TerLoki

Wrapping up our Minmus landing, we rejoin our crew in orbit. With system checks complete, Bob disengages the Ike 3 and begins his descent. Coming in on final approach. Unlike the Mariner 1 probe, Bob's landing site is in the midlands, in order to look at some more interesting topography. As a precaution however, the landing site is close to the flats for an alternate landing site, and an abort to orbit is possible. Almost there... . Touchdown! Bob climbs down to the surface, becoming the first Kerbal to walk on another world. Also, he forgot the camera, so this is the only shot of him on the surface. Wait... Then where did this come from? O_o Flags planted, samples taken, and science done, the Ike M lifts off with Bob to rendezvous with Milbert and head home. Milbert brings the Laythe M in to capture the lander. The Ike M does have its own RCS, but it's not as balanced as the Laythe M's systems, so we let our resident docking expert handle it. With Bob safely aboard, the crew takes a moment to rest in orbit after this momentous occasion and transfer samples to the command capsule. Its purpose served, the Ike M is disengaged and deorbited on autopilot. Kerbin's getting pretty big in the window. After a few last-minute simulations KSC decides to err on the side of caution and leave the service module attached during reentry. Problems with the heatshield had shown a possibility of rendering the capsule's parachutes inoperable. Explosively. Fortunately the service module absorbed all of the entry heating, and Bob and Milbert returned 27 days later to a hero's welcome.

Not bad! Though I'd change the hatch and docking port colors too, if you weren't already planning on it, the bright yellow clashes a bit with the more muted KSO style.

... I know. The problem isn't with the Mark1-2, it's with the Mark 1 and the HGR pods. I never said the Mark1-2 was having this problem.

Well I am having a problem. Yes, it works fine with the stock pod, but then that pod's heatshield isn't built-in, the HGR pod's is. That causes the whole pod to reach the same temperature as the shield and overheat the docking port, and I don't really know what to do to fix it because it only seems to affect RealChute parts, and the only fix I've found is for radial chutes.

Well, let's see... Active Texture Management Aerojet Kerbodyne ALCOR aWolf LES Enhanced Environment Visuals Chatterer Crew Manifest Deadly Reentry FAR Porkjet Habitat Pack Home Grown Rocketry HullCamVDS Raster Prop Moniter Kethane KSO Phase II KW Rocketry MechJeb Near Future Propulsion Universal Storage Taurus HCV Nothke Service Module Tubes RealChute RLA Stockalike SCANsat SDHI Service Module System Somnambulic Aerospace parts for TAC LS TAC Life Support There may be one or two mission, but that's nearly all of it.

Well it's there. Stick a radial parachute on a Mk 1 pod, drop it from orbit, and kiss your pilot goodbye. And it's not just radial chutes either, I have the same problem when using the SDHI parachute/docking port combo with the HGR Soy-Juice pod. I'd rectify that problem by the usual "add another heatshield" method, but they don't come in 1.875m. The problem seems to be with how DRE and RealChute interact, but I'm not sure if there's a any patch for it, and I'd rather not go mucking around in the .cfg files for fear of screwing something up. Coding and I don't always get along... .

Just updated to 4.6, but I've got a question before I fire up the game: Is the problem of parts attached to pods with integrated heatshields overheating still present?

Hehe, nice to see I'm not the only one crazy enough to try that.

And we're back with an unmanned mission, some "testing", and the first leg of the Laythe 2 Minmus lander mission. Kicking things off is the Explorer 8 probe to Moho, shown here launching atop a Canis 2 rocket, the most powerful probe launcher in use by CosMech. How powerful? Well it has enough thrust and dV to send an Explorer-series probe out of Kerbin's SoI using only the first stage and SRBs. That Skipper sure does burn for a while. And here we see the little probe on its flyby. As of this mission only 6 moons and dwarf planets remain unvisited by some CosMech craft or another, we'll have to rectify that some time. There were a few hiccups in the Laythe program between Laythe 1 and 2, mostly concerning payload mounting and the Taurus rocket. Specifically, the original Taurus design called for both the first stage "boosters" and second stage "core" to use the same 1.875m G90 engine. This configuration proved to be a bit underpowered on launch, taking too long to get up to speed. The first thought was to upgrade the first stage to 2.5m common booster cores (as found on the Antares launcher used for payloads such as Cygnus Station and the ADA) modified to use Skippers, but that too proved to be underpowered. So now the rocket uses four Mainsail CBCs, modified with aerodynamic fins and small solid fuel sepratrons in the nose cone. The second problem was insufficient bracing of the payload, causing excess wobble and making the rocket fly out of control. This dry run of the mainsail-powered Taurus 3 turned into an impromptu, but successful LES test because of the wobble problem. With the rocket, lander, and capsule all checked out and ready to go, Laythe 2 lifts off from the pad carrying Bob and Milbert to Minmus. This shot probably gives the best view of the Taurus 3 as it is now. It feels wrong to use the KSO vertical stabilizers for something other than the KSO, but I can't deny how effective they are at keeping the rocket on course. With the TWR problem solved the first stage can now probably lift the whole rocket up to orbit SSTO style, though the Mainsails would probably burn out during circularization. For my purposes however, that's not going to happen. With the first stage burned out the rocket now has an apoapsis of just over 200km, and we're going even higher eventually. The second stage handles most of the circularization, leaving the last 150 or so m/s to the third stage so that Kerbin orbit stays clean. With the fairing removed and LES jettisoned, it's time for the transmunar injection burn off to Minmus. There was another burn earlier change planes, but this post will be picture heavy enough as it is. With the TMI burn done and the third stage nearly out of fuel, it's time for Bob and Milbert to unhook and grab the lander. I don't know how MechJeb would handle this, but I can safely say that this maneuver is way more difficult than it may seem at first. Having to do it without SmartASS on a previous test flight was rather nerve-wracking. Come on Milbert, you've almost got it! The Laythe M capsule and Ike M lander, docked and flying free. A quick burn from the Laythe's service module engine to adjust periapsis and the boys settle in for their 9 day trip. Despite the Soviet influence on this mission there are some notable differences from the LK and Soyuz LOK in the design of these two craft. Firstly, the Laythe M uses solar panels rather than fuel cells. This was more of an aesthetic choice, since I do have the universal storage fuel cells. I wanted the ship to look more like the Soyuz 7K-L1, though I'd have much rather used the Soyuz-style panels from the NFP pack, but I don't have them unlocked. Also, aside from preferring the 7K-L1 to the LOK, the orbital module was omitted in part to save weight, but also because the Ike M uses a full-sized docking port, allowing for an Apollo-like crew tunnel and letting the lander take on the orbital module's role while en route to Minmus. Lastly, the Ike M is only a single stage, because Minmus has such low gravity that it could actually probably do two landings with the fuel it has. Hello Minmus! Having arrived in orbit, Milbert and Bob fire up the engines again to circularize around the little minty-green mun. With Kerbin and the Mun in the background, the Ike M is readied for Bob's landing. Will Bob be the first Kerbal to set foot on another world? Will Milbert eat all the snacks out of boredom while waiting for his commander's return? Will some artist make a logo for CosMech before the flag planting? Find out in the next post!

The plan seems to be landing back at the launch pad (or some facility, I'm not sure if the first stage can make it that far) under power by taking extra fuel. This would be a lot more precise than parachutes, but also probably cost a bit more weight. So the payload would be reduced a little to account for the extra needed fuel, but I think that the reusability of the rocket and quick turnaround that a land-based powered descent would provide is considered more beneficial. After all, if you want a bigger payload on a fully reusable rocket there's always the Falcon Heavy in development.

Well it's a step toward a fully reusable rocket, so I say it's a step in the right direction. Here's hoping the test gives them some good data to refine the design.

Built-in landing gear and 8 superdraco engines mounted in pairs, the same engines used for the LES. video shows what the whole reusable Falcon 9 stack should eventually look like in action.

Loving the models so far, and the Shenron is looking great. Or better yet, a fully functional landing system? I know, I know, it's not a main part of the Kerbal X project, and it's probably a tall order to fit in all that functionality, this is just something I've been wanting for a while, since there are two mod Dragons out there, neither of which really blends with the stock parts.

Uh, I always us a launch escape system, just not the stock one. Partly because I'm playing career and the stock one only unlocks about 2/3s of the way through the tree, while the mod ones I have unlock at tier 1. Mostly because the stock one doesn't have a built in decoupler like the Aerojet, Soyuz, and Apollo ones I have.

Woohoo! Tin 128!

Ah yes, that twin-nozzled fuel tank/engine hybrid... Thing. I don't trust it. Every rocket I've made with it has gone flipping all over the place about a quarter of the way through the gravity turn, while equivalents using mainsails have flown just fine. The quad-core I like, and I looooove the new SRBs; but the big ol' honking single 3.75m engine and the liquid boosters have given me nothing but trouble.

Pretty sure the Apollo guys forgot to bring mystery goo along, we should get on that.

Well not every rocket needs to be a 3.75m behemoth, I personally still use Mainsails and orange tanks for my medium payload rockets (and in career mode in particular). After all, even in KSP, there is such a thing as "overkill". Unless you're Whackjob.

I'd be scared too if I thought I was going to wind up in that movie. Worst. Scientists. Ever. Eve has made me a bit uneasy from time to time. It's either the fact that one of my first manned interplanetary missions was nearly stranded there, or that sinking feeling you get from knowing that no craft I've built could even come close to escaping if it got too deep in the atmosphere and had to land.

At the very least I want to have biomes for the other planets and muns in the next update or so. Like everyone else is saying, at the moment I tend to just send an unmanned mission or two followed by a manned flight and leave it at that because there's just not that much to do. Granted, I have yet to actually land a Kerbal on any body outside Kerbin's SoI, I had been planning a manned landing on Dres but was overcome by the urge to grab an asteroid and started a new save with ARM, but when I do get that landing in there's no reason for me to go back. No reason for the awesome network of space stations I envision to exist anywhere besides Kerbin, the Mun, and Minmus.

Finally got the thread for my current career up in the Mission Reports section. Right now I'm putting the equipment for my first manned Minmus landing of this save through testing before launching the actual mission.

After far too much procrastination and time spent flying rockets rather than writing about them, I return to the mission report section with a brand new career started just for the ARM pack. Unlike last time, this save uses Kethane, DRE, TACLS, and FAR right from the start, plus a whole bunch of other mods that will probably (maybe) get mentioned along the way. So let's dive in to the highlight reel and see just what our brave astronauts have done so far! Corvan becomes the first Kerbal in space and first to orbit Kerbin aboard Moho 1. Note the lack of a nose-mounted parachute. Pretty much all of my manned craft have used radial mounted chutes instead in order to make use of the various launch escape systems I have available. Moho 4, one of the last Moho flights, carries Bill into polar orbit. Also aboard is prototype ScanSAT equipment for the first orbital mapping of Kerbin. Meanwhile on the unmanned front, Explorer 3 enters the Duna system and conducts experiments in orbit of the red planet and its mun, before a disastrous landing attempt that showed just how thin Duna's atmosphere really is. Still in one piece are the Explorer 4 solar probe and Explorer 6 Eve probe. Explorer 6 was originally slated to enter Eve's atmosphere, but ran out of fuel before its periapsis was low enough for aerocapture due to a less than optimal intercept. Milbert and Jebediah perform the first orbital rendezvous and docking on Eve 2. Bill and Milbert's Eve 3 LEO (long endurance orbiter) docked with Cygnus Station, the first permanent outpost in Kerbin orbit. Jeb and Jenbert on the first manned mission to the Mun, the EOL (Eve Orbital Laboratory) 1 orbital mapping mission. This Eve-based, Gemini MOL inspired mission lasted about a week while the two did EVAs and experiments, all the while gathering radar data on the Mun's equatorial regions for future landings. EOL 2 to Minmus, carried out by Bob and Corvan. The Titan asteroid rendezvous mission, sent to an E class asteroid already captured in a stable orbit above Kerbin. This mission bit off a bit more than it could chew, even with a full orange tank and a rather efficient 2.5m service module engine the Titan only had 40m/s of dV when docked. More successful was the ADA (Asteroid Docking Adapter), which managed to intercept, grab, and circularize the orbit of a class B asteroid that was flying by Kerbin at a high inclination. EOL 3, carrying Jenbert and Bill to the asteroid. As of this mission each of the trio have been to a different body orbiting Kerbin on an EOL mission, and this also marked my first successful EVA maneuvering in KSP, once I changed the controls to something I was more used to. Mariner 1, the first probe to land on another body in the Kerbol system. In this case I chose Minmus, as the large flats give a nice landing site right at sea level so I don't have to mess worry about radar altitude that much. And low gravity is always a plus. Explorer 7 on course for a Vall flyby. This was my first probe to Jool on this save, and it managed to visit Vall and Tylo in addition to the giant planet before running out of science. Laythe 1, the second manned flyby of Minmus and first test of the new Laythe M crew vehicle. Inspired by the Soyuz 7K-L1, the Laythe M is being designed alongside the larger Laythe CTV as the main command vehicle for the first manned landings on Minmus. The Taurus rocket that will carry the first manned landing mission to Minmus. Sort of a hybrid of the Soyuz series and Saturn V, though obviously not on the same scale as the Saturn V. Inside the fairing. Since I have yet to unlock the 2 man lander can, and the Laythe is Soviet inspired anyway, I decided that this mission will use a 1 man "Ike" lander rather than my typical Dres design. It won't be a long stay on Minmus, the lander only has supplies for a day or two to keep weight down, but it should be a memorable one. Still torn on whether to use a 2 or 3 man crew for the mission as a whole. And that's where I am right now. Any comments, questions, or critiques are welcome. Also, I've been wanting my own flag or logo for a while now, but can't really draw or photoshop. Details on that are here if you're interested. At any rate, with all that out of the way and this topic finally started the individual missions should be covered a lot more thoroughly in later posts. Next stop: Minmus!

Dude, if you were to make a stock-like Dragon to go along with that I would love you forever.

Here's a chance pic of a good fuel saving maneuver from one of my Jool probes: That maneuver took about 230m/s, and I'd say it saved at least that much dropping my orbit down for an easier intercept with Tylo. Just think of it like this: If Vall wasn't there, how much additional dV would be required to reach an orbit in that area? I know it would take at least two burns as opposed to one, that's for sure.

My first multiplayer match effectively ruined single-player for me, so now I mostly do matches with a few other people and use Sweden to play diplomat.