CELESTIA XIV - THE SECOND ROVER ON THE MUN

KSP - Year 2, Day 315

Five days after the first Mun-rover set it's wheels down on the surface, an almost identical vehicle touched down to roam the dusty plains. The second rover, Celestia XIV, was launched on a Union A-2B launch vehicle, which is a stripped-down version of the more popular A-2A (the difference being the absence of a RCS in the booster, making the vehicle considerably lighter). This allowed the second-stage booster to take up some of the slack when it came to a braking-burn at the Mun, meaning the decent module had more fuel for a more precise landing.

The second Mun rover explores some treacherous terrain in this impression

Celestia XIV landed in one of the most interesting features we can see on the Mun - Atlas Crater, which is located in Stagnum Spero (Lake of Hope). This large crater is home to the giant Mount Atlas, which should provide some very interesting study for the scientists at Mission Control. It is also a hazardous region and is theorized to present almost every danger that a Kerbal could encounter. 

The mission was very nearly doomed from the start, however, as the descent module lowered the rover to the surface. When the vehicle detached, instruments reported a near fatal tumble as it hit the surface. It turned out the rover was dropped on a slope. Luckily, Celestia XIV bounced back onto its wheels.

Atlas Crater, within the Lake of Hope, will be explored by the second rover

Celestia XIV is almost a direct copy of the Celestia XIII, but with the addition of a high-resolution VDS camera as well as the familiar LazorCam. A remote software update to the Celestia VIII orbiter allowed the probe to be used as a relay to boost the high-resolution images of the VDS Cam from the rover back to Mission Control. This offers a much more detailed study of the Mun's surface, which will help scientists design future missions.

 First visual confirmation that the second Mun rover had landed inside the giant Atlas Crater. This image is from the fully-maneuverable LazorCam, which the vehicle sends directly back to Mission Control. It is transmitted in an almost live-feed fashion and is the primary viewing hardware for driving the rover

The same shot from the new high-quality VDS Camera, which is sent back to Mission Control via the Celestia VIII orbiter probe. The shortcoming of sending these images back is that the data can only be transmitted when the orbiting Celestia VIII is overhead

The rover will proceed to climb Mount Atlas over many months, collecting images and data on it's long journey. In the last few days, Celestia XIV has already encountered some dangerous terrain, proving that the Mun's atmosphere-free surface and bland landscape can create some potentially lethal optical illusions. But, at the same time, makes for some striking scenery.

First view of Mt. Atlas, where the rover will spend the next few months ascending

To begin with, the rover heads east of the mountain toward the ridge seen in the background

After much travelling, the ridge turns out to be a sheer cliff and is actually a wall to a large crater inside Atlas Crater. There are even more craters within. Celestia XIV perches on the edge and looks down into the sights below

The rover will follow the ledge toward the mountain, which is captured in this impressive image using the VDS camera

Both of the rovers will continue to operate for many months, but it is thought they will not be able to operate beyond a year. The merciless conditions of the Mun will take their toll on the vehicles eventually. Until then, our robotic roving pioneers will continue to be an extension of our own senses until Kerbals can take their place.

CELESTIA XIII - THE MUN ROVER

KSP - Year 2, Day 310

The engineers at KSC have put our first roving vehicle on the surface of the Mun. Weighing just shy of 400kg, Celestia XIII is a mobile probe that can remotely operate on the surface of our nearest neighbour. The vehicle is currently exploring Bolt Crater, which is a large impact crater that lies on the north-east edge of the Lake of Remembrance. It had long been speculated that this region of the Mun would be the first to be explored by Kerbals, and as this is the third vehicle to touch down in this area it remains a good bet.

A working replica of the Mun Rover being tested on Kerbin

The rover is fitted with batteries and solar panels that will ensure a good operating life. It will continue to explore the surface to give a first-hand impression of the terrain Kerbal's will likely encounter. The images from previous lander's have come from a static point-of-view, which gives the staff at the KSC a hard time to determine that exact surface conditions. The rover's ability to move across the surface will provide faultless evidence of the terrains true nature, revealing valley's, cliffs and dips that previous probes would not be able to reveal.

'If a rover with wheels can explore the surface of the Mun, then a Kerbal can walk around on the Mun. If there's hidden caverns or cliffs that could prove hazardous to Kerbal's, then we need to know about them. The rovers will operate for many months to help reveal such potential dangers.'

This was the statement made by one of the Celestia project leaders at a press conference following the launch. The impression given was that the Celestia project is now coming to a close, although at least one more rover will be sent to the Mun to explore.

Celestia XIII descended to the surface using a vehicle akin to Celestia VII's method, in that it was suspended beneath a descent module and dropped when a couple of meters from the surface. The descent vehicle then purposefully crashed into the surface 17.5km away from the rover.

Several images have been returned, the first of which was confirmation that the rover had successfully landed.

The first image returned from the rover shows the center wheel is firmly placed on the surface of the Mun

An image of the barren landscape that makes up the bowl of Bolt Crater. The distant rocks in this image give a good idea of the shape of the terrain ahead

One of the rovers first tasks was to investigate one of the huge boulders that litter the surface of the giant crater

In addition to the excitement of the first Mun Rover, a camera system was attached to one of the boosters of the Union A-2A launch vehicle as Celestia XIII left our planet. This revealed spectacular first-hand images of the launch right up to the booster separation, which usually occurs around one-and-a-half minutes after launch. The footage was recovered when the B-8A booster was retrieved from the ocean.

 Seconds after lift-off from the launch-pad

 Gaining altitude and speed

 Booster separation, which occurs at an altitude of around 12-15km where the sky is now dark. This spectacular shot shows the first-stage continuing to propel the Mun Rover into orbit around Kerbin. The other booster can also be seen in the top-left of the image

Probably the best shot of our thin and fragile atmosphere yet as the booster tumbles back toward the ocean on its parachute

Being the thirteenth mission to the Mun, the Celestia team were apparently hesitant of this particular operation, an anonymous staff member stated. They are surprised the mission went off without a hitch, but there is still plenty of time for things to go wrong according to the source. All being well, the Mun Rover will continue to pave the way for the pioneering Kerbals that will set foot on the Mun. The second rover is apparently due to launch in the next few days, just before the Horizon probe skims past Eve.

PROJECT HORIZON HEADS TO EVE

KSP - Year 2, Day 283

This week saw the launch of a new project - the Horizon program. As promised, a probe has left Kerbin orbit and is currently on an intercept course for the planet Eve. Horizon I was launched on top of a new Houndstone IIA launch vehicle (which is a modified version of the Houndstone II used to launch Observer) just days after the Ranger long-distance communication satellites were put into orbit.

The popular Union A-2A, which has been the primary launch-vehicle for the on-going Celestia Mun missions, was not powerful enough for this operation. The Houndstone IIA lifted the probe to a 500km orbit before the second-stage propelled Horizon I to an intercept course with the planet Eve. Unlike the Union launch-vehicles, the Houndstone does not have re-usable boosters.

Dawn Launch. The morning light begins to slide down the new Houndstone IIA launch vehicle that carried the new Horizon probe to Eve

Horizon I will take around forty days to travel to our nearest planetary neighbour. As it flies past Eve, it will capture colour images of the planet as well as some basic measurements. The probe is expected to come within 300km of the planet. Once it has flown past Eve, it will enter an heliocentric orbit where it will be retired.

As the craft accelerated away from our planet it took some test photographs to prove the on-board imaging system. The probe will return colour images to Mission Control thanks to it's large and powerful communications dish. This will allow us to view this mysterious world up front for the first time in detail. Because the planet orbits closer to our star than Kerbin, it is not easy to see the face of the world. Horizon I will solve that problem.

Horizon I's imaging system, the first colour camera to be fitted to a space probe, is put to the test and yields some great results. This is roughly the expected distance the craft will pass Eve. One of it's solar panels is in view to the right, while the top of the booster that propelled the probe to Eve can be seen in the bottom left.

A view of the Houndstone IIA booster before the probe detached. Once jettisoned, the booster was controlled remotely to steer away from Horizon I and return to Kerbin's atmosphere.

The staff at the KSC had to perform various tests to the craft once it had separated from it's booster. An attitude test was one particular area that needed a run-though. The problem with the craft as it speeds further and further away from Kerbin is the communication delay.

'We input a command to the craft,' Gene Kerman explained, 'and it takes several seconds to get there. At great distances, operations become tricky. At present, Horizon is about two-and-a-half million kilometers from us travelling at ten kilometers per second. This means that our signals take about twelve seconds to reach the probe, and then twelve seconds for a signal to come back. So when we send a command to the craft, it's at least thirty seconds before we know it's done what we asked it to do. Everything has to be preempted.'

An impression of Horizon I speeding towards Eve. The probe weighs just less than a ton and carries only enough propellant to ensure a fly-past of the planet.

Horizon I has already brought back a stunning image. After completing a thorough test of it's propellant systems, the staff at the KSC decided to turn the probes' camera for one final glance of it's home planet.

Farewell Kerbin. Horizon I looks back one last time at the world it shall never see again. This image was taken at a distance if 65,000km, just over a day after launch

Although not the first probe to leave the orbit of Kerbin, it is the first probe to leave and remain under control. The probe is currently in a state of hibernation after performing trajectory adjustments a few days ago. Only basic house-keeping and system monitoring tasks are being undertaken. The probe is expected to make one final orbital correction in a weeks time before all it's systems will be activated for the Eve encounter.

KSP PREPARES FOR INTERPLANETARY EXPLORATION

KSP - Year 2, Day 261

Over the last few days the Space Program has taken a big twist. Two identical communications satellites, named Ranger I and Ranger II, were launched on Union A-2A launch-vehicles just days apart and put into a high orbit around Kerbin. This was somewhat puzzling as the CommSat communications network was successfully launched last year. Why would the Program call for an additional two satellites? When I asked Gene Kerman he simply said:

'Opportunity. We have an opportunity here. A launch window to our closest planetary neighbour, Eve, is a month away. Our technology and experience is at a level now where we can send a probe out that far, so we'd be fools not to jump on the chance. But the CommSat network isn't powerful enough to transmit communications at that distance. We need something with a little more range, and the Ranger's will do that for us. Hence the name.'

Ranger II at dawn lifting off just four days after Ranger I

It seems slightly odd that we are sending a probe to Eve before we've even finished exploring our own backyard. The only probe to explore Minmus is the almost-dead Observer satellite, and that's from Kerbin orbit. Yet here we are skipping that step and going straight for Eve.

'Sure, it seems backwards,' said Gene. 'But we can head to Minmus any time. A window for Eve happens only on occasion. When we hit Minmus we plan to hit it hard, right after we've conquered the Mun. But, in the mean time, there's no harm in chucking a few probes out to take a closer peek at our other neighbours.'

An image of Eve from a ground observatory, obscured by our atmosphere. The first probe to explore it will hopefully reveal more of the planet

One concern raised was whether these additional programs would take focus away from the Celestia program to the Mun. But one of the project leaders stated:

'This has not affected the Celestia program, or any subsequent Mun programs, in any way. The Ranger satellites and any following interplanetary missions fall under a completely separate program and budget.'

An impression of a Ranger probe. These two vehicles make communications with probes as far out as Duna possible

It is good news all around. The Mun project advances unhindered and, as a bonus, we start sending probes to explore our inner planets. The Ranger's are our first step toward this. Weighing a little over a ton each, they are sizable satellites that orbit our planet at one-thousand kilometers altitude. They orbit directly opposite each other so that one Ranger will always stay in contact with an interplanetary probe while it's twin passes behind the shadow of Kerbin, allowing one-hundred percent communications coverage. Plus, two probes offer duel-redundancy.

The Eve project announcement and launch is expected within the next few days.

CELESTIA XII RETURNS FROM THE MUN

KSP - Year 2, Day 253

A huge milestone was achieved on the space-exploration front this week as Celestia XII went to the Mun and landed, then took off again to return to Kerbin. As well as proving that such a feat is possible, it also brought back some goodies.

The probe carried an extendable 'scoop' that took a sample of the munar soil, which was then brought back to Kerbin via the return-probe. In addition, a new state-of-the-art camera was attached to the lander vehicle. This took a high-resolution colour image that also hitched a ride back home. Until now, only low-quality images of the surface have been sent to us.

'The problem we've had so far with images is down to the transmitters fitted to the probes,' one of the lead scientists told us. 'We are limited with current technology, which means the images we've received so far are grainy and of low resolution. This is because the antenna's struggle to send the data required to generate a good image back here on Kerbin. This time, however, we had the opportunity to return the data with the probe, instead of transmitting it. This, coupled with the new camera unit, means we have a spectacular image of the surface.'

 This is the first high-quality colour image of the Mun's surface

As a bonus, the camera was turned toward Kerbin on the journey to the Mun to get an image of our planet. The one returned to us was a striking image that had the team at the KSC in awe.

A truly spectacular image of our planet captured on the probes journey to the Mun

Celestia XII itself was another innovative design. With the top half of the probe requiring enough fuel for a return-trip to Kerbin, there was a weight-issue. At present, the only Launch-Vehicle powerful enough to take a probe to the Mun is the Union A-2A, which has a weight-limit of 1.5 ton. To keep Celestia XII's weight within the threshold, the engineers had to sacrifice the RCS system used to control the vehicles attitude. Instead, the probe contained Reaction Wheels. These are discs within the probe unit that spin to change the direction of the craft in space. For the landing, the vehicle steered using it's rocket motor as before.

A painting of the probe leaving the Mun's surface and returning to Kerbin. The descent stage remains, and acted as a launch-pad for the return-vehicle

Celestia XII landed in the northern region of Stagnum Recordationem, and is the second vehicle to visit this area of the Mun. The probe splashed down nearly four days after launch containing the Mun sample and images. It holds the trophy for the first vehicle to land on another body in space and return safely back to Kerbin, demonstrating that such a feat is possible. 

Home and safe. Celestia XII parachutes back down to our oceans

The sample that was returned has been sent off for analysis and will hopefully help to understand the make-up and origin of the Mun.

CELESTIA XI COMPLETES MUN FLIGHT TRIALS

KSP - Year 2, Day 225

After Celestia X's failed attempt to prove that vehicles can land and then take-off again from the Mun, Celestia XI was next up to have a shot at the mission. Eleven days after launch, it signaled back to Kerbin the success of these objectives.

Another Union A-2A takes Celestia XI to the Mun

Celestia XI conducted it's lifting trials over 10 days. The first lift, the simplest maneuver, involved a simple ten-meter ascent and landing, which took place three days after the probe touched down. The second was another ten-meter ascent followed by a ten-second hover, which occurred six days after landing. The third, which is the most difficult and where Celestia X met it's premature end, involved the ten-meter ascent followed by a horizontal flight across the surface before landing again. This was conducted ten days after it's initial landing.

One of the lead project directors stated:

'We have now successfully proved that a vehicle can land on the Mun, take off, fly over the surface and then touch down again. This is an important accomplishment and one we are proud of.'

The landing site was Harvester Crater, which is the large crater located just south of the Lake of Remembrance. KSP's Mun orbiter, Celestia VIII, revealed this to be a particularly mountainous area. This made it a perfect proving ground for Celestia XI. It was decided that if the probe can successfully conduct maneuvers here, any following craft would have a good chance of doing the same anywhere on the Mun's surface.

Harvester Crater is one of the larger craters after the giant Magna-Lacus'

Perhaps the most ironic aspect of this particular mission is Celestia XI being the first landing-probe not to be fitted with a camera for surface imaging. Staff stated that they could not justify the cost of installing a camera when surface imaging was not it's goal. Which is a shame, because Harvester Crater perhaps offers some spectacular views.

Celestia XI is expected to be bathed in grand views as depicted in this painting

With the Celestia project proving that vehicles can orbit, land, take-off and fly across the surface of the Mun, we expect to be knocking on the door of manned flight soon.

CELESTIA X LEAPS ACROSS THE MUN

KSP - Year 2, Day 202

An audience gathered as close as they could to the KSC the other day as the tenth probe in the Celestia program left Kerbin to further our understanding of the Mun. The mission of the probe was to land on our nearest neighbour, conduct science and then leave the surface. This was the first time that a vehicle had landed and then left the Mun. But it didn't stay off of the ground for long.

After a successful landing, Celestia X spent a few days monitoring the Mun's conditions. The probe had found itself in a small crater on the edge of Mare Lucem (Sea of Light). 

Celestia X's location on the Mun

The probe itself was almost an exact copy of Celestia IX, except for additional thermometers for more accurate temperature readings and, for the first time, a barometer. The equipment revealed an average temperature of -63C on the Mun, although the journey there revealed a low of -202C. There was no measurable atmosphere detected.

Celestia X's first glimpse of the crater wall in Mare Lucem

In addition, Celestia X carried an extra rocket stage for descent to the Mun so that it would have enough fuel remaining for it's primary goal - the lifting trials. Celestia X was planned to lift and land back on the Mun three times, testing a different feat on each occasion. The first was to simply lift from the surface by ten meters and land again. This was a success. The second lift test was to climb to ten meters and remain in a hover for ten seconds. This was also successful.

The first lifting trial is shown in these sequenced images

The final test was the most challenging and, as it turned out, fatal. The probe would lift off, drift across the surface and land again. But something went wrong.

'We needed to yaw the vehicle around during the third lift,' said Gene Kerman earlier today. 'To do that, we had to deactivate the autopilot that was keeping the craft in a vertical attitude. What we didn't do before that was cancel the transverse thrusters while we performed this correction. With the autopilot off and thrusters still firing, the craft just flipped over. A few seconds later, transmissions from the craft ceased.'

When asked whether another attempt would be made with the next probe, Gene said:

'Well, this was a partial success. Can we look at each other and say "yeah, we've done enough here to move on"? I'm not sure at this time. It's still under consideration. What we do know is had we not turned off the autopilot, we'd still have a functioning craft up there. The craft would have landed and all elements of the mission would be a success. But it didn't happen like that.'

An artist illustrates the possible last moments of Celestia X

Celestia X was planned on operating for a while yet to continue collecting data. The lifting tests were kept back a few days for just this reason. So it's data collection is complete. In additon, Celestia IX is still operating and gathering data anyway. But whether KSP will launch another vehicle to have another go at the lifting trials remains to be seen.

CELESTIA IX BRINGS SCIENCE TO THE MUN

KSP - Year 2, Day 184

Images brought back from the Mun's first orbiting satellite, Celestia VIII, were the deciding result of Celestia IX's landing site. The staff at KSP decided that the large craters, or 'Great Lakes', were of interest enough for Celestia IX to pay a visit there. The lander carried an array of equipment that bumped the weight up to 656kg, which is a hefty amount compared to Celestia VII, the first probe to successfully land on the Mun, which weighed in at only 75kg.

Celestia IX awaiting launch in a good close up of it's Union A-2A launch vehicle

The chosen site was Stagnum Recordationem (translated to the Lake of Remembrance) next to Sedna Crater, which is one of the larger sub-craters found in the lower-left of the 'lake'. These 'lakes', which are actually thought to be enormous craters, are visible from Kerbin with the naked eye and are likely to be visited by Kerbal astronauts one day. So Celestia IX  paves the way for future manned missions.

 An image of the Mun from Observer and the highlighted landing site of Celestia IX

After landing on the edge of Sedna Crater, images from the Celestia IX lander showed that the crater is not a flat as first thought, and actually reveals the Mun's surface to be a plethora of rolling hills and steep mountains. This has been expected since the images returned from Celestia VIII revealed a much more uneven surface than those captured from the Kerbin-orbiting Observer satellite.

An image from Celestia VIII in orbit around the Mun of the 'Mare Recordationem' crater hints of a bumpy landscape

Although not obvious from this image from Celestia IX, the hills captured here are actually the peak of the very mountainous area of Sedna Crater

Celestia IX captures an image of it's own landing pad, which is sunken beneath the dusty surface of the Mun

With the lander being significantly larger that the pioneering Celestia VII, the vehicle was able to carry it's own fuel supply. This allowed for a much less complex landing system. The lander carried it's own on-board thrusters which were used to decend the probe down to the surface instead of relying on an additional motor system. The lander also used a direct approach to the Mun, instead of the more conventional orbital maneuver that had been used so far.

'It offered less complications,' one of the lead engineers stated. 'Instead of having to make an orbit around the Mun, we just headed straight for the face of the Mun. Once we were fifty kilometers above the surface, the S2-4B booster made a braking maneuver that slowed the craft down to 200 meters-per-second. Then the booster was jettisoned and the craft made the rest of the journey down on it's own engines.'

A painting of Celestia IX on the surface of the Mun

Although a success, the lander experienced a problem. The jolt experienced during touchdown caused one of the antenna's to retract. Luckily, the antenna's are dual-redundancy (meaning there are two) and one is still healthy and transmitting. Which is fortunate, because if both had failed then all communication with the prove would be lost.

Celestia IX will be transmitting temperaturea and gravity data back to Mission Control for the next few months.

CELESTIA VIII - THE FIRST PROBE TO ORBIT THE MUN

KSP - Year 2, Day 141

Following the success of Celestia VII, the staff at KSP wanted to put a probe into orbit around the Mun to observe the surface for future landings. To do this, Celestia VIII was constructed as an orbiting scientific platform that would be the new eyes for Mission Control.

'We know we can land a vehicle on the Mun,'  said Gene Kerman. 'But Celestia-seven was a simple probe to prove that we could achieve a landing. If we had sent a vehicle that was built on a large budget and it turned out the surface of the Mun was quicksand, then we would have upset a lot of investors. Now that we know the surface is solid, we can set something special down. But we don't want to just pick a site that looks good from here. We need eyes up there to investigate a significant landing site.'

Celestia VIII launches on top of the new Union A-2A launch vehicle

To achieve this goal, Celestia VIII was constructed as the Mun's first orbiting laboratory. A camera, similar to the one fitted to Observer, was used on the probe. Before now, Observer has been the KSC's eyes in the sky to study the Mun. And it has done a grand job. But as the project progresses, the staff need a more detailed picture of the Mun's surface. To do this, the probe needs to be closer. But Celestia VIII is more than just an observatory. It is also fitted with other equipment that will help mission control gather significant data of the Mun.

An artists impression of Celestia VIII orbiting the Mun

Just over five-and-a-half hours after lift off, Celestia VIII became the first Kerbin-made object to orbit the Mun. The probe flies eighty kilometers above the surface and takes pictures of potential landing sites for future landers. But perhaps the most striking picture sent back by the probe is one of our planet. It's the first time a picture of Kerbin has been taken from this distance, and reveals our planet in it's entirety from space.

The most distance and spectacular image of Kerbin captured yet by any probe to date

With Celestia VIII now fulfilling the role of Observer, it is thought that the ageing observatory will shift it's focus to Minmus. A lot of the Observer team have apparently moved to work with Celestia VIII already. An engineer stated:

'Observer is nearly out of fuel now. It has achieved some great results, such as the Mun Mosaic. It is under debate whether to extend it's life further and use it to gather some information on Minmus, or just retire the satellite. Either way, it's mission is almost at an end.'

With Celestia VIII taking up residence around the Mun, we can now look forward to greater things as it finds sites of interest for future landers.

CELESTIA VII LANDS ON THE MUN - FIRST PICTURES FROM THE SURFACE!

KSP - Year 2, Day 100

A roar of cheering erupted at the KSC today when Celestia VII became the first Kerbin craft to touch down on another world. The tiny lander, weighing in at only 75kg, indicated that it had made a soft landing by turning it's systems on and sending back the first ever image of the surface of the Mun.

'Another great achievement,' said Gene Kerman. 'Not only does this prove that landing vehicles on the Mun is possible, but we also have our first image of the Mun from the surface.'

First look at the surface of the Mun from the Celestia VII Lander

The probe only sank a few inches into the surface of the Mun. It was unsure how deep the powdered surface would be, and there was a calculated chance that the probe would disappear into the surface completely. The lander operated on batteries for imaging and some basic testing. Gravity was measured at 1.59m/s2 (compared to Kerbin's 9.81m/s2) and a rough surface temperature of -43C was recorded. Due to navigation equipment not being switched off after landing, the probes power supply only lasted just over an hour. However, all goals were achieved.

Artists painting of Celestia VII on the surface of the Mun

The descent was by far the most challenging yet. The probe was carried to the Mun still attached to the brand new S2-4B booster, which was used slow the craft down to be captured by the Mun's gravity before being jettisoned.

The decent module itself was made of two parts: the deceleration stage and landing stage. The first stage decelerates the vessel as it approaches the landing site so that the craft begins to fall to the surface. It also acts as a utility module and carries the solar panels that keep the batteries charged during the journey. Once out of fuel, the deceleration stage is jettisoned to reduce weight and the retro rockets are used for the rest of the descent. These slow the craft for a controlled approach to the surface. Once only a few meters from the ground, the descent stage drops the probe and veers off and impacts the surface clear of the lander.

A diagram showing the descent method

Celestia VII landed in the southern region of Mare Devotionis (Sea of Devotion)

Getting Celestia VII was not without it's challenges. Celestia IV, V and VI were attempted prior to the successful Celestia VII. All three previous probes, which were identical in construction to their successful sibling, failed catastrophically. KSC did not report on these missions until after the events.

'We knew there would be complications,' Gene Kerman stated in a press conference after Celestia VII's success. 'It was a tough mission with so much uncertainty, and we weren't even sure if we could even do it. We're not here to disappoint the public and release reports on failed missions. But this time, we knew we had it!'

Celestia IV ended in the worst disaster yet as the launch vehicle immediately pitched itself over after launch and crashed into Booster Bay. A faulty navigation unit was to blame after it was fitted upside down. At launch, the rocket thought it was standing on it's head and so immediately tried to correct itself.

In a terrifying sight, Celestia IV pitches over at launch and screams for the ocean after it's navigational unit was fitted upside down. It was destroyed seconds later

Celestia V enjoyed more success and actually made it to the Mun. However, a miscalculation resulted in the descent stage being activated too late and the probe impacted into the surface at over 400m/s.

Celestia VI got about as far as Celestia V. But on this occasion, during the descent phase to the Mun, only one of the four descent engines activated. It is thought that a bug in the system itself was the cause after a single command should have initiated all engines to activate at once, but it did not. The single engine sent the probe into an uncontrollable spin and crashed into the surface of the Mun a few minutes later.

The cost of the project seems to rise every time, with accidents occurring more frequently. But in some humbling words from Jebediah Kerman, an expected astronaut in waiting, stated:

'If these machines need to blow up a thousand times in order to develop the technology and skill needed to bring the first astronaut home safe, then so be it.'

NEW LAUNCH VEHICLE ARRIVES AT KSC

After calls for a new launch system, DAA Aerospace responded with a new rocket design named Union. These have been derived from the early-developed Houndstone C-Series, which were used for the CommSat program. Currently, there are two varients: Union A-1A, which can take a payload of 800kg into Kerbin orbit, and Union A-2A, which can carry 3t into Kerbin orbit or 1.5t to the Mun.

Although smaller than the previous Houndstone series, they are much more efficient at their job. Plus the two B-8A boosters of the A-2A variant have parachutes fitted so that, when jettisoned, they can float back down to the ocean. They are then picked up and reused for the next launch! Additional smaller solid-booster rockets are also fitted to aid jettison of spent stages. This is to prevent a repeat of CommSat VI's launch when a booster collided with the rocket during separation, causing a premature shutdown.

The second-stage booster, called the S2-4B, is an advanced design and is used on both variants  A compact attitude control system has been installed that provides excellent control of the booster and it's payload. In addition, a heavy-duty battery pack and small solar array (contained within the payload fairing) can supply power to itself and the probe during launch and long-duration space flight if required. The booster can also be remote-controlled once the payload has been jettisoned for de-orbiting or impact testing.

A comparison chart of the Union launch vehicles compared to the Houndstone series

'We needed an improved launch vehicle,' one of the lead Engineers said at the KSC. 'The Houndstone's were good, but they were expensive and wasteful. These Union launch vehicles are not only more efficient, but the boosters are reusable. Much work and testing has gone into these and we've been delivered some great machines as a result.'

A Union A-2A variant during a test-launch

The Union A-2A's will be used to take future Celestia missions to the Mun. Both variants are expected to remain in service for a long-time to come.