Misguided Kerbal

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Unfortunately, I am currently being peppered by an absolute onslaught of schoolwork - I probably won't be free until at least the end of October haha However, I have everything for the next chapter already planned out - it's just a matter of finding the time to actually put these plans into motion.

Coming soon to a chapter near you! Well, it depends on how exactly you view the timeframe, but the answer is indeed yes. However, we have a few things to knock out of the ballpark first - including, when I get around to doing the next chapter, some probes, since it's been a while since we've done that. After that comes the successor to Spacelab to serve as the jumping-off point for munar missions, and then off to the mun we go! (hopefully that is, anyway).

Sometimes it's funny how time passes so quickly - can you believe it's already been over a year since I started this mission report? Yeah, it's amazing how far we've gotten already, and I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you who have had the patience to follow along so far. My original intent for this introduction was to write a long, rambly paragraph detailing exactly why the last chapter was on Christmas Day and how it's now the beginning middle end of March beginning middle end of April beginning middle end of May, but honestly, there just isn't any further excuse. Well, okay, I might have also purchased Terraria... and Euro Truck Simulator 2... and Stellaris... and Cities: Skylines... (hey, they were all on sale!) Although that might not be the complete truth... I might have also happened to purchase Rimworld Chapter 15 "We're tumbling end over end up here." - David Scott

Thank you, I'm sincerely flattered! Funny that you ask actually, since I've been meaning to pull myself up by the bootstraps and finish Chapter 15 today, which I'm about halfway through.

Recently, I've been caught up in a whirlwind of schoolwork, leaving aside very little time to accommodate any hobbies. What meager amount of free time I've had these past couple of weeks have mostly been monopolized by other games (looking at you, Terraria and Rimworld!), leaving the ol' KSP itch unfulfilled. Of course, with the short reprieve which is summer break, the time has finally opened up to scratch the KSP itch once more. Last time, I decided on a whim to experiment with air launch, and while (in my own humble opinion, at least) I did quite a great job engineering the carrier aircraft, the overall resulting launch was rather disappointing and left me quite unsatisfied. So of course, what better way to scratch the KSP itch than to build agglomerations of parts greater than my poor MacBook can handle and attempt to tackle the air launch problem once more?

Right here. @AtomicTech

Well, I better retract my previous statement, eh? Welcome back! @Maria Sirona

I'm excited for the modding scene that KSP2 will bring, and for all of the future adventures in the Kerbal universe and beyond!

On a whim, I decided to experiment with air launch. Perhaps, I thought, it would be able to streamline launch operations with the use of FMRS, and if nothing else, it would at least provide a significant dose of cool factor - I think a paragliding, air-launched gemini-esque spacecraft really hits the sweet spot.

Spacelab 4 was supposed to be just a routine mission to Spacelab, ahead of the much more ambitious missions planned for Spacelab 5 and 6. However, BARIS decided to throw me a curveball, and took me instead on a wild, wild ride... Also, this is the fourth time I'm writing this chapter - I originally began writing this chapter on the first of December, and it's currently Christmas Day at the time of posting. You would've thought that I would have learned my lesson by now, and in all honesty, I'll probably just start writing these chapters in google docs from now on. It's quite the downer when you're about halfway done writing a chapter and it suddenly decides to un-exist. Anyway, writing rant aside, in other news I've had to begin a spreadsheet just to keep track of the crew roster and everyone's missions. Also, to those who celebrate it (and happen to be reading this around the time of posting), I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you all a happy new year! Chapter 14 "Okay Houston... we've had a problem here." - Jack Swigert

I've had this horizontal lander design in my head for a while now, and I finally got the chance to build it and fly it around for a little bit. While I'm not 100% happy with the concept yet, it performed much better in-flight than I expected, probably due to the sheer amount of reaction wheels I clipped into it. I cheated it to the Mun, where it takes off via 4 verniers mounted on each side, which is more than enough to easily lift the lander even when it has a full fuel tank. Unfortunately, when I tried testing vertical takeoff on Kerbin, it still wasn't enough thrust to get it into the air. Decently high above the Mun's surface, an action group is used to toggle the Vernier engines and the main engine, a Poodle, lights up. Here it is attempting a landing after a short suborbital hop. Since the control center is still in the capsule, it's kinda hard to judge exactly which direction to point the engines so I ended up with a little horizontal velocity, but the landing gear took it like a champ. In a future iteration, my first priority will probably be adding a control point that is aligned with the vernier engines to the top of the tank. After touching down (not pictured), the lander thrusts into munar orbit, solar panels fully deployed. All in all, I'm quite happy with this weird little spacecraft.

For a while, I did think about launching everything on a massive rocket, Apollo-style - however, a Kerbin-Orbit Rendezvous mission profile simply gives me an excuse to do more stuff. For a Munar-Orbit Rendezvous as per the Apollo Program, we would get a cool mega rocket, and not much else. The Kerbin-Orbit Rendezvous profile, while using most of the same hardware at the start, gives much greater opportunities for expansion down the line and requires infrastructure such as space stations, tying in to the program's (current) station-centric focus and ensuring a smooth transition. For the circumstances the space program is occuring in, it also doesn't make that much sense. There is no race to the moon, so instead the program can take its time, with no need to develop a brand new rocket from scratch when existing, reliable vehicles exist. TL:DR - A Saturn V (Or Lindor V in this case, since Lindor is the second gas giant of the JNSQ system) would be cool, but unnecessary, as a KOR mission allows for more opportunities for expansion down the line. Mega rockets are cool though, maybe we'll see some of those in the future, such as for the heavy-lift capability needed for missions to Duna.

Haha, definitely. I once had a go at a career save, a long time ago. On a particularly disastrous (and quite expensive flight, featuring a load of RTGs), I managed to simultaneously take out the VAB, Runway, and Launchpad with all the debris. I thought it was a good idea to play without reverts when I started that save, so I just gave up. Fun times. Definitely! I have plenty of plans for the Leo spacecraft (such as a 3 seater paraglider variant perpetually in the works), and I hope that the spacecraft line will see a long and storied history (think the ETS Apollo, for example). I have somewhat of an idea for munar missions already thought out, which is: 1. The munar injection stage, derived from the Vanguard upper stage (probably a dual-engine version, for safety) is launched into LKO. 2A. For flyby missions, a stripped down version of the Block II will be launched to meet with the injection stage. 2B. For the eventual landing missions, either a Leo-derived direct ascent lander or a Leo Block II derivative plus a dedicated lander (I haven't really quite decided yet, but the more capable direct ascent lander is the direction I'm leaning towards right now.) 2C. In the future, the transit stage will probably carry payload, such as base/station parts. We'll get there eventually. 3. Flyby/land/base = profit (metaphorically speaking, this is sandbox mode haha) 4. In the the future, a reusable tug will replace the hardy injection stage, complete with fueling depots and ISRU equipment on the moons. Maybe, we'll see. Of course, we'll probably proceed with the Spacelab (and Spacelab 2) programs first. If all goes well, perhaps a few chapters down the line Spacelab 2 will become a shipyard for munar-bound missions...

I believe that's a picture using JNSQ, which just has a darker shade of grass on Kerbin.

You could just remove all the other folders except 'ALSEP' I think. I am pretty sure they require the breaking ground DLC to function though, if you don't have that.

I've been busy recently trying to get into Stellaris, but last night I decided to take a break from the constant menus and I ended up spending about an hour or so working on the design of a resupply vehicle. A resupply vehicle is, of course, not a terribly exciting thing. Nonetheless, my burgeoning station program needs something to replenish supplies, and thus, the LARV (Leo Autonomous Resupply Vehicle) was born. I would have thought of a more articulate acronym, but I was seriously out of ideas. Given its name, the LARV is based off of the Leo spacecraft. They share nearly identical service modules, albeit with the removal of the rear docking port and the addition of a 'tail'. Originally, the design featured wing-like solar panels, but instead I opted for the tail, attempting to distinguish the LARV from any other mundane resupply vehicle. But at the end of the day, it's still a can, just with the addition of a tail. Here it is in action, and the main reason I wanted to post this - in orbit, the LARV lays on its side instead of facing prograde. Initially, I had it facing prograde but that often obscured the solar panel, so instead it's more efficient to have it going sideways (pointing normal). Combine that with a slow barbecue roll and it is just incredibly silly to me, for some obscure reason.

Thanks! I had some terrible luck writing this chapter, but I hope we're back on a more consistent schedule now. Yep, that's it. I had a massive brain fart, but yes, I am referring to 10/24 hours a day. I should probably go back and edit that, thanks for catching that.