Kerbal Space Program First Contract 20

Channel:

TroZ

Subscribers:

909

Published on October 1, 2014 1:00:58 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTszBe37JoI

Game:

Kerbal Space Program (2015)

Duration: 50:46

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1

Here is another episode of my Kerbal Space Program First Contract game.

After completing a few contracts last episode earning some decent science, this episode we prepare for another trip to Minmus. We start by spending the earned science on 'Composites' and 'Unmanned tech', before heading over to see if there are any other contracts we want to take before our long mission ahead. We pick up a rescue contract and a contract to test a decoupler, but we will do them after the Minmus mission.

We then proceed to design a new rocket for going to Munmus. It will be similar to the rocket we took to the Mun, but with a bunch of improvements that the items unlocked recently will allow.

The upper stage is very similar, but now has LV-N engines. There are not only slightly more powerful, but are twice as efficient as the engines we used previously. This will allow us to land at more than 2 sites before needing to return to orbit to refuel. We were originally going to go with 3 engines, as the lower gravity at Minmus would make 3 engines more than enough, but that would also reduce the number of science instruments we would be carrying. We have also put the landing legs out on struts, which will hopefully make tipping over during landing almost impossible. We have also attached an escape tower to test to fulfill a contract.

The Science Station module has also been improved, with the big change being much more fuel capacity. Now carrying 4 large orange tanks of fuel with 4 LV-N engines, it will now have plenty of fuel for when we get to Minmus, although it will take longer burns as it has only 1/3 the thrust of the science station we took to the Mun. We attempted to attach the large 4 engine NASA engine, for another contract, but we couldn't get it to fit nicely and it isn't possible to have a state below it.

The launch states make heavy use of the large NASA parts to lift the increased mass of the science stage. There are 5 of the 4x NASA engines, and each as 2 of the NASA liquid boosters and 3 NASA solid boosters, with all of the liquid states connected with fuel lines. Plenty of struts are holding everything together, and separatrons positioned so that the stages separate correctly.

We then launch this ship and begin our Mission to Minmus! The initial launch fails, as the docking clamps are not staged correctly, and wer stay attacked to the launchpad. We revert and correct the staging of the clamps. This time we lift off without issue. We throttle down a bit as we cross 200 m/s. The first liquid engine stage runs out of fuel before the solid boosters, and because of this we incorrectly stage and release the solids while they are still running. Luckily this doesn't cause any issues, and we then drop the first liquid stage.

The rest of the flight to orbit is uneventful, and we actually make it to orbit with most of the fuel in the final stage left! We take some time planning an intercept with Minmus that has a low periapsis, only to realize we are passing the node as we finish up! We start the burn anyway using the fuel left in our last launch stage, and we get close to the path that we has planned. We then adjust the second burn to correct for out late start on the last burn.

Next episode we will get into orbit around Minmus and attempt to land!

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