Safety First Space Program

[Scarecrow71]

Been a few days since I posted here.  But here's my next entry!

 

[Scarecrow71]

Rescue shenanigans!

 

[Scarecrow71]

Small post as I get started working towards something big!

 

[Scarecrow71]

Just checking in to let y'all know I'm still working on this.  I'm in the middle of assembling a ship in LKO to do an unmanned Jool-5.  So far I have the following components assembled in LKO:

• Lander Module (all landers are attached to a central module to hold them for flight to Jool)
• 5 landers (one for each body - Pol, Bop, Vall, Laythe, and Tylo)
• Return Module (to bring all that sweet science home)
• Science module (it's easier to have a separate module to get high/low materials and goo than to try putting these all on the individual landers)

That's 8 total launches so far, and I still have the following components to get into LKO and assembled:

• Communications and power hub (all the individual pieces so far have batteries and antenna and such, but a ship this big is going to need more power and communications for the journey there and back)
• Fuel and engines (cuz, you know, need propulsion)

I'm not sure if I'll split communications and power or not.  And I'm pretty sure I'll need a couple separate launches to get all the fuel I'll need for this trip.  I'll need enough fuel not just for the transfer, but to get encounters with and to orbit all 6 bodies (all 5 moons and, of course, Jool).  Because I have multiple landers, I'll be pulling leftover fuel from them back into the mothership, so I shouldn't run out.  But I'm afraid I will, which means I'll over-engineer the heck out of this thing. 

Anyhow, as mentioned, I'm still working on this.  It will be next week at least before I launch to Jool.  I'll give more updates as I try to pull this off, with a full album of images when I'm done!

[Scarecrow71]

Part I of my unmanned Jool-5.

 

[Scarecrow71]

Still working on my unmanned Jool-5.  I've got 2 fuel modules on the ship, but when I went to put a third one up this morning the kraken pushed the whole thing into Kerbin's upper atmosphere and then ate it.  Luckily I have a backup from right before the third fuel module launch so I can try again...but I'll fear the kraken until I get it all together.

Im hoping to get the remaining fuel modules and engines attached this weekend!

[Scarecrow71]

2nd attempt this morning to attach the third fuel module to the mothership failed.  I got it docked, but as soon as I tried to go back to the KSC to get the next module ready for launch, the kraken showed up.  Again.  This time it just split the ship into a whole bunch of pieces without any major explosions, but it did it in such a way so that I couldn't even re-dock anything.  So while I can revert to an earlier save (which I did), the ship is completely unusable.  I have to scrap the current iteration of the unmanned Jool-5 and start over from scratch.

My guess is that I have too many parts on the ship, what with the ring section for the communications and power module, plus multiple landers (one for each moon).  I am going to try recrafting this thing with fewer pieces...and with newer tech considering what I've unlocked since I started.  It's a bummer that I have to start over, but I've got the cash to do so (currently sitting at 3620411).

[Scarecrow71]

And a mission to Dres.

This is getting grindy.  Like, more grindy than farming the KSC at the beginning of the game.

[Scarecrow71]

Just a small update to let y'all know I'm still working through this!

[Scarecrow71]

My latest mission report post.  I'm so close I can taste it...but just far enough away that I can't grab the brass ring yet.

 

[Scarecrow71]

I'm not sure I'm going to finish this challenge at this point.  It's gotten to be way too grindy at the last stage, trying to eke out whatever science points I can get to cross the finish line.  I have bodies I haven't gotten to yet, such as Moho and Eeloo, not to mention the Jool system (yes, it's an entire system of its own in my eyes), but it's getting repetitive and grindy.  Not to mention that with the EA announcement of KSP2, plus my wanting to start learning how to mod for both KSP1 and KSP2, I'm not sure I have it in me to keep going here.  I'm not throwing in the towel yet, but I am waving a flag to say "I'm still here, but it's not going to happen any time soon".

[farmerben]

This is a fun way to play.  The science development is much slower than with a manned campaign.  I cheated 70 science, but did not use kerbals to explore the KSC.  The first time through I nearly completed the science tree, with a massive nuclear Jool ship carrying 8 science jr, and the rest.  It's hard to say whether Eeloo and Moho have enough science to finish the tree, though there are a bunch of biomes I have not landed on.  Before completion the Kraken started killing my campaign, probably due to 4 or 5 sentential tracking asteroids.  I could turn them off and try to keep going, but I restarted another campaign.

The second time through was easier do to better balance of always using double mystery goo, unlocking the small reaction wheel as fast as possible, and other things.

Both times through money was not object, satellite missions pay well and its often possible to get several with one probe.

[18Watt]

4 hours ago, farmerben said:

This is a fun way to play.

I thought so too!

I can tell you it is definitely possible to unlock all but 4 nodes in the tech tree without visiting any CBs besides Kerbin, Mun, and Minmus.  I did send a station into solar orbit, but it never reached any other CBs.  Mun and Minus have a lot of biomes to visit..