More cheers erupted around the KSC as Bill Kerman became the second Kerbal in space. The mission was much the same as the first with Jebediah, except manual control of the capsule was undertaken to test the response of the vehicle and whether a Kerbal can successfully operate the craft in space. Not only were all goals accomplished, but this time the mission went to plan. Jebediah's trip into space on Unity XIII became a fight for life after his rocket didn't fly on the trajectory intended, causing a near-fatal re-entry angle. Bill, however, enjoyed a better flight and the capsule splashed down near its intended landing site.
Artists depiction of Unity XIV blasting off to space atop the Falcon launch-vehicle
Unity XIV left our atmosphere and separated from its launch vehicle where manual maneuvers were carried out. The capsule reached an altitude of 108km, which was much tamer than Unity XIII's near catastrophic 180km. During the thruster testing, Bill was also able to snap a unique shot of the Falcon booster that took his capsule above the atmosphere. It made a good target to aim for to prove successful handling of the vehicle.
An enlarged image of the booster as taken by Bill during a thruster test. Kerbin's oceans make the background
A grand view of Kerbin from the capsule window
In an interview, Bill said:
'This mission proved that Kerbal's can operate tasks and control our vessel in the weightlessness of space. I'm pleased I did what I did, but I am glad to be back on the ground.'
A delay in the manned project is suspected as a new launch vehicle is under testing. The next step of this phase is to put a Kerbal into orbital flight. The Falcon launch vehicle that has been used in the Unity project so far is only capable of sub-orbital flight, so a new rocket is under development to handle the next manned mission.
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