less fuel than previous landings, but my speed is great.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,768

22s of fuel left. that's less than half the fuel i was landing kerpollo 6 with. that's still a good amount of fuel to hover a bit and fine tune landings, but not much. 50 seconds was much more comfortable. this game really does need an instrument that measures slope, some kind of radar or something. pretty sure that's just a mod thing.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,769

great landing though. man, these landings coming in from a 180 degree inclination orbit are working out just perfectly. much better "form." over the top and then straight down with little thrust. just looking real good. i wonder how much of that is due to the course, landing has never gone smoother. maybe i have just been doing it wrong up till now. nasa, evidently, knew a thing or two about orbital mechanics. go figure, right?

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,770

bill is the engineer, so he gets to build out the science station while bob tools around in the rover

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,772

transmitter/reciever/power. you attach it to the ground and connect parts like solar panels.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 31 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,774

pretty fun, bill would agree

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 42 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,775

carrying science around is heavy

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,776

bob, the mission scientist, is inspecting bill's work. 2 experiments failed to connect properly. bob is pissed. bill is high as fuck.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,777

4/6 sciences deployed. time to hot box the lander and eat some cookies

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,796

time to get some soil samples and scout for future landing spots

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,797

spotted something on the horizon. too far to eva. time to really test this rover

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,798

fucker is far. 10km easy. and up hill. not easy.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 45 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,799

fuck...

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 40 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,800

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 43 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,801

halfway there

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 44 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,802

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 34 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,803

bill seriously wants to see this thing

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 30 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,805

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 30 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,806

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 30 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,807

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 50 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,808

that was a lot of fucking effort, bill. i hope you're fucking happy

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,809

you two can get back down by yourselves, i'm not helping.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 29 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,810

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 38 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,811

oh come on

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 46 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,813

for fuck's sake, bill

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,814

i won't lie. getting down was so hard i used hyper edit. sorry, purists. i never should have driven up there anyway.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,817

uphill it was doing up to 40 degrees just fine. super, super slowly, but going down i probably should have changed the brake torque higher in the rear wheels and less on the front, if not zero on the front. what kept killing me was slowing down on the same steep slopes, i'd go end over end because the front brakes would vault me.

but, soil samples were collected and a nice flat landing area was spotted while i was up on that hill. if i do a mun base then it could be going nearby.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,827

launching to a very low 15 km orbit. looks awesome, but 10 looks even better. might start launching to 10. but 15 might be more fuel efficient. actually seems like 20 was better than 15. i'll use Kerpollo 8 to test new launch trajectories.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,829

so i put the lander at 15 km, then switched over to the CSM and rendezvoused from 30km up. ended up being a real nice transfer, only took a couple of orbits to catch up and get docked. after the crew transferred to the CSM Valentina dropped into a degrading orbit and released the LEM to crash into the surface. Then, she turned around and boosted back to kerbin for the return trip.

pictured: diverging courses - the CSM heads for home, the LEM heads for the seismic sensors on the surface for a final brave sacrifice for science.

(Edited 3 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,830

next time i'll try and watch it explode instead of disappear on the map. but, de-orbit successful.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 16 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,831

again, the transfer to kerbin cost almost nothing, this new course is awesome. okay, fine, this 50 year old course is awesome. kinda makes me sad i didn't try sending the early kerpollo missions on free return trajectories. but i don't really know how to do that, it's not really free i don't think, just cheap. i have to slow down for orbit, free return is probably more like just not slowing down as much and sling-shotting past i guess. i'll have to look into that.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,832

i kinda nailed the return, so i'm not even going to end up bleeding off any speed. i'll be too close to do it and i'll come in too steep. i made a small correction to made sure i didn't end up in a 4 day orbit, but even then it wasn't much.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,833

at this point the difference between the capsule and a falling apple is how much force it would explode on newton's head with

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 37 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,834

and ablative heat shielding, i guess

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,835

coming down somewhere over Kerbasia or the Kerberian tundra. hopefully valentina, bill and bob are patient, last time communists did the pick up it took hours to get to them. they'll probably bring sheep with them for some reason, so at least they won't have to worry about that.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 55 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,836

the crew of Kerpollo 7 refuse to breath communist air

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 9 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,837

except for 2 experiments failing the mission was a technical success. the rover proved to be very capable, but i did push it too far and then didn't want to try harder to get it back. fucking sue me. anyway, apollo 7 went very well. the life support situation never got out of control. i could have spent more time on the surface, but 48 hours is certainly easy to improve upon. 3 day surface missions won't be a problem, and that's more time than i need to really do everything at the site.

pictured: lander stage with science equipment attached. the lander has a small probe core and can be used to perform remote experiments until the fuel cells run out of juice.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 38 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,839

Kerpollo 8 being prepped for launch

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #648,840

no significant difference from Kerpollo 7. the lander had cargo shifted around to accommodate additional food. taking the correct number of electrical connectors for the science base. i also grouped the RCS thrusters on the CSM around the center of gravity like a sane person. that's about it. just shy of 295t. very slightly heavier than kerpollo 7. not enough to pose any concern.

should be a routine mission.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 22 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,019

images from kerpollo 8

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,020

due to waning public interest the major networks have decided to air reruns rather than televise the mission as they'd previously done.

(Edited 10 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,021

space flight has become "routine", which is a polite way to say "boring."

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,023

with no clear objective beyond landing on the mun and driving a dune buggy congress is debating future funding.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,024

with the future of the space program in questions KASA begins drafting proposals

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,027

2 more launches are planned and funded, but it's growing increasingly obvious that our tenuous grasp is slowly slipping away

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #649,034

engineers have already begun working on plans to use the extra booster stages to launch converted fuel tanks for use as a space station. informally called "skylab" it's one of several possible "next steps" for a space administration facing budget cuts.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 days later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,876

kerpollo 8 returns home after 5 days in space. all science packages were installed and the mission encountered no significant problems.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 9 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,877

the crew returned safely after having spent more time on the moon than previous missions. 2 full days were spent on the surface collecting science. now exhausted the crew is ready for a well deserved break. no coverage beyond re-entry was broadcast on television, and post-recovery interviews with kerbonauts were only briefly mentioned on the news. despite best efforts to keep the Kerpollo program interesting and engaging to the public, declining enthusiasm is being reflected in the viewership.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,882

but waning public interest isn't going to stop KASA engineers from pursuing their current mandate to land and explore on the mun.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,884

Kerpollo 9 being prepped on the launch pad

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 15 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,890

i figured out a trick with fairings! so i can put the lander in a protective aerodynamic shell AND get it even closer to looking like the Saturn 5. it's not perfect, but the proportions of the tanks to the capsule make it difficult to get exactly correct. but, it's pretty fucking close and looks pretty fucking close too. it functions very, very similarly to the Saturn 5 down to what each stage does at least. i had to rejigger the lander by off-setting the rover a bit. there's also new steps in the flight plan and an additional procedure for undocking the rover from the lander. it's all untested except for in orbit. not sure how the rover is going to do, i think it might release upside down. we'll just have to see. but, to make it all fit under the fairing i have no choice but to deal with clipping. it works in orbit, so, we'll just go and see how it does. the rover is one of the more popular aspects of the Kerpollo missions, so it's imperative that a fundamentally functional vehicle is designed and not a half-assed sometimes-it-works-sometimes-it-doesn't approach gets taken. it needs to be 100% and fly with a very repeatable flight plan.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 38 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,891

pretty close. it's by no means perfect

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,892

but now that i know i can do the fairings like this i can get it as close as i can

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 29 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,900

at least the networks are still broadcasting the launches. i guess ever since kerpollo 2 they've been thirsty to see more launchpad explosions on live TV.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,902

Kerpollo 9 ascends through the lower atmosphere and begins the gravity turn. with a 5th added main engine (bringing the total up to the real world version engine count) the whole vehicle has a peppier launch. doesn't feel like it's flying shallow now, pretty sure i just had a thrust to weight issue.

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,903

now that is a nice looking bucket of screws.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,905

fairing deployed and the ship is exposed and ready to begin reconfiguration maneuvers.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 10 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,908

so far so good. i'm past the first hurdle which was the fuel in the booster stage. the new fairing adds several tons to the launch vehicle, but the 5th engine adds enough thrust to get us about the same distance but with more weight. the total weight added in fairing and engine is about 6 tons for a launch weight of almost 302 tons. fortunately there's no performance loss. it gets us where we needed it to get us, so all that's left is hurdle 2, the rover undocking procedure. it's not mission ending, but it functioning properly is design critical. if it doesn't work then something major might need to go back to the drawing board if there's not an easy fix. i'm hoping the easy fix is adding one step to the undocking procedure.

Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo joined in and replied with this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,909

@previous (squeegee)
this is what u do on Valentine's Day??? Ks is out there being married and u are playing with toys
For shame

squeegee joined in and replied with this 10 years ago, 30 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,927

@previous (Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo)
oh, go project your shame elsewhere. i'm sure you've got a cat you need to spoon.

Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo replied with this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,930

@previous (squeegee)
yes that was my topic and that's what I was doing when I wrote this reply and that's what I'll be doing in a few minutes
My cat is my valentine u jealous? how's your dog btw

squeegee replied with this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,931

@previous (Big Daddy Derek !Uvm54ORbmo)
yes. he's fine, he's spooning my leg and we're watching making a murderer and eating pizza

squeegee (OP) replied with this 10 years ago, 3 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,986

squeegee (OP) double-posted this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,989

kerpollo 9 is all about getting cool shots of Kerbin hanging in the sky. the landing spot was picked to get that kind of angle, and the launch was timed so i'd be able to land before sunrise

squeegee (OP) triple-posted this 10 years ago, 50 seconds later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,991

the sun will be coming up on the other side and should look pretty cool

squeegee (OP) quadruple-posted this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^] [v] #650,999

but, right now there's science to be farmed. oh yeah, and i brought the wrong rover. the new one is already being installed onto kerpollo 10. the undocking went okay, it was better when i didn't have to worry so much about clipping, but with the fairing i have to place it kinda non-optimally. it still undocks and can be used, the extra step in the undocking procedure does prevent the wheels from breaking but it doesn't land on it's wheels quite like it used to. still ends up doing okay, but further testing might show it to be unreliable.

fortunately the mix up with the Kerpollo 9 rover isn't going to hinder any mission objectives. but everything will be done at a reduced range. planning on a 3 day surface visit.

squeegee (OP) quintuple-posted this 10 years ago, 5 hours later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,123

animated :)

(Edited 53 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) sextuple-posted this 10 years ago, 23 hours later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,513

the crew safely returned to Kerbin after 72 hours on the surface of the mun

(Edited 15 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) septuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,515

Kerpollo 9 returned home with quite a lot of fuel again. time to give it another design pass

squeegee (OP) octuple-posted this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,516

Kerpollo 10v3

there are a surprising number of changes accomplished here to the booster.

squeegee (OP) nonuple-posted this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,521

here are the stages with the engines showing. the 1st stage (left) runs 5 big engines with a combined 5000kN of thrust
the second stage (middle) runs 4 medium and 1 big engine for a combined thrust of 1860kN of thrust
the third stage runs 1 big engine with 1000kN of thrust.

the real saturn 5 was built with the same number of engines on the stages, but, i did have to use the big engines on the second and 3rd stages to get the correct thrust. they are at least somewhat close to the actual profile of the engine bells as well. it looks a lot more authentic than the single gigantic "rhino" engine i was using on the upper stages before. i had to do a bit of clipping and offsetting of parts to allow for the engines to mount to the fuel tank and also have the decoupler mount to the fuel tank as well.

squeegee (OP) decuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,524

i've tried a fuck load of ways, but this is the only way i've found that works. i'd really prefer to have the engines sticking out more but if they are offset too low then they'll clip into the lower stage and explode. like this they work, don't heat up the tanks, and don't explode when being staged. but i'm thinking i can still do better.

squeegee (OP) undecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 8 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,532

but, it does work. nothing explodes, it launches nice and high and the stages burn more efficiently. gets everything to the mun just fine with very little fuel wasted. i also cut the fuel in the CSM by 50%. i was using more like 60%, but i figured the less weight would make up for the less dV. it did. but, i was completely out and uncomfortably low. the reentry was also very, very hot and the heat shield nearly overheated. so i've added about 20% more fuel back to give a margin for safety. it would also be nice to be able to hit other than equatorial landings and have the fuel to rendezvous and get home.

squeegee (OP) duodecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #651,534

Kerpollo 11 being prepped on the launch pad

squeegee (OP) tridecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 2 days later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #652,101

the launch was identical to the others and there was nothing out of the ordinary with the transit. everything just king of did what it was intended to and the crew arrived into a very circular 30km orbit. the crew transferred over to the LEM and landed without incident. the only thing that is kind out of the ordinary is how little fuel in the lander went unspent. typically this same lander was landing with 20 seconds or so of fuel remaining, but this LEM landed bone dry. couple of seconds left is all, not enough time to have done any kind of tweaking to the landing spot. i need to go over the lander bit for kerpollo 12 and see if i can figure why. but it's pretty much been unchanged for several launches now.

anyway, the landing ended up being just fine if not for the fine margin.

squeegee (OP) quattuodecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #652,102

the crew is just stoked to be here and enjoying the view.

squeegee (OP) sexadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #652,104

first day's work is done, science stations are set up and collecting science. afterwards the crew retires to the LEM to rest and prepare for the rover excursions to collect soil samples.

squeegee (OP) sedecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 days later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,060

science bomber: this is peripherally related to Kerpollo. you may be wondering how it's possible to afford a 300k launch vehicle that's mostly unrecoverable and the answer is cheap contract fulfillment. space contracts are inherently expensive, especially early in career mode, but at any time you'll be losing money in unrecoverable parts. there are plenty of ground/atmospheric tests that will keep you rolling in funds but they can be harder than orbital contracts. contracts for "under specific altitude" or "while on the surface" are super hard to do with rockets, especially if they are multiple location contracts. you either fly 4 rockets and land 4 capsules at the 4 locations, or, you do it in one mission with some other solution. my solution are "science bombs" that are dropped onto targets and transmit data remotely. they are very cheap, and ultimately 100% recoverable when dropped on Kerbin. the jet is also 100% recoverable leading to practically free science points and funds. some of the contracts pay in the hundreds of thousands.

squeegee (OP) septuadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,061

the payload shown are 2 science bombs, each with 3 experiments on board as well as a transmitter and a probe core for control. the bombs are dropped and a parachute deploys and lowers them safely to the ground.

squeegee (OP) octadecuple-posted this 10 years ago, 21 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,062

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,063

it's got a very long range, i can drop science bombs almost anywhere. the only thing stopping me is how long it takes to fly to some locations. it's pretty stable in flight, so you can set a heading and warp much of the distance.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,064

but, it's not just a bomber, it carries a deployable surface science station (mod)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,071

once landed the engineer builds the equipment out, then the scientist performs experiments and collects the data. pretty fun actually. the modded science garners you something like 12 extra science points per biome (at low levels) so it's a nice buff to science collection and not entirely game breaking, which is nice. science points accumulate very slowly anyway, imho. you don't get any funds for running these experiments, just science. good way to modulate contracts though, at least once per biome anyway.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 19 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,078

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 21 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,079

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 24 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,080

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,082

jeb sure does love his job. he also loves taking new recruits on their first science bombing runs.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,083

the real reason "bombs" were required are water measurements. some of the contracts want multiple measurements on the surface of the ocean. you can only get that by being in the water, which means capsules basically have to be dropped which is expensive as an alternative. the Science Bomber can fulfill any contract on Kerbin, even oceanic.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 18 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,084

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 21 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,085

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,087

and dropping bombs is a very, very satisfying thing to do in this game. i love i have a legit reason to do this as part of career mode advancement and not just for shits and giggles.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,089

once i have miniaturized parts unlocked i can make the bombs much smaller and carry 4. i can carry 4 right now but it's very difficult handling

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 14 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,094

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 37 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,095

ok, slightly more difficult handling. take off speed is slightly higher i guess

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 22 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,096

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 31 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,097

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 23 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,098

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 30 seconds later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,099

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,100

science bombs

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,101

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 hours later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,149

field work in the tundra. the cool thing about the deployable science equipment is that it can be disassembled and loaded back into the cargo hold for use at a different location. this is in addition to the actual contract bringing me up here to collect samples from 4 locations about 30km apart. this is the longest flight so far. saving the bombs for a pass over the edge of the polar cap. if i can get there properly i'll land and deploy the weather station to squeeze out a bit more science.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 2 hours later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,165

Tourism is also a great way to make funds. early on tourists pay for suborbital rocket flights and later pay more for full orbital flights. there are different boosters for each kind of flight since they are going different places. atm i'm running 4 tourists and a pilot into low kerbin orbit, or 2 tourists and a pilot on a munar flyby. pretty good funds, but not much science on these flights since i extracted it all on the first science flyby.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 15 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,166

it'll be easy enough to build "tour buses" later on and carry a lot more passengers. without needing to worry about a lander and by doing an efficient sling-shot i should be able to transport 6-12 at a time and fill multiple contracts at once. between tourism and deploying satellites for commercial contracts there's plenty of funds to go around. the big governor on progression is simply the collection of science. it'll be necessary to start landing probes on the mun and minmus before too long. i'm running out of biomes on kerbin to bomb for science.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 hour later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,177

Science Bomber B2 LR (long range)
funds and science from tours and field work has earned a small parts upgrade. the science bombs have a new nose cone and double as drop tanks for extra fuel giving me a 25% increase in range.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,179

it's pretty heavy though. unladen with science bombs and extra fuel it's a pretty quick little jet, but fully loaded it's kinda sluggish, doesn't fly as high and has a wide turning radius. which is fine for long straight lines which is what a good bomber does.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,180

it's everything you could want in a science bomber, and then some

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 10 minutes later, 2 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #653,183

the bombs still have a ways to go before they're fully upgraded. they only carry 3 experiments out of 6 or so. once i've got a new experiment unlocked i add it to the bombs and fly a sortie to drop bombs on all the biomes or hit them on the way to fulfill a contract. there are something like 9 biomes, so there's the potential for a lot of science bombings. i am considering an intercontinental ballistic science missile for the poles, it's a long fucking flight.

(Edited 40 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 week later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,473

Kerbal Space Station

trying to do a kerpollo style mission in career has been hard since you're locked out of parts all through the midgame, and midgame science comes from the moons. i've decided to hit up minmus and science it hard, but it's expensive as fuck to run repeat missions. i can be subsidized by ferrying tourists on flybys but running 5 or more kerbals around the moons is not cheap so the earnings end up being rather low. i've decided to go with a completely different than apollo series of missions that's much, much cheaper (and probably only easy to realize in a video game.)

basically it's really cheap to get 5 kerbals into Low Kerbin Orbit. i can throw together a very simple and lightweight transport (ala SpaceX Dragon or the Orion Capsule) and booster system that supplies a space station. food, fuel, crew, and tourists all travel in the same taxi and dock with the station. At the same time a slightly larger (but similarly built) taxi travels from either Minmus or the Mun (or both) back to the station to pick up supplies, drop off tourists, pick up new tourists, and swap out pilots. after refueling and swapping crews, the transport undocks and heads out to make the loop again. the old crew then loads into the taxi back to kerbin, undock, and burn for the surface.

the taxi is partially recoverable, but the engine is the only expensive loss. the profits from running 4 tourists at a time more than pay for the loss of an engine and a fuel tank. using reusable vessels and not building giant single-use vehicles is much, much, much cheaper. so far i only have the one transport ship, but it's cheap enough that running 2 or 3 might be cool. I also have 1 lander in orbit around minmus to resupply a station there. it's reusable as well.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 14 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,479

minmus station

pretty simple science farm. was built for a contract, tbh i'd rather it be in orbit. it's got the ability to orbit itself so it would likely make a nice orbital science dump. it's connected to a farm module that extends supplies but it's woefully underpowered. needs the huge solar panels. there's a lander in orbit waiting for the next supply drop. the next surface module will be a refinery and a set of drills to begin harvesting fuel. that'll make things much easier and require less fuel to be brought back and forth. ultimately minmus station will be used to refuel interplanetary ships headed out beyond the moons.

(it also wins the award for most phallic thing i've built in KSP)

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 28 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,482

this is the LKO (low kerbin orbit) taxi. it's pretty simple. the engine stage floats in the distance

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 41 seconds later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,483

it's about as light as i could make a 5 crew vessel

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,484

hardly even heats up from ram pressure it's so light. if you look closely you'll see the Kerbal Space Center passing by miles down below

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 44 seconds later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,485

no frills LKO taxi service.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 7 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,486

the rocket is only about 60k, which is a lot cheaper than the 130k vehicles it takes to do a single use ship/lander. the only thing better would be a Single Stage to Orbit Space Plane (SSTO) but that's all late game equipment. for now it's shuttles and taxis and space stations.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 40 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,489

the munar transport is similar to the LKO transport, but it carries a month of supplies and a good bit more fuel. the first version carried half as much food as i really needed, so this is the new slightly bigger version with a much lower part count. it's uglier, i think, but it's way more functional.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 5 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,493

so now i have 2 munar transports, but one is better than the other. unfortunately the first one can't make a round trip without refueling and there's no refueling base on the mun and no reason to send it to minmus since it can't do a supply run over that length of time. i'll keep the first one up here for the time being and maybe get it heading between LKO and a Munar Station. i should probably just say fuck it and start landing on the Mun. my plan to save the mun for the kerpollo replica i made in sandbox is way, way, way less efficient than what i'm doing now :/

for the cost of one kerpollo launch i can launch a space station, 2 munar transports, a reusable lander, and a ground based science station.

(Edited 2 minutes later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 27 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,498

the taxi isn't free, though. but pretty much the most lucrative contracts come from tourism. satellites are pretty good because you can get contracts to adjust them to a new orbit rather than launch a whole new one, so there's some long term earning potential there, but for bunches of quick money tourism is where it's at. this 60k launch will net me a few hundred thousand.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 6 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,499

except for the useless launch abort tower (that never gets used and just looks cool) this is pretty much the cheapest 5 man rocket i could make. i could probably do it cheaper but this thing already barely has the fuel to rendezvous with the station.

(Edited 13 seconds later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,500

but, it does make rendezvous

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 1 minute later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,501

as soon as we're docked we'll transfer the tourists and a pilot into the Minmus Transport and wait for the launch window.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,504

the 4 tourists will get to enjoy a couple of days here enjoying the view and trying to stay out of the way of the 2 scientists working in the research module. they've been up here for months and have been waiting to take the trip themselves and swap out with the scientists on Minmus station but i haven't been able to afford to hire replacements for them.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 4 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,506

this is the complete Kerbin end of the transit system (1 station, 2 buses, 1 taxi.) periodically i'll need to launch a very simple unmanned resupply ship to refresh this station with food that'll eventually make its way to minmus

(Edited 1 minute later.)

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 15 hours later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,638

the station needed expanding and i went ahead and ditched the bus with poor performance for one that works. this was an expensive choice. the old transport was de-orbited. it had way too many unnecessary parts and lagged the whole station. it's performing much better now with the new better optimized vehicles. it also has two extra docking ports which will be used to service a second taxi and still have room to dock refueling vessels.

squeegee (OP) just kept on posting this 10 years ago, 3 minutes later, 4 weeks after the original post[^] [v] #655,639

so far it's been working great as a transit hub to the moons. even though i'm flat broke and can't launch another flight right now, the cost savings will be great and profits will start rolling in. just need to finish the current tourist trip/resupply to minmus and i can launch another group.

Minichan