Tag Archive: Bob
Feb 20 2015
Mun III Launch Highlights
Feb 05 2015
Mun III Mission Preview
Music by Kevin MacLeod
Dec 17 2014
#050: Mun I – Mun or… bust?
Ever since the historic first orbit of Kerbin by Cmdr Jebediah Kerman, kerbals have only ever repeatedly visited Low-Kerbin Orbit (LKO), with some forays out to Mid-Kerbin Orbit (MKO). The KSA has been planning for months to send a kerbal into orbit around Mun, but only now has the chance come to do so after many tests of new technologies, including a whole new 2.5m rocket system. The mission is planned to also service the various satellites that are in orbit around Mun to further expand the Agency’s scientific knowledge and long-range communication capabilities. On the cusp of yet another historic moment, the KSA aims to meet and surmount the inevitable challenges ahead.
Nov 18 2014
#046: Mk1-2 Capsule Return Test #2
The previous capsule return test was perfect right up to the point where chute deployment failed to return the capsule safely to the ground after re-entering the atmosphere. Engineers re-did the math and tweaked the chute timings to give the capsule enough altitude to slow for a safe landing. In addition, a new SRB design and solar panel array was available to be used with this launch to test their performance prior to their use on Duna I. The LES was retained throughout the mission to help document the spacecraft, which was especially useful during the early stages of re-entry before heat seared the lens.
Oct 22 2014
#034: New Astronaut Training (Flight 2)
After the successful removal of orbital debris earlier in the month, the final piece of orbital debris awaits removal by the KSA’s second new astronaut, Captain Wehrtop Kerman. This mission will serve him well to apply all the training and skills he acquired during his 6 months training as a kadet, including overcoming any unforeseen obstacles during execution. The debris being removed was part of the rocket that took Captain Bob into orbit where he was finally able to successfully rendezvous for the first time with another craft in space.
Oct 08 2014
#031: Rover Development Phase 1
The first extra-planetary goal of the rover program was Mun, a close neighbor that would provide minimal signal lag and 24/7 communication thanks to the established satellite network around both Mun and Kerbin. However rather than sending a rover directly to Mun, the team knew they had to test a version here on Kerbin first to make sure the design was capable of handling lower Mun gravity. They also wanted to begin working towards a completely automated drive capability, despite the low signal lag allowing for manual control. This first phase of development looks at the design of the rover, the first delivery vehicle concept, and the beginnings of automated drive software.
Aug 09 2014
#027: 1 Day, 3 Missions
The second ComSat is sent to Mun to establish a network of relay communications for any orbiting space craft. Originally designed to trail Mun’s orbit around Kerbin, ComSat Mun I failed to hold station in its leading position and now the KSA is constructing the same 3-satellite constellation as their LKO relay network. The new configuration lead to the R&D department coming up with capacitor technology for increased energy storage needed for the ComSats to survive a combined Munar night transit and Kerbol eclipse while operating. A second dish was also added – both improvements would need to be also added to ComSat Mun I at some point in the future. Flight Officer Kirk also performs 2 flights in the Mk1.2 Raker – one to video the launch from 10Km and another to drop science pods on the badlands on the other side of Kerbin.
Jul 04 2014
#025: Day-long Polar Orbit for Science
Now that the LKO communications network is finally completed and fully operational, a mission proposed weeks ago by Lead Scientist Wernher Von Kerman was finally approved – a near-polar orbit would be established for observations of the entire planet over the course of a day-long mission. Originally scheduled to launch on 6/30, the previous day a dish at the tracking station suffered a mechanical failure and needed to be replaced. After a day to replace the dish and a day to test/calibrate it, weather was the issue holding up the launch. There was a small chance, so Flight Director Lanalye ordered the rocket out to the pad the night before so it could be prepped in the morning. However a fuel line was not properly attached, blew loose overnight and moisture got into one of the large main engine tanks. In the time it took to dry, the weather worsened for the day and launch had to be cancelled. Finally, on 7/3, everything fell into place for the mission to receive a Go.
Jun 23 2014
#024: Servicing the ComSat Network
The Agency had originally planned to do this in two missions, but Lead Engineer Simon convinced Flight Director Lanalye in a marathon planning session that it could be done in one. Thus, Captain Bob was tasked with piloting the tallest rocket assembled to date into orbit high above Kerbin to service ComSat I, which needed larger-capacity batteries. He then had to lower his orbit to rendezvous with ComSat II, which had experienced problems during launch that caused it to lose all its solar panels. The ComSat Service Vehicle constructed for this mission was an improved model of the craft used for the Kerbin III de-orbit that allowed fuel transfer to restore Center of Mass within the RCS thruster ring for proper translation abilities Bob lacked in the previous mission. The Agency was all set to pull off yet another successful mission.
Jun 11 2014
#023: Third Time’s the Charm
After failing to rendezvous and de-orbit the derelict Kerbin III spacecraft for a second time, the team at KSA has come up with an even better rendezvous technique they hope will allow for success on this mission. Additionally, the rocket being flown by Capt Bob has been slightly simplified to reduce the chance of any staging malfunctions interrupting the rendezvous attempt.