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Massive but not
May. 4th, 2025 04:31 pmAstronomers of the Astronomical Council of the Academy of Sciences reported that a massive asteroid was soon to be passing close to Kerbin. In fact, it was to pass within the orbit of the Mun.
Asteroids within the Kerbol system are very, very common, and many pass within the Kerbin sphere of influence. It is a common enough occurrence that Soviet cosmonautics has, at this point, rendezvoused with several and have captured three into Kerbin orbit, much to the chagrin of Amerikanski observers.
The difference was that this one was the largest yet encountered. Designated as Class-H, it’s mass would clock in between 77,000 and 347,000 tons. Gargantuan. However, the first craft available for an intercept would be one based on the Blok-D N1 upper stage. Entirely insufficient to affect a course change of much.
Nevertheless, it was launched because every little bit of delta-V helps. In this case helping the craft that was launched two days later, one based on at N1 Blok-V stage atop a new Energia launcher. Much more fuel, much more delta-V, larger engines.
On arrival, 11 days from launch for the first craft and two days after that for the second, they discovered that the scientists of the Academy were entirely incorrect. Instead of a massive asteroid of hundreds of thousands of tons, the rock was only about 43 meters across and massed 1,781 tons. Well within what would be expected for a Class-E asteroid.
With that smaller size, what was expected to be a “perhaps, given the trajectory, the asteroid can be captured into Kerbin orbit” mission, became a “well, that was easy” mission, bringing the apoapsis down to about midway between the orbits of Minmus and the Mun. Two more flights will be sufficient to circularize its orbit.
The Chief Designer was disappointed. Capturing a gigantskiy asteroid into Kerbin orbit was going to be the foundation of what was envisioned to be not just another space station but an actual colony. That will now need to wait.
Asteroids within the Kerbol system are very, very common, and many pass within the Kerbin sphere of influence. It is a common enough occurrence that Soviet cosmonautics has, at this point, rendezvoused with several and have captured three into Kerbin orbit, much to the chagrin of Amerikanski observers.
The difference was that this one was the largest yet encountered. Designated as Class-H, it’s mass would clock in between 77,000 and 347,000 tons. Gargantuan. However, the first craft available for an intercept would be one based on the Blok-D N1 upper stage. Entirely insufficient to affect a course change of much.
Nevertheless, it was launched because every little bit of delta-V helps. In this case helping the craft that was launched two days later, one based on at N1 Blok-V stage atop a new Energia launcher. Much more fuel, much more delta-V, larger engines.
On arrival, 11 days from launch for the first craft and two days after that for the second, they discovered that the scientists of the Academy were entirely incorrect. Instead of a massive asteroid of hundreds of thousands of tons, the rock was only about 43 meters across and massed 1,781 tons. Well within what would be expected for a Class-E asteroid.
With that smaller size, what was expected to be a “perhaps, given the trajectory, the asteroid can be captured into Kerbin orbit” mission, became a “well, that was easy” mission, bringing the apoapsis down to about midway between the orbits of Minmus and the Mun. Two more flights will be sufficient to circularize its orbit.
The Chief Designer was disappointed. Capturing a gigantskiy asteroid into Kerbin orbit was going to be the foundation of what was envisioned to be not just another space station but an actual colony. That will now need to wait.
