Both high and low altitude crews are dispatched deep into the Badlands for multiple releases as part of a larger scientific expedition to investigate a suspected super volcano caldera at Site X02-V
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Tag Archive: KBLow
Dec 20 2020
KerBalloon Badlands Science Survey #2
Dec 18 2020
Operations Summary – Weeks of 12/7 & 12/14/20
Minmus Next to Mun's Shadow (12/5/20)
Although we've featured numerous photos of Mun and Minmus sharing the sky together this is a bit different as its shadow passes by Minmus during a kerbolar eclipse over KSC
Off to the Pad (12/7/20)
A Progeny Mk6 Block I makes its way slowly from the HAB out to the launch pad, passing behind rather than in front of Launch Control in order to have an easier time turning towards the pad
Aligned and Ready (12/7/20)
A Progeny Mk6 Block I rocket waits for launch, aimed southeast to avoid the inner radiation belt as it travels through space. It will easily clear the lighting towers although it is not directly pointed at any of them
Progeny Mk6 Block I No.17 (12/8/20)
Carrying student experiments up into space for the Kerbal Sounding Program, launching to the southeast to avoid the inner radiation belt, following the same flight path as the 4th rocket of this type back in 2018
Thin Blue Shield (12/10/20)
That's the atmosphere, all 70km of it, protecting us from the harshness of space. Incredible
Celestrial String (12/13/20)
The four brightest plants Eve, Jool, Sarnus and Moho visible well into the dawn light, with Mun up top for good measure
Topping Off the Top (12/14/20)
A tanker truck pumps fuel and oxidizer up into the tanks atop the third stage of the Progeny Mk6 Block II as it undergoes a wet dress rehearsal in readiness for launch
Perfect Launch Weather - If Only... (12/15/20)
Looking down at KSC (yellow dot) the space center sits near the middle of a high-pressure region bringing clear skies but due to tanking issues yesterday that resulted in an explosion damaging the rocket, there will be no Progeny Mk6 Block II launch today to close out 2020
Nov 20 2020
Operations Summary – Weeks of 11/9 & 11/16/20
Ascension Mk3 Finalized (11/10/20)
The spacecraft will be the first capable of carrying kerbals into orbit as well as probes to other planets
Clearer Sunrise (11/14/20)
Out first orbital photo from Kerbin I was of a sunrise but the camera was damaged from unplanned travel through the outer radiation belt and the image quality was not great. We have now rectified this with a crisp image from Kerbin II
Duna & Jool Appulse (11/15/20)
On a dark Mun-less night, taken from the deck of the Astronaut Complex looking west shortly after sunset. Jool and Duna pass each other in the night sky
Peeking into Shadow (11/17/20)
Looking over the terminator Kerbin II spies Minmus next to a red Mun, currently deep in Kerbin's shadow undergoing an eclipse. The red light bending through the atmosphere still strikes it and colors it so
Luciole Vacuum Engine Test (11/18/20)
The rocket company that is designing the Progeny Mk8, set to debut in 2021, has begun to test its vacuum engine - just for function of course not performance. Note the plume under-expansion due to air pressure. In space the plume will expand to properly fit the nozzle and produce as much as 12kN of thrust
Busy HAB (11/18/20)
The Progenitor program is making use of the ample space withing the Horizontal Assembly Building to put together the three Progeny Mk6 rockets that will capping of our operational year this month and December
Oct 23 2020
Operations Summary – Weeks of 10/12 & 10/19/20
Sun Go Down, Balloon Go Up (10/10/20)
A low-altitude KerBalloon begins its ascent to 16.5km from the grasslands southeast of the Sea Ring crater rim
Mun Shadow (10/14/20)
Kerbin II caught up to the shadow cast by Mun as it eclipsed the sun traveling over the ocean between DSN Central and Arekibo
Minmus & Duna Appulse (10/15/20)
Wandering through the sky due to its inclined orbit, Minmus doesn't always come so close to the planets and this pass with Duna was close enough to be able to resolve the red planet (and its large moon Ike) in the same frame as our furthest moon. At the time this photo was taken Duna was 19,841,966km from Kerbin
Mun is Not Alone (10/15/20)
Although it looks lonely up there, it is currently accompanied by a tiny companion as the asteroid Alaba swings through its SOI during the time this photo was taken. It will be the last time, the 49th on record, because this pass will give the asteroid a push and send it back out into orbit around the sun after being a companion to Kerbin for almost 3 years
Alaba's Journey (10/18/20)
a look at all 50 trajectories that resulted in 49 Mun encounters during its nearly 3yr stay in orbit
Sunrise Departure (10/18/20)
A Dhumla heavy-lift cargo aircraft departs from KSC at sunrise, one of many aircraft that pass through the space center, which acts as a commercial freight hub for the nearby cavern of Umbarg
Payload Integration (10/19/20)
The smallsat prototype from Luciole Space Systems is getting its final checkout in the HAB prior to being lifted up atop the waiting Progeny Mk7-B rocket
Overlooking KSC (10/21/20)
Traveling south of the Cape the Kerbin II probe looks "upwards" along Kerbin to spy the coastline of the continent upon which rests KSC, partly obscured by clouds
Updated Progeny Mk7-B No.4 (10/22/20)
with new mission objectives and an actual payload
Oct 16 2020
Low-Altitude Science Survey 63
Releasing two balloons over Sector KD-T for Tiberdyne Aerospace this mission will take advantage of the orbiting Kerbin II to stay in communication & thus require less support to be taken along
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Oct 09 2020
Operations Summary – Weeks of 9/28 & 10/5/20
DSN Central (9/29/20)
Kerbin II looks down upon the central uplift of the antipode to the Sea Ring crater, atop which sits the DSN/ATN Central communications/observatory facilities at an altitude of 3.759 km
Asteroids of September 2020 (10/1/20)
Although a near-record month was expected, thankfully things fizzled out and only 7 known asteroids whizzed past, with no recorded impacts
Reset for Progeny (10/1/20)
The Mobile Launch Platform has been rolled back to the VAB and the support legs along with engine mount are now in place to prepare for the upcoming Progeny Mk7-B launches this month
Shores of the Kongo (10/2/20)
Near the mouth of the longest river on Kerbin a high-altitude KerBalloon begins its ascent to collect weather data
New Orbital Data (10/2/20)
Astronomers have confirmed that Alaba will indeed be ejected from the Kerbin system later this month
New Orbital Data (10/2/20)
Astronomers have confirmed that Alaba will indeed be ejected from the Kerbin system later this month
Vertical in the HAB (10/2/20)
Although it's mostly assembled horizontally we still like to stand the rocket up prior to rollout to ensure that vertical loads are properly handled by the various structural support elements
Getting Wet (10/5/20)
A Progeny Mk7-B rocket sits on the pad getting fueled up with liquid propellants so it can undergo a wet dress rehearsal to ensure the ground service equipment is functioning properly ahead of launch the next day
Progeny Mk7-B No.3 (10/6/20)
Still attempting a mission success for the Mk7-B, although it appeared to go alright upon recovery it was discovered the lower part of the rocket had broken off during re-entry, so the engine was not recovered
Recovered & Reused (10/6/20)
The first stage booster from a Progeny Mk7-B launch is trucked back to the HAB after being recovered offshore so it can be stripped of flight hardware and sent back to its manufacturer Periapsis Co. to be refurbished and recast with solid fuel so it can be used again for a 4th time. This was the first booster recovered that had also been previously used, twice on the static-fire stand in this case prior to being used in a flight
Inner & Outer (10/8/20)
Two inner planets and two outer planets hanging out together, with Duna and Neidon near appulse, or their closest apparent visual distance to one another. They look close but Neidon is so far away that if you zoomed in to resolve Duna you still couldn't resolve Neidon. Also it's really dark out when no Mun is in the sky
Mk1-B Capsule Mockup (10/7/20)
Arriving on the train, the mockup is a partly-functional version of our new kerbed space capsule that will be used for exercises. It can't go to space but will allow us to certify that it is capable of recovery
Crispy Re-Entry (10/7/20)
The downwards facing camera lenses quickly get toasted during re-entry but the booster cam also has an upwards facing camera that can still see the heat and flames caused by air friction as the Progeny MK7-B comes falling back from space at over 1km/s
Sea Ring Crater (10/8/20)
Site of the massive impact that forced kerbal civilization underground after nearly wiping us out completely. The uplift in the center is home to the Arekibo Radio Observatory, a massive 200m kerb-made bowl that gathers faint signals from the cosmos and can also beam radio waves up into space. The Deep Space Network and Asteroid Tracking Network also have a presence there. Photo taken by Kerbin II near its 227km apokee
Sep 11 2020
Operations Summary – Weeks of 8/31 & 9/7/20
KSC Commercial Airport Expansion (8/29/20)
As seen from a Progeny Mk7-B on initial ascent, KSC has been expanded to handle more aircraft traffic and be able to ship goods to/from Umbarg via rail as well as road
80km Apokee (8/30/20)
Looking back down towards the Cape from the highest point on its trajectory, the second Progeny Mk7-B will soon have to prepare for re-entry
Genesis Program Mission Paths (8/30/20)
A look at the routes from all 125 missions undertaken by the now shuttered Genesis Program from 2016-2020. These aircraft and all that have been produced continue to fly of course, just no longer under the purview of the KSA and are thus no longer tracked like this by us
Stormy Sunrise (9/1/20)
A low-altitude KerBalloon begins its ascent up to 16.5km over the grasslands west of KSC as threatening clouds loom over the mountains to the north
Ascension Mk2 Kerbin II (9/2/20)
The various segments of the second Mk2 undergo final checkouts before being vertically stacked atop the Mobile Launch platform parked behind them
Departure to the North (9/2/20)
A caravan of Utility Task Vehicles head out carrying a high-altitude KerBalloon crew. The balloon itself is strapped atop the 3rd vehicle, with the second vehicle carrying other mission-critical supplies and the first vehicle carrying less-critical supplies so it can act as a pathfinder to discover any poor terrain or sink holes
Asteroids of August 2020 (9/3/20)
11 known encounters with 2 impacts nearly brings it into a 3-way tie for busiest month which still stands at 12
MLP & GSE (9/4/20)
The Mobile Launch Platform is driven out to the pad and parked next to the Ground Service Equipment to ensure that it is still in good working condition after its only other use early this year
REZ-109(E) Plot (9/6/20)
The first recorded asteroid pass through the Eve system. Although just a graze, with additional observations to the slight change in orbit, astronomers can better nail down the gravitational effects of Eve and its small moon Gilly to help with future orbital missions to the system
Second Time a Second Time (9/8/20)
We successfully static fire a booster that was already static fired then refurbished for the second time in a row without any apparent mishaps. Further data checks will need to be made to ensure it performed as expected but this is another big step on the way to re-flying a used booster! In the background a train departs for Umbarg from the rail depot and framed in the trusses of the vertical test stand you can find Minmus
Sep 03 2020
Low-Altitude Science Survey 62
Releasing over two locations, Sector LVS9B and Area D0J-60, the team sent up balloons to measure pollen levels in the atmosphere to further supplement data collected by quarterly Civvie flights
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Aug 28 2020
Operations Summary – Weeks of 8/17 & 8/24/20
Cape Kernaveral (8/16/20)
the best look back at the cape we got, from 84km apokee, before the rocket flipped around to prepare for re-entry
On the Move (8/16/20)
The rocket was moving fast enough while re-orienting retrograde that the exposure rate on the camera was too slow to get a crisp image looking north towards Sheltered Rock and Ockr
Coming Back Down (8/16/20)
Dropping back into the atmosphere, we can see Mun hanging off the limb of the planet. Look veeery closely to spot faint Dres above it
Genesis Program Lifelong Statistics (8/18/20)
Ending with a profit of 33,413 funds, this was our 2nd-most successful program at the time of its decommission. While unfortunate, we are proud to have spawned a new industry that is experiencing growth on its own now
Progenitor Moves into the HAB (8/19/20)
When the Genesis program was shut down at the end of July the Horizontal Assembly Building was given to the Progenitor program to integrate their 0.625m rockets, leaving the VAB more room to handle larger and larger Ascension 1.25m+ rockets
Highlands Between (8/21/20)
Looking west towards Sheltered Rock and about halfway to Ockr a high-altitude KerBalloon begins its ascent to study weather over this region, which could have an impact on the future surface colony to the south
Largest Moons to Scale (8/21/20)
We take the largest (in some cases only) moon from each planetary system and place them the same distance from Kerbin as Mun to see how they scale up against one another. Where is Karen, the moon of Plock? Technically it's not a moon, they are a co-joined planetary system
Ascension Mk1-A Capsule (8/22/20)
This is the kerbed capsule that carried Bill and Val into space and saved Jeb during a pad abort event. It is the first *actual* flight hardware to grace our rocket garden here at KSC
Rail Depot Warehouses (8/24/20)
Seen from atop the HAB, these warehouses will be the hub of shipping to/from KSC, where things will be stored as they are prepared to be sent to Umbarg via rail or flown out of KSC via aircraft
Longer Drive (8/25/20)
Leaving the HAB, new home to the Progenitor program, the carry vehicle has an extra 662m to travel, basically twice the distance as from the VAB from takes almost 3x as long since it needs to navigate several turns along the way
Launch Day Dawns (8/2720)
The sky brightens, beginning to wash out Jool and Sarnus as the pad stands unlit as full daylight will arrive before launch crews will need to work on it
Progeny Mk7-B No.2 (8/27/20)
This flight aims for better performance than the first, testing some new control dampening to reduce the effects of shock turbulence when traveling at high speeds in the dense lower atmosphere
Booster Tow (8/27/20)
After it splashes down, the first stage of the Progeny Mk7-B is towed back to shore so it can be refurbished and hopefully flown again
Rocket Trail (8/28/20)
The long smoke trail from the solid motor at the bottom stage of the Progeny Mk7-B hangs in the sky as the rocket races towards space past Minmus and Mun
Aug 18 2020
Low-Altitude Science Survey 61
Making a short traversal via UTV out to the grasslands west of KSC, a release over Zone 7NW3XV for the Field Research Team aims to collect additional pollen data to augment quarterly Civvie flights
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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