AQUARIUS X TAKES KERBALS WITHING ARMS REACH OF THE MUN

KSP - Year 4, Day 304

Aquarius X launches from Kerbin taking Flight Commander Charlie Kerman, CM Pilot Wehrdun and MEM Pilot Tomdun to the Mun and skims its surface. This tasking was as much a live mission as you could get without actually touching down on the Munar soil. The MEM took Charlie and Tomdun within just 6km of the surface.

A view from the base of the tallest and most powerful rocket

built to date

Aquarius X heads for an all-up Munar intercept

This was the second time that the Selene launch vehicle had successfully taken both the CSM and MEM to Kerbin orbit. And it was the second time that it had fired the CSM on a trajectory that would take it into Munar orbit. However, it was the first time that it had fired both the CSM and MEM combination on a Munar transfer. As with all the manned missions so far, it performed this task without fault.

After Wehrdun carries out a visual inspection of the MEM, the

landing module drifts away to start its descent to the Munar surface

So, the three astronauts had both the CSM and the MEM and were on the way to the Mun. The Flight Commander and MEM Pilot manned the Munar Excursion Module, separated from the CSM once in Munar orbit and descended to its surface. Why didn't they touch down?

'Well, we could have,' said Charlie Kerman in an interview after. 'We had everything we needed to touch down onto the surface of the Mun. Except Mission Controls' blessing, of course. Had we done that, however, we would have had to have stayed there. We would never be able to leave. The b******'s short-fulled our ascent module, which meant that we would have never been able to reach orbit. We needed to hit the abort switch eight kilometers above the surface. We sunk down a further two kilometers before the ascent stage negated our descent, which was something that hadn't been considered during the flight plan. But luckily we still had enough fuel to get into orbit and hook back up with Wehrdun in the CSM. Problem is, I will have to go through the rest of my life wondering whether it would have been worth it to have just stayed up there. Well, that's providing I don't get to go back!'

Tomdun had no choice but to abort the mission 8km from

the Munar surface, but makes the most of the views

Luckily, they did have enough fuel to get back to the CSM. After docking and crew transfer, the upper stage of the MEM was discarded and programmed to crash back into the Lunar surface. Aquarius X was a dry-run for the landing of the live mission. All hardware and software, short of the landing legs and a static-surface launch of the MEM's ascent stage, has been tested and is expected to be signed off for a full Munar landing. Aquarius XI is the next mission in line and although not official yet, everyone is taking it as set to be the first manned Mun landing. And it will be Jeb's crew due to fly. 

AQUARIUS IX ALL-UP TEST

KSP - Year 4, Day 262

Aquarius IX, lead by Flight Commander Lanmore with CM Pilot Kenford and MEM Pilot Hantry (the most junior crew of the current program) performed an all-up test with the hardware that will take the first Kerbals to the Mun. The mission was designed to test every possible limit of the astronauts and their vehicles. And it did just that.

Lift off of the Selene rocket carrying both the CSM and MEM

for the first time

This was the first time that both the CSM and MEM were launched together. They were placed into Low Kerbin Orbit using the Selene rocket system. The parking orbit was 110km x 90km, but this was changed by firing the third stage again to put the vehicles in a 300km x 300km orbit. This offered an assurance test that the engine can be restarted in space, as it would for a Munar transfer.

Grand views of Kerbin from the CM

During launch from Kerbin, the MEM is stored beneath the CSM. The CSM must detach from the booster before swinging around to dock and extract the MEM. The combination then continues on to the Mun, discarding the booster. Although a mission to the Mun was not on the cards, this system was tested.

The primary goal of this mission was to perform a manned test of the MEM in LKO. Command Module pilot Kenford Kerman initiated the CSM seperation and docked with the MEM. Kenford is the first pilot to perform this operation in space with the Aquarius hardware. The docking was successful, thanks to all the training in simulators derived from the Unity project. The CSM, now attached to the MEM, detached from the booster, which was then remote controlled to fall back to Kerbin.

Kenford inspects the MEM, which is still attached to the

third-stage booster, before committing to docking

Capture of the MEM through the docking view-port

An artists impression of the Aquarius IX CSM and MEM 

combination in orbit around Kerbin

The next test was the engine of the SM. This fired and changed the orbit from 300km back down to 100km. Tests on the fuel cells and life support systems were also conducted with great success. Following that, Lanmore and Hantry made their way through to the MEM and began power-up before separating from the CSM. Once detached, they became the first Kerbals to pilot a spacecraft that could not re-enter Kerbins atmosphere. The MEM is designed solely for space flight and cannot operate within an atmosphere. This meant they had to re-dock with the CSM to return to Kerbin.

The CSM as viewed from the MEM post un-docking

While Kenford remained in the CSM, Lanmore and Hantry ignited the MEM's descent engine and reduced their orbit to 80km, making them completely independent from the CSM. They spent over four days living in the cramped MEM where they performed maneuvers and tested the life support systems. During a stay on the Mun, the MEM would be their sole habitat so it is vital that the vehicle works as intended. The MEM does not have fuel cells like the CSM. Instead, solar panels and batteries are used and it was critical to ensure these systems worked. An EVA was conducted by Hantry and mock repair work was carried out after grabbing equipment from the external storage containers.

Hantry inspects the MEM during an EVA

Lanmore captures this grand image of Hantry

Hantry carries out work on the externals of the MEM during

an EVA. Here, he has successfully retrieved and fitted a solar panel

When the tasking was complete, the ascent-stage of the MEM (where the astronauts reside) was to separate from the descent-stage to return to the CSM. However, during a system test and start-up of the ascent engine, the rocket motor showed zero fuel flow. Many tests were conducted to no avail, and an un-scheduled EVA was carried out to inspect the internals of the craft. Upon investigation, it was apparently concluded that fuel lines had not been connected correctly between the tanks and the rocket motor. This was a dire and unforgivable oversight.

During an unsheduled EVA, Hantry opens the ascent-modules'

service hatch to reveal the internals. He takes this photograph for the engineers

to inspect back on Kerbin. The fuel lines are missing, causing the engine to 

be completely redundant

Due to the situation, the descent module had to be used again to return the MEM to rendezvous with the CSM. During the last few kilometers, the ascent stage jettisoned the descent stage and continued on using RCS thrusters (which it would have done at this point anyway). This still tested the docking ability of the ascent-stage as it would in a live Munar mission.

Originally, the descent-stage would be discarded in a lower orbit

and fall back to Kerbin. However, because it was needed it wasn't jettisoned

until much later, meaning it will forever drift in orbit

The docking was successful and the crew were thankful to be reunited. Although the mission did not go as intended, it was a fine example for both the astronauts and ground crew to test their adaptability in surprise situations.

Hantry makes his way back to the CM from the MEM by EVA

The ascent-stage of the MEM was released and remotely controlled to re-enter Kerbin's atmosphere using its RCS system

Once the MEM was released and de-orbited, a final system check of the CSM was carried out. Then it was turn of the Aquarius IX crew to come home. The crew splashed down safely after more than eleven days spent in orbit around Kerbin. The data collected from this mission will see the final tweaks made to the CSM and MEM before the next mission.

KERBALS ORBIT THE MUN!

KSP - Year 4, Day 222

For the first time in our known history, Kerbals have left the safety of Kerbin's orbit and headed out for the Mun. Armed with just their CSM, Aquarius VIII, Jeb, Bob and Bill headed to the Mun on top of their Selene launch vehicle. To date, it is the furthest anyone has ever traveled. Once there, a braking burn was initiated that put their craft into orbit. Twelve laps were completed before heading home again.

The mighty Selene rocket is finally allowed public viewing

Aquarius VIII launches for the Mun

'It was just a quick trip to the Mun and back,' said Jebediah, the Flight Commander. 'We were actually only in space for just over a day. But, man, have we seen some sights. We've had the images come back from the Celestia missions, but there really is nothing like going there and seeing the Mun for yourself.'

Kerbin falls away as Aquarius VIII coasts the long trek

The goal of the mission was the ultimate test of the Command and Service Modules as well as the astronauts. If the Munar Excursion Module failed to power up, they could abandon it and come home safely in the CSM. If, however, the CSM fails, the consequences could be fatal. The CSM would be their contained tiny world, and it needed to work.

The astronauts enjoy the ride to the Mun, ensuring all systems

function correctly throughout the mission

The CSM in this mission traveled alone - there was no MEM. Instead, the Selene launch vehicle had to be weighted to compensate. In addition, once the CSM had separated from the third-stage booster, it was once again remote controlled to steer away from the manned craft. The trajectory of the booster saw it crash into the surface of the Mun where seismic monitors fitted to instruments of still-functioning probes from the Celestia project detected the crash. These measurements would help determine the internal composition of our Mun.

One of the first views of the Mun from 30km - the huge canyon that 

leads out of Lacus Solitudinis on the far side of the Mun can be seen

The other goal of the mission was to visually scout for a landing site. Apparently, one has yet to be decided for definite, but mission planners are looking at one of the Great Lakes. Their is an argument as to whether these enormous dark patches on the face of the Mun are old lava beds or ancient large impacts but, either way, it is speculated that the material here would yield more interesting results during study.

The surface of the Mun as never seen before with Kerbal eyes

It was commented that finding a flat area to land may be

more difficult than first thought

Atlas Crater with Atlas Mountain (dead center of the image)

where the second Celestia rover is still operating

Lacus Recordationis, one of the Great Lakes that is rumored to 

be an option for the first landing site

But perhaps the gem of the mission was a shot taken by Bill as they circled around the Mun for the first time. We are all familiar seeing the Mun rise and fall over our horizons here on Kerbin. But during their orbit of the Mun, the astronauts saw the opposite - the rise and fall of Kerbin over the Mun's horizon.

A view of beauty that took the astronauts by surprise as Kerbin rises over the horizon of the Mun

The next mission, Aquarius IX, will be a hardware test of the MEM in LKO. Following that, a dress rehearsal of the actual Mun landing. Then, a manned Mun landing. With only two missions standing between a Kerbal putting footsteps on the Mun, the goal could be achieved before the year is even out.