SBKerman

A brave kerbonaut walks across the gangplank to the waiting rocket ship. Venture 2, first kerbal in space Venture 3, staying longer Venture 4 and 5, a meeting in the sky Venture 6, space is hard Coming up next: End of the second year

The first kerbonauts hired; pilots Jeb, Val and Phoebe, engineer Bill and scientist Bob. Venture Test 1 through 6B, preparing the spacecraft SCAR-1, 2 and 3, collecting science from space Venture 1, first orbital launch Coming up next: Can kerbals into space?

To satisfy their unceasing desire to launch themselves into the void of space on top questionable rockets, the kerbals rushed to form a space program. But in their haste to get started on this great endeavour, they forgot* to give it a name. Thus, it became known only as "the space program". *) I was too lazy to come up with one. =================================================================================================== This is a career I started in KSP 1.3.1 (later updated to 1.4.5) about a month ago, and that I thought I'd share here. I'm using a heap of mods (list in the spoiler below), with MKS and USI-LS being two of the main ones. It's my first time using these in a career playthrough. I'm not sure to what extent I'll use the kolonization parts, but life support will play a big role. Running out of supplies will lead to death, and death is permanent. I'm also sticking somewhat rigidly to the rule of no reloads. The presentation style will most likely be short descriptions of events, accompanied by lots of pictures, 'cause who doesn't like pictures. Hope you enjoy! MOD LIST FLIGHT LOG VEHICLE LIST

Perhaps some Metarian spies dignitaries are visiting.

Awesome! I really like the short summaries and list of notable payloads. Looking forward to part 2.

Unfortunately, my gaming rig needs a new power supply. The old one has finally died after 10 years of use. I have a new psu ordered, which should arrive next week. Once I've installed it, I'll continue with this mission.

I like the format you're using. It makes it easy to follow along with all that is happening. One thing I wouldn't mind seeing is a list with short descriptions of the various launch vehicles. Something similar to the crewed spacecrafts in the OP but maybe with some pictures too.

This happens to me too.

Quite a journey, and a good read.

With such a glorious mustache present, surely the mission cannot fail.

Excellent! Looking forward to a future release.

Impressive! I don't think I would reach over 200 years even if I put all my current career saves together.

Regarding grunge, I agree with previous posters. Level 1 seems the most fitting. It has a lagom amount.

It was done intentionally. I've decided to always keep the latest episode as is and then put it in spoilers whenever I post a new one. Thanks for the comment though and all the likes. It's much appreciated.

I extend my gratitude to you for bringing this mod to 1.3

Episode 8: Exchanging Crew With the Soyuz-YB cleared for manned operations, two missions were planned. The first would be a single day flight to make sure everything was indeed ready. The second was to be paired with a Gemini launch, and the two would dock together in space. To hammer home the importance of this cooperation, one crew member from each side would transfer over and land in the opposite spacecraft. A few years ago, something like this would have been unthinkable. Now, it was about to become reality. Year 2, Day 97 The roar of the engines echoed across the cosmodrome, as Soyuz YB-1 took off from Baikonur. It formed the prelude to the upcoming docking event, as it would determine the readiness of the new YB craft. Pilot Konstantin Boyarov and flight engineer Iosif Kruchinkin had been chosen for this important task. Riding the controlled explosion that is rocket flight, they were determined to see their mission to a successful end. Fairing separation and escape tower jettison occurred within seconds of the predicted time. Once the first stage had burned out, the second stage took over and completed the orbital insertion. So far, everything was going according to plan. Coasting at 126 x 143 km, the two cosmonauts encountered the first and only problem. Despite assurance from the manufacturer that this would not happen, the cover protecting the docking port failed to jettison, just as it had on Soyuz Y-5. Available options were discussed, ending with the decision to have Kruchinkin do an EVA and attempt to remove the cover manually. After having secured the tether device to the now integrated mounting point, Kruchinkin moved out to the tip of the spacecraft and began losening the bolts holding the cover in place. It was a dangerous job, seeing as these were explosive bolts which could go off if handled incorrectly. Luckily, this did not happen. With the cover gone, Kruchinkin rejoined Boyarov, and the flight continued. Once the full one day duration had been completed, Soyuz YB-1 reentered Earth's atmosphere. Licked by flames, the descent module fell back towards the ground. Inside, the crew prepared for the last part of the mission; testing of the new parachute system. The added drogue chute opened and began slowing down the capsule. When the ideal speed and altitude was reached, the drogue was cut and the main parachute deployed. Boyarov reported a smooth ride all the way to touchdown. Year 2, Day 141 The go-ahead had been given to continue with the docking mission. On day 141, Soyuz YB-2 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying a veteran crew. Timofei Toropov of Soyuz Y-1 and Y-4 made his third trip to space. He was joined by Yakov Melekhov, who had flown on Soyuz Y-2 and with Toropov on Y-4. Once in orbit, the crew received word that the Gemini launch had been postponed due to bad weather. This was actually a welcomed delay, as it gave them time to work on a familiar problem; the docking port cover had once again failed to jettison. A state funded "vacation" to Siberia surely awaited certain select managers at the manufacturer. Melekhov donned his spacesuit, and like Iosif Kruchinkin before him, went outside to remove the cover manually. There were some concerns from the American side that the free-floating cover could pose a threat to the spacecrafts during docking, but they were assured by their Soviet counterparts that this would not be the case. A day later, weather at the Cape had cleared and the launch was go. This flight also presented a familiar face in Arthur Mccoy, who had been the third member of Soyuz Y-4 together with Toropov and Melekhov. Gemini Utopia 5 was piloted by Kevin Larson, the only rookie of the mission. Once in space, the crew of GU-5 waited for the time dictated by orbital mechanics, at which point Larson fired the Gemini engines for the intercept. A few more engine burns brought the American and Soviet spacecrafts together, allowing for the docking maneuvers to take place. Moving in ever so slowly, the tip of the Gemini docking probe finally connected with the port on the Soyuz and the two became linked together. The Gemini-Soyuz combination remained docked for several orbits, during which time, the crews communicated via an intercom system and performed a slew of tests. They also observed Earth and various celestial bodies. On the second day, preparations began for the highlight of the mission; the crew transfer. Using the tether of the Soyuz, the end of which had been attached near the docking port, Mccoy carefully made his way over to the orbital module of the Soviet spacecraft and entered through the hatch. He was greeted enthusiastically by the host crew in a televised event to the world. Next, it was Melekhov's turn to jump ship so to speak. He reversed Mccoy's tracks and got into the Gemini capsule, where he received a warm welcome by Larson. Mccoy got to do one more EVA to remove the tether device from the outside of the Soyuz. The two spacecrafts then undocked and moved away from each other. Five days had passed since the launch of YB-1, so it would land first. Firing its engines, it broke orbit and headed for home. A miscalculation led to the burn being too short. This, in turn, caused the descent module to come down in some uncomfortably rugged terrain. It did make a safe landing however, and the crew was recovered unharmed. The following day, Gemini Utopia 5, with Larson and Melekhov, made a textbook splash down in the Pacific. The entire mission, one landing aside, had been a complete success. All around the world, people had watched as astronauts and cosmonauts worked together in space. The road now lay open for the main objective of the project; building and manning a space station.

Episode 7: Back in Business

The Muttle is one hefty ship. Looking forward to seeing it in action. I'm impressed at how you're running several space agencies at the same time. One is enough to stress me out.

TAC-LS and DangIt is enough for me to worry about the wellbeing of my Kerbals in LKO. Going to Duna using Kerbalism? That's a bold move. Best of luck to you and your crew.

With a little help from Contares...

That is gorgeous. The best kind of magic.

Episode 6: End of the Year

Episode 5: Trying Again

Episode 4: Frictions

Excellent!