January 4th, 2203. Angus Spaceport, North Grestin, Central Kafrica.
Glory to the rising of the Sun and the Stars. Glory to the ones who took flight. Glory to the United States of Central Kafrica.
It had been less than 30 days since the last test of the Jane Capsule, despite the 2 failures, the Federal Space Administration of Kafrica had given the green light for the most terrifying test flight yet, a Kerbal, inside the small Wilbus capsule, riding atop the Jane Missile which had been proven safe with the 2 other successes in the boost phase of flight.
William O’Neill, his family hailing from Western Aontas, yet born in Canfield, fascinated himself over the last 10 years with the ins and outs of the army’s missile development when he wasn’t on deployment with the Air Force. Arriving at Angus Spaceport’s Launch Pad Number 5, engineers observed searchlights illuminating the pale green words on the side of the rocket, “CENTRAL KAFRICA” yet it was obscured by the occasional puff of Liquid Oxygen venting from the side of the booster. It had worked well up to this point, yet this launch was different, no longer was there a box of wires and inanimates atop it, but a full Kerbal. William himself, probably the bravest Kerbal of the year in our country, was to strap himself to a missile. Being awoken at around 4 of the clock by medical teams wishing to ensure he was safe on his endeavour into the atmosphere and hopefully beyond it. After a short medical checkout he was treated to a full breakfast of Steak, Eggs and Coffee. William, wanting to wash the bitterness from his mouth after finishing his coffee, opted for a glass of Orange Juice. Attending this breakfast was Vice President Moat Boat, appointed leader of the national space committee he was responsible for Space Policy and the Federal Space Administration’s direction - landing a Kafrican back on the Mun before the end of the first decade in the 23rd century.
After breakfast he was whisked away, with the flashes of cameras of the media, into the final, more indepth medical checkout, where he would be given blood tests, and various metabolic activity tests. This was to see, however little, the affects of microgravity on the humble Kafrican test pilots. Declaring him fit for flight, the medical personnel handed him over to the closeout crew, composed of his astronaut classmates, the closeout crew suited him up. A foil looking costume, with a full face helmet made of a specialised plastic, he waddled out of the suit up room and into the Administration’s minibus, beginning the 3km drive to Launch Pad 5, where his rocket, Jane and his capsule, Wilbus 3 ‘Verity’ who William named after his late daughter, so that she could go to space with him. It was still dark when he arrived, the sun only peaking above the horizon, approaching the ventral fins of the rocket at its rear, kicking it with his foot as if it were the tyre of an aircraft. After which he would make his way behind, to the rollback tower, which housed the elevator for the crew ingress/egress. With engineers up at the Capsule level he had to wait a few minutes for them to arm the difficult to reach Battery switches, before he was allowed to start on the ladder.
He would struggle to reach the top of the ladder, needing great assistance from his closeout crew, barely clambering in before riding it up to the top of the rocket. Where technicians would assist him through the small hatch bulkhead and onto his seat. Following suit up, the technicians relieved the closeout crew and began to bolt the pyrotechnically active screws, that hold the hatch in place, onto the capsule. For the first time in nearly a century, a Kafrican, on a Kafrican rocket, controlled by Kafrican people was to be launched. Yet, he remained calm, after around an hour and a half, where he had switched capsule electrical fuses, cycled them from the Number 1 to the Number 2 positions, before switching back to the Number 1 position. Subsequently the Capsule would be put through the blockhouse abort test procedure, and pass straight through it with no holds in the countdown. Mission Control would give William permission to flick the “LAUNCH CONTROL” switch to the left, the “READY” position. It was T-5 Minutes, the rocket on the pad, a beautiful Kafrican Morning, the time dedicated to give the Zokesians a shock. The nation waited with baited breath as the cameras aimed at this, small, yet significant hop into space.
At T-0 the engine of the Jane missile lit up, leaping off the pad, aboard the capsule William called out “Clock is operating!” confirming with mission control that the liftoff sensor functioned as planned. Ascending through the atmosphere the cabin began to relieve itself of excess pressure, down to 5.5psi as it remained going upwards. The vibrations inside the capsule increased as the dynamic pressure around it rattled its metal frame. The monopropellant fuel tanks for the Reentry Control System were visible on the bouncing needles, pegged to 100% in both AUTO and MANUAL bottles. William continued to call out, with the communication system working without any flaws. Meanwhile down in the equipment bay of the Jane vehicle, its guidance system controlling the rocket measured the output of the pitch potentiometer, in 1 degree increments it slowly leaned over and out towards the ocean. With fuel in the booster depleting, G forces building up to over 3.5 the force of gravity at home, the booster reached burnout. “CUTOFF. TOWER JETTISON GREEN” William confirmed over the comms, the abort tower was no longer needed, as the capsule separated from the Jane Vehicle, William had reached suborbital space. A few moments later he reported hearing the “thump” of the Reentry control system, orienting the capsule around to face his booster, a “beautiful view” of Kafrica, Diosca and Grestin out of his small portholes, a modification for the next flight, Jane Wilbus 4 will give a larger rectangular window for its pilot.
With the separation of the capsule, and the turnaround complete, attention and breath baited upon the Retromotors, which, when orbital, will push the capsule back towards Kerbin and home. ⅓ motors would fire on this mission, not great, but not a failure either as he was suborbital. Upon the completion of the Retro 1 firing, the capsule jettisoned the retro package and assumed the entry attitude, holding it until 10,000 feet in altitude, deploying a white pilot parachute for a few seconds before dragging out a drouge, at 3,000ft in altitude, the drouge carried away the longer range communication equipment, allowing for the main parachute to be unfilled. After around 10 minutes, William returned to terra firma, albeit a wetter one of which he departed as he splashed down in the Kafrican Sea, just south of Diosca. After touchdown, the recovery forces of the Central Kafrican Coastal Defense Force moved in on the capsule’s location, successfully lifting William aboard the recovery ships and bringing him, and his space capsule back home.
An achievement in space that will forever live in the memories of all involved. May the engineers, researchers and trainers involved in this monumental flight be blessed with the highest honor a civilian may hold in this country. God Bless the United States of Central Kafrica. President Drimp has came out and announced that the capsule will be on display at the Angus visitor complex, as part of our space history preservation project.
God Bless the United States of Central Kafrica
