Kerbal Space Program: Duna Aircraft

Mission: Develop an aircraft capable of flight on Duna using experimental technologies.

The experimental version of The Wizard tested on Kerbin.

As a small distraction from science gathering, Mission Control suggested experimenting with building an aircraft using the recently developed fission reactors and thermal turbojets. An aircraft propelled by a thermal turbojet with heat provided by a fission reactor would have the capability of flying without the need of refueling for years -- or centuries if the fission reactor was shut down and allowed to cool between flights. This alone would have made for an interesting challenge; however, living on Duna had instilled dreams of flying on its skies and The Wizard was born of these dreams.

The Wizard was a biplane design with several air intakes to help compensate for the thin atmosphere on Duna. The reactor and turbojet were positioned, unsurprisingly, at the rear of the aircraft. The experimental version of The Wizard performed exceptionally well on Kerbin.

The aircraft separating from its interplanetary transport and entering the Dunian atmosphere.

The (Dunian) Wizard was transported to Duna using rocketry previously used to transport habitation modules. Unfortunately, The Wizard needed to be piloted to Duna by a brave, regrettably nameless Kerbal who was not guaranteed living accommodations on arrival. Nevertheless, the brave Kerbal completed the suicide mission admirably. The aircraft's fission reactor was manually activated before entering the Dunian atmosphere. Mission Control remarked on the aircraft's extreme difficulty in maneuvering at high and medium altitudes where the atmosphere was thin.

The Wizard approaching the Duna Outpost.

Thankfully, the large maria of Duna were of sufficiently low altitude and had thick enough atmosphere to accommodate flight. At under 1500 M The Wizard controlled similar to its performance on Kerbin. The aircraft was flown successfully for approximately 500 KM between the altitudes of 500 M and 1500 M at a speed of 500 M/S. It remains to be seen how well the aircraft operates at higher altitudes outside the Duna Outpost's maria.

The Wizard parked at the Duna Outpost.

Kerbal Space Program: Duna Outpost Improvements and Ike Expedition

Mission: Improve the Duna Outpost's facilities and gather science from Ike.

Airdropping a Duna-Ike spacecraft (foreground) and two rovers (background) near the Duna Outpost.

With life support capabilities successfully installed on Duna, the next phase of Duna-Ike system development was giving the Kerbals mobility in the form of rovers and spacecraft. A very simple wheeled rover and a nuclear-powered spacecraft were designed and transported to Duna. The two rovers and spacecraft were accompanied by kerbalnaut Bill Kerman and airdropped within ten kilometers of the Duna outpost.

Showcasing the improved facilities of the Duna Outpost. In order from left to right: greenhouse, rover, Duna-Ike spacecraft, Kethane module, habitat module.

The rovers were driven and the Duna-Ike Express spacecraft flown to the Duna Outpost and refueled. After the necessary vehicle assessments were performed, Bill Kerman immediately launched for the tidally locked moon Ike. The Duna-Ike Express had been designed to be capable of launching from the surface of Duna, landing on Ike, and returning safely to the surface of Duna. The spacecraft was a resounding success and gathered much science from the moon of Ike. With transportation facilities established, the next phase of development would involve establishing permanent science labs on the planet.

The Duna-Ike Express returning to Duna.

Kerbal Space Program: Duna Outpost

Mission: Establish a Duna outpost for future missions.

With the installation of new KSP mods requiring life support, the establishment of bases throughout the system would be critical in performing long-term missions with crew. Duna would be the location of our first base and launching point for missions in and near the Duna system.

Satellite used to scan for Kethane and rare metals.

Duna was chosen to be the location of our first proper base, instead one of Kerbin's moons, primarily because of it's thin (although toxic) atmosphere. This atmosphere helps tremendously with heat dissipation and means we need not be concerned with modules overheating. In future missions, after developing newer technologies and acquiring experience, establishing colonies on non-atmospheric planets, such as Dres, would become easier.

The outpost would be required to immediately accomplish two tasks: (1) provide a sustainable habitat for Kerbals and (2) serve as a refueling location for future missions. When developed further, the outpost could be expanded to include permanent science laboratories and rare metal harvesting. The first order of business was to locate Kethane at a low altitude on the equator. An outpost on the equator would reduce the amount of fuel required for interplanetary trips and the low altitude would result in a thicker atmosphere and thereby soften landings using parachutes. A satellite was placed into orbit and such a location was discovered.

The location of Kethane around Duna's equator. Kethane pockets are coloured green. The Duna outpost was placed within the large valley on the equator.

The next step was to transport the outpost modules to Duna. However, we had not yet unlocked the secrets of wheel technology and the modules would need to land with pinpoint accuracy next to each other. This would require hours of simulations (reloading) to have the modules, traveling upwards of 1 km/s, land withing 50 meters of each other. Nonetheless, the modules were put into position and the brave Kerbalnaut Sherlie Kerman emerged from the habitat module to connect modules and activate the greenhouse. The outpost was now operational.

Duna outpost establishment. The outpost is comprised of a habitat module (left), small Kethane extractor and refinery (bottom right), and a greenhouse (top right).

With this small Duna outpost established, our next goal would be to bring a small rocket capable of traveling back and forth from Duna and Ike, Duna's moon, in order to facilitate the collection of more science. A further task would be to bring a wheeled vehicle to explore the Dunian landscape.

Kerbal Space Program: Moho Rescue

Mission: Rescue the Kerbals stranded on Moho.

Unmanned Pancake 3 lander approaching the surface of Dres.

Moho had proven to be a very a challenging target for operations. The closest planet to Kerbol had been avoided for quite some time because of its high orbital velocity and steep orbital inclination made encounters very challenging. When Gerlo Kerman, rogue Kerbalnaut, commandeered the Dreollo 1 landing craft and guided the it to Moho, mission control knew the poor Kerbal would be stranded on the unwelcoming planet for many decades.

There was one rescue attempt, before developing the Pancake 3 rocket, which had failed miserably and was purged from records. With the invention of the Pancake 3, there was renewed hope in rescuing the Kerbals from Moho. However, one problem was that the Pancake had room only one Kerbalnaut, and mission control needed to rescue three. The solution was simple; two chairs were strapped to the outside of the spacecraft and the unlucky Kerbals would have to ride outside the craft for the duration of the voyage.

With this plan, an unmanned Pancake 3 spacecraft was launched to Moho!

Two Kerbalnauts enjoying the view outside.

The Pancake 3 arrived at Moho and performed insertion burns as it done for many similar missions. The landing location was spotted and mission control guided the spacecraft to within a few kilometers of Gerlo Kerman. The stranded Kerbals EVA'd over to the Pancake and boarded their ride home, with Gerlo Kerman forcibly claiming the comfortable seat on the inside.

The return trip to Kerbin was uneventful. The landing, however, was quite terrifying. The parachutes failed during the last kilometer of descent and the engines needed to be fired to be soften the imminent explosion. The two kerbals unfortunate enough to be on the outside of the spacecraft ejected at the last minute to prevent their bodies from being destroyed by the exploding Pancake. Their bodies were thrown down the side of a mountain and battered tremendously.

Fortunately, everyone survived and the kerbals had made it back from Moho in a manageable number of pieces!

Surviving the parachute failure!

Kerbal Space Program: Mods and Minmus Science

I've been experimenting with a number of mods recently. I already had Kerbal Attachment System installed, because I believe the ability to refuel a spacecraft without docking it should be included in the base game, but I wanted to explore the magnitude of mods which exist for the game. I was particularly looking for mods which made bases and space stations worthwhile. I copied my existing KSP directory and added the following mods:

• Procedural Fairings - Introduces fairings which cover payloads.
• Kerbal Alarm Clock - Allows creation of alarms which interrupt time acceleration.
• TAC Life Support - Introduces life support (food, water, oxygen).
• Kerbal Engineer - Displays spacecraft information (thrust-to-weight-ratio, delta-v).
• Infernal Robotics - Introduces a number of small gadgets (hinges, washers).
• KSP Intersteller - Introduces future tech (nuclear power, antimatter, FTL travel).
• Kethane - Allows mining of Kethane from moons & planets which can be refined into fuels.
• Biomass - Introduces modules which can grow food or create oxygen.
• TAC Fuel Balancer - Provides a convenient way of moving resources throughout a craft.

The inclusion of these mods has meant that I've needed to start a new game in career mode. This isn't very problematic because I'm already familiar with the game concepts and it allows me to revisit places I haven't visited in a while. The 0.23.5 patch rendered my previous career mode corrupt and effectively turned into sandbox mode, thereby making collecting science meaningless. In my new game, I'm collecting science again and re-experiencing the challenges of hauling science equipment.

Minmus Mobile Science Lab

As part of this science gathering process, I created a Minmus Mobile Science Lab that was capable of gathering science from at least five of Minmus' biomes in a single expedition. I've been wanting to experiment with building a lander that utilizes nuclear engines, but haven't found the opportunity. Nuclear engines are highly efficient in the vacuum of space, however they have an absolutely horrible thrust-to-weight ratio (TWR) and are so long and heavy that building a lander that utilizes them becomes challenging.

I was able to use Kerbal Engineer to determine what the Science Lab's TWR would be before I launched the spacecraft and could be confident the lander would operate on the gravitational weak moon of Minmus. The mission was very successful and I collected a ridiculous amount of science from Minmus' flats, lowlands, slopes, highlands, and poles.

I have one more mission to report on from my previous save game, however I will likely switch focus to my moded save game moving forward.

Kerbal Space Program: Eeloo Landing

Mission: Land on and return from Eeloo.

Eeloo: Europa

Launching the Pancake 3.

Eeloo is the outermost and least explored planet in the Kerbol system. Although approximately the size of Kerbin's moon, Eeloo has somehow managed to clear its immediate orbital neighborhood and become locked in a 2:3 resonance with the significantly larger Jool. It is covered with large sheets of ice which are assumed to be cracked as a result of gravitational forces causing tidal flexing on Eeloo.

The origin of this gravity is unknown and was described as dark matter by an overexcited group of Kerbal scientists when reporting their results to news outlets. Nonetheless, there are a number of mysteries surrounding Eeloo which warrant further investigation. We are interested in discovering if the laws of physics continue to operate as expected that far into space.

A successful orbital insertion at Eeloo.

This Eeloo mission was very similar to our recent missions. Sigfried Kerman, the renowned Kerbal pilot, was chosen to pilot the reliable, interplanetary Pancake 3 spacecraft. Lemfry, our seasoned kerbalnaut, would be resting after his recent decades in space during our Jool missions. Sigfried represents our efforts to expand our available crew and provide experience to younger Kerbals.

Descending to the surface of Eeloo.

The journey to Eeloo was long and dreadfully uneventful. Sigfried performed a rendezvous and orbital insertion with Eeloo. While descending towards the surface of Eeloo, Sigfried remarked on how overwhelming desolate the planet appeared. The notable terrain features were the collision regions between ice sheets and were observable only while several kilometers above the surface. There was nothing of note on the surface of the planet or in the immediate vicinity.

Eeloo landing site.

We were unable determine how Eeloo managed to clear it's orbital neighborhood or discover the gravitational source of tidal acceleration on Eeloo. Nonetheless, while the mission was unsuccessful and largely uneventful, we now have landed kerbals and probes on every planet in the Kerbol system. What remains is rescuing Gerlo Kerman from the surface of Moho and performing a landing and return on both Eve and Tylo.

Kerbal Space Program: Joolian Moons - Bop

Mission: Land a Kerbal on Laythe, Pol, and Bop in a single trip and return to Kerbin.

Part 1 - Laythe
Part 2 - Pol

Approaching Bop while attached to the interplanetary transport.

Lemfry approached Bop, the alleged home of the deep-space kraken. This fourth-nearest "moon" of Jool was situated between the tiny Pol and the enormous Tylo. Bop's orbit is noticeably irregular and makes the captured asteroid more difficult to encounter. As Lemfry neared Bop, it became clear that the asteroid, although less rugged than Pol, was home to a very mountainous landscape.

Lemfry enjoying the low gravity on Bop.

The landing procedure was no different than the one executed on Pol. The Pancake 3 lander was separated from the interplanetary transport, which was left orbiting the asteroid, and gently touched down on the low-gravity surface. On the surface, Bop was far less interesting than Pol, with only a few larger rocks scattered throughout and a very homogeneous landscape.

Lemfry exploring the Bop landscape.

Lemfry spent several days exploring the asteroid in search of the deep-space Kraken. The landing site, which was located within the largest impact crater, was searched thoroughly. Furthermore, the north and south poles were examined. These sites were Mission Control's best guess as to where such a creature might make its home. However, no such creature could be found on the desolate surface of Bop.

Removing deadweight before the return trip to Kerbin.

Returning to the Pancake 3 lander and ascending from Bop, Lemfry rendezvoused with the interplanetary transport. The distribution of fuel was rearranged and the outer four nuclear engines were separated and left in orbit around Bop. Lemfry considered making a quick stop on Vall, Jool's icy moon, thereby pushing four moon landings in a single mission, but ultimately decided against it.

Landing gently back home on Kerbin after decades in space.

Lemfry waited for the transfer window to Kerbin to open up and ignited the single nuclear engine of the Pancake 3. The journey home from Jool was largely uneventful, save for Lemfry's constant bragging to Gerlo about all the fun he was missing after having become stranded on Moho. Lemfry finally encountered Kerbin and entered its atmosphere without difficulty. The landing was only slightly complicated because the Pancake 3 was designed to have it's parachutes support only the innermost piece of the lander and not the entire vehicle. The landing required a small retrograde burn to help combat the force of gravity. Nonetheless, Lemfry returned safely to the surface of Kerbin.

Kerbal Space Program: Joolian Moons - Pol

Mission: Land a Kerbal on Laythe, Pol, and Bop in a single trip and return to Kerbin.

Part 1 - Laythe

Approaching Pol with the interplanetary transport.

After a successful first mission stage, Lemfry departed from Jool's innermost moon, Laythe, and rendezvoused with Jool's outermost moon. As the Pancake 3 spacecraft approached the small moon of Pol, the rugged features and coloured landscape of the alien world became distinguishable. The landing was expected to require very little fuel and consequently most of the fuel was removed from the lander and placed into the interplanetary transport. Lemfry placed the craft into low-orbit around the moon, separated the lander, and prepared for descent.

Landing on Pol. Various large rocks cover the surface.

The Pancake 3 lander descended by first removing all horizontal velocity and then performing a two-stage burn while descending. Lemfry feared the spacecraft might land directly on top one of the many spiraling rocks which peppered the Polian surface. However, these rocks were avoided as Lemfry touched down on the side of a gently rolling hill; a half-dozen meters away from one such rock.

The Pol landing site. A sharp rock was narrowly avoided!

Lemfry performed a variety of scientific experiments and collected samples which would be analyzed on Kerbin. There were many questions which needed to be answered about the obscurity of the moon. How did the landscape become so rugged on a moon with no atmosphere? What was the origin of the spiraling rocks? Was the moon volcanically active? The scientists on Kerbin would hope to find answers. In the meantime, Lemfry boarded the Pancake 3 lander, ascended from the moon, and docked with the interplanetary transport. Lemfry set a course of another of Jool's moons and alleged home of the infamous deep-space kraken.

Kerbal Space Program: Joolian Moons - Laythe

Mission: Land a Kerbal on Laythe, Pol, and Bop in a single trip and return to Kerbin.

Jool: Jupiter
Laythe: no analog
Pol: no analog
Bop: captured asteroid

Approaching Laythe with the interplanetary transport. Jool can be seen in the background.

The Kerbals were celebrating the success of the Laythian flight mission when Mission Control discovered a problem with the Robo-Mouse aircraft that could only be fixed with Kerbal hands. A mission plan was drawn up to send a Kerbal to Laythe and rendezvous with the aircraft. Lemfry Kerman volunteered for the mission and suggested visiting the Joolian moons of Pol and Bop on the return trip from Laythe. The improved Pancake 3 was chosen to be the spacecraft for the mission.

Landing on a beach of Laythe.

After numerous simulations, Lemfry entered the Joolian system and directly performed a harsh aerocapture with Laythe that placed the Pancake 3 into Laythe orbit. The orbit was circularized and the lander was separated from the interplanetary transport. Again, numerous simulations were required to determine a Laythe descent that would have the lander descend near the coast of one of Laythe's small landmasses. On the coast, the elevation would be lower and the atmosphere thicker. Lemfry discovered that the Pancake 3 lander required a very small amount of thrust when landing, which was not provided by parachutes. We would later discover that when returning to Kerbin, the landing craft would still require additional thrust. Nonetheless, Lemfry landed successfully on the coast of Laythe.

Flying the Robo-Mouse aircraft to the Pancake 3 landing site.

In a rather straightforward manner, the Robo-Mouse was flown over to Lemfry. The only complication was that the landing site was overshot and the aircraft was required to slowly spiral downwards. The aircraft landed uphill from the landing site and slowly rolled down to the hill to rendezvous with Lemfry.

The Laythe family!

The necessary maintenance on the Robo-Mouse was performed by Lemfry and a family photo was taken on the beach. Lemfry said his goodbyes, boarded the Pancake 3 lander, and prepared for his Laythe departure. Mission Control discovered that the lander had just enough fuel to achieve a Laythe orbit and not enough to rendezvous with the interplanetary transport. The orbital planes of the two spacecraft were matched and the orbits intersected near periapsis. However, the maneuvers required to reduce relative velocities to zero was performed by the interplanetary transport and not the lander.

Departing from Laythe and preparing to rendezvous with planetary transport.

In spite of these complications, Lemfry was able to return to the transport. The lander was refueled, unnecessary transport fuel tanks were discarded, and Lemfry directed the spacecraft to another of Jool's moons.

Kerbal Space Program: Laythe Aircraft

Mission: Fly an aircraft on Laythe!

Jool: Jupiter
Laythe: N/A

Pancake 3 with Robo-Mouse launch.

Mission Control was feeling very ambitious after the success of the Mouse aircraft on Kerbin. The Kerbals were curious to find out if the "laws of flight" worked equally well on alien worlds. We would send an unmanned aircraft to Laythe, one of Jool's moons, to answer this question directly. A probe version of the Mouse was developed by replacing the cockpit with a probe core and reactionary wheel. The new Robo-Mouse craft was tested on Kerbin and was discovered to fly equally well. The Pancake 3 prototype had just been developed (for a Moho rescue mission) and would be responsible for delivering the Robo-Mouse to Jool and Laythe. A handful of small adjustments were made to fit the Robo-Mouse to the Pancake 3 and the spacecraft was launched.

Scouting a landing site with our Laythe Satellite.

The small Laythe Satellite we had put into orbit many decades ago was useful for locating a landing site on the mostly liquid-covered moon. A pair of very large islands were spotted in the northern hemisphere. The high plateau on the south of the eastern island would be the landing site for the Robo-Mouse.

The Robo-Mouse flying within the Laythe atmosphere.

Laythe entry was achieve in a highly dramatic fashion. Instead of performing an aerocapture maneuver with Jool and a transfer to Laythe, Mission control directed the craft to immediately approach the Laythe within 20km while traveling at several kilometers per second. In other universes this approach might have torn the entire spacecraft apart in a wondrous fireball, but that is not our universe! The Laythian atmosphere slowed the spacecraft down to a few hundred meters per second, which was spiraling out of control as it quickly approach the ocean surface. The Robo-Mouse was separated from the Pancake 3 spacecraft and the quickly steered away from its collision course. We were achieving the previously unthinkable: flight on an alien world!

Approaching a landing site.

The Robo-Mouse consumed approximately one quarter of it's fuel arriving at the landing site scouted by the Layhe Satellite. The Robo-Mouse had previously landed on a very small island and reascended to insure the aircraft was operating as expected on Laythe. The Robo-Mouse aircraft disabled its engines and gently floated down towards it's final landing site. It was a mission success!

Kerbal Space Program: Aircraft Development

Mission: Design and test Kerbin aircraft.

The Mouse aircraft.

Although the Kerbals had become proficient with many aspects of space travel and exploration, the elusive art of building, flying, and landing aircraft had long remained legend. A new branch of the Kerbal Space Program was to be established which would focus entirely on aircraft development. The first order of business was to hire brave "pilots" and prototype a variety of aircraft. We would be the first conquer the area of sky in between land and space!

The first aircraft developed (capable of flight) was the Mouse. The Mouse accommodated one brave Kerbal, utilized a very small amount fuel, and was exceptionally light. Sigfried Kerman was chosen to be the first aircraft pilot and instructed to fly the aircraft to the large island east of the Kerbal Spaceport. The complete return trip required approximately one hour and 3/4 of the Mouse's fuel. Sigfried's flight was ultimately successful (save for difficulty reentering the aircraft); thereby cementing his position as the Kerbal Space Program's best (and only) pilot.

Mouse approaching a large island.

Kerbal Space Program: Gilly Landing

Mission: Land a Kerbal on Gilly and return to Kerbin.

Gilly: Captured Asteroid
Eve: Venus Analog

Orbital transfer from Kerbin to Eve.

Lemfry Kerbin was awoken from his sleep inside the Pancake 2 when Mission Control alerted him he would be departing for the Eve planetary system. The Pancake 2 had been parked in an orbit approximately 100,000 kilometers above the surface of Kerbin. An orbital transfer window was opening and, without hesitation, Lemfry ignited the engines and soared towards Eve.

Lemfry exploring outside the Pancake 2 near Eve.

This was not the first time we had visited Eve. Prior to the discovery of documentation, a satellite had been positioned around Eve and a small rover landed on the surface. Furthermore, when Gerlo had commandeered the Dresollo 1, the craft performed a gravity assist with the purple giant on its way to Moho. Nonetheless, this was the first officially sanctioned kerballed expedition to the Eve system. It may surprising then that the target was not the planet itself, but rather the asteroid Gilly, which was captured in Eve's gravitational influence.

Orbiting Gilly.

While the planet Eve would have made for many interesting discoveries, the gravity of the planet is too high and the atmosphere too thick to escape from the planet after landing. Any Eve landing would surely be a one way voyage. Nonetheless, Gilly is interesting in its own right. The captured asteroid is extremely small compared to any other known moon in the Kerbol system. The consequence of this is that a landing feels like a docking maneuver with a very large object.

Landing on Gilly.

Lemfry entered the Eve system and obtained a reasonably circular orbit a handful kilometers above the surface of Gilly. The landing craft was separated from the Pancake 2's nuclear engines and was directed towards the surface of Gilly. This required Lemfry to point the rocket towards Gilly's surface and fire the engines, creating a collision course with the popcorn-shaped asteroid. This procedure was reverse as the craft neared the surface and the lander appeared to silently float in place. The RCS boosters were activated and the lander was pushed against the surface to ensure it wouldn't accidentally bounce back towards space.

Lemfry floating above the surface of Gilly.

Once confident that the landing craft was reasonably stationary, Lemfry stepped onto the surface of Gilly. Lemfry claims he uttered something profound about Kerbalkind's place in the universe, but it was subsequently lost in a radio chatter argument between Gerlo and the Kerbals active at the Mun Base. Nonetheless, Lemfry collected a number of samples and experimented with Gilly's extremely minimal gravity. When jumping, Lemfry discovered he could send himself several kilometers away from the surface. It was fortunate Lemfry was equipped with RCS boosters which could direct him back towards the landing craft.

Pancake 2 rendezvoused and returning to Kerbin.

The return trip was largely uneventful and without error. Lemfry departed from the surface of Gilly and rendezvoused with the orbiting nuclear engines he had separated from when preparing to land. The Pancake 2 craft was reassembled in orbit around Gilly and Lemfry prepared the craft for the next orbital transfer window. When the window appeared, Lemfry departed from Gilly into Eve's gravitational influence, corrected his orbital plane around Eve, and finally departed from Eve towards Kerbin. Lemfry returned to Kerbin and seperated the landing craft from the nuclear engines. The parachutes were activated and Lemfry landed on Kerbin without any difficulties.

Kerbal Space Program: Status Report

Kerbal Space Program Status Report

Kerbin Space Station

Kerbin Space Station

Status: Operational - Fueled

Crew:

• Jedman (Commander)
• Shermin
• Geofzer

Vehicles:

•   Space Station Lobster

Details:

The Kerbin Space Station was our first attempt at a space station. We have no records of the station participating in any missions. This is primarily because the station's polar orbit makes rendezvous cumbersome and missions can be conducted from the Kerbal Space Center. Nonetheless, the station has been in operation for an incredible 121 years.

Duna Space Station

Duna Space Station

Status: Operational - Low Fuel

Missions:

• Duna Space Station
• Ike Rescue
• Duna Landing
• Duna to Kerbin

Crew:

• Burman (Commander)
• Camoly
• Herler

Vehicles:

• Dunollo 1 [1] [2]
• Duna Lander
• Space Shuttle

Details:

With a massive 90 years in operation, the Duna Space Station remains the crowning jewel of the Kerbal Space Program. The station orbits roughly over the equator of Duna and is synchronized with the orbital plane of Ike. It is the furthest permanent point of operations from Kerbin.

Mun Base

Mun Base

Status: Operational - Fueled

Missions:

• Munner Craft
• Exploration
• Mun Space Station

Crew:

• Ronmon (Commander) [1][2][3]
• Ribdos
• Samsby [1][2]
• Bill [1][2]

Vehicles:

• Moon Lobster
• Beans 3 [1][2]
• Beans 4 [1][2]

Details:

The Mun Base has been in operation for a total of 63 years. The base is located roughly on the equator and was established after the construction of the Duna Space Station. The Mun Base is positioned such that Kerbin remains fixed in the sky at all times, a friendly reminder to those operating in the base.

Mun Space Station

Mun Space Station

Status: Operational - Fueled 

Missions:

• Mun Space Station

Crew:

• Jebediah (Commander) [1]
• Burburry

Vehicles:

• Space Shuttle M3

Details:

The Mun Space Station has been in operation for under one year. The station was designed to work in concert with the Mun Base and orbits Mun such that it passes over the base regularly.

Pancake 2

Pancake 2 Interplanetary Craft

Status: Awaiting Instructions - Fueled

(Similar) Missions:

• Vall Landing

Crew:

• Lemfry Kerman [1][2]

Details:

The Pancake 2 was placed into orbit around the equator of Kerbin in anticipation of future interplanetary missions. The likely targets for such missions would be Gilly, Pol, or Bop.

Mohollo 1

Mohollo 1

Status: Stranded - Low Fuel

Missions:

• To Dres.. or Moho!

Crew:

• Gerlo (Commander) [1][2][3][4]
• Dudbald
• Ribdon [1][2]

Details:

The Mohollo 1 is an embarrassment to all of Kerbalkind. What had begun as a mission to Dres, the Mohollo 1 travelled to Moho after being hijacked by Gerlo Kerman. The Kerbals have been left stranded on Moho in part because of lack of sympathy from Mission Control, but also because of the difficulty of reaching Moho. Gerlo is legend among Kerbalkind for his insanity and there are fears for the safety of Kerbalkind should he return.

Kerbal Space Program: Mun Base - Mun Space Station

Mission: Construct a Mun Space Station to operate in concert with the Mun Base.

A Mun Space Station was constructed in low Kerbin orbit using many of the components from the Duna Space Station. The Mun Space Station was not designed to be initially as large and complex as its Duna counterpart, but rather provide a simple starting point that could be expanded upon in the future. The station utilized four nuclear engines, numerous fuel tanks of varying sizes, and a command module which contained enough room to accommodate up to five Kerbals. The station was equipped with a small ion-powered vessel for possible future station-to-station transfers.

Mun Space Station

The Mun Space Station departed from low Kerbin orbit and obtained an approximately circular orbit 100 KM above the equator of Mun. The Kerbals at the Mun Base were informed of the station becoming operational. Jebediah Kerman was placed as commander of the Mun Space Station and instructed to use the new Beans 4 transport craft to transfer from the base to the station. Jebediah boarded the craft and straightforwardly obtained an orbit around the Mun's equator.

Jebediah Departing for the Mun Space Station

After a terrible docking experience and arriving at the station, Jebediah ordered supplies be sent to the station. The supplies consisted primarily of liquid and RCS fuel, but also a variety of small ship parts, such as RCS thrusters and batteries. The Kerbals launched the requested supplies and docked them with the station without any troubles.

Mun Space Station Supply

Ronmon Kerman was instructed to install an RCS fuel tank and four RCS thruster blocks on the Beans 4 transport craft. The intention was to assist with docking maneuvers in the future. Ronmon performed EVA outside the station; removing the parts from the docked supply ship and upgrading Beans 4.

Ronmon Kerman Upgrading the Beans 4

Ronmon was then instructed by Jebediah to replace him at the Mun Base. A number of small tests and simulations were performed to ensure the transport craft remained functioning after it's upgrades. With three out of eight tests passing, Jebediah was confident about craft's capabilities. Ronmon boarded Beans 4 and departed from the Mun Space Station.

Ronmon Departs for the Mun Base

Ronmon arrived at the Mun Base with a great deal of difficulty. The added weight and reduced symmetry from having a outwardly facing RCS fuel tank resulted in the transport craft tilting during acceleration. All maneuvers needed to be completed very slowly and far in advance. Having become frustrated with Beans 4 introduced inefficiency, Ronmon spent the rest of the day removing the RCS components from the spacecraft. Mission Control was informed that a Beans 5 transport may be required in the near future!

Mun Base