UNITY XXI MAKES THE FIRST RENDEZVOUS

KSP - Year 3, Day 240

Bob and Tomdun make a first in the entire Space Program to date by meeting each other in space. The rendezvous took place nearly five hours after Bob launched in Unity XXI and both ships came within seven meters of each other at their closest point. By this time, Tomdun had already spent over a day in orbit - the longest yet by a Kerbal.

'It is vital that we know how to get two ships to rendezvous up there in space,' said Gene Kerman. 'The method we are working towards for the the Mun landing requires us to do just this. So that's what we aimed to do. And we did it.'

A view of Unity XX as Unity XXI approached the craft

However, the mission wasn't perfect. During launch a mis-calculation meant that Unity XXI, piloted by Bob, overshot the marker and lead Unity XX by an uncomfortable distance. Mission Control decided to widen XXI's orbit to slow the craft down, allowing Tomdun to catch up. The mistake meant that the rendezvous wasn't perfect and a heavy amount of fuel was used.

However, the two craft did eventually meet up and then spent the next few hours practicing station-keeping maneuvers in orbit. The mission was marked as a success and checked off another vital step in the Mun program.

Artists impression of the two craft meeting in 

orbit, resulting in the first two vehicles ever to do so

However, the situation worsened when it was time to break formation and head back home. Tomdun remained in orbit to complete his three-day endurance flight to test both himself and the hardware used for the mission. Bob would come directly back to Kerbin. But due to the excessive fuel used during the rendezvous, Mission Control were forced to switch to emergency reserves used to stabilise the craft before and during re-entry. But when groundcrew went through the re-entry check-list, it became evident that Bob still did not have enough fuel to return home to Kerbin.

'It was the most uncomfortable silence I have ever endured,' Gene said slowly. 'CapCom got Bob to repeat his gauge readings three times before it sunk in. We did not have the fuel to get him home.'

Every engineer possible was assembled and meetings were held within hours. Bob had enough oxygen and energy for several days. But none of that mattered if he couldn't get home.

'All sorts of things were discussed. At that point, we didn't care how we got into that situation. All we knew is that we had to get out of it. The safest way was decided when we realised we had enough fuel to dip into the atmosphere during a small part of the orbit.'

The technique of aerobraking had been tried once before when the ITAD satellite skimmed the atmosphere during a small phase of its orbit. Over time, this caused the probe to sink further toward the ground with every pass and, ultimately, fall back to Kerbin.

'We had the fuel to get the craft down to sixty kilometers, leaving a little reserve for re-entry stabilisation. Then all we had to do was let friction do it's work on the capsule.'

Unity XXI launched a little too hastily on its way to meet Unity XX

In the end, it only took four orbits before the capsule reduced it's speed enough for re-entry. Bob splashed down safely, albeit a little off-target. Tomdun remained in orbit for nearly two more days and splashed down after a record-breaking three days and eleven hours in space.

UNITY XX REVS UP THE PROJECT DEMAND

KSP - Year 3, Day 238

Dubbed 'phase-two of phase-three', this next series of launches cranks up the program with Unity XX leading the way. From now on, the pilots of the proven Mk1 Command Pod will spend a much longer duration in space. This necessitated the development of a larger service module that is able to supply the brave Kerbals with the air and energy they need to stay alive as well as additional fuel for the craft.

 Unity XX with it's new service module that will support the 

astronaut for days instead of hours

'When we head to the Mun, we will need a module that is capable of carrying all the supplies needed to sustain the voyaging Kerbals for the entire trip,' said Gene Kerman. 'The service pack we use at the moment is only good for a few hours. We need something that will last several days. And these next missions will test the endurance of our technology in the Unity project.'

It is down to Tomdun Kerman to test this next episode aboard Unity XX. The mission is to simply test the serviceability of the 'life-support' module as well as seeing the effects of a Kerbal in space for at least three days. Until now, Kerbals had only spent hours in space. The new propulsion system of the service module needed to be tested also. And once Tomdun had completed RCS thruster testing in his parking orbit of one-hundred kilometers, he had to raise it to one-hundred and twenty. This was achieved with just two firings of the service-modules' main engine.

Tomdun will remain in orbit for another day ensuring that the systems aboard the craft are working correctly. If all is well, the mission parameters will extend for additional tasking.

'Right now, Tomdun is floating up there nicely and enjoying the ride,' said Gene. 'If all remains well by tomorrow morning, then Unity Twenty-One will launch for a rendezvous mission. It is important that we can prove one craft can rendezvous with another. And Tomdun will make a perfect target for the next pilot to aim for.' 

In addition, a new launch-vehicle contractor is at work. Instead of developing their own rockets, new rocket design and engineering has been handed out to KW Rocketry. This new company will handle the remaining Unity flights and possibly the hardware needed for the next project. Management at KSC has stated that more powerful rocket motors and larger fuel tanks were needed and it will be easier to buy technology rather than divide their own resources to combat this requirement. The press were told that even though the existing Osprey rocket was able to carry the additional weight of the new service-module, it didn't leave much elbow space for any further development. KW Rocketry's Arke I launch vehicle (which is the same class as KSP's Osprey IA) offered a little more breathing room. So it was decided that production would cease and the KW's Arke would be used instead.

Unity XX on the launch-pad atop the new rocket. KW Rocketry's 

new Arke I launch-vehicle will be the main-stay for

the remaining Unity missions

If the new service module continues to operate according to it's designs, tomorrow will see the launch of Unity XXI. This will lead to the first ever rendezvous mission between two vehicles in space.

ENDEAVOR TO DUNA

KSP - Year 3, Day 230

This week saw the start of a new Duna exploration program, named Endeavor. The probe has left our world and is now on a course for the forth planet. Endeavor I was launched on a Houndstone IIA rocket (the same that took Horizon I to Eve) and is carrying equipment to image and study Duna from up close.

An artists impression of Endeavor I leaving for Duna

Duna and Ike as seen from Kerbin through a telescope

Unlike the Horizon probe, this vehicle will not just merely fly past the planet. Instead, Endeavor will enter orbit, making it the first probe to orbit a planet other than our own. It will remain operational for at least a year to collect data over time. Staff at KSC hope to gather information, such as the planets atmosphere and gravity, to plan for future missions. It is also hoped that some information can also be gained from its moon, Ike. That is, of course, once the craft has survived the seventy-five days it takes to get to there.

Endeavor I rides to space on top of a Houndstone IIA

'This mission is a different world to Eve. Literally.' One of that project leaders stated. 'Eve was a fly-past where we snapped some images and took a few measurements. We hope to put Endeavor into an orbit so long-duration studies can take place.'

During a camera test, Endeavor turned and took this snap of Kerbin and the Mun from the orbital distance of Minmus. If we were to stand on the surface of our mysterious second moon, this is how Kerbin would look.

This project opens up another exciting chapter in the space program. In addition, there is another launch-window for Eve approaching and it is fully expected the KSC staff will take full advantage once again.

UNITY XIX PROVES MANUAL MANEUVERING IN SPACE

KSP - Year 3, Day 211

The next mission in the Unity project tested the pilots ability to manually change the altitude of the capsule in orbit. In addition, the pilot endured the longest duration in space for a Kerbal yet. Previous flights saw the Command Pod being brought down from space after just three orbits lasting over two hours. This next mission required a total of ten orbits, extending the stay in space to nearly six hours.

Crewed and ready, Unity XIX awaits the dawn launch

A close up of the rocket leaving our atmosphere as it takes Charlie Kerman for the longest mission to date

Charlie Kerman was the pilot for this Unity mission. The longer duration allowed the astronaut to complete an orbital maneuver that raised the altitude of the craft by twenty-kilometers. This was done in two stages. First, the thrusters were fired to raise the altitude on the opposite side of the orbit. Once at the peak of this new altitude, the thrusters were fired again to circularise the orbit. This raised the craft from the standard one-hundred kilometer parking orbit to one-hundred and twenty kilometers. This was done manually by the pilot to test vehicle control in orbit.

Charlie captures the Sunrise over Kerbin in orbit

Despite the longer duration in space, Charlie performed consistently throughout and the Service Pack of the Command Pod functioned perfectly.

A safe return for yet another successful mission

There is an expected break in missions as new technology is developed. The requirements hereafter heighten to new levels as even longer endurance tasking is needed. The Service Pack currently used on flights so far cannot sustain the requirements needed for the upcoming missions. In addition, rumors of a new manufacturer of rockets has arisen in anticipation for heavy-duty launch vehicles.

UNITY XVIII BRINGS BACK THE SCIENCE

KSP - Year 3, Day 194

Lanmore Kerman was next to leave our atmosphere and became the fourth Kerbal in space. He was heavily involved in the design, construction and operation of the signal relay stations used to for early satellites and launch-vehicles before the CommSat project. With this scientific background, Lanmore was the natural choice for this mission and became responsible for observing important data from the instruments fitted to his capsule. Such data included recording atmospheric pressure as the vehicle ascended out of our atmosphere.

Mission Control received the data remotely, but Lanmore had to look at the information himself and report his findings back to the KSC. This tested the astronauts ability to collect and interpret data correctly in a space environment. Lanmore passed this test, proving that Kerbals were indeed able to undertake complex mental tasks.

This was the data observed at Mission Control during launch, which Lanmore was able to reproduce with his own on-board data set

The science equipment was specially fitted to the aircraft along with various sensors. These are not normally present on the capsule and, due to the missions success, won't be fitted to subsequent Command Pods. Lanmore had just two hours to gather and interpret the data before his craft splashed down safely after three orbits of Kerbin. This completed the Unity projects' first science mission.

Unity XVIII launches from the KSC

The data collected also goes towards the next project, which will take Kerbals to the Mun. Plans for the next vehicles to be used are already on the drawing board, and this mission was another step towards these future developments.