KSK

Assuming that you can, it might be more fuel efficient to land on Duna and then re-launch into a more equatorial orbit.

Welcome to the Library. Please look around and browse. For any comments or suggestions please use this thread. Songs and Poetry The Dream - The Epic of Gilgaman Kerman by @AdmiralAndre Parton Kerman's Journal by @Apollo42 Eeloo - A parody of "Payphone" by @BigBoy734 Heroes Tonight - Parody of Chasing the Sun by @BigBoy734 Ode to the Jumbo 64 by @Chozo Nomad Minmus & Company: The consequences of planetary sentience by @Commissioner Tadpole Lost in Mind - KSP expression poetry series by @cratercracker (Poetry) by @cratercracker (Poetry 2) by @cratercracker I Wanna Take Off - by @dc4bs Duxwing's Kerbal Poetry by @Duxwing Felsmak's song parodies by @Felsmak KSP Open-Mic Poetry by @Geschosskopf Songs of the Travelling Circus by @Geschosskopf The Kraken and the Engineer by @Geschosskopf KSP Rhapsody and Interstellar by @Googol Krakenmas Carols by @GregroxMun Kerbal Leaf Rag by @GregroxMun Loss of Gravity by @GregroxMun Nuclear-Thermal (Parody of Radioactive) by @GregroxMun The Little Kerbette: Don't go to space! by @GregroxMun Wernher von Kerman vs Wernher von Braun, an Epic Rap Battle of History by @GregroxMun Missing home by @GregroxMun The MET +59 Seconds Song by @Gryphon Goodnight Mun by @Hayoo Kuran-Kuran: This is the Moon Laythe by @Holo The Rescue by @Jatwaa The Kraken Waits by @Jatwaa The Forgotten Ones by @kola2DONO In the year 2525 by @Kerbal pancake Every Kerbal is Sacred by @Krevsin Jeb by @krob99 Some Poetry by @LavaCake Libretto for a KSP-themed opera by @MedwedianPresident The 42 Eggs by @MrWalrus123 Who Will Save You Now - Grand Tour Edition by @mythic_fci KSP Parody to "This is what it feels like" by @NASAFanboy Hark the Kraken, Glitches Singing by @NASAFanboy Let it Crash, KSP Parody of "Let it Go" from Frozen by @NASAFanboy "We're Going Down" - Parody of For What's Its Worth by @NASAFanboy United States of Kerberica Anthem by @Plaatinum Aerospace Billkermian Rhapsody Song by @Precambrianmollusc Drop the Boosters, We're Almost Done (parody of This is What it Feels Like) by @RedDwarfIV What does the Mun say? by @Sun Jeb vs Newtonian Physics by @Selrahc4040 A fun diversion. For kerbals and humans too. KSP haikus by @SkyRender The Plernets by @SpaceSphereOfDeath Strut it up! by @Spacetraindriver Song snip-its by @steuben One Night on Alpha by @The Error KSP Haiku Thread by @The Jedi Master Parody of 'Just One Yesterday' by Fallout Boy - by @Timberwolfer T'was the Night Before 0.22 by @Tw1 Space Lightning by @Tw1 What do we do with a drunken kerbal? A space shanty by @Tw1 Jeb's Song by @Tw1 Whackjob's KSP variant of Tim Minchin's 'Drowned' by @Whackjob Jeb's in the saddle by @Whackjob Kerbish Holiday Songs by @Whackjob The Kerbal Way by @wired2thenet 12 Days by @Xacktar Use the Probodobyne... by @Zuni Humour The Kerbal Frontier by @cy4n When We Were Lemmings - Sort-of-a-Space-Odyssey by @Lar-E Rendezvous with Karma - Sort-of-a-Space-Odyssey by @Lar-E I, Kerbonaut by @Lar-E An Interview with an Kerbonaut by @Poryy Safety Review by @PrivateFlip A Tale of Many Burns by @purpleivan 2001: Absurdity Calls by @purpleivan 2001: A Space Absurdity by @purpleivan 2010 - The Year we make Kontact by @purpleivan Tales from the Backroom by @purpleivan I'm sorry Jeb - but I'm going to have to bench you by @Rocket Farmer The meaning of Fupp by @quasarrgames The Kerb Kerman Show! by @Xacktar Graphic Novels DMSP - The Story of a Space Program by @DMSP Duna, Ore Bust! by @Kuzzter Eve: Order Zero by @Kuzzter From a Childhood Dream by @Tw1 Incidents A Terra Usque Ad Caelum - To the sky from the ground by @19chickens Munstar 21 by @aceassasin The Mun Incident by @AkiraSpace Curse of the Southern Munolith by @Alchemist Kerpollo-Koyuz - First Docking by @Agent30632 The Final Flight by @Agent30632 First flight! by @apolloman Bill's Epic Pout by @ArmchairGravy Bill Kerman - a eulogy by @bigcalm Replacement Part by @Commander Zoom SCP-2000-FW-Command-Pod-Mk2-3 by @Commissioner Tadpole How Jeb got so BadAss by @Draconiator Very Big Space Program by @FlamingPotatoes When Boredom Leads to Writing by @Fred Cop KSP Fanfic awesome by @fredinno KSP Creepypasta - Kerbal Death Program by @fredinno A Fine Flight by @Generalstarwars333 The lot was full of trash by @GregroxMun A Gripping Crash by @jarratt51 KSP - Iron Horses - Volume 1 - Afrika by @KenjiKrafts A very short story by @Kokoro Jebediah Kerman, First Kerbal on the Mun by @LaydeeDem Where the hell has this thing been by @leopardenthusiast First Kontact: The Discovery of Kerbals by @lordmuffin Got-out-and-pushed - by @MajorThomas Imperius Kerbalius by @NASAFanboy Alnand Kerman: A Short Story... by @Rainbowtrout Re-entry by @Sesni Monolith [CreepyPasta] by @Souper Kerbal Space Program - First Steps. Game Story Script - by @SquaredSpekz Tales of the Groundbound: Preface and Table by @steuben They all met in the war by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: First Small Steps, Chapters 1 and 2 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Why, Chapter 3 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: The first payment, Chapter 4 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Chapter 5: A Simple Set of Problems by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: The Blue Side, Chapter 6 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Two Eggs in a Basket, Chapter 7 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Linus and the Computers, Chapter 8 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Counting and Accounts, Chapter 8.5 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Scimon and the Mun, Chapter 9 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound, A New Bird in the Flock, Chapter 10 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Chapter 11, By The Pale Munlight by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: A hand into the black, Chapter 12, by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: A Coming Drought for the Prairie, Chapter 13, by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Pause Turn Go, Chapter 14 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: A perfect answer? Chapter 15 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Ring Rung, Chapter 16 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Broken Bird, Chapter 17 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: KOL Black, Chapter 18 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: A Leap, Chapter 19 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Ready for Their Closeup, Chapter 20 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Simple Difficulty, Chapter 23 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Opening A New Path, Chapter 26 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Munbound, Groundbound, Chapter 27 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Frozen Skin Worth Mining, Chapter 28 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: Unproven. Experimental. Prototype, Chapter 35 by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: The Creed and the Crest by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: The Birds of the Flocks, Supplemental Material by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: The OST by @steuben Tales of the Groundbound: There and On the Dock by @steuben The Arrtee - Mission in PlanetFactory by @Sun Jebediah and the Death Plane by @superecnate The Scream (Kreepypasta) by @The Fleet Master Carnage on the Runway by @themaxus Interview with Jo Kerman - Entrevista com Jo Kerman by @thomas the kerbonaut Larry Kerman: Kerbaboy! by @Tw1 Kerbals meet Apollo 11 by @Voyager275 Finally, Vall and Back! A story by @Wayfare Short Stories Munwalkers by @aceassasin Where it blows by @Agent30632 My KSP short stories by @Anomalous_Matter Perished - a 1000 word short story by @Candlelight Thrillmaster: Legend of Jeb by @Charzy The Bittersweet Tale of Commander Elbald Kerbal by @Chris -BEANS- On the verge of tearing apart - KSP Based short novel by @Columbia Hazards - KSP-based short novel by @Columbia Skywalker's Run by @Commander Zoom The Tale of the Mighty Colossus by @CrashTestDummy [Creepy Story] You should have smiled by @Dspan_000 Outer Space Delivery Men by @GabrielG.A.B.Fonseca The Porthole by @Geeny Landing by @Geometrian A short little WWIIish KSP story by @Generalstarwars333 The Story of the Laythean Conflict by @Generalstarwars333 Inspiration by @GregroxMun The Story of Jake Kermin by @halo2austin Above and Beyond by @Joshmo A Standard Supply Run by @Joshmo The Eternity Device - a Kerbal Future Tale by @KAL 9000 Another day at the office for Bob by @Kerbart A Voyage for the Ages by @KSK Fire-Forged - A KSP Short Story by @March Unto Torment Pointed Starward by @NASAFanboy Minmus 1 by @Nikolai Minmus or Bust by @NuclearWarfare The Lunar Incident by @NuclearWarfare Thrillmaster to the Core by @ping111 The Chance of a Lifetime by @pushingrobot Off the wall story - Descent by @Polyoxide KSP Short Story by @rewdew2 The Mun Misadventures by @Robbiezd Bill's Food by @rockets-don't-make-toast The Last Flight of Jebediah Kerman by @Salamander A failed mission by @SpaceOddity Adventures of Jeb, Bill and Bob by @Startreader Tales from the Swan - A Turtle stops Flying by @steuben Tales from the Swan - Last Flight of a Sow by @steuben Tales from the Swan - the Eagles and the Senator by @steuben Tales From the Swan: A Shepard by @steuben Kerbal Space Program - A Lost Hero by @swiftgates24 The Discovery of Jool by @The Destroyer Quieter Days by @The Error Should Bill be A Badass Too? (Alternative Title Bill's Folly) by @The Flying Kerbal Tale of a Space Program by @The Jedi Master Jebediah by @The Jedi Master The Story of Jebediah Kerman by @TheJokerMan The Beleaguered Return by @TheShadow1138 The Beginning of it all - A story of Jeb's first launch by @tobjv A cold day in space by @tobjv Prologue to a (possible) series by @Vaporo On the Altar of Science by @Wampa842 A Kerbal's First Spacewalk by @VincentMcConnell A Totally Kerbal Launch by @VincentMcConnell A Shade of Darkness by @Vostok The Story behind an Invention by @Xel_AI Fiction Eeloo is no Goddess by @Atubara Eeloo is no Goddess Remastered by @Atubara Shadows of the Kraken: Remastered & The Lost Chapters by @CatastrophicFailure Whispers of the Kraken by @CatastrophicFailure World War K by @DarkOwl57 The Saga of Emiko Station by @Just Jim On This Day - an Apollo 11 tribute by @KSK First Flight by @KSK Chronicles of an Administrator by @Thalamask The Ballad of Chadmore Kerman by @tntristan12 The Great War by @TotallyNotHuman After Action Reports Jool of Kerbol system or There and Back Again by @czokletmuss The Grand Tour - Voyage To The Planets by @czokletmuss Duna rescue mission by @Duke23 CONCORD Research and Engineering: Storm in the Stars by @HippieGold Development - A Journey to Space by @Mekan1k Construction - A Journey to Space by @Mekan1k Vengeance - A Journey to Space by @Mekan1k Colonization: Chapter 1 - Farside Crater by @Patupi Colonization: Chapter 2 - Lalock Valley by @Patupi Colonization: Chapter 3 - Tylen Sea by @Patupi Colonization: Chapter 4 - Munbase Alpha by @Patupi Colonization: Chapter 5 - Jool Explorer by @Patupi The Venturer Program: Mission One by @RogueMason Outreach Colony - The home on Duna by @RogueMason The Delivery - A short Journey to Eve by @RogueMason The Venturer Program: Dres Expedition by @RogueMason The Venturer Program: Resurgence by @RogueMason Odysseus - Voyage to Jool by @RogueMason Project Farpoint: The Leap to Eeloo by @RogueMason Resistance - The interplanetary struggle by @RogueMason The Venturer Program - Tour of the Planets by @RogueMason Mission Minmus 12 - Full Story by @ThatKerbal The Colony - Full Story by @ThatKerbal Voyage of the Odin - A Mission to Dres by @The Jedi Master The Godspeed Program - Landing on an Asteroid by @The Jedi Master Letters From Space by @Valley Non Fiction My Theories on the Biology of Kerbals by @aceassasin A kerbal universe history by @Avery616 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - on Kerbol by @Brixmon A Kerbal's Guide to Earth Sol System by @GregroxMun List of Kerbal Deities by @GregroxMun Scattered Stories: A Kerbthology by @GregroxMun Kerbal History in the Real Solar System by @GregroxMun My take on Kerbal Anatomy/Evolution/History/Society by @GregroxMun Kerbal Calendar by @GregroxMun Om nom nomenclature: Fan edition by @GregroxMun Kerbal Timeline by @GregroxMun [Invention] KGSS Continent Naming Committee by @HOC A Theory on the Lack of Surface Population on Kerbin by @Kerboman Kerbal Anatomy 101 by @kmMango The History of Kerbin by @kmMango A short treatise on the Kerbals by @KSK Lifeforms in the Kerbolar System by @MedwedianPresident Theories on the formation of Minmus by @Meritania Scientific Naming of Kerbal by @Mrcarrot On the Origin of Kerbals by @NASAFanboy The Kerbal by @NASAFanboy History of Kerbin by @ninjakids History of the Kerbin Federation by @Poryy KGSS Journal, Volume 1, Edition 1 by @Rich KGSS Journal, Volume 1, Edition 2 by @Rich The Psychology of Kerbals in Isolated Environments by @RisingAeroEngineer11 The Hitchhiker's Guide to Kerbals - A Primer on the Species by @SkyRender How the Kerbals Named their Planets by @Sylandro Kerbin Interstate System + Population Centers by @Tex New theory on Kerbal civilization by @Tex Tiny, Green and Big Headed by @Tex Kerbalus Invictus - A Biological Essay by @The Error More Kerbal Food Items by @The Optimist Kerbin Geographic and Science Society by @togfox Kerbal Origins and background by @vestradeus Onto Earth by @Zuni

Right - may as well start as I mean to go on and use this thread for posting comments to keep the library thread uncluttered. I'll be working backwards through the Fan Works forum, picking out stories as I go. Everything goes in regardless of length, story type or any other criterion. If I've missed something out or I'm working too slowly for your tastes and you want to see a particular story included right the heck now, please feel free to message me with a link and thanks in advance for the help! Conversely, if I've included something and you, the author, would rather it wasn't included, please message me and I'll remove the link. Completed stories first as mentioned above. Works in progress to be dealt with afterwards. Cheers. KSK.

Mainly because it was a (hopefully) easy place to start and simplified the choice of stories to 'finished' vs 'not finished', rather than choosing between 'unfinished but updated regularly', unfinished but updated occasionally' and 'apparently abandoned.' Thanks for the suggestion though - that looks like an easier way of filtering the unfinished stuff.

Can't say fairer than that - thanks!

OK, I think we have a plan I'll start the actual Library on a new thread - please use this one instead for any comments, suggested links to completed stories etc. First priority is to pull out all the finished stories. Whether I then include works in progress - including my own - will probably depend how long the list of finished ones is. SpaceSphere - the two I've just finished were 'Sort of a Space Odyssey' by Lar-E and 'The Ballad of Chadmore Kerman' by tntristan12. Took me a little while to get into 'Odyssey' but it ended up being (literally) laugh out loud reading. 'Ballad' will twist your mind - I thoroughly recommend it if you havn't already read it.

Hey folks, I've been following a couple of stories lately which (sadly) are now finished. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them and it seems a shame to watch them fade away as they get buried my newer or frequently updated threads. With that in mind, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a Library thread? It wouldn't be particularly complicated, just a stickied thread (hence the need for moderator approval) with a list of links to completed stories, their author and possibly a 2-3 line precis of the story provided by the author. If the list gets long enough it could be broken down into separate genre lists, for example, AARs, short stories, parodies, war stories. I'd be happy to set up the Library and keep it updated. Cheers, KSK. Edit: I havn't seen this suggested before but please feel free to point me at the relevant thread if I'm just rehashing an old idea here.

Thanks! Hopefully there won't be too many holds and I'll get to see the launch before bed.

If I remember correctly, the 1.0 tanks were manufactured in sections and then friction stir-welded together. The first and second stage tanks used the same diameter sections (which is why the the F9 doesn't taper), just different numbers of them. Assuming that I have that right, making stretched tanks for v1.1 could be as simple as adding another section or two to the 1.0 tanks.

Heh. I enjoyed the added detail but yes, probably not something to use every time. Good to see Jeb getting back to his roots though!

Heh - having Xacktar Himself on the show would be excellent! Maybe he could carry an officer's baton and (badly) conduct the music for that days rendition of 'All Hail Xacktar' in person.

It's certainly not canon but that's broadly how my story (work in progress, see signature for link) goes. Apart from the killing the contractors bit.

Your doctor can give you a creme for th... OH rep bubbles. Never mind, carry on.

I'm going to miss this. Have fun on Eeloo boys and don't forget to send Gene a nice postcard and souvenir lump of snow!

The writing department may have goofed but props to the director for using a single light source to make sure all the shadows go the same way!

Sometimes fire goes up...

Next chapter is up. A Journey Around the World Jeb lifted the picture onto its hook and squinted as he tilted it from side to side, holding it carefully by the edges of its frame. Satisfied, he climbed down off the chair and stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Not bad, Jeb," said Geneney, “Bill's photo from the Kerbal 1 is still my favourite though." He stepped into Jeb's office. “Kerbin from thirty kilometres, Kerbin from orbit and the far side of the Mün. What's next - Minmus from orbit?" Jeb grinned. “Actually I thought a nice snap of you posing by the lander on Minmus would finish the set off nicely, Genie." Geneney rolled his eyes. “I admire your ambition, Jeb - but believe me - I know exactly how much we need to do before we can even think about it." he said, scrunching his voice into a passable imitation of Wernher's gruff tones. Jeb laughed. “With a voice like that you could be his long lost brother, Genie." 'Whose brother would that be?", said Wernher as he walked in and took a seat by Jeb's desk. “Oh nice - is that one of the high res images from the Muna 2, Jeb? A couple more of those on the wall and people might even start to believe that we're running a space program from here." He raised an eyebrow. “Although we do indeed have a lot to do before you can take that picture of Gene on Minmus." Jeb had the sense to keep a straight face as Geneney blushed. “Speaking of which, Genie," he said, “how's the new Mark 2 capsule coming along?" “Not much more than an engineering mockup at the moment, Jeb," said Joemy from the doorway. “Nothing you could stick on top of a booster but it's a good test bed for crew fit and function and the new environmental systems." “Are we still on for a three kerbal crew?" “Probably," said Joemy, “provided that we can fit all the electronic gear in too. The lower equipment bay is starting to look a bit crowded but Bill's working on that. Oh hey, Bill - we were just talking about the electronics for the Mark 2." Bill slumped into a chair. “Talk to me about that, once we've got the Mark 1 working properly," he said. “Any chance of a coffee, Jeb?" “Right behind you, Bill," said Jeb, “Still having problems with the radar then?" “Oh the radar is fine, Jeb," said Bill as he poured himself a coffee. He added a lump of sugar, paused for a moment and added two more. “Edsen found some lighter weight parts in that heap of old avionics gear that Ornie brought over. No it's the computer that's giving us all the problems." “A three sugar problem?"said Jeb, “We havn't had one of those for a while." Bill sighed as he took a sip of the thick, sweet brew. “No we haven't,“ he said, “although the radar came close. But getting the computer to talk to the radar and the SAS, making a robust enough interface board to survive the launch and making the whole mess small and light enough to cram into a Moho capsule is very definitely a three sugar problem." “We can give you more weight to work with," said Wernher, “The LV909 in the upper stage is more efficient than the 905, so we can handle a slightly heavier capsule for the same fuel load." Bill stared into his mug. “That's something anyway. Thanks, Wernher." Just then, Lucan stuck his head around the door. “Sorry I'm late," he said. “The last Whirligig run took longer than expected. What have I missed?" “Three sugars," said Jeb. Lucan grimaced. “Computer still causing problems, Bill?" he asked Bill looked up. “Edsen and Neling got the radar working at last," he said, “but we're having problems integrating the computer with the radar, SAS and rate indicators." Lucan sat down beside him. “What if we pull the computer?" he said, “Will the radar play nicely with the rest of the capsule systems?" Bill took another sip of coffee as he thought it over. “It should do," he said at last, “The computer takes data from the radar but isn't needed to control it. I should be able to rig up a reporter system so that Adelan can get rate, range and bearing data directly and hand off the calculations to Mission Control. It's a cumbersome way to fly though." “Actually," said Lucan, “I don't think it'll be that bad. A couple of guys in the flight dynamics team have been figuring out some backup options. Visual navigation techniques, manoeuvre charts for flying manual rendezvous, that kind of thing. Theoretically we could just about do the whole thing by hand if we had to." “Have you run these on the Whirligig?" said Jeb. “We've had a couple of goes with the charts," said Lucan. “but the Whirligig isn't a good enough sim for the visual navigation procedures." Geneney looked thoughtful. "It'll need some work," he said, “but using the backup options for a non-critical rendezvous would be a valuable test anyway and it would give Bill's team more time." “Assuming that Adelan is willing, that sounds like a plan to me," said Jeb. “We'll need to have the computers working for Moho 5 and 6 though." Bill nodded. “We will," he said, “and we'll have them working by then, Jeb." “I know you will, Bill. Right, what's next?" Geneney pulled a notebook out of his pocket. “I had a rather interesting phone call the other day from a Mr Lodan," he said. “Apparently he's the director of the Kerbin Space Agency..." Jeb choked on his coffee. “The what!" “That's about what I thought," said Geneney, “Director Lodan was remarkably non-specific about the details of his space agency but he did wonder whether we would be interested in joining his tracking and communication network." Lucan looked across at him. “I'd say that we might be," he said, “What does it involve?" “As far as I could work out, free access to three tracking and communication stations," said Geneney. “The first one has just finished testing - that's down by the Koluclaw mountains. I'm not quite sure where the others are - Mr Lodan did mention place names but they didn't mean much to me." Lucan scratched his ear. “Another station out by the Koluclaws, would be useful," he said. "Between that and Sigbin and Doodie's station, it would improve our orbital coverage quite a bit. Are you sure you didn't recognise those other names, Gene?" “Afraid not," said Geneney, “but I think they were supposed to be placed equidistantly around Kerbin, or as near to equidistant as they could manage." Jeb sat up straight. “Now that would be helpful," he said. “Even better coverage for orbital spacecraft but more importantly - proper communications and tracking for Mün bound craft."He scowled. “There has to be a catch here somewhere." Geneney shrugged. “Mr Lodan did say that his facilities were for 'the further development and free use of any and all spaceflight efforts on Kerbin." “Sounds like a pompous bureaucrat to me," muttered Jeb, “This is a government organisation if I ever heard one." “Probably," said Geneney, “but any money we can save on comms facilities is money we can spend on new hardware. And frankly, I'll take whatever help we can get right now." “Help?" said Jeb, “Genie - we've got more money now than we've ever had thanks to you. The Moho 4 is going to be more of a flying billboard than a rocket ship. That new deal with Stratus was a masterpiece and I can't believe you talked Zaltonic into taking out that sponsorship deal and giving us free batteries for the rest of the Moho flights. We've even got some of the Probodyne money left! I know that we can always use more funds but is it that much of a problem right now?" “Yes," said Geneney, “it is. Look - the Moho booster can put a single crew capsule into orbit with enough consumables for maybe a day. With a bit of tweaking and a lot of weight shaving, it'll put a probe into orbit around the Mün or possibly Minmus if we pare the payload back to the bare essentials. For anything else - we're going to need a bigger rocket." “How big is big?" said Jeb. “Clustered LVT-20s in the main stage, plus more of the same or scaled up Trashcans for the strap on boosters. For the second stage we might get away with a 909 but we'll probably need to use another LVT for that as well." Jeb's face fell. “Seriously, Genie - seven, maybe eight T-20s?" “Yes," said Geneney, “Using engines and parts that we have right now, that's about the minimum we need to put a Mark 2 into orbit with a very basic service and propulsion module. The good news is that a slightly downsized version would also let us put a decent sized probe around the Mün, Minmus or possibly even Duna or Eve. Roncott and Camrie have also been doing some preliminary design work on a new probe chassis." Jeb sighed. “I can see where this is going. Fine, go ahead and see what Mr Lodan is offering." “If it makes you feel any better, Jeb," said Geneney, “I'm a bit suspicious about this myself. I can't believe that a new space agency would simply spring up out of nowhere and build a Kerbin wide space tracking network unless they were planning to do something with it." Lucan laughed. "Maybe you can pick up some business for us, Gene." Jeb finished his coffee and put his mug down. “OK then. Gene has a word with Mr Lodan and in the meantime, we go ahead with Moho 4 without the flight computer. Anything else?" He looked around his office but nobody else spoke up." “Thank you, everyone." -------------- Adelan jerked forward against her harness and narrowly managed to avoid bumping her head on the hatch wheel as the first stage engine shut down. A light blinked off on her control panel as the decoupler ring fired, pushing the spent stage away from the rest of the Moho 4. Seconds later she was pushed back into her seat again as the second stage engine lit with a reassuring rumble. She caught a brief glimpse of the midnight blue sky outside the hatch window before turning her attention back to her instrument panel. “Flight, Moho 4. Second stage ignition confirmed. Altitude and velocity are green." Lucan's voice echoed in her ear. “Copy that, Moho 4. Trajectory is nominal - you're flying straight through the window." Not the best choice of words after that staging. “Understood, Flight." Adelan kept a wary eye on the booster status displays as the Moho 4 continued it's long climb to orbit but the tank pressures and engine temperature stayed firmly within their expected limits. Apart from the steady vibration from the engine it was almost like a simulated launch in the Whirligig. Yeah and its about now that the Booth Crew like to throw something into the works. Keep on top of it Adelan. "Moho 4, Flight. Forty seconds to loss of signal. All systems are Go. Good luck." “Thank you, Flight. See you on the next orbit." The radio crackled and fell silent. Twenty seconds later the second stage engine shut down and the capsule shuddered as the final decoupler ring fired to push the empty second stage away. The reaction control system fired automatically, nudging the capsule further away from the lazily tumbling rocket. As the capsule pitched down into the correct orbital attitude, Adelan's breath caught in her throat as a blue glow filled the capsule interior and she took her first proper look outside. I don't think you're in the Whirligig any more, girl. The flight plan for the first orbit was simple. Monitor capsule systems, enjoy the view and wait to re-establish contact with Mission Control. Adelan spent most of it with her face pressed up against the hatch window watching her home roll past beneath her. From this height it was almost impossible to get any sense of depth. Continents and oceans appeared flat, spread out before her like a fantastically detailed map. Towns and cities were clearly visible as irregular sprawls of densely packed shapes that flowed across their patches of landscape like amoebae, creeping around hills and insinuating themselves into the gaps between rivers. Away from the cities, a mosaic of fields and farms marched across the land broken up by forests and moors and ending in a ragged fringe near the mountains. The regular dots of Kerm groves covered farmland and moors alike. Kerbol dipped below the horizon as the capsule sped out over the ocean. Streamers of crimson and cerise light washed through the clouds and all too soon, the capsule was plunged into darkness. Then, as Adelan's eyes adjusted, the stars came out around her. The softly glowing band of the Great River dominated her view but even from this perspective she could recognise some of the constellations; the Octopus, the Minor Fishes and the Little Snake, the Cookpot, the Plough and the Ship. Around and far beyond the familiar patterns from her childhood, uncounted shoals of new stars littered the sky. They all look very different today, she murmured to herself as the capsule raced onwards. The lights on the instrument panel dimmed as the first faint rays of light from Kerbol filtered through the clouds below. The radio crackled and buzzed and then she heard Sigbin's familiar voice. “Moho 4, Wakira Station. Come in, Moho 4." “Wakira Station, Moho 4. Peaceful morning, Sigbin." “Peaceful morning to you too, Adelan. We're tracking you in a one six two by one eighty eight orbit. Barkton will confirm timing for the first burn but in the meantime we've got some thrusters to warm up." “I have the checklist, Wakira. Standing by." Adelan set to work, setting switch positions and watching for warning lights as she brought the reaction control system online. “My board is green, Wakira. Please confirm." “Our board is green, Moho 4." “Horizon scanners are good. Starting IGU check." The navball attitude and direction indicator on Adelan's control panel shifted slightly as the guidance system updated the gyro positions in the inertial guidance unit, aligning them with the capsule axes. “Platform is good, Wakira, Re-orienting to local horizon." “Go ahead, Moho 4." Adelan took hold of the hand controller and nudged it gently to one side. There was a quick rattle of solenoids as the reaction control rockets fired, slewing the capsule slowly round. She watched the navball intently as it drifted round and then fired a second burst from to bring the capsule to a halt. Deftly she twisted the handgrip a fraction, triggering a second set of control thrusters. The capsule spun about it's axis. Flame puffed out of the thrusters again and it stopped. “Wakira, Moho 4. Oriented to horizon, roll and yaw control is good." “Copy that, Moho 4. Standby for handover to Barkton Control." “Thank you, Wakira. Have a good day down there - looks like it's going to be a scorcher." “Tell us about it. Wakira Station out." The capsule was silent for a moment and then Lucan's voice crackled over her headset. “Moho 4, Flight. How's it looking up there, Adelan?" “Beautiful view from here, Flight. Capsule systems are good, platform is aligned, RCS checks out in roll and yaw." “Understood, Moho 4. Everything looks good from here too. We'll confirm RCS in pitch and then we're Go for catch up. According to the flight dynamics team we can proceed as planned with an orbit raising burn at MET one-four-two minutes followed by circularisation at MET one-nine-one dot thirty minutes." “Copy that, Flight. Apoapsis to two one zero kilometres and then circularise at the start of orbit three. Do you have the burn times? “Affirmative, Moho 4. Stand by." --------------------- Four tongues of fire lit up the darkness over Kerbin, although nobody on the surface would have been able to see them. The matt black flanks of the capsule remained hidden in the dark, although yellowy white light sparkled off thruster housings and antennas. Inside the capsule, Adelan settled gently into her seat. Then the thrusters flicked off and she bobbed back up against her harness. An observer on the ground would have been extremely hard pressed to spot the Moho 4 as it crossed the terminator on its way up to the highest point in its orbit. Even with quite a powerful telescope, the small, dark, swiftly moving capsule would have been next to impossible to find. Fortunately, the KIS tracking station did not rely on optical tracking and the kerbals sitting at their consoles in Mission Control knew exactly when the craft was supposed to pass overhead. Even so Edsen was relieved to see his screen light up with data at the expected time. “Flight - we have reaquisition," he reported. He pushed his headset back and scratched his sweaty scalp. In the background he could hear one side of the ground to air dialogue as Lucan ran through a systems check with Adelan. According to the altitude reading on his console, the Moho 4 was near to apoapsis. Right on cue, it's velocity suddenly increased and then settled at precisely the pre-calculated value in the flight plan. "That's a good burn, Flight." “Copy that, Edsen. Let's see if we can find that satellite." Lucan turned back to his console. “Moho 4, Flight. We're Go for radar acquisition. Estimated distance to the Kerbin 1 is no more than three hundred kilometres." Aboard the Moho 4, Adelan reached out and flicked a toggle switch. In the capsule nose, Bill's rendezvous radar came to life, sweeping the space in front of the spacecraft with its electronic gaze. The reflection from the metal sphere was weak but it was enough. Adelan smiled broadly as she thumbed the microphone switch. “Flight, Moho 4. I have a lock. Range one-five-eight kilometres, bearing three dot six radial in, two dot two normal. The satisfaction in Lucan's voice was unmistakeable. “Good work. Edsen is working the next burn. Stand by. Several orbits later, the satisfaction had given way to frustration. “This just isn't working, Flight! Maybe an onboard computer or more comms uptime would do it but trying to run the manoeuvre when I'm out of touch for most of each orbit is just impossible. It doesn't matter how close I get, the damn thing just slides past at a different angle every time!" Adelan paused. “Sorry, Flight." “Judging from the language that I've been getting from the press loop, I think we can trust Leland not to write that down. We gave him a good interview with Edsen's team too. Okay, take a break and get set up for Objective Two on the next pass." “Copy that, Flight. Speak to you in an hour or so." Adelan's headset crackled and then fell silent as the Moho 4 flew over Barkton's radio horizon. She stretched as best she could in the cramped confines of the capsule and then reached for the squeeze bottle clipped to the wall. The water was tepid but still wonderfully refreshing after nearly five hours of flying. She set the bottle floating by the window, pulled a foil package out of it's clip on the wall and ripped it open. Looks like one of Ornie's compressed ration bars. Oh well, better than nothing. As she bit into the bar, her eyes lit up at the wholly unexpected taste of sweet dried sunfruit pieces and chocolate chips. I take it all back. Ornie - I think I love you!. Washing down the end of the fruit bar with a last mouthful of water, Adelan clipped the bottle back to the wall and stowed the empty foil package. Then she reached under the control panel and retrieved a coil of crinkled silvery tubing fitted with a blue adapter plug and locking collar on each end. She fitted one plug into a socket on her spacesuit, twisted it and heard it click into place. Then she twisted the locking collar in the opposite direction and felt it click into place too. Suit locked, suit lock locked. Adelan uncoiled the umbilical and plugged the other end into its socket in the arm of her seat. The tubing was stiff and drifted awkwardly around her in the zero gravity environment of the capsule. She pushed it to one side as best she could and twisted the second collar into place. Supply locked, supply lock locked She forced her hands into her stiff spacesuit gloves and secured them at the cuffs. Finally she put her helmet back on, snapping it into place on the neck ring of her suit. The suit gloves were too restrictive to let her cross her fingers, so she tapped the edge of the control panel for luck and toggled the cabin air supply switch to EVA. As cool air began to flow over her face, she switched her headset from CAB to SUIT and waited. ----------- “Wakira Station, Moho 4. Come in, Wakira." There was no reply. Adelan checked the switch positions on the communications panel and tried again. “Wakira Station, Moho 4. Come in, Wakira." She heard a faint buzz from her headset and then Sigbin's muffled voice in her ear. “Moho 4, Wakira. You're very faint, Moho 4." Adelan twisted the volume dial up to full. “I've boosted volume to maximum, Wakira. How do you read?" “Not great but enough to do the job." “Understood, Wakira. Environmental systems are Go for EVA. Requesting capsule systems check." "Copy that. Your board is green and you are Go for depress." Adelan reached out, flipped open a protective cage on her control panel and jabbed the button underneath with one padded forefinger. Immediately air began to vent from the capsule and her suit began to swell as the cabin pressure dropped. As the pressure fell below ten percent of normal, she closed the vents and re-caged the button. “Wakira, Moho 4. I'm opening the hatch." The wheel was stiff and cumbersome to operate with gloved hands but Adelan eventually managed to turn it far enough to withdraw the locking bolts and push the hatch open. She released her seat harness, took a firm hold of the hatch frame and then slowly and carefully stood up on her seat and pulled her head and body hrough the doorway into open space. There was absolute silence over the air to ground loop. Sigbin shared a worried look with Doodlie and keyed her microphone again. “Moho 4, Wakira. Do you read me?" “Loud and clear ,Wakira! You can't see me but I'm waving at you guys!" Doodlie slapped his forehead and pressed a switch on his console. “Don't bet on that, Moho 4. How about another wave for the camera?" A small television screen lit up and Doodlie's jaw dropped open. Sigbin glanced up too and promptly sat back in her chair with a thump. The curved surface of the Moho 4 filled the bottom of the screen. For the first time ever, the capsule hatch was open in flight and a space suited figure was leaning out of it and waving at them. Behind the capsule, the bright backdrop of Kerbin lit up the entire scene. The image was good enough that Sigbin could just make out clouds and the edge of the Wakira coastline. “Oh wow..." she said softly. “Moho 4, is that view as good as it looks?" “Probably even better, Wakira!" came the exuberant reply. “The view from the capsule window is spectacular enough but this... this is something else! I tell you, Sigbin - every kerbonaut that we send up needs to see this." “I don't suppose Jeb has any spaces left in the roster has he?" said Doodlie wistfully. “Not for Moho flights," said Adelan, “but we'll need plenty of new pilots for the new three kerbal capsule. We all build them - we all fly them guys." At that moment, both Doodlie and Sigbin decided that they would be taking a trip to Barkton in the not too distant future. “It's a tempting thought, Adelan. Wish we could watch you out there all day but you're about out of range. One minute to loss of signal and transfer to Barkton Control." “Understood, Wakira." Adelan waited as the radio crackled into static and back again. “Moho 4, Barkton. Come in, Moho 4." “Do I have to, Flight?" There was a pause and then a chuckle. “Not yet, Moho 4. We've got you right on camera and you've got a lot of people down here cheering at you. From the expression on Jeb's face, I think you're giving him an idea or two as well!" “The boss is watching this too, Flight?" “We're all watching this Moho 4. Everyone here at the junkyard and I don't know how many others around the world. You're headline news, Adelan!" “Too bad I can't do much more than wave at the camera, Flight." “That's good enough for us. We'll get to more complex EVAs in time but right now - you're making us proud here, Moho 4." Adelan was suddenly very thankful that her face was obscured by a reflective visor. “Uhh, thanks Flight. I just wish that everyone who helped put me up here could see this too. Flying the capsule is already pretty special but EVA... it's just me, Kerbin and the whole wide universe, Flight." For a moment, there was silence from Mission Control. “Copy that, Moho 4. I hate to bring us back to the flight plan but how's the suit holding up?" “I'm as snug as a kerblet in its pouch, Flight. Thermal control is excellent, mobility is good, environmental systems are nominal. Feels great to be able to stretch my arms without worrying about knocking into anything important." “That I can imagine, Moho 4. The Kerbal 2 was a bit cramped too but I only had to spend twenty minutes squashed between Gene and the capsule wall." Lucan paused. “OK, Moho 4, I've got a roomful of people here confirming your suit status report. How do you feel about staying outside for the extended thermal systems evaluation?" Adelan smiled behind her visor. “I'd be happy to, Flight," she said. The Moho 4 soared around the night side of Kerbin. Adelan tucked her gloved hands under the hatch wheel and watched the lights unroll beneath her. Her suit radio had long since fallen silent, leaving her to contemplate the view in peace. Enjoy it while it lasts girl she told herself You're probably the only kerbal who'll ever get to do this without having Mission Control in their ear the whole time. She glanced down and checked the suit readings on her chest. This is crazy. I'm a hundred miles into space, flying in the shadow of Kerbin and it feels like I'm tucked up in bed. Wonder if Mission Control could rig up a hammock next to the hatch? Something to lie back on and watch the stars go by. The stars faded away as Kerbol crept over the horizon, bathing Adelan and the Moho 4 in sunlight once again. Adelan sighed and prepared to climb back inside the capsule. Then she grinned. Might as well stay out here a little longer and finish the orbit first. Sigbin had to work hard to keep her voice sounding properly matter of fact. “Moho 4, Wakira. We're seeing a problem with your hatch bolts. Please confirm locking status." The voice from space still sounded a little faint. “Wakira, Moho 4. Locking status is nominal. Recommend you check external camera systems." Sigbin raised her eyebrows at Doodlie, who shrugged and flicked the camera back on. “What the...! You're still out there, Moho 4?" “Uh, it's in the flight plan, Wakira. Extended thermal systems evaluation on the suit." “Well yes, yes it is. But running the extended evaluation first time out!" Adelan's voice was soothing. “Relax, Wakira. Suit status was confirmed by Barkton before the EVA extension. Besides - I had enough light from inside the hatch and enough air in my helmet to get back inside if need be. I was just taking a nice easy journey around the world." ----------------- Astronomers all over Kerbin spotted an unusually bright shooting star passing overhead that night. The more astute ones noted its almost perfectly equatorial heading and realised what they were watching. Some of them even waved as it blazed overhead, silently wishing the pilot a safe landing. Minutes later, a dark speck sailed through the sky and out over the Great Tranquil Sea. An orange ribbon snapped out behind it, pulled taut and broke away as two orange discs burst into view. The Moho 4 was coming home. ------------------ I'd like to dedicate this one to Colonel David Randolph Scott; Apollo 15, Apollo 9 and Gemini 8, a great astronaut who never did get to take his walk around the world. << Chapter 24: Chapter 26>>

I think the horizontal rings inside the tanks are the slosh baffles. If you look at the space between the tanks and the outer skin though, it's nothing but struts (in KSP terms). This shows the construction of the first stage in a bit more detail for folks that are interested. If you think of KSP rockets as badly skinned rather than over-strutted, they become a bit more realistic. After all - these are kerbal rockets. Why bother putting that heavy, speed sapping metal skin around a rocket stage when you're going to ditch the thing 2 minutes into the flight! I'm also with Sal on this one - my designs don't tend to need many struts for whatever reason, especially after the inline remote guidance components were added (before that I relied on a probe core in a cage of struts). Maybe I'm just building too small!

Crivens - your puir wee computer! Seriously - nice chapter and that is indeed a beast of a ship. Grats on getting it off the ground without either of the big engines!

Looks like a good start to me. I'm keen to see where this goes.

Thanks folks! Tripside - what can I say! Hope I can keep that up. Will - Glad you're enjoying the Kermol stuff too - and yes that's the problem with posting this a chapter at a time, some of the earlier parts get a little buried (heh). The Seed is the chapter where we find out what's buried on the hill, although it was posted back in August.

I havn't worked out a good way of doing this for the 3 kerbal pod yet but four sepratrons stuck to a 1 kerbal pod makes a functional escape system. Just remember to set two of them slightly asymmetrically so they lift the capsule up and out, away from the booster. You lose a little payload capacity but yeah - they make a useful emergency propulsion system. I got a little overambitious with visiting multiple sites on one Mun mission and didn't quite have enough fuel to get back to Kerbin. Made it home by firing the escape rockets and then getting out and pushing for a course correction burn.

My space programs tend to be run by the imaginatively named Kerbin Space Agency or by the Kerbin Interplanetary Society (KIS) - a small tribute to the British Interplanetary Society.

Still trying to get my head around some parts but man - that was an excellent story. Here's hoping it isnt the last we hear from you - I know I'm looking forward to anything else you care to write!

It's also good for sticking on top of a Mark 1 capsule and turning it into a remote controlled rescue ship. Not that I've needed to do that *cough*.