Angelo Kerman

You can use the strip miner to get the rare metals and exotic minerals. It's on the Claimjumper. I forgot that I deleted the dirt processor once I made the prospector...

You should be able to copy the Estonian files to your 1.2.2 save if you use a previous version of DSEV.

Delta-v depends upon configuratuion of the fuel tanks. With upper and lower tanks configured as propellant you get about 3k m/s with the stock aerospike (the engine its designed for). With the Pathfinder bootstrap configuration, it’s around 1400-1600 after you unload the base. It’s hard to tell from that image, but you have the Estonian command pod (gray cone), EDL tank (white extension) and EDL landing frame (back part with black stripe). Both EDL parts have storage tanks. The Estonian is 3.75m while the landing frame is 5m for size reference. The landing frame will have landing legs like you would find on the iconic Mars Excursion Module.

Fixed some texturing issues tonight and worked on the config files. Then did a test flight: I've got a lot of texturing and model work to do, this is just an analog to the finished craft. Also, got the mesh work done on the unkermanned variant of the Estonian, known as the ED-3 Cargo Drone:

Fixed some texturing issues tonight and worked on the config files. Then did a test flight: Also, got the mesh work done on the unkermanned variant of the Estonian, known as the ED-3 Cargo Drone:

BARIS 1.4.5 is now available: - Flight control state changes ignored when performing an EVA or switching vessels. - Fixed crash that happened when installing BARIS into an existing save and switching to an active vessel. - Fixed crash that happened in career mode when trying to integrate vessels in the VAB/SPH. - Fixed GUI issues in Tracking Station view. - Max workers per facility is now calculated based on max workers per bay and max number of bays. - Vehicle integration can now be done independently of launch failures. - Reduced Test Bench science costs for improving part quality.

Had to track down some BARIS bugs today, but small progress is still progress. Here is my Estonian Crew Taxi reference design: Got the hatch in place and am just starting to draw out the panel lines. I've also figured out how to seat a total of 8 kerbals in the capsule. That's one less than the 9-kerbal Clydesdale, which should drive some OCD folks nuts.

I've been un-breaking my own career save to the point that BARIS is now working properly. It might help your own game...

Vehicles are considered integrated when built out in the field. Also, I finally found the crash that happens when you add BARIS to an existing save and switch to an active vessel. Fix in the works. Was affecting my career game too...

Unwrapped the command pod and started texturing:

Not in this save. In Duna Space Program, they didn't either; they activated the doomsday weapons, the kraken woke up, and reset time...

Ok, I think I found the problem, fix is pending...

Are you using any mods that increase the number of tech levels in the KSC facilities? Did you modify any settings for worker productivity? You're getting a bunch of "division by zero" errors related to worker productivity.

DSEV already has the Cryo Shelter. Probably won't have the mirror propulsion, just the big nuclear motors. NAUTILUS-X has been canceled- I don't see a use for the parts, they're redundant at this point and the mod is getting bloated. Hence the ISV Venture Star-alike parts will be in the last major DSEV release. I want things done by the end of the year, and it's just taking me too long to get things done. Add to that the long delay of Pathfinder's Sandcastle project, not to mention a top secret project that's been delayed for over a year now, so NAUTILUS-X is out. Thanks, I think I have the design figured out.

“For the tenth time, sis,” Samalla said annoyed, “I’m not a language expert. I don’t know what these pictographs mean. I think this is a like a keypad of some sort, but even if I could interpret the symbols, I still wouldn’t know the access code.” “I know, but-“ “Payin, I’m clueless, ok? I could tap here and here and here,” the engineer said, randomly tapping on symbols, “and… uh... here, but who knows what the code could be.” Click. With a burst of dust and grinding stone, the wall suddenly jolted back a centimeter and slowly crept open. “No way,” Samalla said, astonished. Liscella blinked. “Good job, Samalla.” She clicked her radio. “Captain, Samalla got the door open, we’re in.” “What? How?” “Pure dumb luck. Request permission to go spelunking.” “Very well. Permission granted. Stay together. Anything looks suspicious and you run. And good job,” Captain James radioed back. “Ganges, hurry back. Samalla found a way into the pyramid…” *** “Wow. Just, wow,” Samalla said, looking at the immense chamber inside. Easily 300 meters wide at the base, the chamber followed the contours of the outer walls up to the third “tier” of the pyramid. Lights lined the walls, though a few here and there appeared to no longer function. A large metal shaft extended from the roof of the chamber and pierced deep into the ground, while a crane assembly hung overhead. The interior felt comfortably cool despite the desert heat outside. The chamber floor appeared to be divided up into four quadrants. They started walking to their immediate right, to the first quadrant which had stacks of metal pipes, easily two and a half meters in diameter, resting between stone pillars. The kerbals kept walking. Behind the stacks of pipes in the second quadrant appeared to be a machine shop with large industrial tools for making more pipes. Additionally, a literal army of ant-like robots with kerbal-like arms, easily a meter long and as tall as a kerbal were stacked up atop each other to conserve space. The kerbals froze, terrified. Fortunately, they remained motionless to their approach. Seconds later, after they came to their senses, Payin looked to Samalla, who just shook her head and shrugged. "Do not touch those," Liscella boomed as Samalla reached out to one. "Leave them be. Let's keep going." Off to their immediate left in the third quadrant were a series of rounded buildings that looked like someone took a giant bucket of beach sand and turned it upside down. Their walls were covered in strange pictographs, with symbols and creatures that no kerbal had ever seen before. Most of the buildings were empty, but one of them had a pile of a metallic blue substance. “Isn’t that Munvan’s ‘graviolium’ that we found at the Bruoso Monolith? It kind of looks like it,” Liscella said. “Yeah, looks like it,” Payin parroted. “Maybe it has value other than as ornamental jewelry? Can we keep it?” “Well, we’re in ‘international waters’ so to speak, so it’s legitimate salvage,” Samalla pointed out. “We’ll make a note and keep moving. Let’s check out the other buildings,” Liscella responded. In the final quadrant up towards the entrance was a series of trapezoidal buildings made of mud brick and stone and carved with various murals. One of those symbols depicted seven beings- definitely not kerbals- forming a group, with four in the front and three in the back, all wearing baggy clothing and what looked like helmets. Each member of the group was between 1.8 and 2-meters tall, with disproportionately long limbs and torsos, and small eyes and small heads. They all appeared to be smiling with their impossibly small mouths. The explorers were speechless. They took pictures. Lots of pictures. They walked into one of the buildings and followed its passageways until they found several black granite slabs laying on their sides. Unlike the large monoliths they found, the smaller slabs were not radioactive. “Maybe they fit them together to make the big ones,” Liscella commented. “Or they could be like seed crystals that you plant in the ground, and they grow,” Samalla conjectured. “Notice how they don’t have any radioactivity?” “That also doesn’t look like black granite,” Payin pointed out. “Are these cores for the monoliths? The do have the same 1 by 4 by 9 proportions…” “Maybe, I don’t know. Nobody has ever tried to do any detailed probes of The Monolith- er, the one at KSC,” Samalla answered. Liscella made a motion with her hands and exited the room, with the student astronauts following. In the largest building, they found a single chamber with a central five-sided pedestal inside that was lit with glowing controls. She tapped one of them; it switched from a view of the solar system to a view of Kerbin. Markers on the display lit up around the globe, each with a readout of some kind. One of the markers was clearly the pyramid that they were standing in. The display suddenly flipped to show a cross-section of Kerbin. Various symbols flashed across the screen. Parts of the cross section were drawn in with amorphous light blue shapes along the crust and at the core. A few seconds later, the display returned to its view of the solar system. Samalla’s eyes went wide as she gasped. “This place! I- They- The monoliths mark deposits!” *** “So I convinced Gene to let me hire Bigby Tools to modify a Brumby to seat six,” Bill continued, “and I got Wernher to allocate one of the Titan II boosters and Kapollo Service Modules for the test flight. Linus got really mad- he wanted two unkermanned tests of Kapollo on Titan and now he’s only getting one- and now there’s a big debate about why we even need Kapollo…” “Why make the, uh, big Brumby to begin with,” Jeb asked. There was a slight delay as his transmission bounced through various Echo Relay satellites to reach Kerbal Space Center. “Well, what have you, Val, and Major Paire been doing since you arrived at Dolores?” “Val and Paire have been helping out in the labs. I’ve been gardening.” “Seriously, Jeb?” “Yeah, Bill, seriously. Not much to do up here.” “Huh. Okay, well, you’ve answered your question.” “How so?” “Think about it. You need three pilots to bring three station crew members to Dolores. That’s two less seats for engineers and scientists to do what the Air Force wants. And our kermanned programs are halted because all you pilots are on orbit. ‘Big Brumby’ seats six…” “Which means you’d only need one pilot,” Jeb finished for him. “Exactly.” “Ok, what do you need me for, Bill? Oh. You want me to fly the Big Brumby.” “Yup, Kapollo can fly unkermanned-“ “Which I most certainly do not trust,” Jeb interrupted. “But the Brumby can’t,” Bill continued without missing a beat. “I need you to convince management to bring you and Captain Gedra or somebody else home for a bit. I want to prove that one Big Brumby is better than three regular Brumbies, but it needs a test pilot.” “You know I love to test new ships, Bill,” Jeb responded, “but I hate to be the plywood in your spokes. Why wouldn’t the Air Force just use Kapollo? It’s automated- Duh, Jeb, we Air Force pilots like to fly…” “That, and sharing Kapollo with the military means less available for Munshot, and further delays,” Bill pointed out. “Of course, with fewer pilot slots on missions, there's going to be some fierce competition, and the Air Force might just opt to use regular Brumbies just for that reason. But money might beat politics in this case. Okay, Bill, I’ll see what I can do.” *** While the KSP board of directors listened to Bill and Jeb pitch their idea, they elected to not make their decision right away. If anything, they reasoned, the Air Force could use two of the new Kapollo craft instead of a single Brumby. Instead, KSC proceeded as planned, first with a test launch of the brand new Duna I launch vehicle, carrying a new Sentinel asteroid scanner, designed to look for Near Kerbin Objects. For it to be effective though, it had to orbit between Kerbin and Eve. Launching at noon, the rocket went straight up. Its six Fulcrum engines and the single new Skipper engine performed flawlessly, though the vehicle experienced some pogo oscillations that would have to be corrected before the next flight. Duna I’s upper stage ignited shortly after first stage burnout, nearly cooking the interstage adapter. Its five Fulcrum engines put the Sentinel satellite on escape trajectory, but that wasn’t enough. Sentinel promptly dropped the upper stage and ignited its OMS engine for the final boost to its target orbit. KSC mission planners then scheduled a circularization burn for 71 days later. Sentinel was on its way. The next day, after reconditioning the pad, Kapollo IA (nobody would explain the “A” suffix for the first Kapollo flight) rolled out to launch. The Titan II performed nominally, boosting the combined Kapollo Command Module and Kapollo Service Module out of the atmosphere with upper stage propellant to spare for orbital insertion. Unfortunately, the auto-sequence failed to jettison the launch abort system, but ground controllers managed to manually disconnect it. About a minute later, Kapollo IA performed its circularization burn, achieving a 138km by 116km orbit. The Titan upper stage then promptly de-orbited itself. With its relay antenna deployed and monopropellant power units activated, Linus congratulated his team for a job well done. Now it was just a matter of giving Kapollo an orbital shakedown over the next several days...

Started working on DSEV's Estonian command pod. It's a Size 3 kerbalized Orion: Here you can see its lineage: The beginnings of the IVA: Concept art:

Started working on DSEV's Estonian command pod. It's a Size 3 kerbalized Orion: Here you can see its lineage: The beginnings of the IVA: Concept art:

Yup, I recall adding in an IVA and single seat. Would the physical orientation of the part make a difference? "Up" for the hitchhiker in Unity is +Y, while the "nose" of the SpyGlass points +Z, not +Y. Would that make a difference? The issues I've seen is that vessels spawn in the ground, and they've had to do some interesting changes to the stakes to make vessels spawn correctly. I just want to make sure that the SpyGlass is set up properly for use with EL.

Check out the KSPedia entry on Snacks, it tells you what you can do.

Just updated Pathinder to 1.13.1 to fix IVA issues with the Ranch House. @SpaceKadet also noted some issues with using the SpyGlass with Extraplanetary Launchpads and I'll be investigating that this week. I think it has to do with the part's orientation in Unity; I presume the Survey Station in EL that's using the Hitchhiker module works fine... Meanwhile the new Rangeland pad should help.

I'd need to see the exact steps you're taking, I don't see any issues on my end.

Now that I got the latest Pathfinder release out (I see I need to make a small bug fix tomorrow though), I can get going on DSEV's Odyssey Three release. Since the Estonian didn't make it into last release, it's going to be the first set of parts that I work on for this release. I want to have this release done by end of November at the latest so that I can get the last set of DSEV parts done before the end of the year.

Thanks! I've wanted to fly around Kerbin for a long time- it's not something I've done before. I went and made the Heisenberg mod just for that purpose. They are from Kerbal Konstructs and they're really neat! To make the tiltrotors stable, what I do is turn on both center of mass and center of lift in the VAB/SPH, and then tilt the rotors up. Then I just align things until they're both more or less in the same spot. You might notice that the tailcone parts have Lead in them- that's to help you balance your craft even further. The JetWing already has built-in RCS thrusters.

MOLE doesn't support Kerbalism, sorry. Try using MOLE in a stock game, and be sure to install everything that comes with the download.

Two hours of searching did indeed locate the frightened worker and missing blutonium. She explained that she was assembling an RTG for an upcoming project, but was quickly silenced by Oskar vonKerman. The material was once again put away and securely stored- this time with assurances that it would be kept under constant guard. The vonKerman Republic still had a lot to answer for... Several days of intense inspections later, the Akron’s crew was thoroughly exhausted- and annoyed at spending so much time away from home. At least until Dr. Munvan shared the literal fruits of his labor from the ship’s botany lab. Between that and raiding the ship’s liquor cabinet for “medicinal purposes,” the crew barely remembered anything after the evening meal. Finally satisfied that Sterntal was in fact an abandoned space launch complex, the Akron’s crew said their goodbyes to the vonKermans and went aloft once more- this time into the Great Desert. Technically under maritime law, the vonKerman Republic claimed the desert as their own despite having little use for it, and the dispute was one reason for waging the Last War. And despite the war’s end, the land remained contested, this time in the World Court. Few ventured into the wasteland due to its severe lack of vegetation and water, not to mention the oppressive heat. Evidence suggested that the area was once lush with vegetation and water instead of today’s barren land and seasonal lakes. Why it became a desert remained a mystery. Some think the desert was the result of global climate change- and there's lots of evidence for that. Others believe that the Ancients fought the Kraken and created the Great Desert during their conflict, and if Gregorio Kerman had any say in the matter, they used atomic weapons. Of course, there was no evidence of atomic attacks or radioactive signatures of any kind- except for the two anomalies on the Akron’s map. “There’s nothing out here but broken and cracked desert,” Kelbin said, looking out the windows. “Are you sure we’re headed in the right direction?” “You tell me, you’re flying the airship,” Liscella answered. “Check your instruments.” It didn’t take long to do a systems check with all the practice he’d had over the past several months. “Nothing seems out of place, I- there, on the horizon, 12 o’clock.” Liscella scanned the horizon for a few seconds. “I don’t see anything… Oh, there, by the ridge. There’s something glinting on that mountain peak.” Kelbin continued to watch the instruments as he flew. The Akron was right on course. Several minutes later, they got a closer look at their quarry. “That’s no mountain,” he said and trailed off. Liscella pressed the ship-wide intercom. “Captain to the bridge, you’re going to want to see this.” *** “That’s got to be half a kilometer wide at its base, and at least that as tall,” Payin said, looking at the scans. “It’s enormous! Radar can’t penetrate the interior, so I can’t tell if it’s solid or hollow. Who would build something that big?” “Isn’t it obvious? Its aliens,” Samalla answered. “For once, I think I believe you, sis. Any idea what for?” Samalla shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.” Payin continued her scans, shaking her head at the readings. Then she sighed and nodded and it the intercom. “Captain, dosimeter readings show the same setup as we’ve seen at the tracking station sites. Probably the same type of power source. Radiation is concentrated at the apex of the pyramid. Limit exposure to no more than 30 minutes.” “Very well,” then intercom spoke back. “Kelbin, as soon as we set down, take the JetWing and go have a closer look. Payin, Samalla and Liscella, take Fido and see if you can find an entrance around the base.” Kelbin excitedly stepped onto the Akron’s flight deck, fueled up the JetWing, and strapped himself in. Designed by “Jet Kerb” Yves R. Kerman, the JetWing was a microlight aircraft- more like a pair of jet-powered wings strapped to your back than the world’s smallest airplane. It was so easy to fly, anyone could do it, though pilots loved it the most. Over the whine of the turbines, Kelbin hollered with glee as the tiny plane lifted off the deck. The KAF pilot quickly shifted over to VTOL mode and activated its RCS thrusters for his sortie to the pyramid’s apex. On the way up, he noticed that the pyramid had several sections divided by balconies or ledges. He didn’t see any obvious way in other than the spot where the Akron landed, however. Kelbin estimated that the apex was 525 meters tall including the spike at the top. Made of a light colored stone, the apex was noticeably warmer than other sections of the pyramid- and more radioactive. “Uh, dude, you really need to wear a helmet,” Munvan radioed. “Trust me,” Kelbin radioed back as he looked down at the airship, “I’m not staying up here long. There’s no sign of any entry point, this area looks sealed off. It’s also kind of sandy up here, I’ll grab a sample and head back.” Kelbin’s idea of “head back” involved flying around the pyramid. “Lieutenant, the Akron is not 10.2 klicks away from the pyramid,” Liscella scolded over the radio. “Yes Ma’am, just trying to spot that other anomaly. It’s close by. No luck though, so I’m heading back.” “That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” Kelbin said, landing back on the deck. *** Shortly after Kelbin returned, Liscella joined Payin and Samalla in the hangar deck for a trip in the Fido. The little rover circled the enormous pyramid, quickly spotting what looked like an entrance. It looked sealed though, so the trio drove around until they found a ledge that they could drive on. While it provided a nice view of the airship, they couldn’t find any other obvious entrances. They returned to the indented section to see what they could find. “I’ve seen pictographs like this in some of my books on aliens,” Samalla said, “I told you aliens made this!” “Great, sis, great,” Payin said and shook her head. “Can you get us inside?” “Maybe.” *** “Captain, I think Kelbin had the right idea to find that nearby anomaly,” Kimgee said, “but the JetWing doesn’t have the equipment to locate it. The Ganges does…” Captain James sighed. “You’ve been bugging me to redeem the Ganges ever since that mess at Arekibo Crater.” He looked out the window. The desert was pretty flat… “Very well. Take the Ganges and find that other anomaly. Just fly out, find the thing, take a quick reading and head back. Get back here by sundown. Do not exceed four klicks, understood?” “Yes Sir,” Kimgee said excitedly, “We won’t let you down, Sir!” Kimgee quickly grabbed Mosa and Bobus for her excursion. She had to follow the maps until the modified air search radar stopped pinging the pyramid and started zeroing in on the other anomaly. Several frustrating minutes later- and a couple of close encounters with a sand dune- the explorers still couldn’t find the anomaly. “Time to come back to the barn,” Captain James radioed. “But-“ “Now, lieutenant commander.” “Aye aye, S-“ “THERE! Right there,” Mosa screamed into the headset. Kimgee shook her head in pain, then gave Mosa an annoyed look. Mosa just pointed to her sighting. “Captain, can we at least plant a flag so we can find this again,” Kimgee pleaded. There was a pause. “You’ve got five minutes after you land.” Kimgee wasted no time getting the runabout onto the ground. The trio quickly took a seismic reading and then scrambled out of the tiltrotor to look at the strange anomaly and plant a flag. It looked like a circular ring with symbols on it that also had glowing chevrons. The ring was set atop a stepped stone platform. “It looks like a movie set,” Kimgee noted. “Except that this ‘movie set’ has an atomic power source,” Bobus pointed out. “It looks like one of the electromagnetic coils from one of Wild Blue's mass driver concepts.” Kimgee looked puzzled. “A what?” “A mass driver,” Mosa explained before Bobus could, “is a device that accelerates projectiles to a high velocity. It’s a way to transport resources and finished goods vast distances without the need for traditional rockets. Well, except for course corrections. With enough power, you could shoot stuff from a munar base into orbit. Just don't try to shoot a kerbal in one... But if this is a mass driver, where are the other coils? And what are the symbols for?” Bobus shrugged, and Kimgee’s watch buzzed- they were out of time. The explorers were speculating on the site’s purpose as the climbed back into the runabout when they heard Liscella’s radio call. “Ganges, hurry back. Samalla found a way into the pyramid.”