After making initial observations last year, the Field Research Team returned to the Tundra with more balloons and equipment for additional study of the atmospheric radiation from the outer belt
Mar 18 2020
High-Altitude Science Survey 65
Mar 13 2020
Operations Summary – Week of 3/9/20
Crack O' Dawn (3/10/20)
An Ascension Mk1 heads to the launch pad, whose shadow can be seen projected upon the VAB. The MLP sits out in front. This rocket is meant to carry Captain Jebediah up into space. Rockets are often rolled out at dawn to give crews the most time during the 3-hour day to get it mounted and prepped for tanking
Storm? What Storm?? (3/11/20)
Thankfully a large weather system brewing out in the Kerblantic only brushed by offshore and pushed the launch back just one day
Crew Shuttle (3/12/20)
Passing Launch Control on its way from the Astronaut Complex out to the launch pad, carrying Captain Jebediah. The rocket is out there but not easily visible since it has been lowered for crew ingress
Mission Plan (3/12/20)
Like past kerbed flights, Jeb's mission will primarily be to measure physical response to 0G & re-entry forces
Night Time Tanking Ops (3/12/20
Under the floodlights atop the lightning towers a fuel tanker fills up the Ascension Mk1 with 7t of liquid propellants
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (3/12/20)
Modifications made to the upper liquid fuel bulkhead moved the nitrogen tanks up higher and necessitated that we also raise the capsule up a bit as well, creating a small enshrouded interstage gap
Awaiting Recovery (3/12/20)
MSV Aldeny, our recovery ship, waits in the waters east of Ockr. Seen over the horizon is the peak upon which sits a 150km relay antenna that allows us to stay in touch with the recovery team
Rail & Road Link (3/13/20)
Connecting to the cavern of Umbarg ~50km to the west of KSC, these two links allow freight to be transported. The rail link is the most recent addition, serving a depot that sits adjacent to the airport tarmac so cargo aircraft can be loaded/unloaded with goods for transport around the globe
Mar 06 2020
Operations Summary – Week of 3/2/20
New Ascension Engine (3/4/20)
Proposals from Kerbodyne, AEIS, KNES, BDB, NovaPunch & KW Rocketry have all been considered and we have finally chosen to award our new Ascension Mk2/Mk3 engine contract to the KW WildCat-V. It is a dedicated lifter engine meant to be paired with a 2nd-stage vacuum engine
Asteroids of February 2020 (3/4/20)
Much closer to the 2019 average than last month, February saw 10 asteroid misses - that we know of. Later this year when ATN South & North come online we expect to see even more. Right now estimates are we miss about 30-40%
Progeny Mk7-B Flight 1 (3/6/20)
The first launch has been scheduled for 3/26 @ 21:32 UTC
Feb 28 2020
Operations Summary – Week of 2/24/20
Orbital Sunset (2/22/20)
After confirming Kerbin I was indeed in orbit, we celebrated by pointing one of the cameras at the horizon and snapping a photo. We managed to just catch the sun setting! We symbolize it as the end of a long 3.5 year journey to get to this point, with a new dawn of space flight coming soon! The picture quality is degraded due to radiation damage as these cameras were never meant to fly in space, let alone through the outer radiation belt (original planned orbit was not flying through either the inner or outer belt)
Spin Capture (2/22/20)
Stuck on an orbit much, much longer than anticipated the Kerbin I craft was forced to spin faster than intended to keep from overheating from the extended solar exposure (perikee was over the night side, offering little time to cool off). The onboard cameras were not designed for this and thus their exposure time results in blurred imagery
Estimated Decay of Viklun Stage (2/23/20)
During the Kerbin I mission we had to leave the second stage of the Ascension Mk2 rocket in a decaying orbit. We attempted to make an educated guess as to when and where it would return to Kerbin based on drag information derived from watching the Kerbin I probe also decay before it placed itself into a stable orbit. We did not witness the stage re-entering, so the accuracy of our prediction could never be fully determined
Kerbin I Mission Trajectory (2/25/20)
A look at the full 4d4h7m18s trajectory of Kerbin I, broken up into the five main mission phases. It aerobraked 13 times through Kerbin's upper atmosphere and then orbited 20 times before falling back, traveling a record total distance of 396,096.3495km
Marching Onwards (2/25/20)
The MLP is back in the VAB for some slight modifications after successfully helping to launch the first Ascension Mk2. Captain Jebediah's ride into space is ready for its fins while his capsule begins final integration to the rear. Off to the right is the upper-stage of the Progeny Mk7-B awaiting its flight booster. Both of these missions are slotted for March!
Kerbin I - 2.9Mm (2/26/20)
Taken just before a maneuver to lower its perikee deep into the atmosphere to end the mission. Radiation damage suffered by the camera has taken its toll on the quality of the image
Kerbin I - 2Mm (2/26/20)
Unfortunately this photo from 2,000km not only suffered from radiation damage but was also corrupted when it was stored in a bad memory sector also damaged by radiation
Kerbin I - 1Mm (2/26/20)
One of the better photos to come out of the sequence taken as Kerbin I fell back to Kerbin at the end of its mission
Kerbin I - 500km (2/26/20)
This image was enhanced with brightness and contrast to bring out the fact that you can see Mun setting over the horizon
Kerbin I - Final Photo (2/26/20)
This final photo taken just 3 minutes before we lost contact has been color enhanced & altered via brightness/contrast to bring out the land so you can more clearly see Sea Ring Crater, looking in the direction the probe is heading, towards the Kongo River Basin
Moar Struts (2/27/20)
The Mobile Launch Platform gets some extra main deck support and other small improvements in the VAB after its first use reveals a few minor issues that needed to be addressed
Return of Kerbin I (2/28/20)
After blazing through the atmosphere from over 2.8Mm up in space a surprising amount of the Kerbin I probe struck the ground intact. It did not remain intact on impact but enough debris survived to make it worth a Dhumla cargo flight for its return for analysis
Feb 25 2020
Low-Altitude Science Survey 56
Although we were able to save costs making the trip to Site 0-C75S for CTC Exploration via a supply vessel it took the team two weeks before they could make the return voyage!
Feb 24 2020
Kerbin I
Feb 21 2020
Operations Summary – Week of 2/17/20
On the Roll! (2/17/20)
For the first time the Mobile Launch Platform leaves the VAB carrying a complete rocket, traveling no faster than 2m/s as it traverses the 655m to the launch pad. Off in the distance, the horizontal test stand is being setup for a static fire
Hooked Up (2/17/20)
After a slow roll from the VAB the Mobile Launch Platform was parked in front of the service structures so they could be attached, lending the support needed to allow workers to remove the struts. A support will also be installed under the main engine to help the MLP hold up the rocket once the tanks are fueled with 9.4t of propellants
Dual-Segment SRB Test (2/18/20)
The first 0.625m dual-segment solid fuel engine is tested in our horizontal static fire stand for the first time. We hope to make this our first re-usable rocket booster - if the casing can hold up
Under the Lights (2/18/20)
Atop the Mobile Launch Platform an Ascension Mk2 awaits launch day, lit up at night in the colors of the KSA logo
Dhumla at Kongo (2/19/20)
Parked under a hangar, the Dhumla waits for its next flight. It has just been fully certified by the Air Safety Administration to allow it to begin commercial services. Congrats to C7 Aerospace Division!
Kerbin I Mission Patch (2/20/20)
We're keeping this mission directly under the Ascension program since it will not be operating long on its own. Future missions that have goals beyond being a test object will come with more unique patches
Mission Plan (2/20/20)
If everything goes as we hope it does, the mission will be fairly straight-forward for the Ascension Mk2 to deliver its payload to orbit and then bring itself back down
Presider Motorcade (2/20/20)
Presider Theonard heads towards Mission Control, driving past the Tracking Station with the launch pad off in the distance. He also visited KSC when we attempted to launch the first kerbal into space but due to mission delays was unable to stay for the launch. This time he hopes to see us put our first payload into orbit.
Standing Ready (2/20/20)
The blue skies beckon as the Ascension Mk2 waits for launch clearance, everyone hoping that upper-level wind conditions calm enough for a second attempt at launch as this day cycle draws to a close
Ascension Mk2 No.1 (2/20/20)
A massive tail of flame sends the first Ascension Mk2 on its way from atop the Mobile Launch Platform. This rocket carries the Kerbin I probe bound for orbit on our 3rd attempt to circle Kerbin from space
SRB Trail (2/20/20)
The dense smoke generated by the 4 solid booster trails the Ascension Mk2 as it rises up into the sky for its first flight, as seen from the Support Village
Toasty Ascent (2/20/20)
Plasma starts to form in the air around the Ascension Mk2 as it speeds up to over 1.5km/s on its climb through the upper atmosphere. This effect usually dissipates at around 45km, which doesn't mean things aren't still getting hot - they are just not shedding heat as effectively anymore in the thinner air
Decommissioned Viklun Stage (2/20/20)
After deploying the Kerbin I spacecraft the orbital stage of the Ascension Mk2 lost all remaining power. We lost track of it due to aerobraking through the atmosphere and its small and unreflective surface. Eventually it will fall back to Kerbin over the night side, so we may spot it coming down
Kerbin I Orbital Test Probe (2/20/20)
Flying free after deploying from the Ascension Mk2 orbital stage, the probe aims to become the first orbital object of kerbalkind. It is already almost nearly there, with enough power to boost its trajectory out of the atmosphere
Comm Analysis (2/20/20)
Prediction of a future perikee pass by the Kerbin I probe, which only carries a 500km antenna and swings down into range for just a short period on its highly-eccentric unplanned ~3.5hr orbit, so it's important to know how well we can communicate during that window. Kongo is the only ground station not yet directly tied to KSC via ground fiber so we cannot send or receive commands to the spacecraft during that time, just collect telemetry at the remote station in the event something goes wrong before we regain command
Feb 14 2020
Operations Summary – Week of 2/10/20
Ascension Mk2 No.1 Carrying the Kerbin I Probe
scheduled for lift off on 2/20 for our third attempt at orbit. We are so confident we are actually launching a functioning payload instead of a test mass
New Alaba Orbit (2/10/20)
Encounter 33 ended with the moonlet still in orbit around Kerbin
New Alaba Orbit (2/10/20)
Encounter 33 ended with the moonlet still in orbit around Kerbin
Ascension Mk2 Build Progress (2/7/20)
Technicians do some final checks before the VAB empties for the weekend. Boosters are on, fin installation will continue through next week, payload is checked out & encapsulated. In the back is the fuel tank that was ordered late last month for Jeb's mission
Viklun Orbital Stage Integration (2/14/20)
With the lifter already secured atop the Mobile Launch Platform the orbital stage is moved into position to be stacked on top and secured before the other interstage shroud half is installed and the crane support removed
Feb 07 2020
Operations Summary – Week of 2/3/20
Pancaked (2/4/20)
Engine trouble shortly after taking off from Runway 09 had Commander Valentina struggling to bring the plane around back to land, managing to turn back but losing too much lift in the process and slamming down hard enough to kick out the gear, rip off the tail wheel and destroy the scientific instrument underneath - but at least that kept the engine from digging the slowly spinning propeller into the ground. Val escaped with just minor injuries.
Asteroids of January 2020 (2/4/20)
Only 4 encounters is a record low since observations began but we head into February with already 6 known encounters upcoming and it is also worth pointing out that despite just 4 encounters, we still had one impact
Ascension Mk1 Flight #11 Analysis (2/6/20)
kOS represents the logged data from the flight computer. LVD is the planned Mk1 profile, exactly matching the Mk2’s ascent. The Mk1 mission has proven the new guidance fins can steer the Mk2 on an orbital ascent trajectory
Ascension Mk2 Build Progress (2/7/20)
Technicians do some final checks before the VAB empties for the weekend. Boosters are on, fin installtion will continue through next week, payload is checked out & encapsulated. In the back is the fuel tank that was ordered late last month for Jeb's mission
KSA Main Image Gallery
Latest Updates from Mission Control
Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
we’ve also placed another order for K2-X engines. This latest Ascension Mk3 mission has shown we want to move faster than planned to the Mk4 so the thrust vector control version of the WildCat-V will begin development immediately and we will order more when that is ready
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
a final round of static fires last week has completed the WildCat-V’s second qualification run & we’ll know for sure by next month if it is finally ready for production. If so, two will be ready by Q3 2021 for Extremis I and a Min/Minmus mission
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
the Viklun upper stage will be systematically dismantled to help determine the cause of the flexing and what effect it had on the overall structural integrity of the rocket. The damage from splashdown will reduce these findings but hopefully the effort will still prove valuable
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
onboard vid shows the pitch oscillations during the Ascension Mk3’s ascent were way worse than we imagined – the *entire rocket flexed* 😱 inherent structural issue? Could also be from the air pressure at the nose (think boat bow slamming up & down on hvy seas) from shallow angle
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
when the Viklun stage splashed down the empty fuel tanks blew out, helping to alleviate impact pressure on the payload but fragments pierced the flight computer & damaged the flash memory. Onboard tlm data was lost but the ops log final mins were able to be pieced back together
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
one of the things that led to the win was research done by KSA scientists to prove that asteroids contain mineral wealth which could greatly alleviate the need for surface mining. We are committed to working on a system of space resource gathering for deployment later this decade
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
here we can say we are actually working closely with Monolithic followers to protect Kerbin’s pristine environment that developed after the asteroid strike. A major victory was won today in court with a 5-year moratorium established against surface mining
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
the KSA has been involved for the past two years, led by a legal team put together by Lead Scientist Cheranne, in helping environmentalists to fight against companies looking to incorporate with the purpose of mining the surface of Kerbin to extract raw materials
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
some Ascension Mk2 bit.ly/KSARecords have now been claimed by the Mk3:
(previous record)
Heaviest Rocket Launched, Minus Payload: 19.862t (17.5t)
Heaviest Payload Launched, Orbital Trajectory: 1.662t (767kg)
Tallest Rocket Launched: 16.782m (16.212m)
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
at this time we do not know the nature of the threat or the time frame, but given that we have suffered an attack in the past (kerbalspace.agency/?p=9965) we have no choice but to take this seriously & deal with the relatively minor inconvenience compared to a potential loss of life
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
there is also now apparently a threat against KSC and we have complied with orders from the government security forces earlier today that the entire facility be evacuated. We will continue to operate at limited capacity from our HQ in Umbarg until the threat has passed
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
the original plan to develop a 1.25m TVC vacuum engine was put on hold to instead work on the 1m vac engine suitable for payloads and also because our experience with the Progeny Mk7 made us want to get more TVC engineering data from the Mk8 for a fully TVC Ascension Mk4 by 2022
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
in putting together the Ascension Mk3 mission report timeline (kerbalspace.agency/?p=11619), since it is the first, we go all the way back thru the rocket’s development as well. That reminded us of this tweet outlining the Mk3’s design goals. What happened to the TVC vacuum engine?
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
the Viklun stage & Kerbin III have been transported via rail back to KSC after arriving in port at Umbarg on Sunday. We still have to confirm that Kerbin III remains fit for flight but visual inspection looks good. Entire Viklun stage will need to be rebuilt but that was expected
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
we are working on a full launch video but here is a look at initial ascent and booster drop from the ground tracking cam atop the Tracking Station & cam atop the crew tower. Bonus to upper-stage recovery is that we will get high FPS video from the booster camera for once!
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
our crew did not miss the launch and are excited to one day ride this rocket up into orbit. Several years ago they didn’t know for sure if they’d even get to take a ride up into space yet! The final frontier is broadening bit by bit…
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Kerbal Space Agency
@KSA_MissionCtrl
@KSA_MissionCtrl
post-launch operations wrapping up with the final booster heading back to the VAB where it will be inspected with the others before being shipped back to Periapsis Co. in Umbarg for refurbishment. Rocket should be back at KSC by Tuesday
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