UNITY XXII - THE FIRST DOCKING IN SPACE

KSP - Year 3, Day 261

Jebediah must have been deafened by the applause over his headset as Mission Control celebrated the first docking of two vehicles in space. The previous Unity mission saw two spacecraft rendezvous with each other and float just meters apart. This time, the Unity capsule docked with another craft while in the vacuum of space.

Unity XXII races to orbit

The Link Docking Vehicle, or LDV, used for the test was launched two days prior to Unity Twenty-Two and remained in orbit to test its system. The vehicle arrived in space on top of a Falcon rocket and is completely automated. This was to minimize the risk of potential failure and damage to two manned capsules.

The LDV was launched into space using the proven Falcon Launch-Vehicle

Once Jebediah had successfully linked up with the LDV, several operations took place. The orbit of the conjoined vessels was altered using the LDV rocket motors and fuel and power were transferred between the two vehicles. Some attitude corrections also took place, with control being alternated between Unity Twenty-Two and the LDV. This was all important testing for the future Mun missions.

Jeb takes a snap as his craft approached the LDV

'It's just another job well done,' said Jebediah in an interview after. 'The engineers, ground crew and my fellow astronauts are all doing a great job. Even with the near misses, we have still pulled every thing off.'

An artists impression of the Unity craft and LDV linked together in orbit

After the vehicles separated and Jeb headed back to Kerbin's blue oceans, Mission Control continued to practice maneuvering with the LDV until it was out of fuel. However, during a de-orbit burn the craft suddenly cut contact and is thought to have exploded. No explanation has been given as to why this happened.

THE SECOND MISSION TO EVE TAKES OFF

KSP - Year 3, Day 243

This biggest rocket to date, provided by KW Rocketry, has been assembled to take Horizon II to Eve. The Horizon project is set explore our nearest planetary neighbour. However, this time the team plan more than just sending a probe to fly past Eve. They not only want to put a vehicle in orbit, but also send a lander to its surface.

'This is a very exciting but testing mission,' said the projects' leader. 'We need to get Horizon II into orbit, which requires a lot of fuel. Last time, we just passed by the planet. This time, we want to stay there. Once the vehicle is in orbit, the probe will detach. Then the booster with the lander will burn the rest of it's fuel and send the vehicle down to the planets surface. Hopefully.'

Horizon II leaving Kerbin with the booster that will put it into Eve

orbit. The lander is contained within the conical fairing in the center

The Arke launch vehicle, used in the latter stages of the Unity project, has been adapted with a second-stage booster, called Aether. From a high Kerbin orbit, the new booster will ignite to send the vehicle towards Eve. The orbiter-lander-booster assembly will then separate from the second-stage and continue on.

The huge Arke-Aether launch vehicle waits to take Horizon II to Eve

The lander is a relatively simple construction that will take basic surface measurements of the planet. This will gather information that can be used for more advanced vehicles in times to come. The most fascinating feature of the planet is the presence of a liquid. Thought to be too hot to have liquid water, it is at the forefront of scientific interest to find out more.

It will take around 45 days to get to Eve followed by a few days if testing once a successful orbit has been achieved. As it turns out, the Endeavor probe will be arriving at Duna only a few days after Horizon II enters Eve's orbit.