Angelo Kerman

The biggest reason is that life support machinery goes into the floor section so it's tucked away and out of view.

More progress today. My new ModuleIVAVariants watches for part variant changes and adjusts the interior view accordingly. Here, it's being used to open up the IVA a bit when the module is in the Station variant: It also works with the IVA Mask: And I got the ladders working: With that, the logistics modules are finally done!

Today I got the props and lighting done for the two modules. Here you can see what the interiors look like. The IVA mask isn't done yet. Figuring out the right level of lighting is always a pain. And the kerbal's eye views: This view of the short logistics module also shows off the normal map... Use of @Nertea's Near Future Props is a must- they're so nice! My next goal is to apply a small model change to the IVA when you use the Station part variant. That'll give the IVA a domed ceiling instead of a flat one.

Due to excessive work, I haven't been able to do anything with Buffalo 2 for a couple of weeks. But tonight, I made some progress. This is the first iteration of the generic IVA as seen in game. As mentioned before, as with the exterior, it is modular. This particular IVA is for the logistics module. here, Jeb is sitting on the jumpseat and making sure that I got the seating right. Unless someone thinks the logistics module needs 2 seats, it currently only seats 1 kerbal. here you can see the other jumpseat that's folded up: This is also a test to see if I got the resolution right, and it looks like it! Finding the right pixel density for IVAs has been an ongoing challenge, but I finally have something that works. Over the rest of the week I need to tweak the IVA more; add the normal maps, check the lighting, create some crates to stuff the module with- and so on. I'm hoping to finally have the first IVA finished by the weekend, which will free me up to build more Buffalo 2 parts.

To make things easier, here's 0.6.8, a Quality of Life release: - QoL improvement: WBIGraviticEngineGenerator will force activate the part if not staged when the engine is activated through the PAW. - QoL improvement: Added Plasma Contactor (Large), with increased discharge rates over its smaller cousin. - QoL improvement: Upgraded discharge rates for the Plasma Contactor Module.

I just tested GHS-01 Development Build and the systems are functioning correctly: Based on the image you posted, I don't think you have main power activated on the Planet's Edge warp engine. Here's how it should look: Here's with just the engine running, no main power: And here it is with just engine and hover mode: Be sure to hit spacebar to stage the engine before use. Hope that helps.

Temporarily, yeah. I've been burned out with excessive work of late and haven't had the mental energy to work on Buffalo 2, so I've been playing a bit more.

I seem to have run into this as well. I'm running 6.99.1, and when I use my custom disposable pad, installed via stock EVA Construction, I run into this error when I tap on Show UI. I checked my logs, this is what I'm seeing: [EXC 20:35:51.832] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.EL_Utils.MakeSprite (UnityEngine.Texture2D tex) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildCraftView.UpdateFlag () (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildCraftView.UpdateControl (ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildControl control) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) UnityEngine.Events.InvokableCall`1[T1].Invoke (T1 args0) (at <12e76cd50cc64cf19e759e981cb725af>:0) UnityEngine.Events.UnityEvent`1[T0].Invoke (T0 arg0) (at <12e76cd50cc64cf19e759e981cb725af>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELPadView.set_control (ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildControl value) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELPadView.SetControl (ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildControl control) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildManagerView.SetControl (ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildControl control) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELMainWindow.SetControl (ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildControl control) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELWindowManager.ShowBuildWindow (ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELBuildControl control) (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads.ELDisposablePad.ShowUI () (at <26d81185874f4d28baa663727b80c757>:0) BaseEvent.Invoke () (at <39c0323fb6b449a4aaf3465c00ed3c8d>:0) UIPartActionButton.OnClick () (at <39c0323fb6b449a4aaf3465c00ed3c8d>:0) UnityEngine.Events.InvokableCall.Invoke () (at <12e76cd50cc64cf19e759e981cb725af>:0) UnityEngine.Events.UnityEvent.Invoke () (at <12e76cd50cc64cf19e759e981cb725af>:0) UnityEngine.UI.Button.Press () (at <5336a8686ff14f17888ce9a9f44f29bc>:0) UnityEngine.UI.Button.OnPointerClick (UnityEngine.EventSystems.PointerEventData eventData) (at <5336a8686ff14f17888ce9a9f44f29bc>:0) UnityEngine.EventSystems.ExecuteEvents.Execute (UnityEngine.EventSystems.IPointerClickHandler handler, UnityEngine.EventSystems.BaseEventData eventData) (at <5336a8686ff14f17888ce9a9f44f29bc>:0) UnityEngine.EventSystems.ExecuteEvents.Execute[T] (UnityEngine.GameObject target, UnityEngine.EventSystems.BaseEventData eventData, UnityEngine.EventSystems.ExecuteEvents+EventFunction`1[T1] functor) (at <5336a8686ff14f17888ce9a9f44f29bc>:0) UnityEngine.DebugLogHandler:LogException(Exception, Object) ModuleManager.UnityLogHandle.InterceptLogHandler:LogException(Exception, Object) UnityEngine.EventSystems.EventSystem:Update() I really should figure out a visual studio project for EL, then I can help debug the issue.

Chapter 24 Hastily assembled from spare parts, the Gilly Mapper launched into orbit atop Drax Aerospace’s low-cost Moho rocket from Pad A. Little more than a docking port with science instruments welded and bolted to it, the Gilly Mapper had several instruments for radar mapping, image mapping, and resource mapping. But it needed a lot of help to reach Gilly. When the Mϋnshot missions returned to Kerbin orbit, they left their Sarnus Upper Stages in Low Kerbin Orbit for future use. Shuttle orbiters subsequently used them to send space probes to the outer planets. Eight hours after launch, Moho 3 delivered Gilly Mapper to the Drax Fuel Depot, where several Kerbin Departure Stages (KDS) Left over from the First Laythe Fleet launch campaign awaited a similar use. The spacecraft parked a few meters away from the depot, dropped off the probe, and performed its deorbit burn. Then one of the KDS detached from the depot and docked to the mapper. Like the Sarnus Upper Stages before it, the KDS would sacrifice itself for Science! A second KDS departed the depot, but for a different reason. This one shuttled over to the Eve RelaySat, a virtual twin to the Duna RelaySat. Applying the lessons learned over Duna, the KDS refueled the one still attached to the RelaySat. The Ministry of Space hoped that the refueled KDS would provide enough delta-v to not repeat their mistake over Duna. Fifteen days later, the First Eve Fleet moved out. The joint KSP/MoS fleet’s three vessels each took their turns igniting their engines and burning for the Purple Planet. Though not as exciting as when the First Laythe Fleet launched, the media still covered the event. Critics called it the Junk Fleet since its components were all built out of leftovers and spares from the First Jool Fleet. Nonetheless, space enthusiasts looked forward to seeing the First Eve Fleet arrive at the Purple Planet in a few months. * Meanwhile, back at Duna, the Duna Science Relay made a burn to lower its orbit. But when it tried to circularize it, the craft ran out of electricity! The Ministry of Space could do little but wait for the DSR to recharge in the sunlight and assess the situation. Once they regained control, they realized that the science instruments ate through the batteries, so for their next attempt, they switched them off. That was all well and good since they couldn’t be used from low orbit anyway. The ship lost a bit of its propellium too, but there was nothing that they could do about it. The next attempt also failed. This time, they deactivated the radiators and hoped that the engine wouldn’t overheat. Once again, the craft ran out of electricity. Looking at every possibility, engineers reluctantly shut down the cooling systems on the propellium tanks, figuring that they’d lose propellium regardless of the cooling systems. That worked; Duna Science Relay successfully circularized its orbit. Once the spacecraft recovered, engineers poured over the data to find out what went wrong. They finally figured out that DSR’s lower orbit meant more time in the shade; something that they didn’t account for. Then they looked at every system that used electric charge. The biggest consumers were the three large propellium tanks, so engineers transferred the remaining propellium into the outer tanks' H375-36 tanks and shut down the larger H375-144 outer tanks’ cooling systems. Then they topped off the core tanks. Finally, they realized that DSR’s various probe cores (two on the outer tanks, two in the science packages, and one in the core) drained lots of electric charge, so they uploaded a software patch to hibernate the probe cores during the night-side of the orbit. That was almost enough, but the spacecraft still ran out of electricity for a few minutes during each orbit. Thus, it was only a matter of time before the spacecraft ran out of propellium. Given their current situation, the Ministry of Space abandoned the possibility of bringing the DSR back to Kerbin after completing its mission or sending it to Ike. Instead, they went with their backup plan. First, they commanded DSR to discard its science package to lighten the load- but left the twin landers intact. Next, they burned off most off the propellium by making a huge plane change from polar to equitorial orbit to match Duna Basecamp, and then deactivated the cooling systems on the outer tanks once they ran dry. With both tasks completed, the MoS science team selected two landing sites of interest along the equator. They selected a notable crater and named the landing site Sector LLX-4 and an alternate site near a data glitch called Sector FRN-3G. FRN-3G also happened to be at the tip of the notable plains. If the first lander made it to LLX-4, then the second one would head to FRN-3G. With luck, both sites could become potential sites for a base on Duna. Once Sector LLX-4 entered daylight, the Duna Science Relay dropped its first lander. Several minutes later, Lander 1 adjusted its orbit and deorbited. As it entered the thin atmosphere, it barely generated any plasma fire. When it entered the target area, it attempted to deploy its chute. But like the Estonian, its chute needed more atmospheric pressure to deploy. In a desperate move, the lander tried running its experimental electric propellers. Sadly, it didn’t work… The Ministry of Space had one more lander, but the scientists had little hope of succeeding. Nonetheless, Lander 2 detached from the Duna Science Relay and began its descent. With nothing to lose, Lander 2 ditched its descent stage right after atmospheric entry. While the probe survived atmospheric entry, its chute also failed to open, and it too smashed into the desert floor… With their Duna campaign not going well, the Ministry of Space decided to salvage the science by storing it in Duna Basecamp. To do that they had to clear the Basecamp’s docking port. They commanded its Arrow Extended Upper Stage to detach and deorbit. But rather than just let it crash into the surface, they decided to reprogram it and see if it could land in Sector LLX-4. To their surprise, it worked! Bolstered by their success, the Ministry of Space directed the Duna Science Relay to head to the Basecamp. It rendezvoused and docked with the station a couple of hours later. While they couldn’t transfer the science data into the lab, the Basecamp’s extra batteries were enough to preserve the DSR’s remaining propellium. Post-analysis of Phase 2 showed that the Landers’ main chutes suffered the same issues as Estonian 1. But due to its lightness, drogue chutes might serve as a suitable replacement. It was unclear if the electric propellers were effective on Duna or not and they warranted further experimentation. It’s possible that the landers needed to be lighter weight to handle the thin air. On the plus side, Duna’s thin atmosphere also meant that the probes didn’t need traditional heat shields for atmospheric entry. The next attempt could just use an array of airbrakes to help slow the craft down. Propulsive landing proved the best option as demonstrated by the unorthodox landing of the AEUS. Future landing craft could spend more mass on airbrakes and landing rockets and less on heat shields and chutes. So, while all but one landing attempt failed, the experiences taught the Ministry of Space’s engineers a lot about what works and what doesn’t, and they were eager to apply the lessons learned to their next attempt. They had a year to design and build their improved designs.

It’s been a few years but my code created the IVA after the inflatable part was assembled. It wasn’t so much about switching the Iva as it was making it show up. Making it switch is another thing. You can swap out the model and props with some effort but seat placement is fixed- or really hard to do and not something that I figured out. For Buffalo 2 I plan on just a small model update rather than a wholesale replacement.

Chapter 23 Drax Kerman was not happy. Despite their best efforts, his engineers at OPT still hadn’t been able to crack the barrier on the advanced aerospace technology needed for Sunkraker’s engines. As a result, instead of standing in the hangar where Sunraker resided, he stood on Pad B’s service tower where Mϋnraker 1, the first-and only- Commercial Shuttle Launch System orbiter stood ready to launch. Tomorrow, the crew of Nautilus would fly in the shuttle’s new tourist module, but today he used the setting to work on his business relationship with the newly appointed Administrator of Kerbal Space Program, Gene Kerman. He had such high hopes for the Mϋnraker program and at one point he wanted six of them. He had visions of his six shuttles docked to a large commercial space station- a Drax space station- that he himself ran as head of the Drax-owned space infrastructure that reached to the mϋns of Kerbin and beyond. But then Orbital Dynamics happened. With their huge success in the space tourism industry and their advanced SSTO, the media once again questioned why KSP’s best and brightest had to ride an outdated rocket with twin “death sticks” instead of flying in a modern Mk33. Had his engineers done their job and acquired enough Science, Nautilus’ crew would’ve flown to DSEV-01 aboard the most advanced SSTO in existence- his SSTO. But at least his company had locked in all the crewed flights for Project Laythe no matter what vehicle they chose. “It’s great to see a shuttle on the pad again,” Gene Kerman said. “It’s a magnificent flying machine.” “Indeed,” Drax responded. “The shuttle pioneered reusability and paved the way for future generations of technology to follow. Tomorrow, Mϋnraker will help us take the first step towards our species’ salvation, but soon, instead of embarking on a vehicle that needs days or weeks of preparation to launch and needs a dedicated launchpad, astronauts will board transatmospheric vehicles and fly to space as easily as boarding an airliner to fly across the world. Speaking of which, have you seen our new Sunraker?” “I uh, can’t, uh, say that I have,” Gene admitted, trying not to look surprised. Drax smiled. “Then allow me to give you a tour…” Gene nodded and they headed towards the elevator. Fortunately, Drax didn’t see his shocked and puzzled expression. The fate of the world was the best kept secret in history that only a scant few knew about. Gene fell silent, lost in thought. How does Drax know? * On Huitzil 17, 2001, the crew of the Nautilus (DSEV-01) lifted off Kerbin aboard Mϋnraker 1 to begin their space odyssey. Eight minutes later, the shuttle attained a 298.7 km by 302.3 km orbit before discarding her external tank. The tank was equipped with cryogenic RCS thrusters intended to help the orbiter maneuver in space while still attached to the tank. Unfortunately, the batteries in the tank’s deorbit kit failed and prevented it from deorbiting. It became a new member of the growing space debris. Meanwhile, the orbiter’s crew reconfigured Mϋnraker 1 for orbital operations and plotted their next maneuvers. Nearly 40 minutes later, the orbiter performed her alignment burn, and then waited another 7 hours for her transfer burn. Nine hours after launch, Mϋnraker 1 docked with DSEV-01. The event was televised around the globe. After confirming a hard seal, Bill, Jeb, and Valentina transferred over to Nautilus’s command module to turn on the lights and perform their boarding procedures. Bill deployed the airlock module’s “porch” and started up the number 2 SAFER reactor. SAFER 1 had failed a few days ago, but the ship had 4 others plus the Emancipator’s reactor. Bill noted it in the ship’s log and continued. Next, the ship’s chief engineer deployed the radiators and checked their statuses. Satisfied, he powered up the main engine for a diagnostics check. After running through several diagnostics routines, the engine registered a fault and automatically shut down. Once again, Bill noted the issue in the log and continued. Finally, he initiated the deployment sequence for the centrifuge, and it started up without incident. With their startup procedures completed, the rest of the Nautilus’ crew boarded their ship, While Diltrey unpacked the airlock and suited up, and Sammal and Seanner began setting up the centrifuge’s facilities. Sara and Bob went to the cryo modules to check them out. With his work done, Diltrey stepped outside for a brief spacewalk and fixed both the SAFER and the main engine. As Diltrey headed back in, Bill verified the fixes and cleared the systems for flight. Nautilus (DSEV-01) was ready for Kerbin departure… Satisfied that everything was in working order, Valentina thanked Mϋnraker’s crew for the lift and the shuttle headed back home. In the pre-dawn hours, the orbiter returned to KSC… One by one, each vessel in the First Laythe Fleet shed their support craft and finalized their calculations. Like Nautilus, they were ready to begin their journey. * As the media frenzy surrounding the First Laythe Fleet took a pause, they focused on one of the Ministry of Space’s missions to Duna. At last, the Duna RelaySat entered Duna’s sphere of influence! The spacecraft made a course correction burn three hours later to change its inclination. Mission planners hoped that the inclined orbit would maximize their network coverage. When the mcKerman Mission Control plotted the craft’s circularization burn, the vehicle reported that it had insufficient delta-v to perform the maneuver. In response, mission planners commanded a daring maneuver: undock the propulsion section, ditch the forward tank, and dock the propulsion section once more to the relay satellites. It was the first time performing a docking in Duna orbit, and thankfully, it worked. The discarded tank would fly by Duna in about a day and then head out into interplanetary space, but the Duna RelaySat would hopefully attain orbit around the rusty planet. Unfortunately, while the spacecraft noted the improved delta-v, its flight computers still reported that the craft came up short. In about a day and a half, they’d find out by how much. * One by one, the First Lathe Fleet unfurled their radiators and ignited their atomic rockets. Each vessel took their turn burning for Jool, and the media celebrated each one as it completed its burn and verified its course. Only one, the Laythe Mapper, missed its window and had to be rescheduled. Each vessel took a mere day exit Kerbin’s sphere of influence. Finally, it was Nautilus’ turn. Valentina activated the ship-wide comm and patched it into the external communications array. She knew that the whole world would be watching this moment. “Flight, this is Nautilus actual. On behalf of the crew, we thank everyone who made Project Laythe possible. To all the leaders of the Kerman States, the mcKerman Kingdom, and the vonKerman Republic, to the engineers and designers of each vessel in the First Laythe Fleet, to all the tireless workers who assembled the components and the vehicles that carried them into orbit, we thank you. Today, on behalf of all kerbalkin, we embark on the furthest journey that kerbals have ever attempted. Our space odyssey has begun, and we have our eyes turned skyward towards our destination.” She paused, not just for dramatic effect, but for timing as well. “Let’s go!” A moment later, right on time, Nautilus’ nuclear engine ignited and sent DSEV-01 on its way… A day later, on Huitzil 24, 2001, Nautilus approached the edge of Kerbin’s sphere of influence. “With every passing second,” Valentina continued for the camera, “we travel further than any Kerbal has gone before. And that’s just near Kerbin! In a few moments though, we’ll cross over a point where Kerbin’s gravity no longer has hold of us, and we’ll be in interplanetary space. That border is called the Sphere of Influence, and every planet and mϋn has one. Even our sun, Kerbol, has a sphere of influence, and it’s very large. Maybe someday, we’ll sail past the sun’s sphere of influence too." Valentina began wracking for things to say to occupy airtime. “Uh, We have less than a minute now… Thanks to all the hard work and cooperation, Nautilus is the most advanced spacecraft built by Kerbals. Uh, She will run on automatic once we enter hibernation- though if something bad happens, we’ll be woken up. We’ll be going to sleep soon after crossing over into interplanetary space... Oh! And 3… 2… 1… And there we go! Welcome to interplanetary space! So, uh, Jeb, what do you think?” Jeb looked up from his console. Whenever he was in front of the camera, he was cheerful. He smiled as he delivered the first crew report from interplanetary space. “Kerbin is just a pale blue dot now… When we left Kerbin, we did not see ourselves as giants. We were humbled upon seeing our world so small…” Not long after concluding their broadcast and verifying their course, the crew turned off the lights, stopped the centrifuge, and settled into the cryo modules. She divided up the crew so that each module had a pilot, engineer, and at least one scientist- just in case something happened to one of the modules. Sara vonKerman handled all the hibernation procedures and froze the crew in Cryomodule B first. Then it was their turn. “Wake me when we get there,” Bob said. Bill had already said goodnight. Valentina choked back tears as his chamber sealed and frosted over. He'll be ok, she thought to herself. Then it was Sara’s turn. She activated her own controls, and her chamber sealed itself moments later. Valentina was the last. She looked around the module and noted that all the vitals of her crew were green. She hesitated to activate her pod, afraid of what might happen. Would they reach Jool? Would the ship be intact when they got there? Would she wake up? Will Cryomodule A become her tomb? They should arrive in Jool’s SOI in 2 years and 268 days. What if she ended up like Buck Kerman in the 25th century? Valentina sighed, knowing that she couldn’t put it off any longer. She tapped the comm link. “Flight, Nautilus actual. See you on the other side…” A few seconds later, Nautilus fell silent. * As the First Laythe Fleet completed their departure burns and headed for the edge of Kerbin’s sphere of Influence, the saga of the Duna RelaySat continued to unfold. Right on time, the spacecraft’s Poseidon atomic rocket ignited once more and tried to slow the craft down. But it soon became apparent that it still lacked the delta-v needed to circularize the RelaySat’s orbit. When it ran out of propellant, the spacecraft executed its contingency program and ignited the bottom-most kick-stage motors on the RelaySat while simultaneously discarding the now useless atomic propulsion section. The small holding tanks quickly ran out of propellant as well, and Mission Control felt disheartened- until they remembered that the core tank was still locked. After unlocking the tank, the team cheered- Duna RelaySat had enough to circularize its orbit. Four days later, as the discarded atomic stage sailed into interplanetary space, Duna RelaySat circularized its orbit. After a brief celebration, mission planners commanded Duna RelaySat to raise its apoapsis to 60,960.5 km. With a periapsis of 42,664.1 km, combined with their 54-degree inclination, the trio of satellites should provide sufficient coverage of both Duna’s and Ike’s surface. Every 38 days, one satellite in the network would separate and circularize its orbit… Fourteen days later, Estonian 1, the Ministry of Space’s experimental Duna lander, coasted into the Rusty Planet’s sphere of influence. Two days later, the unkermanned lander attempted to achieve orbit. Its transfer stage placed it in a 3867.5 km by -8.8 km suborbital trajectory. The vehicle’s flight computer noted the issue, quickly jettisoned the transfer stage, and burned its deorbit motor. Estonian 1 ended up in a 1,523.8 km by 74.6 km orbit and low on descent fuel. With only a monopropellant power unit to provide electricity, the Ministry of Space’s Mission Control had to decide their next course of action- and fast. Estonian 1 initiated its deorbit burn two hours after attaining orbit, exhausting its deorbit motor in the process. Minutes before atmospheric entry, the lander took a couple of science readings before retracting its high-gain antenna and switching links over to the Duna RelaySat network. The final command to Estonian 1 armed its chutes and directed it to take atmospheric readings. Shortly after, Mission Control lost contact with the lander as hot plasma blocked radio transmissions. Unbeknownst to the mcKermans, Estonian 1 began to spin uncontrollably as it shot through Duna’s thin atmosphere. Luckily, the plasma fire subsided 8km above the surface and the lander re-established its data link. Estonian 1 quickly relayed the various rotation and thermal readings that it took during entry. Six kilometers above the surface, the chutes automatically deployed, which also told the flight computer to deploy its airbrakes. At 2 kilometers altitude, the computer extended the legs and unblocked the landing engine. Most of the legs failed to deploy, however, so the computer executed a contingency plan and retracted them as best as it could. By 1,000 meters above the surface, the lander knew that it was doomed. Its main chutes failed to deploy in the thin atmosphere, and its ascent/descent motor failed to fire. Estonian 1 slammed into the desert floor at over 80 meters per second and suffered catastrophic failures, breaking up in the process. The Ministry of Space was disappointed with the result; had kerbals been aboard, they’d have no way of returning to orbit. But while Estonian 1’s mission ended in failure, they did manage to crash in the desired target area, and they managed to gather a bit of science on the way down. Despite the failure, the crash still provided a learning experience for the mcKerman Kingdom’s space program. * “Estonian 1’s crash was an absolute failure,” Karbal Kerman, one of the reporters said. “Didn’t you guys make the Laythe lander as well?” Charles mcKerman, head of the Ministry of Space, gritted his teeth. Gene Kerman warned him about Karbal and his abrasive questions, but it’s one of those things that you had to experience to truly understand. “Correct,” Charles said icily, “but unlike Estonian 1, since Kerbin has a similar atmosphere to Laythe, we had numerous opportunities to test the Galileo. We went through several iterations of the Laythe Ascent/Descent Vehicle to make it as safe and reliable as possible before sending it on her way. Simply put, we didn’t have that opportunity with Estonian 1. The Duna lander was experimental, and it was designed to help us gather data about Duna’s atmosphere as much as it was created to test landing technologies for Duna. And it did its job. So, while it ended with a crash, Estonian 1 provided us with invaluable data to help better design the next iteration.” “Do you expect more failures with Duna Basecamp and Duna Science Relay?” Charles really hated Karbal. It’s going to be a long press conference, he thought to himself. * Twelve days after Estonian 1’s crash, the Duna Basecamp entered Duna’s sphere of Influence. Then two days later, on Itzcoatl 1, 2001, the prototype space station settled into a 157.1 km by 233.2 km orbit around the rusty planet. With delta-v to spare, Duna Basecamp’s Arrow Extended Upper Stage aligned the station’s orbit with Ike and circularized it at 233 km altitude. mcKerman Mission Control set aside the next several weeks evaluating the station’s status before discarding the AEUS and deorbiting it… 15 days later, DRS-A separated from the Duna RelaySat stack and circularized its orbit. In another 38 days, DRS-B would depart and take its place in Duna orbit… Four and a half hours after DRS-A departed, the Duna Science Relay entered Duna’s SOI. Soon, the Ministry of Space would get to test its LV-N410 Cherenkov nuclear engine after its long slumber in space. They had to wait another 5 hours to evaluate the engine, but right on time, the engine burned and altered Duna Science Relay’s course. Then on Itzcoatl 19, 2001, the vessel entered polar orbit around Duna. As the spacecraft performed its circularization burn, it took a spectacular picture of the Duna Northern Lights as Kerbol’s radiation struck the Rusty Planet’s thin atmosphere. mcKerman Mission Control celebrated their victory and then promptly got to work deploying DSR’s sensor package. As the spacecraft orbited the planet, it took imaging and gravimetric readings of each biome that it encountered from high orbit. DSR then transferred each reading into its Experiment Storage Unit. DSR’s more advanced sensors- SCAN-R2 Advanced Resource Mapper, the VS-3 Advanced High-Resolution Imager, and its SAR-X Antenna- all needed high orbit to take resource readings, visual images, and altitude measurements, respectively. That would take several weeks to complete, but once they created a detailed map of Duna, the spacecraft would head to low orbit to repeat its imaging and gravimetric readings before moving to the next phase of operations. Finally, DRS-B separated from the Duna RelaySat stack and circularized its orbit. In another 38 days, the final satellite, DRS-C would do the same. * Post-mission analysis looked at several aspects of the Ministry of Space’s first Duna campaign. Analysts focused on Estonian 1 first. They traced Estonian 1’s engine failure to a manufacturing defect: the engine expected propellium and oxidizer, while the lander was specifically designed for liquid fuel and oxidizer. The Arrow Space Corporation vowed to put better quality control measures into place. Next, the lander’s upper atmospheric pressure readings helped analysts determine that the main chute failures were due to assuming a higher atmospheric density than what Duna had. That meant that the landing engine needed to burn sooner and longer to ensure a soft landing. Third, the capsule tumbled during entry due to its higher center of mass, but that could’ve been corrected by the airbrakes. But the tumbling gave thermal sensors a better look at the craft’s heating during entry, descent, and landing (EDL). Duna’s thin atmosphere made it hard to aerobrake, but it also meant less heating. That meant that the heat shield didn’t need as much ablative material. All these lessons and more would help improve the next Estonian lander. Next, analysts looked at the performance of Duna Basecamp. The station had more than enough delta-v to enter orbit and align itself with Ike. Technically, it could reach Ike as well, but the Ministry of Space elected to detach the AEUS from Duna Basecamp and deorbit it during Phase 2. Also during Phase 2 of the mission, engineers would have a chance to test out one of its new technologies. The Duna Science Relay performed well during the initial phase of its mission, but analysts had to wait until it completed Phase 2 to evaluate the rest. In the meantime, engineers examined the NV-500 Poseidon and the LV-N410 Cherenkov nuclear engines. Both engines had their merits, especially since they didn't have the same restrictions that the Emancipator's open cycle nuclear motor had. Each engine had similar performances, but engineers were leaning towards the NV-500 for its dual-mode performance. Finally, the Duna RelaySat functioned exceptionally well. Over-engineering the design proved to be a boon- especially when its nuclear propulsion section lacked the delta-v to fully deliver the satellite constellation into Duna orbit. They looked forward to seeing how the RelaySat system worked around Eve...

In fact they are just like space anomalies, in that they're single-part craft that can be moved around.

Warp engines have a thrust limiter that all KSP engines have. The warp engine respects that.

Sandcastle was specifically designed to work with stock inventory, so I have no plans to integrate with KIS. If you're looking for something with KIS integration, I believe there's another mod in development that does that.

Blueshift 1.7.2 is now available: Changes - Added minRendezvousDistancePlanetary and minRendezvousDistanceInterplanetary to Blueshift/settings.cfg. They specify, in meters, the minimum distance required to rendezvous with a vessel via the warp engine's auto-circularization feature. They apply to planetary and interplanetart space, respectively. - Added rendezvousDistance to Blueshift/settings.cfg. It specifies, in meters, how close to the targed vessel should you end up at when you rendezvous with it during auto-circularization or a jump. - WBIJumpGate's rendezvousDistance will defer to the rendezvousDistance in Blueshift/settings.cfg if set to -1 (it is -1 by default).

As far as I can tell you don't have Wild Blue Tools or Far Future Technologies installed. In my setup, I don't see the issues that you are. For now, you can delete Blueshift/Patchs/B9PS.cfg and see if that helps. And for those who might be interested, I had a chance to mentally doodle today... https://github.com/Angel-125/Blueshift/issues/3

Hm, well, I tried that and couldn't reproduce the issue.

For WildBlueIndustries, what other mods do you have?

I need some more information: what mods are you using along with Blueshift? This will be in the next release: - Added minRendezvousDistancePlanetary and minRendezvousDistanceInterplanetary to Blueshift/settings.cfg. They specify, in meters, the minimum distance required to rendezvous with a vessel via the warp engine's auto-circularization feature. They apply to planetary and interplanetart space, respectively. - Added rendezvousDistance to Blueshift/settings.cfg. It specifies, in meters, how close to the targed vessel should you end up at when you rendezvous with it during auto-circularization or a jump. - WBIJumpGate's rendezvousDistance will defer to the rendezvousDistance in Blueshift/settings.cfg if set to -1 (it is -1 by default).

Can you be specific? I had to fix distancing issues where you could rendezvous with a craft from across the solar system. Is the rendezvous not working?

Thank you for the translation! Here is Sandcastle 1.0.7 with the translation.

Chapter 22 “Your psych eval came back nominal,” Gene said, “In fact, your emotional stability has steadily improved since you first joined KSP. Now your stability rivals Valentina’s. But I should pull you from the flight. Your conversation with Jeb was disturbing, to say the least.” “Has my performance been affected,” Bill asked. “Admittedly, no…” “So, what’s the problem?” Gene sighed. “It’s your… claim… You’re seeing a… where are my notes… Ah, here- a ‘Superimposed Alternate Variant Existence’[1] that nobody else does? Sometimes you can see past the ‘fourth wall,’ whatever that is? I find that highly suspicious, Bill. How… how can someone, whose ‘badS’ emotional stability is second only to Valentina’s, have such a- an… unusual… view of the universe? The doctors say that if you had a neurological condition, it would show up in your psych eval. But that’s clearly not the case. So whatever it is that you think you see, keep it to yourself!” Gene sighed before continuing. “Like I said, I should pull you from the flight... You have ten minutes to get to the press conference, so you’d better run. I’ll tell Gerrim the bad news…” Bill’s eyes lit up. “Does- does that mean… I’m still going?” “SQUAD help me, yes,” Gene answered. “But one mistake and I’ll have Valentina lock you into your cryobed for the rest of the trip!” “I won’t let you down,” Bill beamed. Then his inner ear made the room spin for a moment. It passed as quickly as it appeared. “I… I sense a disturbance in The Persistence, as if millions of bytes cried out to fix robotics and docking port drift…” ”Get out,” Gene thundered… * Valentina breathed a sigh of relief. The press conference dragged on for what felt like hours, but it was finally over. She looked down the row at her crew. They were a good crew. She’d known Jeb, Bill, and of course her husband, Bob, since the first days of Kerbal Space Program, and they’d shared many adventures together. But during their training, she’d also gotten to know the “Science Twins” Glesby mcKerman and Seanner mcKerman, as well as Diltrey mcKerman- Bill’s assistant engineer- and they’d earned her respect. So had Sara vonKerman, the sole vonKerman on the mission and the crew’s cryo-specialist. Valentina was confident that whatever was out there, they were ready for it- except for the question that Sara just asked. “What?” “I know Bob is your husband, but are you related to Bill and Jeb,” Sara repeated. “Uh, no… Why do you ask,” Valentina said. “You all have the same last name.” “Huh? No we don’t…” Sara pointed to Bill. “He’s Bill Kerman,” she said, and then pointed to Jeb. “And he’s Jeb Kerman.” “Actually, it’s pronounced ‘Kerman,’” Jeb pointed out. “Bill’s last name is pronounced ‘Kerman,’ Kerrrrmann, see?” “Um, they sound the same to me, lad,” Diltrey noted. “Well, your last names sound the same to me,” Jeb retorted. “mcKerman, mcKerman, and mcKerman,” Jeb said, pointing to Glesby, Seanner, and Diltrey. “That’s because you’re saying it wrong. My last name is pronounced ‘mcKerman,’ Jeb,” Diltrey corrected. “And mine is ‘mcKerman,’” Seanner said. “I don’t hear the difference,” Jeb responded. “Neither do I, Diltrey,” Sara agreed. “Maybe it’s because of your accent?” “I do not have an accent!” If this keeps up, it’ll be a long month in quarantine, Valentina thought to herself. * Though Orbital Dynamics were ready to execute their plan for the tourist fly-by of the Mϋn, Sarah decided to postpone the flight until after the First Laythe Fleet left Kerbin orbit. If they left before the Fleet, their feat would be overshadowed, but postponing it meant they could ride on their coattails while spaceflight was on everybody’s minds. Since they had at a month-long wait, the company focused on completing Dauntless’ qualification trials and furthering Project Sandcastle. Fresh out of the shop, Dauntless rotated vertical in preparation for launch. Mk33-03 sported a redesigned refueling probe- hopefully one that wouldn’t wobble so much. Not long after, Maxpond (CDR), Johnsted (PLT), and Steve (ENG) headed uphill on Dauntless’ second spaceflight. “Flight, we’re noticing some oscillations on the boom,” Johnsted radioed as Dauntless climbed past 17,000 meters. “Copy that, Dauntless,” Frobert Kerman, Orbital Dynamics’ Flight Director called back. “We’ll note that for later. Be advised, your flight trajectory is shallow.” Maxpond cursed. Distracted with the refueling probe issue, she wasn’t paying as much attention to their trajectory as she should’ve been. But despite the shallow trajectory and shock heating, they were still on track to reach Homestead Outpost. In fact, they had a transfer window three minutes after their alignment burn. A half-hour later, they arrived at the outpost. “Probe extended and locked,” Steve reported. “Probe head armed.” A few minutes later, Dauntless latched onto Finch’s portside utility port. “Solid contact, no wobbling,” Johnsted said. “Going to free drift mode…” Steve took over from there and wrangled the refueling hose into place over the utility port’s connectors. It took several tries to accomplish- which meant another redesign of the refueling probe- but eventually the connectors lined up. Several minutes later, Dauntless topped off the OTV’s tanks using the cryo fuel modules fitted where the Mk33’s payload bay would be. With that completed, Dauntless returned home- and back into maintenance… A day later, Skyranger was poised to take a power-module-derived component into orbit when her number 3 KR-2200L Velociraptor engine suffered an engine controller failure during pre-launch startup. The ground team lowered Skyranger back down and detached her from the strongback, and a repair crew took care of the problem. But once they fixed the engine, they backed the aging Mk33 onto the strongback once more and rotated the craft vertical for launch. Skyranger creaked and groaned in protest. Mk33-01 climbed into the sky- and wobbled around a bit in the process. Nonetheless, Skyranger achieved a 122.2km by 127.0km orbit. A day after making her alignment burn, she docked with Homestead Outpost. The crew immediately got to work unpacking the payload bay and moving all the components into position including Finch’s new solar arrays. Then they repositioned Finch on the new docking pier, checked their work, and returned home to pick up their next payload… Skyranger’s next launch carried the company’s new Sandcastle 3D print shop into orbit. Based on the experimental 3D printer that the Ministry of Space tested in Starlab’s Newton science module, Sandcastle was a licensed and upscaled commercial version that could print objects as large as some of the fuel tank segments that comprised the Edna 1E. The print shop was a vital component of Project Sandcastle, Orbital Dynamics’ attempt to diversify their product offerings and breakaway from their reputation as the space tourism company. As the Mk33 launched into orbit, her number 2 KR-2200L linear aerospike registered a turbopump fault and suddenly shut down. Luckily, they were high enough in their launch profile to abort to orbit. After circularizing, Maxpond and her crew waited a day for their orbit to line up with Homestead Outpost. Mission Control determined that the two good Velociraptors were sufficient to proceed with the mission, so Skyranger made her orbital transfer burn right on time. But not long after, her fuel cell stopped working. Fortunately, the last time this happened, Orbital Dynamics engineers had installed a backup solar array. Maxpond quickly deployed the array and waited for the orbiter to swing back to the dayside of Kerbin, shutting down all but emergency systems. Orbital sunrise enabled the solar array to recharge Skyranger’s batteries, and the vehicle matched velocities with Homestead Outpost a few minutes later. But without its airlock module, Mk33-01 had to use the utility port in its nose. Worse, the crew couldn’t simply move the outpost’s airlock into Skyranger’s bay to effect repairs. Maxpond had no choice but to depressurize the cabin so that Steve could head outside and repair the fuel cell. The flight engineer grabbed a repair kit and the emergency jetpack and stepped out. A short jaunt later, Skyranger’s fuel cell was working again. Out of immediate danger, the crew got back to work on their primary mission. Johnsted piloted the Payload Maneuvering Vehicle, bringing it over to the Sandcastle module and then flying it over to the aft port on Node 1. Soon afterward, Johnsted returned the PMV to its berth. With their work completed, Mission Control wanted to bring Skyranger home as soon as possible but they decided to wait until sunrise at Welcome Back Island to ensure maximum visibility and to give the Mk33’s solar array the maximum possible time in the sun. While the SSTO had no trouble with reentry and descent, the landing proved problematic. Skyranger’s nose wheel failed to fully extend and lock! Luckily, it extended far enough for the emergency locking mechanisms to engage, and the Mk33 set down safely and taxied to her hangar. Repair crews immediately got to work fixing the nose gear and the number 2 Velociraptor, but it was apparent that part drift causing gaps too large to ignore having an airframe over a decade old, combined with repeatedly flying, were taking a toll on the SSTO. But she had one last flight in her… It was only appropriate that on Montezu 27, 2000, the crew that flew her the first time also flew her for her last flight. Skyranger lifted off the pad one last time with Scott (CDR), Mabo (PLT), and Frolie (ENG) as her crew. A few hours later, the aging Mk33 docked to Homestead Outpost, where Frolie unloaded the second half of the Sandcastle facility and docked it into place. There was more work to do, but it would have to wait until Orbital Dynamics’ continuing plans unfolded. Meanwhile, Skyranger undocked from Homestead Outpost and headed home just after sunrise. Her airframe creaked and groaned during reentry, but she still flew gracefully to Welcome Back Island. As they approached the runway, Scott saw that the ground team had rolled out Ascension, Dauntless, and even Resolute, the fourth Mk33 that was fresh out of the factory. Scott thought that it was nice to see the ground team continuing KSC’s tradition of rolling out active spacecraft in salute of a retiring spacecraft. Despite being bittersweet, Scott appreciated the gesture. Skyranger landed and taxied past the fleet of Mk33s. For the last time, she rolled into Hangar One for her post-mission processing. The Mk33 began as a partially completed, rejected proposal for the Shuttle Launch System that languished for a decade before being resurrected and finished by Orbital Dynamics. Despite being an outcast, Skyranger proved repeatedly that single-stage-to-orbit was not only possible, but it also could become routine. Towards the end of her career, the first Mk33 flew almost daily- a feat that no other launch system could match. So, after 52 flights, Orbital Dynamics reluctantly retired Skyranger. It was the end of Mk33-01’s story, but not the end of the story of the Mk33. ___ [1] First coined by @Parkaboy for Plan Kappa. Author's note: Ever since her second flight (the one to Skybase), I haven't recovered Skyranger. From the Skybase mission to this final one, it's been the same craft that's flown all the missions. I specifically designed the Mk33 mod's launchpad and payload crane for the purpose of flying one craft without recovering it, and I'm proud to say that I've accomplished that goal. I had a feeling that over time, the craft would wear out, and the part gaps are proof of that hunch. I know that in reality, the Orbiter Maintenance Down Period that the shuttle orbiters went through helped improve them, and I could use that as an excuse to recover the craft and relaunch it, but I like the idea that the Mk33 can and will eventually wear out. Does this mean that we've seen the last of Skyranger? Only time will tell. But one thing's for certain: this mission report will continue!

Jumpgate technology is supposed to be different than warp tech, and that includes the cost. Warp tech might be cheaper, but it's not instantaneous. In the case of the jumpgate, it's expensive to open a wormhole big enough for a ship to slip through. Hence, it's not always the best idea to use jumpgates within a solar system, and instead use them between star systems. That said, if you still think the price is too high for your save, you can always change the cost to run the jumpgate. WBIJumpGate has the following resource entry: // In order to jump a vessel, gates can require that the vessel pay a toll of one or more resources. // If the vessel doesn't have sufficient resources then it cannot jump. Simply add one or more Resource nodes. // The cost is per metric ton of the vessel. RESOURCE { name = Graviolium rate = 5 FlowMode = STAGE_PRIORITY_FLOW } When (if) I get around to jump engines, they'll have a different cost metric- one of them being the time it takes to compute jump coordinates. The longer the range, the more time it takes to compute the jump coordinates- but here, unlike warp drives, you can use timewarp to get around the waiting. You can shorten your computing time with more computer modules- or possibly by using jump beacons sprinkled around the galaxy...

Blueshift 1.7.0 is now available: - Added support for Community Category Kit. - Refactored the Astria Porta so that it no longer requires players to dock segments to complete the ring. You still need to haul support segments to the construction site, but once there, just press "Install segment" on the control segment and the support segment will vanish from the cargo vessel and be added to the ring. Once all the segments are in place, the ring becomes operational. - Warp engines now allow you to circularize around stars. - Fixed fatal error generated by B9 Part Switch when it is installed along with Wild Blue Tools. - Fixed issue where vessels could circularize their orbit near a target vessel from across the solar system. - Fixed issue with auto-circularization not respecting the desired orbit inclination.