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.
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