KerbalX

Details

• Type: VAB
• Class: ship
• Part Count: 93
• Pure Stock
• KSP: 1.11.1

Mods

• Making History DLC
• Squad (stock)

The world entered a new age on October 4th, 1957 when Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite put in space by mankind. It also began the space race which exploded when the Soviet Union again managed a first on April 21st, 1961 with the successful launching and re-entry of Vostok 1. The mission itself wasn’t especially ambitious with just a single orbit by Yuri Gagarin which was almost entirely automated and it ended in under two hours.

However the spacecraft proved itself a durable space vehicle and would be used in five additional Vostok missions including the first time two spacecraft were in space together and the first woman in space. The craft would also be modified to allow for two and three cosmonaut missions in the Voskhod programme which consisted of its own two missions. Additionally the Vostok/Voskhod spacecraft was modified into some of the Soviet Union’s early spy satellites.

The Lukstok is a scaled down stock approximation of the Vostok using stock parts, the notable a-historical exception being the launch escape system. It’s meant for short duration orbital missions similar in nature to the six Vostok flights. It’s also meant to be compatible with addons such as RemoteTech so it’s been given a considerable amount of electricity – in far excess of what is required for basic stock operations.

The launch vehicle uses three stages – main stage, booster stage, and upper stage – with some similarities to the historical launch vehicle. The main engine and boosters are fired together which initially will have a low TWR (thrust-to-weight ratio) so I recommend a somewhat vertical ascent with the goal of reaching space just after the boosters are exhausted. The main stage, sans the boosters, should continue the ascent after which it should be jettisoned with the upper stage handling the final burn. Lastly the upper stage should be jettisoned once you reached your desired orbit which will be carried away by some small rockets.

When you have decided to return home you simply point to retrograde and the fire the on-board engine until you have reached a perigee of at least 20 km. The on-board fuel capacity has been significantly reduced to simulate that its only meant for a re-entry burn from Low Kerbin Orbit (LKO). The service module should be decoupled once you get near the atmosphere and with the entire spherical capsule covered in ablative you don’t have to worry too much about the direction you are pointing during your re-entry. The parachute should be deployed around 12,000 meters so be careful not to deploy it too soon as there is no backup parachute.

Built in the VAB in KSP version 1.11.1.