Big Kerbie

So, being frustrated by my simulations (see reverted flights) to put an unmanned Rover on the Mun, I decided to try a different mission. Weeks back, I had selected a contract for a long term orbital survey of Duna. Today, I launched that mission. I have never in my many, many hours of playing this game sent a probe to any other body other than Mun and Minmus. I am very excited for this mission! I am not at the optimum angle for the journey, but it will get there after a mid course correction burn. Communications might be an issue, but the antenna I stuck on the probe should reach back to Kerbin. Until it gets obscured by Duna itself. As we approach the optimum launch window, I can see a remote Rover probe being launched as well.

So since the Mun2/Minmus1 landing mission is just weeks away, I decided that biome hopping in that lander won't be feasible. I had hoped to use the PackRat Rover, but I'm impatient and I really like the Karibou with its roomy interior and lots of room for science experiments. So I made several "simulations" to see if I could get it to the Mun using its VTOL engines for final landing all the way uncrewed. All simulations were unsuccessful. Perhaps I'll have to amend the rover build a bit. I think the center of gravity is off as it wants to flip out under powered landing approach. Also, the nerv engine I used for the trip out to the Mun and orbital insertion when I got there is ridiculously slow for that much mass. These sorts of simulated disasters make me want to pull whats left of my hair out. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Launched the Port Kerbin Comms Truss A into LKO. At 1 km from the station, it separated from it's carrier and made the short hop over to the station. It then docked and welded easily. I've found that turning off the "snap" option on the construction ports seems to make them hook up easily. The carrier was deorbited and it burned up. But I will be making a modification to the carrier and adding some chutes and possibly some landing gear if I come down on solid ground so I can recoup the funds from the parts.

Finished up the Tigercat Orbital Rescue mission. The targeted space junk ended up being a BACC Thumper SRB. It was heavy, but not as heavy as it could have been because it was empty. Everything and everyone returned from orbit unscathed. Ta-da! Frante Kerman joined the ranks of the KSP. Spesos were paid out.

I don't think I'm partial to either one. They both have thier challenges. I think I like going to the Mun best, but like you said, Minmus is easier to work with.

Just a short time to play today so only two mission s were started. While I wanted to work on Port Kerbin and send up the first truss section, there was the nagging problem of three previous contracts that needed to be addressed. The first was contract I wanted to get rid of was a long term orbital survey of Minmus. It required the Little Brother package, but didn't say I couldn't put more stuff on it. I loaded it up and launched the Minmus Surveyor mission. There are a miriad of science experiments on board including the resource scanner and multi spectrum imaging platform. Easy peasy. Reached the target orbit in 5 days. North and South hemisphere recon data were sent back. I only need 30 days until the contract is fulfilled. I did not put a large relay dish on it, and I kind of regret it. There are a couple of other sats in Minmus orbit already that have relay capability, but nothing really long range. Jeb, back from his vacation, was selected to pilot a two tier mission in the Tigercat Mk2-B Orbital Rescue Vehicle. As Val is still meeting with mission planners and doing more simulations with her crew for the upcoming Mun 2/Minmus 1 landing mission, Jeb was the only pilot left. Seems some other space program has launched a hapless Engineer into LKO and they need us to bring him home. Also, there is piece of space junk in a similar orbit as the engineer, and KSP wants to bring it home to study it. Jeb asked to be paired up with one of our rookie Scientists to go up with him to get some experience. The launch went perfect. Orbital insertion was flawless. Rendezvous with the engineer's mk2 inline cockpit went swimmingly. It was grabbed with the claw. All systems go! Mission success. As this was not the hunk of junk we wanted, Jeb set the Tigercat into a low periapsis orbit and decoupled the cockpit and the second stage (which was nearly out of fuel). He then reversed course and brought the Tigercat ORV back into a circular orbit while the two decoupled parts burned up harmlessly in Kerbin's dense atmosphere. The intrepid crew now wait rendezvous with the target space junk. Once they reach it, they will grab on and make thier deorbit burn. Two contracts will be fulfilled with that one. Busy times at the KSC. All hands on deck. There is talk of beginning the planning stages of a base on another planet. The Kerbal Planetary Base Inc has proposed several plans of what could be. This is just the early stages as we have not even left the Kerbin system yet.

Merry Christmas everyone! In some sort of Christmas miracle, after restarting my game, I got the central hub and the main core of Port Kerbin to dock and weld together!!! Contract was fulfilled and spesos were paid out. In other news, a contract to reposition a JSI RWPS satellite was accepted. Need to wait 16 days and do it at the apoapsis. Thanks Kerbal Alarm Clock! A new contract to do science at the Northern Ice Sheet was accepted. Our new quartermaster took the Tomcat Mk3-B with a couple new science instruments stuffed into its tiny cargo area up there. He did the contract and then since he still had fuel, jumped over to the Northern Ice Cap area and did it all over again. Next scheduled launch will likely be tomorrow as it's Christmas Day and family time. We will try to get the struts A and B up to the station to keep building. The struts hold the long range comms gear and are the mounting points for the Power struts which hold the gigantor solar panels.

Yesterday in KSP I launched the core of my Port Kerbin Station. Pretty easy too. Put it in a 150km by 150km parking orbit. Six Kerbalnauts reside there working on science and waiting for the rest of the station parts. However, it's only got room for 8 Kerbals, so contract not fulfilled. I also launched the central node to hook up with the core, which would bring its capacity to 9 required by the contract. Made rendezvous and tried to dock with the new construction ports. Nope. After the magnets tried and tried, they finally quit working altogether. Seeing as this could be bad and maybe just a problem with a high part count, I deorbited the central hub and it's carrier rocket motor just taking the loss. I relaunched after adding another regular port to the carrier rocket and making sure I had my settings on the ports correct. Again, made rendezvous and attempted to dock. Still having problems getting them to lock. So much so, it threw the station core 180 degrees off the port alignment for a proper dock. I reinitialized the SAS and pondered just what might be causing this problem. I have no idea why I can't get this central hub to dock. Everything lines up. Magnets engage. The two construction ports just aren't locking up. Could it be the mod? Should I try it with a standard Clamp-o-tron? If I can't get this central hub to dock and then weld together, my station will not work the way I have planned. Ground tests will be forthcoming before all hope for the second hub is abandoned.

I just write them down. Mostly for retractable solar panels and radiators and antennas. Activating all science experiments (reusable and non reusable) and collecting all Science. Lights are either tied to the lights button or to the landing gear button. Gear is pretty obvious. Abort is rarely used. I rarely get more than 5 groups together.

Not much happened today. A simulated model of the proposed Port Kerbin Space Station was constructed in the VAB. It was very heavy (read 350 tons) and very long and spindley. Boosters were attached and the uncrewed model was launched. It flew very poorly. It made it to space in our "simulation" but could not properly hold its trajectory long enough to affect a good burn to achieve orbit. The simulation was ended and everyone went back to the drawing board. A new plan was made to build the station in number of smaller launches. We hope that a station built this way will fulfill the contract. Also, three new hires were acquired. A scientist, a quartermaster, and a mechanic. Not entirely sure about the new kolonization crew identifiers. I hope they will positively affect the game.

Work continues on the planned Port Kerbin space station. With the accepted contracts in the pipeline, there was some talk of trying to meld several missions into a big single mission. Build a station in Kerbin orbit with antenna, docking port, power generation, a science lab, and room for 9; build a station in Minmus orbit with antenna, docking port, power generation, a science lab, and room for 5; rendezvous in Mun orbit; dock two ships together in Mun orbit. Our fearless engineers say there is no reason we could not build a station capable to traveling from Kerbin to the Mun and then on to Minmus. So the mission designers have this plan: build the station with the capability of expansion in Kerbin orbit with nuclear engines. Once the station has completed that contract, travel to Mun. Once there, it will wait for Val and the Mun 2 landing mission. They will rendezvous and dock in Mun orbit. Val and her intrepid crew will make a landing and set up another SEP and Rover and collect much science. The Mun 2 mission will once more rendezvous with the Station and drop off all the science and possibly refuel. Then, the Port Kerbin space station with Mun 2 mission still docked, will travel to Minmus. Val and her crew will load up another SEP from the stations stores and prepare to make the first Minmus landing. Port Kerbin space station will make orbit around Minmus and fulfill that contract. Before landing, we will make sure there aren't any other contracts that popped up enroute. Val and her crew will make the landing on Minmus and make much science. They will then once more rendezvous with the space station and leave their science data for the scientists to study in Minmus orbit. They will then return to Kerbin aboard the Mun 2 lander capsule. It's probably the most ambitious mission I've ever planned for KSP. Usually it's just out and back. I have high hopes but it might be more than I can chew. This mission will end up taking 9 Kerbalnauts and quite a bit of time, both real time and in-game. The biggest part will be making the station big enough and controlable enough to make the mission work. I know the Mun 2 mission spacecraft is capable enough to do its part of it, so that's less of a worry. We'll see how it goes.

Just a few things today. A scientist and engineer went out in the Karibou Rover to do nothing more than attempt building the PackRat Rover. They were unsuccessful in the attempt. The wrong node was used on the ground pylon we think. We'll get the whole construction with KAS thing figured out before we go to the Mun. The Tomcat Mk3 was "upgraded" with new diverter supersonic intakes and taken for a ride to test them out. The Tomcat flew better at higher altitude but overall was much slower reaching only Mach 1.3 at 8000 meters, less than half the speed I was getting at the same altitude with different intakes. The decision was made to end the Tomcat program with this model. It will continue to serve the program as a single seat midrange science jet. It can reach half way around Kerbin without using afterburner. Some work was done planning the Kerbin space station Port Kerbin. Nothing was finalized. Engineers are having trouble fitting everything everyone wants without the Rockomax Clamp-o-tron Sr. docking ports. We have a ways to go before we launch anything.

It was a mediocre couple of days at the KSC. With Jeb, Bob and Bill on vacation, the rest of the Kerbalnauts save Val who said she wanted more time in the simulator preparing for the Mun 2 mission, took the Karibou Rover out for a spin. The scientists needed more data and field testing on several things. They cruised around the space center and surrounding shores area doing science. They were going to set up the PackRat Rover from the KIS lockers on board, but someone got the Karibou stuck on the launchpad and recovered. Much science points were returned. Another day I suppose. The Mun 2 mission is a ways off yet. Then, a contract to collect surface pressure data was accepted. One of our dauntless scientists jumped into the Tomcat Mk3-D and raced a quarter way around Kerbin at Mach 2.8 until she reached the target area. She successfully landed and completed the contract. (New parts unlocked by several missions will see the Tomcat upgraded once more, and possibly replaced by the new Mk2 space plane parts into a new jet) Then, a contract to study the magnetic fields of Kerbol was accepted without really reading it. A high and low orbit study, at an obscene inclination of 54 degrees and an eccentricity of .50. The engineers said it should be no problem. Well just strap a crap ton of fuel and boosters to as small a package as is absolutely necessary and punch it. Well, it went ok. Sun Diver 1 was the first spacecraft to leave the Kerbin SOI. It did send back high Kerbol science data. However, it did not reach the desired attitude. Just not enough fuel. It only got to about 34 degrees and .44 eccentricity. It was decided that it could just stay where we put it and we'd try again with Sun Diver 2. There has been talk of trying to slingshot around the Mun or Minmus to gain more velocity and a closer to target inclination upon ejection from Kerbin. Also talk of Moar Boosters! The Minmus Flyby 2 mission completed its science mission and successfully returned to Kerbin. Much science was gained! There are several (10) outstanding contracts to be completed. The eggheads at the Admin would really appreciate them getting completed before any more were accepted. The science returned from several missions has unlocked many secrets and a wide range of technology and rocket parts. We are on the cusp of leaving Kerbin's sphere of influence and traveling to the other planets. The Duna transfer window is less than 125 days to go. On the horizon is the first Kerbin space station, Port Kerbin. Haven't decided yet if I want it at Geostationary orbit altitude or LKO. It will be followed quickly with Port Minmus, our second space station. Designers are still working out the details. MKS is still new to me so, while it's really pretty, I haven't got the operation totally figured out yet.

Space flight is a dangerous profession. Thus being said, sometimes Kerbals die. I will do everything possible to minimize the risk for said daring Kerbalnauts, but like Ivan Drago said, "If he dies, he dies". I won't revert a mission if there is an accident where a Kerbal is stranded or dies or they die because he or she has been stranded for so long they run out of life support. I won't use hyperedit. Nope, not gonna happen.

A tickertape parade was scheduled for Jeb, Bob, and Bill as they succeeded in pushing themselves home from the Mun! They joyously rode around the space center to the thunderous applause of all the KSP employees. They will enjoy a much needed vacation for a couple weeks before I send them up again. Much was learned from their trip, and we continue to gain science from the Surface Experiment Package they left on the lowlands. We have learned how to build the PackRat Rover and use a new Seismic Accelerometer science instrument. Both things are quickly being stuffed into the Mun 2 launch vehicle for the next expedition by Val and a couple of other Kerbalnauts chosen at random. In the meantime, engineering has been busy building the Minmus Flyby 2 mission. A redesign of the heat shield should result in a successful return to Kerbin. It is currently sitting in LKO ready to be sent off on its way. From seeming disaster to tickertape parades. I love KSP!