Rescue Mission: Build Me A Rocketship
First part of getting to that poor lil' guy has gotta be getting off this rock. This rock is Kerban:
It's cute, right? It's a lot like earth, except without any visible sign of civilisation other than their Space Center.
If I'm going to rescue Donbus Kerman the kerbal from Minmus, I'll need to build a better rocket than last time.
Landers need at least three main stages for a return journey; Orbital Stage, Transfer Stage and Landing Stage. You get into a stable orbit with the orbital stage, ditch as much of your rocket as you can, then use the transfer stage to alter that orbit until it puts you in orbit of the planet or moon you're travelling to. You then ditch the fuel tanks and rocket(s) to get you that far, and land your craft, plant your flag, celebrate good times, come on, etc.
The idea is to have enough fuel left over from the landing stage to make the return, which comes down to your skill as a pilot, since every little bit of tweaking your course; slowing down, changing direction etc, eats up that fuel.
If you're wondering how I know all that stuff, by the way, the game is Minecraft-esque in both obscurity and depth, so I watched easily ten hours of videos by the likes of Scott Manley and Two Rocket Guys to pick up the basics and protips.
To avoid repeating the past, I came up with a slightly cunning plan, stealing an aspect of the Curiosity Rover landing.
I would build a regular three-stage rocket, with a crafty extra stage, using what's known as a sky-crane to actually land the thing, which would save up fuel for the return journey.
I launch the ship, and plot a course for Minmus:
"I'm getting the hang of this," I think to myself, quite smugly, as I enter Minmus' sphere of influence. My calculations were correct, my burns and manoeuvres precise enough. I don't have QUITE as much fuel as I'd like, but I'm in good shape.
I enter a stable orbit, test the lights, landing gear, solar panels etc.
While waiting to come around for the descent, I pop into the crew cabin to see where Donbus would be planting his grateful arse for the return trip. The ability to look around inside the crafts is definitely a part of what makes this game so magical.
I imagine the crew's excitement hearing the struts extend and touch down on Minmus soil. The ladder drops and Donbus leaps over to join the party. He must be freezing!
Wait. Wait. What?
Oh good god. For fuck's sake. I sent a full crew module to collect him! There's no room at the inn! I don't want to come all this way for nothing, so I make an executive decision. This is what they (presumably) pay me for. To make the hard calls. I feel bad for Donbus. He's been through a lot. Disappointment is a large part of being a kerbal, but I tried, dammit, I really tried.
I decide to boot out one of the other kerbals to give him a seat. This was a dry run. I'll come back for whatshisname later. Donbus might have a wife and kids. Maybe he is a wife, I don't know how that works for them.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580"]
Never mind yer man at the back. He moonwalked it off.[/caption]
It is with a heavy-ish heart that I take off and make for the skies once again.
I try not to look in the rear-view at the lil' guy. I don't think he'd even noticed that we'd left.
Next in the saga: The Journey Home (to be posted Wednesday)
In the index: Kerbal Space Program