Despite confidence in their trajectory predictions, astronomers still kept a close watch on the moonlet and caught it making an unscheduled pass through Mun's SOI
New Orbital Data for Alaba (9/29/19)
Despite confidence in their trajectory predictions, astronomers still kept a close watch on the moonlet and caught it making an unscheduled pass through Mun's SOI
New Orbital Data for Tantalus (10/1/19)
As predicted, it will exit the system before the end of the week
Asteroids of September 2019 (10/1/19)
14 tracked with 1 of these impacting is another average month and we hope the trend continues downwards next year as surface activities continue to increase
MLP & Dhumla Progress (10/2/19)
The Mobile Launch Platform is nearly complete, with its main deck finished off and just needing the SRB mounts in the launch bay. It has also added a second command cabin so it can roll back in the opposite direction without turning around.
Behind it the Dhumla's main fuselage is almost fully assembled and the engines have begun to be installed.
Space Communication Network Dishes (10/2/19)
A look at the hardware used to communicate with objects in space. The 60m dish will be built for future deep space missions while the 18m dishes will be built as needed to relieve the 27m dishes already in place when orbital traffic starts to grow so they can focus on deep space missions as well
New Orbital Data for Vieras (10/2/19)
Also as predicted, Vieras will impact Kerbin's southern hemisphere the same day Tantalus is due to exit the system, leaving behind only Chikelu and Alaba in orbit around Kerbin
New Orbital Data for Vieras (10/2/19)
Also as predicted, Vieras will impact Kerbin's southern hemisphere the same day Tantalus is due to exit the system, leaving behind only Chikelu and Alaba in orbit around Kerbin
Mk2 to Mk1 (10/3/19)
The lifter stage originally meant for the first Mk2 flight is the closest to flight-ready and will be used for Captain Jeb's mission that was pushed up when the Mk2's first flight was delayed. It will just need to lose the decouplers for the solid rocket motors
Empty Quarter (10/4/19)
The Great Desert doesn't feature much in the way of plants or surface features, with the land scoured clean by winds and sand. It does have some of the roughest terrain on the planet with interesting atmospheric effects, which this high-altitude KerBalloon is on its way up to study
A large orbital change due to passing only 353km past Mun has potentially put it on a future path to crash into Kerbin later this year, although some astronomers still believe it will be sticking around into 2020 as originally predicted when first captured
Vieras Post-Encounter 8 (9/14/19)
A large orbital change due to passing only 353km past Mun has potentially put it on a future path to crash into Kerbin later this year, although some astronomers still believe it will be sticking around into 2020 as originally predicted when first captured
Double Conjunction (9/16/19)
today we have a close double-conjunction of Eve and Sarnus, although it's a bit hard to appreciate other than an image like this since going out and staring up at them will just blind you - but if you blocked out the sun's light they'd still be visible thanks to inclined orbits
Crew Photo Ascension Mk1 No. 9 (9/17/19)
Commander Valentina makes ready to board her capsule, then the rocket will be raised vertical and mounted for launch
Pad Evacuation (9/17/19)
The pad crew have loaded up into their shuttles to depart from the pad and leave the Ascension Mk1 ready for launch. The small tanker truck left behind carries the pressurized nitrogen gas for the fuel tanks that is brought in late to protect the crew from any rupture
Ascension Mk1 No. 9 (9/17/19)
Carrying Commander Valentina up to become the second kerbal in space!
Distant Deploy (9/17/19)
Commander Val's capsule seen descending under a full canopy from the spotting scope aboard MSV Aldeny, shot through the eye peice by a handheld camera, which bumped it off-center. Attempting to re-center lost visual and it was not picked up again before the capsule fell below the horizon. Before this, all recovery vessels were too far away but this flight the capsule came down the closest to the planned recovery site yet
Lifter Stage and KSC (9/18/19)
Still strapped in from her ride up atop the lifter stage seen out the window, Commander Val also got the KSC in the shot, seen directly above the lifter stage just before the clouds
MLP Build Progress (9/18/19)
The Mobile Launch Platform, which will carry our largest rockets to the launch pad, continues its construction in the Horizontal Assembly Building. The major mechanical pieces are in place, now it's time for the accessories
Rising (9/19/19)
As Commander Val ascends along her trajectory through space, Minmus also clears the horizon of Kerbin, looking along her direction of travel over Sheltered Rock and Ockr
Stormy Weather (9/19/19)
It is historically stormy near the north and south poles - looking to the north from nearly 250km over Kerbin Commander Val captures some turbulent-looking weather systems
Returning Home (9/20/19)
Kerbin seen from ~150km before Commander Val prepares for re-entry. If you look closely, you can still see the lift stage that carried the capsule up, but still far enough away to not present a collision danger on re-entry
Final Dhumla (9/20/19)
The last Dhumla to be built at KSC has its parts moved over from the cargo airship warehouse at the Support Village across the causeway. C7 Aerospace is committed to building aircraft at KSC through 2019 before it moves its operations offsite
50 Launches (9/20/19)
In chronological order from the top to the bottom, left to right. Features both Progenitor and Ascension rockets
Over the course of a year it has completed more than 90 orbits around Kerbin and traveled nearly 10,000,000km. Original projections state it could be sticking around a bit longer until mid-2020
Off-Balance Thrust (9/10/19)
a look at what happened at the end of our last mission as the center of mass shifted off-center as the tank drained and caused the rocket to rotate once it cleared the atmosphere and lost control authority. Even if the RCS thrusters had been used, it still would have experienced 0.547kNm of torque
Astronaut Complex (9/11/19)
Seen under a clear starry & nebulaic sky with a gibbous Mun, the Astronaut Complex is where our crew lives and trains for its missions. This week, the primary and backup crew for the next kerbed Ascension Mk1 mission is inside in quarantine until the mission begins
Ready to Roll (9/13/19)
An Ascension Mk1 is marshaled into place at the doors of the VAB after completing assembly and being loaded up onto the carry vehicle. Next stop: launch pad!
Operations Director Drew Kerman hands Flight Director Lanalye some champagne to congratulate her on the safe return of Specialist Bill from space while mission controllers celebrate
ESA-390(C) Plot (8/24/19)
Coming no closer than 4.19 Munar DIstance, a much further pass than earlier this year in March when it skimmed past at only 0.14 MD
Ascension Mk1 No. 8 (8/26/19)
Hooked up to the service tower and awaiting launch the following day
Vieras Mun Encounter #7 (8/27/19)
Passing 922km over the Munar surface at closest approach, taking 1h26m to transit Mun's SOI. The transit was in full view of 4 major observatories
Asteroid Scale Comparison (8/27/19)
Taken by the 200m Arekibo Radio Observatory, these two asteroids were imaged with radar and are shown here to scale. Class A's generally range from ~5-7 meters in size and Class C's can be as much as 3x that
Ascension Mk1 No. 8 Sunset (8/28/19)
The light of day recedes behind the mountains as the tanker truck begins to fuel the rocket with 7t of propellant. Next time the sun rises, so should the rocket. A sleeping crescent Mun hangs above the VAB
Ascension Mk1 No. 8 Sunrise (8/28/19)
The sky begins to brighten as the rocket prepares to enter the final countdown sequence to launch in 30 minutes. To the right is Minmus up top with Jool and Moho at appulse below and Eve near the horizon
Launch of Ascension Mk1 No. 8 (8/28/19
Carrying new scientific instruments up into space, this unkerbed mission taught us more about the environment above Kerbin as well as rocket flight in general. Yup - still learning!
Ascent of Ascension Mk1 No. 8 (8/28/19)
The ground tracking camera atop the Tracking Station follows the rocket as it pitches further over into its second minute of flight. As it passes into the upper atmosphere the lower air pressure allows the gasses of the engine exhaust plume to expand outwards
Kerbin from 327km (8/29/19)
This is one in a series of shots taken by the eighth Ascension Mk1 as it passed through apokee, slowly rotating since it ended its burn with a slightly offset center of thrust. The lift stage with the booster camera remained attached longer than usual to deploy a science instrument
Kerbin from 327km (8/29/19)
This is one in a series of shots taken by the eighth Ascension Mk1 as it passed through apokee, slowly rotating since it ended its burn with a slightly offset center of thrust. The lift stage with the booster camera remained attached longer than usual to deploy a science instrument
Kerbin from 327km (8/29/19)
This is one in a series of shots taken by the eighth Ascension Mk1 as it passed through apokee, slowly rotating since it ended its burn with a slightly offset center of thrust. The lift stage with the booster camera remained attached longer than usual to deploy a science instrument
Kerbin I (8/29/19)
The first orbital probe, it carries a non-functional RTG that will be used to test that it can withstand re-entry and crash landing. The battery power should last 18-20 hours and longer if hibernation is used. The cold gas engine provides a simple and reliable form of propulsion
Northern Ice Shelf (8/29/29)
The cliffs of the ice shelf are seen in the distance as a low-altitude KerBalloon rises off the deck of a Maritime Service vessel
MLP Build Progress (8/30/19)
The Mobile Launch Platform, which will carry our largest rockets out to the launch pad, continues to be assembled in the HAB, with the engines being installed to power the massive treads that will also soon be attached
Static Displays (8/30/19)
The first rocket to carry a kerbal into space, the Ascension Mk1, is on display next to the first rocket to reach space, the Progeny Mk4. The Mk1 can be accessed via a viewing platform to see inside the capsule
Ascension Mk1 Static Display (8/30/19)
Out on the lawn between the Astronaut Complex and the VAB, the display is accessible both day and night
Ascension Mk1 Static Display (8/30/19)
Out on the lawn between the Astronaut Complex and the VAB, the display is accessible both day and night
Set to possibly make a splash near the Arekibo Radio Observatory but unlikely to threaten the telescope itself, perched several hundred meters above the water
Reconfigured Launch Pad (6/17/19)
The lower service tower has become the upper service tower, along with a new crew-access tower for the Ascension Mk2. The Ascension Mk1 uses just the lower service tower, as does the Progeny Mk6 and Mk7. The support structures are there for the Mk7 and can be removed to accommodate the launch base for the Mk6 Block I and II. 5 rockets - one launch pad!
Progeny Mk7-A Rollout (6/18/19)
On its way to the launch pad for the first time, the Mk7-A rides aboard the larger carry vehicle so it can be raised into a vertical position over the engine collar just like an Ascension rocket
Launch Ready (6/19/19)
Fully hooked up on the launch pad is the first Progeny Mk7-A rocket, the precursor to a low-orbit capable smallsat launch vehicle
Rocket Sled (6/20/19)
final rocket sled and track design has been approved after Lead Engineer Simon worked to integrate the capsule into the sled. Dr. Murstap himself has volunteered to do the deceleration runs once the track is built (in July) and tested (in August). The sled track will be built along the entire 2.2km length of the paved runway, closing it to flight operations. The Deuce and Civvie however can both land and depart from the turf runways if needed
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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!
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…
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