Dyrena Munar Rover, surface exploration in accordance with Markzist-Keninist ideology principle
Craft: Dyrena Rover utilizing Atomic Motor orbital/descent stage
Mission: Munar soft landing, surface study of Mun’s geological features
Proletariusze!
It comes with great excitement that I announce new revolutionary SAP mission into Cosmos. After much research engineer build Mun Rover, remote control machine we will drive on Munar surface. Yes, you hear right. Polant shall land rover on Mun, paving way forward for Cosmonaut landing in future. These indeed great days for socialism!
Following successful Kolonez Rover project engineer focus to develop smaller Dyrena Rover. Expect new symmetric structure allow easy landing on Mun compare to heavy Kolonez.
Design prove capable of traverse many terrain type. Regardless if it grass or sand of beach. This very good, not sure what Mun surface is. All kind of theory what it made of, could be rock but many think it may be composed of soap bubble.
Can even climb up hill. Kilesia-1 see many hill so this ability necessary.
Occasionally it jump off hill top and explode upon landing. That not flaw that feature of design!
After many test engineer find optimal pattern of panel that does not result in destruction. At least not as often it break in other pattern.
Speed stress test indicate rover capable of travel over 80 meter per second using RCS afterbuner. Panel shatter at high speed but it appear surface panel sufficient for operation at full power of engine.
Unfortunate speed test ended premature by sea. Design very promising though! Focus on develop lander now.
*I would like to mention that this was made before the 0.18.2. RCS change. There was a bug that allowed you to squeeze nearly infinite amounts of energy out of RCS thrusters as fuel use was tied to how close the thruster was to the center of mass. People made very small probes that could travel across the whole system with ease on one or two small RCS tanks. This was basically a divide by near zero issue.
They fixed that and it broke most stock-part rover designs a bit as RCS is now very unreliable for both propulsion and turning. Before that I could have like two maybe three solid minutes of afterburner using RCS which was very good for climbing hills, now it’s more like 20 seconds. Oh well, 0.19 will probably have proper stock electric rover wheels added and I managed to make RCS-less rover designs anyway.
Turn out make lander not as easy as thought.
While look good all attempt at get off lander result in capsize. Need new idea.
Some rover even explode, good thing intern close to test area. They put rover back real quick, it need to go to Mun after all.
Try other approach, separate rover from landing engine just before hit ground. Initial test result not good.
Smaller engine bring back optimism, however first test still failure because of software error that make ASAS not turn on. Many programmer sent to reeducation as result.
Prepare next test, drive rover away from launch pad so it not fly into tower. Launch in five… four… two… one…
Software patch make ASAS work, rover stable and not flip over in air again.
Land safely mere meter from some structure. We not sure what structure do, it always there before SAP cosmodrome created.
Diagnostic indicate rover intact after land. Now SAP closer to Mun land. To complete diagnostic we drive rover into countryside and make it go real fast.
It explode again, intern put it back up and plan launch. Need new rocket first though.
First rocket work well, apart from major unstable trajector.
Also apart from crash and explosion. Apparent we need add winglet or rocket not fly straight.
Winglet improve flight, surprise solution not add more rocket. Look like rover get to Mun now!
Turn out structural reinforcement known as glue not make rocket as rigid as hope. It fall apart due material stress. Need stronger materials.
Also use opportunity to add more rocket. Rover sure to reach Mun now!
It reach high altitude, still need orbit burn.
Also use new revolution in technology, Nuclear Thermal Engine power by atom fission. Atom energy used for peaceful purpose of spread workers revolution and abolishing capitalist exploitation!
Get technology from Ewa and Maria reactor research and with help of socialist brothers in Koviet Union. They lend some design document and one engine for study:
*The LV-N Atomic Rocket Motor also simply known as a NERVA (after the name for the American nuclear thermal engine project) or Nuclear Engine, is a very good engine for orbital operations and landing on (nearly) airless bodies. As long as the lander is not to heavy. This technology was planned to be used to get people to Mars in both the American and Soviet plans, however it was never tested in orbit. Ground-based prototypes prove it does work and the KSP parameter values of the NERVA are identical to the ones of the american prototype.
The plan was also to use these for final stages of future Lunar vessels and the Saturn V. Development by NASA was scrapped after Nixon's administration scrapped manned Mars mission plans and the space program got scaled back. The soviets did the same as a response. And thus like the Ion Engine and Aerospike this revolutionary technology will have to wait for decades until it ever gets used in space. Although the Ion Engine and Aerospike eventually got more attention.
New engine much efficient, have more ISP than regular chemical engine in vacuum of Cosmos. However it heavy, very inefficient in atmosphere and thrust not spectacular either. Still it more powerful than Ion Engine so burn take less time but still efficient.
Also new trajector take rover to Mun encounter.
Rover fly over Munar surface. Prepare to get it to site spotted by Kilesia probe, picture make us think it safe for landing. Unless unknown Mun creature come and eat rover, then we need pack weapon to defend Rover from ferocious beast.
Artist make animate drawing of said beast. Believe many lurk in Munar cave.
Eventual rover set on orbit over target.
Begin decelerate burn to land. Also notice filthy intern make coffee stain on pictures! He severe punished for offense and crime against socialist science!
After kill all horizontal velocity nuclear rocket module point down to slow fall. Lack of atmosphere mean no parachute work. This make land harder however lack of atmosphere mean getting back from surface of Mun easier.
Also more coffee smudge on picture, ugh these intern these day. They not know how to handle science photograph!
Rover getting close to ground, can see shadow. Beginning to fire small propulsion module to safe soft land.
ASAS computer work good and rover maintain right orientation for land.
*Did I mention how hard landing like this is? I crashed the damn thing about 10 times before actually landing in one piece. Luckily though I figured out a better safe way to land rovers and other things. Well two ways actually, the second one in particular is very
But I’ll explain and show that in another update.
Rover about to touch surface at about four meter per second. Expect wheel strong enough to survive.
*Just because the gravity is smaller does not mean impacting the surface at 10+ meters per second is a safe thing to do.
For some reason rover flip after wheel touch ground, this not good! Attempt flip rover.
*Probably happened because the Mun’s surface is solid rather than covered in soft dust or whatever. This means you bounce off it and because the gravity is low the force of the bounce is sufficient to send you flying a bit. Yeah, so landing with as little velocity as possible is vital to a safe Munar landing. Especially with such a light lander like this one.
Attempt not go as plan, both flag of Polant fall off and explode. Should not make flag out of volatile material next time.
*This is Kerbal Space Program, everything explodes!
Eventual RCS thruster flip rover back! Lose most solar panel however they not really needed. Engineer plan for redundant part backup.
Check sensor, gravity sensor work and show gravity 1/9th of Kerbin's!
Atmosphere not present, this confirm Kilesia reading.
Temperature a bit chill but tolerable.
Engage Ion Engine and drive to explore Munar surface. Know of interesting ar… I mean two rock. Spotted by Kilesia, but they just regular rock only bigger. Nothing suspicious, no.
Drive by crashed atomic engine stage, many engine complete destroy. Not worry, radiation levels expect to be only 1% above lethal level. Pretty sure it not kill any Munar animal.
Driver report safe speed for munar drive is about 10 meter per second, faster speed cause rover jump much.
*The rover mods now present are a bit popamole as they apply “magic force” to neutralize the low gravity and make you stick to the ground better. This thing is 100% stock so it applies no such force and is thus very likely to start flying if it goes too fast over a hill. I don't need no popamole "magic force" in my Newtonian physics space sandbox
After some drive we realize important thing, the target is other way. We turn around rover.
Instrument detect Kilesia-1 orbiting over horizon. Rover move in it direction as it go in same direction as target.
Big hill ahead, luckily rover equip to deal with hill.
Use some RCS to climb up hill as it too steep for use of Ion Engine only.
Eventually rover get over steep part and on top. Unfortunate more coffee stain made by damn intern make photo dirty!
Coffee stain get bigger! Cursed intern now guarantee to spend rest of life studying diet of Polar Bear based on excrement.
See many star on horizon, including “Potato Wagon” constellation. Lack of atmosphere make for good observatory place.
Eventual rover reach target after almost 10 kilometer journey. Take a while but it now study two rock here.
Towarzysze!
News are good! Dyrena Rover make successful land and study of Mun surface. Before end of year we send cosmonaut to Mun. Also all people found hoarding toilet paper will face the death penalty for treason. Soon Polant will grow many potato among star!
MANY DECADES LATER
Good evening, many remember the first Munar landing of Polant. The Dyrena rover was a major step forward in the SAP space program. The landing was supposedly transmitted in real time, however in reality it was recorded a day before it was transmitted. That 24 hour gap was enough for the communist government to alter some of the footage using sophisticated techniques.
The “Mysteries of Communist Polant” team has managed to uncover the unaltered images along with some that were deemed too difficult to alter and hidden from the public. This is the first time these are shown on television.
The Dyrena rover landing near the previously discovered by the Kilesia-1 probe Arch-shaped object.
The rover moving towards the Arch which is just beyond the hills somewhere on the horizon.
The strange Munar object is close.
The scale of the Arch becomes apparent as the rover is just next to it. It attempts to drive through the Arch.
We’re not sure how these images tie into this whole thing. Was it a computer glitch? Or did the Rover pick up transmission from an unknown alien entity? Did it see something beyond our capability to comprehend? Those questions remain unanswered.
However it did emerge safely on the other side so perhaps this is all a joke, an elaborate trick setup by the communists to baffle whoever uncovers the documents. Perhaps a way to distract and confuse any western spies that might have gained access to these photographs.
As you can see the scale of the object is pretty massive, after all it is visible from orbit.
The rover was left just next to the strange object, probably after it was determined that a primitive robot like it was not able to uncover any new details. We now believe that the real goal of the mission was not to simply land and study the Mun, but to locate and mark the location of this Munarch for future expeditions.
Rest assured dear viewers, the team of “Mysteries of Communist Polant” will uncover the truth about the classified Arch object.
To be continued.
Can Polant land Potato Bros on the Mun? Is there a strange similar object in Jool orbit? Will the ASAS start singing Daisy Bell before it kills all of the Cosmonauts just as they get near the Arch? How many more things will go horribly wrong in the SAP space program? These question will be answered whenever the next update is posted, well at least some of them.
