What did you do in KSP1 today?

[Capt-Coulson]

Today I added to my 'Watchkeeper' network. This phase of operations marks a step-change in the way my agency operates; moving away from one-shot missions to fulfill objectives, in exchange for a more permanent, unmanned presence (using remotetech and TACLS, this means unmanned missions are difficult but ultimately more profitable and sustainable).

This OLS 'Watchkeeper' sits in a 30x500km orbit around the Mun, providing a live link to the changing surface and orbital conditions via the 'Overlord' GPS network. Props to remotetech for making probes fun!

[eddiew]

Orange tanks to LKO under nuFAR in the stupidest imaginable SSTO

...took four days to make this thing fly! D:

[BDelacroix]

Added the science section to my permanent kerbal orbit station. Which fulfills all but having 6k fuel for a contract. Some day I'll get that up there, too.

Attempted to land some base corridors for the mun base. Didn't work so well. I have one lying on its back 25km from the base tower. The other three are in orbit until I think of a way to get them down. We really need cranes.

[problemecium]

Today I attempted to build a Tylo lander, but thanks to the engine rebalance it turned out to be a lot harder than it was last time xP

[Esme]

Sadly, all contact was lost with your Joolian probes with just 4 days to go to perilaythe. We have no idea what happened to them, it's as if they just vanished*.

On a happier note, The Elcano Challenge vehicle testing program has been proceeding well. Our X-5 electric vehicle can easiy manage a circumnavigation by land, the only issue has been with water crossings. Trials have been done with an electric propellor, and the X-4 achieved a maximum speed in water of 17 knots, but didnt have sufficient solar cells to make recharging the batteries fast enough to be workable. Unfortunately, adding further soalr cells was just enough to affect the stability of the vehicle at sea, and cause a pronounced reluctance to turn left due to propellor torque (The X5 version had had the propellor mounted slightly higher and slightly further to the rear).

Our design team is pondering whether to just go with the X4 and avoid water crossings entirely, or do a substantial redesign.

*Kraken attack. Since adding another mod for parts to enable me to power my Elcano challenge rover across water, KSP has been a little crashy. Probably a combination of my PC being a tad underpowered, the fact that I'm running v0.9 and wasn't quite as careful as I might've been when I installed mods. The design for the Joolian probes is still known to the game, but the actual probes have vanished. Thankfully, my probes at Duna are still with us., as my next major project is learning how to use MKS and see if I can get setup on Minmus, maybe even Duna with MKS in this game, before starting a new game from scratch with the primary aim being to colonise Duna.

[TrooperCooper]

Started a new career and decided to do a diary for it.

[spacewalruss]

Put my space telescope (tarsier space tech) in orbit and took many happy snaps! Here are some of the best:

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Edited May 23, 2015 by spacewalruss

[Cupcake...]

It was an exciting day on Gilly as a batch of experimental Ion Powered dropships were delivered for testing.

Early reports say they put out around 8.5k of Delta V and can be used on Minmus, Ike, Pol and Bop.

Cupcake...

[Goomblah]

I got bored and decided to see if my small SSTO could reach Minmus with only closed-cycle RAPIERS; it worked, and had enough dV that I could even completely turn around my orbit after I accidentally entered Minmus' SOI going the wrong way. I docked with a few ships I already had in orbit, though in a really strange orientation that neither ship was even meant to do:

[Hotaru]

Orbited my first torus.

Not sure what I'm going to do with it, mostly just wanted to see if I could get it up there. This one's in my sandbox save, maybe if I get enough cash I'll order one in career.

[Plume & Akakak]

[Alephzorg]

I finally got my guys back from Eeloo.

That mission dates back from before 0.90 (0.25 I think). Nothing fancy or overly complex but I play with KAC and always start new missions and get sidetracked.

Anyway, Rodfen, Adbles and Machat Kerman came back home from an 8 years and 240 days mission, in a ship that was designed before reentry heat was a concern. It took some trials and errors ("simulations" that ended in the loss of both the crew and the ship...) but they made it! And so today I learned that a Mk1-2 command pod can survive a reentry at about 7700m/s (I didn't have any fuel left to slow more than that). It resulted in an aerocapture and they landed on the second reentry. Pod, parachute and antenna survived, not the ladder.

[Yuriznikov]

I basically wrapped up all the stuff / funding / science i wanted to get out of minmus missions. Now planning for the longer trip over to Duna. A lot went wrong with one missions (i run a no loading career) but managed to get all three kerbals back safe on kerbin soil after i had to get them out of kerbin orbit and refuel their craft, luckily their orbit was a low orbit.

My 'Wallus' lifter did a great job at getting everything out there =) going to retire it for now and build something new with the new parts i have unlocked over the past few science gains. The LKO Lab is still processing some science right now so i have plenty of science to work with for a greater mission now.

Wallus V lifter with the Minmus base module on there, the base was never actually lived in for a long while. It just served as a test mostly.

The four Skipper engines pushing the heavy lifter up to 1500 m/s in its first stage.

Rescue mission in LKO of the three Kerbonauts, ran out of mono prop when i was going to dock with the LKO Lab.

My LKO Lab (Skylab inspired obviously)

[RocketPilot573]

I flew around KSC..

[Kamuchi]

In a moment of boredom capture a B class asteroid, throw a station at it and start playing with modular space tugging around the station switching modules and even be able to do interplanetary transfers as a space truck.

Yes, the station last stage was vernors as I couldn`t be arsed to create a probe delivery stage

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[LittleBlueGaming]

Today was a great day. I broke the sound barrier for the first time(as well as performing a heat-assisted deconstruction mid-flight), put up a couple sections of my first space station(supports 9 kerbals, science lab, science jr, power and batteries, multiple docking ports in each size), and took 6 tourists to the station(and brought them back alive!).

I also landed my first plane... on the runway.

[Blaze1068]

Trying to destroy Jool.

[CatastrophicFailure]

With the relevant tech nodes unlocked, it was time to give this ISRU stuff a try finally. So off to Minmus!

First up: the core module, with crew accommodations, science lab, ISRU refinery, and holding tanks. En route, will will pick up Tecella Kerman who's stranded around Minmus. But I think I'm forgetting something...

Anyways, trying out some SpaceY parts on the lifter.

The core module touches down on its end....

...then flops over in a "controlled" manner.

Oh yeah, forgot the drills. Minor oversight. So another module arrives with drills and storage tanks for the final products. Still think I'm forgetting something...

Ah yes, a complete lack of translation thrusters to actually move the huge module into position.

Time for a crew... With the earlier success of the revamped A-class reusable, a stretched model with room for four and orbital docking capability is rolled out.

A-71, Suu, is five tons heavier than Nymph, and blasts off with a temporary expendable booster and transfer stage. On board are Summer, Dibella, and Megselle Kerman, and a small selection of parts to experiment with on-site construction courtesy of the awesome Kerbal Inventory System mod.

Launch is nominal, Suu is performing well and shortly burns for Minmus.

They make a quick pit stop to plug Dephanna Kerman from orbit as well.

Before touching down at the new MinBase.

Engineer Megselle gets right to work removing the landing engine from the tank module, and attaching translation thrusters.

Shortly after, the new module bounces and shakes its way up to the core, and phase I assembly is complete!

Ore extraction can now commence, but another problem is quickly revealed. The solar blankets on the core module don't produce nearly enough power to run the entire system. More supplied will be needed, and a contract has been received to return a large quantity of unrefined ore to Kerbin for study.

A couple of weeks later, the automated cargo ship touches down. It is less than graceful.

The cargo container is filled with parts to begin construction. The cargo ship then relocates to the other side of the base.

Getting more and more comfortable with KIS assembly, Megselle modifies the entire cargo container into a mobile unit, and attaches a docking port to the top of the main holding tank on the base. Pilot Summer then moves the container into position.

Everything is then disassembled and stowed, and construction can begin on the power solution.

Now the base can run the drills, refinery, science lab, and everything else with power to spare, well into the night.

Glamour shot at Minmusian dawn.

Megselle takes some time to completely disassemble a landing probe that had been laying around the area for years, something impossible only a version ago, gaining much-needed respect for Megs everywhere.

Then the core module descent stage is relocated...

... it, too, will be scavenged, and repurposed into an extra fuel tank for the base.

Its ore tanks now full, the cargo ship blasts off... pelting the base with debris thanks to the new rocket blast FX.

35 tonnes of ore hit the atmosphere hard...

... and apparently don't float, either.

Back on Minmus, it's pictures all around...

...before it's time to go home. Dibella will remain behind to monitor the base and periodically send back Science!

Kerbin rises in the distance.

A quick swing by the Mün...

Suu has performed admirably, tho still suffers from aerodynamic instability on reentry, without airbrakes.

The airbrakes make her rock-solid, but again throw the course off, and she lands 14km short of the space center. More testing is needed.

Edited May 23, 2015 by CatastrophicFailure

[Blaze1068]

I also tried to move a asteroid out of an impact with Kerbin.

[problemecium]

Today I finally succeeded in building that nuclear/turbojet SSTO I'd been agonizing over!

It's not perfect, but it makes it to orbit with just enough fuel left to dock with a station or something before heading back down. The only real issues are that the front intake generates too much drag at low altitudes and should be toggled off until around 10km and that the arrangement of the wings requires a very gentle stick on takeoff.

[Spartwo]

Released and worked on many things.

[sj176]

I tried to get to Eeloo about 4 times and failed miserably every time. Well, I got there but could not return, which still constitutes a failure.

[Riftmann]

Can't rescue crashed tourists from the Mun, because the idiots won't EVA. Which I discovered only after sending a rescue ship up to them. Screw them, first permanent civilian Mun residents...

[Plume & Akakak]

Can't rescue crashed tourists from the Mun, because the idiots won't EVA. Which I discovered only after sending a rescue ship up to them. Screw them, first permanent civilian Mun residents...

Sir, maybe there's a way.

Send a rescue ship with a Grabbing Unit. You'll probably need wheels too.

Once the claw is attached to the wreck, you'll be able to transfer the tourists to your rescue ship : click a crew hatch on the crashed ship, a window will pop up, there you can transfer a passenger to another module.

Works as if the two ships were docked.

I Hope you already unlocked the grabbing unit in your research tree.

[LittleBlueGaming]

Can't rescue crashed tourists from the Mun, because the idiots won't EVA. Which I discovered only after sending a rescue ship up to them. Screw them, first permanent civilian Mun residents...

Lol, I love it. It's a very Kerbal-esque solution to a problem.