It was announced late yesterday that the Mark One Capsule will be launched today. We will bring you the full report as soon as we can publish them!
You can review the Mark Program with our coverage here, or read up on the specific goals for this flight here. Our coverage of the intrepid Kerbonaut who will be making this flight is here.
Yesterday the Kerbal Space Center completed it’s checkouts of the Mark One space vehicle, and completed the complex procedure of moving the assembled vehicle to the launch pad.
The checkout in the Vehicle Assembly Building over the several days found no major faults, although some minor corrections and re-calibrations were made to various systems. Once the craft was cleared, the pad move team took over. Keep Reading
Today the Kerbal Space Center announced that they had selected the Kerbonaut who will fly the first Mark Program flight, the Mark One. After weeks of speculation, we finally know which brave soul will strap themselves into the tiny Mk1 Capsule and allow Mission Control to ignite the ton of rocket propellant beneath them, propelling capsule and passenger skyward at velocities that have hitherto only been imagined. Keep Reading
Soon the Kerbal Space Center will attempt to launch it’s first capsule with a live Kerbal inside. In reference to this historic event, Gene Kerman, Kerbal Space Center’s Flight Director, said:
“Our space program will soon enter a new era, the participation in the exploration of space by our first Kerbonaut. This upcoming mission is a most important step in the program, a step that will lead on to the ultimate conquest of of this new and hostile environment.”
This first flight will be attempted approximately one hour after daybreak after preflight checks. A countdown hold may occur if any issues arise with the spacecraft or pilot.
The spacecraft, weighing 800kg, will be boosted by a RT-5 “Flea” Solid Rocket Booster. The craft will follow a ballistic arc, hoping to reach at least 5,000m altitude. Keep Reading
