Ascension Mk1 Flight 7 (Specialist Bill)

earlier today before 2nd sunset the latest K2-X engine was undergoing a routine ascent simulation static fire on our test stand. Some fault during testing led the engine to explode, causing irreparable damage to the test stand and rattling the windows of the R&D complex

all safety protocols were followed & no one was nearby when the incident occurred. Test stand will be rebuilt after a thorough investigation looks over it and the remains of the engine as well as test data to attempt to determine what went wrong

Ascension team have finished planning out the use of the remaining 3 Mk1 lifters - ascent abort test will take place right after the Progeny Mk6-I mission on 5/16 @ 21:48 UTC followed by a re-fly of this past mission for more testing on 5/28 @ 16:28 UTC ops.kerbalspace.agency

who will be the first astronaut to go to space? All 4 of our original crew have trained for the privilege and now we want YOU to help us select the one to get the honor! All you need to do is reply to this tweet with 5 numbers between 0 and 100 (they don't all have to be unique)

some good news today at least: K2-X engine has been cleared. Final report is the fuel tank, which was constantly re-used for each test, fatigued & shed some of its interior lining due to poor dampening. This entered the engine causing a cascading failure of the fuel pump system

stream is live! In 5 minutes @DKerman_KSA will come on to carry out the crew selection process. This will determine the initial order all 4 astronauts head up into space aboard either a Mk1 or Mk2. Tune in now - youtu.be/g_6LoHyDRuM

we do not plan to take any questions or respond to comments during the live stream, although we haven't gone as far as to disable the chat if you would like to talk among yourselves

Congratulations to Specialist Bob Kerman - the first kerbal selected to head up into space!! ✨🎉🎊

The following crew rotation is:
Bill
Val
Jeb

You can review the selection process here: youtube.com/watch?v=g_6LoH…

flight analysis for the last Ascension Mk1 mission has been posted: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9214 - we continue to remain on track to launch a kerbal into space in July. Final major hurdle is the engine test towards the end of this month

additional big news from the report is that we have agreed to fund Dr. Murstap's deceleration research in conjunction with C7 Aerospace Division to not only benefit space flight but also design safer aircraft in the event of accidents. Two words: ROCKET SLED!!

results from this week's static fire have confirmed the engine is ready. We now have a date to LAUNCH THE FIRST KERBAL INTO SPACE!! L-0 scheduled for 7/18 @ 19:21 UTC and aboard the rocket will be Specialist Bob. Get hype! 🚀 ops.kerbalspace.agency #KSPloring @KerbalSpaceP

we are bringing in extra security after Monolithic graffiti was found scrawled on the side of the VAB, likely overnight by a religious follower or few who snuck over from the temple to the north. We've been dealing with various protests ever since the kerbed mission was announced

at this time there are no direct threats to the astronauts but we have had to cancel a few media events outside of KSC over the past month. It's disappointing to see some kerbs that don't want us to succeed in our quest to explore the Kerbol system and beyond

last week the capsule was stacked & the rocket is now undergoing final close out checks in the VAB. This flight uses a brand-new capsule. The 1st one is being used for the deceleration testing and the 2nd one that's flown to space twice will be used for further unkerbed missions

medical staff are doing checks on Bob & Bill every day, enforcing a strict diet of meals they dictate, but allowing them to sleep as they feel they need to. All this sets a baseline to help begin to determine what affects spaceflight has on an astronaut after returning to Kerbin

meanwhile Jeb & Val have remained involved in this mission by taking turns in training with launch team A stationed at Capsule Communications. Sticking to the crew rotation, Val will be primary on CapCom with Jeb as backup operator if she needs to be relieved

for security reasons we were not allowed to announce earlier that the Presider will be in attendance for this launch, but his flotilla just arrived and docked near the Support Village. We are honored by his presence & acknowledgement of our accomplishments to get to this point!

we've added a new visual aid to the streaming telemetry that will notify you when data is outside expected values but within predetermined tolerance (yellow flashes) or outside expected values like WTF oh noes (red flashes). You can check it out here: kerbalspace.agency/Tracker/tracke…

our new recovery vessel MSV Aldeny has left port in Umbarg to sail out to the recovery zone for tomorrow's mission. Having our own vessel has the potential to reduce mission costs since we no longer have to pay 4,500-6,200 funds to rent one from the Maritime Service fleet

Ascension capsule ECLSS has been properly supplied on all flights with food, water, nitrogen and oxygen however these resources have never been noted in the Ops Tracker since consumption is not vital - more than enough to last thru mission. Longer missions will have them

the amount of ablative material on the heat shield is also not added as a resource to the Ops Tracker since there is no way we can track in flight the amount that has been used during re-entry so no point in showing it

doctors report both Bob & Bill are in good health and spirits. Both will be equally prepared for tomorrow's launch all the way up to L-0. If we need to swap out the capsule crew for any reason, even after its been buttoned up, Bill will be suited up and ready to go

Flight Director Lanalye's A team, with Jeb & Val, are working through final training exercises today while she prepares her launch readiness report. VAB is loading the rocket up onto the carry vehicle while Lead Engineer Simon completes his own report

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

7/18
#2🌅08:35:19 🌄12:22:06
#3🌅14:36:10 !!🚀👨‍🚀!!
#3🌄18:22:57
#4🌅20:37:01

7/19
#1🌄00:23:48 🌅02:37:52
#2🌄06:24:39

several hours to go until the start of prelaunch ops but Bob & Bill have already awoken to eat their choice meal before beginning the process of getting suited up for flight. Bill says he slept soundly and Bob admits he had trouble getting to sleep but feels okay

[L-5h10m] pre-launch operations have begun as the carry vehicle leaves the VAB with the Mk1 strapped atop, making its way slowly to the pad 655m away over the next 10 minutes. Meanwhile, crew is completing suit up in the Astronaut Complex. Expect updates at these milestones

crew photo outside the rear of the Astronaut Complex as Bob boards the crew shuttle out to the pad. Bill will head back inside to the ready room and stand by in case he is needed. Rocket carry vehicle is nearing the pad and will position itself for the vertical lift

[L-4h50m] Specialist Bob is ready to begin ingress procedures. He will be assisted into the capsule by the pad crew and then strapped down. The hatch will then be sealed in preparation for the mounting of the rocket

[L-4h20m] crew load was without issue. Although the capsule orientation makes it a bit awkward, lots of training helped. Bob is now situated and his suit life support will remain on internal capsule power until the rocket is mounted and service tower umbilical arm is connected

[L-4h10m] while rocket mounting continues we are rolling into the more-familiar prelaunch procedures with regional weather reports from stations, airships and maritime vessels being collected for a new forecast. Yesterday's forecast was only 70% favorable but expected to improve

Commander Val, working CapCom, is actually down at the launch pad right now plugged straight into the capsule so she can keep in touch with Bob during mounting operations and alert the pad crew if anything appears to be going wrong from inside the capsule

[L-3h40m] rocket mounting going well, nearing completion while Flight Director Lanalye assembles her A team in launch control for their final briefing on today's mission, which will send Bob downrange at a slightly shallower angle for a lower apokee and gentler re-entry

because the rocket will be spending more time in the atmosphere it will be holding a TWR of 1.65 during ascent, which will give Bob a very comfortable ride on the way up as well. This will reduce friction heating but is also necessary to not speed past the landing zone

[L-3h10m] rocket mounted, launch team briefed, Val back on CapCom, Monolith chilled & weather desk has given an improved forecast of 85% favorable conditions @ launch time. We are GO to begin preflight procedures! Bob says he's doing "A-Okay" - voice quaver likely comm distortion

AFCS flight instructions update info can be found here: bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog - while Bob will handle a lot of normally automated preflight tasks so he's not sitting around bored, during the actual ascent the flight computer will be in command w/ a few manual emergency controls

[HOLD] Bob has confirmed he's flipped all the switches & pressed all the buttons needed on his end and the capsule is now initialized, lifter rdy for fueling. Tanker is already hooked up to the service tower but we just got a No GO from the weather desk monitoring a slow pressure drop

weather desk has informed FD Lanalye the pressure drop began @ rocket power-up but given no such reaction has occurred after the cooling system was installed they were hoping it would stabilize. No such luck it seems. Clouds are starting to build near the pad, winds increasing

the Presider's motorcade was just departing the Support Village and has been halted since crossing the causeway could be dangerous if the winds continue to get stronger. Pressure drop slowly continues so this is likely. Pad crew is entering the launch bunker. Fuel truck detaching

the night is pitch black now as overcast skies cover Mun and stars. Pressure has stabilized but rain, high winds and some lightning continues. All visitors have been moved indoors to the VAB, HAB or Astronaut Complex. Flight surgeon says Bob is showing an elevated heart rate

YOWZA!! We just had multiple strikes on the crew service tower, which is currently not attached to the rocket and is also grounded. Bob is telling Val he wants out *NOW* but conditions are too dangerous for an unnecessary emergency egress. Medical team is evaluating his vitals

doctors report Bob may be having a panic attack but he's not in any physical danger and pad crew should remain sheltered. Storm already appears to be weakening. Given that we've seen much worse prior to the Monolith A/C installation, good to know it seems to be helping somewhat

no lightning now for nearly 10 minutes and winds have continued to weaken. Val was the perfect person to help Bob calm down; he's been further assuaged by FD Lanalye saying the count will not be continued and the pad crew will be lowering the rocket soon and getting him out

weather conditions have improved enough to allow the pad crew to begin the unmounting operation. Rocket will be lowered, Bob will be extracted and then we are going to raise it back up and do an automated start later today to see what happens. Regardless, launch today is scrubbed

Specialist Bob is out and making his return to the Astronaut Complex for a medical evaluation while the pad crew continues their work to get the rocket back to vertical and re-attached to the service towers

rocket is remounted. Launch team will commence preflight at 22:00 UTC to give the atmosphere the entire day cycle to recharge from the sun's heat and ensure we can detect another attempt from the Monolith at forming a low-pressure system when the rocket is booted up

rocket has been powered on for 20 minutes and weather desk is reporting no change to current conditions. Lead Scientist Cheranne has suggested that we switch off the Monolith A/C and see what happens. Everyone hold on to your butts...

still nothing. Nothing!? What is even going on here? We have a rocket powered up on the pad and no storms are forming, even with the Monolith temple heating back up to outside air temperatures. Until we can figure this out, launch remains delayed

after some time to recover from his ordeal yesterday and think things over, Specialist Bob has ceded his spot to Specialist Bill. Bob says he's not ready to get back into that capsule anytime soon and will wait for his rotation to come back around

Bob has been released from quarantine protocol but Bill remains sequestered - if anything happens to him then it will further delay the launch at least a week while Val & Jeb train on the mission specifics to replace him as primary/backup, even if they start today

the Presider's flotilla is on its way back to Sheltered Rock - he commended us on our procedures for handling the storm yesterday and regrets his busy schedule will not allow him to wait around for the next attempt though he will try to make it back when it happens

we did another remote startup of the rocket at the end of the previous day cycle w/o Monolith chilldown & still saw no indications of stormy weather attempting to form. Lead Scientist Cheranne and R&D Lead Wernher von Kerman are working their teams overtime to reach a conclusion

launch has been rescheduled to 7/23 @ 19:38 UTC while modifications are made over the weekend to the Monolith for even colder conditions. We also have a theory as to why it is behaving the way it is. Full details on our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9352

MSV Aldeny has pulled into port at Sheltered Rock to resupply and then head back out tomorrow to once again sit and wait in the recovery zone. Hopefully we will be able to send a capsule their way soon!

protesters have been gathered all weekend in the Support Village to picket against the further "desecration" of the Monolith. Extra security is still being deployed but so far all protests have remained peaceful here and in the caverns, where protests are happening as well

in fact, there has been just as much opposition lately as in the past to what we are doing with the Monolith but violent outbreaks like this one back in 2017 have ceased since early 2018. We applaud religious leaders on their work to end such events twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

FD Lanalye is drilling her A team after ensuring they got rest over the weekend, Bill remains in good health, LE Simon has his crew doing an inspection of the rocket and Head of R&D Wernher von Kerman reports final tests are underway for the new Monolith direct-cooling system

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

7/23
#2🌅08:52:19 🌄12:39:06
#3🌅14:53:10 !!🚀👨‍🚀!! 🌄18:39:57
#4🌅20:54:01

7/24
#1🌄00:40:48 🌅02:54:52
#2🌄06:41:39

Bill got to sleep in a bit since the rocket is already out on the pad and just needs to be lowered for him to board. While he's enjoying his choice breakfast the weather desk is using the extra time as well to put together a new forecast for the launch day cycle

new forecast still shows only 40-50% chance of good weather. Hard to tell what an encroaching storm front from the west will do. They can sometimes power right over the mountains and bring down some serious weather on us. To be safe, launch is delayed until tomorrow @ 19:42 UTC

the front stalled out and we have perfect launch weather right now around the previously-planned L-0. Hopefully future space satellites will help us improve models and better predict these weather events. Now we just have to hope tomorrow remains nice as well...

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

7/24
#2🌅08:55:43 🌄12:42:30
#3🌅14:56:34 !!🚀👨‍🚀!! 🌄18:43:21
#4🌅20:57:25

7/25
#1🌄00:44:12 🌅02:58:16
#2🌄06:45:03

Bill is finishing up his choice breakfast after another night's fitful sleep. He says he's changed the menu up each launch day & will stick with the one that gets him up into space. Assistants are prepping the rdy room for suit up while pad crew is heading out to lower the rocket

just Bill exits the Astronaut Complex main entrance for his final press photos and board the crew shuttle to head for the launch pad. Rocket is prepped for crew entry and standing by. Monolith chilldown process has already begun with Wernher on hand to supervise

[L-4h50m] pre-launch ops have officially begun with Bill climbing into the capsule. Boarding up to head to the pad some questions were lobbed at him about all the things that could go wrong. His response: "I'm too simple-minded, relatively speaking, to worry much about all that"

[L-4h20m] capsule is sealed up with Bill snugly inside, Jeb is plugged in to keep him company and the pad crew has begun the process of raising the rocket back to vertical and hooking the service arm back up to the main tank. Photo from earlier prior to boarding

[L-4h10m] lift is going well to get the nearly 4t dry mass rocket back to vertical as meteorologists begin to collect weather reports. Unlike yesterday we are committing to launch prep prior to the updated forecast due to better chances that are not expected to degrade

[L-3h40m] pad crew is doing final work on the rocket while Flight Director Lanalye gathers her launch controllers from the A team for their final briefing. No change to the mission profile that was posted last time twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

[L-3h10m] almost back to where we left off last week - rocket mounting completed and weather desk will continue to monitor wind conditions but we have a GO for preflight. Jeb is back in Launch Control. Val ceded her CapCom duties as a gesture to support Bob's own decision

[L-2h55m] Bill has coordinated with launch controllers and brought the capsule online, fully powered and initialized. Atmospheric pressure levels have remained unchanged. Wernher reports Monolith coolant is operating at full efficiency. Tanking permission has been granted

[L-2h40m] rocket is now massing nearly 11t after being fully fueled. Pad crew is cleaning up while controllers continue to work with Bill through the preflight checklist. Tank levels will be watched closely to ensure there are no leaks present. Atmospheric pressure remains stable

"Rolling left. Check?"
"Check"
"Rolling right. Check?"
"Check"
"Pitching up. Check?"
"Check"
....
call/response continues between Bill & the pad crew as he manipulates the manual controls & they confirm movement. Hopefully tho Bill will not have to touch them at all during ascent

[L-1h55m] pad evacuation underway as we move into the engine and fuel system checks. We hope Bill can rely on his "simple-minded"ness to not be bothered by the fact that he's strapped atop 7t of explosives that hopefully won't ignite in an uncontrolled manner

[L-1h30m] weather remains within limits, no "extraneous effects" detectable. Rocket preflight has concluded to the satisfaction of launch controllers, issues board is clear. MSV Tongjess is on station for range tracking setup. Pad crew returning for final close outs

[L-1h20m] surface winds are expected to increase shortly come sunrise but should remain within launch commit - upper-level winds are another matter entirely however and the weather balloon that will monitor them has just been released. It will be >18km by L-5min final polls

[L-45m] launch rehearsal time, which will cover the ascent up to MECO & ensure that all assets are configured, ground stations are configured & capsule is configured properly for the mission along with everyone knowing their roles in it. Bill jokes his role is to "just hang on!"

[L-30m] winds picking up with sunrise are within expected margins, surface weather continues to be a GO as we move into final countdown procedures. Range Safety Officer is waiting for the all-clear report from the pad crew as they lock down and evacuate the launch site

[L-15m] RSO has ARMED the ignition system and the Flight Termination/Launch Abort System is now also ACTIVE. 500m exclusion zone around the pad is being enforced and any incursion will hold the count. All visitors please remain within designated areas

[L-12m] small tanker truck left hooked up to the service towers has been remotely commanded to begin onload of the nitrogen gas used to pressurize the tanks prior to launch. Stored in a pressurized vessel itself, late onload protects pad workers from any rupture (Bill has LES)

[HOLD] L-5m final poll was not successful as the kerbs at the weather desk say they need more time to assess the upper-level wind conditions. While initial constraints are tight to ensure Bill's safety, we do have room to work the numbers based on past Ascension launch experience

weather team still debating. Ops Director (OD) @DKerman_KSA has made it clear to them that if they aim to propose a launch at or near minimums they have to be 110% confident. What does Bill think of all this? He's asked Jeb if he can take a quick nap. The request was denied

[L-5m] weather kerbs have unanimously agreed we are GO for launch. All other stations have been re-polled and came back GO. Launch permission has been granted by the OD. Rocket remained primed & ready so countdown has restarted with updated L-0 of 19:58 UTC. FTS internal

don't forget you can watch the rocket's ascent live on our Ops Tracker - tune in now if you haven't already! We will only tweet out updates every minute as usual. Ascent will last ~3.5min due to the low TWR ops.kerbalspace.agency

[L-3m] preliminary tank pressurization has begun to allow for extra rigidity once the service arm, now unlocked for release, swings away to leave the rocket standing atop the engine mount. Bill is undergoing final suit integrity checks & switching back to internal life support

[T-2m] terminal count! Service arm has detached leaving the rocket on internal power and RF comms. AFCS has activated to take command. Controllers checking battery drain rates and comm data rates. Bill has nothing left to do but sit back, confirm readouts & enjoy the ride

[T-1m] Jeb has informed Bill "it's pucker time!" as only the seconds continue to tick down on the clock. Final GO/NO GO at T-30s & then everyone will be holding their breaths while the rocket begins the following ignition sequence prior to lift off

Here comes history? Stand by!

ignition sequence was nominal & WE 👏 HAVE 👏 LIFT OFF!! The first kerbed rocket is ascending to carry Specialist Bill up into the black void of space! Rocket will clear the tower in ~3 seconds and then begin to head downrange at nearly full throttle. GO ASCENSION! GO BILL!! 🚀✨

Bill is supersonic, through Max Q. Pitch-over rate is right on the money & on course heading 53°. Throttle decreasing steadily to maintain TWR of 1.65. Telemetry looks good & Bill is making regular callouts to assure everyone that what we're seeing is right. All nominal!

we have confirmed rocket is shallow on ascent. Pitchover increased shortly after L+1m & did not hold at 48°. Apokee still climbing & nearly into space with over a min left of burn. Danger of overheat in atmo negligible due to low throttle. Bill says "keeping calm & thrusting on!"

31s left to MECO & although rocket pitch-over continues (from momentum not control surfaces) apokee is well outside atmo. Once engine cuts off the mad scramble will begin to determine how the shallow flight affects the downrange trajectory & what measures need to be taken

THERE'S A KERBAL IN SPAAAACE!!! However everyone is too focused on the unforeseen situation to really celebrate at this time - we still have to make sure Bill gets back down safely. We are currently monitoring the capsule separation & RCS thrusters pushing it clear of the lifter

we had a clean capsule sep & pushaway. Bill has found guidance computer still locked into ascent mode & will not accept RCS orientation commands but manual controls responding fine so leaving computer alone. Capsule momentum flipped it retrograde & Bill is holding orientation

Bill has already passed thru 107.996km apokee. Trajectory analysis shows he should make the water, but even coming down over land he's on course and will miss any high terrain features. If needed the LES tower is still attached & can retrofire to slow final descent after re-entry

flight surgeon has been keeping a sharp eye on Bill's vitals & all still looks okay. Bill has been too busy to do much other than fly the capsule (tho he's caught some peeks out the window of course) but he's assured everyone as often as possible he feels no neg effects of zero-G

coming up on atmo in <1min. Bill says all good tho noise of spacecraft louder than expected, a bit disorienting not being able to hear the thrusters firing like in the sim. He's positioned well tho & should see an even milder re-entry than originally planned, which isn't so bad

Bill had to override the computer turning off the RCS for re-entry so he could roll the capsule "up" to face away from Kerbin & begin re-entry butt-down. He will disable it again shortly for ballistic re-entry. Expecting plasma blackout any second now

still under blackout - static crackling through the comms piped into the mission control loud speakers. Could last over a minute with such a shallow re-entry. Jeb will shortly begin to call out for a response from Bill - "Control to Ascension, do you copy?" and we wait......

"Control this is Ascension - copy you loud & clear! Heard my chutes pop, can you confirm?" Yes we can!! Chutes are pre-deployed & will stay reefed until lower in the atmosphere. Everyone happy & relieved to hear Bill's voice over the speakers. Let's bring him home!

big grins all around the control room as Bill descends towards the water under a full canopy. He had to endure only just under 6Gs on re-entry. His new landing location puts him about 1.5 hours from MSV Aldeny, which had already gotten underway shortly after launch

🎉🎊 KERZZAAAAAH!! 🎊🎉 welcome back to our first space explorer! Cheers, hugs, high fours, backslaps - the control room has erupted in celebration after the capsule safely splashed down. Still in sight of Ockr relay, we can stay in touch with Bill until MSV Aldeny arrives

post-launch operations well underway here @ KSC, pad crew inspecting for any damage while controllers perform initial post-flight analysis to ensure all data is properly collected. Bill continues to float about; he can blow the hatch if capsule takes on water but landing was soft

Bill just concluded a radio conversation with the Presider, who congratulated him and all of us on our accomplishment today. It's been a long journey to get here but we've made it and will continue to press on to further and grander frontiers! 🌠💫

still adrift waiting for MSV Aldney to arrive Bill says he's getting bored and the boat better hurry up or he's going for a swim.

Jeb: "Bill the water is freezing out there."
Bill: "I'm in a space suit!!"

night falling over the recovery zone, MSV Aldeny has arrived in the area and made direct contact with Bill, instructing him to flip on the capsule's strobe beacon so they can spot him in the growing darkness

still excited by yesterday's success, rocketry teams are eager to start analyzing the latest Ascension Mk1 flight, especially to see why it flew so shallow on ascent & nearly endangered the mission. Here is the telemetry data: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

although he was very busy during his short flight through space thanks to the pitch anomaly, Mission Control did tell Bill when he was passing over the site of our first future surface colony and he was able to stick the camera up to the window for a shot. North is left

MSV Aldeny has arrived at Sheltered Rock, where Specialist Bill will undergo a full medical evaluation to assess his body's reaction to the brief space flight before returning to KSC this weekend. He maintains feeling no ill effects since the mission

now that MSV Aldeny is berthed in Sheltered Rock & doesn't have to travel from Umbarg to the recovery area off Ockr, w/o long delays requiring resupply we should have cheaper mission costs. This past mission ran up a bill slightly greater than the usual 6,200 funds MSV rental

Specialist Bill's full physical examination has been completed with no obvious signs of problems from his short jaunt through space, but doctors still wary and will be going over the data closely before clearing Val for the next flight. Bill will be back at KSC tomorrow

the capsule that carried Bill to and from space has arrived back at KSC via airship along with its heat shield. The Air History Museum in Kravass is already trying to buy it from us, but we need to do a complete post-flight examination of it first over the next week

today Specialist Bill gets a Hero's Parade through his home cavern of Umbarg in celebration of him being the first kerbal to reach space. His only stipulation was that his three crew-mates could join him. Team effort!

it only took 4 days for the funding campaign to reach its goal and we shall have a mockup of the Ascension Mk1 joining the Progeny Mk4 (first to space) out on the KSC main lawn by the end of the month

flight analysis for the kerbed Ascension Mk1 mission last month has been posted: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9491 Ascension team is now working to schedule the next two missions - expect dates to be announced later this week

the Ascension Mk1 mockup joins the Progeny Mk4 (first in space) out on our campus lawn. This weekend a special dedication ceremony will be held and the Presider will be on hand to award Specialist Bill a commendation medal for being the first kerbal in space