Pipcard

[ARA] Y1, D132 - Gemini 3, the first probe to orbit the Mun Y1, D140 - Denebola 1, the first two-crew spacecraft (yes, I get the irony of this not being called Gemini) Y1, D148 - Gemini 4, the first probe to land on the Mun

Y1, D130 to D148 - Mun orbit/lander probes and 2-crew spacecraft Y1, D130 - The Gemini 3 spacecraft was launched on a Red Dwarf 2 with four liquid rocket boosters (RD-2-4L), and became the first probe to orbit the Mun on Day 132. The launch pad had been upgraded to support rockets weighing over 18 tonnes, and was now known as the "Alpha Arae Launch Complex." Y1, D140 - Denebola 1, the first spacecraft to carry 2 people (Jebediah and Bill Kerman), was launched on an Red Dwarf 2-4L (this time without fins as engine gimballing provided enough control). It reached 250 km and orbited a few times before returning to the ocean east of the space center. (Yes, I notice the irony in a program called "Gemini" not referring to a 2-person crew capsule. But here I'm using constellation names for uncrewed missions to general destinations.) Y1, D146 - Gemini 4 was launched by a Red Dwarf 2-6L (6 liquid rocket boosters) and became the first probe to land on the Mun (Midlands biome) on Day 148.

[ARA] Y1, D101 - Gemini 1 (named for the twin moons of Kerbin), the first Munar flyby probe Y1, D109 - Nunki 4, the first crewed orbital spacecraft, piloted by Valentina Kerman Y1, D118 - Gemini 2, the first Munar impact probe

Y1, D101 to D118 - First Mun probes and crewed orbiter Y1, D101 - The Gemini program, named for its destinations being the "twin" moons of Kerbin, began with Gemini 1. Launched by a Red Dwarf 2-2L, the probe reached the Mun (28,500 km from Kerbin) in one day, performing a flyby as close as 55 km. By Day 110, it had become the first spacecraft to escape Kerbin and orbit Kerbol. Y1, D109 - Piloted by Valentina Kerman and launched by a Red Dwarf 2-2L, Nunki 4 was the first crewed spacecraft to orbit Kerbin. It entered a 650 x 108 km orbit and completed 1 full revolution before de-orbiting and splashing down near the space center. Y1, D113 - Gemini 2, launched by a Red Dwarf 2, was the first space probe to impact the Mun on Day 118. It took over 4 days to get to the Mun as it had to wait for the Mun's Kerbin-facing side to be in daytime.

[ARA] Leo 3, the first satellite recovery from orbit, launched by a Red Dwarf 2 rocket Leo 4, the first keostationary satellite Nunki 1 and 2, the first crewed suborbital flights Nunki 3, the first crewed flight into space

Y1, D71 to D91 - Orbital return, keostationary sat, and crewed hops Y1, D71 - The new and improved Red Dwarf 2 launch vehicle greatly increased payload capacity through the use of high-performance MR-1 "Composognathus" engines, which used liquid methane and oxidizer (methalox) instead of the standard liquid fuel/lox combination. The second stage had the LV-909 "Terrier" engine, offering comparable efficiency in vacuum while using liquid fuel/lox. With up to two liquid rocket boosters, the RD-2-2L rocket could lift payloads in excess of 1000 kg to orbit. The Red Dwarf 2 first launched with the Leo 3 satellite, an experiment in collecting scientific data and returning it to Kerbin using a data storage unit protected by a heat shield. This way, only a small mass (without the heavy scientific equipment) would need to be slowed down for recovery. It also used a more advanced probe core that had small reaction wheels for rotation. Leo 4 entered a orbit as high as 700 km before de-orbiting, re-entering Kerbin's atmosphere, and splashing down in the seas west of the KSC. Y1, D78 - Leo 4 was launched as a small communications test satellite on a Red Dwarf 2 (with no boosters). Using a small yet powerful "Spark" engine, it entered a keostationary orbit 5900 km above the ground. This was synchronized with (rescaled) Kerbin's rotation period of 7 hours and 29 minutes, and appeared to be fixed in the sky if observed from the ground. Y1, D84 & 85 - Nunki 1 was the first crewed suborbital flight, a one-person capsule piloted by Jebediah Kerman and launched by a Brown Dwarf 1 rocket. As the rocket was actively controlled, the fins did not need to be twisted for spin stabilization. It was followed on the next day by Nunki 2, flown by Valentina Kerman. Both flights reached an altitude of about 40 km. Y1, D91 - Piloted by Jebediah, Nunki 3 was the first crewed flight into space, launched by a Brown Dwarf 2 rocket (which used the first stage of Red Dwarf 2). It reached 110 km before splashing down in the waters near the space center.

I like it when alternate space timelines acknowledge the accomplishments of a Japanese space program.

Leo 1, the first satellite of the Aerospace Research Agency, launched by a Red Dwarf 1 rocket Ascella 1, the first aircraft

Y1, D37 to D57 - First satellites and aircraft Y1, D37 - Red Dwarf 1 was the first rocket capable of reaching orbit (~5300-5400 m/s of Delta-v in 2.5x scale). It carried Leo 1, the first satellite of the Aerospace Research Agency. Leo (the lion) would be the designation for missions to Kerbin orbit. The RD-1 had a stretched Brown Dwarf liquid rocket stage assisted by two "Shrimp" SRBs on the sides. A new probe core and larger fins allowed for a controlled ascent, and two "Mite" SRBs on top of the first stage (with reaction control system thrusters for steering in the vacuum of space) provided the final boosts. Leo 1 transmitted temperature data from up to 800 km above Kerbin using an extendable antenna. The satellite only had batteries for power, so it could only operate for a short time. Y1, D38 and 39 - Using the same instruments as before, Sagittarius 7 and Sagittarius 8 gathered more data from the upper atmosphere. Y1, D42 - Ascella 1, ARA's first aircraft, was complete. Known for his determination, Jebediah Kerman had been hired to be the first test pilot. But before it took off, it tested scientific equipment and taxiing capabilities around the Kerbal Space Center, which turned out to be very valuable for the research and development division. Solar panels provided a quick way to recharge after transmitting data. After its tour of the facilities, it was time for a short test flight. Taking off to the east, it turned around and headed for the grasslands to the west before going back towards the ocean, then returning to the grassy plains surrounding the space center. (note: the LY-01 and LY-05 landing gear are very fragile. I had to maximize the spring and dampening, and also had to save and reload a few times during landing.) Tour of the Kerbal Space Center First flight Y1, D47 - Sagittarius 9 carried the first "Science Jr." devices, used to expose materials to various conditions, to the upper atmosphere. The Brown Dwarf 1 rocket and its payload were recovered separately. Y1, D57 - Leo 2 was launched by a Red Dwarf 1-4S (with 4 SRBs) to a orbit over Kerbin's poles. This required more fuel as Kerbin's rotation was not contributing to the speed of the vehicle during launch. To prepare for more advanced missions and complex vehicles, the Vehicle Assembly Building, Tracking Station, and Mission Control facilities had been upgraded.

Introducing the Aerospace Research Agency (ARA) (a 2.5x scale career that aims to go interstellar) First sounding rockets of the Sagittarius program (note: dates are inaccurate as Kerbin's day is now 7.5 hours)

Named after the constellation known as "the altar," the Aerospace Research Agency (ARA) was founded with the goal of exploring and expanding kerbalkind into the Kerbol system and beyond. Its motto: "Constellations of Innovation" [This will be a new career with the Breaking Ground DLC and the main mods being the Unkerballed Start tech tree, Kerbal Construction Time, Galaxies Unbound, Modular Kolonization System, and Far Future Technologies (and other mods by Nertea). I've read that stock parts are more balanced for a 2.5x scale system, so Sigma Dimensions was used to change the size. Galaxies Unbound has a config but I had to manually edit the Sigma Dimensions config file to get it to work. The rotation period of Kerbin has changed to 7 hours and 30 minutes (1.25x longer), but the clock still measures days in 6-hour intervals. This is slightly annoying, but just divide the number of days by 1.25 to get a more reasonable value.] [update: I just installed the Kronometer mod which changes the date format based on the local day length. The dates have been corrected below. Note that there are more than 426 days in a year - 506 days (with the occasional leap day) lasting 7.5 hours each to be exact.] Table of contents Mod list (similar to quasinaut's "kinda ksp2" modpack but not the same), not including most dependencies: (last updated 2024-04-19) Y1, D5 to D28 - Suborbital first steps The first program of ARA would be known as Sagittarius (the archer), a designation for suborbital missions. A rudimentary launch complex nicknamed "Kaus" (the bow) was prepared to support this program. (It would eventually be upgraded and called the "Beta Arae" launch complex.) Y1, D7 Y1, D5 (6 h, 24 m) - The White Dwarf 1 (WD-1) sounding rocket (using a small 0.625 m "Mite" solid rocket booster and twisted fins to enable spin stabilization) launched Sagittarius 1 to a height of 25 km while transmitting temperature data. Almost 4 minutes later, it crashed into the ground. For captions, I use Historian Expanded with my config. (The Historian dates below are for a 6 hour day and not accurate) Y1, D15 Y1, D12 (5 h, 42 m) - The upgraded White Dwarf 2 (WD-2) sounding rocket (using the longer "Shrimp" SRB) launched Sagittarius 2 higher into Kerbin's atmosphere, reaching 42 km. In addition to temperature, it measured pressure. Y1, D24 Y1, D19 (5 h, 42 m) - The Brown Dwarf 1 (BD-1) sounding rocket used 4 small LV-T05 "Cogswell" liquid rocket engines and 1.25 m propellant tanks. It launched Sagittarius 3 past the designated boundary of outer space (91 km), achieving an altitude of about 150 km. Y1, D33 Y1, D26 (5 h, 42 m) - Sagittarius 4 demonstrated the first parachute recovery of a suborbital rocket. As a new rocket did not need to be built, this BD-1 was reused on days 34 27 and 35 28 for Sagittarius 5 (recovered from the ocean) and Sagittarius 6, which used Mystery Goo™ containers to collect even more scientific data.

JAXA+ | Japanese Crewed Jupiter Mission "Raijin" (2050-2060)

The Raijin Jupiter mission ]ands on Ganymede in December 2057 before returning to Earth in 2060.

2057-12-13 - Leaving the lander behind, the Raijin Jupiter Orbital Vehicle raised its orbit from 500 to 1100 km to reduce exposure to radiation redirected by Ganymede's magnetic field. On December 15, the JOV departed Ganymede to return and dock with the main Jupiter Piloted Vehicle (which was currently orbiting Jupiter between the orbits of Ganymede and Callisto) on December 20. After going around Jupiter for one more time, the JPV performed its departure burn on January 1, 2058, making a distant flyby of Callisto over a day later. The return to Earth took another 2 years. The JOV undocked to decelerate by 5000 m/s before releasing the crew return capsule, which splashed down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on February 18, 2060. Leaving Ganymede Jupiter Departure Return to Earth

More like New Year's.

2057-12-06 - Leaving the refueling tank behind, the Raijin Jupiter Orbital Vehicle departed Callisto on a Hohmann transfer to Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter and the Solar System as a whole, and the only moon with a significant magnetic field. The transfer took less than a week as the JOV inserted into a 500 km orbit on December 12. The Jovian Moons Lander undocked and performed the same descent and landing procedure as on Callisto, touching down in a location where Jupiter could be seen on the horizon. This was only meant to be a short "flags and footprints" operation that briefly studied the surface, composed of silicates and ice and dotted with various craters and grooves. Ganymede's surface may also hide an ocean underneath. Only 16 hours later (on December 13), they launched back into orbit and docked with the JOV.

2057-08-10 - After the main interplanetary ship performed its gravity assist and entered a circular orbit between Ganymede and Callisto on August 3, the Raijin crew (Hachirota Hoshino, Ken’ichi Obikawa, and Juri Araki) deployed the Callisto Cruiser rover to explore the surroundings of Jupiter's outermost Galilean moon. Callisto was known to have a rocky and icy surface covered in impact craters that are about as old as the Solar System itself. The lowlands tend to be darker while hills or pinnacles may be coated in a bright white frost. Callisto is also thought to have a subsurface liquid water ocean over 100 kilometers below the surface. After over four months living in the surface habitat, the crew lifted off in the Jovian Moons Landing Module on December 3 to re-dock with the Jupiter Orbital Vehicle 500 km above, where it was refueled by the spare tank/depot to prepare for a landing on Ganymede. Disclaimer: I forgot that the Radial Attachment Point in the landing module does not allow fuel crossfeed. An External Fuel Duct can enable propellant transfer, but I forgot to put one in (I made the same mistake when doing an RSS Moon mission in 2016). Since it is too late to redo the mission starting from 2050, I had to manually edit the save file to refuel the lander (by carefully subtracting numbers from one propellant tank and adding them to the other). Surface exploration on August 10 Returning to orbit on December 3 Docking with the Jupiter Orbital Vehicle

Cinematic trailer for the Raijin Jupiter mission

2057-06-21 - The Raijin Jupiter Piloted Vehicle one day before orbital insertion 2057-07-25 - The Jupiter Orbital Vehicle docked to the Jovian Moons Landing Module Right to left: Hachirota Hoshino, Ken’ichi Obikawa, and Juri Araki landed on Callisto

2057-06-22 - The Raijin Piloted Vehicle entered an elliptical orbit around Jupiter, using the last of the propellant in the Earth Departure Stage before activating the JPV's Jupiter Orbit Stage. 1 month later, the Jupiter Orbital Vehicle, a relatively small craft intended for transportation within the Jupiter system, undocked from the rest of the massive JPV. The JOV would enter Callisto orbit on July 23 while the JPV would continue to fly past on other side of Callisto, a gravity assist to lower its orbit around Jupiter. On July 25, the JOV docked with the Jovian Moons Landing Module (and propellant cache), which had been waiting in a 500 km orbit. After the crew transferred into the lander, they left the JOV and propellant cache behind as they made their descent and landed near the Callisto habitat. Hachirota Hoshino, Ken’ichi Obikawa, and Juri Araki climbed down, planted the flag, and walked to the habitat where they would stay until December. The Jupiter Piloted Vehicle one day before orbital insertion (zoomed in with low field of view) The Jupiter Orbital Vehicle docked to the Jovian Moons Landing Module Right to left: Hachirota Hoshino, Ken’ichi Obikawa, and Juri Araki landed on Callisto

2054-09-26 - The first module of the Raijin Jupiter Piloted Vehicle, consisting of the Earth Return Stage and Jupiter Orbit Stage, was launched into a 400 km orbit by an H-ZA 208 rocket. Over the next six months, six more H-ZA 208s would launch the three parts of the Earth Departure Stage, as well as three refueling tankers. On March 9, 2055, the crew of the Raijin mission launched: mission commander Hachirota Hoshino (whose girlfriend worked in orbital debris cleanup), engineer Ken’ichi Obikawa, and scientist Juri Araki. The crew vehicle and orbital habitat brought the total mass of the JPV to 5700 tonnes in low Earth orbit. The JPV began its departure in two parts from March 12 to 14, changing its velocity by a total of 6500 m/s (2900 + 3600) for a 2 year journey to the Jupiter system.

JAXA+ "Raijin" Jupiter mission 2054-01-19 - Jupiter Cargo Vehicle enters orbit 2054-02-27 - Habitat module landed on Callisto

2052-12-27 - The Data Relay satellites were the first to arrive in the Jupiter system. Just over a month later (2053-02-06), the three satellites settled into 8-hour equatorial orbits 2900 km above Callisto. 2054-01-19 - The Jupiter Cargo Vehicle performed orbital insertion and reached Callisto in late February 2054. After entering a 500 km parking orbit, the Callisto Habitation Module and Jovian Moons Landing Module separated from the transfer stage. On Feburary 26, the CaHM used its 4 RL10 engines to descend to 100 km before landing in a flat equatorial area where Jupiter could be visible just above the horizon. Like the Tsukuyomi Moon base, which had to be powered for several days without sunlight, it used a Kilopower nuclear reactor and needed large radiators to dissipate heat. Callisto had been selected for its safe distance from Jupiter’s radiation belts. Ganymede is at the innermost limit, while Europa and Io are constantly bombarded by radiation.

2049-09-30 - Three DRTS-X relay satellites (DRTS-X16, 17, and 18) were launched by an H-Z 102 rocket to Callisto. These satellites were powered by RTGs as sunlight was less powerful at Jupiter's distance. They would reach Jupiter by the end of 2052, and arrive at Callisto in early 2053. Advances in materials allowed for the construction of lighter hydrogen fuel tanks that could carry more propellant in the same volume. A propulsion bus similar to the one used for the Ceres comsat network could thus be used to take the trio of satellites all the way to Callisto orbit. (meta note: the new version of Realism Overhaul for KSP 1.12 changed tank masses when LH2 is loaded) 2050-10-01 - One year after the comsats were launched, the first module of the Raijin Jupiter Cargo Vehicle (JCV) was launched by an H-ZA 208 rocket. It weighed over 1000 tonnes at launch and consisted of the Earth Departure Stage (21 m diameter, 2 LE-N engines) and Jupiter Orbit Stage (13.9 m, 1 LE-N engine). 2050-10-27 - An H-Z 102 launched the Jovian Moons Landing Module (JMLM) and Callisto Habitation Module (CaHM) to rendezvous and dock with the JCV using a auxiliary propulsion stage. After arriving in Callisto orbit, the CaHM would proceed to land on the surface while the JMLM would remain in orbit until the crew arrived. A propellant cache would refuel the lander after the stay on Callisto, so it could land and take off from Ganymede after being pushed there by another vehicle. On October 30, the Trans-Jovian Injection was performed, to arrive in early 2054. It was split into three burns (1400 + 1500 + 3700 = 6600 m/s) due to the relatively low thrust of the LE-N engines. Third trans-Jovian burn (after stage separation)

I really like the revamped textures, but is there any reason why Jupiter in my game doesn't appear as bright as your screenshot? (TUFX - Zorg-Neutral config) (TUFX - FoxBright config)