Pipcard

Phase 3 - 08 1981-02-14 - After the retirement of the original three "Rocket Women," Saki-02 launched with the first of a new generation of Hatsunese astronauts: Hitomi Kuriyama, Haruyoshi Yasukawa, and Tomohiro Sasaki. The latter two were the first male astronauts in Hatsunia. They also spent 24 hours in orbit before returning east of Negishima. 1981-05-28 - Watarimono-2 passed by Jupiter on its way to Uranus and Neptune, which would be reached in 1986 and 1989, respectively. It arrived in its massive sphere of influence on 1981-04-11. It could take pictures of Jupiter and its moons in greater detail compared to its predecessor, such as the swirling storm clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the thin ring surrounding the planet. However, the trajectory and closest approach had to be farther away, passing as close as the orbit of Europa. Continuing observations made by Voyager 1 and 2 two years earlier, it saw the battered surface of Callisto, the grooved terrain Ganymede, the streaked icy surface of Europa, and volcanic activity on Io from far away. 1981-05-30 - At around the same time as its successor's flyby of Jupiter, Watarimono flew by Saturn, having arrived in the sphere of influence on 1981-03-20. It observed Saturn, its prominent ring system of small particles, and its magnetic field, but was only able to do so with a resolution similar to the Pioneer 11 probe which reached Saturn two years ago. It also zoomed by the moon of Mimas for a few seconds. However, it was not able to see its most famous feature (discovered a year earlier by Voyager 1), Herschel Crater, from up close as it was on the night side. Saturn would be the final planetary destination for Watarimono almost 6 years after launch, but it would not reach interstellar space because it passed in front of Saturn's path around the Sun, thus reducing its velocity. Instead, it would go into a highly-inclined (almost-polar) elliptical heliocentric orbit which would return to a distance between Earth and Venus in 1987. From there, it could measure the Sun's magnetic field from a new perspective. Mimas encounter

1980-10-12 - The Advanced Marine Investigation and Ground Observation Satellite (AMIGOS), also known as Aomidori

Phase 3 - 07 1980-07-02 - An M-1B rocket launched Usagi-11, the fourth lunar lander probe. Its destination was the southern rim of Tycho crater, to analyze the composition of regolith just outside the main impact zone (similarly to the Surveyor 7 mission). It was at a higher latitude compared to previous missions (45 degrees south), so sunlight was hitting the vehicle at a lower angle and power had to be conserved more often. Anorthosites with high levels of aluminium were detected. 1980-10-12 - An M-2-20 rocket launched the Advanced Marine Investigation and Ground Observation Satellite (AMIGOS), which was nicknamed Aomidori (blue-green), to a sun-synchronous orbit almost 800 kilometers above Earth. It was used to take imagery and collect data of Earth for civilian purposes such as farming, land-use planning, fishing, environmental protection, and climate research, to make sure that Earth's natural resources were being used wisely. To do this, it used an near-infrared imaging spectrometer to measure differences in surface temperature, and a new type of small optical camera to take many high-resolution images of forests, urban areas, etc. all over the globe for public and private use.

1980-03-24 - Saki-01 crewed spacecraft (minimum system)

1980-03-24 - First launch of the Saki crewed spacecraft (minimum system) - [video]

Phase 3 - 06 1980-03-24 - An M-2-20 launched Saki-01, Hatsunia's next-generation crewed spacecraft, named after the tallest mountain in the country. This would be the final flight of the three "Rocket Women," Yuzuki Morita, Marumi Nabatame, and Akari Miura, who were now in their 30s and ready to pass the torch to the next generation of astronauts. Unlike NASA, which was going to launch a large reusable spaceplane (with expendable tank and boosters) known as the Space Shuttle next year, HASDA chose a smaller, disposable capsule design like Apollo to reduce development cost and time. During the launch, 2 out of 5 first stage engines and 1 out of 3 second stage engines were cut off later in the burn period to prevent the acceleration from exceeding 4 Gs [1] . Saki-01 was in the "minimum system" configuration, consisting only of a Core Module (flat capsule to reduce deceleration forces during reentry to 2.4 Gs) and a small Service Module (with fuel cells, RCS thrusters, and propellant for maneuvers). The life support systems were meant to support 3 people for 24 hours in orbit. The living room was larger than that of Utahime, but it was still a tight space. Re-entry and splashdown occurred in southwestern Hatsunia on the next day. The Saki "standard system," to be launched later in the decade, would add an additional Expansion Module and Propulsion Module for longer-term stays in orbit. [1] Using kOS scripts (for the first time) to disable engines (and jettison the launch escape system) using action groups

Made a video with the "minimum system"

1979-11-05 - Watarimono-2 was launched by an M-2-34 rocket to Jupiter (1981), Uranus (1986), and Neptune (1989)

Phase 3 - 05 1979-11-05 - In the last major launch of the 1970s, HASDA took advantage of a rare opportunity (once every 175 years) to send a spacecraft to Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. After the M-2 rocket had been proven over two years, Watarimono-2 ("Wanderer-2") or PLANET-G was launched by an M-2-34 rocket early in the morning. From low Earth orbit, the kerolox second stage burned its remaining fuel for about 15 seconds, then the "Hakuba" hydrolox third stage burned for over 7 minutes, boosting the spacecraft's velocity by over 7200 m/s. This would put it on a course to visit Jupiter in May 1981 (concurrent with Watarimono visiting Saturn), Uranus in January 1986, and Neptune in August 1989. The Uranus and Neptune encounters would occur slightly before the arrivals of NASA's Voyager 2, which was launched two years earlier. Afterwards, it would continue into interstellar space. Watarimono-2 had a large 4-meter high-gain antenna transmitting in the X-band frequency (8-12 GHz) to be able to send lots of data from 4 to 5 billion kilometers from Earth, and was powered by two multi-hundred-watt radioisotope thermoelectric generators (MHW-RTGs). (A course correction would be needed later to reduce the distance to Neptune)

Not really his canon name, but sure.

1979-04-09 - Neginohana-5 automated docking test (satellites nicknamed "Orihime" and "Hikoboshi")

Phase 3 - 04 1979-04-07 - The engineering test satellite "Neginohana-5" was launched by an M-2-20. The mission would evaluate automated rendezvous and docking technology (Utahime dockings were conducted with partial autonomy but still required a person for final guidance) with a pair of identical subsatellites. They were nicknamed "Orihime" and "Hikoboshi" after the two separated lovers in the Hatsunese adaptation of the Chinese folk tale "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl," who are celebrated in the Tanabata festival. They are also the Hatsunese names for the stars Vega and Altair, respectively. A similar feat was performed in the previous decade by the Kosmos 186 and 188 satellites of the Soviet space program. Once reaching space, Orihime boosted to a higher orbit to act as the target satellite, while the chaser satellite Hikoboshi waited two days in a lower orbit to catch up. Hikoboshi then performed a transfer burn and rendezvous with Orihime before docking. Navigation was assisted by geostationary satellites. At close range, internal radar systems within Orihime and Hikoboshi were used for telemetry and guidance. On the same day of the launch, an animated series known as "Mobile Suit Zaku"[1] aired for the first time. The premise involved giant humanoid machines or "mecha" used for construction and combat in space, and the relations and conflicts between the democratic Federal Republic of Shion, living in large space colonies in the Earth-Moon Lagrange points where the gravitational fields of the two bodies cancel out [2], and the more corrupt and hegemonic Terran Sphere. The franchise would popularize the idea of millions of people working in space habitats like O'Neill cylinders [3], envisioned earlier in the decade, and the use of robots to construct even larger megastructures like Dyson swarms to surround and collect the Sun's energy, trillions of times more powerful than what the Earth alone could support. The Orihime and Hikoboshi satellites were just the beginning of robotic space assembly. [1] Yes, this is a Gundam mirror universe. Because of a number pun in which "Za-ku" = "3-9" = "Mi-ku." And since the Principality of Zeon is a literal space version of Germany in WWII (this forum replaces the particular word with "pedant" as in "grammar pedant"), it has to be a mirror universe. [2] which are not simulated in KSP unless you use the Principia mod, which is more processor-intensive and makes planning and doing missions much more complicated. [3] The idea that a colony could be dropped on Sydney is not as emphasized. Because civilian applications of giant robots are shown more, there is more of an unironic "wow, cool robot" effect.

1978-05-09 - Advanced Information Gathering Satellite 1978-07-27 - Usagi-10 in Aristillus Crater

Phase 3 - 03 1978-05-09 - An M-2-24 launched the first Advanced Information Gathering Satellite (IGS-A) for the Cabinet Intelligence Office. Many details of its capabilities and operations are still kept secret, but it is believed to have a similar design to the "Stargazer" space telescope launched several years later. Much larger than the last IGS generation, it does not rely on film that has to be returned to Earth in a capsule, but instead uses electro-optical digital imaging. 1978-07-23 - Usagi-10 was launched to land in Aristillus Crater on the Moon, located in Mare Imbrium (the "Sea of Rains"). The landing site was between the crater rim and the peaks of the impact site at the center.

1977-12-27 - Watarimono Jupiter flyby (will reach Saturn in 1981)

Phase 3 - 02 1977-05-31 - Neginohana-4a and 4b were communications and engineering test satellites launched by an M-2-30 (three stages, zero boosters) with a Payload Append System (PAS), an additional fairing structure designed to contain one satellite and support a second satellite on top. The satellites tested a new standardized bus for geostationary applications, with three-axis control and sun-tracking solar panels. 4a and 4b were respectively placed above the western and eastern sides of the Pacific Ocean. 1977-10-02 - Watarimono arrived within Jupiter's massive sphere of influence. Over the next two-to-three months, it would approach the largest planet in the Solar System, getting as close as 12000 kilometers from the cloud tops, and reaching a speed as high as 56 kilometers per second. About a week before the closest approach on December 27, it crossed the orbit of the moon Callisto. The trajectory of the spacecraft took it within Jupiter's equatorial radiation belts (of solar particles captured by the planet's magnetic field), which were ten thousand times stronger than the Van Allen belts surrounding Earth. The probe's camera took close-up views of the swirling cloud bands in Jupiter's atmosphere, including the centuries-old storm known as the Great Red Spot. The four Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) were also imaged, but from a farther distance. Jupiter was used for a gravitational assist to reach Saturn in 1981. (The Titan flyby was cancelled as a closer approach to Saturn was prioritized. The moon of Mimas would be flown by instead.) The shadow of Europa is visible on Jupiter (default TUFX)

@alzayaniAR made a rough translation

It's based on the Fuji capsule, which I have recently adapted for Realism Overhaul.

1977: M-2 rocket (H-IIA but with kerolox and liquid rocket boosters)

1977-02-17 - First flight of the M-2 launch vehicle with the Saki Orbital Flight Experiment (SOFLEX) and Vehicle Evaluation Payload (VEP)

Phase 3 - 01 The development of the M-2 rocket had several motivations. The Hatsunia Defense Forces and Cabinet Intelligence Office needed to lift large reconnaissance satellites with telescopic imaging capabilities. On the civilian side, scientists desired a rocket that could lift probes such as Mars landers or spacecraft to the outermost planets in the Solar System. HASDA was also planning a successor to the Utahime crew capsule with more living space for astronauts. This was known as Saki, named after the tallest mountain in Hatsunia at 3939 meters. The M-2 thus became a launcher with similar capabilities to a Titan III with solid rocket boosters. The M-2 had a 4.39-m-diameter core stage with five LE-04 engines, which could be augmented by up to four 2.39 m LE-04 liquid rocket boosters identical to the ones used on the M-1A and M-1B rockets, bringing the total to nine. To carry large payloads to Low Earth Orbit (up to 7 to 12 tonnes), a cheap high-thrust second stage was needed. Using another LE-04 on the second stage was considered to reduce development and manufacturing costs. But without the ability to throttle, this would result in the stage having excess g-forces and vibration near the end of its burn, especially for a crewed launch. Instead, three LE-02B engines (derived from the first stage engine of the Negi-2 sounding and orbital rockets) were used. Optionally, a hydrogen/liquid oxygen third stage with its additional efficiency and expenses could be added for payloads going beyond Low Earth Orbit (up to 3 to 6 tonnes). This was a 3.9-m-wide version of the M-1B "Hakuba"/"White Horse" stage called "Hakuba-A," with the same burn time. It had relatively lower thrust, so it was not practical for large LEO payloads. M-2 configurations were designated "XY" in which X represented the number of stages, and Y the number of liquid rocket boosters. For example, an M-2 24 had two stages and four boosters, while an M-2 30 had three stages and zero boosters. To reduce the strain on the government's space budget, a decision was made to privatize launch operations and promote them to an international market. Mikubishi Launch Services was formed as the world's first commercial launch provider, selling rides for geostationary communications and broadcasting satellites on the M-1B and eventually the M-2 series as subsequent satellites grew in mass. The late 1970s also saw the formation of Europaspace, a European launch company that Mikubishi would compete head-to-head with throughout the 1980s, as they both used native-built engines based on the American LR79. 1977-02-17 - The first launch of the M-2 (24 configuration) carried the Saki Orbital Flight Experiment (SOFLEX) and Vehicle Evaluation Payload (VEP). SOFLEX was an uncrewed prototype version of the Saki Core Module, a 3.7-m-wide capsule that was flat and wide like the mountain it was named after. This shape was designed to reduce g-forces during re-entry with a shifted center of mass. However, after the M-2 upper stage performed a de-orbit burn before one full orbit was completed, SOFLEX re-entered ballistically with higher g-forces as it tested the durability of the heat shield and control systems. It deployed a large parachute and splashed down south of Negishima. Below SOFLEX was the box-shaped VEP, which acted as a mass simulator for heavy cargo. (Utahime probably had uncrewed prototype tests, too, I just didn't simulate or depict them) (I am now using the Waterfall mod, which produces engine exhaust effects with better framerates compared to particle-based effects)

This was the plan from 2008 and 2009. It would have involved a total of six launches of a triple-core H-X (H3) rocket carrying the lunar lander and two Earth Departure Stages, and the crew transfer vehicle and two more Earth Departure Stages. http://archive.ists.or.jp/upload_pdf/2008-k-63.pdf http://archive.ists.or.jp/upload_pdf/2009-k-36.pdf In fact, I recreated it in KSP Real Solar System a few years ago.

@Well @ItsJustLuci @Xenon2462 My unofficial Fuji Realism Overhaul/Kerbalism patch has now been uploaded: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zgrzl1qvi38t000/Fuji_RO_Patch_unofficial_1.1.zip?dl=0 (2022-02-20 - v1.1 - added %RP0conf = True to configs) (edit: Solar panels don't seem to actually work. Other ROSolar-compatible panels should be used instead, like Near Future Solar) (click on the down arrow ⭳ on the upper right corner, then click "direct download") The capsule's diameter has been resized to 3.7 m, and it can fit up to 5 people (based on the "Economy System" configuration). Masses and other parameters are based on guesswork and estimation from existing parts like the Mk1-3 command pod and ROCapsules Apollo Mission Module (from Eyes Turned Skyward) and procedural parts. Installation instructions: (01) This mod requires the Fuji and Realism Overhaul mods, and is meant to work in Real Solar System. https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/188488-1111-fuji-12/ (you are already here) https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/155700-181-1101-realism-overhaul-v1301-03-april-2021/ https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/177216-181-1101-real-solar-system-v1814-20-mar-2021/ - ROSolar is required for the Fuji solar arrays to work. They can be resized. (edit: Solar panels don't seem to actually work. Other ROSolar panels should be used instead.) https://github.com/KSP-RO/ROSolar - ROKerbalism is also recommended for life support functions. https://github.com/KSP-RO/ROKerbalism (02) IMPORTANT - Move this file "[KSP install folder]\GameData\RealismOverhaul\RO_SuggestedMods\Tantares\RO_Tantares_Fuji.cfg" out of the GameData folder, OR ELSE SEVERAL FUJI PARTS WILL NOT LOAD. (03) Move the "Fuji_Unofficial_RO_Patch" folder within "GameData" into "[KSP install folder]\GameData" (04) Move the .craft files into "[KSP install folder]\Ships\VAB" or "[KSP install folder]\saves\[save game name]\Ships\VAB" (top screenshot is from a KRASH simulation, and uses Zorg's TUFX config)

In my sandbox playthrough, it took me around 25 missions to land a Kerbal on the Mun, and about 90 to Duna. To explore the whole Kerbol system with the Outer Planets mod took 270 missions (counting launches plus round trips of interplanetary spacecraft). I appreciate your dedication!