The Aries program had delivered some valuable insights on Kerbal physiology but the effects of long term space travel on the kerbal mind and body were still largely unknown. To study these effects the Kerbal Science Commission had awarded a contract to the Kerbia Design Bureau for an orbital Spacelab.
Early morning a Wodan 12B4 was charged and loaded on the Desert Airfield pad. The four boosters were primed to carry the more than 5-ton payload into a 120x120km orbit with 0 inclination. KSC expected quite a bit of maneuvering with the upper stage, hence the added boosters.
And I mean, boosters! who doesn’t like that?
Orbital insertion worked flawlessly, although the boosters knocked into each other and created a debris shower. Upon circularizing the fairing was jettisoned and revealed the cargo.
It took nearly a day of fiddling to get to 0 degrees inclination, but it would make future launches so much easier.
“Status update Sir,” Gene lifted his eyebrow. “Salyut 01 has been released, solar panels and instruments are deployed. All systems functional.” The first Kerbal space station had been taken into operation and was awaiting its first crew.
Two days later Kirkus and Wilbart launched for the first orbital long-duration mission to Salyut 01. Designated Belle 07 they launched and rendezvoused after 2 orbits with the station and commenced docking procedures.
With a bit of fiddling, they managed to dock with the junior port on the side of the station and boarded their new home in the skies. The base mission was 30 days with an extension option up to a total of 100 days this would be the longest space flight ever.
KSC Archives 