TheKosmonaut

Yes! That's me. @UmbralRaptor

So instead of somewhat regular updates, we will get announcements and dreams of grandeur with no real delivery till weeks, months, or yeeeeaaars (looking at you, Falcon Heavy) later?

I've had very few problems with the current release so far! Combined with my recent upgrade in PC hardware, it makes KSP 1.2 smooth as butter and it gets me a little verklempt.

So what is this post about, exactly? Halloween and rocketry?

This thread belongs in Gameplay Questions, so I will go ahead and move it there.

It's-a me! @Supernovy

Friendly neighborhood moderator dropping in, I'm moving this thread to "Gameplay Questions".

I'm moving this thread to Kerbal Network. And I think @UomoCapra can help with this, and if not, I am sure he can point us in the right direction to help you out!

[moderator voice] no! [/moderator voice] @DuoDex

>sees how old this post is. I guess you're right then.

I have been hunting all day. Apparently, there's something around the Tracking Centre that says there's an anomaly in or around the south pole. But it also said there was more around the KSC... It's all so cryptic.

Oh man, I've heard of this stuff. But I've never had any luck finding it. I heard that the biggest clue is somewhere in North America and it's not detectable by SCAN Sat. You have to be between 5 and 10km in Surface Altitude and go over the great lakes. It's very obscure but you can find something *big* I haven't tried in a while though, so don't take my word for it. They may have moved the anomaly all together.

Congratulations on taking over Kethane, taniwha. Looking forward to seeing what you do to it.

That's what I was afraid of, if it's the same module (which it more than likely is) then there's nothing to be done. Completely unintuitive (Though not really the mod's fault) and backwards. Can't even try to make a Dragon lookalike with procedural parts if this is how it is :|

Hello e-dog. Love pFairings but I ran into a bit of a snag with the interstage fairings and 1.0.x As you can see in the screenshot, the RCS engines don't stage while inside the lip of the fairings. I don't suppose there's a fix for this, eh?

I am too, it is still superior to the Stock fairings IMO. I have been fiddling around with those other fairings and they are... interesting to say the least.

It'd be really neat if you did an album with a sort of "step-by-step" process on the building of the planes. The shapes and clipping make for great shapes, but when I have tried similar feats, I end up with wobbly innards to the plane. I realize that you've finished these planes already so maybe whenever your next batch comes in!

It would be helpful if we could see the .log file?

Is this with Aggressive or Basic ATM? I have a lot of mods on mine and if it is Basic then it doesn't do so well. The .log you have given doesn't really tell me much either. If I were you, I would try removing (just move it to desktop) some of the mods' folders from Gamedata. Try loading with one removed at a time and see if it begins to work.

There also seems to be a problem with Lazor. The mach_vm error usually can mean a memory limit crash. Might I suggest OP try out Active Texture Mgmnt on aggressive? OSX KSP is still 32bit (as I am sure everyone knows). Also, see if there's an update to your Lazor mod install, MissMolly.

Chapter 2, Part 1: Forerunner Eastern Germanian Wilds, 1939 Gürragchaa's eyes could barely open, the smoke filling his cabin was thick and burned his eyes. Most of the sunlight was drowned out and what little light that did push through the smoke barely helped. Gürragchaa's first instinct was to jump out of his seat, as he tried, he felt a strange pain in his leg. Looking down, he saw a large piece of wood that went up through his chair and into his leg, pinning him down. A loud creaking noise filled the plane before he realized that he was still not on solid ground, he was suspended in a tree. He reached for his pistol and tried to shoot the windshield open, as soon as it cracked, the explosive force of the flames behind him pushed out through the new opening. Before he knew it, he was completely engulfed in flame. Gürragchaa pulled a lever and his entire seat slid out of the plane and fell to the ground some three meters below. As he hit the ground, the pain in his leg shot through his entire body. His mouth filled with the taste of copper as he reached for the tree limb in his leg. With one swift pull, Gürragchaa managed to take the wood out of the seat and free his leg. The pain, still very potent, slowly began to fade into the back of his mind as he looked around him. The untouched white snow was stained by shrapnel of metal and wood, fuel from his plane leaked steadily from up in the tree, and in the distance, he could hear the booms of Anti-Aircraft guns firing off at his comrades still in the sky, though by now, they were at a great distance. Adrenaline now coursing through his veins, Gürragchaa stood up from his seat and limped around for his pistol that he dropped as he fell. This was not what he had in mind when he was given this escort mission... Imperial Palace, Khanbaliq, 1948 YúBó was glad to be back in Khanbaliq, even for a short time, the snows in the country had begun to melt with the springtime. For the first time in months, you could even see the sun in all of its warming glory. What was worrying, however, was that Afiq was with him. It's very rare for a Persian to be summoned by the council, let alone have an audience with the Inner Court. If The Great Khan is present, YúBó just might have a heart-attack. "Do you know what they're going to ask us?" Afiq broke their nearly three-day silence. "You know as much as I, Afiq. Why would they share anything with me?" YúBó decided the loaded question would be an entertaining way to take the conversation. He reached down for his cigarettes, one left. Afiq quizzically looked at the walls to the palace, looked down to his hands, then finally gestured around him. "Well, I am Persian, you are at least from this part of the land. Have you seen the way they stare at me?" "Everyone is equal in this Empire, Afiq. There is no information bias here. All I do know is that this summons was made only a few days after Udan-7's launch--- Boy!" YúBó waved over a teenage boy that was selling packs of cigarettes and started speaking in a dialect of Chinese that Afiq did not recognize. They continued walking to the palace entrance in silence. "Damn... out of matches" * * * * * "You are what?" Afiq was noticeably agitated and started to lose composure. The Science Councilman stood from his desk with the new assignment. "We are separating the development of liquid and solid fuel rocketry. Chu YúBó, you are to remain in Semnan and develop liquid-fueled launch platforms as well as accelerate the manned launch programs. Afiq al-Madini, you will take charge of weapon's development and solid-fueled launch platforms, as well as booster systems for first-stage launch vehicles. Both of you will have the rest of the day to pick the members of your teams. Remember, do not see this as downsizing, The Great Khan is seeking to further enhance our superiority over the Franco-British rocket-technology. Funding will not be decreased for MSI, and the Solid Division will have its own budget and goals." Councilman Yasavi turned away from them and gestured to the door. There would be no arguing for reconsideration. Afiq hadn't broken his gaze off the Khan's seal on the parchment, many would consider it an honor to have a wax seal from The Great Khan, but this was only a dagger to his heart. A few hours had passed, Afiq and YúBó were never the best of "friends" during their time together at MSI, but this change brought nothing but pain to their hearts. They had realized that in these past five years that they were indeed friends. They enjoyed one last week together, YúBó was given the chance to visit the new plot of land to be converted for the new Defence Rocketry Division. They were both surprised to see that the candidates Afiq had chosen were already there and waiting for him in their barracks. It was time for YúBó to return to Semnan, they exchanged their goodbyes as he boarded his train for home. YúBó had already begun assembling his manned flight pilots in a list as the train slowly built up speed. He took one last look out the window to see Afiq and his new team. YúBó never saw Afiq again. * * * * * Eight months later, Semnan Launch Centre "Hello and welcome to the first live broadcast from the Semnan Launch Centre's observation platform! My name is Sander Andrejev from the Russian Royal News, sitting here with hundreds of other commentators broadcasting in many different languages for all to hear around the world. We first received word of a rocket launch with a man on board about three months prior, today's launch is what is termed as 'Sub-Orbital' which means the Imperial Test Pilot will only be away for approximately ten minutes. We are just minutes away from launch! We will bring you minute by minute news, after a word from our sponsors!"

Well, Semnan (Iran) LC is already pretty high up.. So I don't think my TWR is really at 1.03. I'd have guessed it to been a decent 1.1 at that point.

Chapter 1, Part 5: Loss of Signal Semnan Launch Centre barracks, Persian Region, GE "No, no, NO, NOO! You cannot just strap on those gods-forsaken missiles to the side and hope that it will launch again! We don't have the money anymore!" YúBó screamed as he kicked the table over. "We aren't developing an intercontinental missile that needs to launch in a storm, we are making a rocket for an orbital satellite!" Afiq sat back in his chair as his tea and dinner flew away with the table. He stared at YúBó as he paced in the room, his hair was pulled in every direction possible, locking eyes back at Afiq, he continued. "I know you Persians have a affinity for these Solid Fuel motors, but they are dangerous. I have no idea how the Francs did it over with their rocket, but we can't possibly try and emulate that. Stick with the vernier thrusters and call it a day. This will be the fourth launch... if it fails..." YúBó trailed off as he stared back at the whiteboard on the wall. Afiq stood up, repositioning the table and chairs, he walked over to YúBó and calmly put his hand on his shoulder, YúBó turned and faced him. Afiq was a man of few words, but somehow was still able to infuriate his Chinese and Mongol counterparts with just the raising of one eyebrow. YúBó sighed and started to pick up the broken plates on the floor. "I'm... I'm sorry. I don't know how long it's been since I have slept. We can continue the discussion another time. For now, the XG-1b will be on the pad by this weekend. If it doesn't work, well... Let's just say we won't be seeing each other for a long time--they'll disband the MSI." YúBó left the room. Afiq went back and took his coffee, he opened the schedule for this week and saw that it had been over six months since the Shangdi launched. It's felt like an eternity. They had no idea what the FBU was up to or if they were having similar issues. That the Shangdi even launched was a miracle, that is in orbit is nothing short of a gift from God. * * * * * YúBó walked back to his quarters, his eyes felt as though they were weighed down by lead weights and that he had ants crawling on the back of his eyelids. As tired as he was, when he'd lie in bed, all he could see were numbers and the various threats thrust upon him with every failed launch. If they want to continue with this project, they'd need to prove their worth with the next launch, the Khan was already losing his faith in him. The world is already suspecting that the launches are just a front for a new weapons program, they weren't wrong. YúBó despised that the Dark Works team has been taking every piece of information from his team for whatever evil they were concocting in the East. It's partially why he hopes to dispel the continued development of the Solid Rocket project. Though he suspects that the Persians have other plans in mind. He didn't like being kept in the dark about this or why the others insisted on increasing production. YúBó slowly faded into unconsciousness as he thought of the coming launch. * * * * * Launch Day, SLC Pad-1.

Chapter 1, Part 4: Anxiety Jamestown, Greater Commonwealth David sat at the edge of the old pier, the cold mist floating like a ghost over the still morning waters. With the news of Mongols parading their victory literally over his head, his constant state of hopeless depression had hit an all-time low. It's been two months since MSI made orbit and they were still having trouble with their own rocket probe, Oceanic. Even worse, the rocket was barely working, having to use an all-solid first stage was difficult at best, disaster at its worst. Holding some small stones that he'd gathered on his walk over, David began skipping stones along the surface of the once very calm waters. It'd been twenty minutes before he even realized that his partner, Jacque, was waiting at the bench, newspaper and coffees in hand. "You know, it's polite to let someone know when you sidle up behind them." David had said in his monotone voice, all the while still skipping stones across the water, ten skips was his record. "Would you have even bothered to look back and say good morning if I had?" Jacque replied as he lit his cigarette, he even offered David one. As always, he declined the smoke. David shrugged at Jacque's question, they'd been working together long enough to know what the next move was. In a pavlovian series of motions, David walked over and sat at the bench next to Jacque, taking the other coffee and newspaper, black with four sugars. "I cut something out, I don't think you'll want to read it." Jacque said as he threw a crumpled up trimming of David's newspaper into the water. "What, the Mongols wrangle the Moon and bring it closer to Earth?" David answered wryly, watching the ball of paper float away with the current. A minute or two passed before Jacque gathered his words. "Not quite..." Jacque stood up, "They're still ahead of us, we need to accelerate the launch, I think if--" "I told you last time, and I will tell you again, it's not ready. You know what happened when you didn't listen to me. You can trust in your engineers, but trust me when I say that your Inquisitors will not hold together..." David gulped his coffee down, whincing as he pretended the scalding liquid didn't burn his tongue. Jacque walked away slowly, crossing his hands behind his back in a way that added a good five years to his otherwise youthful self. David knew what Jacque would say next. As Jacque drew his breath in, David mimicked him in perfect unison: "C'est la vie." * * * * * Three weeks later. Gunter sat up straight at his panel, beads of sweat gathered at his brow as he watched fuel pressures carefully. It was about to be his turn to make the call on whether or not they would proceed. "How're the tanks doing, Gunter?" Jacque whispered as he leaned over from his desk. Gunter could only shrug as he dabbed his forhead with a towel. Another awkward moment of silence passed before he turned to Jacque and said, "Yes, it should fly.". Jacque gave a hard smack on the back of Gunter's shoulder, leaving a painful stinging sensation as Jacque yelled GO over the console. David sat back at the main control desk and nodded to the mission controller, this was their last shot for success. This launch just had to work. * * * * * * * * * * Twelve hours later, Khanbaliq, GE. Fei walked hurriedly down the hall with the confirmation, the Europeans had done it. There's been a buzz all through the night as the Air Defense team noticed a missile launch coming from the Commonwealth. Now she just had to tell the Khan and his court that the FBU is in this conquest for space. What was normally a twenty minute walk felt like just three minutes, she stood and composed herself as she knocked on the two meter tall, red door. On the other side was an even taller Royal Guard, had it not been one that knew her she'd have been frightened to death of the Guard. The guard, dressed in the traditional hide and iron armour, held his hand out, telling her to wait. He looked back at the Khan as he invisibly nodded and then let Fei pass. Giving another bow, she let the news out. "It was apparently a close-call for their Air Force. From what we have heard, the rocket is largely being controlled by their military forces. There have been no signs of another launch or that they really even expected this to work. They're surprised as much as we are..." Fei handed binders out to the members of the court. "All of the rocket's stages were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean. The news agency being broadcast in the British region is declaring a 'victory for all men' and are encouraging the public in expecting another, more ambitious mission to follow soon." The Khan stared intently at the binder given to him, rubbing his temples as he motioned with his other hand for a telephone connection to the FBU Leadership. He held the phone in his hand for a moment before telling the court, "The good news is that we did it first. From what we have learned here, our probe is more advanced and our rocket is more capable. This is still our race, we will continue to lead it..." The Khan looked down and gestured for everyone to leave. As Fei left the room, she was relieved. She didn't know what to expect, and this was the first time the Khan had allowed her into the Court, let alone make eye contact with her. She realized her hands were shaking. Asia's most powerful leaders, spanning from Manchu to Persia, even a representitive from Bharat was in council, which was...odd.

Chapter 1, Part 3: Grace Project Shangdi: Shangdi-1 YúBó breathed in with chattering teeth, these winter mornings in Persia were colder than he anticipated. Rolling over, he saw the time on the wall. Only 2AM he thought to himself as he let out a long breath, vapor visibly pouring out of his nose and mouth. It'd been over three years since being hired at MSI, in those three years, not a single craft has made it successfully into orbit. Giving up on the possibility of sleep, YúBó rolled out of his bed and shuffled his way over to the desk. Strewn around the top were pages and pages of sketches, math problems and various formulas, prints of previous rockets going back to Copernicus, photos of the Franco-Brit's first sub-orbital rockets - which were genuine as far as he and the team could tell, and then his journal he's kept since arriving at SLC. During the War, he had designed a number of short-range rockets and even some planes, he despised every minute of it. When his projects were a success he had a mixed bag of bittersweet emotions. Pride for his designs being a success, but also realizing that his designs were weapons of war. He could only take pride in their efficiency, even that was, at times, detestable. Tomorrow would be the launch of the Project's first rocket. Getting parts of his previous designs like the Guanyi and reworking it to put objects into space was a unique challenge, but forcing it to work with the Persian-made Xerxes was something that he was never comfortable with. The Xerxes was unreliable and its record reflected that. With the overhaul on the designs and basically strapping four of them together under one hull, he hoped it'd be workable enough for space, or at least part of the way there. * * * * * Coffee. The only liquid fuel used more than Kerosene at SLC; it was the only thing that kept Wu-Jie alive in these past few weeks leading to launch. No amount of lukewarm coffee and old dates could keep him satisfied until this rocket took off. Just two doors over, the Great Khan himself was waiting in the VIP observation room (made just for him and his staff) awaiting the make-it-or-break-it moment that was coming up. "Stand by for Terminal Countdown. I will call your positions, you are to answer 'Go' when nominal conditions are met, or 'No Go' when your conclusions are unsatisfactory." Launch Control Director Papak Farrokhzad took in a deep breath as he fingered through the checklist and called through the entire Launch Centres operators. All Go. The timer continued to run as he glanced over and saw the Great Khan through the opaque window, he gave a thumbs up to the Launch Team. Papak took one last look at the clock, T-30 seconds. "Here we go." * * * * * MSI at it again! Manmade object in orbit! At approximately 6AM, , residents of the FBU could hear, on their radios, a loud beeping sound followed by a short transmission from Mongolia through the means of an object they had launched into space. Millions are stunned and in awe of the surprising success out of what was a struggling campaign. Later this week, the Khan of the Empire will speak on the future of their space-programme and its goals. With news of the Eastern People doing such fantastic things in the heavens, it makes us wonder, when will we join them?. When we reached out to The Planetary Sciences board, they refused to comment. There have been rumors of tests over the ocean and in the Western Colonies, but what will come of it? We will have to wait and see! Erik Blanche, BBC, London.