Mars-Bound Hokie

I took the Neptune V planes along Laythe's western hemisphere to mark down possible base locations. Map incomplete, since the eastern hemisphere hasn't been covered yet. Need to refuel first. Locations that already have bases not marked.

While driving along the surface of Duna, Kat Kerman noticed an old robot covered in dust and decided to check it out. She then stopped her rover five meters from the robot and reported its position to Mission Control, who told her that it was the old Curiosity rover. Kat took a brush from her belt and started getting the dust off the panels. Unbeknownst to her, BDArmory had bribed Mission Control to equip Curiosity with a loaded gun in case it was captured by extraterrestrial forces. To prevent friendly fire incidents, the rover had the exterior structure of KSP-issued suits logged in its memory banks. That way, it could tell who was a kerbalnaut and who wasn't. However, Kat was wearing a new suit variant and Curiosity's defense protocol had not been updated. As soon as power was restored, the robot mistook her for a hostile and shot her point-blank. By the time her crewmembers reached her distress beacon, which had been triggered by a suit breach as well as a medical trauma, it was too late. Kat Kerman had suffocated to death after all her oxygen leaked out of her suit's bullet hole. Lind Kerman - shark attack while sitting on the toilet

I don't know if @έķ νίĻĻάίή can change his/her profile name, @XLjedi. Besides, s/he may not have that option in their country (or at least with the keyboard they own). You may also be wondering how I managed to mention @έķ νίĻĻάίή. As much as I prefer the name being typed in regular characters, it was not hard to mention his/her name. All I had to do was: Type "@" Copy his/her full name (Yes, that means you have to copy "έķ νίĻĻάίή") Right-click immediately after "@" and click "Paste as plain text." Backspace (at least for the "ή,") and it will trigger the forum name selector. At least that worked for me.

Start my own air force with 10,000 supersonic fighters.

THEOROD KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y58D311 - 3H15M This mission may look like a simple tourist run, but the reasons below will explain why this is anything but. Jerdrin Kerman, a board member for Probodobodyne Inc., paid for us to take him to Laythe orbit. Even without getting on and off the surface, flying there and back home is no easy feat. We need to pick up three other kerbalnauts (two scientists and a pilot) who are going to Pol in a ring station. One of five of the same model, which will orbit all of Jool's moons. One in Laythe orbit Two on their way (one to Pol, one to Tylo) Two not yet launched (launch date depending on budget at transfer windows) This is only the beginning of a new series of missions. So far, kerbalkind has set foot on all but one of Jool's moons. If you haven't guessed already, it's Tylo. Mission Control had warned us that it's the size of Kerbin without the atmosphere, so sending a plane to the surface is out of the question. Getting on and off the surface is also a challenge, but that's for later. Right now, Mission Control is focused on an orbital reconnaissance mission around Tylo - as well as rendezvousing with another vessel in that orbit. That is what this mission is for. Below is the current crew roster for the Anubis I, a docking-capable Poseidon SSTO. CURRENT ANUBIS I CREW ROSTER NAME LEVEL (AS OF Y58D311) SPECIALTY THEOROD KERMAN 4 PILOT TED KERMAN 4 SCIENTIST MAURIE KERMAN 4 ENGINEER JERDRIN KERMAN 0 TOURIST Taking off early in the morning from the KSC. Us in Minmus orbit 11 days later. We had to stop to refuel. Our monopropellant tanks are filled to a little less than half capacity, but Maurie's still complaining that we need to lose the weight. Though I myself was skeptical about the levels as well, Wernher Von Kerman told us that we needed to dock with two stations at Jool, and we won't need to make more with the ISRU. We're now in high orbit of Kerbin, awaiting our interplanetary maneuver node. We expect to arrive at Duna's SOI for an Ike refueling in 1 year and 83 days from now. When that's over, we'll fly to Jool and refuel on Pol. By then, Pinky Finger Station - the ring station going to Pol - would already be in Pol orbit with the crew waiting for us. Our plane's head count will then increase to seven before we descend on the surface to refuel. After that, we're kind of stuck on what to do afterwards. Should we: Pol refuel --> Tylo orbit --> Laythe orbit --> Pol refuel --> HOME Pol refuel --> Laythe orbit --> Tylo orbit --> Pol refuel --> HOME Basically, should we orbit Laythe first or Tylo? This is a 26-year-old rover named Apocalypse on the surface of Tylo. Named so because Tylo is like a lifeless Kerbin; an apocalypse, if you may. We're also sending a manned (but empty) rover to Tylo's surface, but that's another story. Ultimately, our end game is a spaceplane that can refuel itself and dispatch a reusable lander down to Tylo's surface. However, that's for much, much later. For now, let's see what we're dealing with from a safe orbit. Just like with the decades-long Neptune missions to Laythe, and the Pluto saga to Eeloo before that, it will take years of research, trial and error, and persistence. Long ago, nobody had any confidence we could get an airplane to Laythe and back safely. Nowadays, spaceplanes have become the standard go-to craft for planets with larger solar orbital radii than Kerbin's. Heck, Lasel, Bill, and Val - the first crew to return from Eeloo (after Bill and Val got stuck) - are going to Duna in a Dirtblood right now. I know we can do this; it's just a matter of time. Any and all help is welcome, and wish us luck.

My Tylo-related mission progress (or at least specific details of) will be on a different thread that's coming soon. TYLO TREK

I was thinking about downsizing the quad-adapters to fit more ion engines, but I'll definitely try that too.

DEADLINE IN T-MINUS 10 DAYS, 12 HOURS

NAMIN KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y58D135 - 1H30M I got the new probe on Laythe, as planned. Before I landed, I did a crazy stunt mid-flight. I went outside the plane WHILE IT WAS STILL FLYING. I slowed it down to ~200 m/s before I went out, then I took an EVA report from Laythe's upper atmosphere. And then transmitted it as soon as I landed. Refueling on Reflex Hammer Island Named so for its island formation looking like a hammer that the doctors test your reflexes with. 8* 13' 21" S ; 52* 20' 31" W The plane doesn't have any parachutes, so braking will be pretty hard. This is because you don't expect anyone to be inside it when it's working (but the cockpit is there for when it's necessary). When I'm done refueling, I'll be heading over to the Nathan Kerman Memorial Outpost and do the in-base inspections before fixing the car whose tire got destroyed. After that, I'll have to wait until the others return from Vall to pick me up. We'll either explore Laythe some more, or go straight home. Knowing Wernher and Linus, he'll have us fly around some more. A few weeks ago, Mission Control accepted a contract to take a VIP in orbit of Laythe for his vacation. So far, the plan is to take him in a (new) Mun Hopper. However, Mission Control decided to hold back on the launch until either the Duna window opens or when someone else buys a contract to a Jool moon - whichever comes first. Though it seems like an effective with a tried-and-true model (or at least the son (or grandson, if you count the original Neptune III's model) of), I object on the grounds that my alternative idea would save some money and get more done at the same time. Since Wernher von Kerman has announced plans to do an orbital reconnaissance mission to Tylo with a docking-capable Poseidon, I think we should put the tourist in THAT plane instead. We would kill three birds with one stone Do our Tylo mission Orbit Tylo and rendezvous with a new ring station (launch date pending) Pick up the kerbalnauts stuck in the Pol ring station Send our tourist (Jerdrin Kerman - M) to Laythe's orbit. At least he didn't pay for a landing. Plus, I don't think Jerdrin will object to the extra legroom Outside of the Laythe missions, I heard that the Raven-Remembrance Saga is getting close to being over. All that needs to be done is to refuel the plane and send it to Kerbin, and we're all set. On the other hand, there is a possibility that it may only have enough fuel for Duna (even when refueled). If that's the case, then the plane can summon a mass ore transport to refuel it and be on its way back home. Either way, we have 15 years to end this for good. When they land, we can put this decades-long mission behind us with BIG MONEH MONEY!!!!!

Are you talking to me? If so, I didn't; it was randomly generated

Today was a busy day in my space program. The most fun thing I did today was that I landed near Vallhenge. Lisa Kerman (F - Scientist) on top of one of the pillars.

Question: can I use Tweakscale for this challenge?

I finished the Neptune IV mission, at last. For those of you who don't know, it involved a 20-person SSTO that flew around Laythe and collected scientific data. The Neptune IV landed in Kerbin's desert. After that, I took a team photograph in front of the Neptune Memorial - which is what remains of the spacecraft used during the Neptune missions Neptune I: the crew capsule and the science bay Neptune II: just the MJ control module. The rest of it was destroyed upon re-entry Neptune III: the Mun Hopper model that was used All tanks are drained Neptune IV: the Poseidon plane All tanks are drained All 12 Neptune kerbalnauts (from I to IV) parked in front of the Neptune Memorial There were supposed to be 13, but Nathan's dead. We decided to leave a seat empty in his memory. FRONT ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT Ludlong Kerman (M) Neptune I Mission Pilot (EMPTY - Originally for Nathan Kerman (M)) Neptune I On-board engineer DECEASED Matster Kerman (M) Neptune I Scientist Johnfrid Kerman (M) Neptune II Scientist Enmal Kerman (M) Neptune III Engineer Lodock Kerman (M) Neptune III Pilot BACK ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT (ALL NEPTUNE IV - TOURISTS DON'T COUNT) Jebediah Kerman (M) Pilot Bob Kerman (M) Scientist Gralin Kerman (F) Scientist Tragee Kerman (F) Engineer Shelus Kerman (M) Engineer Valentina Kerman (F) Pilot Bill Kerman (M) Engineer A day later, a Mun Hopper that was taking two tourists to Pol returned to Kerbin. I was almost out of fuel, but I had managed to land at the KSC safely.

Thanks, @fulgur (and everyone else). I really appreciate the help. I got the idea from @Matt Lowne's Jool-5 SSTO from two years ago. However, I don't have any designs that can carry their own landers OR even put someone on Tylo. And no, I don't plan on copying off him (too much), since my final design concept will be significantly different. I'd like the plane to be mining-capable, so I don't need a direct burn to Jool from LKO. Plus, I can also refuel the lander by extension when I refuel the plane. I only need one lander. Like I said earlier, if I can land on and off Tylo, I can definitely get the others (except for Laythe, but that's a plane's club). The lander would be closed-cockpit (I'm good with a one-person capacity), since tourists will want to go to Tylo's surface. We might as well be prepared for that when it happens.

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN Two hours ago, we received confirmation that the Neptune IV has landed safe and sound somewhere in Kerbin's desert. Except for a few bruises, a broken nose, and a busted lip on a couple of tourists, all the occupants were okay. The injured tourists were reported to have gotten in a fight 30 minutes before the Neptune IV made its insertion burn. We still need to take two of them to Gilly and back before the tourist contract is officially complete, but that is a cakewalk. The contract in question covered FOUR tourists One's travel itinerary was done years ago, since all he wanted was to fly to Duna and back. It was a simple trip with the Dirtblood. Another tourist's was completed after the Neptune IV landed; he was the one who paid for the Laythe landing. The other two still want to land on Gilly before they submit their full payments. The Neptune IV also received another tourist who paid for a trip to Pol on a VIP contract. I knew that underside docking port would come in handy for a non-docking-capable variant. If you look closely above the left wing, you'll see Kerbin. When the plane hit the SOI, Bill noticed that the navigation was still set to Penguin Wannabe Island on Laythe. He then changed it to the KSC back on Kerbin and pointed the plane at it. From this far away, it was hard to tell where Kerbin was unless we pointed straight at it. The Neptune IV making its insertion burn. Seems like a high altitude for that, but they were coming in pretty fast. Still making the insertion burn, and we're starting to see a "sunrise" above Kerbin. After the plane achieved a successful (inclined) parking orbit, the crew saw that they had ~1,100 m/s of delta-V left. Bill wanted to wait until it was daylight at the KSC AND it was approaching directly underneath their orbital path. However, the tourists and the rookies demanded an immediate landing. Jeb eventually agreed to the immediate landing since he "hated waiting" and we had a Mun Hopper about to reach Kerbin's SOI in a day. Jeb then made a suborbital burn to land in Kerbin's desert. This is the plane passing over Crater Rim. After quite a bit of post-reentry spinning, Jeb regained control of the plane and made a slow landing approach. In hindsight, I'm glad that they picked the desert. When it comes to atmospheric landing, Poseidons are WAY less accurate than smaller planes. We had an abort sequence that involved ejecting the cabin from the rest of the plane and activating the chutes in case something went wrong. Landed at the desert. Bob then disembarked and planted a flag. Sure, there have been three Neptune missions before them, but everyone else ended up on water. Not counting the empty Neptune III, since its occupants came back in another capsule. Not only did we get a reputation boost from the tourist reviews, but we managed to reclaim the Lost Data. Even better, the Neptune II only had data for one Laythe surface biome (aside from the flying) while the Neptune IV covered multiple. The refueling stop on Pol was also a good opportunity for some more science. Good thing the plane's probe core was okay, otherwise we'd have another "Lost Data" incident like before. We received 4,257 Science Points upon recovery. NEPTUNE IV: ACCOMPLISHED Everybody in the plane was promoted to Level Five after they returned to the KSC, which was still dark when they arrived. Jeb was then seen shaking hands with Ludlong, while Bill and Val were chatting with Johnfrid and Olivia. Bob was trading scientific secrets with Lodock and Enmal; they seemed very interested in his findings. If I had to guess, I'd say it was due to the fact that their mission didn't have any scientists; their mission plan involved having a spare seat in case Johnfrid needed a pickup (and didn't have the Vall Girls). The tourists returned to their bunks while eleven kerbalnauts hopped an open-cockpit rover and drove to the Neptune Memorial - now with the Neptune IV next to the Neptune III. Its tanks were drained dry, and the MJ module was removed as an anti-theft measure. All 12 Neptune kerbalnauts (from I to IV) parked in front of the Neptune Memorial There were supposed to be 13, but Nathan's dead. We decided to leave a seat empty in his memory. FRONT ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT Ludlong Kerman (M) Neptune I Mission Pilot (EMPTY - Originally for Nathan Kerman (M)) Neptune I On-board engineer DECEASED Matster Kerman (M) Neptune I Scientist Johnfrid Kerman (M) Neptune II Scientist Enmal Kerman (M) Neptune III Engineer Lodock Kerman (M) Neptune III Pilot BACK ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT (ALL NEPTUNE IV) Jebediah Kerman (M) Pilot Bob Kerman (M) Scientist Gralin Kerman (F) Scientist Tragee Kerman (F) Engineer Shelus Kerman (M) Engineer Valentina Kerman (F) Pilot Bill Kerman (M) Engineer As for the other Laythe projects, we landed a third outpost on Laythe a few weeks ago. In honor of our fallen kerbalnaut, we named it the Nathan Memorial Outpost. Before he died, he had told me that he wished to operate the Elegail rover from up-close and personal. It seemed fair that we land his base near the rover's location. The Neptune V planes - the Mun Hopper and the new aerial probe - are a few days away from their refueling stop on Pol. When that's done, they will head for Laythe and leave the probe there while the crew comes back home in the Mun Hopper; they will also repair the car whose wheel was damaged after landing. The Neptune VI is en route to Duna from Dres to refuel on Ike. Some may call it counterproductive, but this is a way to save time instead of having to wait 12 years to get to Jool. Mission Control currently doesn't have any plans for a Neptune VII ready - or even in the discussion phase, for that matter. In the meantime, any more missions to Laythe will most likely be tourist runs or replacement missions in case something fails. Thanks to our new ring station and outpost construction projects, we're now on a tight budget and don't want to spend any more than we have to. Sure, we have plans for a mission to Duna with a Dirtblood, but they're cheap compared to the 400,000 dollar Poseidons - let alone the 1.4-million-dollar ring stations - not to mention we can use them again. While we're on the subject of money, we still have a (no-deadline) contract with the World's First Society to: Return to Kerbin from orbit of Tylo Rendezvous two vessels in orbit of Tylo. In a matter of months (or years, depending on how much money we have to spare), we will launch a docking-capable Poseidon to Tylo for orbital exploration - and to pick up some kerbalnauts that are in a new ring station that's on its way to Pol. If we have enough money, we'll also launch a ring station for Tylo and have the plane rendezvous with that so we can complete our contract. We won't actually land on the surface, but that's another mission. My ultimate idea is a large, mining-capable SSTO that can also deploy a single-stage, closed-cockpit Tylo lander from its cargo bay If we return to Kerbin from a Tylo landing, tourists will demand that we send them to Tylo's surface. Since not all tourists are EVA certified, we should use a closed cockpit instead of an open seat. Plus, one tourist may want to see Tylo while another wants to see Vall. Once I return the lander, all I need to do is refuel the plane (and, by extension, the lander) on Bop/Pol and we're all set. If the lander can get up and down Tylo without refueling in the middle, it can definitely do Vall. I don't care if I need to make a refueling stop on Minmus/Ike before I can get to Jool. It can refuel itself, so it's worth the extra stops. I want the SSTO because it's cost-efficient, we get (nearly) full return-on-investment, and our space program can qualify for the Jool-5 challenge. So far, we haven't come up with a good lander idea - let alone the SSTO to carry it. For now, we'll just stick with what we got for the orbital reconnaissance mission. I am so glad that our efforts to colonize Laythe have come this far, and that we're continuing to push our boundaries. The only two celestial bodies in our solar system that kerbalkind hasn't set foot on yet (aside from the sun and Jool, obviously) are Tylo and Eve. Mission Control unanimously voted to save Eve for last, since it is considered the "Endgame" of any space program in the solar system. We just need to work together to push the limits of science and technology even further. Wernher Von Kerman Year 57, Day 384 5H00M EDIT: We also accepted a contract to plant a flag on Vall. All I need to do is direct one of the Neptune V planes to there, plant the flag, and we're done.

Which is how high? Also, as embarrassing as this sounds, I don't know my cruise altitude and speed. All I was going for was: Looking like the SR-71 Meeting (if not beating) its real-life counterpart's maximum performance stats Personally, I wouldn't. 9 out of 10 times I used one intake for two engines, one of them had a tendency to flame out while the other one seemed to hog all the air. Besides, I'm going for an SR-71 replica here. Nobody would notice the precoolers being swapped for fuel tanks, but no air intakes in front of the engines means that it doesn't look ANYTHING like an SR-71.

I got bored and built a replica of the SR-71 Blackbird. After messing around with it a bit, I gave it the official seal of approval and posted it on KerbalX SR-71 Blackbird replica in the SPH Cost: 36,953 Crew Capacity: 2 Mass: 23.63 tons Science: Crew report Craft file here After the first flight test, I tried to take it to the next level and circumnavigate Kerbin in under an hour. However, that did not work out well for me. By the time I realized I wasn't going to make it back to the KSC, I was getting close to the crater formation. I then turned my plane slightly northeast and flew low so I can mark the Crater Rim station's location on Kerbnet. I then pitched up, but the controls were locked. I managed to release the locks on the debug menu before my engines completely drained my tanks. I then cut the throttle (and the engines, once I saw that they were still using fuel) and flew to a nice (relatively) flat spot to land. Thanks to my drag chutes, I didn't go far once I hit the surface. Personally, I blame the precoolers for my problem. I already have shock cone intakes for the engines, not to mention I could trade the precoolers for 800 more units of fuel - then I would have made it back. On the other hand, I don't know if I should make that call just yet. Just how useful are they when combined with shock cone intakes? In terms of aircraft performance (speed, altitude, maneuverability), how different is using precoolers from not using them (putting fuel tanks in their place)?

I decided to fly to the old space center to get some science points. Though I've already maxed out my tech tree, I wanted to do something cool real quick while waiting for one of my craft to hit Jool's SOI (57 days from now). I originally planned to use a Mun Hopper to get there, but the atmospheric spectrometer exploded from me flying too fast. I then hit the SPH and redesigned one of my older aircraft to carry all scientific instruments in a protected cargo area. Smartbird in the SPH Cost: 66,990 Crew Capacity: 2 Mass: 21.73 tons Science: EVERYTHING For sale at your local KerbalX dealer Though I was at a greater risk of running out of fuel, I only needed to get to the old space center before collecting scientific data and getting picked up. Once again, my plane's on fire less than five minutes after takeoff. I plugged in the coordinates to the old KSC into the landing guidance system so I can see the target indicator on my navball. If you look closely near the right rudder, you'll see some buildings down below. I circled around the area repeatedly just to get some aerial shots and find a good landing approach. This plane is very maneuverable, not to mention quicker to slow down than most supersonic craft. You can see the old VAB in the back. I then moved the plane to the old launch pad for some science.

Two months ago, I completed @Robonoise's Grand Tours challenge. Basically, I had to take at least 12 people around the KSC before swimming to the island airfield. Though my entry qualifies as a boat, it can also be used as an amphibious craft. Craft file here: https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/Amphibian Part Count: 81 Mass: 45.9 tons Crew Capacity: 14 I know I said 12 in the craft description, but that's how many tourists I was supposed to carry. Cost: 55,915 I believe you'll find all the proof of the craft's capabilities in this post. It shows me stopping at every building in the KSC before swimming over to the island airfield - and getting on dry land.

LUDLONG KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y57D104 - 3H15M It's been forever since I logged on to this thread - or in space, for that matter. Perhaps I should start from the beginning. The current Mun Hopper model was recently replaced with a more aerodynamic version. More specifically, the ore tanks and TCS was removed from the fuselage and installed in a cargo bay behind the drill compartment, the ore capacity was cut in half, but I don't think it's that big a deal since we only need the tank for refueling - not transport. Since there was extra space near the bottom of the second compartment, the SPH engineers decided to add a Mystery Goo tank so we can collect more data while the plane's flying. It would require an scientist to reset if necessary, but I'm sure that, for the most part, Jeb's crew was able to replicate the Lost Data in the Neptune IV already. Brand-new and improved Mun Hopper Crew Capacity: 3 Full Mass: 33.35 metric tons On sale for 114,560 at your local KerbalX plane dealer. Extra reaction wheels for increased spaceflight maneuverability You're probably wondering "What the heck is that BigBen timer doing?" Apparently, Mission Control has mandated that all spacecraft, both future and active, be updated with this stopwatch application. Sure, I get that it's necessary for rovers and planes that want to go fast, but I think it's a big fat waste of money to install it on everything. I mean, seriously, why would a space station or an interplanetary travel pod (like the Neptune I) need a stopwatch? Matster said that it could be used to time ISRU conversions, but I don't see why the entire vessel would need an extra application when someone's watch can do the job such fine. I think Internal Investigations needs to see if anybody's been getting kickbacks from BigBen's recent sale. All ranting aside, after the orbital test was a success, Mission Control ran a scenario simulation with the Mun Hopper on Laythe and timed it flying around the planet. It took less than an hour for the computerized plane to make one full circumnavigation. Honestly, I saw this as a way for them to kill time while waiting for maneuver nodes. If the Neptune III can make it to Laythe just fine - and if the Mun Hopper model that brought a tourist to Pol has the delta-V for it - then I saw no reason for this model to fail for real. In an effort to generate more demand for Laythe, Walt Kerman started a campaign daring anyone with a fast plane to go there and fly around in less than 80 minutes. Link to the challenge details below. SPOILER ALERT: he's allowing armed planes to participate Just when I thought that there couldn't be enough Laythe hype, Wernher proves me wrong. The SPH engineers decided to build a more heat-resistant model, so they removed the crew cabin and cockpit and replaced it with an inline cockpit and a nose fairing. While it would reduce the chances of any crewed modules blowing up from overheating, it brought the crew capacity down to 1. I argued that we already had the Hamacker as a one-man SSTO - and it was pretty fast on its own thanks to its four rapiers, but Gene said that the Mun Hopper had a higher TWR on the NERV alone and has already proven Laythe-capable. He then made me an offer which changed my opinion on the new model; I would fly it to the Mun, refuel, and head back. Laythe Speeder Crew Capacity: 1 Full Mass: 32.02 metric tons On sale for 113,240 at your local KerbalX plane dealer. MechJeb autopilot not included Below are the pictures of my extra-long test run to the Mun. After I was brought back to the KSC, Matster told me that they changed the Neptune VI mission plan. More specifically, the plan is to: Make a burn to Duna Refuel on Ike Fly to Jool I thought that the plan was for Anrey to return to Kerbin to use the new plane, but it would still cut her estimated mission time by about half. Rather than just wait around in Dres orbit, she would go somewhere that has a higher-frequency transfer window to Jool and arrive there years sooner than originally planned.

Widlock Kerman, being the daredevil that she was, designed a rocket-powered car that would be able to break Mach 1 and stop on a dime if necessary. After she broke the sound barrier, she took a selfie next to the speedometer. While she was posting it on Photogram, she lost control of the car and tried to stop it - but she forgot to install anti-lock brake systems on the wheels. She spun around her roll axis and flaming debris scattered everywhere. Her right arm and head were found near the protective fairing while the rest of her was under the dashboard. Ludlong Kerman - getting "high on speed."

ATTENTION ALL FLIERS This is just a reminder that the deadline to submit entries is only 18 days away (specifically, February 20, 2020 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time). If you want to "get high on speed," simply hit the SPH, get your camera ready, and start your engines. As for the entries that have already been submitted, great job. I'm even more impressed with you all discussing strategies and helping each other out. Even for those who just showed test runs (and not official submissions), I'm glad to see that you're taking this seriously. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And now, the numbers you've all been waiting for. If you think any of them are wrong, or if I'm missing something, just tell me and I'll address it. And before you ask, for mass divisions, I'm more interested in starting mass because that's easier to obtain. CURRENT LEADERBOARD LIGHTNING DIVISION @ManEatingApe - 27 minutes, 37 seconds @nelso - 35 minutes, 18 seconds @vyznev - 35 minutes, 18 seconds @Laie - 39 minutes, 47 seconds @Lisias - 50 minutes, 15 seconds @Mars-Bound Hokie (ME) - 53 minutes, 18 seconds @Nantares - 57 minutes, 47 seconds THUNDER DIVISION @Laie - 24 minutes, 32 seconds @nelso - 28 minutes, 45 seconds @AHHans - 52 minutes, 54 seconds @Lisias - 54 minutes, 44 seconds HEAVY RAIN DIVISION @nelso - 29 minutes, 45 seconds @έķ νίĻĻάίή - 63 minutes, 48 seconds @Klapaucius - 72 minutes, 6 seconds @Turbofreak, I can't see your pictures on your entry. Have you tried saving them on Imgur and posting links? One more thing I would like to tell you all about. Yesterday, I started a "sister challenge" for all you spaceplane buffs and Laythe enthusiasts. If you haven't already guessed, the name of the game is "Around Laythe in 80 Minutes." Feel free to take a look and/or join. Keep up the good work, everybody. Don't text and fly.

Once again, I'm ready for action. After I flew my Mun Hopper Mk. III around Laythe in less than an hour, I decided that I could use some more heat protection for next time. So, I replaced the current cockpit and crew cabin with a Mk. I inline cockpit and a fairing nose cone. I then did a simple orbital test and landed it back at the KSC with no problems. However, I decided to take it further for this case. LAYTHE SPEEDER

Yes; I learned that from my Neptune III mission. That's why I set an altitude limit, so you can't establish an orbit. Do you think it won't work? If so, do you have any other ideas? If we're talking about orbital ascent, then I'm definitely keeping the engines on. However, I'm staying in the atmosphere and would rather not my cockpit explode. If I saw that the heat meter was getting really close to full, I shut off the engines and waited until the speed got to around ~1100 m/s before restarting. Perhaps I should have used a model for better heat protection, but I decided with a Mun Hopper (variant) since I know for sure that it works.

For those who feel the need for speed, but are preoccupied with interplanetary missions. For the curious and the courageous, who want to prove their worth. For all you spaceplane buffs out there, who want a real challenge. LOOK NO FURTHER, MY FRIENDS! (Challenge badge, made by me) If you've already seen and/or participated in my "Around the World in 80 Minutes" challenge, then you should get the basic gist of this one. And kudos to whoever nominated that for TOTM January 2020. If you haven't yet, then the objective is simple: fly around Laythe in less than 80 minutes. RULES (will be amended if necessary): If you want the TL;DR version, here it is: No cheating. Prove you can get to Laythe Get ready along an equatorial island Record start time. Fly within Laythe's atmosphere around the equator. Land within 3 km of your starting point in less than 80 minutes. Record end time. Spaceplanes Mun Hopper Division 0 - 45 tons Hamacker Division 45 - 90 tons Poseidon Division 90 tons or more Dropships Johnfrid Division Plane mass 0 - 40 tons This means that the plane you're using qualifies if its mass is between 0 and 40 tons. The rest of the dropship is irrelevant. Laie Division 40 - 80 tons Named after @Laie, the current leader in the Thunder Division (flew around Kerbin's equator in 24 minutes, 32 seconds) for the "Kerbin in 80 Minutes" challenge Neptune Division 80 tons or more Some of you might be wondering "How exactly do I time my speedrun?" No, you can't just display your computer's stopwatch; it doesn't account for the game's lag and/or warp. Some solutions include, but not limited to: Use the MET clock and subtract the finish time from the start time. WARNING: it does not show seconds after your MET passes 10 years. Be sure to show your math and make sure it's correct. Use the Kerbin Time (UT) clock and subtract the finish time from the start time Same case if you use Kerbal Alarm Clock. Be sure to show your math and make sure it's correct. Program Kerbal Alarm Clock to go off when you want to start. As soon as it does, take off immediately. When you come to a complete stop at the finish line, check your "T-plus" time after that alarm went off to see how long you took. Have a reliable stopwatch mod. Whatever idea you use, you have to make it easily visible. If you want a straight-up stopwatch that works for KSP, you could download @linuxgurugamer's Big Ben. It's a mod that acts as a stopwatch and a timer (you probably want the stopwatch). If you have any questions about how to download or work it, contact him. P.S. He just got awarded Thread of the Month for February 2020. Before anyone asks, I calculated the average speed you need to beat 80 minutes. Now, that does not mean that you're okay if you cruise at 655 m/s; it just means that your average speed for 80 minutes has to be above that if you want to beat the time. If I had to make a suggestion, I'd say go at about ~775 m/s if you want to meet minimum standards - but your strategy is up to you. If you succeed this speed challenge, your prize will be: A challenge badge Mentioned in the List of Triumph All-expenses paid trip to the outpost on Coldbeard Island Not to be confused with Poseidon's Palace on Neptune Island, which is currently located in Laythe's Fallout Zone. Here's my entry for the Mun Hopper division: Below is the pic-heavy journey to Laythe from Kerbin. Now that the preliminaries are over, on to the main event. START YOUR ENGINES