Kerbal Space Program Mission #2

Experimental Test Launch 2: Electric Boogaloo

Day 4

Active project: Experimental Rocket Project

Next mission: Experimental Test Launch #2

Selected vehicle: Thunder Road 2

Assigned crew: Thong Kerman

Was warned in advance.

I've received a volunteer for this mission. Thanks, Thong!

Now let's get this next rocket launched before he changes his mind!

Countdown in 1.

One. Liftoff!

We should have specified he'd be sitting in a ship whose back end explodes continuously for 4 minutes.

The Thunder Road 2 is off to a fast start thanks to the solid rocket boosters. These start to overheat at T+ 14 seconds but by then the solid fuel is half spent. The boosters extinguish themselves at about 7km, requiring Thong to push stage 1's engine nearly to full throttle to maintain acceleration.

Following the proscribed flight path, Thong begins to pitch the rocket downwards and eastwards into a 'prograde' trajectory (in the direction of planetary spin).

I hope that doesn't land on anyone we know...

Stage 1 empties just before 15km. time to activate the decoupler and release several tons of dead weight.

The rocket continues to pitch down until it levels out in the upper atmosphere. This may be a little short, but there's plenty of fuel left. 

This trajectory has the right altitude now, all it needs now is enough forward speed to make it all the way back around. 

 Almost there...

...And the path makes a full circle. Except this is still technically sub-orbital; dipping back into the atmosphere that far will slow the rocket down enough to not make another pass. For future reference, that lowest point in the orbit is called the 'periapsis', while the highest is the 'apoapsis' (around 400km here).

Luckily, thanks to science and experience I know of a maneuver that will extend the periapsis with far less fuel than if we had the rocket keep thrusting right now. Thong is given the instructions to accelerate forward once he reaches apoapsis, twelve minutes from now.

In the meantime, he's given the OK to perform the first Extra Vehicular Activity spacewalk. 

If you had bothered seeing 'Gravity' you'd be to terrified to perform this experiment.

Logging an EVA report gives us another boost in science. Thong will have to hold onto it until he gets back. Our next rocket really should carry a proper broadcast transmitter.

That's no moon... it's a six-axis control doohickey.

Fuel is a bit scarce at this point and we don't want to waste it on moving into an orbit further than needed. 

Not pictured: proper lighting.

Once at apoapsis on the night side of Kerbin, Thong throttles up and pushes the periapsis up from ~25km to over 77km. This is outside the atmosphere and creates our first successful orbit.

This is a nerdy kind of victory.

More importantly, The Thunder Road has enough fuel to accelerate in the opposite direction once back on the other side of this orbit; that will bring the periapsis down again enough to plunge back into the atmosphere and then fall to the ground.

It will be another 40 minutes or so in space, Thong. How are you holding up?

It's full of stars!

I'll take that as a 'fine'. We'll complete this mission report later. I've got some tech upgrades to think about.