Ultimate Steve

I don't have much time today, but tomorrow I'll download that craft as well and attempt to modify it. I've also built the in-space part of the ship and optimized it the best I could. I solved the aero issue by putting it in a fairing, but that might be too heavy.

Anyone have a download link for a good electric propeller? I've been trying to make my own but it's not working out well.

Hmm... this is interesting as well as most likely beyond my piloting abilities. I can build and run some numbers, though... electric props for initial Kerbin ascent will be useful, though. If you were considering a parachute, then it's not necessary for two reasons - 1, the new personal chutes in 1.4, and 2 - Kerbals can survive a fall into the ocean at terminal velocity. EDIT: 2 questions, what's the max speed and altitude one can feasibly reach with electric propellors, and how many rapiers do y'all think will be needed? I have three installed, more will probably be necessary.

Aww, yeah! Birthday launch! Although there was a SpaceX launch last year that was supposed to be on my birthday but was delayed a day... Also Reddit's screaming that the in flight abort test is currently scheduled for sometime in May. That's, like, two months from now! EDIT: This is incorrect, sadly. It also looks like Boeing is going to fly crew before SpaceX.

Yes. I actually find the poles interesting to visit, as they are one of the more unique parts of each planet (and people have complained in the past that the planets are dull enough).

Don't worry, a lot of us are! I am usually as well... I'm not the most qualified person to give advice by a long shot, but I'd suggest to think about what you want a little - whether or not you want her as a girlfriend more than a friend (and the implications of that). As far as figuring out if she likes you back, there are signs, but most of us are blind to them anyway so that might not be the best way to go. You could ask a friend of yours (or hers) to ask her and relay the information to you, but that comes with its own set of risks (if they tell everyone, if she finds out you sent them, etc.). But again - if you are great friends and you want it to stay that way, then just keep it that way. If you want to be girl/boyfriends, then you're going to have to go for it sometime. Whatever you do, don't end up like me, I was extremely socially inept for a while and liked a girl for 3.5 years (and then she came out). Unrelatedly, does anyone have any Prom advice? What to expect, how to prepare? I'm new at this...

Don't forget her little sister Vega.

I'm hoping Tiangong 1 stays up until at least April 2... I want to see it before it comes down and April 2 is the first good opportunity.

Now that, I'd watch. RIP N-1-chan.

For me it gets stuck while trying to grab the docking adapter. I'll grab it but nothing happens after that.

Hang in there, we all have those days.

BRAAAIIIIIIINNNNNNNNAAAAAAA!

I launched a Vostok replica. And it made it to the Mun and back.

Yup, a lunar mission is possible with my Vostok replica (actually not sure if Vostok had another stage above the center core, but Soyuz does, so close enough I guess). That face when Yuri Gagarin becomes the first guy in space and on the Mun in the same flight. Liftoff of Vostok M-1, my third non-mission launch in Making History. The first two were Vostok Y-1 (launch aborted due to aerodynamic instability) and Vostok Y-2 (escape trajectory from Kerbin, highly inclined solar orbit), both nearly identical to this one. The only chances from Y-1 to M-1 are larger fins, more verniers, moved vernors, and the addition of more fuel tanks in the service module. Bailing out and using the personal parachute like Vostok did with ejection seats. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I have homework, cleaning, storywriting, and expansion-playing going on tomorrow! And now I'll be up all night (morning now) thinking about how a lunar architecture could be built using mostly R-7 derived lifters!

http://heavens-above.com/ Really handy!

Should I be concerned that my Vostok replica can probably do a Mun landing?

I saw the Humanity Star tonight! It was a bit harder to spot than I thought it would be, though. The flashes were bright and far apart (making it hard to gauge speed and direction) at the beginning, but then shifted to dimmer but every second or two (less interesting but easier to track). Relevant to story but not to Rocket Lab: I also saw a pretty bright (mag 1.5) spy sat tonight (USA 186, all we know is that it's a spy sat) which stayed in view for several minutes. It was launched on the last ever Titan IV. I attempted to view the Hubble, but the cluttered horizon didn't allow me a view. Then while looking for a centaur stage I accidentally saw NOSS 2-3 E which is part of a formation of ocean signals intelligence satellites. That particular sat was launched with NOSS's 2-3 C and 2-3 D, a few seconds apart, but D has long since fallen out of sync. The thing was, it was visible for less time and was dimmer than the centaur, but I couldn't find the centaur, even when a second one flew over that night. It also crossed paths with another satellite, Meteor 1-15 which is an old Soviet weather satellite launched in 1973 on a Vostok 2M rocket, although it was very dim and I only saw it for a second because I was too busy timing the highest point of the NOSS so I could figure out what it was later on (and I had a hard time distinguishing the two based on data because their orbits were pretty similar-ish from where I was standing). And I only have two more usable days in Spring Break and I still haven't done my homework yet. However, I'm probably learning more not doing it than I would be doing it.

It might just be those server issues, but it's not showing up for me yet. I did buy in mid to late April of 2013, though, so maybe it's "up to" and not "until the end of," although I remember it being the latter.

I think the cutoff is end of April/beginning of May. If not I'm going to be slightly upset as I bought it mid April 2013. No demo for me, just skipped to the full game!

Hype time!

Aww yeah!

One of the largest ships that actually has a purpose - it carried 916 Kerbals to Minmus (not really, although it had the space, I didn't want to press hire 916 times) and is currently travelling to Gilly. Here it is on Minmus with a few smaller ships. And here is the launch of Laythe Station Brotoro, a station for the now dormant Project Babylon reboot. Single launch, no refueling to LLO. One of my earlier large ships at Jool with all the equipment necessary for a Jool 5. And a pretty large refueling ship. There's also this one: EDIT: Gah, my teeth are so yellow.

I need a link to this

Correct, trust is a huge issue. I don't want to go to space on a rocket I don't trust. I'll take an Atlas any day, but those Protons seem sketchy... Too Russian Macho for their own good. There's that new guy in town, Electron, not sure if I can trust him yet... Ugh, remember Delta III, he was as untrustworthy as anyone could get. Vega doesn't talk much, but she seems just as trustworthy as her sister, Ariane 5. At least N-1's not here anymore, the trust level on that one was pretty far into the negatives.

So anyone who has tried precision landing on Tylo knows the deal, it's pretty hard. I sent Tylo Lander three of six to the cave, and it only took about six quickloads. The first few were failures, one I landed 12km east of the cave, running out of fuel a few meters above the surface, and then I overshot the cave... But, on the last attempt, I actually managed to run out of fuel 10 or so meters above the surface, but I landed on the cave, on a 45 degree slope and somehow managed not to blow up anything of vital importance. Getting the Kerbals off of the cave to explore it will be a challenge, however, and they're currently sliding off...