Hatsunese Space Program - HASDA (Japan-like) | 1989-03-12 | Saki-09, first Phobos/Deimos landings

[Pipcard]

Phase 4 - 03

1988-04-02 - The Usagi-15 lunar rover was launched by an M-2-30 rocket, and landed three days later in Oceanus Procellarum, specifically over 200 kilometers south of Encke Crater.

Spoiler: Press to view more images (Usagi-15)

1988-07-07 - Another M-2-30 rocket launched the MMD (Martian Moons Discoverer) spacecraft, otherwise known as PLANET-L. MMD was composed of two identical probes (MMD-P and MMD-D) that were attached to a propulsion module for Mars orbit insertion, which would take place over six months later in January 1989. After said maneuver, the probes would separate to rendezvous and land on the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. The Soviet Phobos-1 and Phobos-2 probes would launch in the same week.

Spoiler: Press to view more images (MMD)

1988-07-23 - The first uncrewed Saki-C (Cargo) spacecraft was carried by a M-2A-22 rocket to autonomously dock with Space Station Yume on the next day. Saki-C did not have a crewed Core Module but had an Expansion Module coated with golden multi-layer insulation for passive thermal management [actually a procedural tank part in KSP], which could deliver up to 5-6 tonnes (almost a year's worth) of life support supplies, such as food, water, and oxygen.

Spoiler: Press to view more images (Saki-C-01)

 

[Pipcard]

Phase 4 - 04

1988-10-29 - Saki-09, with Fuyuki Sana, Kumiko Matsutani, and Motoko Katagami, launched to Space Station Yume and docked for 60 days before returning to Earth on 1988-12-29. Previous Saki missions were measured in days or weeks; now, they were beginning to last months with the help of the Saki-C cargo resupply vehicle.

Spoiler: Press to view more images (Saki-09)

1989-01-25 - The Martian Moons Discoverer (MMD) inserted into an elliptical orbit around Mars. It then jettisoned the propulsion module and split into the two almost identical probes, MMD-P and MMD-D. Both probes would perform several maneuvers to rendezvous with their respective targets (Phobos and Deimos), raising the periapsis, lowering the apoapsis, and changing the inclination to match the orbits of the moons. MMD-P arrived at Phobos on 1989-02-10, while MMD-D rendezvoused with Deimos on 1989-02-12 [KSP does not simulate n-body physics, but an actual orbit around Phobos would be unstable, so a "quasi-satellite orbit" would be used instead]. Both probes observed their moons for about a month before landing sites were selected. The moons had very low gravity: Phobos had 0.058% of Earth's gravitational acceleration; Deimos had 0.031%. This meant that small reaction control system thrusters could be used to land the spacecraft, like maneuvering and docking with a very large space station. MMD-P touched down on the Phobian surface on 1989-03-09; MMD-D landed on Deimos on 1989-03-12. Both moons have high levels of carbon, and are similar to C-type asteroids. Phobos has more craters than Deimos (including the large Stickney Crater), and many parallel grooves thought to be caused by impacts or tidal stressing.

Spoiler: Press to view more images (MMD orbital insertion)

Spoiler: Press to view more images (MMD-P to Phobos)

Spoiler: Press to view more images (MMD-D to Deimos)

1989-02-19 - The third Kodama satellite was launched, completing HASDA's new Data Relay and Tracking Satellite network.

 

[BrobDingnag]

Looking at the last image in that post, I can tell that you’ll run into the same problem I do as I hit, oh, “early beginning” of the game: tracking station noise. That is, a wall of missions and no way to sort them. Depending on the version you’re using for this timeline (it doesn’t work in 1.12.3 yet), Tracking Station Evolved is a must. It lets you sort (and hide) missions by type, by SOI, etc. Frees up the clutter so you can focus on more simultaneous missions. It‘s always a moment of panic when you find out that two missions accidentally have maneuvers within a few minutes of one another.