Tw1

That's a lot of landers. And that's a lot of Kerbals!

This makes me curious, maybe they could put a time limit on how long you can be on Laythe without the helmet. Let the thing tick down, and poof, no more kerbal.

I also have a problem, the propellers don't work for boats. I've tested it here

I have found propellers won't work when partially submerged. This put a stop on creating stock boats and aquatic rovers. Here is an experiment to demonstrate: Here, propellers have it going like no one's business But here, same set up, and you're quite literally dead in the water I hope this is an oversight and not intended. Sure, water propellers are slightly different, but it's not like an airplane prop would be useless. It would be great to see this patched, so we can build stock propeller powered watercraft, for Eve, Laythe, and just on Kerbin.

I'm linking the craft file here for future reference, and incase anyone wants to look at my work. I've used breaking ground expansion parts, mods used are KAS, KIS, Kerbal Engineer Redux, mechjeb, and kerbaltek's Graphotron. TW1's Ultimate Apollo Reenactment edition Apollo Spacecraft I originally rushed the launch vehicle so I could get going. I've since gone and made a few changes, and the rocket is better for it Modifications include: Tower details Launch escape system 99% less exploding engines and less structural wobble Gratuitous Ullage motors Fixed some issues with symmetry and fuel flow Added the ability to shut down the central engine before the rest before staging. Adjusted the strength of faring and heatshield ejection. If I want to fly it again in the future, it will be ready. KApollo 1.2 made some first steps on Minmus, at a spot I like to call Starfield Plateau, And kApollo 1.3 is set to land near the Mun's prograde point. The locations of my old M.I.S.S.S. and Prograde City respectively. I'll also throw in a link to my original Apollo, done years ago. This was the original disney animated to the one above's live action CGI https://imgur.com/a/vdR5f Now I've just perfected all this, my brain is saying, you know how you weren't perfectly happy with the silhouette of the rocket or lander, what if you redo the whole thing like this and this, and .... nope. time to do something else.

IDK what she's found, but it's not good.

I particularly like "Ha Ha, Missed Again! Mountain". This is such an ominous looking solar system, yet it somehow reminds me of both Spore, and Extrasolar. Just like I said in my thread. You must have whole dictionary of insultingly named spacecraft by now.

It would be you who notices that bit , with all the names you've given to spacecraft. I made it subtle here, but this was a thing when the Australian government announced our new space agency a few years back The recovery mission was one of my favourite parts, I'm very happy with that boat's aesthetic, and running kerbals around on top is great fun.

I actually part clipped an external seat inside. Here's what Valentina's place looks like: I considered just editing the part file, (and TBH I had to do that a bit so those internal bits would survive splashdown,) but this way felt more kerbal.

The following is adapted from a series of blog posts, most of which were timed roughly to coincide with the dates of the real life events 50 years ago. I'm adding it here to show you guys, and so I can add high res photos. Hopefully you're not already burned out about the 50th, as I've put a lot into this. I thought, if I was to one ultimate Apollo, to the best of my skill, what would I include? And then did it. It's going to be basically a J mission, with as many interesting things from the Apollo missions thrown in as I could. We've got launches, landings, EVAs, an elaborate recovery effort, you know, the works. It's not everything, but hey, there's never enough time to do everything. You often hear that an average modern computer has many times the power of the ones used to put a man on the moon. This suggests it should be possible to use an average computer to put someone on the moon. That is what I’m going to do. Sorta. To mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, I’m going to attempt an authentic™ recreation of an Apollo mission in Kerbal Space Program. Right now, we’ve got our brave crew, ready to board the Saturn V imitation rocket: An almost as brave group of scientists, getting into position to watch the launch: Just a little longer, as we wait for everything to be ready. Engines are warming up. Countdown begins, here we go… Liftoff! The first stage carries us high above the clouds When out of fuel, it is shed to make way for the second stage: you may notice some irregularities. That's because I part clipped lots of engines together to make it look like 5, and some of them broke off along the way The second stage takes us to the edge of the atmosphere, and much of the way to orbital speed Then it too is shed the 3rd stage Puts us in a low, but stable orbit around Kerbin. The planet below looks amazing, and our astronauts have some time to watch it, and check over the spacecraft, Before it is time to depart for the mun The translunar injection burn accelerates the spacecraft a further 850m/s, using up most of the remaining fuel in the 3rd stage. This is our trajectory post burn. It is a free return trajectory - should anything happen, the slingshot effect will cause us to fall back to Kerbin without needing additional power. But hopefully this mission does not end like Apollo 13. Next, the Transposition and Docking Maneuver. This puts the spaceship in the proper configuration for the munward bound leg of the trip. The Command and Service Module (CSM) separates from the 3rd stage and rotates around, ready to extract the lander: The munar lander has been in its protective shroud on top of the 3rd stage, but that shroud is about to come off With the lander exposed, the CSM moves in for the dock Closer… We have connection, now to separate, Success! The 3rd stage will slowly drift away. We’re all set. Our three Astronauts, Bill, Bob, and Jebediah, (the closest thing kerbal has to main characters) just have to sit tight until they reach the mun. Hang on, what’s this? Bill said he was hearing strange noises from the service module. I sent Jeb out on EVA to check it out, and look: A Stowaway! It’s Valentina, the single named female character they added years after the rest. She must have snuck on board before the others. Yep, she's been there the whole time. Damn it Val, you’re ruining my authentic™ Apollo mission recreation. I’m not supposed to have 4 astronauts. Oh well. The lander still can only fit two. I’ll still have to decide which Kerbals get actually walk on the Mun. Mission control was only slightly annoyed when they found out what Valenina had done. Kerbalnauts have done worse. But the rest of the crew were very happy to have her on board. The mission continues. To keep an even temperature, the spacecraft has been slowly rotating. Much slower than the gif makes it seem. We are almost at the mun. The crew has made a small correction burn, and briefly climbed into the lander to inspect it. The Munar Orbit insertion burn must happen on the far side of the Mun, out of radio contact with the Kerbin Space Center In we go: Sure enough: Commence the burn. And done! We’ve been captured into a low, retrograde munar orbit. K-Apollo is orbiting at a scale height of 15km. Inside, the Kerbals have decided among themselves who will go down to the Mun. Jebediah and Bob will man the CSM, Bill and Valentina have climbed through the tunnel to the LM. On approach, CSM “Cucumber” separates from Landing Module “Seagull”, Bob watches, as the LM moves away, getting ready to begin descent and landing. Our trajectory, as plotted by the guidance computer A shallow landing trajectory uses minimal fuel fighting gravity. Down we go: Out the window, the surface gets closer and closer As speed drops, the spaceship rotates, putting more thrust downward to limit the rate of descent, Coming down vertical now, we hover a bit too check it’s a good spot, before guiding the lander downwards. Inside the contact light comes on, confirming we’re just above the surface. The engine is shut off “Ksc, this is tranquility base.” “The Seagull has landed.” It’s time. Bill stands on the top of the ladder. Bill: “I’m climbing down the ladder now.” Bill: “The ground below me looks mottled, and the pattern repeats if you look far enough, like one repeated texture” “I’m stepping off the ladder now” “That’s one small step for (simulated) man, one giant leap for (simulated) mankind.” The Eva continues. Bill is planting the flag. It’s an Aussie flag because that’s my country Valentina, who has joined him at this point, adds a flag also. This one carries the logo of Australian Research & Space Exploration. Together, they collect rock samples, deploy a variety of experiments, \ And perform some experiments of their own At the end of the EVA, they return to the LM for a rest period. They will eat and sleep and get ready for tomorrow. This is where we diverge a little from the Apollo 11 schedule. From here on, this mission is “Apollo the remix”. It’s time for our Second EVA. We’re about to deploy the Munar Rover. That’ll do. Off we go! Our target this trip is to the north. On the way, we pass many large craters. It takes care to avoid going of the edge. We're visiting the Kerbal space program Neil Armstrong memorial. On the way back, we stop to climb up the back of a cliff. It’s quite a view. Val: “everything the light touches is our kingdom” Bill: “But what happens when it gets dark?” Val: And now, for something slightly different: In orbit, in the CSM: Jeb: ‘It’s fun doing space science, surveying from orbit and all, but I kinda wanna see it up close.” Bob: “We see a lot more up here. Besides, orbiting closer would be dangerous” Jeb: (grabbing helmet and jetpack, moving to the hatch controls) “Mind the command module for a moment,” Jeb. What are you doing. There is no EVA scheduled at this point. Jeb. You’re ruining my reenactment. Come back. Jeb: “Hey Lander crew! Look up!” Val: “Jeb?” Jeb: “Hey Bob, you know how the Suit’s maneuvering unit only has about 500m/s of Delta-V, and the CSM was built with 1K to spare?” Bob: “Have you run out of fuel? :\” Jeb: Bob: “Do you need me to come get you?” Jeb: “Yes please.” Jeez Jeb. Don’t do that again. You’ll give the rest of mission control a heart attack. Back to the mission. After a rest, Bill and Val are back out, preparing for the final EVA. This trip takes us to a moderately sized crater to the south. A geologically interesting site, the rim is consists of lighter, older rock, but the middle is the younger, darker rock found on the maria. The route is carefully plotted to avoid the steepest parts, cutting diagonally down the crater edge. We come across a fresh mini-crater. Examining the inside reveals a lack of dust, but some unevenness, causing geologists on the radio speculate the on angle of impact. The crew wander about the crater, taking observations, core samples, and surface samples. Val: “I like this boulder. This is a nice boulder.” Bill. “That’s not a boulder. It’s a rock!” Bill: “That’s a Boulder.” In the center of the crater, is the mysterious munolith The kerbals cautiously try touching it, but nothing happens. Heading back now. As we climb, we get a fantastic view back into the crater. Arriving back at the landing site, Val and Bill drive the rover to the front of the LM. This trip across the Mun is over. Before they seal the hatch for the last time, a few last last tasks must done. All samples and data must be brought into the LM in preparation for launch. To save weight, anything not needed must be left on the Mun. Val places a plaque on the ground, in honour of those who lost their lives during space exploration. Tasks done, they take one last look around before climbing aboard. Time to head home. We’re on our way! Val: “Ascent is nominal. RCS is throwing us around a little, though.” Bill: “Cucumber, we’re on track for rendezvous. Computer predicts closest encounter in 12 minutes.” Bob: “Confirmed. Our numbers match. See you soon Seagull.” Jeb: “Just like we practiced, eh Bob.” Bob: Val and Bill climb through the tunnel into the CSM. It’s a little cramped with 4 of them. Next, we must dispose of the lander. We do this by slowing down, dropping it off, then accelerating back to orbital speed. The ascent stage will be crashed into the Mun, generating shockwaves which can be used by the seismograph we deployed earlier. While still in munar orbit, we drop off a subsatellite: The real life versions of these only lasted a few months, due to the Moon’s uneven gravity. Kerbal however, doesn’t model this. Time to go! To break free of the Mun and return to Kerbin, we need an injection burn of about 270 m/s. Leaving the Mun, now high over Kerbin, Bob goes on EVA to collect the film from the service module. We’re all set for the journey home. Morning before splashdown Operations Manager Jorford Kerman looks out over the deck of the spacecraft carrier K.S.S. Harvester, mentally going over his checklist as they pull out from booster bay. On the deck, Quarantine Officer Meagen inspects the containment unit, adapted from an old trailer. Hopefully, it will contain any strange mun disease they end up bringing back. Onboard are media, scientists, and all sorts of top brass. All are hoping for a smooth recovery of the kApollo spacecraft. Hours later, hundreds of KM above…. Jeb pulls the switch, and a guillotine mechanism severs the connection to the service module. Its has provided electricity and life support for 12 days now, but must be dropped before reentry. The Command pod, all that’s left of the spacecraft, plunges through the atmosphere, reaching temperatures exceeding 2760 C After the flames die down, parachutes are deployed, And the heat shield jettisoned. The capsule drifts down, untill Sploosh! Flotation devices hold the capsule upright, and the crew alight into a boat provided by the recovery team. The helicopter moves in, Picks them up, And takes them to the ship, where they are immediately placed in quarantine Some time after, the Capsule is also recovered. Everyone gathers around to hear from the returned astronauts. The first men on the Mun. It will be another week before the crew is released from quarantine. Ahead of them, is a lifetime of interviews and fame. This concludes the Apollo Reenactment. Thanks for reading!

This darn helicopter. Not only did it refuse to hover over the one spot, meaning this was how I had to recover my kerbalnauts: It goes and falls of the boat. Whoever was responsible for using stretchy cables instead of strong ones will be getting a stern talking too. My ship K.S.S Harvester, however, performs admirably. Sure, it's sluggish, and not just because of lag. But that slow operation makes it easier to use - I forgot to configure action groups to use the reverse thrust to steer. It is, however, slightly cursed. The ship stays afloat, but parts added to it tend to sink. My crane arm had ended up at the bottom of its tower somehow, so it needed to be replaced. The old one, currently doing a jig on the deck is about to find itself it the water. Also, here's the CASE of the INVISIBLE ASTRONAUT Spooooky Lastly, the time reverting to VAB brought in a little more than the vessel: Maybe the launchpad was feeling the cold?

I discovered trains are a whole lot of trouble Continued to test out that helicopter. I don't think I've ever bothered landing on this building before. And learnt that ground experiments have to be within 20m of the control base (that doesn't seem to be mentioned somewhere obvious?) Lastly, I did a test mission of my Apollo Capsule to reassure the kerbals it was safe to land. The Apollo mission has been in space for several days now. I have a setup which uses the hinges to hide the "floats" away inside, and it is so cool

It might be part of kerbinside. I haven't seen Airfield Island in pure stock for a while.

“That’s one small step for (simulated) man, one giant leap for (simulated) mankind.” We have flags and experiments set up also I've been doing a blow by blow Apollo mission on my Tumblr for several days now, if anyone is interested, it can be found here: https://myothertardisisonthemun.tumblr.com/tagged/apollo-mission-reenactment A full version with high res photos may find its way to these forums at some point. In other news, it was deemed necessary to conduct a survey of the KSC islands, to determine if they present an asset or a threat. Something I haven't done for a long time. My helicopter and I seem to have reached an agreement on what the expected behaviour of a helicopter should be, with a little assistance from mechjeb. Just as well, as part of the tour involved an inspection of this radio tower which would not have been possible otherwise.

No thanks. KSP is at is best when you are free to make what you want of it. No plot needed.

I learnt helicopters are cool, but another level of difficulty. It may just be the one I made wasn't very good. This helicopter didn't want to stay put, and had to be pulled back into place. Mistakes were made I also re-learnt that landing a plane on a very short target is hard. Fortunately, I found another method to achieve the task at hand. (Someone needs to submit a space odyssey replica before the 2001th page is out)

Sure, those would be practical options in most circumstances. But then again, there's always another way to achieve something. I could just open up the cheats menu, load in hyperedit, manipulate the save file, if I just want a means to an end. But for me, the fun is in doing something a certain way. Sometimes, you just want to grapple climb the VAB, or snatch away harpoon style a kerbal as you drive past. Abseil down the mohole, or scoop up parts from the top of a giant tower rover. Basically, all I wanted was some news that these parts are not being abandoned. I would like to suggest a "planned" section in the main post giving some reassurance that something like this will eventually return to a maintained version of KAS mod.

At least bring back the magnet to grab debris, and the grapple for attaching to the ground. All the other parts were basically redundant, but KAS isn't KAS without those.

Will there be something to replace the old hooks and grapples? They were very useful for building cranes, or gripping things and I don't know of any other mod which provides this, which was such a key feature of this mod. They were how it started, and have lead to all manner of amazing creations over the years. Also, those new pipes seem way to short for bases, and for all the crazy uses everyone came up with. If it still works, I think I'll be downloading an older version until the new one is up to scratch. Update: The old version is working fine?? I don't understand the reason for losing important features in the latest one, but I hope you restore them soon.

It's a pity it gets less traffic. If I recall, its move was also an attempt to bring more traffic to the fanworks subform, which always could have done with more visitors. IMHO, this thread and that one do serve slightly different purposes, this one is for talking what you've been up to, that one is more about aesthetic images. Also, it's interesting that that thread was ended at 84 pages due to size, when now even the pictures thread is 500+. Things have come a long way. Also, just look at all those really old pictures

Six years, how things have changed...

I made this to mark the thread reaching 2000 pages. That's a lot of pages! It's a great place to stand. Also doing an Apollo. I'm surprised the 50th anniversary doesn't have its own thread.

I ain't been around much, and this isn't likely to change soon, but from what I saw on tumblr, this could finally be starting to add real things to do on planets and long term ground science. Stuff I've wanted, and been vocal about wanting for years, a lack of which contributed to my moving away from playing KSP. Who knows, perhaps I shall come back. Yes, one day, I shall come back.

Alternatively (note, this video is out of date and this trick probably no longer works) : If we allow for it being a few versions ago, and uh, a few other things, I still hold the record for the lightest ever pure stock, not-technically cheating Eve ascent vehicle.