At the end of year two, C020D Delta 15 was prepping for the last of the Delta mission to Minmus for this year. There was no need for an Eagle class lander, but they would carry additional fuel to Gateway 02.
Commanded by Wehrdard Kerman, Pilot Thompwin Kerman, and Sampond Kerman was a relatively new crew. Sampond had earned her wings on the last mission to Space City and was eager to put her new skills to the test.
The fuel transfer turned out to be a lot of work, due to all the small tanks on the recipient end. But once completed the Eagle would take the trash with them and deorbit it to feed the seismometers.
The first location turned out to be a bummer. Expecting 13% ore, they discovered near 0 amounts, perhaps project Demeter had some issues with the mapping. “Let’s move on to that Gravioli source,” Wehrdard said.
“Will you look at that! it’s another Monolith,” Wehrdard said. “But this one is green?” and indeed this Monolith was emitting large amounts of Gravioli particles. Werhdard speculated that it was, in fact, creating an Einstein–Rosen bridge, to communicate in real-time with the other Monoliths over vast distances. Sort of a charged spacetime actuator, that name would stick.
“Judging by the particle beams it is strongly pointing at the Jool system. If we only knew what is out there?” he sighed. “Sorry Boss, can only take you back up to Gateway, perhaps to the Mun,” Thompwin replied.
Back at the Gateway they refueled the station and lander and still had enough fuel to return home. The data they had gathered would no doubt delight the Kerbin science community.
Re-entry was very aggressive and it was the first time that a crew recorded pictures of a service module exploding nearby, at a nearly 60 degrees angle they headed straight for KSC. Fortunately, the heatshield managed to burn off most of the heat, the capsule took the rest.
“It’s so great when we land this close to home,” Sampond said, having had a hard time during survival training she was glad her landings involved less adventure. In a few days, Delta 16 would launch as last mission to the Mun as part of the Delta program, but there was already talk of extending the mission profile.
KSC Archives 