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The KSP forum moderator's team presents the Threads of the Month July 2021 Edition Salutations and well-wishes to all! Today marks the beginning of July and as we get ready to put June in the past, let's take a moment to thank the staff at @SQUAD for the hard work, dedication, and camaraderie they've given to all of us armchair astronauts, cosmonauts, and Kerbalnauts! I began voluntarily beta testing games in the 1990s when Maxis was was cranking up the SimCity 2K and 3000. I can share with you I have never seen such a community as we have here with Kerbal Space Program. It's rare you find the programmers, producers, game beta testers, and community managers so active in the forums of the gaming community. As major developments on Kerbal Space Program (the original) comes to and end after ten years, we look forward to seeing what the next generation of Kerbal Space Program (KSP2) brings! But most of all, I want to thank you, the forum community, Squad, and the rest of the moderation team for allowing me to give back to our community. To continue a thing I started last month about the forum and new members as a way to answer the fears some folks had about the forum dying. In June, there were 142 new forum accounts created. Of those, 78 have actively posted content (defined as having at least one post). This means that roughly 54.9% of the new user accounts are actively participating on the forum. If you're interested in seeing the new members to our forum, you can click here! As we get closer to the KSP2 launch date and more people become aware of the new chapter of the franchise, you can expect to see the forum to continue to grow and evolve. So, before I get into the threads of the month for July, I ask that as you visit the forum this month, you help make it easier for me to do the August Thread of the Month and nominate worthy threads by using the handy instructions at the bottom of this post. Now, without further delay, I present to you the threads of the month for July: General community threads of the month: This category features a thread that adds to the community and doesn't fit in the game support/game mod categories. This month, we have two threads who are recognized for this category: There are a lot of us who have been playing Kerbal Space Program for a long time. And no one forgets what version they first tried to play. For me, I came across a free demo in the Steam store for this new "green light game" recommended because of the other games I play. For me, it was the 0.18 demo. From that first rocket launch and subsequent crash into the VAB (Jeb survived!) I was hooked! After ten hours of straight playing the demo, I decided to buy 0.22 - the "newest" and up to date version of KSP. So, what version did you start with? And how does it rate to what we have now in 1.12? We're grateful to @Rhode_Enterprise_By-Matt for starting this thread and we recognize his contribution to the forum with being one of this month's Threads of the Month! Game Support/Game Mod of the Month: This category features a mod (or mods) which adds to the quality of life game play of Kerbal Space Program. For July, we have two mods that tied for the top honor in this category: Many of us feel there simply are not enough planets to visit in the stock system. If you're like me and you grew up reading science fiction of every sort, watching every science fiction movie (even the bad ones), or spent hours watching shows like NOVA or Cosmos, I simply cannot get enough to explore! Well, if you fall into that category, like me, and you want to add something a bit new to the Kerbol system, then why not give this planet pack by @Maple Kerman a try. While it is not an entire solar system, it does add a planet and moons in an orbit between Duna and Dres. At first, I wasn't sure what category of Threads of the Month this nominated thread should fall under. The beginning of the thread provides an introduction of NASA's Apollo program but - Kerbalized! But towards the end of the post, @tehmattguy provides download links to where you can get all the craft he has designed that were a part of the historic NASA missions of the Apollo program. He has spent a lot of time building high-quality Kerbalized replicas. There's also a lot of historical detail paid to the explanation behind each of the Apollo missions - another reason I had a hard time figuring out which category - either mission report or game support - to classify this entry for July's threads of the month. Forum Member Created Challenges and Missions: This is a new category we are adding to the Threads of the Month. For the past few years, we have seen a lot of really good missions and challenges threads created that expand our fun with the game and presses our skills, creativity, and sometimes, luck, beyond what we get accustomed to. Let's face it, we all have our go-to design basics, our go-to Kermen, and even our go-to vehicles we like to use. So sometimes a good challenge can cause us to think of another way to achieve our goals. Most everyone has enjoyed the newest addition to the parts we have in the game. What no one was expecting was that this last release would add fireworks to the game. Maybe you've missed the announcement of the newest update, "Kerbal Space Program 1.12: On Final Approach is Now Available," and maybe you've not updated your current game. Anyhow, it didn't take long for @cubinator to think up a neat challenge to cause us to really abuse uh, I mean, use these new parts! Fan-fiction, Mission Reports, and Kerbal Space Program-inspired Creative Threads of the Month: This category features a thread (or threads) which while is not directly Kerbal Space Program related, may be a creative work, fan-fiction, or other presentation which is related to the game. We'd like to thank @Janderklander for this touching tribute to the Kerbal Space Program community that made the last ten years possible. If you want to get a good overview of the changes of the last ten years and the possibilities of the game, then please take a moment to watch this video. If you have a video you have made of your KSP endeavors and you want to share it, please do so! Post a link to your video in the mission reports area and maybe your video will be nominated and considered for the next thread of the month! We have a second mission report for this month that has earned the title of Thread of the Month. It's written by @jimmymcgoochie and is told from a perspective of a brave Kerbalnaut. If you enjoy reading how other people imagine their world of Kermen, their space program, and like to see in-game screen shots, then give this fan fiction based on one of your favorite games a try! As you can see, we also had another thread earn the recognition of being one of July's threads of the month in this category. This thread, by @Kuiper_Belt, focuses on recreating historic space shuttle (STS) missions and expanding the use of the shuttle system to include some fictional but probable shuttle missions. The introduction to the thread sums it all up nicely: Honorable mentions: Each month we get so many good nominations to choose from. Sometimes it's a challenge to choose which threads are going to receive the honor of being the Thread of the Month. But because not every thread nominated each month can be selected, there are always those that become honorable mentions. The honorable mentions for July 2021 are: Note: We didn't have very many threads nominated for Threads of the Month for this month. So, every thread nominated was used! Honorable mentions for July may not have made the Thread of The Month this month, but if you think they might be worthy of another opportunity, please renominate it! Congratulations to all the winners of the Thread of the Month for July! We'd like to thank @Kerbal Productions, @Superfluous J, @Admiral Fluffy, and the members of the moderation team who nominated this month's contenders. Thank you so much for helping us identify noteworthy threads for this month! TO NOMINATE A THREAD FOR CONSIDERATION: If you find a thread you feel should be considered for next month's thread of the month, then use the "report comment" feature (the three dots on the upper right corner of the comment box) to report the comment. Please put in the text field of the report post "Nomination for thread of the month" and we will do the rest! You can always nominate more than one thread, too. In case you missed June's threads of the month, you can click here.

Hello I wanted to make this video as a small and modest tribute to all the people involved in these 10 years of great moments and enjoy ......

KSP 1.12 FIREWORK PROPULSION CHALLENGE Fireworks are here, and that means new parts and physics to exploit! Here's how this works: Every time a firework is launched, it exerts a recoil force on the firework launcher. This force is enough to propel itself into the air, along with a little bit of extra mass. You know what that means! We can use it to travel through the air. RULES 1. ONLY FIREWORKS MAY BE USED TO PROPEL YOUR CRAFT. Decouplers may be used, but their deploy force must be set to zero. 1a. If you would like to use decoupler force in your craft, you may do so. However, you must make a note of this and your run will be put in a separate category. KAL overclocking will also be placed in a separate category. 2. Post a screenshot of your post-flight results. These may be accessed by pressing F3 in game. You may also post a video or as many screenshots of your design as you'd like, but make sure to include that F3 menu! Note that this menu is often inaccurate in its velocity reading, so you should try to measure velocity in another way. CHALLENGERS Fastest recorded speed 1. @jimmymcgoochie220 m/s 2. @jimmymcgoochie188 m/s 3. @Stamp20 175 m/s 4. @cubinator175 m/s 5. @Sivako Aerospace~90 m/s Highest recorded altitude 1. @jimmymcgoochie1251 m 2. @jimmymcgoochie 1063 m (Over 1 kilometer!) 3. @Sivako Aerospace632 m (using 2x physwarp) 4. @Stamp20 565 m 5. @cubinator533 m Records with additional exploits: @Stamp20 5991 m, 412 m/s (KAL 1000 overclock exploit) @Stamp20Impacted the Mun using KAL 1000 overclock SPECIAL BADGES OF EXPLOSIVE CELEBRATORY HONOR FIRST FIREWORK-PROPELLED AIRPLANE @Klapaucius FIREWORK KERBAL CANNON @Klapaucius a whopping 20 meter flight! FIRST TO SPACE ON FIREWORKS: FIRST TO ORBIT KERBIN ON FIREWORKS: FIRST TO IMPACT THE MUN ON FIREWORKS: FIRST TO TOUCH THE MUN AND RETURN ON FIREWORKS:

The Apollo Program You know it, we all love it: the legendary space program that put man on the Moon. At the time it was considered to be one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by either side during the Space Race. To this day the accomplishment of the Apollo program still stands as one of mankind's greatest achievements. Below are a collection of stock+DLC replicas I've built to represent the various rockets, spacecraft, and mission profiles that comprised the Apollo program—from its first test launches in 1961 to the very last flight of Apollo hardware in 1975. Currently this page features all of the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V flights minus Apollo 13, Skylab, and ASTP. If I have the time I'd also like to include the Little Joe II and LLRV missions, but we'll just have to see how things pan out. In the meantime, check out the spoilers below! They contain a bit of info about the launch history of the Apollo program, utilizing screenshots of every rocket and mission I've built so far. Downloads and flight instructions for each individual craft are featured further down the page. Birth of Apollo and the Saturn Rocket 1961-1963 Early Testing Begins 1963-1967 SA-1 - AS-204 (Apollo 1) The Saturn V Takes Flight 1967-1969 Apollo 4 - Apollo 11 Follow-up Missions and the End of Apollo 1969-1972 Apollo 12 - Apollo 17 Post-Apollo 1973-1975 Skylab 1-4, ASTP ↓↓↓Downloads↓↓↓ Required flags: drive folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12eV6W7RbosDmtB08Sp_0X-cJnIBsDEz0?usp=sharing zip: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RILAPVRDlsn9ptDrGnIGzTsrpWvztouB/view?usp=sharing All crafts* built in stock KSP v1.11.2, both DLCs Required *SA-2 and SA-3 built in KSP v1.12.2 Saturn I: SA-1: 600 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/pj5vru5x704rlo5/Saturn I SA-1.craft?dl=0 SA-2: 609 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/w7e9majhr3w26hp/Saturn I SA-2.craft?dl=0 SA-3: 671 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/8djx8x1zx8vrwr1/Saturn I SA-3.craft?dl=0 SA-4: 809 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/xl2r3nd8rau6pyn/Saturn I SA-4.craft?dl=0 SA-5: 1399 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/61umgn0p8swlwgz/Saturn I SA-5.craft?dl=0 AS-101: 1584 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/eer70uqyz085dih/Saturn I AS-101.craft?dl=0 AS-102: 1661 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ngjhxk8vh4fe59/Saturn I AS-102.craft?dl=0 AS-103: 2188 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/a7516r3dauowujj/Saturn I AS-103.craft?dl=0 AS-104: 2193 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/qxwekn35wch8hlx/Saturn I AS-104.craft?dl=0 AS-105: 2177 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/76ucg6t087vo6ng/Saturn I AS-105.craft?dl=0 Saturn IB: AS-201/202: 1748 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/oc1035zkkie4hy0/Saturn IB AS-202.craft?dl=0 AS-203: 1096 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/cfi3sacpqkeaibz/Saturn IB AS-203.craft?dl=0 Apollo 5: 2306 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/g6wam6tob2m7ry2/Saturn IB Apollo 5.craft?dl=0 Apollo 7: 1987 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/nwmb7dgiqd9ou26/Saturn IB Apollo 7.craft?dl=0 Saturn V: Apollo 4: 3473 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/s8gqqqrfw3ck682/Saturn V Apollo 4.craft?dl=0 Apollo 6: 3458 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/g0mr9dmy4iv4gl8/Saturn V Apollo 6.craft?dl=0 Apollo 8: 3283 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/canhabj57onopkb/Saturn V Apollo 8.craft?dl=0 Apollo 9: 4384 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/4g65tn3obbik4lo/Saturn V Apollo 9.craft?dl=0 Apollo 10: 4424 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/twt3oeqdkohei5p/Saturn V Apollo 10.craft?dl=0 Apollo 11: 4563 parts https://kerbalx.com/tehmattguy/Saturn-V-Apollo-11 Apollo 12: 4582 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/pdc5dbim126dz1o/Saturn V Apollo 12.craft?dl=0 Apollo 14: 4647 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2f2affam55pveo/Saturn V Apollo 14.craft?dl=0 Apollo 15: 4880 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/561woxslixlwry2/Saturn V Apollo 15.craft?dl=0 Apollo 16: 4919 parts https://www.dropbox.com/s/nor79yyp9lg0oi5/Saturn V Apollo 16.craft?dl=0 Apollo 17: 4895 parts https://kerbalx.com/tehmattguy/Saturn-V-Apollo-17 Controls Saturn I/Saturn IB/Saturn V + CSM Spacebar (Stage): Start Automatic Flight Sequencer 1: Toggle CSM RCS / Extend Antennas / Reset Robotic Parts 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: Decouple CSM Docking Port 8: Disengage CSM Umbilical 9: Deploy CSM Flotation Bags 0: Decouple from LES Post-Abort Backspace (Abort): Activate Launch Escape System LM (Apollo 5, 9-14) LM (Apollo 15-17) LRV (Apollo 15-17) 1: Reset Robotic Parts 1: Reset Robotic Parts 1: 2: Toggle LM RCS 2: Toggle LM RCS 2: 3: Deploy LM MESA 3: Deploy LM MESA 3: 4: LM Commander EVA 4: LM Commander EVA 4: 5: LM Pilot EVA 5: LM Pilot EVA 5: 6: LM Pre-Ascent Prep. 6: LM Pre-Ascent Prep. 6: 7: Deploy S-Band Antenna 7: Deploy LRV 7: 8: Decouple Antenna from LM 8: Deploy LRV Equipment 8: 9: Deploy Antenna Legs 9: Decouple LRV Equipment (Fore) 9: Engage Equipment Latch (Fore) 0: Deploy Antenna Dish 0: Decouple LRV Equipment (Aft) 0: Engage Equipment Latch (Aft) W/A/S/D: Driving / Steering G: Extend Landing Struts G: Extend Landing Struts B: Brakes U: Rendezvous Lights U: Rendezvous Lights Instructions All instructions are written in the Imgur albums linked below Saturn I / Saturn IB + CSM flight: https://imgur.com/a/x6wtIhc Saturn V + CSM flight: https://imgur.com/a/YcXfzfn LM landing, ascent + reentry and splashdown (Apollo 9-14): https://imgur.com/a/IdjBSY2 LM landing, LRV assembly, ascent, reentry and splashdown (Apollo 15-17): https://imgur.com/a/CuWz84P Craft Info Started development of this monstrosity back in December of last year, mainly because I wanted to build a high-fidelity replica of the Lunar Module to stack up next to my Soviet LK lander. Well you can't have an LM without a CSM and S-IVB, and if you have those you might as well build the entire rest of the Saturn V, right? And while you're at it, why not slap on an LRV and try to do one of those J-missions? That'd be pretty cool. Anyways, after months of trial, error, explosions, and lazing around I finally managed to put together a Saturn V that didn't explode by, would you believe, adding more struts. After the first successful test flight I managed to find the motivation to complete the design, and it took shape pretty quickly after that. I was also gonna put together a video but at this point it's pretty clear that it'll take a bit longer than usual to create. I don't wanna sit on the craft files while I make the video though so I'm posting them here just to get them out there. In the meantime, stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Just state your favorite old game version that you enjoyed playing with the most. I only started playing since 1.10, so I haven’t used old versions before.

The Idea: Like many others I love The Space Shuttle, mods and Kerbal Space Program, what else could you do but mix all 3 ? That's what I'm doing. A while ago on the subreddit, I did something similar surrounding the ISS. I want to continue that but also expand into other reality based and fictional shuttle missions, adventures if you will. The goal of this whole thing is to use Kerbal Space Program and a large amount of fantastic mods from this community to give everyone a unique vantage point of The Space Shuttle, her missions, their payloads, and hopefully enjoy the wonders and beauty of space and space exploration. My Inspiration: The idea behind this is not original by any means and I feel it is necessary to credit those who inspired me, and if you like what I do, you'll certainly like what they've done. @Jay The Amazing Toaster And his Kānāwai: Ares to Mars Kevin Gustafson and his amazing among other things ISS & Mir documentaries on Youtube @winged and his amazing among other things amazing Constellation Mars video @Zorg @alberro+and @Pioneer_Stevefor dazzling me with their magnificent screenshots @AmateurAstronaut1969 and their fantastic series on the ETS Space Station Freedom @Jacktical and their awesome series on the IRL concept of Space Station Freedom that goes by the name of Space Station Liberty @D0m1nu2 and their excellent International Manned Laboratory series, a recreation of International Skylab conducted in RSS! @Aviation365 and their wonderful series Go At Throttle Up, an RSS/RO depiction of Shuttle Flight both real and fictional while obeying Shuttle parameters. Myself, @lemon cup, and @D0m1nu2’s Sister Series, ISS Adventures, an in order recreation of the history of The International Space Station. You can find that here: Mods: Like some, I get very carried away with mods. It gets out of hand very quickly... below is a list of highlights and under the spoiler will be the entire list. @benjee10With Redirect, SOCK, and Habtech2 @DylanSemrau With Photon Corp @Beale With Tantares @tony48With KSRSS And the ReStock team with of course Restock. Thanks to those who submit missions, and to those who read and interact with this project! Shuttle Adventures has gotten really far and I'm happy to be a small part of it!

This mod has been abandoned. It should still work in its current state. Please contact me if you would like to take over the pack. Description This mod adds one small gas giant, the titular planet Helvica, and its moons to the space between the orbits of Duna and Dres. While it may not be as far from Kerbin as Jool or gas giants added by other mods, Helvica does have one trick up its sleeve: It orbits in a retrograde direction. Because of this, you will have to carefully plan your trip in order to get an encounter. It has a few other features as well, including large rings, three moons, one submoon, PlanetShine and DistantObjectEnhancement support, and multiple science biomes for each body. As for compatibility with other planet packs, as long as you don't use mods that add planets between the orbits of Duna and Dres, or that entirely replace the existing stock system (Beyond Home, Galileo's Planet Pack, etc.), you should be good to go. Note: Helvica is my first planet mod, and it is very much a work in progress. Do not expect to find zero bugs. Updates may or may not arrive periodically. Installation Instructions Recommended: Install using CKAN. CKAN will detect compatibility issues and install any missing dependencies if needed. Manual: 1. Download and install the dependencies if you don't already have them. 2. Extract the contents of Helvica_(vX.X).zip\GameData to your KSP GameData folder. 3. Enjoy! Download from SpaceDock Dependencies Kopernicus Stable Branch (1.12.x) Supported Mods PlanetShine DistantObjectEnhancement Q & A Q. Is Helvica compatible with other planet mods? A. Yes, as long as they do not replace the existing stock system, and do not add a planet between the orbits of Duna and Dres. Q. Is Helvica compatible with Principia? A. Helvica is not compatible with Principia. Q. Is Helvica compatible with Rescale or Sigma Dimensions? A. There is currently no support for Rescale or Sigma Dimensions. Q. Where do I report bugs? A. You can either reply to this forum post, or send me a public or private message on my forum profile. Remember to do a proper bug report (i.e., include your mod list and the steps to replicate the bug). I will try to find a fix during my free time. If the bug is caused by a separate mod with no stated compatibility, I may not be able to fix it. A. I no longer take responsibility for this mod. Q. Why does it orbit the wrong way? How do I get to it? A. One of Helvica's primary features is that it is in a retrograde orbit, unlike most other planets. This is intentional. You can either spend enough Δv (delta-v) to put yourself in a retrograde orbit around the Sun, or if you like taking risks, try to get an encounter with Helvica as it is coming towards Kerbin and either aerobrake or use gravity assists (very difficult). You can also raise your Sun apoapsis to a very high altitude,and use a combination of gravity assists and engine power to easily invert your orbit. This has the upside of requiring less delta-v, and the downside of taking many months or years. Q. Can I make suggestions? A. Of course! Feedback and suggestions are very welcome. I need all the help I can get. I might not take suggestions that ask to add X moon, although I will consider it if it is a good idea. A. Suggestions will not be responded to. Helvica System Blue = Complete Green = Released Red = Unreleased Changelog Known Issues Ruse may have strange terrain, particularly around its poles. Borders between biomes may not be well-defined on certain moons. Large file size due to the use of .png textures for Neus Nadavo. Licensing This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Audacity Memoirs of a Kerbonaut by Martina D Kerman Thread of the month! Thanks, kind nominee (whoever they were- let me know and I'll give you a cameo part ) Contents: Chapter 0 - Maps and stuff Chapter 1 - First Contact (scroll down!) Chapter 2 - Perseverance Chapter 3 - Darude Chapter 4 - Aftermath Chapter 5 - Gategrash Chapter 6 - Overture Chapter 7 - Progress Chapter 8 - Expectations... Chapter 9 - ...and reality Chapter 10 - Ablaze with stars, part 1 Chapter 11 - Ablaze with stars, part 2 Chapter 12 - Ablaze with stars, part 3 Chapter 13 - Love, and loss Chapter 14 - On a knife-edge Chapter 15 - Bah, politics! Chapter 16 - Bring the Mun Chapter 17 - The night is darkest before the dawn Chapter 18 - The beginning of the end Chapter 19 - The road to recovery Chapter 1 – First Contact It was the music that caught her attention first. That stirring, upbeat tune that sounded like a military march, simple yet instantly recognisable among the other jingles and ads.* The voiceover kicked in as the camera seemed to soar over mountains and shoot up through the sky until the sky changed from blue to black and the stars appeared. "We chose to go to the Mun, not because it was easy but because it was hard. Now, we choose to move on from our first steps to take our next giant leap forward into space." The immortal footage of the great Jebediah Kerman stepping down onto the Munar surface accompanied the first half of that sentence; the latter was backdropped by a panoramic image from the Spirit of Discovery rover from Duna’s surface, Ike hanging low in the sky overhead. "Our programmes continue to expand with more recruits arriving every day." A montage of trainees going through their regimen of exercises, underwater EVA practices, centrifuge training and more flashed across the screen. Scientists in white coats and engineers in yellow overalls traded notes in front of a scale model of the Acapello rocket, pilots flew simulated manoeuvres to dock with a space station, a Javelin launch booster dropped onto its landing barge with a tremendous plume of fire from its engine exhausts and (miraculously) stayed upright and in one piece when the engines shut down. "There’s only one thing missing..." A space suited figure appeared in the centre of the screen, flipped up their visor and looked directly at the camera- directly at her. It was the very same Jebediah Kerman, and he pointed right at her. "-You!" A final musical flourish and the screen cut to black with just the familiar red logo and the slogan "Kerbal Space Program - join now!" "That doesn’t look like homework to me," a voice from behind her made Tina jump. Too late she tried to click onto something homework related but instead managed to start the video again. Several frantic button presses later it eventually stopped and she turned to face her father, blushing furiously when she saw the amusement on his face. "Um..." was all she could think of to say. Dad put on a mock stern expression. "Homework. Now. Or I’ll eat your Minmus sorbet." It was an idle threat- Dad was on a strict diet and everyone knew it, and he liked to complain about it every mealtime. "Yes, Daddy." Tina played the Daddy’s Girl card, looking up with big, round eyes and slightly trembling lower lip, and he laughed and walked away but left the door open so she could hear him muttering loudly: "Mmmm, Minmus sorbet. I can barely remember what it tastes like, maybe I could sneak a little spoonful from the freezer..." Tina smiled, but it faded quickly as she turned back to the English essay that was supposed to be written by now, the cursor blinking mockingly at her on the empty page. It was hopeless- that poem made no sense to her at all, how was she supposed to write a thousand words about some stupid people from hundreds of years ago swooning over each other. She stood up from the desk, grabbed her phone and a jacket and was downstairs and out the door in seconds with a "That was quick!" from Dad following her out. She headed for the end of the street, through the little play park and out to the open field at the edge of town, then cut across the north side to her usual spot on the bank of a small river. It was quiet here, just the sound of the river and birds and the wind rustling through the trees and she felt herself relaxing with every deep breath of that fresh country air. A muffled thud reverberated through the air, almost felt more than heard. She sat up, slightly too quickly, looking around to find the source. A second, louder thud came shortly afterwards and she scanned the skies again with no luck. Only a supersonic spaceplane made that distinctive double sonic boom, but there weren’t any flights scheduled anywhere near here according to kerbinspacetracker.com or- A much louder bang came from behind the trees, accompanied by a chorus of car alarms. The trees themselves seemed to be rustling with increasing volume and the river looked like it was rippling. She climbed back up the bank to get a better view and was promptly blasted back down by a tremendous wall of heat and noise and light that made her teeth rattle and her ears ache. When it had finally stopped, she cautiously peeked over the edge of the bank. The ground looked scorched, the trees had lost most of their leaves and the field was covered by smoke and steam, but there was no mistaking the shape sticking up at an angle in the middle. It was a Dynawing. Tina grabbed her phone and took a picture, then reconsidered and began recording a video as she slowly approached the downed shuttle. She saw what looked like an airbrake with its outer tip buried in the ground and a single wheel, torn off its mount by the impact, and then she saw the shuttle itself, sad and broken now, resting on its belly and one valiant landing gear that hadn't been torn off in the crash, missing half a wing and- pointing backwards? The marks on the ground confirmed it: the Dynawing was facing the wrong way. Even more intriguingly, the scorch marks on the ground suggested that the engines had fired to bring it to a halt, so it had either landed fast and spun around, or else it had actually landed backwards. The heatproof panels were still smoking slightly so she kept her distance, still recording, when suddenly a ladder deployed below the cabin hatch in front of her and the hatch itself opened with a clang and a hiss. A space suited figure emerged, clambering down the ladder and hopping the short drop to the ground. When they turned round, Tina’s jaw dropped: it was Valentina Kerman, the most famous female astronaut ever and her greatest hero. Tina had dressed up as Val last Halloween, had a little bobble head Val sitting on her desk back at home, followed every social media account she had, and now here she was right in front of her!! Val noticed her and waved; Tina was too star-struck to respond, which made Val come over and ask "Are you OK?" She tried to speak but couldn’t so resorted to nodding. "Jeb, you nearly landed on someone!" Val shouted up to the open hatch. "‘Nearly’ being the key word in that sentence," replied a voice that was instantly familiar to Tina. She felt giddy- first Val, now Jeb too!? It couldn’t be... A second astronaut emerged from the hatch and climbed down to the ground. Tina was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t Jeb, but only slightly. "Nice idea with that monopropellant thruster, Val, it sure did the trick." "Thanks, Nat. Still, I can’t take all the credit-" she punctuated this remark with a nod of her head towards the hatch and a roll of her eyes at the same time-" and anyway, it was you who figured out that the SAS core was misaligned in the first place to give me enough control for that manoeuvre." "I heard that eye roll, Val!" Val stuck her tongue out in the direction of the hatch. "AND that stuck out tongue! I know all your tricks, Valentina." "Really? I didn’t see you suggesting that monopropellant thruster trick, Jebediah..." Val retorted. Nat laughed. "She’s got you there, Jeb." Jeb suddenly appeared on the roof of the shuttle, tool two steps then jumped off and only just got his parachute open in time yet managed to land perfectly. He spotted Tina and her phone, struck a glamorous pose and said "And that, viewers, is how you land a Dynawing backwards!" Val snorted. "‘Land’ indeed; ‘belly flop with the grace of a brick through a plate glass window’ would be more accurate." Tina giggled; Jeb acted outraged. "You’re taking her side!? Me, the greatest pilot in all of spacedom, who just landed a Dynawing BACKWARDS, and you pick Valentina ‘use the monopropellant thruster’ Kerman over me!?" "Electronics are all shut down, fuel cells disabled and fuel tanks locked off." A fourth astronaut emerged from the shuttle and joined them. He spotted Tina straight away. "And who might you be, young lady?" "I’m Tina," she replied in barely more than a whisper. "Hey, just like me!" Val grinned. HOW COULD SHE NOT HAVE NOTICED THIS BEFORE!?!?!? Sirens were approaching in the distance and a crowd was already gathering at the edge of the field, phones and cameras clicking furiously. "Alright people, selfie time!" Jeb plucked Tina’s phone from her hands and propped it against a rock a few paces away. "In three, two-" "Wait!" Val interrupted. She popped her helmet off and plonked it on Tina’s head, nearly making her fall over under its weight. Jeb rolled his eyes theatrically. "Whenever you’re ready..." "Ready." "Three, two, one-" Click. BOOOOOM!!! "Uh, Doodul? Did you turn off ALL the fuel cells?" "Oops..." THUNK. A lump of smoking debris bounced off Tina’s helmet, leaving a little scorch mark, then landed straight on top of her phone and cracked the screen. "Nice going, Jeb..." muttered Val. "Hey! That wasn’t MY fault!" Jeb retorted. "You stole the poor girl’s phone and then it got broken, how is that not your fault?" Nat chimed in. "Fine, if it makes you happy..." Jeb pulled a notepad and pen out of a pocket, scribbled something on it and handed it to Tina, but when she went to take it he snatched it away and said "Nope, you chose Val’s side, so I don’t like you." The big grin on his face said otherwise, and he handed her the note again. "Just make sure that gets framed and hung on your wall, OK?" The first of the first responders had just arrived. The four astronauts and Tina headed towards them, picking up her damaged phone on the way. Half way there, Val and Tina slowed down for a chat. "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" Val asked. "I want to be an astronaut, like you." Tina replied, still unable to talk above a near whisper. Val smiles. "Excellent choice! Well, if you work hard at school, do all your homework- ALL your homework," she added as she saw Tina grimacing, "then when you’re ready, you send in an application to the Space Program and I’ll talk to some people and get you a place." "Really?" Tina was thrilled. "Sure" Anyone with such an impeccable choice of favourite astronaut deserves to join the Program." "I heard that!" Jeb shouted over his shoulder. Val peeled her name badge off her suit and stuck it on Tina’s jacket. "Just keep hold of that, so I know it’s really you. I will need that helmet back though." Tina was actually glad to lose the helmet, it was really heavy and the rim was digging into her arms as she tried to prop it up. Another explosion shook the downed Dynawing, sending a fireball into the sky and causing the last wheel to collapse, shaking the ground as it settled heavily onto its belly. "Just promise me when you’re an astronaut, you won’t do that," Vall added and Tina nodded so quickly she made herself feel dizzy. As they reached the crowd at the edge of the field, Tina spotted her parents at the front and ran to them. They immediately started fussing over her. "Are you OK? Are you hurt? What happened to your phone?" "I’m fine, really!" "I take it you’re her parents," Val said from behind her. "Unfortunately, yes." Dad replied. "Well, I told her that if she wants to become an astronaut, she has to finish ALL her homework. Can you make sure she does that?" A very mischievous grin appeared on Dad’s face. "Absolutely! Right young lady, you have an English essay to write and I have a Minmus sorbet to eat." "No you certainly do not!" Mum rebuked him. "You're on a diet." Dad sulked. Val was about to walk away, but turned back and quickly signed her own name on the note Jeb had given Tina. "We both know who your favourite astronaut is," she whispered loudly enough that Jeb could hear it; Jeb sulked even more than Dad. The four astronauts were escorted through the crowd by police, stopping for photographs and autographs, then climbed into four separate ambulances and were rushed away with a police escort, while firefighters tried to contain the fires as much as they could and prevent the river being polluted by leaking rocket fuel. On their way back home, Tina read the note Jeb had given her and was confused by it- I. O. U., Jeb. Dad explained: "An IOU is what you give someone when you owe them some money, but can't pay it right there and then. It's basically a promise that you'll pay them later once you have the money." "I think we have a picture frame somewhere, we might be able to get the pictures off your phone and print one out to put on your wall with that note and your name badge," Mum said. "Hey! That's for my before and after diet photos!" Dad protested, then seeing everyone's expressions added, "And there will be an after photo, too." Never in all of history had anyone eaten a Minmus sorbet so slowly, and with so many appreciative "mmm"s and "yum"s and bowl scrapes to extract every last minty morsel, as Tina did that evening. Later that night, after everyone else had gone to sleep, Tina still lay awake. The events of that evening were replaying over and over in her head. She got up and walked over to the window, and as if on cue the clouds parted and revealed the full Mun in all its glory, illuminating everything with its soft white light. She looked up at it, trying to pick out the place where only last year Jeb, Fleegus and Bartger has taken those famous first steps, and trips and falls and faceplants, on its surface. Some day she was going to do the same, or if not the Mun then on Minmus, Duna or Ike or even Gilly. Some day she too would be strapped to many tons of explosive rocket fuel and hurled into the sky on a giant trail of fire and fury, then travel on to other worlds; or even other solar systems, if the rumours she had picked up online about Grannus being real were true. Some day she too would become a Kerbonaut. Of that, she was absolutely certain. Chapter 2 (*Yup, it's KSP Theme. They did it with the Imperial March in Solo, and if it's good enough for Star Wars...)