The Orion Mission
After ground tests were complete, the Orion Spacecraft was ready for its maiden mission: a trip to Kerbin's second moon, Minmus. The trip would provide an invaluable test of the new design, including both the Orion spacecraft itself and the LV-N powered interplanetary stage.
The first view of Minmus was provided by the robotic mission Minmus Express, which was launched before the Orion design was even completed.
Not only did it put a mapping satellite (similar to the Mun Reconaissance Orbiter) in a highly inclined orbit around Minmus, but it actually delivered a robotic lander to the surface of the moon. The first images of Minmus' surface showed a crystaline icy-looking terrain:
The weirdness of the Minmus landscape immediately turned the little moon into an attractive target for a manned sample-return mission. Due to Minmus proximity to Kerbin, it was also a perfect way to test the Orion before longer interplanetary missions were attempted. If anything went wrong, a rescue mission from Kerbin was a reasonable prospect.
It was thus officially named the Orion Mission:
- Orion Mission
- Primary Objective: to land three kerbonauts on Minmus and return them safely to Kerbin with soil samples.
- Secondary Objective: to test the systems of the Orion Spacecraft and its interplanetary booster stage.
With the spaceflight experience developed during the Apollo missions, the details of the Orion Mission were quickly settled and the mission was very quickly underway. The Orion Spacecraft plus its interplanetary stage were lifted into Kerbin orbit by a slightly larger rocket than that used for the Mk III Apollo.
After launch stage separation, the fairings on the delicate LV-N engines were jettisoned.
The Orion Spacecraft was ready.
Continue to Minmus Transfer ...