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Popcorn.

Pole.

Shaddap.

NANOMACHINES, SON.

[Aseaheru]

Ah, it did say you can launch refuelers, aslong as its not toomany.

Something I attribute as "One crewed ship, along with up to four uncrewed ships with a maximum of one orange tank as payload"

[Boksi]

I decided my original idea was a pain in the ass and decided to do a more conventional writeup instead.

I'm sick! Sick and tired! Sick and tired of Wehrner von Kerman getting all the credit. Where's the appreciation for us honest, hardworking Kerbals, doing all the maths and stuff? Nowhere, that's where it is!

Well, we're not gonna take it anymore. Me and a couple other lads decided to get together and make our own rocket.

We're going to the Mün. And we're gonna land there.

I am, of course, the most important person in this group; the rest are just menial workers who will assemble my great vision. I'm the one who calculates this shit.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Starting off with the lander. Weighing in at 4,285 kg when full and 2,285 kg when empty, it has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 7, assuming a full load at the münar surface. It has a ISP of 390 so it has 2405,6 m/s of Δv. We managed to hide its existence simply by labeling it 'Not a Rocket', thus keeping Wehrner's eyes away from it. Being around the guy does means you learn how to manipulate him.


Next up is the transfer stage. 6,335 kg empty but 10,335 kg when full, it has a specific impulse of 370 and a Δv of 1776,5 m/s. Far more than what we need, but I'm sure we'll find a use for it. A few Kerbals were starting to get curious as to what it was we were hiding, but we distracted them with some shiny objects.


Finally there's the ascent stage. It's huge and has the hardest task, actually getting into orbit. Once you're in orbit, you're halfway to anywhere. Once fully fueled, it weighs 111,305 kilograms! It has a total Δv of only 4122,8 m/s - admittedly I calculated that with sea-level specific impulse for everything, but I think we'll have to use some from the transfer stage to compensate. At this point people were very curious as to what it was we were building, seeing as it looked a lot like a rocket even though it was labeled 'Not a Rocket'.

Tonight, the good doctor will be away for some big dinner, hobnobbing with other top scientists. This is it. The day, or evening to be precise, has come to launch our magnum opus.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Picking the right pilot was somewhat difficult. We wanted somebody who would do anything we told them to. In the end, we chose Lomin Kerman. He used to be a glue factory worker, but got laid off after they made a machine that could do his job. That's the thing about menial labor; unlike thinking, it can be replaced with machines. I'd like to see one of those dumb machines try their hand at a slide ruler! Calculators will never become an obsolete profession, mark my words. There's too much thinking involved.


It's a beautiful night for a rocket launch.

Liftoff!

Oh sure, it starts swaying about and spinning like mad, but that's fine!

Think of it as a free gravity turn!



It's becomes easier to control once it sheds the booster rockets and turned on the gimballed engine.

We use up a bit of the transfer stage's fuel, but we get an orbit. It's a low orbit, but an orbit nonetheless.

Having successfully reached orbit, the next task is to reach the Mün! We've got some toy radios we cobbled together to make a makeshift command center in a broom closet, so we can keep in touch with Lomin.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Simply wait for the Mün to rise above the horizon...

THERE IT IS!

THROTTLE UP! THROTTLE UP, LOMIN, THROTTLE UP!

Alright! We have contact. Now we play the waiting game.

You know...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You never truly understand how big a planet is, until you leave it and see it in all its glory. Sure, I'm just viewing pictures from the craft, but I feel like I'm really there.

It's just... Big. And yet, so small.

Anyway.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The plan here is simple. Burn retrograde at the periapsis to lower our apoapsis into an orbit. Don't worry, Lomin can handle it.

See?

We still have plenty of fuel left in the tank, so we use the transfer stage to kill our horizontal velocity as well.

And then it's time to land.

I must admit, I am getting somewhat nervous.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Remember what I said earlier? You can't appreciate the size of a planet until you leave it?

Let me amend that.

You can't appreciate its size until you either leave it, or land on it.

Because yikes, that's big.

Lomin is getting close to the surface. He's throttling the engine up to slow down, as we told him to.

The most efficient burn is doing nothing until the last second and then throttling the engine up to max. But it's called a suicide burn for a reason.

I mean, would you trust Lomin to pull that off?

We just told him to turn on the lights. They're not just useful for landing in darkness - they're also somewhat useful as an altimeter: If you can see the light, slow down because the ground is very close.

Getting closer and closer to the surface...

Is that light?

It is light!

I am somewhat worried at this point. It's a pointless worry, but I worry nonetheless...

Touchdown!

Of course, now there's only one thing to do!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

PARTY! Oh, and I guess Lomin can go plant a flag or something.

We couldn't agree on what to put on the plaque, so we told Lomin to just write some joke about the doctor on it.


There was plenty of science to do on the surface. It was at this moment that it hit me that we had forgotten to take the temperature on the launchpad; that was why we had brought two thermometers with us, after all! Surely, this was all somebody else's fault. I shall make sure the perpetrator of this injustice shall be brought to justice! Since, you know, it can't be me who did it.

He had a lot of fun on the Mün. Apparently you can jump really high because of the low gravity there.

Still, he can't stay there forever.

Goodbye Mün.

Because the Mün has no atmosphere and very little gravity, you can start your gravity turn almost immediately.



We don't really need a münar orbit to reach Kerbin, but why not?

The trick is to be going in the opposite direction as the Mün...

And burn prograde.

While it appears on the map that you're going away from Kerbin...

You are, in fact, increasing your speed relative to the Mün, but slowing it relative to Kerbin.

Then we just set up an aerobrake, or rather an aerocapture...

And say goodbye to the transfer stage.

And now there's precious little we can do.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The capsule makes its way back to Kerbin alone.






It's rather fitting, how we launch with a sunrise and land with a sunset.

The pod has begun its descent.

No, I'm not nervous at all! I'm just... I'm just sweating a lot. That's perfectly normal, I assure.

Not nervous! Not nervous at all!

notnervousnotnervousnotnervous

Oh? Looks like the heat is dying down.

Yes, it's definitely cooling down. The pod is moving a lot slower, too.

Yeah, it seems to have survived just fine. Not that I doubted it for a second, of course!

At around ten thousand meters, the parachute opens.

Eventually, Lomin spots the sea. An excellent place to land! Or splash, as it may be.

And we have splashdown!

Might as well use that other goo canister we stuck on for symmetry!

Looks like opening the canister tipped the pod over.

But that's fine. It makes for a fine raft this way.

Mission Summary:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Maybe the science will soothe the poor doctor's aching buttocks, now that we have kicked it thoroughly? I wish I could see his face myself, but I am currently making myself scarce until his anger simmers down - I like my organs where they are, thank you.

Save: https://www.mediafire.com/?ws1w934lew5ujov

I highly recommend reading the Mün Landing tutorial and the Cheat Sheet at the wiki if you haven't yet. Though I must admit, I feel like we're going a bit fast. Only four turns in and we've done this much.

[Aseaheru]

Dont worry, Ill slow it down for you.


That said, there are four others who could slow it down first, But I am really bad at this.


Anyways, as I cant write to images, anyone mind if I record my turn?

[MarcAFK]

I should have gone for a Mun landing, that would have slowed us down a bit
I haven't managed one successfully yet, Always end up hitting a mountain.

[IronTomato]

-

[Aseaheru]

Allright, just be ready for odd noises and similar.

[ShadowHammer]

Dont worry, Ill slow it down for you.


That said, there are four others who could slow it down first, But I am really bad at this.


Anyways, as I cant write to images, anyone mind if I record my turn?

A video, then? That idea didn't really cross my mind before, and it'd be kinda cool to watch, though there might be people here who wouldn't be able to watch it because of internet-related reasons.

I agree with pretty much everything IronTomato said, and I think it's a perfectly acceptable idea.

[Aseaheru]

Righty then.

[The Froggy Ninja]

IN
Also Kerbal survival doesn't matter does it?

[Aseaheru]

Well, you have one manned launch to work with.

And I think that includes loading kerbals into seats.

[BFEL]

IN
Also Kerbal survival doesn't matter does it?

Joins Space Program. Immediately asks if the astronauts have to survive.

[The Froggy Ninja]

Well, you have one manned launch to work with.

And I think that includes loading kerbals into seats.

I don't fully understand that but ok. I meant would anyone object if my mission was designed to fly into the sun or something.

[Mono124]

Yeah it doesn't look like you guys are having any problems.

[Boksi]

Well, you have one manned launch to work with.

And I think that includes loading kerbals into seats.

I don't fully understand that but ok. I meant would anyone object if my mission was designed to fly into the sun or something.

No, I don't think that's a problem. Just remember to send back any science you acquire.

[MarcAFK]

If you want to treat some of them like expendable lab rate that's fine, but I'll assume that it would be a good idea to avoid using any other players 'pet' kerbals for any missions specifically designed to be fatal. Other than that go nuts.