Apollo missons in Kerbal Space Program

In Kerbal Space Program you can recreate the Apollo missions using the stock parts.

Apollo 11

An awesome Apollo 11 tutorial is located at Apollo 11 tutorial. Follow the instructions, but I have made some changes for easier operation.

Notes

Construction

  • I have added the Heat Shield (2.5m) to the bottom of the top command module just in case the command module does not have heat shield.
  • Added the Kelus-LV Bay Mobility Enhancer (retractable ladder) under the hatch of the lander for easier return after Munwalk.
  • Added solar panels to the lander and the service module.
  • Disabled the yaw, pitch, and roll functions of the RCS thrusters on the command module and all thruster blocks to Save on monopropellant
  • Take EV Fuel Cylinders from Cargo with you in the command pod, the lander, and on the Kerbals instead of parachutes to extend the length of EV operations.

Flight

Towards to Mun

While the Command Module and the Lander are approaching the Mun we want to use the Command Module’s engine. When we dock the Command Module to the Lander, the staging changes, and activates the Lander’s engines. The fuel gages indicate the active engines. In this configuration during the Mun orbit insertion burn the Lander’s engines will work against the Command module’s and make it very difficult to achieve a good Munar orbit.

  • Right-click the Lande’s engine in the staging block and click the Shutdown Engine button. If you have multiple Lander engines, do it for all engines.

In Mun orbit

  • After circularizing the Mun orbit, before the lander separation, stage one more time to activate the LEM main engine.

Landing on the Mun

  • As you descend, set the SAS to retrograde to keep the lander upright and be able to always reduce the speed with the main engine without the need for orientation adjustment.

On the Mun

  • In case you run out of monopropellant in your EVA Jetpack, plant a flag under the hatch, so you can climb on it and get back to the lander.

Take off from the Mun

  • To get the heading of the command module, turn it to prograde. This is the direction you need to get into orbit with the lander for the rendezvous.

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