Talverd

STS - 61-G, December 1st - December 8th, 1984 Walking It Back The Shifting Political Landscape : In a surprise to virtually no one, Wilson Kerman won in a complete landslide against incumbent Dortmund Kerman. The rabble-rousing Unionist from Alta Kalionia was projected to win by virtually every pundit since the race had begun due to his willingness to act tough on communism and take a hard stance against the Union of Socialist Federative Republics. In his victory speech, the president-elect made several comments directly relating to NASDA, touting the agency as the greatest spaceflight administration to exist on Earth. However, some parts of his speech made NASDA managers worried. "..Akermia's military strength cannot end on the ground, it cannot end on the sea, it cannot end in the air. We have to further extend our reach into space to protect ourselves from the Ruslavians and their evil empire,", the president elect stated. "We must not allow ourselves to fall behind and come the 20th, I will do all I can in my power to make sure we don't." This statement surely wouldn't reflect well on the agency in the eyes of the USFR, especially at a time where trust and mutual understanding was paramount. Administrator Harding made sure to downplay the comments at the next Skylab - Soyuz (The planned escape vehicle for Skylab) meeting, lest Interkosmos pull out of the deal. Moving on from the political climate and back to NASDA operations, STS-61-G is ready for launch. The orbiter "Freedom" is ready to spread her wings once again, carrying a diverse assortment of satellites and experiments. It is also the first flight to be apart of NASDA's new hitchhiker program. The hitchhiker program was formally known as the Shuttle Academic Experiment Packages or SAEP, a small program dedicated to flying university sponsored experiments on-board the shuttle. However, the criteria was extremely strict and didn't allow for many important universities to get their payloads to fly. After much protest from many academic sectors, NASDA higherups decided to loosen the requirements and allow hundreds of other colleges to get a chance at getting their projects flown in space. Freedom will also be delivering three international satellites into orbit. MSAT-1 and 2 and VeSat-1 from the United States of Mejeca and the Republic of Vesperia respectively. The only satellite to come purely from the US onboard is SXO-2, part of NASDA's Phoenix program. The launch date of this mission marks the last flights of Voyager and Intrepid for around 2 months, since they are being prepared for the up-coming Shuttle-Centaur project and require modification. Crew: Commander: Kim Kerman Pilot: Jimmy Kerman Mission Specialist: Eugene Kerman Mission Specialist: Sally Kerman Mission Specialist: Charlie Kerman Orbiter: OV-101 "Freedom" Crew of STS-61-G pose with the new Akermian flag design. "..As far as I know we are still GO. Coming up on t-minus 9 minutes." "Crew arm is now retracting. APU's to fire up shortly." "GOX arm is now retracting. Crew reporting everything feels good." "10, 9, 8, 7.." "We have.. we have main engine start...4, 3, 2, 1." "Booster ignition and lift-off the of the shuttle Freedom!" "Tower clear!" "Roll program, Houston!" "Roger roll, Freedom." "Beautiful separation.." OMS 1 (OMS 2 not photographed) Freedom plunges into the darkness, soon ready to begin operations. Doors opened. "Houston, Freedom." "Freedom, Houston, go ahead." "We are happy to say you are GO for deployment after the next 2 revs." "We copy your all. Hoping to get some good photos of the deployment." Another important event on 61-G is the first flight of the new Akermian flag in space. Due to the dissolution of the commonwealths and return to the state system after the 1984 election, the national flag of Akermia had to be changed. This design was chosen above others and features 37 stars. 32 in the circles for the contiguous 32, 4 for Akermia's non-contiguous state and a single star in the center for the federal government. The first satellite to be deployed will be MSAT-1 for Mejeca. MSAT-1 will act as Mejeca's first independent satellite communication system, breaking away from the North Akermian Satellite Chain. After two orbits, the sunshade is opened and MSAT-1 exposed. "She's away! I got a great photo of it, I think." "MSAT-1 is away. Everything appears nominal." Freedom drifts above the Earth, waiting for the next window to deploy MSAT-2. MSAT-2 is identical to MSAT-1 and very similar appearance wise to VeSat-1 as they are all built on Boltan 376 satellite busses. "Freedom, you are go for this next window coming up in about 2 hours." After a couple hours, MSAT-2 is prepared for deployment. "Setting it free in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.." "Separation of MSAT-2 confirmed." "I think I got it with the IMAX." In the meantime while the crew waits to deploy VeSat, Mission Specialists Charlie and Eugene operate the S.H.O.O.T experiment by Gagnon University. S.H.O.O.T, or Superfluid Helium On-orbit Transfer is a demonstration of the technology required to store and transfer liquid helium in space. Of all the hitchhiker containers on Freedom, it is the only one that requires astronaut input. Freedom is also flying an experiment for the Airforce, though the exact nature of it is not known by the crew. The best description they were given is "exposing certain elements to the vacuum of space." Next to the Radioactive Exposure Facility Experiment is the Altitude Sensor Package by Sandfort University. Behind that is the HUGAS cannisters, sponsored by the Hoover State University. They both contain a multitude of small experiments developed by students are the colleges! The Radioactive Exposure Facility Experiment is meant to see how some elements respond to radiation exposure in space. Freedom over the Nihon Islands. Nihon and their NASA are expected to soon approach NASDA for cooperation opportunities. Finally, after several hours and orbits it is time to deploy VeSat. VeSat is for Vesperia, a relatively new country on the world stage. It separated from Arcadia in 1963 due to significant cultural differences and their staunch views on language. VeSat-1 Soon, she will burn for GEO! VeSat arrives at GEO, long after it's deployment. MSAT-1 and 2 also make it to GEO. The deployment of SXO-2 comes next. It will be grappled by the arm, released and then recovered a few days later. Mission Specialist Sally Kerman takes control of the arm and maneuvers it towards SXO. "Capture!" "Release the clamp, Charlie." "Rog." ... "Charlie, what's up? Something wrong?" "I'm trying to release it but nothing is happening. See if you can get something from Houston." "Houston, This is Sally here and we're having issues getting SXO off the clamp and out of the bay. Charlie is flipping the release switch but nothing appears to be happening. Circuits show the signal is reaching the clamp but it just isn't releasing it." "..Roger that, Sally..uhh. We'll take a look at it and get back to you with a recovery procedure if possible." "Son of a b*tch! This thing just won't work!" Two orbits pass and finally, Houston has orders. "Freedom, this is Houston, we are no-go for the deployment of SXO. We are going to leave it there and take a look at it back on the ground when you get back. I repeat, no-go for deployment of SXO." "Can't we just EVA and inspect it up here?" "Sorry, that's a negative Kim. This payload is not worth the risk." "Damn." "Y'know, I was actually looking forward to that." SXO is released and the arm is stowed. The Airforce payload deploys it's materials rack. The next few days are spent quietly drifting above the Earth, performing other various experiments onboard the middeck and monitoring the ones in the payload bay. As the mission draws to a close, final preparations are made for landing. Touchdown! Wheel stop, welcome home Freedom!

STS - 61-E, September 20th - September 30th, 1984 For Sale Recovery: STS-61-E is the Space Shuttle program's most ambitious mission yet, setting out to deploy two commsats and then moving onto recover two more for return to Earth. Voyager will deliver WCom 15 and Huwako 9 (KSA) to orbit. After this mission goal is met, Voyager will then rendezvous with Huwako 5 for recovery and then move onto AZIC-9. These two satellites will be refurbished and reflown on later missions, though they will not be launched aboard the space shuttle. The MMU will see extensive use on this flight, being instrumental to assisting the recovery of the two satellites. Crew: Commander: Neil Kerman Pilot: Deke Kerman Mission Specialist: Huey Kerman Mission Specialist: Mike Kerman Mission Specialist: John Kerman Orbiter: OV-104 "Voyager" "..All systems look green. Coming up on GOX arm retract here shortly, t-minus 3 minutes and 58 seconds..." "GOX arm now moving back.." "T-minus 15, 14, 13, 12, 10...Excess hydrogen burn off systems online.." "T-minus 8, 7, go for main engine start.." "We have main engine start.." "Liftoff! Liftoff of the 26th space shuttle mission." "Coming up on SRB separation." After recovery, excessive burn through on the O-Rings of the SRBs was noted. This event nearly lead to the total loss of vehicle and crew. OMS-1 OMS-2 "Voyagers payload bay doors now open, proceeding with primary mission objectives." First objective is the deployment of Huwako 8, a commsat for the KSA built by Western Communications. "Spin-up started, deployment proceeding nominally, Houston..." "We've got nominal deployment." Huwako 8 burning it's apogee kick motor. "Everything with Huwako 8 went smoothly. WCom 12 deployment is still on-schedule for deployment in the coming days." "Alright Houston, we're still go for deployment of WCom. How are things looking down there?" "We read you Neil and we don't have any issues on our side. Go for deployment of WCom." "Rog." "Make sure you get it on the IMAX, Huey!" "I got it." WCom 12 deployment. WCom at GEO. "Voyager - Houston, we're good to move onto recovering AZIC and Huwako. Plugging in the burn now." "Houston, we have visual of Huwako. She looks good." "Huey and Deke in the airlock now, should be stepping out any second now." Deke making his way to the MMU with the TPAD attachment. Huey will standby waiting in the secondary MMU for potential rescue operations. "Alright, I'm moving outside the bay. I have a good vis. on Huwako. Making my way out there now." "Uh Houston.." "Go ahead." "I'm seeing a problem here..." "And that would be, Deke?" "Huwako is spinning, faster than expected." "...." "Is it manageable?" "I think I can get it. I'll try to match it's spin." "Alright, here we go.." "Houston, we have a satellite!" "Good going, Deke! We'll see you back here soon!" "Good show." Huey now moves to assist Deke, installing a grapple fixture to the front of Huwako. There was an issue with the grapples in the orbiters payload bay. I had to relaunch so thats why the pallets look a bit different. AZIC-9 rendezvous burn. Similar setup to before instead Huey will be the one recovering the satellite instead of Deke. Huey leaving the orbiter's bay. "Alright Huey, let's wrap this up and get on inside. I'm getting hungry." Recovered satellites photographed by Mission Specialist John Time to return to Earth Welcome back, Voyager, Huwako and AZIC!

STS - 61-D, August 18th - August 29th, 1984 Power Tower Skylab 11: Expanding Skylab's power output has always been a priority of NASDA. Ever since it's near-disastrous launch in '73 the station has been operating minus one solar panel, a configuration that has severely hampered any plans for future expansion. The solution for this roadblock is the "Power Tower," a large module chock-full of batteries and topped with two massive solar panels. The added power generation will make it possible for the addition of more scientific modules, meeting NASDA's original goals for Skylab expansion. In order to actually assemble the tower, MMUs will be used due to the awkward location of its attachment point on top of the SDA. While this has been called risky by some, the Arcarm simply does not have the range to safely extract the tower and berth it. Crew: Commander: Gus Kerman Pilot: Trabas Kerman Mission Specialist: Conrad Kerman Mission Specialist: Walter Kerman Mission Specialist: Colby Kerman Mission Specialist: Layne Kerman Orbiter: OV-103 "Intrepid" "Liftoff of Space Shuttle Intrepid! Expanding Skylab and our horizons." "Houston - Intrepid, roll program." "Intrepid - Houston, nominal SRB separation. You're looking good and are right on the money." "Roger Houston." OMS -2 & Skylab rendezvous burn (OMS - 1 not photographed) Intrepid returns to Skylab once again Shortly after arrival the EVA team suits up and begins preparations for the EVA. This will be the first 3 Kerbal EVA on the Space Shuttle Program. First up is Walter Kerman who climbs into one of the MMUs with a docking probe. Layne Kerman follows after, hopping into the backup MMU. He quickly detaches from the payload bay and begins his way up to the two ATM panels. After some finicking, the two ATM panels are successfully stowed. Layne returns to the payload bay. Meanwhile, Colby is heading to dock with the power tower for extraction. Successfully extracted. Walter will dock with the other side and the pair will begin moving it up towards the SDA. Darkness soon falls on them but the pair decide to push on after briefly arguing with mission control. After a few orbits, Layne oversees the solar arrays extension. (Unfortunately I don't have an image of successfully berthing the power tower due to computer issues.) Successful rollout of both solar arrays, Skylab is now ready for expansion! Photo of Mission Specialist Gus Kerman, taken by Colby Kerman. The crew spend the next several days getting the kinks of the system and cataloging items in the on-going long duration exposure experiment. A second EVA is planned to leave a micrometeorite detector on top of the ATM. Walter Kerman to emerge from Skylab's airlock shortly. Walter would have to abort this EVA before being able to visually inspect the station for damage due to expected loss of suit pressure below his waist. No further EVAs were to be conducted until a reason could be determined on the ground. Finally, it's time for Interpid and her crew to return to Earth. Undocked. STS-61-D concluded, welcome home Intrepid!

Hey all, my KSP is bugging out whenever I try to land the shuttle. If I cant fix it, Im going to upload a half post tonight and the rest tomorrow when I fix the issue.

I am back. Mission post will be up tonight.

Hey all, bit of an update here. I'm taking a vacation from CD until the 18th, STS-61-D should be up then. In the mean time, have a tidbit of lore about the upcoming Akermian flag change. Wall of text so I'll spoiler it

STS - 61-C, July 4th - July 11th, 1984Military Business DCSC-II: In order to further fulfill NASDA's obligations to the Department of War, STS-61-C will launch a pair of classified USAF/DOW communication satellites. The pair are a part of the Defense Communication Satellite Constellation - II, otherwise known as DCSC-II. This family of commsats seeks to improve Akermian military communication across the globe and are very advanced, lending to their classified nature. As this is a military mission, it again necessitates the presence of two USAF payload specialists. This flight also marks the last space flight of Munbro Kerman, a veteran of the Minerva, Athena and Shuttle programs. His contributions to each program undeniable, the agency wishes him a bright future in retirement. The debate about a potential dedicated USAF orbiter has seen increased interest lately, especially around the launch of STS-61-C. Even some in NASDA are supporting the Air Force's bid to acquire a shuttle, viewing it as the preferable option to the USAF using the more civilian orientated orbiters for military purposes. While president Dortmund has stated he has no intention of allowing the USAF to fly an independent shuttle, it may not matter. 1984 is an election year and with election day fast approaching, it's looking to be a blowout for conservative-militarist challenger Wilson Kerman. Wilson has stated his support for the military calling for more funds to be allocated for the expansion of each branch. While he has not explicitly said anything about the orbiter, it is believed this will be included in the Air Force's budget expansion if he were to win. Crew: Commander: Stevens Kerman Pilot: Poole Kerman Mission Specialist: Munbro Kerman USAF Payload Specialist: Cooper Kerman USAF Payload Specialist: Carter Kerman Orbiter: OV-101 "Freedom" Freedom - Ready for launch! "Roll program!" OMS-1 OMS-2 Freedom on-orbit. Crew will wait an orbit before opening up the payload bay. One orbit later, doors are opened. 2 orbits pass before the satellite train is deployed. "Freedom, go for tilt-table rotation." "Roger Houston, go for tilt-table rotation." "Houston, there's an issue here.. uh.. we've got no movement from the tilt-table, doesn't appear to be responding to inputs." "...Roger. Give us a moment, we'll get back to you." "Freedom - Houston, we're getting strange readings from the left actuator motor in the ASE... We can't do anything down here about it but flight says EVA-1 could be moved up to tomorrow for inspection and possible repairs." "Rog." As time drags on, USAF Payload Spec. Carter & Cooper don their suits and prepare for EVA. Cooper Kerman expected to emerge shortly. Cooper steps out into the vacuum of space. Cooper makes his way to the faulty ASE. Cooper is joined by Carter The pair photographed by MS Munbro The two spend the next several orbits working on fixing the issue. Even working throughout the dark. Carter Kerman taking a short break to inspect the satellites. Cooper heading back to retrieve a tool left in the airlock. The pair were able to find the issue and are working on fixing it. A small hydraulic line had come loose and was leaking. Due to the location of the leak, it is luckily able to be fixed on-orbit. Carter saying hi to Poole. Eventually, after hours of strenuous work the issue is fixed and the IUS is able to be rotated. The pair return inside and the IUS is prepared for departure. "All right, second times a charm.." "Alright Houston, nominal rotation to 51.1 degrees. Lookin' good to cut it loose." "Good sep." The pair of DCSC-II satellites and their IUS. IUS ignition DCSC-II Satellite Freedom's mission is now complete. It will spend the next several days in orbit before returning home. Time to go home. Freedom in the HAC. An overzealous astronaut gives Freedom a low pass as the orbiter touches down. Freedom returns home after successfully deploying its payload, despite the issues faced in space.

STS - 61-B, June 10th - June 17th, 1984 Expanding The Array GRCA - 2: As the shuttle program pushes forward, its needs expand. Flying a profile that will become more common in the coming years, STS-61-B will deliver another portion of the Geostationary Relay & Communications Array into orbit. This array is meant to provide constant non-interruptible communications to all future crewed flights. It's existence is instrumental to virtually all of NASDAs long term goals, such as returning to the Moon and traveling beyond. intrepid will carry another satellite alongside GRCA-2, the Shuttle X-ray Astronomy Satellite. It was constructed by the SXO company as part of NASDA's PHOENIX program. Future missions will carry similar satellites, though they will be flown in various different configurations. In other news, a final decision was made on the upcoming CEV of Skylab. The Space Exploration Advisory Council overruled President Dortmund, pushing for the block order of several Unity spacecrafts from the USFR. Like stated before, there are hopes this decision will help de-escalate current international tensions and open up more opportunities for joint cooperation between the two superpowers. Extensive modifications will have to be made to allow the vehicle to properly fit inside the orbiters payload bay but these changes are already well documented and NASDA is confident they can have it done by late 1984 to early 1985. Crew: Commander: Deke Kerman Pilot: Sally Kerman Mission Specialist: Mike Kerman Mission Specialist: Eugene Kerman Mission Specialist: Bruce Kerman Mission Specialist: Charlie Kerman "We have liftoff of Shuttle Intrepid." "Lookin' good on the roll, Houston!" STS-61-B also has the honor of having the first live broadcast during launch. This practice was extremely well received by the public and as such this would become a normal occurrence on future shuttle missions. "Intrepid - Houston, you are negative TAL. Abort mode ATO. "External tank is loose, preparing for OMS-1." OMS-1 OMS-2 Intrepid is now in orbit. After an orbit, the payload bay is opened. GRCA-2 & SXAS Several orbits pass due to technical difficulties with the Inertial Upper Stages' tilt-table, though the crew is able to resolve the problem. GRCA-2 is ready for deployment! "Houston, we've cut the uh, satellite lose.. It's drifting away, everything looks good." The crew of Intrepid waves goodbye to the departing satellite. Cutting through the dark. Next up - the deployment of SXAS. SXAS is released, lookin' good! SXAS fully deployed. It's cold up here. GRCA's IUS ignites it's first motor, burning for GEO. GRCA-2 fully deployed. Systems checks show it is fully functioning. Now, time for Intrepid to come home. The orbiter was origianlly intended to land at Edwards but the weather forced ground control to go for a Kennedy landing. Another one for the books, Intrepid returns once again.

Okay I am back, had to get surgery to fix my broken ankle as I took a tumble down my stairs. I will try to get STS-61B out tomorrow, thanks for your patience.

Hi all! I'm feeling a lot better and actually feel like doing KSP stuff again. I also have a lot more free time now so I'm going to try to churn out at least three of this a week! In the meantime, have a little teaser for the future.

STS-61-A, February 9th - February 16th, 1984 Satellite Fixin' Solar Activity Observer: Launched in mid-1979, the Solar Activity Observer was intended to investigate Solar phenomena. Unfortunately, shortly into its mission, its attitude control system failed due to an electrical fault. This lead to the satellite being unable to perform virtually all of its scientific ventures due to it no longer being able to maintain its orientation to the Sun. In order to save it and prepare it for a potential future rescue mission, it was put into standby mode in early 1980. This extremely long time spent in standby mode has rendered several scientific experiments and instruments in-operable. STS-61-A will be SAO's saving grace. The mission will carry an entire replacement for the satellites failed avionics and control systems as well as replacements for the malfunctioning instruments. It's expected that this servicing mission will add nearly 6 additional years to the mission. Crew: Commander: Huey Kerman Pilot: Reed Kerman Mission Specialist: MacArthur Kerman Mission Specialist: Murray Kerman Mission Specialist: Merriman Kerman Orbiter: OV-104 "Voyager" Voyager on the pad. Liftoff! "Coming up on SRB burnout and separation.." "Ground indicates we have nominal SRB separation, Voyager continuing to burn for orbit." "External tank now being jettisoned. Voyager will ride its 2 smaller OMS engines into orbit." OMS - 1 (OMS-2 not photographed) Voyager on-orbit Voyager's payload bay has a layout similar to STS-9, with the addition of two MMUs. Rendezvous burn. Coasting. Crew gets its first look at the SAO from about 400-500m away. Voyager begins station keeping at 150m. MacAthur & Merriam don their EVA suits and head to the airlock. After sometime, MacArthur emerges and makes his way to the MMU 01. MMU 01 is fitted with a capture device similar to the one used on STS-51-A, though much improved. MacArthur in the MMU. He is joined by Merriam who takes his place in MMU 02. He will rescue MacArthur if his MMU is to fail. MacArthur's MMU is cut loose and he begins checking his systems. Everything appears nominal and he is given the go-ahead to begin the capture procedure. Departing Voyager "Houston, I'm approaching the satellite, about 50m out." "I am now station-keeping with the satellite. I'm gonna start moving closer here in a moment." "MacArthur, you are clear to move forward with capture." "Roger Houston, uh - Gonna go ahead and get on with it." "So close.." "Houston, we have a satellite." "We copy Mac, go ahead and make sure you can move properly with it." "Uhh, everything looks good on my end. I can't see infront of me but at least I can turn my head." Returning to safety. "We have capture inside the payload bay! How 'bout that, Houston?" MacArthur backs his MMU up and stows it. The next phase of the mission is the repair work which will be carried out in 4 EVAs over 5 days. Merriam approaching SAO on EVA-2. Merriam & Murray working with various systems on EVA-3. Merriam in the payload bay after wrapping up final checks on EVA-4. Photo by Cdr. Huey. The next few hours are spent running one last series of diagnostic checks and preparing for redeployment. Everything looks good in the end and SAO is redeployed. Time to go home! Welcome back to the KSC, Voyager!

61-A will be up tomorrow, having massive issues with KSP again

STS-51-G, November 2nd - November 10th, 1983 Moving Forward Strengthening Bonds: Following in the footsteps of STS-8, STS-51-G will be carrying two more Huwako series probes into orbit for the Kalionian Republic. Huwako 3 & 4 will join Huwako 1 & 2 in geostationary orbit, providing more communication links for the fledging Kalionian Space Agency. Freedom will also be carrying the first "Shuttle Pallet Satellite," a scientific probe bus built around the frame of a shuttle payload bay truss. It will be deployed and left in orbit for approximately 2 years and will be recovered by a future mission. After its recovery, it will fly into space again and the process will be repeated. STS-51-G will also carry the first astronaut from the United Isles into orbit, Julry Kerman. STS-51-G was originally a routine Skylab mission, though this was scrubbed and the payload re-manifested due to to issues with the Skylab docking adapter and the move-up of the second ones launch. This flight now carries the original payload of STS-51-E. Crew: Commander: Lisdas Kerman Pilot: Neil Kerman Mission Specialist: Barry Kerman Mission Specialist: Langer Kerman Mission Specialist: Hancal Kerman Mission Specialist: Julry Kerman (VSFA) Orbiter: OV-101 "Freedom" Smile! "We're showing green across the board..uh - Freedom is still GO at t-minus 15..." "Confirmation that the excess hydrogen turnoff systems have activated... t-minus 7-" "We show main engine start..." "Freedom is up, uh, proceeding nominally. Expecting roll-maneuver shortly.." "Freedom - negative return." "We're coming up on..(garbled) separation." "Freedom - Houston, we're showing good SRB separation. No anomalies." "Houston - Freedom, uh, roger. Getting a bit shaky up here." "Freedom is now separated from it's external tank and should be proceeding with OMS -1... standby one." "Houston, this is Freedom, nominal OMS-1 burn and coasting to OMS-2." "Roger Freedom, have some fun up there!" OMS - 2 Crew wait one orbit before opening the doors. Freedom's payload bay is opened. The crew now begin on-orbit activities. First up, deployment of Huwako - 3. After a day in orbit, the spin-up mechanism meant to spin-stabilize the satellite after deployment is activated. Huwako - 3 sailing away from Freedom Next up is Huwako - 4, though this will come later. Freedom plunges into darkness once again. After another few orbits, the sunshade covering Huwako - 4 is opened. Huwako - 4 is then spun-up and deployed. Deployment proceeded nominally but was not visually documented due to issues with the IMAX camera onboard. (KSP died.) Moving onto the SPS, some systems onboard are showing minor issues and need to be fixed. This necessitates an EVA by Hancal and Julry Kerman. Hancal Kerman steps out and ventures over towards the malfunctioning satellite. Julry makes her way outside too. Hancal tries to chase down a dropped tool. The crew spend the next two and a half hours trouble-shooting the faulty systems. Hancal Kerman with the SPS. Finally, just after the 4 hour mark, everything appears green. The pair pack up their gear and return to the airlock, ready for a rest. After double-checking everything and re-affirming that everything is functioning properly, the SPS is prepared for deployment. Mission specialist Barry Kerman takes control of Freedom's Arcarm and begins the process. "Neil, does that look affixed to you..? It isn't lined up properly but it's showing a good connection." "I believe we may be fine, if sensors are showing a good connection it's gotta be right. Cut 'er loose. The satellite is removed from the orbiters cargo bay. Photo of the SPS, taken by Mission Specialist Langer Kerman. "Beautiful view! Goodjob Barry!" After successfully repositioning the SPS, it is detached and begins to float away from Freedom. The Shuttle Pallet Satellite Free-flying. Photo from Cdr. Lisdas With all primary mission goals achieved, it is time for Freedom to return home. Shutting the payload bay doors and beginning descent checklist. De-orbit burn. "Well, Freedom, it looks like you're well on your way now! Hopefully see you down in approx. 28 minutes." Munbro & Jeb Kerman seeing Freedom down in their T-38, gear down to match the relatively low speed of the orbiter. Footage from the chase plane. (Thank you @Kolbie5874!) "Touch! Okay we got nose coming down at 10 ft. 9ft. 8ft. Holding at 8ft. 6ft. 4ft. 2ft.-" "Nose down." Freedom ends another extremely successful mission, pushing the envelope and expanding Akermia's horizons. Post-Mission Briefing: First of all, I apologize for the week delay. For starters, I took a short break to focus on other stuff, then it turned into more than a few days, and then I got COVID which pretty much killed my motivation to do... really anything. I am still sick and feel awful, but I am glad I was able to get this one out to you. I also would like to use this to discuss the future of Chasing Dreams; In order to speed up the process of getting to the super fun missions, a few missions might get skipped over if I deem them too... boring? I guess? A majority of them would be simple satellite deployments similar to this one, as long as they aren't unique enough. You would not believe how many barrel-sats the early shuttle program launched IRL, and that's something I am fine with skipping over. For skipped missions, I will include a brief description of what they were, what orbiter flew, and the payload they delivered as to avoid confusion and maintain continuity. Catch you on the flippity-flip, as a regional manager of a mid-range Pennsylvanian paper-supply company would say.

SRB plumes are from lemon cup, they're buried somewhere on the shuttle adventures thread I'll see if I can grab a link in a bit. Truthful was correct with the SSME plumes. As for the tilt-table, it's a kitbash of near future exploration stuff.

I got COVID guys :^( I'll try to get STS-51-G up soon, just dealing with this whole sickness thing. Coughing like hell, tired, the works. EDIT: Scratch that, can barely keep my eyes open.

Awesome to win, congratulations to the other winners!

I love this so much!

STS-51-F, August 15th - August 25th, 1983 Work To Be Done Spacelab 2: First flown on STS-10, Spacelab's debut was more so a test-flight than an actual operational science mission. There were several experiments onboard, but nothing of major value. Spacelab 2 is different, it is fully loaded with science equipment and experiments and will act as the orbiting laboratory Skylab and the planned future space station hope to be. However, back on the ground, Spacelab has received various amounts of criticism usually boiling down to "Why Spacelab if we have Skylab?" The answer to this simple: Skylab simply isn't ready to receive large scale science projects and won't be until at least late 1984. Anything larger than the currently on-going long duration microgravity exposure experiment will have to wait. This flight will be the last of Pathfinder for some time, as it will be undergoing scheduled maintenance and receiving various system improvements and other upgrades. This is expected to last until mid 1985, though with the expansive tear-down required it could stretch on for even longer. Crew: Commander: Nick Kerman Pilot: Raald Kerman Mission Specialist: Wilwin Kerman Mission Specialist: Dave Kerman Mission Specialist: Ally Kerman Mission Specialist: Jedcan Kerman Mission Specialist: Herwin Kerman Orbiter: OV-102 "Pathfinder" "10, 9, 8, 7, 6 - Go for engine start..." 'We have confirmation all three engines are running - 3, 2, 1.." "Solid rocket motors burning, Pathfinder lifts off the pad." "Roll program." OMS 1 & 2. Spacelab 2's vacuum-exposed scientific pallet. The crew spend the next 9 days in orbit conducting experiments in various fields, from measuring how dust storms effect the climate in certain regions to studying the Earth's ionosphere. Photo of an aurora by Cdr. Nick Kerman. Photo from Pathfinder's flight-deck by Pilot Raald. Everything is going as planned and the crew are having no issues. Mission Specialist Jedcan takes a photo of himself, the aft flight-deck and Spacelab. Photo of Pathfinder taken on-orbit by ████████ Finally, it's time to come home. De-orbit burn. Spinning around. Into darkness. Touch! STS-51-F comes to a very successful conclusion. Well done Pathfinder! The Sun rises on Pathfinder and her crew - welcoming them back to Earth. Post-Mission Briefing: Thank you for voting me Mission Reports TOTM!!! It really means a lot since I'm putting a lot of effort into these missions! In other news, I'm going to try to get 51-G out today but it might slip to tomorrow due to me being kind of busy, we'll see!

51F and 51G will be out sometime today, busy doing some other stuff rn.

STS-51-E, June 13th - June 20th, 1983 Replacing The Replacement Skylab 9: Since it's delivery to Skylab, the shuttle docking adapter has had its fair share of issues. When the crew of STS-5 first tried to access it, there were issues pressurizing the vestibule between the shuttle and Skylab. It wasn't extremely serious and was eventually able to be fixed but there was minor concern this could repeat on future missions. On STS-7, it did. The crew once again had issues in pressurizing the transfer area and were forced to delay their entry into the station by over 2 hours. It also appeared there was a short somewhere inside the modules internals causing the lights to flicker occasionally, as reported by STS-51-A. After continually giving astronauts trouble, NASDA had heard enough. The decision was made to send up the secondary docking module early to take it's place. While this was going to happen anyway, it was significantly earlier than planned. The current docking adapter will be moved to the ventral port on Skylab's MDA remotely, freeing up the forward port for docking. This move means the top port which was intended for the upcoming power tower will become inaccessible, though this isn't much of a concern considering the secondary adapter has virtually the same thing. Originally tasked with deploying two weather monitoring satellites STS-51-E's payload has been altered and re-manifested to include the new docking adapter, bumping the deployment of the satellites to STS-51-G. Crew: Commander: Jeb Kerman Pilot: Bill Kerman Mission Specialist: Bob Kerman Mission Specialist: Hanmin Kerman Payload Specialist: Barry Kerman Orbiter: OV-103 "Intrepid" Intrepid "We are go at t-minus 15, 14, 13.." "...10, 9, 8, 7... go for engine ignition." "All engines burning! T-minus 4, 3, 2, 1.." "We have a liftoff at 14:34 eastern standard time.." "Intrepid now rolling onto the proper alignment." "We got a roll program." "Intrepid - you are go at throttle up." "Roger go at throttle up." "External tank cut loose, Intrepid now moving away to begin OMS-1 burn." OMS-2 and Skylab rendezvous burn. Payload specialist Barry Kerman will now use the arm to berth the adapter to Intrepid's docking system. Rotating to align the two ports. "Houston - Intrepid, we we have capture." Onwards to Skylab! Visual of the Station acquired. Commander Jeb moving the shuttle closer. "Houston - Intrepid, we have a docking. Whew." "We copy your docking.... welcome to the station, enjoy yourselves." Everything proceeds without a hitch; the module and vestibule is pressurized, the lights seem to be fine and the crew are able to access the main portion of the workshop. The first Shuttle - Skylab adapter, now docked to the port meant for possible rescue missions during the Athena days. It will serve as a temporary docking adapter for whichever crew escape vehicle is chosen until it's eventual disposal. It will be replaced by an airlock meant to reduce the danger of using the one embedded in Skylab. As the days drag on, the crew records observations of the materials and substances left behind on the station by Skylab 8. A few samples like seed bags are taken and stored in Intrepid. The crew also attempts to locate what is causing the electrical fault in the old docking adapter, though their efforts are unsuccessful. The Sun sets on Skylab and Intrepid. On mission day 6, the crew are gathering their things and returning to Intrepid. Before they leave, Intrepid's RCS systems are used to boost Skylab. The crew say goodbye to their temporary home, ready to return to their real homes. Photo of Skylab taken by mission specialist Hanmin. De-orbit and re-entry will be mostly in the dark. Burning for Edwards. Scorching heat. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any screenshots of approach and landing due to some "technical difficulties." (My KSP died while they were in atmosphere and deleted the craft so I had to cheat the landing." Main gear touchdown. Wheel stop - STS-51-E is concluded.

Thanks! I'll see if I can break up the repetitiveness of the screenshots these next few missions.

STS - 51-D, April 24th - May 2nd, 1983 Voyager Rads & Radar: STS-51-D marks the maiden flight of yet another orbiter, OV-104 "Voyager." It get its name from the first Akermian ship to fully circumnavigate the globe. Voyager will be carrying two very unique payloads, a radar imaging fixture named Shuttle Radar Imaging System (SRIS) and the Earth Radiological Observer. The Earth Radiological Observer, as the name suggests, is a satellite meant for measuring the amount of radiation around the Earth and documenting any fluxes. It will be recovered by a later flight and returned to Earth. SRIS, on the other hand, will be used to study various geomorphic features such as fault lines, folds, outcrops and dunes. It will also be used for minor oceanography purposes. STS-51-D will land at the Kennedy Space Center. Crew: Commander: Hendan Kerman Pilot: Wehrely Kerman Mission Specialist: Valsen Kerman Mission Specialist: Madrigh Kerman -Payload Specialist: Gusgun Kerman Payload Specialist: Diemy Kerman Orbiter: OV-104 "Voyager" Voyager is GO for launch! "We have a liftoff! 24 minutes past the hour, Voyager spreads its wings and begins its endeavor into space!" Go Voyager! "Going for roll program." Voyager from CCNS ground tracking cameras. (Thank you Kolbie5874 for the edit!) Coming up on SRB separation. OMS -1 & 2 Voyager is in orbit and ready to begin its primary mission. Crew will wait 2 orbits before beginning deployment of ERS. Cruising through the darkness. Emerging into the light. The Earth Radiological Observer being prepared for deployment. She's cut loose! ERS fully deployed. Next up is SRIS. It will need to be rotated into position by payload specialist Gusgun. SRIS fully deployed and ready to begin scanning. A ship like no other. After several days and thousands of images, SRIS is ready to be refolded and stowed. Down and locked, ready to go home! Closing up Voyager. Getting orientated. De-orbit burn. Feeling the Sun's warmth. Feeling the heat. Gliding in. Voyager complete it's first flight flawlessly, proving she is ready to join the ranks.

WOOOOOO, super excited for this!

STS - 51-C, March 25th - March 31st, 1983Top Secret A Brewing Storm: The Kennedy Space Center is once again bustling with activity ahead of the launch of Freedom. STS-51-C is yet another controversial within NASDA, but the countdown clock still ticks on. This mission will deliver a highly-classified Department of War "Checkmate" spy satellite into orbit. It will then be boosted by it's Inertial Upper Stage to geostationary orbit. The classified nature of the mission and the knowledge required to safely operate and deploy the satellite necessitates the two Kerbals assigned as payload specialists be of significant rank in the military. This mission will land at the Kennedy Space Center. The future of DOW and USAF payloads onboard the shuttle is starting to come into question. There have been high-level talks in the Airforce pondering the possibility of ordering an orbiter of their own. This is a rather large development as it would mean the Airforce would have direct access to space without having to crack deals with NASDA. It would also mean DOW and USAF payloads could be flown by this orbiter instead. As this would be Airforce venture, NASDA would have no say or jurisdiction over what missions the shuttle would fly or what payloads it would deliver. A fine line lies ahead for the Akermian space program, one that must be walked extraordinarily carefully. Crew: Commander: Dillian Kerman Pilot: Sherry Kerman Mission Specialist: Madvis Kerman DOW Payload Specialist: Scott Kerman DOW Payload Specialist: Matson Kerman Orbiter: OV-101 "Freedom" Left to right, front to back: Dillian Kerman, Sherry Kerman, Madvis Kerman, Scott Kerman, Matson Kerman "We have boosters lit, Freedom now moving off the pad." "Freedom now rolling onto the proper alignment." "Freedom - you are negative return." "Roger negative return." OMS - 1 Checkmate 1 will be deployed on the third orbit. Freedom and Checkmate 1 The abnormally large reflector array seen on top of Checkmate was cause for concern for some. There was worry that it would not be able to stay structurally sound during the IUS burn and that it would break away. These concerns were dismissed by upper management in the Department of War as they were fully confident in the engineering of the satellite. Preparing to begin release. All set for deployment. Checkmate 1 deployed. Drifting away from Freedom. Checkmate 1 fully deployed. The primary mission goal is achieved. The crew spend the next few days working on secondary objectives. During this flight, minor issues with the fuel cells cropped up once again. They were not operating at peak efficiency. While this wasn't entirely mission threatening as the flight is short, it prompts NASDA to begin inspecting the other orbiters fuel cells. This causes minor delays in the flight scheduling. Adrift above the Earth. After several days, it's time to return home. A photo of Freedom in the HAC (Heading Alignment Cone) taken from the ground. "Touch, main gear coming down at 10, 9.." "Houston - We are down and stopped. Good to be back." "Uh, we copy you down. We'll meet you on page 20, welcome back.

STS - 51-B, March 1st - March 6th, 1983 Becoming Routine Solar Power & Satellites: STS-51-B certainly has a crammed payload bay, as it will be carrying 2 more Omni series satellites into space as well as several experiments and even a prototype solar array. The solar array in question is an experimental design meant for use on the future "Permanent Orbiting Space Station." STS-51-B will test it to see how it handles in space and future variants of this array will also be tested on Skylab's in-development power tower. In the rear of the payload bay is several experiments meant to be run in the vacuum of space. These will be operated by a two person EVA on the third day of flight. In addition to all of this, there are also two MMU's onboard. STS-51-B will not be landing at Kennedy and will instead land at Edwards. Crew: Commander: Valentina Kerman Pilot: Obbro Kerman Mission Specialist: Samcal Kerman Mission Specialist: Ragun Kerman Mission Specialist: Seanlong Kerman Mission Specialist: Ercan Kerman Orbiter: OV-103 "Intrepid" Left To Right: Valentina Kerman, Odbro Kerman, Samcal Kerman, Ragun Kerman, Seanlong Kerman, Ercan Kerman. "Liftoff of Intrepid on it's 6th mission to space!" Intrepid OMS - 1 (OMS - 2 not photographed) Ready to begin on-orbit activities. First up - the deployment of the two comm-sats. Spin-up of Omnisat 7. Deployment. Omnisat 8 Deployment. First objectives completed, next up is the solar array roll-out. Successful deployment! Everything looks green. Certainly an odd sight, but one that could become common place in the future. There have been several proposals to replace the orbiters fuel cells with roll-out solar panels in the past and certainly more will be made in the future. This would require virtually an entire overhaul of the orbiter and ungodly amounts of money, though. Maybe someday. Photo from Cdr. Valentina The two Kerbals who will be conducting the upcoming EVA are Samcal & Ragun. Preparing to exit the orbiter. Samcal is out. Ragun joins her shortly. This marks the first all-female EVA. Shortly after exiting, Ragun is instructed to strap into the MMU and inspect the solar array for any damage. "Houston, everything seems fine here. There are some scratches but I don't think this was caused by orbital debris. Coming back down now." Ragun stows the MMU. After nearly 5 and a half hours outside, both Kerbals return to Intrepid. Preparations are being made to stow the solar array. It has been stowed. Ready to go home! Touchdown! Another one for the books. This marks the second to last flight before the maiden flight of OV-104 "Voyager."