This is about Kerbal Space Program - aka NASA simulator, my first career playthrough.

At some point, I unlocked all the techs, and since KSP is a sandbox game, I had to come up with my own objectives. So here it is: my report on mission to two planets, and two moons!

Using KSP 1.1, KER mod for deltav and twr calculations, and LWP tool for interplanetary transfer planning.

Let's get straight to the business: main ship launch to Kerbin orbit.

Kerbin is home planet in this game, and looks like Earth.

I have emptied main ship fuel tanks to keep its mass below 150 ton - so it is rather easy to lift up.

Main ship includes chemical stages for Kerbin-Duna transfer, and nuclear engine stages for rest of the trip. Last stage - Kerbin landing capsule for 3 kerbals, designed for aerocapture (i.e. use Krebin atmosphere to slow down, instead of engines).

Unfortunately during fairing opening debris damaged most of solar panels on chemical stage.

Lesson: test fairing on ground!

Next 3 launches - fuel for the main ship.

Refueler 3rd stage uses same engine and fuel for orbit insertion, docking, refueling, and deorbiting. To reduce drag on nose docking port and braking RCS engines - I’ve used nice pointy fairing.

When both ships have their docking ports on noses you can use SAS to point docking ports of both ships at each other, making docking of even very heavy ships trivial.

Last part of the ship: reusable atmospheric lander.

Since both Duna planet, and Laythe moon have atmosphere, I’ve designed lander to slow down using air brakes, parachutes, and little bit of fuel at the very end - for soft landing, and save as much as possible fuel to return to orbit.

Ship is finally ready - total mass 420 ton.

Time to start our journey!

First stage burn to Duna, using chemical engines. Departure date found using Launch Window Planner (https://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/). Excess fuel will be used to refuel lander:

Duna, just like Mars in real world, is 4th planet from star, is red, and has thin atmosphere.

Next is landing on Duna to pickup engineer, from Duna base. Duna base was established in previous missions. Engineer is need because he can repack parachutes - without him, my lander is not reusable.



Some attempts failed - mostly because engine is really big and landing legs do not protect it from collision with ground on touch down, requiring landing speed less than 7m/s.

Lesson: use side mounted engines for landers!

After some save-load attempts, I’ve managed to land, pickup engineer, then ascend and dock with main ship, repack parachutes, refuel.

Second landing to pick up Jeb with all experiments data from Duna - and again: ascend, dock, repack parachutes, refuel.

Now Duna part of mission plan was done, I suddenly realize that chemical stage has lots of fuel left! Enough to do Ike landing!

Next target - Jool a gas giant, just like Jupiter, but green. There is no way to land on it, but I target one of it’s moons - Laythe.

Burning from Duna to Laythe. It is rather easy to target Jool and get captured by Laythe, since it is innermost moon:

Layte is tidally locked with Jool has dense enough atmosphere with oxygen! Mostly covered by oceans.

Laythe landing requires use of heat shield. Heat shield will be dropped, i.e. - not reusable. I had only one stocked on the main ship, and no spare fuel for lander any way.

Keeping lander heat shield to prograde was difficult, since heavy part of the ship is engine - the tail.

Lesson: Use side mounted engines, and move docking port to the bottom, so you can attach heatshield at heavier part of the ship!

The hardest part, Laythe ascend. Apparently I’ve used too much fuel for landing:

But the biggest problem: main ship orbits Laythe in opposite direction! And lander can barely reach orbit, there is no chance in any inclination change, let alone 180 degree turn!

Luckily, main ship saved enough fuel to escape Laythe sphere of influence, do one turn around Jool and enter Laythe orbit with proper inclination.

Lesson: double check on which side of the planet you arriving!

And finally docking, Jeb is safe, back on main ship:

Once all science data collected from Laythe transferred to main ship, lander is abandoned.

This is what left of once 420 ton ship, burning back to Kerbin:

Sharp aerocapture by Kerbin atmosphere:

Kerbin welcomes us with great view on Krebol eclipse!



And mission summary:

Oh, yea, this guy, in white suite, is here by accident. Nice 11 years trip, I hope it didn’t break any of his plans )