The K.A.S.A Archives

[RealKerbal3x]

Hullo again forumgoers!

This is sort of a revamp of my mission report thread, but instead of comments from me on the missions, it'll be set completely in-universe. So not really a story, but these reports are all supposed to be from the records department of the KSC, or something.

We'll start with a bit of an explanation of my KSP headcanon...I hope to get a sort of abridged 'what I did in KSP this week' report out on this thread every week or so, but I doubt I'll be able to keep to that schedule

List of reports below:

Spoiler

The Great Impact and its Repercussions and Implications (OP)

And now, let's begin!

Spoiler

The Great Impact and its Repercussions and Implications

By Gene Kerman, Head of KASA - Space Program Year 1 Day 193

An image of Great Impact Crater on Kerbin, taken by the KerboSat satellite.

Kerbalkind has lived on Kerbin for hundreds of thousands of years, and has weathered many storms, so to speak. But it has never come closer to extinction than it did when the Great Impact occurred, or in the Burrow Era that lasted for three thousand years afterward.

Before I explain in detail what we currently understand happened, I must describe what society on Kerbin looked like before the asteroid struck. It was nothing like the unified world government that we live in today. Kerbin was split into many countries, with the leaders of each country often disagreeing with each other. In each country, Kerbals spoke different languages, and in many cases lived in completely different ways to each other. They were so focused on their petty squabbles that they never realised how tiny and insignificant they were. They never turned their eyes to the cosmos, as we do today.

Oh, these ancient Kerbals had rockets. But they never thought to put Kerbals on them. Most of the countries had nuclear weapons, and they were prepared to use them. These nuclear warheads played a significant part in reducing Kerbin to a desolate wasteland, as I will explain in a moment.

The LV-N rocket engine currently in development. This uses a similar principle to the nuclear bombs that decimated Kerbin.

When the 10km asteroid began to approach, it was detected by scientists in several countries at once. A list had been made of asteroids that could pose a threat to Kerbin, but since it was so large, and not a single satellite had yet been put into orbit, there was nothing anybody could do to deflect it.

Most countries immediately began constructing burrows kilometres underground, hoping to save at least a fraction of their populations from the impending Armageddon. But arguments about which burrows would get more resources, and arguments about who would go into the burrows and who would face certain death on the surface, soon escalated into a nuclear exchange. As the asteroid hit Kerbin, sending tidal waves racing across the ocean and fine dust billowing into the atmosphere, the fallout was already spreading. Only about 100,000 Kerbals made it to safety in the burrows. The remaining billion died from the radiation and bitter cold caused by the dust in the upper atmosphere blocking out Kerbol.

Thus began the Burrow Era. Historians are uncertain exactly how long it lasted, but the current estimate is 3000+ years. Countless generations of Kerbals were born, lived full lives, and died without ever setting foot on the surface. Only in the last few hundred years did it become sufficiently habitable enough for Kerbals to return to life on the surface - and even now, after the event that has become known as the Emergence, many choose to remain in the burrows out of fear. The Great Impact has left a bruise on our civilisation, and it may never heal.

There is a chance that, in the next century or millennium, another Great Impactor may hit Kerbin -  but this time, we hope to be more prepared. KASA is at the forefront of this. If we establish footholds on the other planets in our star system, our civilisation may be spared from complete destruction. And better yet, if we can develop methods to push these objects away from their impact trajectories - such as nuclear rockets - we may be able to avoid any casualties at all.

The Great Impact shows us what can happen if we sit on our planet and don't pay attention to the workings of the universe. It is one reason, among many, that we are now forging a path away from our home. Perhaps this new age can become known as the Expansion Era.

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by RealKerbal3x