Adventure on Minmus

Di Costanzo Pasquale

Marigliano Alessandro

Toppi Antonio

Teachers

Flammia Armando

Terriccio Attilio

Federico II University with Shizuoka High School

ITI “E. Majorana” Somma Vesuviana - Naples

LEARNING FROM A SPACE MISSION SIMULATION PROGRAM

What’s Kerbal Space Program?

• Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is a space mission simulation program in the form of a game.

• The player leads a space mission operated by Kerbals, a race of small green humanoids, on their home planet Kerbin.

Why should you use it?

You can learn:•How a space vessel works

•Physics laws and their practice

•Physics of celestial objects

•Problem Solving

•To be as efficient as possible

Kerbal Space Program - Modes

The user starts a new game by choosing one of three game modes.

• Sandbox: unlimited resources. You can test any vessel you build and test flights.

• Science: unlimited funds but you must carry out scientific experiments through your flights and gain science points to unlock advanced components.

• Career: Limited resources. The player must complete contracts offered by the game to earn funds.

The Kerbol System

The planet Kerbin is in the Kerbol System, similar to the Solar System

Kerbin and Minmus

Kerbin is the planet where the mission

starts

It has the same atmospheric pressure and

surface gravity as the Earth

Minmus is the second and smallest

satellite of Kerbin

First Mission: the vertical launch

Objectives:

• Gain science points

• Learn the game basics

Components:

• Solid fuel booster

• Parachute

• Science points collector

Second mission: sub-orbital spaceflight

Objectives:

• Fly out of the atmosphere

• Land back on Kerbin safely

New components:

• Liquid fuel booster

• Stack Decoupler

• Thermometer

• Barometer

Third mission: orbiting Kerbin

Objectives:

• Set into a stable orbit around Kerbin

• Try out orbital manoeuvres

New components:

• Ogives

• Radial decoupler

• Winglet

Orbital manoeuvres

Prograde Retrograde Normal

Main mission - objectives

• Land on Minmus and return to Kerbin

• Collect scientific data about Minmus

• Collect sample material of Minmus surface

• Obtain zones and heat map of Minmus

• Use as few resources as possible

How to make the flight efficient?

• Take advantage of the planet rotation to gain additional speed

• Carry out manoeuvres at specific point

• 𝐸 =𝑚∗𝑣2

2

• Optimize the Thrust-to-weight ratio

• 𝑇𝑊𝑅 =𝐹𝑇

𝑚∗𝑔

• Calculation of Δv (delta v)

• 𝐼𝑠𝑝 =𝐹𝑇

ሶ𝑚Δv=ln(

𝑀𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡

𝑀𝑒𝑛𝑑)∗𝐼𝑠𝑝 ∗ 𝑔

𝑚

𝑠2

• Calculation of escape velocity

• 𝑉𝑒𝑠𝑐 =2𝐺𝑚

𝑟

Main mission - components

Utility:

• 1x Command Pod

• 1x Service Bay

• 2x Photovoltaic Panels

• 1x Heat Shield

Decouplers:

• 2x Stack Decoupler

• 2x Radial Decoupler

Engines:

• 2x Solid Fuel Booster

• 3x Liquid Fuel Tank

• 2x Liquid Fuel Engine

Experiments:

• 4x Thermometer

• 4x Mystery Goo™

• 4x Barometer

• 1x Science Jr.

Aerodynamics:

• 2x Ogives

• 3x Winglet

• 1x Parachute

Qui ci andrà il video

URL video

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Anj0xdYf845Jg6UdEPybdOShlWmMYw?e=osTFZi

Scientific results

Kerbin Minmus

Atmospheric pressure 101,190 Pa 0 Pa

Average temperature 308.28K (35,13°C) 232.32K (-40,83°C)

Gravitational acceleration 9.81 m/s2 0.491 m/s2

Additional discoveries:

• Due to its size Minmus has no atmosphere

and a low gravitational acceleration

• We took different samples from every

zone of Minmus' surface and we

discovered that the surface is mostly icy also thanks to the cold of the satellite

Major Minmus zones:

• Poles, located where Minmus axis of rotation

intersects its surface

• Flats, which are like frozen lakes, are

several on Minmus and the biggest three are

called Lesser, Great and Greater flats, they

are made of ice

• Lands, which resemble Earth's mountains,

can be three different types:

• Lowlands (2000-3000 meter above flats level)

• Midlands (3000-4500 meter above flats level)

• Highlands(4500-5700 meter above flats level)

• Slopes are located on the edge of the zones,

they are really steep

Heat map of Minmus

• Temperature depends from

the zone

• Higher when on cliffs

• Lower in correspondence of

the flats

220K 250K

Lessons Learned

Physics competences acquired• Newton's law of universal gravitation

• Calculation of escape velocity

• Gravity assist

• Space flight dynamics

• Resource management

• Mission logistic

Project management• Working in group

• Problem solving

• Learning from errors

• Making decisions

• Making internet researches

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION