Saltpeter

As much as I like the idea, the thought of refilling a bajillion xenon tanks is a bit of a turnoff. The on-board xenon storage of Minmusopolis is enough. The plane has successfully docked with the Triskelion, care of Calbart's careful flying. It's time to bring our kerbs home! Bill, Guskin, and Donvin will be the first to depart. Jerwin, who was originally part of the lander test crew, has requested to stay on as a permanent staff member. Who are the KSP to turn down the best lander pilot they've got?

The plane works! I was able to jettison and land without difficulty. All I need now is to test its orbit capabilities.

The refinery's storage facility in orbit 630km over Minmus. Since Hexaflexagon was already taken by the station orbiting Kerbin, and it just seemed like the perfect name, this station will collectively be named Minmusopolis. In the meantime, it's time to test out the proposed spaceplane!

I can wait if you can provide. So far it looks sexy.

There is one last task that can be accomplished without bringing the kerbals home first: The delivery of the storage facility to Minmus orbit. The same design as Hexaflexagon Station will be used, with some minor changes: 1. Storage room for Xenon. 2. Extra storage for Monoprop. 3. Senior ports instead of XL universal ports. Designs are underway for the new station.

The Triskelion is now fully equipped for the mission, minus the storage facility. The storage facility is going to be another station in the same vein as Hexaflexagon. The refinery module alone is itself a small station, and the Triskelion is going to haul it, even though it doesn't really have to. KSP scientists had this to say: "Oh, you think flying around a lot and hauling some kerbals is sooooo cool, do you? That's dumb! You're dumb! We're not satisfied until we've tortured that vehicle! Muahahahahaha!"

I have begun docking the kethane equipment to the Triskelion. I will also take the time to deorbit the old science probes. It was a spectacular lack of foresight that I forgot to add antennae to them, especially the ones without the non-reusable science modules. I will design a better probe for the next interplanetary mission at a later time.

Oooooooh! And the jet lands well? I did notice that happening with the pods when I was testing my plane. But you know what? If the plane unloads and vanishes, I'm fine with that. As long as it doesn't crash. We can pretend that it landed safely somewhere.

Think of it as a bomber, but it drops kerbals instead of ordnance.

Thanks! Sounds like the results I was getting with my own plane.

As much as I adore that idea, I need the capsules to be jettisoned at low altitude because I want them to land right on the KSC. Can I do that with that jet?

If you can make the jet so it jettisons the three pods and can still land well, I'll totally use it.

That's fantastic. I'll have to give it a trial run once you've perfected it. It just might be the hero's chariot worthy of the Triskelion crew. Wait a second. That jet doesn't jettison those pods, does it? I was hoping for the pods to parachute down after being jettisoned from the craft.

Oooooh. Can it land well?

I need a proper jet, not a rocket with jet engines. You've seen the pictures of what I'm trying to make.

The Refinery Module is using a new part, the Service Compartment Tube! It stores all the bits and bobs that make the ships slightly more ugly, like radioisotope generators and Mechjeb.

It looks like a Stayputnik covered in solar panels with a Communatron-88, basking in the glow of a Mk 2 Illuminator whose color was set to pure red in the VAB.

The module was very easy to assemble in space. The low gravity of Minmus will make it easy to land as a unit. Parachute modules can be attached to the side tanks for future excursions to atmospheric bodies such as Duna or Eve. Or even Kerbin.

The kethane tank module. each part is to be individually attached to the Triskelion prior to departure, but this launch is to test the self-assembly in orbit. This rocket could probably do the job of delivering the system to Minmus on its own, but that would be too easy.

I just had a flash of brilliance. The moon base will be assembled in orbit and land as a complete unit! All that's required is for each component to be independently maneuverable.

It works! It works! Now I just need to figure out how to build a level moon base.

The Space Truck is a surprise hit with folks on the ground. People are using various images of it soaring over Kerbin as their desktop wallpapers the world over.

The KSP proudly presents is mining rover! Test launches are underway to figure out exactly how kethane works. Here are some opinions from the crew: Donory: "You're...you're not serious, are you?" Jebediah: "Reminds me of the junkyard back home." Jerwin: *assorted laughter* Bill: "It's a space truck. You built a space truck."

The kethane probe was simple enough to launch and get into Minmus orbit, of course. It is now circling the moon scanning for kethane deposits. KSP scientists describe the process as "totally cool."

Meanwhile, back at the labs... Whispers of rumors abound at the KSP of a miraculous new substance that will make exploration of the kerbolar system far easier: Kethane. While the stranded crew awaits its ride home, Donory and the rest of the standing crew of the Triskelion are preparing for their next mission: 1. Launch a permanent probe to Minmus orbit to scan the surface for kethane. 2. Establish at least two permanent extraction facilities and one launch base on the surface of Minmus. 3. Provide one sturdy, manned rover for the staff at the base. 4. Assemble a permanently staffed refinery in Minmus orbit. 5. Provide one kethane-burning ferry ship to transport raw kethane between the extractors and the refinery. 6. Attach to the refinery a storage facility for converted fuels. With the exception of the last objective, the Triskelion is to deliver all of the materials for this mission in a single trip. To save on mass, the Triskelion will only have 20% capacity of fuel. It is to return home with a full tank of fuel as a testament to kerbal excellence.