Science from Vall

Once you’ve been to Pol or Bop, the next logical step is Vall. Here, the RCS thrusters aren’t powerful enough, we need proper engines.

The design is fairly simple:

• First stage with 2 boosters
• Second stage to circularize around kerbin
• Third stage for interplanetary transfers and communications relay
• Fourth stage: lander

Planning a Jool encounter.

After some tinkering we should get close to Vall.

On this picture you can see Jool in green and 3 of its 5 moons: Vall, Laythe and Tylo. We’re going on the one on the left: Vall!

After having found an encounter, we plan the circularizing maneuver.

Hello, Vall :)

Detaching the lander. The relay will stay in orbit to provide comm link.

The several “ants” engine allow us to slow down correctly. The lander isn’t so well balanced though, it could have been nice to add a reaction wheel or use gimballing engines.

From Vall we got a nice view on Jool and Laythe. All the sciences modules have been used in orbit, before landing and on the ground. Now that the tech tree has been fully unlocked I’m wondering what I’ll do with those…