Mun

The Mun, or simply Mun, is the innermost and largest moon of Kerbin. it is the larger sibling of Kerbin's other moon, Minmus. the mun does not have an atmosphere and has one-sixth the surface gravity of kerbin. the surface is gray and barren saturated in craters of various sizes. darker-colored mare are especially prominent on the near kerbin-facing side of the mun. due to its proximity to kerbin its low surface gravity and lack of atmosphere it is one of the most accessible celestial bodies for early-game exploration. its gravitational influence can also be used to perform gravity assists around and outside of the kerbin system into interplanetary space. three primary missions are focused on the mun. the first one focuses on achieving an orbit around the mun the second one on landing on the mun and the third on investigating the munar signal.

Synopsis

Kerbin's closest extrakerbestrial body the mun is a prime destination for early space missions. its orbital inclination and eccentricity match kerbin's, so munar transfers are as easy as forgetting ladders explore the scars of impact collisions and ancient tectonic activity on its surface or give it a wave as your vessel slingshots past it into the rest of the system.

Surface

The mun's surface can be divided into two broad regions: the light gray munar highlands and the dark gray mare. much of the munar highlands is covered in a thin layer of dusty regolith and is made predominantly of some form of intrusive igneous rock composed of mostly feldspar. traces of pyroxene ilmenite magnetite and olivine are also mixed into the highland rocks. the highlands is heavily saturated in craters which range in size from a few meters to hundreds of meters in diameter. the mare are mostly made of basaltic rock. the low density of craters in the mare suggests that the mare were once vast lava plains that cooled off geologically recently. some notable regions of the mun mun\'s surface are the mare eyes and the rayed crater. the mare eyes are spots in some of the mare on the mun that resemble eyes as their name would suggest. they have a similar color and composition to the highlands. they were likely formed from asteroid impacts that hurled up ejecta while the mare were still molten. the rayed crater, located near the far side of the mun is an impact crater with rays that stretch for hundreds of kilometers in all directions. it has a nearly whitish color due to lower concentrations of iron oxide. the surface experiences dramatic temperature variations due to the lack of an atmosphere to maintain or regulate heat from the incoming radiation from kerbol . temperatures can range from over 125°C on the day side to nearly -200°C on the night side and permanently shaded craters.

the mun was possibly formed from a massive impact between kerbin and a large protoplanet many billions of years ago. the ejecta from the impact entered into orbit around kerbin and coalesced into the mun. very faint magnetic signatures near the mun mun\'s poles suggest that the mun mun\'s core might still be partially molten from this violent event.

Science Regions

the space around the mun has a higher science multiplier than the surface of the mun.

Orbital Situations

class \"fandom-table\" orbital situation altitude range science multiplier - high orbit 60 000 m - 2 429 599u82e1 m 10x - low orbit 0 m - 60 000 m 14x surface regions surface regions surface regions the mun has five surface science regions. the highlands and mare regions take up a vast majority of the surface. class \"fandom-table\" surface region science multiplier - craters 6x - highlands 6x - mare 6x - mare eye 6x - rayed crater 6x

Discoverables

spoilers the first monument important to the story of exploration mode is found on the mun. - discoverable science multiplier - arches 8x - monument 8x - mun mound 8x - mun-or-bust site 8x

Trivia

• based on science reports, the mun technically does has an atmosphere but it is extremely tenuous. the density of the atmosphere is less than 1 000 000 molecules per cubic centimeter. since it is so incredibly thin it is effectively a vacuum.
• the mun-or-bust site discoverable is a reference to the crashed lander from the ksp1 main menu screen.
• some people believe the Mun's propper name is 'Mün', based on the writing on the previously mentioned crashed lander that features on KSP1's main menu screen

Version History

if only we knew..