[SUGGESTION] Unmanned Lunar flights for Apollo

[lehovsky]

Hi All,

I just watched Apollo Program Mission profiles, is it really necessary to fly Unmanned Lunar Flyby and Unmanned Lunar Orbital before I do a manned flight like this with no Reliability Penalties?
The only resason for unmanned mission like this would be if "The Trench" wouldn`t have experience in such a flight with other unmanned vehicles.

Therefore I suggest that unmanned lunar probes would increase Trajectory and Guidance for such missions.
In BARIS, as you launched probes to the moon, you decreased lunar trajectory flights risk, and also got some inteligence on the landing sites.
Concider this, please.

Thank you

[Sabratha]

Hi All,

I just watched Apollo Program Mission profiles, is it really necessary to fly Unmanned Lunar Flyby and Unmanned Lunar Orbital before I do a manned flight like this with no Reliability Penalties?
The only resason for unmanned mission like this would be if "The Trench" wouldn`t have experience in such a flight with other unmanned vehicles.

Therefore I suggest that unmanned lunar probes would increase Trajectory and Guidance for such missions.
In BARIS, as you launched probes to the moon, you decreased lunar trajectory flights risk, and also got some inteligence on the landing sites.
Concider this, please.

Thank you

Its a good suggestion. Currently each program is a "closed box" of sorts, little relations with other programs. In future versions this will change. Researched equipment will offer bonus R&D quality to similar objects researched in the future (Saturn I to Saturn V etc).
Also afaik acheived goals will have an active impact on the reliability penalties for some missions. Thus I expect that having the "soft probe landing" goal badge will nullify some penalties to the manned mission moon landing etc.

I'll pass your suggestions to the devs naturally.

[N_Molson]

Hello,

It is planned to remove the need to fly missions "one after another" in the future. Skipping the unmanned lunar flights will probably cost you some penalties, but not in a too punitive way. And yes, of course, lunar probes will be a "highly recommended" step.

[lehovsky]

Hi All,

Thats great. I have also noticed that when going for Lunar Lander Test, ironically its the CSM which gets the penalty, not the LEM. And of course -30% reliability its a bit too much.

To summarize, in order not to have penalties for Manned Lunar Flights of below type, we need to achieve plaques (?) for:
-Unmanned Lunar Pass;
-Unmanned Lunar Orbital;
-Unmanned Lunar Landing.

For the LEM, I would suggest that LEM R&D would be as high as 65%, It would gain additional +10% (or less) Reliability for successful:
- Unmanned LEM Earth Orbital Test;
- Earth Orbital LEM Test;
- Lunar LEM Test.

It would be both Historically accurate and Adventurous! You have to Fly the LEM to get it more Reliable!

Thank you.