Hello KSP Forum! This is my first post! In honor of my first ~100 hours playing KSP, I have decided to chronicle my journey, as well as the brave Kerbonauts who will take part in my voyage through time and space. Apart from a brief time on a sandbox save (where I found out I had no clue what anything was), and a brief time on a career save (where I found out I had about 0.00% fiscal responsibility), I've spent all my time on a science save, learning as I go. My save so far: Gamemode: Science (why did you even ask, I just said it) Time Elapsed: 4 years, 225 days Mods: None! So far, my time in this save can be divided into three main eras. The First Great Era The First Era I call "Do or Die". During this time rockets more often than not would crash, and as I didn't know how to make a stable orbit yet, the only alternative was escaping Kerbin's gravity well. As you can guess, there were substantial losses in Kerbal-power maintained. The survivors didn't fare well either. Allow me to introduce you to Jebediah. He's in the capsule Upwards and Overdone 2 with no fuel, and an unknown amount of EVA propellant. Our typically stalwart hero has been worn down by what is now almost four years of endless orbits around the Sun. He is but a shell of his old self, and awaits rescue. He is fortunate to have lived out the age he was launched in, but his rescue is one of the driving forces of our Space Program. Sadly, he isn't the only important casualty of this age. Allow me to introduce you to the lone crew member of the Dauntless 2. Bill Kerman is in much the same state as Jebediah, stranded in orbit for the last three years. This is, as those of you who have been paying attention have noticed by now, the second of the OG3. "Where is Bob?", you might be wondering. He must be leading the scientific crusades, pioneering new technology in an attempt to rescue these two legends. This brings us to the next era. The Second Great Era The second era was characterized by the entrance of computers powerful enough to calculate maneuvers before the ship even makes them (a janitor bought a Ti-84 Graphing Calculator, and was subsequently promoted to head of the tech department). In this phase, I built my ability to make blunt maneuvers in orbit using those draggy things called 'maneuvers'. The Kerbals, eager to expand outwards from Kerbal, forgot about that whole 'fuel' thing. Back to Bob Kerman. Here he is: He reached orbit, but fuel ran out. Once he ran out of fuel, he tried for an EVA back to Kerbin. This was a new type of travel, and the EVA fuel ran out, stranding him in space. This showed a certain property of Kerbals, previously unknown to science. Far from food or water, but with an incredible will to live, Bob's body put him into hibernation until he could be rescued and recuperated. Opposite him is his previous abode, the ill fated vessel Penguin 2, now dead in space. The casualty rate was high in this era as well, but close to the end of it the Kerbals tried for the Mun. Time after time Kerbals would crash, run out of fuel, miss the maneuvers, or suffer similar fates. One of the vessels from this first wave of Mun Rockets is the Scientologist Lander V20.6 (many changes were made to that line of ship). Inside, the brave soul Kenlan Kerman lies, awaiting the same rescue deserved by all his stranded kinsmen. Around him lies the wreckage of his crashed ship, which came out of orbit just a bit too fast. This Era came to an end when the scientologist program lost favor among the higher-ups. The Third Great Era This era began with a series of diversions. The Kerbals discovered aerodynamics works for things other than explosive cylinders pointed up. A rocket was landed on the Helipad, a few dozen planes were built, and a few shenanigans embarked on before the aforementioned rapidly promoted guy threatened their funding with a pointy stick. The Gaze of Kerman once again was toward the Mun, and many ships braved the depths of space in the name of science. The most recent lander launched rose into space on the most auspicious of days. Framed in the sky above, a total lunar eclipse over the KSC. Soon after, Kerbals experienced their first successful landing and return of a vessel on the Mun. The following cinematic-grade photograph includes the Mun, Kerbin, The Sun, and Genegun Kerman. The Present This marked the end of the third historical era. The next thing to be done is harvest science from the Mun, but what shall be done with is has yet to be decided. Below is my current tech tree. I haven't decided yet what to spend science on, but any suggestions are welcome. I will be updating this at the end of the weekend when I play a bit more. Expect witty lines and a loquacious vocabulary, because I'll be less tired. (formal request that the forum doesn't consume my soul)
