Specialists Bob & Bill use every available mode of transportation – land, sea and air – to carry out two balloon releases far west of KSC over Sector GV-001 and Site 0B-RZ
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
Bob & Bill caught the last airship to Umbarg last night and are back at KSC today to begin helping to work on the logistics for these two upcoming bit.ly/KerBalloonProg… missions heading out tomorrow
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
Bob & Bill are loading up 2 UTVs and the low-altitude KerBalloon aboard a cargo airship to transport them out to bit.ly/Site_0B-RZ for release tomorrow. They are bummed to be missing the launch but excited to explore new territory
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
if all went well Bill, Bob & the KB crew should be at their release site. We don't like remote operations that can't check in regularly but one day satellite communications will let us worry less. Airship due to return tomorrow so we will have some news then
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
booster ignition and lift-off!! Progeny Mk5 has cleared the launch base and is on its way, making the first trip up into space for 2018! Pitch over is nominal and the rocket is tracking east, will be over the horizon shortly for Lymun to spot
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
BECO and the Mk5 is heading far uphill to an apokee of 546.46km!! This is going to be just one of several shattered records. Time to apokee is just under 9 minutes. Battery consumption is a concern but we should have more than enough to last until splashdown
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
MSV Tongjess is heading over to where the Wx balloon splashed down about 15 mins ago to retrieve it from the water, then exchange it for another high-altitude balloon it will carry out to bit.ly/Sector_GV-001 after picking up Bill, Bob & crew tomorrow
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
just now passing through apokee, no change to radiation levels, holding steady at 10.010 rad/h. Rocket is so high if Bob & Bill had a large enough dish they could receive line of sight telemetry data too all the way over at bit.ly/Site_0B-RZ
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
wrapping up post-flight ops. Both boosters splashed downrange & crews report pad and launch base remain in good shape. MSV Tongjess has departed to head west to meet up with the KB team. We're expecting to hear from MSV Lymun within the next hour or so
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
news at last! Lymun is on her way back with a mangled rocket found engine-up bobbing in the ocean - not how it is supposed to land. They could also find no trace of the chute, which indicates deployment likely did not go well
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
airship that transported KB team arrived back at Umbarg today so we know they were dropped off okay, should have released and recovered by now and be making their way to the water for pickup by MSV Tongjess tomorrow
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
hopefully by now MSV Tongjess have picked up the KB crew after their 131km trek across the desert. It all depends now on when the weather lets them launch over bit.ly/Sector_GV-001. We expect to have them back in port sometime this weekend
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
a launch at last! Additional details on the MK5 Block I flight this week plus more in our Ops Summary - click the img below! - everyone enjoy your weekend and take some time to head to the surface to gaze up at the stars
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
happy to report MSV Tongjess is making for port in Umbarg with Bill, Bob, KB crew and two recovered balloons. Everyone can rest a bit easier knowing all went well out west & we look forward to handing over contract data tomorrow. Ker-ching!
