The Kethane Space Program

[cantab]

After one too many gigantic fireballs, now not a single oil company will sell to the Kerbal Space Centre! The space program has no liquid fuel, no oxidizer, no solid fuel beyond a few dregs scavenged to run launch escape systems, and no monopropellant. Even the entirely inert gas xenon has been denied on the grounds Jeb would blow it up somehow.

Into this void the Space Centre received a call from a shady salesman by the name of Majiir, who claimed that his invention of the enigmatic Kethane will allow the space program to fuel itself!

The administrators enthusiastically agreed, and a few days later a "starter pack" including a large tank of Kethane arrived at the Kerbal Space Centre. With Jeb under strict instructions not to blow up the sole supply of fuel, the space program can go ahead!

Welcome To

The Kethane Space Program

by

Cantab

Streams usually start on http://www.twitch.tv/cantab2718 around the now slightly later 7:00 UK time on weekdays.

Highlights

Episode 3:

Panicking over an oxygen leak - for no reason!

How did that HAPPEN?!

Episode 4:

Not reaching the Mun!

Episode 6:

Taking a drone to 20 km and switching off my monitor.

"Make a plane with bombs and missiles"

Episode 7:

Icarus 2 Test Flight

Episode 8:

Explaining the graphs in FAR

Dirty Rascal 1 Test Flight

Episode 9:

The program's first manned spaceflight!

Episode 11:

Launching the Red Spark 2

Landing on the Mun!

Kethane Mining, Kerbal Style!

Episode 12:

Let's see what happens if I shut down one engine.

Episode 13:

Getting 32 tons of Kethane into the sky:

Part 1

,

Part 2

, and

Part 3

. (Split to cut out game crashes).

Getting ?? tons of Kethane out of the sky.

Episode 14:

Springing a leak

Episode 15:

Basic Jet Boosters!

Episode 16:

Pushing the envelope in the Dirty Rascal 2 Mk 2

Episode 17:

The Patent Pending KSC Exploding Lamppost

Episode 18:

Punishing Jeding Kerman

Episode 19:

Launching the RC Nope

Crashing the RC Nope. Then landing it.

Episode 20:

The drawback to chasing efficient launches

.

Episode 21:

Land on the Mun or crash into the Mun. Your choice Jeb.

Make orbit from the Mun or crash into the Mun. Your choice Jeb.

Land on Kerbin or crash into Kerbin. Your choice Jeb.

Episode 22:

Precision(ish) Minmus landing with Trajectories.

Episode 23:

Kerbal Gliding Program

Edited March 23, 2015 by cantab
Highlights up to Ep 23

[cantab]

In Episode 1, the Space Program had a defective kethane starter pack. Despite being well off the launchpad in sandbox mode, in the exact same spot in career it blocked new launches. Then when a version with wheels was placed, it bottomed out once the tank was full of 32 tons of kethane.

A redesigned starter pack will be worked on.

[cantab]

In Episode 2, the fuelling issues were resolved. The Space Program conducted two successful launches - a small 5 km Kerballed hop, and an unmanned suborbital spaceflight. It also did some science scrounging around KSC.

After an interruption to watch Squadcast, an attempt at reach orbit in the Verne 1 was a failure. This is a major setback to the program. With almost half the kethane supply gone, mostly on the unsuccessful Verne 1 launch, and no sign of new kethane supplies as yet, it is imperative that the next mission be a success. It remains to be decided whether it shall be a lightened version of the Kerballed Verne 1, or a lighter-still unmanned rocket.

[cantab]

In Episode 3 I found a bug with the contracts and so restarted the save. The sounding rocket launches were repeated successfully, then an unmanned orbiter suffered a mishap when only one booster ignited. The damaged rocket was dragged clear to save its fuel, and a launch of a new copy was a success!

But I still think there are contract bugs, possible because I deleted the stock SRBs. So I'll be restarting the save again. *sigh*

I'll do my next stream after I've done first orbit, so I don't keep repeating the same missions.

[cantab]

Before Episode 4 I did a new install and caught up, doing a few missions that culminated in a kethane scanner put into orbit.

I begun Episode 4 with a splendid blunder. I looked at contracts and saw "Test Basic Jet" and "Test Small Gear Bay", and I thought to myself hey! I can make a jet car and go for a drive!

Intakes!

So with those contracts taken and of little use, I decided I had better build a Mun rocket to get some science. I designed an unmanned ship, the Red Spark 1 named after viewer R3dtango, that had the delta-V for a landing and would take almost all my remaining kethane to refuel it. Having used the Stayputnik for lightness, it was then that I was introduced to the joys of flying with FAR and without SAS. Dang that was tricky! The Red Spark 1 has yet to even reach space, never mind the Mun, due to the extreme difficulty in controlling it.

Besides trying to stick with the same approach, I now see various possible options:

* Get a joypad/joystick and try flying with that rather than the keyboard.

* Build an unmanned rocket using the MRS Guidance Nosecone, which has SAS - but masses 400 kilograms.

* Build a manned rocket. I could put a Kerbal on the Mun, and with Crew Reports and maybe EVAs and surface samples I would get good science. But I doubt I could bring him back, and thanks to TACLS that means he'll perish. Then again, if I start needing to use the Kerbal unreconstitutionator lots of Kerbals will perish.

* Put the Mun stuff on hold and go for a science scrounge around Kerbin again. A bit boring maybe, but it's the sensible option.

[cantab]

Episode 5 was spent doing the old rolling pin rover to scrounge up some science, enough to unlock the coveted 90-point Aerodynamics node. The one with the KAX electric propeller, which can get me places without needing fuel

[cantab]

Episodes 6 and 7 were spent putting the KAX electric propeller to good use to do temperature scans and visual surveys around Kerbin.

The Make Science Not War 1 drone: https://flic.kr/p/qLS8BV

The Icarus 2 one-Kerbal plane: https://flic.kr/p/q8G23v

With the contracts, and some other part tests and the like, I have almost all the 90 point science nodes unlocked, and we are ready to go kethane mining next episode!

I'm also catching up doing some highlights, which I will edit into the first post.

[cantab]

In Episode 8, we made a successful Kethane mining plane. Hurrah!

The Dirty Rascal 1: https://flic.kr/p/qcwQcs

It flew out to the desert, loaded up with Kethane, then off stream it returned to the KSC. Wants some improvement - the jet fuel container wasn't enough for the return so we had to refine kethane in flight, and the fully loaded takeoff speed is rather high at 75 m/s. But those are minor issues, the important thing is it works.

In Episode 9, with the space program's future fuel supplies assured, Jeb went to orbit.

[cantab]

Episodes 10 and 11 saw the design, fuelling, and flying of the Kethane Space Program's first successful mission to Kerbin's nearest neighbour! An all new design, the Red Spark 2 lander touched down safely on the surface of the Mun with masses of fuel to spare and performed a materials science study, while its accompanying orbit was left in a 65° inclined orbit excellent for kethane scanning.

[cantab]

Update here.

Highlights are for once up to date to the latest stream.

Episodes 12 and 13 saw the design and flight of the Dirty Rascal 2, a significantly heavier Kethane plane than its predecessor but with major difficulties getting airborne when full, while Episode 14 saw me try and fail to build a spaceplane at viewer request.

Episode 15 will be rockets for once, as we're set to design a Kerballed Mun mission.

[cantab]

Episode 15 saw what happens when you don't pay attention to the old adage, Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. The RC Yes Mun lander and orbiter, so named because the lander is RCS powered, went up on a novel jet-powered lifter. Novel meaning poorly designed, as FAR's heavy nerfing of the jet engines meant the lifter could not deliver the required delta-V. Consequently Jebediah and Geneeny were left stuck in a 7x90 orbit around the Mun. Fortunately I had sent a few Munths of life support, and so the pair were still tasked with completing their contracted observations

Episodes 16 and 17 saw us continue to ignore this adage! We designed a robotic Kethane miner, the RC Nope, that is intended to go to the Mun, mine Kethane, then travel to the RC Yes and refuel it. This time I wasn't messing around with jets, but that didn't stop me doing something wrong, and making KER report 3500 m/s of delta-V when in actuality we would only have 3000. This of course I only found out after several failed launch attempts and ending Episode 17. *facepalm*

RC Nope lander in the SPH: https://flic.kr/p/r9dhKa

Additionally, we made minor improvements to the Dirty Rascal 2, lowering takeoff speed somewhat. The Mk 2 version showed impressive performance, helped by its mini jet engines not being nerfed by FAR and thus running at supersonic speeds unlike their bigger cousin. Fully laden takeoffs and landings are still hairy though, with many reverted crashes.

So now the program has a fully fuelled rocket sitting on the pad. We can't launch it because it doesn't have enough delta-V. We can't bring it back into the VAB - well, we could, but that would mean pouring 30 tons of hard-mined fuel down the drain. We may have to try something extraordinary: the addition of Moar Boosters to a rocket already on the pad.

[cantab]

Where were we? Oh yes

Episode 18 saw us play crane games! I built a fairly simple crane capable of picking up and carrying 1.25 m boosters, and a pair of them were secured using KAS pipes and struts to the RC Nope. It wasn't without incident, and I decided to blame the Kerbals and punish them.

Episode 19 saw at long last the RC Nope lifting off! The boosters were quite stable, though inevitable slight misalignments made the rocket overall a little squirrelly. Despite that, orbit was attained with no difficulty in a few attempts.

At the end of the episode, the RC Nope landed and fuelled up with Kethane! I selected the landing site to be well placed for rendezvous with the RC Yes, and despite not landing quite on target it should still need only a modest plane change.

RC Nope Mining on the Mun: https://flic.kr/p/rbNWMd

[cantab]

Highlights updated to Ep 21 now, I'm still backlogged.

To briefly summarise the Program has landed a Kerbal on the Mun and returned him safely to Kerbin, explored Minmus with an autonomous Kethane miner, and in the 26th and most recent episode put a spaceplane into orbit with crew and cargo to support a triple mission: Further exploration of Minmus, the first trip to Duna, and rescue of an unfortunate member of a rival space agency.

On the darker side, the warnings of the environmentalists that Kethane is not a limitless resource may not be without merit. The deserts of Kerbin, so long the go-to place for Kethane, have dried up. On the other hand the new grassland deposit offers lovely views and scans indicate it is far richer than the deserts ever were.