Kerbal Space Program Mission #4

Experimental Test Launch 4: Mün-age Daydream

Day 7

Active project: Experimental Rocket Project

Active mission: Experimental Test Launch #4

Selected vehicle: Thunder Road 3

Assigned crew: Nick Kerman

Wait, what?

Orbital veteran Thong Kerman has nominated another green astronaut for our Experimental Rocket project: Nick Kerman.

Hello, Nick!

While still waiting for the last mission to come back, Nick and our latest Thunder Road 3 rocket are prepped for launch along with two minor mission improvements. First, for simplicity's sake our Space Center's current rocket project has been renamed Project Explorer, with the current mission dubbed Explorer 4. 

Come on Nick, we'll even let you say the countdown.

Secondly, I made a mission flag!

See, there's a flag and title cards and stuff now. That makes it professional.

Flags appear in a number of instances, including on the side of the command pod and can be placed by astronauts. Well, I like it.

I'll throw out some name ideas for subsequent projects/missions when we get ready for them, which may be soon if Nick brings back some Münar orbit data.

This never gets old.

Since Explorer 4 uses the same basic flight plan and Thunder Road model, we'll gloss over the trip to orbit, acting all cool like we knew how to do it all this time.

FWOOOOOOSSSSSH!!! That is my rocket noise.

I will at least point out that I had a much more stable second stage compared to the previous mission and spent a bit less fuel.

Putting the Thunder Road into a very low orbit accomplishes two things: first, it buys plenty of time to find the correct place and instance to perform a transfer burn and intercept our target accurately. Otherwise we'd have to wait to launch in very precise windows (though I may attempt it once just to demonstrate it). 

Secondly, it's more efficient to burn rocket fuel in a lower orbit (where is flies faster than in higher orbits), due to more kinetic energy being involved in the reaction of both burning and ejecting propellant.

I've been over the desert in a rocket with no name.

Or something like that. It'd take at least a full mission to demonstrate and prove it, so let's stick with flying over the moon, there's more photo ops.

I blinded them with science.

As verified by the Explorer 3 mission, this journey takes at least a day and involves a velocity increase of over 800 meters per second. Specifically, Nick will need a 16-second full burn to transfer the rocket out to the point where Kerbin's moon will be encountered, which is 60 degrees ahead of its current location. He has the fuel to get there, but how far out will the Mün slingshot (Mün-shot?) him after passing its gravity? Back to Kerbin? Deep space? Straight into the moon, Alice?

Using the navigation calculator a course is devised that will get within 500km of the Mün but still come back within one million kilometers of Kerbin, with over 20 units of fuel left. That should be enough to slow down and fall into the atmosphere, perhaps? We'll have to give it a try.

Astronaut's log, day 2: Starving, eaten all chapstick. Resorted to eating dead lip-skin to alleviate both issues.

Meanwhile, David Kerman is returning on Explorer 3. Let's follow the last leg of his return home.

I was hoping we could spend the rest of the mission being not on fire!

The command pod is coming down over land, slamming into the atmosphere at over three kilometers per second. That's a lot.

Sonic BOOM!

David's pod is still going so fast by the time it hits the lower atmosphere it breaks the sound barrier. It takes precious more seconds to bleed off enough speed before we give 

the OK to deploy the chute.

Dear God, this parachute is a knapsack!

The less-aerodynamic engine stage catches up to the decelerating pod and impacts the ground well within view of David's own landing site. 

Like I told you, it's like a roller-coaster ride. Yours just included a two day intermission of soul-crushing isolation, but that's a trivial detail, wouldn't you say?

The debris and explosions settle before touchdown and all is intact with the pod, most importantly the science experiments.

And also the astronaut, but we need the experiments.

We'll catch up with Nick as he approaches the Mün tomorrow.