Cavscout74

Kept working on my JNSQ career, with the first kerbal in orbit, first probe in Mun orbit, plus some aircraft testing and started getting a standardized comm network set up. Jeb testing out the prototype YCF-01 "Star" jet fighter for contract just after the KSC opened for business After finishing the jet testing contract, I wanted to test out the airframe some more, so I replaced the Juno's with a "Kraken" prop engine Val heading up to be the first kerbal to enter orbit - Jeb got the first suborbital flight, so it was only fair for Val to get the next contract Last sunrise on her second orbit - with only battery power, she couldn't stay up long Jumping for joy after her safe landing Marco-1 probe preparing for Mun orbital insertion burn. OCR-B comm relay in 600km orbit around Kerbin Unmanned test of the new "Jabbit 2" launch vehicle, also the first launch from KSC.

My new JNSQ career was having a similar day last week - with two back to back second stage engine failures. On the plus side, the abort system got some extra testing - both launches were an unmanned test of the first suborbital manned launcher.

Despite my run of failures in my JNSQ career, today marked a turn-around, with several notable successes - first manned suborbital flight, first polar satellite, first mun fly-by (and impactor) From the front page of newspapers all around Kerbin, Jeb's view from space: First polar relay: Using the same design in an equatorial orbit, was able to achieve HKO. Big improvement, but still needs more if we're going to reach a geosynchronous orbit. After achieving a Mun fly-by, mission control redirected the tiny probe into a impact. After losing signal passing behind Mun, the probe reacquired signal for the last forty seconds of its life, sending back valuable last-minute telemetry

Part 3 - For here Am I sitting in a tin can Far above the world After a series of successes, going into their second month, USEA started to see a series of failures. They didn't come from any single cause - engine explosions, incorrect dV calculations, insufficient control over their rockets all played a part. Still, even the failures were learning opportunities and rocket parts are far cheaper than kerbal lives. At the start of this report, USEA hadn't yet placed a satellite into orbit and at the end, the first Mun fly-by & impactor probe had completed its mission. From here on, only the more significant launches will be included in the updates, with a small section at the end detailing all other flights & events. 01:031 - DSC - L1-ST-1b: The second attempt to place a satellite into orbit. A pair of "Mite" SRB's boosted the Luciole's acceleration by over 0.5g from the pad, resulting in a much better flight profile and successful orbital insertion. A small camera sent back several photos from orbit before running out of film and the satellite was deorbited after just a single orbit. 01:047 - DSC - L1-CRX-1: After two back to back failures of the Jabbit 1 launch vehicle, a Luciole 1 was rolled out with a new satellite design - the CRX (Communication Relay eXperiment). Featuring a small relay antenna and a newly developed solar panel, the CRX-1 offered the chance to show national leaders how a satellite communications system would benefit the world. Launch was successful, placing the satellite in a 123x99km, 6.7* inclined orbit. This marks our first "permanent" satellite in orbit. 01:059 - DSC - J1-SPT-3 - After 2 failed attempts, the Jabbit 1/SPT (Suborbital Pod Test) was finally a success!! The pod attained 90km, gathered magnetometer readings then safely reentered, landing 1007km downrange. 01:068 - DSC - L3-ORT-2: After the failure of the first attempt, a redesign of the Luciole 2 into the 3-stage Luciole 3 provided improved dV to launch the ORT (Orbital Reentry Test) probe. Among the improvements were replacement of the 7-engine cluster with a single Valiant engine for the first stage. The work-horse of the rocket is the new Spinnaker 2nd stage engine, providing ~2200m/s of dV towards the launch. The ORT-2 reached a 162x119km orbit, then performed a deorbit burn near Ap. Reentry was hot but successful, landing in the arid midlands far from any facility. 01:076 - DSC - Jabbit-Moho-1: In a surprise announcement, USEA reported that Jebediah Kerman was launching atop a Jabbit 1 to become the first person to escape the atmosphere of Kerbin. All systems operated normally and Jeb was able to escape Kerbin - even if only for a few minutes. His pod reached an altitude of 90km before reentering safely and landing in the highlands, 1824km downrange from the launch site. Newspapers around the world showed the pictures of the planet taken from Jeb's tiny viewing window. Funding for USEA increased dramatically after this mission. Jeb's view moments after leaving the atmosphere, and then a parting view of the Jabbit upper stage after separation (small black dot in the bottom left quadrant) 01:083 - DSC - J1-LOCR-1 - In an attempt to launch a polar-orbiting communications satellite, the Jabbit 1/LOCR-1 (Low-Orbit Comm Relay) was launched from DSC. The relatively low mass of the LOCR enable to the first stage to push the Ap well above the atmosphere before the second stage took over. Established a 420x611km, 87* inclined orbit, marking the highest orbit achieved to date and the first object in a polar orbit. 01:095 - DSC - J1-MBOT-1: Attempt to complete a fly-by of the Mun, using a tiny solar powered probe to maximize dV. Launch was a success, and MBOT-1 entered Mun's SoI on 01:102. Pictured just after fairing jettison, the MBOT is dwarfed by the Jabbit-1 upper stage. After gathering temperature readings around the Mun, MBOT-1 was ordered to adjust its trajectory & impact the Mun which occurred on about 7 1/2 hours later. Although communications were lost as it passed behind Mun, MBOT-1 was able to reacquire signal less than a minute before impact, sending last minute telemetry before completing its mission.

What did I do in KSP today? Failed. Multiple times. My mission report is going to start reading like something out of RSS/RO. Then, to top it off, the notes for my career disappeared. I now have two identical screenshot folders on the USB drive I was using to store the career info on, but no career folder. No career screenshots, no notes, no build time spreadsheet, nothing. I didn't have enough progress to post an update but I did have enough to be really really frustrated right now. I did manage to get my first and second satellites into orbit of this career. Only took two attempts for the first one: The second actually made it on the first attempt, giving me a small relay satellite in LKO: Meanwhile, at Woomerang, it was time to do some LES testing: Night launch of the new Jabbit 1 launcher with an unmanned Mk 1 pod for testing. Both of the test flights were the same - first stage great, second stage - wait 10 seconds - engine explosion. Both pods survived & were recovered, but neither managed to exit the atmosphere

Kinda how I started too - watching a video titled "What KSP doesn't teach you about ________" I don't remember which exact video anymore, but I while watching it, I was wondering "what the heck is a Kerbal Space Program?" Two days later, I downloaded the demo with the idea that if I could make orbit in the demo, I'd buy the game. Almost a week later, the full version was in my Steam library

Nice It's roughly east of the desert space center in both stock and JNSQ - in stock, its nestled in the mountains and somewhat difficult to land at but in JNSQ it's just out in the open, still east of the desert space center but a little bit further away. And I have gone and misplaced the usb drive I was keeping my build calculator and notes on. This makes twice - my first (stock scale) Out of the Sands career was ended by losing the usb drive I had it stored on, and now my new one is missing. I still have some places to look - and there isn't too much going on yet, so it won't kill the career - but it's more than a little infuriating.

First Steps, Part 2 01:010 - DSC - In preparation for the next launch, Lt Jeb takes up one a Hawk fighter on an early morning patrol out over the desert to ensure the launch range is clear. Much to everyone's surprise, he overflew previously unknown ruins on Inland-Sea Island. After landing and taking some photos of the site, he returned to DSC as a minor celebrity - soon overshadowed by the launch of the first object beyond Kerbin's atmosphere. 01:010 - DSC - L1-Ct-1: Building on the information gained from the Tituv launches, the engineers of USEA had designed a new rocket capable of putting small payloads beyond the limits of Kerbin's atmosphere. Dubbed the Luciole 1, it promised to be a giant leap forward in capability for the fledgling space program. Pending availability of more advanced upper stages, the venerable Capella rocket is used once more. Delays pushed the launch to nearly midnight, but the decision was made to push ahead. Launch was flawless and the first stage carried the rocket to 60km, before being jettisoned and a small pressure-fed monopropellant stage ignited to push the Capella a little further before finally separating and sending the Capella under its own power beyond the atmosphere. The Capella reached a peak altitude of 113,699m and sent back the first temperature readings from space around Kerbin. Thanks to the relay rover, good signal was maintained till well after reentering the atmosphere. Signal was lost passing through 37km and downrange observers reported a possible breakup of the rocket moments later. The flight lasted 6 minutes, 52 seconds and travelled 1406km downrange before signal was lost. Before the next launch could be planned, USEA took on the project of pushing a manned aircraft beyond Mach 1. Initial designs called for an arrowhead shaped aircraft powered by a modest liquid fuel rocket. Limited testing was performed, but a completed design would require several developments in both aerodynamics and rocketry. 01:018 - DSC - L1-Cp-2: Second launch of the Luciole 1, using a Capella upper stage with a barometric pressure experiment to track the exact height of the atmosphere. Unfortunately, an underthrust condition developed in one of the six first stage "Mosquito" engines less than 40 seconds after launch, resulting in a loss of control due to asymmetric thrust. The remnants crashed to the desert over a range of several hundred meters east of the pad. 01:021 - DSC - L1-Cp-2b: After assembling another Luciole, another attempt at the previous launch took place a few days later. All engines operated normally, sending the Capella upper stage to an apoapsis of 97168m and transmitting data back to DSC on the pressure up to and beyond the limits of the atmosphere. Although it did not reach quite as high as the first launch, it also travelled 1406km downrange before being lost six minutes and six seconds after launch. 01:022 - DSC - After weeks of research & design, the revolutionary CX-01 "Arrow" rocket plane was rolled out. Powered by the new "Valiant" rocket engine, it is designed to push a single pilot past the sound barrier. As senior pilot, Jeb was picked for the record-breaking flight. After a somewhat shaky takeoff - the Arrow has a noticeable left rolling tendency at low speed - Jeb climbed up to 2500m then advanced the throttle, quickly pushing the little Arrow above Mach 1, reaching a top speed of Mach 1.25.

Continued with my JNSQ career, with the first flights into space and the first manned flight to break the sound barrier, along with the good old fashioned exploration: Jeb discovered some ancient ruins while patrolling east of the desert space center The new Luciole-Capella launcher is capable of lofting the Capella upper stage above Kerbin's atmosphere, sending back the first scientific observations of space. I kept getting nice launches, unfortunately Finally, Jeb takes up the CX-01 "Arrow" rocket-plane to break the sound barrier. He does it in style, reaching mach 1.25 then gliding back for a safe landing on the runway. This did take some sandbox testing before it was approved for career use. It does glide surprisingly well. I did not think I was going to make the runway when I took this shot

My new Out of the Sands career launched today, using the JNSQ system for added challenge. I'm starting the same, limiting myself to the desert space center for the first few months. Got off my first three launches with mixed results, plus some aircraft and surface operations. First launch, Tituv with Capella upper stage. Lost signal moments after stage separation, preventing science gathering from the upper atmosphere Also did some part testing - and what better way is there to test a heatshield than to fire an SRB at it? Final launch for today was the first complete success

First Steps 01:001 - DSC - T4-Ct-1: After a morning of commotion, a wave of relative silence settled over the Desert Space Center. On the small launch pad was - it was hoped - sat the start of a brilliant future for kerbalkind. Taking a leftover relic of a terrible conflict, the kerbals of the United Space Exploration Agency hoped to turn it to peaceful uses. Inside the launch control center, the seconds ticked down as scientists and engineers performed last minute checks on the Titov rocket. Finally it was time, switches were switched, gauges sprang to life and the silence was shattered as the Tituv's engine roared to life, lifting the former ballistic missile up into the clear desert sky. In place of its former warhead, a long dart poked up above, a second smaller rocket piggy-backing on the larger Tituv. It was hoped it would be able to gather atmospheric temperature data up to 50km. Initial readings came through clear. The Tituv flew straight and true, arcing off to the east before running out of fuel. On schedule, the Capella sounding rocket separated from the Tituv's nose & ignited its own small rocket engine to boost it further into the stratosphere. Unfortunately, moments after, telemetry was lost. The Capella appeared to continue flying its planned course, but the small onboard antenna was no longer able to send readable data back to the launch site. Despite the lost atmospheric data, the USEA team rejoiced over the successful flight. Shortly after the launch, Pilot Lt Jebediah Kerman took off from the desert airfield in a venerable Hawk fighter fitted with atmospheric sampling instruments to check the air quality over the launch site. Although short, the flight was a success, gathering a full set of samples & landing safely back at the airfield. Meanwhile, another team of scientists was busy testing a heatshield. Still in the early stages of development and without detailed atmospheric data to model the effects of reentry, a war-surplus rocket motor served to test the shield's effectiveness. Also at work were two other future kerbonauts, Kelrik & Ambera, who were tasked with investigating the facilities left over at an abandoned island airfield. Although in a state of disrepair, they can be easily returned to flight status and used as an alternate location for aircraft testing and an emergency airfield. 01:002 - DSC - T4-Cp-1: After the partial success of T4-Ct-1, a second Tituv rocket was hurriedly prepared for a second launch. This one did not go as planned, with a stuck fuel valve preventing main engine ignition. Shortly thereafter, the timer that controls the upper stage separation and ignition activated, launching the Capella up & away from the pad. It climbed to a mere 6km, gathering air pressure data - already well known from aircraft flights - before slamming back to the ground a few hundred meters from the pad. 01:005 - DSC - UR1-CR: In an attempt to alleviate the communications problems in the vast desert, a UR1 utility vehicle was fitted with a recently developed pair of relay antennas and solar panel and driven out to a hill about 30km east of DSC. 01:006 - DSC - T4-Cp-1b: Repairs were made to the second Tituv and a new Capella upper stage fitted, then it was rolled back out to the DSC pad for a second launch attempt. All systems worked perfectly and the Capella reached a maximum altitude of 59,594m before plunging back to Kerbin. Atmospheric pressure data was relayed back to DSC through the entire flight until the avionics bus failed due to overheating while descending through 22km.

My point in saying that is I usually end up still using the mod that was added to stock because either I like how the mod works better or the stock version is only a partial replacement for the mod.

While I use LS mods (I've previously used Snacks & USI-LS, just starting a career with Tac-LS), a lot of people don't and want nothing to do with them. Personally, I'm not sure if I would want a stock LS system either. I'm not particularly happy with how several mod ideas that have made it into stock have been implemented, and worry that a stock LS system would be the same.

Did some more mod testing in preparation for my new Out of the Sands career using the JNSQ planet pack: Almost reaching orbit with a tiny communications satellite. I think a better launch profile would've made orbit - according to the dV calculator, it should've had slightly more than enough for LKO Titov launcher with Capella upper stage reaching for the upper atmosphere (from the Completely Non-Aggressive Rocketry mod) Capella upper stage pushing its experiment package to the limits of the atmosphere

I did, the only thing I didn't like was that it requires CTT then re-patches everything again, so I'm effectively loading two tech trees. I didn't time it, but my patch count is like 4900 with Better Early Tech Tree vs Kiwi, which was closer to 14900 and it took somewhat longer to load. I played with Tetrix a little back when it first came out, but I was already in the middle of my last Out of the Sands career so switching wasn't an option, then I quit playing KSP for a while.

I've thought about that, but haven't figured out any number values yet. I just finished testing Better Early Tech Tree last night and going to try to Tetrix tech tree tonight and hopefully decide which I'm going to stick with for the career. Then I have to test some older mods to see if they play nice in 1.11, then go through and prune whatever is duplicated between multiple mods. I'm hoping friday night will see the first official launch. And no, that first one won't start with a build time, the career will start with the launch.

Not real world time. Instead of using an in-game mod to calculate the build times, I have a spreadsheet that calculates the time when you enter a cost value. Breaks it down to days/hours/minutes. Then I plug that value into Kerbal Alarm Clock and when the craft is ready, it's time to launch. I do need to update the spreadsheet for the 12 hour JNSQ days, which I just remembered as I was typing this. So thanks for your comment, because I probably would've forgotten that little bit if you hadn't gotten me thinking about it. The main reasons for doing it this way the first time were to reduce my mod count and none of the build-time mods I've seen have an exception for things like non-space rated ground vehicles or aircraft. NASA has a fleet of assorted aircraft & vehicles for a variety of missions, and my head canon assumes the Kerbals can have access to whatever normal aircraft they need. At the start, that is only a few different types of prop aircraft and a simple utility rover for running around the space centers. In the original series, as new techs got unlocked I would build a prototype aircraft using the build time rules, then once it was accepted, other examples were assumed to be available whenever needed. Reusable spacecraft just go on a list at the bottom of my game notes text file as they are built. If I have 3 "Lightning" spaceplanes, and two are off on missions, I know one is still in the hangar if a mission comes up. If I need a fourth one, it has to get built first

Spent some time tinkering with how I want to set up my next career - this one in JNSQ - as well as getting a few standard non-spacecraft designs built & ready to go for the career. CFP-01 Hawk prop-driven fighter flying over KSC. Updated from my last career save, this will be the standard early-career aircraft for getting around. Argo satellite (Probes Plus) being boosted to orbit by a Luciole upper stage

Career Rules - After being away from KSP for a while, I decided to jump back into the deep end, with a new career in JNSQ based on my previous "Out of the Sands" career. I named this one Out of the Sands 2.7 since JNSQ is a 2.7x rescale of the stock system. Mod List (Still in work) Extra Starting Parts - I feel like prop aircraft should be available from the start, along with some form of ground vehicle. Therefore, I patched several parts to be available from the start rather than where they normally appear. I will try not to use them in spacecraft until the appropriate tech tree nodes have been unlocked - but I'm not going to worry too much if I miss something, either. Craft Build Time: Idea borrowed from KVASS mod, but modified & calculated outside of game. 1st Kerbonaut Class: The veterans, the ones who started it all. 2nd Kerbonaut Class: The first round of new recruits to start expanding the space program. Chapter 1: First Steps Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Chapter 2: On Top of the World: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

The only time you can have too much fuel is if you're on fire.

I've been using the Restock mod for so long, I forgot the stock parts don't have this. Totally agree

Sci-Fi Visual Enhancements used to be pretty good (and added dust storms to Duna ) with much lower impact on your computer than SVE or AVP, but I don't think its up to date any more. Someone I think made an update for it, but I'm not 100% sure. The stock EVE configs are an improvement over the base game too.

First I played around in my 1.11 install, added another touch to my Atlas-esque launcher - a pair of small engines from Probes Plus fill in the role of the verniers. Looked nice, but mostly they just took up two parts that I could've used for something else. Also recreated an old low-tech science plane and made a quick hop to the mountains Then I fired up an old 1.8 JNSQ install I still had. I threw together a 2-man capsule with launcher just to remind myself how to play in JNSQ. It had plenty of dV to orbit, but barely made it through reentry. Happily, nothing melted & Jeb & Bill splashed down safely somewhere in the night. Now I want to see how it will work in 1.11, and maybe start a new JNSQ-scale remake of my "Out of the Sands" career. The only trouble is deciding if I want to use the same mods (primarily Wild Blue series) as the original or switch to using the Near Future series. Trying to use both probably wouldn't work well - it would certainly make my parts list a disaster. Too bad, because both are great. My existing save was a science save with some version of a probes before crew-type tech tree. For some reason, I have almost all 2.5m parts unlocked but NOT the 2.5m engine plate, so I had to improvise the interstage for my 1.8m schnauzer engine on the orbiter. Has space for a few science experiments in the US2 bay and carries a fuel cell, batteries and ample TacLS life support supplies in the rest of the wedges

Continued with my new career a little more today, starting with a Mun flyby probe then followed by a suborbital launch by Val and an orbital launch with Jeb

How many more craft do you have in game now vs a few weeks ago. Large numbers of craft do have an impact, even when they are on rails.