Mars-Bound Hokie

Unfortunately, cutting the wingspan brought the CoL closer to the CoM than I think it should be. Though I managed to reach 237 km orbital altitude with 3,142 m/s left, it came at a cost too great to bear. After re-entry, the plane spiraled for a bit before I managed to regain control --> at <10 km. When I did, the controls were so sensitive that I spun around again after adjusting my flight path. In short, I think I'll keep the large wingspan on the Hamacker (for now). Building a larger SSTO is my ultimate goal; in fact, that would be my next go-to spacecraft if I ever get around to it. However, I'm still having trouble getting my Mk1 SSTOs to do what I want. Also, @fulgur, is it okay if I use your Heofodraca I design for this mission? Modifications I had in mind include, but are not limited to: Installing a probe core to store science and remote control. Putting a drill and ore converter in the cargo area. EDIT: I almost forgot to mention the part where the rapiers flamed in and out randomly after re-entry. That never happened with the long-winged prototype except for one time when I abused the timewarp.

Calling 911 because I can't think of any stupid reasons to call 911.

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN In light of a recent demand for our SSTO progress reports to be made public, I am submitting this journal entry with such reports attached. In case the reader is not aware by the time they read this, the S-3 Schmittou was being tested to see if it was a worthy candidate for Neptune IV. Ultimately, the design was rejected because our engineers couldn't come up with a stable design for when the plane re-entered; perhaps it was due to the fact that the centers of mass and lift were too close together. I was close to trashing the design altogether, but Bill suggested modifying the aerodynamic structure so that the plane would stop spinning and start gliding after re-entry. His suggestions for improving the design included, but are not limited to: Increasing the wingspan length With vertical tips. Replacing the 1x6 solar panels with Gigantors. Multiplying the plane's power intake by a factor of over 7 Adding aerobrakes - and a whole lot of them. Given enough time within the atmosphere, the Schmittou could get up to 1,500 m/s Removing the front canards to keep the center of lift at a good distance behind the center of mass. Reaction wheels After some time at the drawing board, the S-4 Hamacker was made and we started testing. Below are the pictures of our most recent field test - conducted by rookie engineer Shelus Kerman. And yes, we know the plane's safe for kerbal use. We tested it unmanned repeatedly. S-4 Hamacker with all its features deployed. The Hamacker during takeoff. And yes, I'm using all four rapiers at once. Whoever designed the Schmittou must have felt a need for speed when they put in that many rapiers. After using the whole runway to take off, the Hamacker started its ascent at a low angle. If you look closely at the bottom, you can see some structural supports under the wings and rapier engines. This is because that, during one of the field tests, they were wobbling mid-flight. These supports are put there to reduce the risk of them falling off. I forgot the altitude when this picture was taken, but this is when the plane got past 1,400 m/s --> and that was before we fired the nerv engine at 21-km altitude. On one test, we had to pull back on the throttle because one of the components was overheating while the plane surpassed 1,500 m/s. The Hamacker at 198 km orbital altitude with 2,739 m/s of delta-V left. Orbital altitude and leftover delta-V varied significantly during testing. I'm guessing it had something to do with the ascent technique. Even if the Hamacker is less aerodynamically efficient than the Schmittou, I'm okay with it since at least it didn't spin out of control --> as shown by the next several pictures. Finally, the moment of truth. We managed to fly the plane normally after getting below 30 km, but first we had to do a bit of supersonic gliding to lose speed. This will really come in handy when it comes to saving fuel. As you can see, the exhaust trail is not a spiral. At last, Shelus is flying in a normal plane again --> but now for the hardest part. We were coming in too fast for a normal landing, even with the aerobrakes deployed, so we used the front parachutes and a couple of the back ones (two more were not deployed). Shelus had to fire up the rapiers when getting close to the ground to not damage the nerv. Any ideas on how to get the Hamacker to land upright upon parachute deployment? The Hamacker, landed on the ground. Since some concerned members of the public insisted on improvements, here are some questions I think should be addressed. How can we maximize leftover delta-V after the ascent? What angle should we keep the plane at during the ascent? Which parachute arrangement is necessary to keep the plane upright upon deployment - if possible? I look forward to hearing the input. Wernher Von Kerman Year 45, Day 148 0H35M

LODOCK KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y45D147 - 5H45M We're now in a 100-km polar orbit above the moon. Sure, we already have an orbital scanner in place, but we can finally say that we've been "all around Laythe." We took off at a 45-degree heading since it was the only safe takeoff option from our location. Once we were 200 meters above the surface, I quickly steered the plane to 90 degrees (or at least the closest I could get) and started the orbital ascent. As expected, it was way easier to get up to speed (and by that, I mean +1300 m/s) on Laythe than on Kerbin due to the moon's gravity being lower than Kerbin's. We managed to get our apoapsis past Laythe's upper boundary layer (50-km altitude) while the rapiers were still running. Enmal called me a "reckless serial arsonist" after he saw our surface speed right before I cut off the engines. Sure, the plane has proven to be fireproof time and time again, but I understand his concern. Enmal: "How long before the plane blows up because the metal's too weak?" Me: "I think we're okay. I mean, this plane's been through a lot of fires already." Enmal: "I don't want the next one to be our last. If the metal gives up before Kerbin re-entry, we're either dead or stranded." Our plane after we achieved a stable parking orbit over Laythe - and we just passed the north pole. We have a lot of delta-V to spare after that ascent (and yes, we still have oxidizer left). This number is great for when we make a transfer burn to another Jool moon to refuel before we finally go home. After a while in polar orbit, we'll descend on Laythe and land along one of the equatorial islands to refuel. I don't know if we should explore the planet more or begin the flight home. What do you all think?

ENMAL KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y45D134 - 5H10M Sorry for the extra-long gap in entries, but we've been exploring a good chunk of the planet. After the plane was refueled, we took off and headed for Laythe's south pole. As we were getting up to cruising speed, look at what we found. Looks like a beach village on the other island with coastal torches. I think there's a road from the coastal settlement leading up to a second village. This next shot is further confirmation of intelligent life active civilization on Laythe. At this altitude, it appears to be a large Laythan city with a defensive wall surrounding it. If I had to guess, I'd say that the largest building in the center was for the city's government. Or that of a larger body, depending on how the Laythans run stuff here. Lodock was going too fast to get a closer look (and I didn't want to get too low), but I'm sure everyone in that town saw us. From the villagers' view, the Neptune III looks like a "Fire God" or a "Sun God" flying through the sky; kind of ironic since the plane is named after a sea god. I don't really blame the villagers, since Lodock loves to fly over 800 meters per second. Wernher von Kerman didn't mind, since Laythe is not only super-cold, but it has water - so what better way to prevent frost accumulation than setting the plane on fire? As we got closer to the south pole, we found less (if any) Laythan settlements on the surface. It was kind of hard to pick a landing spot there, but at least we landed where there was sun (or at least what we could get) and a sufficient ore concentration. The Neptune III refueling on Laythe's south pole while looking at Jool and the sun. Great shot for pictures, huh? After the liquid fuel tanks were full, we flew all the way across the south pole and headed north. During the flight, we slowed down to get a picture of the aerial Laythe probe we dropped a few years ago. The next plan is to stop at a nearby island to refuel all our tanks - including the oxidizer - and take off in a polar orbit so we can say we flew all over Laythe. After that, we'll descend on an equatorial island and refuel, getting ready for the trip back home. Back home, Mission Control was testing an SSTO prototype for the Neptune IV called the Integral S-3 Schmittou. While they had impressive Kerbin ascent thrusts (4 rapiers at once) and delta-V left upon achieving orbit (~3800 m/s at 237 km), both prototypes lost control and crashed upon re-entry. As of now, we only have two working SSTO models in our space program and the other one is designed for Duna use. If I had to guess, I'd say the Schmittou failed because the CoL and CoM were too close together.

LODOCK KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y45D31 - 1H30M After we were done refueling the plane less than 100 days ago, Enmal walked ~550 meters toward the Elegail rover for performance inspection. During which, he got this neat shot of two of Jool's moons at once in the night sky. Looks like Vall and Tylo. Though they both look like they're the same size in Laythe's sky, we know that it's because Tylo is further away from Laythe than Vall is while being larger than Vall. It's like how the Mun and Kerbol appear the same size in Kerbin's sky. This would make a good "romantic view" spot - if we didn't run the risk of freezing to death. And if we ever expand Laythe operations, which will take up a lot of time and money. Besides that, it's kind of hard to enjoy a romantic night with your heads encased in helmets Though the air is breathable, it's average temperature is below freezing. There's even a rumor - though unconfirmed - that the saliva would freeze at this temperature and cause the kissers' lips to stick. What do you think? When Enmal made it to Elegail, he said that he forgot that those kinds of rovers were the size of cars. Maybe Mission Control could send a whole fleet of little cars to Laythe's islands to drive around in. First time in decades this lonely rover has been in personal contact with another kerbal. It may be older than Bill's kids, but it's still in top shape. The next morning, we were ordered to fly toward Laythe's south pole - but first, we needed to find a good refueling spot for our trip back to the equator (and/or the north pole). I tell you, taking off at night is way easier than landing. If any Native Laythans were in the area, they would have seen this once we passed 430 meters per second. The best landing spot I chose was about 750 kilometers away, yet it took us about 10 minutes to get there. Even better, it was almost daylight at our destination when we were getting close. Nice sunrise view while still going supersonic (and at 1/3 throttle) While the sun was in front of us, Jool was behind us. Makes you wonder how often there is a "Joolian eclipse" on Laythe. Where the sunlight goes RIGHT THROUGH Jool. After landing and (forgetting) flagging down our landing spot on the plane's GPS*, we deployed the drills and started to refuel. During which, we captured an interesting image on my camera. * yes, the GPS works on Laythe. What else has Mission Control been doing with all its relays and orbital scanners (besides establishing a Kerbnet connection). If you look at the hill to the right, you can see three lit-up torches. According to Mission Control, the two of us and the plane are the only Kerbal presence on this island. Could this be a sign of Native Laythan existence? Very soon, we'll be taking off for the south pole for further scientific data gathering. Hope it's not too dark when we get there.

Yes; I asked this question so I know how to save fuel. On one of my test runs, the tanks went dry before touchdown. When I saw your profile picture, I knew you were the one who commented. I haven't posted on my channel for months due to my life being busy (college, family, girlfriend), but I got some pretty nifty creations to share. If I were you, I'd install the following mods: MechJeb (whichever version works for you) Kerbal Alarm Clock I think you'll really love my fuel truck. If you want more career mode advice, have any more questions, or just want to chat, feel free to DM me. I've already completed the tech tree, and have sent spacecraft EVERYWHERE. But don't take my word for it; read some of my Mission Reports from my current career save. What started out as a simple exploration mission turned into two kerbalnauts being stranded on Eeloo. After they were rescued, there was a full colonization effort on that snowball. My rover has discovered a Jool moon with breathable air (but really low temperatures) and liquid water, so I sent several kerbalnauts to check out Laythe. Neptune III is still in progress, and I have no idea what to do for Neptune IV. The name says it all. Anyone who's not involved in any ongoing missions (surveys, exploration missions, tourist runs) is coming back home. Glad you like the Mk. III, by the way. SSTOs are not as easy as @Matt Lowne makes them seem, but if you build them right it's worth the effort.

ENMAL'S KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y44D313 - 0H15M When our plane was done filling up its liquid fuel tanks, we were instructed to fly to the Elegail rover's last known position a couple of islands (and a couple hundred kilometers) away. After takeoff, Lodock instructed me to do something incredibly risky and convert all the ore still in the tank to liquid fuel while flying; the reason it's risky is because the rapier engines don't have alternators to help recharge the batteries. Luckily, the ore supply was drained before the batteries were - and the plane's RTG helped recharge them slow enough to sustain the SAS. Cockpit shot of Jool while flying over the ocean. I hoped our landing spot would be bright enough to see the ground below us. SPOILER ALERT: it wasn't. Look, up in the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane. No, it's the Neptune III going at a supersonic speed. Apparently, as Jool becomes more obvious, the sky gets darker. Lodock cut the engines while we were going at supersonic speed to save fuel while slowing us down. For a while, we were in glide mode until the airspeed got below 250 meters per second. I wanted to see what this plane could really do here, so we decided to stay supersonic until we were close to the target. Unfortunately, by the time we got within 35 kilometers of the rover's tracking beacon, it was too dark to see anything below in order to pick a good landing spot. To make matters worse, we couldn't tell if we were over water or land. The only upside was that the surface ore concentration was high enough for the drills - assuming that we didn't crash or splash first. After flying in circles for five minutes, Lodock said "screw landing," and deployed the parachutes after cutting the engines. Good thing that the Mk. I cockpit took the impact - and that Lodock kept the plane upright on its wheels in the end - otherwise we would be in deep trouble now. After we landed, we immediately deployed the solar panels and started the refueling process. What's luckier than landing in one piece in the dark was that we landed approximately 550 meters away from the rover. We plan to walk toward it in the morning to check it out. Good night, readers.

JEBEDIAH KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y44D312 - 3H30M Less than a day ago, seventeen of our fine kerbalnauts have made it back to Kerbin - Bob and myself two of them. Before I get into the details on how we were welcomed back home, allow me to show you some pictures we all took. The Comeback I capsule after a hard re-entry. I'm surprised nothing blew up at this phase, since we were coming in at an initial velocity of 4.5 kilometers per second. The fact that we had almost 380 meters per second left of delta-V left didn't help slow us down, either. I put the capsule at a periapsis of 35 kilometers in case an aerobrake was necessary. Our capsule after hitting the highlands. A couple of us were finally glad to see some grass and dirt after seeing ice for years. Nearly a day after we hit Kerbin's sphere of influence - but a day before our touchdown - the Duna kerbalnauts were caught by Kerbin's gravity. Seven of them used the same model pod as the Comeback I, and they re-entered with no issues. The last three Duna kerbalnauts established a parking orbit around the planet in their failed plane, then Mission Control sent a working SSTO to pick them up. A Mk. III Duna SSTO (left) approaching the Reject (right). The last three Duna kerbalnauts spacewalked to the Mk. III and landed successfully in the grasslands Looking good, huh? The Reject spinning out of control, despite Mission Control's attempts to save it - or at least minimize the damage sustained during the crash. This picture was taken when the plane was 350 meters above the ground. Even though I'm a bit of a daredevil myself, I'm surprised Mission Control actually sent that thing before realizing that it was no good. Good for moons, maybe, but that's it - and no return to Kerbin. We still have five more from Eeloo awaiting the right time to make their exit burn, but Mission Control has assured them that they're putting a rush on the ore transport operations. In the meantime, Bill, Bob, Val, and I hopped back on the old Badger jet and got a team photo in front of it. (Left to right) Me, Bill, Val, and Bob Bob kept his helmet on since he was working in the chemical lab before we decided to take this photo. I heard that jet was succeeded by the B-6 Badger Junior, which has nearly double the air intake of its predecessor. Only five kerbalnauts left (who aren't in any ongoing missions or tourist runs), and it's Mission: Accomplished. Name Level Specialty Stationed At Location Grarey 5 Pilot Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Ralo 5 Scientist Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Olivia 5 Scientist Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Rabal 5 Engineer Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Johnfrid 4 Scientist Vall Pod Jool (Orbit)

LODOCK KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y44D205 - 5H30M At long last, we made it to Laythe in the Neptune III. Even better, it's a plane - so KSP would get almost a full return-on-investment when it gets back. Below are some pictures we took. The Neptune III in orbit of Laythe before making its de-orbit burn. Now entering a suborbital trajectory above Laythe, with Tylo in sight. Almost looks like re-entering Kerbin from this angle, doesn't it? The plane caught fire at nearly 47 km above the surface. Re-entry kind of looks like your typical everyday Kerbin re-entry - only the heat is not as intense. 17 km above the surface, and we start gliding above Laythe at supersonic speeds. The weird thing is that we didn't see a shock wave until after we reached speeds like ~850 m/s. We found that weird since, on Kerbin, we would see shock waves at speeds of about ~343 m/s or more. Perhaps the speed of sound works differently here than Kerbin. Since the island we first approached had too low an ore concentration, we decided to fly over the Neptune II landing site before landing at a better spot. If only Johnfrid could see us now from the surface, he'd be jealous of us landing in style. Plus, that would make the perfect "Plane flying" picture. After landing, I got the green light to step out of the plane and plant our flag. It was also okay for me to remove my helmet here, but I would rather keep it on since it's colder than Kerbin's ice caps here. We're going to spend the next several days reloading the plane's liquid fuel tanks before exploring the planet. When it is time to leave, we'll land at a nice spot near the planet's equator and fill up both the liquid fuel and oxidizer tanks before taking off. I'm sure we'll have plenty of science to bring back home by then. I've also paid attention to the Operation: Homecoming thread, and read about the Duna-bound kerbalnauts that were forced to return home due to their SSTO being declared unsuitable for atmospheric flight. I find it rather disappointing that they would be stuck in a plane that they didn't know would fail until the figurative last minute, but at least they'll get to survive. In the meantime, two more kerbalnauts are testing a third variant of the Duna SSTO - one that manage to re-enter correctly the first time without crashing. Mk. III Duna SSTO at the KSC Runway. Notice how the wings are straight and that the rear stabilizers are fixed with smaller control surfaces. It also has aerobrakes as well as parachutes to slow down during landing. At least the current design still has the most important feature of the previous one: the two NERV thrusters. I hope we get done refueling soon and without any issues; I'm itching to explore this place.

Yeah, since he's from Baikerbanur. Their mascot is the Badgers. Now that you know that Jeb currently doesn't give a rat's ass about his dad's fate, do you really think there's a chance father and son can settle their issues after so long? And will Bill finally get his revenge?

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: THE NEXT MOVE “SO, WHAT? If Misty wants to keep Dad trapped in a capsule forever, LET her.” “Are you kidding me?” gasped Bill. “Have you forgotten that your father was KIDNAPPED?!” “Who cares?” snapped Jeb. “I do,” said Bill, “and so does the rest of his company and customers.” “Not until I tell everyone what a lying piece of trash he is,” sighed Jeb. “The only reason YOU still care is because you want revenge on a woman you never even laid eyes on.” “She STILL needs to pay for what she did, REGARDLESS of whether or not we crossed paths.” “Well, looks like we have a win for you too,” argued Jeb. “Excuse me?” “Misty AND Dad can rot in that ship for the rest of their lives,” explained Jeb. “You’re basically sending her to prison WTHOUT having to waste money on police and court costs.” “Not gonna happen,” said Bill. “Oh, that’s right, you want to KILL Misty,” said Jeb. “You’re just wasting your time.” “Not that, Jeb,” countered Bill as he turned on his kPad. “Their current trajectory will put them at a 50-megameter periapsis above Kerbin.” “So, what? They get to see Kerbin whyle they float through space.” “But what has she got planned after she gets there?” asked Bill. “Better question, why bother go after her at all?” sighed Jeb. “As long as Misty’s stuck in that capsule, she’s not huring anyone else.” “She doesn’t deserve to live with him,” retorted Bill. “She doesn’t deserve to live PERIOD.” “Dad can die too, for all I care.” “Are you SERIOUSLY wishing that psycho would kill YOUR OWN FATHER?” “I DON’T CARE!” spat Jeb. “Dad gets a girlfriend, Misty gets Dad, we both have them out of our hair. Everyone wins.” “Except Jeb’s Junkyard – and the people it contracts for, INCLUDING the space program – and the families of Misty’s victims.” “Misty basically put herself in prison for life, so why bother going after her?” “Even if Kerbin’s central government abolished the death penalty – which it DIDN’T, by the way – your dad doesn’t deserve that.” “YES, HE DOES!” shouted Jeb. “He had DECADES to tell me about Vanessa, but NO! He had to bury her and make sure she was forgotten.” “It STILL doesn’t warrant getting imprisoned with a killer for life,” argued Bill. “Besides, it’s not like he MURDERED your mom and sister; it was an accident that was all YOUR MOM’S fault.” “Could you keep it down, please?” asked a random scientist. “I’m studying the effects of sound waves on Dres’ soil in zero gravity here, and you’re causing a lot of interference.” “Oh, sorry,” apologized Bill. “Jeb, wanna chat in a lander cockpit?” “Sure, whatever.” Bill and Jeb then floated to the nearest docked lander before closing the airlock. To Jeb’s surprise, Bill then disconnected the lander from the Defiant. “Hey. I thought we were resuming our discussion here, not going down there.” “We ARE resuming our discussion here. I undocked the lander since sound doesn’t carry through space, which means the chances of vibrations reaching that guy’s lab are down to zero.” “Be sure to dock this thing when you’re done,” reminded Jeb. “Anyway, I’m not letting Misty end this the way she wants it to,” said Bill. “Bill, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they’ll make it to Kerbin before we do,” sighed Jeb. “If her endgame is to burn to death during re-entry with Dad in the capsule, how are YOU gonna stop her? Besides, why would you WANT to; it ends with her dead.” “As well as Jeb Senior,” argued Bill. “I can’t let that happen.” “You gotta compromise sometime, dude,” said Jeb, “just like when you made that deal with Irpond.” “Because Irpond was already defeated, deal or no deal,” explained Bill. “Misty, however, WANTS to be in that capsule with her prisoner – and my gut tells me that she’s after something else. Why else would she aim for Kerbin in her Eve escape burn?” “Bill, you really gotta let her go,” said Jeb. “And WHY would I do that?” “She’s been living rent-free in your head for years,” answered Jeb. “Says the guy who’s done that with HIS DAD for LONGER,” countered Bill. “No. I shut Dad out of my life – at least, to the best I could – whereas YOU couldn’t STOP thinking about killing Misty,” retorted Jeb. “And what makes you think this is an UNHEALTHY obsession?” “I’m not the only one in this lander with Double-I complaints,” said Jeb. “Yesterday, after you fell asleep in the Calculus Base rec room, a long-haired male tourist poked you awake. You then punched him in the face and tried to STRANGLE him before realizing it was A GUY. I had to tell Double-I that you just had a nightmare about Misty, and you know how hard it is to convince Roger.” “I appreciate that – and yes, I DID have a nightmare about Misty,” said Bill. “Until she’s dead, nobody in this solar system is safe.” “Even if I wanted to rescue Dad – which I DO NOT – how are we gonna follow Misty?” asked Jeb. “Assuming she doesn’t plan to kill herself during re-entry, she’s flying to another planet – but WHERE? You’d better get it right the first time, or else we’re playing Ring Around the Rosie for the rest of our lives – then Misty will die of OLD AGE before you kill her.” “Which means that she’ll have to steal an interplanetary-capable spacecraft,” finished Bill, “but where would she get it? It’s not like the KSC would just HAND her and Jeb Senior the keys to a suborbital flight capsule, let alone a Moho-capable ship.” “She could just SNEAK in and steal it,” reminded Jeb. “And HOW would she do that – and with Jeb Senior, too?” “Same way she snuck into the space center when she shot Sally,” answered Jeb. “Possible, but unlikely,” countered Bill. “First of all, besides the chance of Jeb Senior screaming for help, they’re bound to have increased security due to the shooting. Second of all, assuming Misty didn’t get intercepted in space first, her chances of her landing within 25 kilometers of the space center are…,” he paused as he did some math on his kPad, “at 0.043 percent.” “Is that good or bad?” “That’s good… FOR ME,” said Bill. “Unless Misty plans to get caught by a recovery crew, she’ll have to drag Jeb Senior for a LONG time until she reaches the space center. A lot of things can happen between touchdown and her arrival at KSC – like getting arrested by local police forces or the KBI, or Jeb Senior running away.” “Which would mean that Mission Control would have to track where Misty’s ship would land, so that they can alert the cops AHEAD of time,” Jeb realized. “We do that all the time, especially with incoming asteroids,” reminded Bill. “My guess: she’s gonna ask for a pickup, kill whoever’s piloting it, and rendezvous with an interplanetary-capable vehicle that can carry both her and Jeb Senior.” “How do you know that she won’t just adjust her expected landing spot?” inquired Jeb. “Good question, and the answer is because she’ll be very low on delta-V to make a significant difference by the time she’s within Kerbin’s sphere of influence,” answered Bill. “She’ll either miss Kerbin completely, do a gravity assist into an adjusted solar orbit, or splash down right in the middle of a police trap,” “Or burn to ashes as soon as she hits the atmosphere,” added Jeb, then his eyes widened, “unless…” “Unless what?” “Unless she aerobraked,” said Jeb. “She could just evade the recovery crews and land somewhere else.” “I… suppose it’s possible,” gasped Bill. “However, you do realize that our guys will get the capsule, right?” “It will take them at least two hours to get to the new landing coordinates. By then, Misty and Dad would be long-gone. Heck, they could be waiting on land and Misty could end up in the water instead. Let’s hope she can’t swim.” “Yes, she can,” said Bill, “but she doesn’t HAVE to necessarily. All capsules are equipped with life rafts, so she could take Jeb Senior and herself to the nearest shore… but where would she go?” “Which brings us to the perfect life-saving plan,” said Jeb. “Which is?” “We tell everyone how much of a lying scumbag Dad is,” started Jeb, “then NO women will want to be with him. Therefore, Misty has Dad ALL TO HERSELF, and won’t kill anybody else. They can live happily ever after and stay out of our hair as long as we stay out of theirs.” “Not gonna happen,” argued Bill. “Even if Jeb Senior becomes the most undesirable bachelor on Kerbin, they still want MISTY’S head on a platter because she killed people. You really think they’re just gonna quit looking for her?” “Huh… yeah, you’re right,” Jeb agreed, “but HOW will we know where Misty’s going? You can’t read her mind or anything.” “True, but I can predict her next move based on her orbital trajectory… and transfer window timing,” Bill told Jeb. “I just need to calculate the orbital periapsis boundaries for an aerobrake and write an algorithm connected to the EAV’s transponder.” “What exactly would this algorithm do?” “Duh, predict Misty’s next move based on what she’s doing with the ship,” said Bill. “You got PLENTY of time for that, dude,” assured Jeb. “Val already alerted Mission Control, I’m in no rush to save Dad, and it will be a while before Misty reaches Kerbin.” “Then I’d better get started on that code, shouldn’t I,” said Bill. “I wouldn’t if I were you,” Jeb disagreed. “Personally, I’d get in some time with Val first.” “Great, she can help me,” smirked Bill. “Not yet, dude. She’s had feelings for you for years, so you need to be the boyfriend she wants now,” suggested Jeb. “I’d give it a couple of days before you need to get to Misty-hunting time.” “Let me make a note of it,” said Bill as he wrote a reminder to write his algorithm on his kPad. “Very well. Can you send me down, please?” “No-can-do, Bill. Double-I says I can’t be in a lander alone again, so I’ll be STUCK on the surface until you come back,” sighed Jeb. “Oh, right, you ice-skated with a lander yesterday,” Bill remembered. “Jeb, you really gotta lay off the stunts. You know that?” “They wouldn’t have hired me if I wasn’t a daredevil,” argued Jeb. “Sure, it takes brains to build the rockets, but it takes guts to fly them. Besides, if I recall correctly, YOU TOO were kind of a daredevil yourself.” “Up to a point,” sighed Bill, “but at least I used the spacecraft for their intended purposes; NONE of them were slipping and sliding on Dres’ surface.” “MJ, dock the lander,” ordered Jeb, then the docking port shield opened. “I’d grab something if I were you.” “Oh, yeah,” said Bill. “Why else did I undock the lander in the first place, because the laws of physics were still in effect.” “You know, I wonder what would happen if we repealed the laws of physics,” commented Jeb. “Then nothing would make sense, would it?” “I need a status report, now!” Gene demanded. “Where is he?” “Still in Eve’s sphere of influence,” answered Werner, “on an escape trajectory.” “Why haven’t we rendezvoused with his capsule yet?” “Misty put her EAV into a retrograde orbit when she blasted off,” said Mortimer. “We have no other vehicles in retrograde orbit above Eve, so a rendezvous at this point is impossible.” “I told you that hotel was a bad idea,” sighed Linus. “If you hadn’t blown our budget on that thing…” “Then we’d NEVER clear our tourist backlog,” argued Mortimer. “Aside from that, we seem to be bringing in a lot of money from that station alone.” “Oh, so luxury space hotel profits are worth more than rescuing a kidnapping victim, then?” replied Linus. “How do I know you’re not getting kickbacks?” “Save it for the budget meeting, you two,” ordered Gene. “Werner, where does the EAV’s current trajectory go?” “It’s expected to reach Kerbin at a 50,000-kilometer periapsis,” said Werner. “However, I have reason to believe that Jeb Senior’s kidnapper will fine-tune her orbit while in-transit.” “What makes you say that?” “Even if she launched at the transfer window, the EAV wouldn’t have enough delta-V to circularize its orbit at periapsis,” answered Werner. “Okay… what does that mean for those of us who DIDN’T go to Woomerang?” “Misty could only land on Kerbin or drift off,” clarified Werner, “and you do realize you burned yourself, right?” “Crud,” sighed Gene. “Anyway, can we intercept the ship in solar orbit before it reaches Kerbin?” “No-can-do,” said Linus. “I recommend having rescue crews standing by in orbit of Kerbin for when the EAV arrives.” “You can try,” said Mortimer, “but if Misty still has fuel left, she could juke us and change her trajectory to miss our rescue craft.” “I… suppose that’s possible,” agreed Werner, “but she should have less than 100 meters per second left. If she wanted to alter her incoming orbit, she’d be wise to do it early – but that would mean WE would get more time to prepare.” “Ugh, it would be A LOT more helpful if we knew her endgame,” Gene told his coworkers. “What’s worse, she won’t bother talking to us; we tried the EAV’s radio already.” “I also tried Jeb Senior’s kPad myself, but she said she’ll only talk to Bill Kerman when and if she wants to,” added Mortimer. “Any ideas why him specifically?” “Probably because he’s her arch-nemesis,” sighed Gene. “That’s… very unlikely,” said Mortimer. “Bill never met her; I double-checked their personnel files. Misty quit years before Bill got into Basic.” “Maybe he DID meet her,” suggested Werner. “Even if they didn’t, so what? They got plenty of reasons to be enemies?” “By proxy because of Misty’s daughter, maybe,” argued Mortimer. “What reason would Bill have to be Misty’s DIRECT arch-enemy?” “Misty tried to frame him for arson,” replied Werner. “As a result, she caused a loaded airliner to crash in an attempt to cover up the fact that SHE did it HERSELF. When that failed, she snuck into the space center and shot Sally Kerman – and… that’s why we have heightened security here.” “And she falsely accused Val of ordering her kidnapped,” Linus mentioned. “Because Irpond needed a cover story to frame Val for murder and RTG theft,” said Mortimer. “She also kidnapped his friend’s dad, who just happens to be Misty’s current hostage in that EAV,” reminded Gene. “Keep in mind that Misty called BILL’S kPad via Jeb Senior’s.” “I thought that she called VAL,” said Linus. “She MEANT to dial BILL, but Val was holding on to Bill’s kPad while he was in a quiet zone,” explained Gene. “Val’s report said that Misty demanded that Bill call her back within 15 minutes of the first call or she’d kill Jeb Senior, then Bill complied when Val got him.” “Anyway,” said Werner, “Bill mentioned that he planned to write an algorithm that would predict Misty’s next move and how to catch her based on her orbital trajectory.” “He’s free to offer input,” Gene told Werner, “but in the end, WE’RE running it from HERE.” “You DO realize we’ll need aid from military and/or law enforcement if we’re to rescue Jeb Senior and arrest Misty,” reminded Mortimer, “regardless of whether or not Misty breaches Kerbin’s atmosphere.” “I’ll contact the prime minister,” said Gene, “but I doubt he’ll help unless we had a plan to pinpoint where she’s going. He doesn’t like allocating resources for wild goose chases.” “Nor do I,” agreed Mortimer. “Says the guy who blew our Eve budget on a luxury space hotel,” argued Linus. “And it has proven a valuable investment,” said Mortimer. “Besides, Eve has a significantly lower chance than the outer planets of seeing an asteroid going in retrograde orbit. How was I supposed to know a killer would try that?” “We have to keep the rescue effort a secret from the public,” warned Gene, “or else Misty may end up killing Jeb Senior.” “Which would require confidentiality agreements with all parties involved,” added Linus. “Um, remember the LAST time the KSP was involved in a cover-up?” reminded Mortimer. “This is different, Mortimer,” said Gene. “While Gus and Walt planned to hide an extra-terrestrial genocide forever, WE need to hide our rescue efforts from the public until Jeb Senior’s safe and Misty’s either dead or behind bars. If Misty gets word of this, Jeb Senior could end up dead.” “Then you and Werner had better pick people who AREN’T likely to blab to the media,” warned Mortimer. “Same case for whoever in the central government is assisting with the capture.” “But first, let’s discuss the general plan before choosing the capture assessment team,” said Werner. “What we know now: it will be approximately 214 days before she reaches Kerbin’s sphere of influence.” “I’d like to be done by 200 to allow more time to prepare and get in position,” stated Gene. “What else?” “She’s expected to approach Kerbin at a 50-kilometer periapsis with a 74-degree inclination,” continued Werner. “She also has less than approximately 100 meters per second of delta-V left in her EAV since she made her exit burn from Eve too early.” “Since she cannot circularize her orbit,” said Mortimer, “it’s safe to assume that she plans to either re-enter Kerbin or drift off into space.” “As we have proven with Guscan, a solar orbit rescue should be easy,” recalled Gene. “While the EAV has less than 100 meters per second of delta-V, an interplanetary travel pod has over 7,000 at its final stage. Even if she tries to adjust her orbit to make a rendezvous difficult, she’ll eventually run out of fuel and be a sitting duck.” “Unless we catch her first within the Hamsterwheel first,” said Werner. “We catch and bring back asteroids like that all the time, so the EAV should be easy.” “Perhaps we should send a craft with an armed rescue crew into solar orbit NOW,” suggested Linus. “Why bother?” Werner disagreed. “You can’t reach Misty before she gets here.” “Who said anything about a solar rendezvous BEFORE she reaches Kerbin?” countered Linus. “Possibility number one: she changes her flight path to AVOID the sphere of influence – hence, reducing her chances of being captured.” “He does have a point,” agreed Mortimer, “but that would mean that she could be stuck in solar orbit forever.” “Or go around again for Kerbin, which brings me to a second possible scenario,” said Linus. “She could do a gravity assist with a low Kerbin periapsis and fine-tune her orbit for re-entry during her second solar orbit.” “Oh… I suppose it’s possible,” gasped Werner. “I’ll let the rescue planning team know about it.” “Wait, IS IT?” asked Gene. “Assuming we can’t capture Misty inside Kerbin’s sphere of influence, will she even have enough delta-V for a second fine-tune burn?” “Well… maybe not after the second go-around; third or fourth, maybe,” answered Werner. “Like I said, I’ll let the planning team run the numbers.” “Excellent point, Linus,” said Gene. “I’ll be sure to ask that the prime minister send a rescue team into solar orbit to rendezvous with Misty in case that happens.” “I hope Misty doesn’t plan to mess with our heads too much,” sighed Mortimer. “The good news is that, with her daughter gone, she won’t have any backup.” “This is even worse than Guscan,” warned Linus. “Sure, Jeb Senior has company, but she doesn’t want to be rescued while he does. What’s worse, she’s willing to kill anyone who gets in her way.” “You do realize that this is insane, right?” Jeb Senior told his captor. “Hmm, I wonder how many times you said that to your son,” sighed Misty. “A million, two million? You’d think you’d have given up by now.” “You’re not my son,” argued Jeb Senior, “but I do care about what happens to you.” “Of course you do,” smiled Misty. “You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to me, would you?” “I’ve seen Jeb do all kinds of crazy stunts before he enlisted in the KSP,” said Jeb Senior, “with number one being the time he launched a rocket at the high school without reading the instructions. This, however, STOMPS Jeb’s antics.” “How so? This is the first time I’ve piloted a spacecraft without Mission Control’s help, and I seem to be doing fine here.” “If you think that you can just re-enter Kerbin without getting caught, then you’re crazy,” complained Jeb Senior. “I mean, come on, they’re bound to have a lock on us by now.” “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” said Misty. “The real question is can they predict my next move and anticipate it in time?” “I’d be surprised if they didn’t,” answered Jeb Senior. “Even if you missed Kerbin to do one of those slingshot tricks, they’ll still send a ship to catch us.” “I thought of that,” said Misty, “but it’s a surprise. Now, let’s see what’s on the news today.” She unlocked Jeb Senior’s kPad and opened the news app. “Oh, look, you made the front page.” JEB’S JUNKYARD C.E.O. KIDNAPPED “Like I said before, this is insane,” said Jeb Senior. “They’re gonna find us in here, and you’re going to end up in prison.” “Bill will try,” smirked Misty as she tapped the headline. “Stocks going down, concerned employees, last seen leaving … ooh, looks like I found a big catch in you.” “What do you mean?” “Apparently, A LOT of women who say they’re your girlfriend are begging for you to return,” explained Misty. “Ha, FAT CHANCE.” “Well… you can’t trust the news these days,” said Jeb Senior. “Oh, I do believe you are right,” agreed Misty. “Look at what your son said.” “What? My son?” gasped Jeb Senior, banging his head against the capsule ceiling. “What’d he say?” “He said, and I quote, ‘Don’t bother trying to save Dad. If he dies or gets trapped with a psycho for the rest of his life, it’s because he deserves it.’” “W… WHAT?!” Jeb Senior was shocked. “Whoever wrote that article is either lying or mistook someone else for Jeb.” “That makes sense,” said Misty, then she clicked back to the news list. “Hmm, teacher strike in Nye Island; boring. Badgers triumph in Krakopolis, new SSTO airport in Woomerang, lawsuit pending following a car factory accident, the usual blah blah blah. Would you like to read any of them?” “What’s the catch?” asked Jeb Senior. “For every article you read, you must kiss me,” proposed Misty. “Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?” Jeb said nothing in refusal. “Why so shy, Jebby-poo? Are you still faithful to Amelia?” Again, there was silence. “She’s gone, Vanessa’s gone, and Jeb… doesn’t need active parenting anymore.” Before she knew it, there was an email on the kPad. “Speak of the kraken.” “Is it Jeb?” gasped Jeb Senior. “This one’s free,” said Misty, “but we BOTH read it.” She unlocked the kPad and opened the email. From: jeb@ksp.admin.org To: jebsenior@jebsjunkyard.org Subject: (no subject) If you want Dad, you can have him. I want nothing to do with that pathetic excuse of a father anymore. Jeb P.S. In case you’re wondering, Bill wants you dead. “Looks like that guy wasn’t far off after all,” remarked Misty. “You’re better off with me anyway.” “Except for the part where you’re holding me against my will,” said Jeb Senior. “If I left you out there, you would have no family left… no real friends, no real lovers,” argued Misty. “Those women who say they love you, they only LOVE your money.” “Not Amelia!” spat Jeb Senior. “She’s been dead for over 40 years, Jebby-poo. Let her go,” sighed Misty. “Now you’re with me, someone who truly cares for you.” “And if I refuse, you’ll shoot me and claim self-defense like you did your LAST husband,” said Jeb Senior. “Oh, I forgot, you’re still wanted for murder.” “To protect not only myself, but my daughter,” cried Misty before pulling herself together. “We both lost people we loved. You lost your wife; I lost my husband…” “Since you murdered him!” interrupted Jeb Senior. “Oh, he was lost BEFORE I shot him,” explained Misty. “We both lost our daughters… and your son wants to permanently cut off all ties with you. Come on, Jeb, admit it. You’re better off with me.” “My… family…,” stammered Jeb Senior. “As far as you’re concerned, they’re dead to you – two of them literally,” said Misty. “You haven’t felt real love since the crash, especially not from YOUR OWN SON. I can fill that void, if you just… let me back in.” “Ugh…,” groaned Jeb Senior. “What’s this about the Badgers winning in Krakopolis?”

When I use the MJ Maneuver Planner to fly to Minmus, I've noticed that the maneuver required varying amounts of delta-V. Sometimes it got a little past ~1300 m/s, others I've seen it go as low as ~900 m/s. My goal is to minimize the amount of fuel it takes to make the burn from LKO to Minmus so that I would have enough to safely land my SSTO. Image of the Mk. III Duna SSTO. I believe that, to decrease the amount of fuel I use for the Minmus burn, I need to not only launch at the right inclination, but the right time at well. Since Minmus has an orbital inclination of 6 degrees, I need to launch my plane at an 84-degree azimuth (that's also a 6-degree inclination). However, what I DON'T know is how I'm going to time my launch right so that my orbital inclination matches Minmus' AND requires the least amount of fuel to reach it.

GRAREY KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y43D107 - 3H30M Unless you've read the Neptune Mission Report for Y43D107 first, you'd be surprised to hear that my crew and I picked up a fifth kerbalnaut to fly back home. His name is Johnfrid Kerman, the first kerbal to step foot on the surface of Laythe - and the sole crewmember of the Neptune II. Bet he got pretty lonely after being stuck in a lander can all by himself for almost 7 years. Then again, Ralo, Rabal, Olivia, and I were stuck with each other for twice as long. Though we kept in contact with Mission Control, we were itching to see someone else's face again. Look at that cute little Neptune II floating 173 meters away from us. Our Jool orbit rendezvous cost us enough delta-V to delay our exit burn. Fortunately, we have an ore transport on Vall that's getting ready. We don't know how long that will take, but I'm sure waiting's better than being stuck in solar orbit forever - especially with such a high apoapsis. I hope Vall's gravitational pull doesn't take too much fuel for the ore transport, or this will turn into the Bill's and Val's Eeloo problem all over again. As of now, the Homecoming tally is up to 15. Fortunately for the mission, we're getting close to crossing off ten of them when they all fly back from Duna. We're still not counting the ones currently in-transit from Eeloo to Kerbin since their orbit's already set. After about 1 years and 200 days, we would have brought back 17 total kerbalnauts. Name Level Specialty Stationed At Location Doodmore 4 Pilot U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Lasel 4 Scientist U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Lodmon 4 Scientist U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Maurie 2 Engineer U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Donfurt 3 Pilot U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Frocal 3 Scientist Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Donbin 3 Scientist Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Namin 3 Engineer Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Ludlong 4 Pilot Reject Duna (Orbit) Starigh 4 Engineer Reject Duna (Orbit) Grarey 5 Pilot Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Ralo 5 Scientist Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Olivia 5 Scientist Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Rabal 5 Engineer Vall Pod Jool (Orbit) Johnfrid 4 Scientist Vall Pod Jool (Orbit)

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y43D107 - 3H15M I got some good news, and I got some bad news. GOOD NEWS I won't be flying back to Kerbin alone. Four women who were stationed on Vall for years decided to rendezvous their ship with the Neptune II and allow me to spacewalk my way on board. Since I didn't want the pod to turn into the Kerbi Kerbi Lit Club (yet), I locked myself in the EVA suit closet while writing this report. Mission Control approved this part of my mission - as well as Operation: Homecoming - since I will be flying back with an inflatable heat shield instead of inside a tiny lander can with an ablative shield. In case the capsule blows up, Kerbin may lose scientific data - but not me. BAD NEWS Their Jool orbit rendezvous cost those ladies a lot of delta-V. In other words, they're currently unable to fly back to Kerbin. We have an ore transport on Vall, but it will take a long time to get ready - and an even longer time to get to us. It may take a few extra years, but the mission commander assured her that it was fine. Essentially, while I'm upgrading my seat and getting better re-entry protection, I will be delayed in my arrival. Their engineer was ticked that their exit burn was delayed on my account, but the commander told her that it was all right. The Neptune II in sight of the Vall pod. I don't know how long it will be before the ore transport gets to us - or when I'll return to Kerbin - but at least I won't be alone. I also won't have to worry about burning to death in a tin can during re-entry, now that I have the most powerful heat shield ever. In the meantime, the Neptune II will be remote-controlled from now on and Mission Control will only have to worry about the scientific data in the ship's probe core. A lot could happen while we're waiting to make our exit burn. Who knows, we may even get a visit from the Neptune III crew. I hope we all make it back soon. So far, it seems like Operation: Homecoming is making some great progress. Besides us five (originally four in the pod before me), only eight more kerbalnauts on Duna are coming back in a fleet. As far as I know, I'm the first kerbal who has participated in two separate non-tourist missions AT THE SAME TIME. While I'm still officially part of the Neptune Missions, I am now riding back with a Homecoming crew. Link to Mission Report thread

JEB KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y43D29 - 3H30M I'm honored to be the first kerbalnaut to report on this thread. For a while, I was beginning to think that everybody forgot us. Then again, how could they when Bill and Val were tirelessly pushing for us to be flown back home? Anyway, I'm also honored to report that the Comeback I is now on its way back to Kerbin. It's expected to get in the planet's sphere of influence in 1 year and 272 days from now, so we're glad for the quick return. However, since we only have 325 meters per second of delta-V left in the ship, Eriler is worried that we may approach Kerbin TOO quickly. Our orbital trajectory puts us at a Kerbin periapsis of 50 kilometers, so we'll need to lower that for an aerobrake. If we try the direct approach, we may end up cooking to death on re-entry. Shot of us making our exit burn from 400 km above the surface Bill, being the nerd that he is, counted the number of kerbalnauts being pulled back in this operation - there were 19. While the Comeback I will check seven off that list, Mission Control decided to add two two. Apparently, Ludlong and Starigh Kerman were flying to Duna in an SSTO that was deemed a reject design while they were in-transit. They couldn't land on the planet since it was deemed too risky, but they had enough fuel to make a parking orbit around Kerbin. After that, a working SSTO would rendezvous with the reject and land the kerbalnauts safe and sound while we crash the reject plane. Since there are eight kerbalnauts (not counting the two in the Reject (I decided to name it that), currently stationed in Duna's sphere of influence and the pod can seven people at a time, one of the other kerbalnauts will fly home in the Reject while the others splash down in the pod. That one extra (plus Ludlong and Starigh) will get to land in style. The Reject above Duna. It was an attempt to add more non-oxygen-dependent thrust for Duna flight, but each prototype lost control and crashed during Kerbin re-entry. Any ideas for a self-mining Duna SSTO? Below is the new list of kerbalnauts awaiting return that aren't busy with anything else now. While the Comeback I crew was removed, the Reject was added. Name Level Specialty Stationed At Location Doodmore 4 Pilot U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Lasel 4 Scientist U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Lodmon 4 Scientist U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Maurie 2 Engineer U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Donfurt 3 Pilot U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Frocal 3 Scientist Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Donbin 3 Scientist Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Namin 3 Engineer Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Ludlong 4 Pilot Reject Duna (Orbit) Starigh 4 Engineer Reject Duna (Orbit) Grarey 5 Pilot Rob Base Vall (Surface) Ralo 5 Scientist Rob Base Vall (Surface) Olivia 5 Scientist Rob Base Vall (Surface) Rabal 5 Engineer Rob Base Vall (Surface)

Man. How many prototypes did it take for you to make a working design?

FROM THE OFFICE OF WERNHER VON KERMAN For over 40 years, the Kerbal Space Program has conducted countless missions to explore the Kerbol system. We have sent probes, relays, rovers, and even kerbals to those places to further expand our understanding of space. Once we were sure that we could return from a planet or moon, we would begin establishing a permanent presence on there - whether it be from a mobile base, a stationary outpost, or simply an orbital station with at least one lander ready. Below is a photo gallery of some of the things we built to solidify Kerbin's presence. Jack Mobile Base on Duna. Large contributor of science points Can carry up to 19 people 16 in cabin 1 in cockpit 2 in science lab Stowed in cargo area (can open downward doors for quick exit) Hades Station in orbit of Eeloo We also have men on the surface (two of them Jebediah Kerman and Bob) Large contributor of science points U.S.S. Enterprise-D in orbit of Duna Has a Mk. Vb travel pod docked to it Pod has a seven-person capacity. Rob Mobile Base on Vall Nicknamed "Girl Base" since the entire base crew is female. Large contributor of science points Has a lander on the surface ready for blastoff And a Mk. V travel pod in orbit Tourist transports and ongoing exploration missions are not pictured, as they are technically not contributing to any permanent presences. Aside from that, we have established permanent presences on all significant celestial bodies in the Kerbol system except for: Moho We only landed there once, and there has been a very low demand to fly there since then. Even though we sent a fuel truck, a mobile base, and started building a space station, the kerbalnauts seem to have a silent pact never to venture there. Recently, one tourist has paid to fly there. He'll be in space soon, along with an engineer. Eve We still have yet to come up with a plausible Eve Ascent Vehicle design. Until such a time, it is forbidden to land there. We have three scientists in orbit of Gilly right now, but that's only to fulfill some study and station contracts. We plan to send them back once the next transfer window opens. Tylo We have no mission plan for that moon. Right now, we have more personnel off the planet than we do on. Three years ago, we started to receive letters and emails from the families and friends of the active-duty kerbalnauts - all of them requesting that we send them back home. After the general public started to hop on board that train, the KSP administration has voted to pull everyone out. While ongoing tourism flights and exploration missions will proceed as planned, Mission Control will be conducting an interplanetary effort to get the colonists back to Kerbin safe and sound. Opponents of this operation argued that we would be undermining our space program's credibility in terms of bravery and ability to gather scientific data, but I assured them in a press conference yesterday that this concern was unwarranted. After all, if we need to, we could send someone else to those same bases and stations - and it would be someone who has not been in that planet before. Below is a list of all the colonists that we are going to summon back to Kerbin. Though there are still several kerbalnauts still out there, they're either participating in: Ongoing exploration missions e.g. the Neptune Missions to Laythe. this also covers ongoing contract missions Outstanding tourist contract missions. Outstanding construction contract missions. e.g. a Pol outpost with an engineer. Name Level Specialty Stationed At Location Doodmore 4 Pilot U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Lasel 4 Scientist U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Lodmon 4 Scientist U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Maurie 2 Engineer U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Donfurt 3 Pilot U.S.S. Enterprise-D Duna (Orbit) Frocal 3 Scientist Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Donbin 3 Scientist Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Namin 3 Engineer Jack Mobile Base Duna (Surface) Matt 5 Scientist Hades Station Eeloo (Orbit) Siebald 5 Scientist Hades Station Eeloo (Orbit) Eriler 3 Engineer Hades Station Eeloo (Orbit) Arbus 3 Pilot Hades Station Eeloo (Orbit) Jebediah 5 Pilot Skylar Base Eeloo (Surface) Jedemone 0* Scientist Skylar Base Eeloo (Surface) Bob 5 Scientist Skylar Base Eeloo (Surface) Grarey 5 Pilot Rob Base Vall (Surface) Ralo 5 Scientist Rob Base Vall (Surface) Olivia 5 Scientist Rob Base Vall (Surface) Rabal 5 Engineer Rob Base Vall (Surface) * There was a paperwork issue while promoting Jedemone, but he is guaranteed his new rank when he returns to Kerbin. This Mission Report thread will contain the journal entries of these kerbalnauts as they push to return to their home planet. This doesn't mean that we're quitting the space program, but that we're allowing these hard-working colonists to come back home and allow other kerbalnauts to take their place. OPERATION: HOMECOMING IS A "GO" Wernher Von Kerman Year 42, Day 352 5H30M

How is everyone liking it so far? What do you expect to happen next? Will Misty run away with Jeb Senior, or will Bill come to the rescue?

Yeah, baby!

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: SECOND LOVE “Ugh,” groaned Jeb Senior as his eyelids fluttered open, “w… what happened?” He tried to recall what had transpired before he had lost consciousness. One minute, he was in a mini-bus to the Aphrodite command center; the next, he was strapped to what seemed to be a seat in a Mk. 1-3 Command Pod. He tried to move his arms, but his limbs were taped to the rests. “Where am I? What’s going on?” He looked out the window and saw purple sky, so he was still on Eve’s surface. “Those vitamin supplements… oh no.” Next to him, he heard a door opened and saw a kerbalnaut in a flight suit enter the cockpit. “You gotta help me. Misty Kerman tied me up and has taken me hostage.” “Taken you hostage?” a female voice said on the suit’s external speaker. “Please, just cut me loose and get me out of here,” begged Jeb Senior. “Not just yet, honey,” she replied, then she put a helmet on Jeb Senior. “Strap in; this is going to be a bumpy ride.” “Aphrodite Command, this is Jebediah Kerman…!” shouted Jeb Senior, but the kerbalnaut put her right thumb down before flipping some of the switches. Suddenly, he felt the ground vibrate underneath him; he guessed that his abductor was activating the ignition sequence. “Don’t even think about using radio communications,” she told him, “for I disabled that feature on your suit. You can only hear me through the data feed I plugged into the suit.” “I know how the cockpit suit data cord works,” sighed Jeb Senior. “What are you doing?” “Why… getting us off here,” said the kerbalnaut as she removed her own helmet. “Misty!” gasped Jeb Senior. “Now, it’s okay to be afraid at this stage,” she assured him. “Since Eve is larger than Kerbin, it may fail, and we could end up here forever. And we don’t want that, now do we?” She put her helmet back on. “Misty Two to Mission Control, all systems are ‘go’ for launch.” “Do you even know how to work this thing?” sighed Jeb Senior. “Quiet, you,” said Misty. “T-minus ten seconds and counting.” “You don’t want to do this,” argued Jeb Senior. “I’ve read that a million things can go wrong...” “Five, four, three, two, one,” interrupted Misty, before uncovering the red rectangular staging button. “IGNITION!” After she pressed it, the cockpit started to shake as the EAV blasted off. Nobody said anything as the rocket flew through Eve’s thick clouds; Misty tried to talk, but she was sure Jeb Senior couldn’t hear her over the sound of the rocket engines – and the staging decouplers going off. Several minutes of flying later, the main component of the EAV was in a stable 150-kilometer orbit above Eve. Jeb Senior looked down at the planet, hoping that someone noticed and would come to his rescue. However, Misty seemed to read his mind and took off her helmet and seatbelt as she started to float. “Now, I’m going to take off your helmet now,” she told him. “Screaming won’t do any good, since sound doesn’t carry through space.” She then removed Jeb Senior’s helmet and smiled at him. “You… kidnapped… me,” groaned Jeb Senior. “You ran away from me,” said Misty. “Why?” “Because you’re a psychopath who kills people for fun,” sighed Jeb Senior. “Fun?” gasped Misty. “Why, I should be insulted. You think I just target people for the sheer thrill of it?” “Yes,” said Jeb Senior, then Misty laughed. “Am I your next victim?” “If I wanted you dead, I’d have kicked you out of that bus without a suit,” said Misty. “Did you get dizzy on your way up?” “Yeah,” answered Jeb Senior, “did you?” “Getting you dizzy wasn’t part of the plan,” complained Misty. “Had things gone as planned, we would have made it into orbit earlier.” “What went wrong?” questioned Jeb Senior. “Someone drained the batteries and cut off the power flow,” complained Misty. “The saboteur also scrambled the staging sequence and removed the alternators. It took me a long time to fix the ship before taking off.” “I… honestly have no idea how that happened,” sighed Jeb Senior. “I do,” said Misty. “It is spelled B-I-L-L, and he is crazy obsessed with me.” “Like you’re one to talk,” complained Jeb Senior, then Misty slapped him – sending her to the wall. “Oops, I almost forgot Newton’s Third Law,” she said. “At least I don’t threaten your child or smear you all over the solar system. In fact, last I heard, your son hates you.” “You got the part about Jeb right,” sighed Jeb Senior. “If he wasn’t ordered to ask for proof that I’m alive, he wouldn’t bother contacting me at all.” “MJ, get me to Kerbin ASAP,” Misty demanded. “Let’s see what he said, shall we?” She took out Jeb Senior’s kPad – along with its battery – and activated it as soon as she re-inserted the battery. “Wow, that’s a lot of unread messages.” “Maneuver node plotted,” said MJ. “Warning: you are planning to fly to your target 193 Kerbin days before your transfer window.” “Can I make it to Kerbin?” sighed Misty. “Yes,” replied MJ. “While you have enough delta-V to make the ejection burn, you may not be able to fine-tune your approach to your target – or slow down your approach before re-entry” “Do it,” said Misty. “Acknowledged. Ignition in T-minus 27 minutes and counting.” Misty then deactivated the voice command system and kissed Jeb Senior. “Unlock this kPad,” Misty demanded, and then it received another message. “Oh, I wonder who that could be.” “Probably Jeb, asking for proof I’m all right,” sighed Jeb Senior, surprising Misty. “Jeb?” inquired Misty. “Whoa, all these unread messages are from Jeb. What happened, did you two finally make up?” “No chance,” answered Jeb Senior. “Then give me the combination and let’s find out,” said Misty. “It doesn’t have a combination lock,” said Jeb Senior, then Misty took off Jeb’s left glove and forced his index finger on the scanner. “Thanks a lot,” said Misty, then she looked at the messages. “All of them say ‘ping,’ and are 15 minutes apart. Hmm… I wonder why. Anyway, let’s see… WHAAAAAT?!” “Could you keep it down, please?” Jeb Senior requested. “The ascent rockets are bad enough.” “No… impossible,” continued Misty. “Is it true?” “Is what true?” wondered Jeb Senior. “Jeb told you that Irpond’s dead,” said Misty, showing him the texts. “Is it true?” “I dunno,” said Jeb Senior, “but why would he lie about it?” “She killed her,” stammered Misty. “SHE KILLED HER!” “WHO killed her?” asked Jeb Senior. “Val, that’s who,” answered Misty. “SHE… murdered… my daughter.” “How can you be so sure?” wondered Jeb Senior. “I mean, for all you know, it could have been a legally sanctioned execution.” “All she wanted was Bob’s love, and Val took that from her – even though she liked Bill,” argued Misty, then Jeb Senior’s kPad received another message. “Speaking of which.” She opened it and saw that it was from Val this time.” “Who’s it from? What did it say?” questioned Jeb Senior. “It’s from Val,” said Misty. “It says, ‘I don’t know if Jeb told you this, but Amelia was Dilford Kerman’s flight instructor a year before she died.’” “Amelia was a contract instructor for the early space program,” explained Jeb Senior. “She COULD have crossed paths… hang on.” “What?” “Did you KILL Amelia and Vanessa?” gasped Jeb Senior. “No,” said Misty. “If Amelia WAS a threat to me, I would have tracked you down and told you that she was cheating on you. And if that didn’t work, I would have sat down and WAITED for her to kill herself.” She smiled as she embraced a taped-up Jeb Senior. “Now, we have each other – and you’d better get comfortable, because we’re going to be stuck in this capsule for a LONG time.” “Until we reach Kerbin, but even then, that’s suicidal on your part,” reminded Jeb Senior. “Everyone on the planet will be looking for you, and you heard what MJ said; you could miss the target since we’re making our exit burn too early.” “Ha ha, I thought of that,” smirked Misty. “You may ask ‘What is your plan?’ Well… I can’t spoil it now, can I?” “How did you find me?” asked Jeb Senior. “When the nearest EAV hadn’t blasted off yet, I figured that you would go somewhere else to run – and where better than Aphrodite Colony,” started Misty. “I also figured that the medical center would alert Eve command of my departure in the Comet, so I made a bomb using some of the chemicals found in the base and set it to go off after I was airborne.” “Well, it didn’t work,” said Jeb Senior. “Jeb and his friends knew you were coming.” “Oh, really?” smiled Misty. “Well… in my defense, I was pretty rushed, and I had morphine in me from treating my gunshot wound. Though I accounted for a slow departure, perhaps I set the timer a little TOO long.” “I hope it didn’t go off at all.” “No matter,” sighed Misty. “I was lucky that the Comet had access to military transponders. I wonder why they did, though; did… the manufacturers not believe that they would be a threat due to their very short burn time? Either way, I saw an unusually large concentration at the Increased Gravity Inn and figured that was where you were. After all, driving for days would wear you out.” “How did you get past them?” questioned Jeb Senior. “I distracted them by crashing the plane at the central communications outpost,” continued Misty. “They HAD to move quickly to address the issue; not only that, the entire city was in a virtual blackout. Amid the chaos, I snuck through the city and got to the hotel.” “How’d you even know which room I was in?” “I lured the on-base engineer outside and forced her to tell me where you were,” answered Misty. “Quite clever that you had her register your room under HER name; I almost thought you were cheating. After I punctured her suit open, I went inside and dressed up as a male employee. I then took a syringe from the medical supply closet and poked a small hole in the bottom of the vitamin container before tainting them. After I took you to the car, I drove to the nearest EAV, put you in a flight suit, and taped you to the chair. “However, I couldn’t just start the ship; someone had sabotaged it.” “And you blame Bill for that?” inquired Jeb Senior, and Misty nodded in agreement. “That’s impossible, he’s on Dres.” “He must have told one of his friends on Eve to do it,” Misty told him. “He’s good, but I’m better.” “You sure about that?” asked Jeb Senior. “I’ve known Bill since he and Jeb were in elementary school; he’s not one to give up easy. Even when he learned that the Woomerang rocket contract was a sham to get locker room pictures, he still worked on dropping a probe on their football team.” “Oh, you still think that he’s going to come to the rescue?” said Misty as she tampered with Jeb Senior’s kPad lock settings. “Well, looks like I’d better tell him that he finally met his match.” While night fell on Calculus Base, Val was fast asleep in her bunk. She had previously told Jeb to text his father every 15 minutes after the second time he lost contact – which was after Jeb Senior had woken up at the Increased Gravity Inn. Bill, in the meantime, called a colleague on Eve and asked him to tamper with the EAVs so Misty couldn’t use them. Bob contacted Internal Investigations while Val alerted Eve Command about Misty’s escape. She was horrified when she heard that they lost contact with the medical center near the Jeb’s Junkyard construction site, knowing full-well that Misty had something to do with it. After she was done requesting that Eve Command put all military forces on full alert, she got a call from Roger – who, at the time, was on an SSTO to the Mun. He had been notified of the shooting in Dresden Base, and Kerbin’s central government had already decided on the details of Hadgan’s upcoming court-martial. Commander Oswald would be the presiding judge while twelve kerbals who had nothing to do with Irpond’s killing spree would be part of the jury. While Hadgan and his counsel had the right to call forth witnesses, Val would be called as a prosecution witness since Hadgan talked to her during the arrest. She told her friends about it, and the four of them agreed that Hadgan would most likely beat the murder charge due to the severity of Irpond’s actions. Later that night, Val was off-duty and asked Bill to spend the night with her – while in separate bags, of course. However, Bill had other plans for the night; he was assigned to work at the Bielefeld Interplanetary Observatory, located 20 kilometers from Calculus Base. While Bill slept, Val flew him in a moonjet to Calculus Base and waited for the surface transport to pick him up. The rover was specifically designed to limit – if not eliminate – the chance of radio and electronic signals interfering with the observatory data. As the observatory was in a “quiet zone,” transmissions could not go in or out of the outpost unless they were carried by “messenger robots” – which were somewhat designed to look like Wally. Since Bill’s kPad would be useless – if not an obstruction – in the quiet zone, Val decided to hold on to it until Bill returned. She found a bunk to sleep in and kept Bill’s kPad next to her while she looked at some pictures on her own. “I hope Jeb Senior’s okay,” she told herself, then she accessed one of the folders in her photo album. She started to look at a picture of what seemed to be a younger version of herself standing next to a boy in a hospital bed. “Aw, you looked so cute.” It was Bill while he was in his fifth-grade coma, which took place after Jeb crashed Bill’s prototype plane. “Kinda nice that Mom scanned the photo album and sent me these pictures,” said Val before swiping to the left. “Very impressive for a sixth-grade science project; drawing a design concept for an air-breathing 30-kilometer altitude plane. Too bad that some engineer in Woomerang beat you to it.” She moved through a few more photos before stopping at a picture of her and Victor at a football game. “Dang it, Mom. You always were a shutterbug.” Suddenly, Val noticed Bill’s kPad buzzing, indicating that someone was calling him. She checked the caller ID and read Jeb Senior’s name on it. “Finally,” sighed Val as she accepted the call. “Jeb Senior, you okay?” “Who is this?” a woman responded, surprising Val. “Admiral Valentina Kerman of the Kerbal Space Program,” answered Val. “Hello, Val,” the woman told her. “Can I talk to Bill, please?” “You can’t,” said Val, “he’s in a quiet zone now. He won’t be available for a while. Now, who are you?” “MMM MMPH!” she heard a man grunt on the other end, then Val’s eyes widened in shock as the man was slapped into silence. “MISTY KERMAN!” “You guessed it,” acknowledged Misty. “Is it true that Irpond’s dead?” “Yes,” said Val, “and no, it wasn’t me. The shooter is going to trial.” “It… must have been Bill,” sobbed Misty. “For years, he’s wanted my family wiped out.” “I can’t imagine why,” said Val sarcastically. “And no, it wasn’t BILL either. It was some other guy Irpond tricked into killing one of her rivals.” “I trust that you’ll prosecute the shooter to the fullest extent of the law… and go for the death penalty,” said Misty. “I’m just a witness,” sighed Val, “and personally, I don’t think he’s going to do any time. After all, everybody knows what she did – both in Woomerang and in space.” “Gah,” groaned Misty. “Where is Bill now?” “He’s working at an observatory several kilometers from here right now,” answered Val. “You can’t reach him at this moment because he’s in a designated radio quiet zone.” “Get him back here,” demanded Misty, “and have him call me back, or else I will slit Jeb Senior’s throat right now.” “Can’t I just leave a message for when he comes back?” sighed Val. “NOW!” shouted Misty angrily. “He has 15 minutes to call me back, or Jeb’s father dies.” Before Val could respond, Misty hung up. Val then stormed out of her quarters with Bill’s kPad and got a suit from the dispenser (and a space container for the kPad) before exiting the nerest airlock. “Come on,” she said nervously as she turned on her helmet lights. Once she saw a fuel-and-oxidizer lander nearby, she climed aboard and switched standby mode off. “Come on, navicomputer. Help me out here.” She hastily for the observatory’s coordinates and programmed MJ to plot a suborbital trajectory that would allow it to land within 100 meters of the outpost. “Course plotted,” said MJ. “Warning: you are attempting to fly below the 1.5-kilometer surface altitude ceiling at night in a quiet zone. Increased risks include…” “Shut up and get me there,” ordered Val. “Acknowledged.” Almost a minute later, the lander had touched down near the observatory and Val jumped out and entered with her suit on. “What’s going on here?” asked Emanuel Kerman, an astronomer who saw Val coming out the window. “Get Bill over here, NOW!” ordered Val. “Hey, Bill! It’s for you!” shouted Emanuel, then Bill showed up thirty seconds later. “Who are you?” wondered Bill, then Val took off her helmet. “No time to explain,” said Val. “Get a suit on, we gotta go.” “Wait, now?” “Yes, now!” “EVA me,” said Bill as he approached the spare suit dispenser, then he and Val quickly left the observatory. “You got a lander here?” “Just get in there!” said Val, and the two of them were soon in the lander. “MJ, ascend to a 30-kilometer parking orbit.” “Roger that,” replied MJ. “WHAT?!” gasped Bill, then the spacecraft blasted off while he wasn’t strapped to a seat. A few seconds later, he was spread-eagled flat on his chest while Val was buckled up. “A little more time to buckle my seatbelt would be nice.” “She’s got Jeb Senior,” explained Val. “OH, NO!” said Bill. “If you don’t call her back NOW, he dies,” she told him. “THOSE was her demands.” “You got my kPad?” asked Bill, and Val showed it to him. “Just let me strap in first.” “Make it quick,” said Val, then Bill called Jeb Senior’s kPad after he was finished buckling up. “Hey, Bill.” Misty responded. “It’s over, Misty,” said Bill. “Is it, Bill?” said Misty. “You may have bested my daughter, and I will admit you almost had me.” “I still do,” bragged Bill. “There’s nowhere to hide now.” “You really think so?” said Misty. “You may also have damaged my love, but rest assured I will repair that damage?” “How could I have damaged your love if YOU killed him?” sighed Bill, then he and Val high-fived each other. “Not Dill, I meant JEB,” corrected Misty. “Fun fact: Dilford’s flight instructor was Jeb Senior’s late wife,” said Bill. “I know that,” said Misty. “I wish I had met her before she died; she was one common thread between Dill and Jeb.” “What do you want, Misty?” asked Bill. “To let you know that you’ve been defeated,” boasted Misty. “You were a worthy match, but I won in the end. Jebby-poo and I are going to live out the rest of our days in happiness… probably even make a child to replace the one he lost.” “And the one YOU lost too, apparently,” sighed Bill. “Was THAT what you thought of Irpond? Some kind of… love trophy?” “Bill, don’t tease her when she’s got a hostage,” Val advised him. “At least SHE AND I were close, as mother and daughter should be,” argued Misty. “Jeb’s daughter is dead, and his son HATES him.” “Really, since he sends out pings every 15 minutes just to check on him,” Val argued. “Nice try, but the timing is TOO perfect for Jeb to have done that manually,” said Misty. “Besides, Jeb JUNIOR was bound to have been asleep when some of those messages were sent.” “Ooh, she’s got you there,” whispered Bill. “I think you’re missing the main point here,” Misty told Bill. “That you’ve replaced the love of your life with Jeb’s dad?” asked Bill. “That the game’s over. You lose, I win,” bragged Misty. “You really think so?” sighed Bill. “You just kidnapped the CEO OF Jeb’s Junkyard, which is BOUND to raise flags and start investigations. Besides that, you’re now a fugitive of the law. Where are you gonna go?” “Ha, like I’m telling you,” responded Misty. “But… if you want to keep chasing me, do so. I’m just saying… you’re just wasting your time. You might want to save us all the trouble and give up now.” “You know I can’t do that, Misty. And if not me, somebody else will capture you.” “Good luck with that, BOY.” Misty then disconnected her call, and Bill started to act like he was preparing for war. “We gotta intercept her,” he told Val. “Which would require knowing where she’s going at what times,” she reminded him. “And fast,” added Bill. “Now, there’s a small chance that she’s still on Eve’s surface and has yet to blast off, but I’m not counting on it.” “I thought you said you talked someone into sabotaging the EAVs,” said Val. “I had to compromise and settle for minimal modifications,” clarified Bill. “The guy I talked to only agreed to drain the batteries, remove the alternators, and alter the staging sequence.” “Uh, wouldn’t the last part increase the chance of blowing up the EAV?” asked Val. “Assuming Misty restored the power flow, no,” answered Bill. “The new EAVs have a safety feature that don’t allow engines still encased in their decoupler fairings to ignite. However, if Misty DIDN’T restore power yet, the staging sequence still won’t work even if it was correct.” “Yes, that would be an important feature,” commented Val. “A large chunk of Eve’s record death rate is because of EAV failure rate alone.” “I thought Laythe had the highest death rate outside of Kerbin.” “If we excluded murders, then EVE wins,” explained Val. “I’ll check Eve’s object tracker on… oh, crud. I left my kPad at Calculus Base.” “I’ll do it,” said Bill. “Okay, let’s see… hang on. Where did this EAV come from?” “Wait, what EAV?” asked Val, then Bill zoomed in toward’s a ship’s orbit. “I don’t remember giving clearance for that one.” “What do you mean?” “I told Eve Command to notify me when Jeb Senior was cleared to leave,” said Val. “They needed verbal confirmation from me before he blasted off.” “Misty’s in there,” gasped Bill as he facepalmed himself. “I TOLD them to remove the spark plugs so that the engines wouldn’t work, but NO. I was lucky they even agreed to alternators.” “Now, where would she go?” sighed Val. “The farthest EAVs can go are a direct burn to Kerbin,” said Bill as he looked up the specifications for the Eve Ascent Vehicle. “However, it makes no sense for Misty to go there.” “Why, because Kerbin is crawling with cops and soldiers?” “No,” disagreed Bill as he showed Val Transfer Window Alarm Clock. “The next window from Eve to Kerbin opens in approximately 193 days, which would give Eve’s forces plenty of time to rendezvous with her capsule.” He then switched to the object tracker and pointed at a space station. “Sure, she escaped the ground forces, but the U.S.S. Sulfuric Acid should dispatch a jet and catch her within a day.” “Now, why would she wait that long to make an exit burn?” questioned Val, then her eyes widened when she realized something. “Unless…” “Unless what?” asked Bill. “Unless she made her exit burn NOW,” Val figured out. “What makes you think that?” “The first time she tried to call you, she told me I had 15 MINUTES to have you call her back or she would kill Jeb Senior,” recalled Val. “Now, why would she have such a short time limit? Why not wait until you got out of the quiet zone to try again, or at least ask me to leave a message?” “Hmm… give me a minute,” said Bill as he began running numbers and drawing on his kPad. “It IS possible to reach Kerbin if she made her burn NOW, but it’s also RISKY.” “How so?” “Assuming she had enough delta-V to fine-tune her closest Kerbin approach, she could STILL re-enter Kerbin at too high a velocity since she won’t have enough fuel to adequately slow herself down,” “Bill, I love you, but my nerd speak is still rusty.” Bill smirked at Val. “Misty has a HIGH chance of running out of fuel. If not, then she could BURN TO DEATH during re-entry.” “And Jeb Senior, too,” said Val. “Can’t the Sulfuric Acid send a rescue team?” “Hmm… sorry, Val. No-can-do,” answered Bill. “By the time they’re in position to make their transfer burn, Misty would have already made escape velocity. You know how hard it is to rendezvous with objects with that kind of trajectory?” “Hard, but not impossible,” countered Val. “We do that all the time with asteroid catchers.” “Yeah, but in the approach part of the trajectory to allow more time to redirect,” reminded Bill. “Protocol mandates that we set up catcher craft to match a flagged asteroid’s orbital inclination well in advance to save time and fuel while the asteroid is still inside the sphere of influence.” “Inclination… UH OH!” said Val. “What?” “Look at Misty’s capsule,” she said, pointing at the icon. “It’s going RETROGRADE.” “SHOOT!” cursed Bill. “She KNEW we would consider an asteroid catcher.” “Wait,” said Val, “do WE have any in retrograde orbit?” “Let me check,” said Bill as he filtered out the ships that were not in retrograde orbit; the only one that was displayed was the one EAV capsule. “Sorry, but no.” “I KNEW blowing our budget on that luxury ring station hotel was a bad idea,” spat Val. “Tell Mortimer and Gene that,” said Bill. “Why is Eve such a popular tourist spot, anyway?” “The demand for Laythe plummeted after the Clivar scandal and the fallout leak,” answered Val. “Looks like Misty won this round.” “Even if she made her exit burn on the sunny… wait, she’s going retrograde… I meant the DARK side of the planet, she’ll burn out of fuel before making a successful retrograde solar orbit,” said Bill. “In other words, she has one of two options: fly to Kerbin, or float in a prograde solar orbit. Either way, it shouldn’t be too hard to rendezvous with her and rescue Jeb Senior.” “I know that, but… my gut tells me that she has a plan for that, too,” sighed Val. “What? Planting a virus in the rendezvous vehicles? She just lost Irpond, and they haven’t spoken since BEFORE Misty blasted off for Eve. What are the odds that Irpond gave Misty the correct operation codes to Misty before she went off the grid on Dres?” argued Bill. “More like threatening to kill Jeb Senior unless her demands were met,” clarified Val. “One thing’s for sure, we need to warn Kerbin that Misty took Jeb Senior,” said Bill. “As soon as they reach the planet’s sphere of influence, we’ll be all over them.” “But what if they CAN’T make it to the planet?” asked Val. “What if Misty either runs out of fuel… or INTENTIONALLY detaches the capsule from the engine after achieving solar orbit?” “Um, excuse me? Have you forgotten what I did for Guscan?” said Bill. “I could just send an interplanetary travel pod to her capsule, rescue Jeb Senior, kill Misty, and return to Kerbin.” “You contact Jeb, I’ll notify Kerbin,” said Val. “Not yet, Val,” objected Bill. “They still need me at the observatory right now, and Jeb’s snoozing on board the Defiant.” “Oh, yeah,” said Val. “Boy, I’m going to get so much crap from Roger for violating the quiet zone boundaries and extracting an active crewmember while he’s working in the observatory.” “As if you weren’t in enough for pulling Bob out of sick bay prematurely,” remarked Bill. “Now you know how Jeb feels.” “Not really,” Val disagrees. “At least I didn’t try to FIGURE SKATE on the surface with a lander – and play hopscotch with flips, too.” “Wait, when did he do this?” asked Bill. “THIS MORNING,” said Val, “at least where I was.” “PLEASE tell me it was a fuel-and-oxidizer lander,” sighed Bill. “The nuclear-powered landers have their engine nozzles hanging so close to the ground and right next to the landing legs.” “And I thought he matured,” said Val. “I’ll drop you off at the observatory, get out of the quiet zone, then radio it in.”

JOHNFRID KERMAN'S MISSION LOG: Y42D254 - 0H30M To all you haters who said that the Neptune II couldn't get me off Laythe. I say... WATCH ME! The engines right after ignition. It took a few seconds to warm up and achieve the desired thrust (blowing the flag away in the process), but I got going. The Neptune II finally flying after the engines were fully warmed up. It managed to get at the desired ascent angle with minimal to zero wobbling. And the wings don't even have control surfaces. Reaching 1,100 m/s during the ascent. Finally, I got rid of the ice that formed on the spacecraft. Though the internal heating systems managed to keep ice from forming on the important components, it was really annoying to deal with - like when it got on the ladder. After losing the jet engines and entered a suborbital trajectory, I deployed the panels and antenna while the craft waited to make its circularization burn at 95 km orbit. Orbiting Jool at 27 Mm while getting a shot of Laythe and Tylo. In about 319 days, I will make my exit burn to Kerbin. Though I won't have enough fuel for the capture burn (let alone descent), I can at least do an aerobrake and parachute down on the surface. If I'm lucky, I can do a direct approach without any harm to the craft itself. Good thing that the main capsule has two RTGs for power, since I will need to lose the solar panels when the Poodle engine burns out. As for the issue with the Native Laythans, I have been ordered to stay as far away from them as possible while on the surface. Whatever pictures I took of them, I have also been instructed by the central government to keep them in the capsule to eliminate the risk of possible data corruption. Though I disagree with the fact that I got that from a bunch of politicians and not my immediate superiors, I will agree that the chance of my data being corrupted - and, therefore, leaving doubt among the scientific community and the general public - is medium to high due to my craft having a weak antenna (only 2 G in the main capsule) and no on-board engineer to fix it. The central government messenger who talked to KSP also wanted to hold back on the "we have confirmed intelligent life on Laythe" announcement until the Neptune III crew has made contact. Honestly, I don't know why I need to keep my "alien stalker pics" to myself since we'll get confirmation from the Neptune III before I make it back to Kerbin. They're expected to reach Jool's SOI in 1 year and 303 days. However long it takes them to find the Laythans would definitely be shorter than how long it takes for me to reach Kerbin. Wish us luck, everyone.