Mars-Bound Hokie

I have a few questions, Do our vehicles have to be launched from the VAB, or are we allowed to launch them from the SPH? If so, then I may have a few ideas for Duna SSTOs that is bound to save money (in terms of overall cost, since you'll eventually end up with the craft back) "Establish ISRU at the Mun south pole" - does it necessarily have to be at the Munar south pole? Not that it should be a problem. Personally, I go for a refueling stop on Minmus. However, the spaceplanes I have in mind for the mission should be able to land on the Mun. "Launch a mission to Duna, using the Mun ISRU facility to reduce costs" - do I have to land on Duna's surface, or do I just have to establish a parking orbit around the planet? Also, since the spaceplanes I have in mind have their own ISRU capabilities, then is the Munar presence really necessary? For that matter, what would be the purpose of those missions? What needs to be done for this challenge to be completed?

Child's play. I'll start us off with the plane that helped me get Thread of the Month for January 2020, Bill's Car. Below are pictures of it in action. In case you're curious, here's the award-winning thread that the plane made its debut in. The challenge is over now, but feel free to ask me on DM if you want to restart it. If you want to see any more planes, feel free to check out my KerbalX page.

I got rid of the Bon Voyage and World Stabilizer folders, and that seemed to work. Thanks. Now the question remains: which mods should I keep now that 1.12 has new features (like an alarm clock)? Also, will the planets be more shaky and put my vehicles at greater risk of unprovoked destruction now that Worldstabilizer's gone?

Tried that, didn't work. Perhaps there are other mods I need to get rid of. https://mega.nz/file/6fxiXbCC#uMLHoc3mwi_CRjtTgDJ-4ZB_Fj8VuCTjX-5oaDLaOTE - new log

So, I guess I need to access the GameData folder and then get rid of the BDArmory folder? Is that right? I don't have much use for it anyway, and downloading it in the first place was a mistake. It's no loss if I have to get rid of it.

How's this - https://mega.nz/file/DPwwAArC#3f0gTHyG5LPHhuQXhwpIpKY6odIE9gnDYidsCuNpwkQ I renamed it to include my (KSP Forum) initials and the date

I updated to version 1.12.1 last night. When I tried to start the game soon after that, the game didn't load. At least 20 minutes later, the loading bar still didn't go up For reference, the screenshot below shows how low the loading bar was. Any idea what the problem is and how can I fix it? Thank you.

NOTHING. "⸚ kerman" was an alias used by a Sarnusian in an attempt to explore "the water planet that the distant radio transmissions called Kerbin." To not arouse suspicion, he disguised his spacecraft as a capsule returning from Eeloo. Johnwick Kerman will get mauled by his own dog.

Melbet Kerman's company was involved in a competition to design the most powerful noise-cancelling earphones in the world. Being a heavy spender, he purchased two LV-T30 "Reliant" engines and modified them to include sound equipment inside. One of the design requirements was that no bystanders could hear the music, so the rocket-engines-turned-oversized-earphones were heavily insulated on the outside. When construction was completed, Melbet set his kPod to play some soothing music and plugged it in to the prototypes. After his assistant turned it on, Melbet's face started to shake. The sound waves were penetrating his skull, causing heavy vibrations within. By the time the shutdown code was processed, it was too late. Melbet's head had exploded due to the immense vibrations coming from the sound waves. Rochelle Kerman will die from wearing a mask... in space.

I've been interested in Mars since I was a kid, and I was an aerospace engineering major in Virginia Tech when I started playing KSP. Anyone who knows me well who comes across this forum might figure out "Mars-Bound Hokie" is me.

Jebediachk Kerman, an agent of the Kerbal Revenue Service, was programming a computer chip to plant in the agency's latest (illegal) project, the Taxmanian Devil. When he was done putting the chip in the animal's brain, the taxmanian devil specimen tore Jebediachk's arms off before beating his skull to a bloody pulp with them. The supervising scientists had to use poisonous gas to subdue the creature before securing the lab. Anthony Kerman - Watneyvirus vaccine

Orange Kerman was texting, vlogging, and driving around the Kerbal Space Center in a golf cart. Unbeknownst to her - but she would have known if he had paid any attention to the runway - a cadet was lining up to do a nighttime cross-country flight in a starter plane. As the cadet was accelerating, his landing gear lights picked up Orange doing poses in front of her camera on the runway. The instructor, who had decided to stay in Mission Control due to being a whiny germaphobe, activated the remote override protocol and tried to avoid Orange - but it was too late. One of the plane's air intakes smashed Orange's head clean off. Orange's family sued the KSP for wrongful death, but the courts quickly ruled in favor of the KSP. Though the plaintiffs argued that the student pilot should have reacted sooner, the defendants argued that the young, inexperienced student simply panicked and did not expect "Some idiot with a death wish" to jump out in front of him. Additionally, the judge commented that "At her age, Orange should have known what texting and vlogging on an active runway could lead to. Had she simply paid attention, and maybe waited until after it was clear, she would still be alive." Spiff Kerman - being sus

I'm thinking about diving deeper into the ion engines of KSP. Not only can I understand them better for KSP fanworks, in which the engine math would be described in great detail, but I can apply these principles for real-life. As a KSP example, the given values of the IX-6315 "Dawn" engine are: Isp = 4200 s Thrust = 2 kN Which is way higher than the real-life ion engines I've been seeing. Values I can easily calculate are: Mass flow rate for xenon propellant (kg/s) Exhaust velocity (m/s) Beam power (watts) Wet-to-dry mass ratios for certain dV requirements For certain phases, some parts will be jettisoned (e.g. I'm not going to carry an Apollo-style landing craft back home if I've already used it). Using this engine as an example, how do I calculate the specific power (W/kg) for it? With that value, I can divide it by the input power to get the mass of the power supply system required. Example: an engine with an Isp=2000s and a Thrust = 0.2 N. A value of 100 W/kg was given for the specific power, but I have no idea how they got it. mass of power supply system = (Power required in W) / (specific power in W/kg) This might not matter so much in KSP, but it does for real-life calculations. Plus, as an aerospace engineering major, I want to better understand what goes into xenon-powered spacecraft. If someone could help me, that would be nice.

Challenge accepted. In fact, I managed to pull it off a year ago finishing a tourism contract. If you want more details, look up my forum posts about the Raven-Remembrance Saga - otherwise known as the Remembrance-Trainwreck Saga The forum post announcing the Eeloo landing, made February 2020 Poseidon SSTO on the landing approach Craft file - https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/Poseidon-Mk-IV-NO-MODS If you want more details on how I carried out this mission, I started with a Minmus landing to refuel after taking off. However, the details on what happened after that are a bit fuzzy. More specifically, I don't remember if I: Went straight to Eeloo after refueling on Minmus (most likely), or made a pit stop at Ike Blasted off back to Kerbin with or without an ore transport between Eeloo takeoff and the exit burn. Either way, I am certain on the outcome and the main gist: The Poseidon SSTO took off from Kerbin Said SSTO did not use gravity assists to reach Eeloo, then landed on the surface to refuel That SSTO flew back to Kerbin, landing on 0-9 KSC in one piece.

Well, in any case, I'll enter the Velocity Division. I'll use the same plane I used to kick off my "80 Minutes" challenge. I had to fly it again due to the 1.10 rule, and I originally flew December last year. "Bill's Car" right before takeoff Bill's in the cockpit. He doesn't need to worry about not being able to control the plane, for he has a probe core. Working on a cruising speed and altitude. Flying at 18,500 m altitude at 1,350 m/s When I tried 1400 m/s, I eventually blew up from overheating. Used MJ Autopilot for most of the flight. When the cockpit heat meter got too high, I had to cut the engine for a bit so that it could cool down while the plane glided. While it saved Bill's life, it cost me some precious time. So close to the runway. TIME: 53 minutes, 35 seconds So close to beating my previous time. Stupid aerodynamic update.

Were you, by any chance, inspired by my old "Around the World in 80 Minutes" challenge from last year?

You bet.

How hard can it be? Just think of a Random first name (doesn't even have to make sense), followed by "Kerman" For some reason, everyone's last name is Kerman Cause of death Like I said earlier, don't just use "Heart attack." We can do better than that. It can range from being realistic (e.g. plane crash) or just outright ridiculous (e.g. getting high on Duna dust)

I made a full stock replica of the jet Helen Parr (Elastigirl) used in The Incredibles. Watch the video at the end of this post to know what the plane was supposed to look like. Craft file: https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/India-Golf-Niner-Niner-IG99 As usual, Jeb is flying at supersonic speed with this thing. Good thing he doesn't have any kids (that we know of), and that the cabin is otherwise empty in case he screws up. India Golf Niner Niner (IG99) at the recommended cruising speed and altitude - and engine mode (supersonic) Much to my surprise, a perfect landing - and nobody tried to kill Jeb. Bill suspected that Jeb might kill HIMSELF after causing structural damage. The plane was noted to be a bit wobbly in the wings right at liftoff. SPH Picture Unfortunately, I was unable to make the Incredibles logo show up. Oh, well, you can never go wrong with the Stars and Stripes. Below is the chase scene with the plane in question. It took me a while to find a clear shot of it so I know what to make my plane look like.

Impressive, @katateochi. I wonder what kinds of cargo (satellite/s, crew transit vehicle, fuel tank) you can put in your launch vehicles. Indeed, they are. Below is a link to an imgur album showing one I made after its payload was deployed, along with the associated craft file. https://imgur.com/a/kUVEECj Full craft file: https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/Kirakens-Hand

My parents were promised flying cars in the future, so where are they? Well, move aside, Tesla Roadster, because I'm going to make good on that promise - on Minmus at least. BEHOLD, THE MINMUS FLYING CAR Craft file: https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/Minmus-Flying-Car Cost: 189,705 Docking-capable Vertical takeoff to gain enough altitude before firing the rockets to get into orbit. Has A LOT of science Including the new magnetometer (won't work on the surface) Use in spaceflight Has an action group for collecting all that data Picture of this car during a test run Download my craft file, send it to Minmus, and try it out for yourself. Be sure to have refueling craft/fuel tanks available for that car, though.

I used the "Set Orbit" cheat to position it in orbit over Minmus. Turns out, it extended the antenna BEFORE running data. This new magnetometer might only be good for orbital probes/vehicles, apparently. I guess this means I can't use magnetometer on the surface of any planet/moon, or through the atmosphere (at a low enough speed so it doesn't snap off, of course). Too bad there's no KSP Wiki page on this thing. THAT would have been helpful.

I updated to 1.10 less than a week ago, and I just noticed that there was a "Magnetometer Boom." added to the science parts list. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a picture. I had just installed it on my flying Minmus car prototype, and yet I have no idea how to use it. More specifically, I tried to use the "Run Magnetometer Report" action group - along with the other science data groups (they were for the same key - 3) - but nothing. I then extended the antenna, but it only gave the option to retract it (aside from Autostrut and same vessel interaction). Below are the action group options. What exactly is this thing used for, and how? If there's a problem with the game/version, then how do I fix it? I have Version 2917 installed, by the way.

In has been confirmed: the Mun Landing was faked, and the footage was actually taken on Dres.

Press F to pay respects to all those brave kerbalnauts who died in nine years of pure awesomeness.