Cydonian Monk

Might as well copy this here.... I too was hoping for a more in-depth solution. Really I was expecting to just grab raw recruits and be able to train them at the Astronaut Complex for their future roles in life. For those kerbals of mine that simply have to have a certain job: I'm giving them Middle Initials, changing until they fall into the right class. Think I'll look at the various plugins that let you rename kerbals and see if I can find an easy software-based solution for this.

Nice mission! Gemini is a thing of beauty, especially the FASA Gemini. Reminds me that I need to get another RSS install set up....

I too was hoping for a more in-depth solution. Really I was expecting to just grab raw recruits and be able to train them at the Astronaut Complex for their future roles in life. This is... a bizarre choice, especially given what's already in the Kerbal class. The experience levels at least make a bit of sense, increasing based on unique experiences.

When you do officially release the update, could I ask a favor? Could you check that all of the files for this are in the github repo and up to date? (Including any modified solution files?) I've been trying to tweak and/or rebuild KAE since.... 0.24?.... and as of yet I've never been able to get a clean build of it from either Visual Studio or Mono. (Or is there something bizarre you're doing to build this?) Thanks.

It's "Aerobraking at Eve", not "Lithobraking on Gilly". I'm with Tw1 - we gotta know more! (Nice picture, BTW.)

Sadly this appears to not be the case. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/103211 One possible solution comes to mind: Giving Kerbals a middle initial (and changing it until they're doing what you want them to do). It's not particularly elegant, but it'll work. (Edit: And by "not particularly elegant" I mean "Thanks to the new 'Names-Only' method of tracking kerbals, you now have to manually update each and every reference to a kerbal when you change their name or your save file will eat itself.") I'm sure there's a way to fix the fuel line madness. I got lucky there, with only two craft currently in space that I care about being affected, but I'd still like to not have to relauch bits and edit them into place.

There's no entry for assigning Kerbals to a job. There is no obvious pattern to any of the attributes of a Kerbal being used to assign their roles either. Not Brave, Dumb, or BadS. The only conclusion I can draw from that is the role is determined by using the Kerbal's name as a random seed, or used against some pattern in a similar method, which seems rather lazy and overly clever at the same time. I'm a bit disappointed by this. (It does mean Kerbals are predetermined to their fates simply by their names alone. There is no fate but that which we create? Ha.) While I'm only a few (7) flights into a test save, it appears that Kerbal experience level is determined either by raw number of flights or by a number of flight events. I need more data for that one. Edit: The best way to conclude what determines their role would be science: Copy kerbals between saves, see if the role is the same. Swap around Brave/Dumb/BadS settings, see if that has any bearing. I was too busy building/tweaking code and poking about the KSP API tonight to really give that a stab.

I'd love to be able to distribute those, but HGR's license is sadly "All Rights Reserved." They were fairly easy to make, just a semi-transparent green layer (that I sampled from an old Tantares green texture) over the default texture, though I seem to recall I had to cut out the orange bits. I think HGR switched to using MBMs with the latest update to get around the TGA issue, so I'm not sure that approach will work anymore. I've not used those green textures since 0.24. Edit: I'll check when I get home to see if I still have the XCF Gimp files I used to make those reskins. If so, I don't see any issue with providing a link to those (without the HGR texture underneath). Would be an easy copy-paste and export then.

Thanks! Model railroading has been my hobby since birth, so it takes precedence. Especially when we have a big group of open houses here in town spread across the month, several of which I assist with. It's a nice "social" antisocial hobby that has taught me some of my most useful life skills.

Since I've had several folks ask now I might as well write up an explanation. Understand, though, that by doing this you're probably violating one of the "rules" on the RSS instructions (which may or may not constitute a license term), if not more than one. Please don't go bothering Nathan or any of the other RSS maintainers when this fails. First: Download RSS. Just the plugin will suffice. Second: Install both the RealSolarSystem folder and ModuleManager into GameData (obvs). Third: Delete the "Compatibility" folder in GameData/RealSolarSystem. (Or keep it, if you like. Just don't expect RealHeat, SCANSat, or CustomAsteroids to be very happy with you.) Fourth: Update the configuration files. There are three left that we're concerned with, as detailed below: LaunchSites.cfg: In this config file there are two nodes we care about: %LaunchSites (leave that alone), and the Site nodes inside of it. You can copy and paste the lists of Site nodes from the LaunchSites.cfg file I posted earlier (link) into the %LaunchSites node, just don't copy the LaunchSites node itself. (I had to update the format of that as I don't use ModuleManager.) Edit, or just extract the configs from this file here: http://0div0.org/files/RSS-AL-Configs.zip It should look something like this once you're done: @REALSOLARSYSTEM:FOR[RealSolarSystem] { %LaunchSites { Site { name = ksc displayName = Kerbal Space Center description = When Kerbals dream of space their dreams start at KSC, the birthplace of spaceflight. Located on Kerbin's equator and sporting top-notch facilities, KSC is a perfect location to start any interplanetary journey. Now includes complimentary coastal erosion! PQSCity { KEYname = KSC latitude = -0.097 longitude = 285.3 repositionToSphereSurface = false repositionRadiusOffset = 41 //41 reorientFinalAngle = -17 lodvisibleRangeMult = 6 } PQSMod_MapDecalTangent { radius = 6000 heightMapDeformity = 57 //57 absoluteOffset = 11 //11 absolute = true latitude = -0.097 longitude = 285.3 //285.542 } } // Other launch sites go here. } } RealSolarSystem.cfg: Delete everything in this file except the root node. It should look like this once you're done: REALSOLARSYSTEM { } RealSolarSystemSettings.cfg: Delete everything in this file except the root node. It should look like this when you're done: REALSOLARSYSTEMSETTINGS { } Fire up KSP afterwards, and you should have a list of Launch Sites (and the launch site selector) appear in the Tracking Station on all of your saves. A Quick Note: You may actually need some of the settings in those other two files, so these instructions may not be foolproof. I only use a fork of KSCSwitcher, not the full RSS code, so I'm not sure what some of those settings default to. I only gave this a quick test to see if it still worked like it used to, I didn't check to see if timewarp was x10,000,000 or any other insane mechanics were active. Let me know any issues and I'll update these instructions. Known Issue(s): On my KSCSwitcher install, the above settings cause the Island Runway for be strangely offset. I've not tried to track this issue down, and it might be "fixed" in the main RSS branch. It doesn't seem to affect any of the other Easter Eggs on Kerbin. Enjoy!

Occasionally even the things I post in the Google+ KSP group end up in my core saves... most just get scrapped though. Some things I experiment with in sandbox get reworked again later, Hydra being one of those examples. The base of Hydra (which is a Hitchhiker with 3 of those cylindrical structural members aligned at a specific distance) was something I was testing back in KSP 0.22, if not earlier. I could just never get the crew capacity up to where it needed to be so I put it aside. SpacePlane+ changed that. More on that sometime later in the week (or perhaps next weekend). I'm also looking at a month or two lead time on some of the parts of that last update and the next, as I was too busy in November to play KSP. (National Model Railroad "Hype Train" Month, if you will.) I've been playing catch-up with the "19th KSA" save in particular.

Pioneer 4.... Somewhere deep within in the bowels of the JPL newsletter archives there's a "good" color photo of it. I remember there was discussion as to what it actually looked like when someone (was it raidernick?) was making their KSP version of it, and nobody could find a decent color photo (and the replica on Wikipedia is completely wrong). I don't even remember how I came across the issue in question (I was looking for something else), but I forgot to bookmark it.... Neither here nor there, really, and I don't recall how it stacked up against the KSP model in question. The stripes on the cone were definitely gold/black/white, though. Regardless, I'm rather enjoying these Alexandria vids so far. Would you say these are taking you more or less time to make than Gateway/Odyssey?

And just yesterday there was someone in the General forum saying that Cargo Bays are useless. Pfft. Think you found a good use for one right there. Nice mission!

Also dropped in to make the quick comparison to USAF Gemini MOL. Nice little station!

Landed on the Duna Ice Caps, no less. Nice mission!

Regarding Fuji: A few observations. First, getting a Tantares small docking port to attach to the "top" of the orbital module was a bit of a chore. For some reason the wrong node of the docking port always wants to attach (the top node of the port, instead of the bottom as it should be), thus becoming embedded. I suspect this is an issue that will go away with 0.90 and the editor overhaul, but I found it strange that it only occurs on the "top" of the module and not the "bottom". Second: I suspect the off-center RCS is due largely to the very low mass of the Fuji engine. With an ISP of 410 and a mass of 0.2 it's considerably more advanced than the stock engine in its thrust class, the LV-909, which has an ISP of 390 and mass of 0.5. Increasing the mass (to bring it more into line with "stock" performance) _might_ be enough to pull the center of mass down to the level of the RCS arms. Otherwise, I like this thing. Very small, but perhaps for small kerbals. (Ok, so it's not really /that/ much smaller than the Tantares capsule, but there can't be much room inside for so much as a plush snowman.) I'll probably use the orbital module more than the capsule though.

As an aside, I've updated the Second Post with lots of information: Launch histories, some program details, crew photos (some of the missing ones will be updated today), some Wikipedia links, and a list of the mods and plugins I use, among other information. I tend to keep that post up to date, though I will generally avoid spoilers or not list things that haven't completely happened yet. Generally. Of note on the launch histories: I stopped recording all of the 1-shot science and part test launches sometime during Ad Lunam save #16 (2 saves before this narrative began). That list for the 16th gives a good indication of just how many part tests I conduct vs actual missions. I just don't have the energy anymore to record static and/or systems tests in as detailed a manner as I do the myriad of things I test at work. I do keep records of the occasional "hey, this blew up" launch, and all of the crewed launches, of course.

The Munlit Silence Year 76 day 371 - Lake Fortunate Rebel 18 Kerbal Space Agency Shepgee looked at those gathered in the briefing room, making note of who was here and who wasn't. Podoly, Lengee, Jorble, Genekin and Bobbo were still missing, no one had heard from them since the raid on Sky's Reach. Dudry and Barting too, but they turned up as two of Gene's new crews. They really could use the veteran pilots right now. A few others were on stage with Shepgee. Milzer, the wayward program's interim flight director, Meldo, who somehow became design chief. Haloly, the astrogator and mission director who Milzer had rescued from orbit so many Münths ago. How did kerbals get to space anyway? He meant to ask Haloly someday. Shepgee stepped forward and gave his microphone a tap. "Thanks everyone for getting here on such short notice." The lights dimmed slightly and Shepgee heard the slide projector whirr to life. "As you are no doubt aware, two days ago contact with Bernoulli Station was lost. No crews were present and the station itself was already severely damaged from the, ahem, 0.25 upgrade." The slide projector ka-clunked, and one of Neilny's photos came into view. "As you can see, there was a visible gap between the docking node and the laboratory module. The explosive decompression appears to have been clean on the outside, yet the internal wiring and insulation were severely damaged, not to mention the sudden sublimation and freezing of any liquids. Our initial thought was this new loss of contact was just another electrical fault, at least until our radar team did a ranging pass. Bernoulli station is no longer in orbit. And to make matters worse, we have confirmed the station was not deorbited accidentally." Ka-click, and another slide dropped. "So much for Milzer's 'first act of space piracy'" jeered someone from the crowd. Shepgee ignored them and continued. "This is a screen capture provided by agents in the new Space Agency. This individual, Barting Kerman, one of our former crew members, was seen entering and exiting the station shortly before it began a deorbit burn." Shepgee took a quick sip of water. "We have discussed this incident with officials from the, *cough*, other space agency, and have concluded the destruction of Bernoulli was not their intent. Incidentally Barting is missing, again, as he was not in his capsule when the recovery crews arrived." "So. Bernoulli is behind us. We had planned to use it as a stepping stone for our next big project, but...." Shepgee grinned. Ka-clunk. "This is the Munlit Silence. Or will be in several Münths time. We had planned to use this vessel for a trip to Duna, but our good friend Haloly has just discovered an interesting planetary alignment we'd like to abuse: A fly-by of Jool that allows for a free-return to Kerbin. The window for this mission is only 86 days out, ands a result we've accelerated the construction of some elements of the Munlit Silence and pushed others back to a later mission." He paused and glanced around the room again, taking in the crowd. Whispers and hushed questions permeated, until a new recruit by the name of Hudrim spoke up. "So, how are we going to afford this? And where are we getting the parts?" "Well, we're beyond the point where funds are an issue. I admit we were almost bankrupt when we launched the Smeaton 3. Had that launch failed..., well, it didn't. We're not yet sure of the total launch cost for the Munlit Silence, but the vessel itself weighs in around 148,000 Roots. As for the parts, Jeb has graciously offered us a contract to test the NTRs, which we'll gladly complete once we've launched all of them we need. The only other component that's not presently available are the RTGs, but we've got a plan for those." "So, the next order of business. We're going to need a second ship for the Duna mission, but M and M will have another year to get those details hammered out. By then we should be able to do justice to Haloly's plans for a general purpose, long-duration spacecraft." Someone whispered a joke about Haloly's 'It's for Kerbals!' ideas, and half the audience descended into incoherent snickering. "That brings us to the real reason we're all here today. Crew assignments." That got everyone's attention. "The good news first. Every one of you in this room will be on either the Jool or the Duna mission. All of you. The bad news is obvious. These two missions will be our last for some time. Those of us going to Jool won't be back six years. Those of you going to Duna won't leave until late next year. And with the current unpleasantness on Kerbin, it's hard to say what the political landscape will be when we return." And the 'political landscape' was rapidly deteriorating. The League of Eight, which had split from the Unified Government of Kerbin for a myriad of reasons, was increasingly nervous about Unionist forces attempting to retake their lands by force. And the Westlanders seemed more than eager to restart the war they'd lost seven decades before, even if under the banner of the Unified Government. And with what Lem had told him, Shepgee was pretty sure it would come to open warfare. "Now, the details. I'm leading the Jool mission aboard the Munlit Silence. Haloly will be joining me as navigator. Laning was as giddy as a mortician when he realized he could study first-hand the effects of radiation exposure on living kerbals, so he'll be joining us as chief medical officer. Meanwhile, Milzer and Meldo will be leading the Duna Expedition. It's up to the rest of you to sort out who goes where. We need three Engineers on each ship, at least four pilots for the Duna landings, and the science teams to perform the required analysis work on each mission. So, argue it out amongst yourselves and let us know within two days. Any questions?" "Yeah! Will there be more snacks on the Jool mission or the Duna mission?" "Very funny Dean. Any real questions? Ok, get to it!" Year 76 day 374 - Cape Kerbin 19th Kerbal Space Agency "It's called Archimedes." Gene looked up at the interruption that waltzed into his office unannounced. Unless Archimedes was Wernher's new way of saying 'Hi', he was probably about to get an earful. Whatever ears were. "What's... called Archimedes?" His chief designer tossed a stack of blueprints on his desk. Old ones by the looks of them. Dated several years back. All signed by Wernher von Kerman. "The Mün rocket your rebel friends talked of. It was named Archimedes. Well, the rocket was named something else, but the mission was called Archimedes. And apparently I designed it, though I must admit I have no memory of doing such." Gene tried to make sense of the very large rocket he was looking at. "And it was using parts that do not yet exist." "Hmm. Where'd you dig this old mess up?" "Oh, in one of my hiding places. I had just finished the designs for the Hawk, or at least I thought I had, and was busy hiding a copy of them when I found these." Wernher flipped to a page in the designs and pointed at the booster. "These parts do not exist. I called the Kerbodyne representatives and my other contacts in their company, and they know nothing of any of this. They were happy to listen to what I had in mind, however." "I bet." "They think they can build a tank of this size, but are unsure about the large engine. I did some tweaking and found an, uh, interesting solution using the Rockomax Mainsail. So I've set about redesigning the Hawk." Gene sighed. "Wernher, we're trying to get to the Mün, and fast. All these redesigns, well..." "We can still use the Falcon for the orbital mapping missions, ja? Besides, we already have the coordinates for the first two landings. The ones your rebel friends gave us." "We've scrapped the mapping missions, so no. No funds for it. The crews from the landing missions will handle that now." Gene still wasn't sure about those coordinates. One was in a fairly rugged part of the Mün, the other... very dark and cold. His contact had told him he'd find the truth of their space race at either site. "This new design will increase our payload capacity. We can use a heavier lander. We can send two kerbals to the surface. Here." Wernher handed him a new set of blueprints. "And maybe we even launch a Duna mission, in a years time, of course." "Ok, ok, fine. Go ahead with it. But too many delays and we'll use the Falcon Lander instead. Got it?" Wernher thanked him and scurried out of his office. The Münar Flybys 19th Kerbal Space Agency The Mün provides a remarkable amount of science if you've got the right contracts and the right experiments. My tech focus so far with the 19th KSA had been more on the top of the tree, so not much was unlocked in the way of science parts. And at the time I was avoiding Home-Grown Rockets for reasons of RAM and TGA files (both issues have resolved themselves). That's how the hodgepodge of a ship like the Peregrine came to be. The first Peregrine exploded on the launchpad, nearly killing Anny Kerman. That failure was due in no small part to two very small parts: a decoupler and a sepratron. I hadn't yet unlocked launch clamps, and the contracts for testing both those parts would provide enough science to unlock clamps and several other nodes. The result was the explosion that almost bankrupted the program. (Launchpad repairs are crazy expensive!) Peregrine 2 solved two of those problems: no random parts tests and it was held down by a few big red clamps. I hadn't yet unlocked solar panels, so the Peregrine's service module was mostly comprised of AA batteries. The Goo canisters and the Science Jr were used for experiments around the Mün, and with my chosen strategy they really paid out. (Too bad those strategies are all so obviously overpowered....) Anny seemed to enjoy the trip, too, though he spent most of his time on EVA taking notes of the darkened Münar surface. "Yep, dark side of the Mün is still dark." Sweet, sweet science. Of darkness. Or perhaps the whole "EVA" thing was just what he had in mind. Regardless, he returned enough science from one fly-by to unlock several of the nodes at the top of the tech tree. And a few in the middle for fairing upgrades. And then the savefile ate itself. No attempt at cleansing it would work, producing only the space center screen with a broken interface. Clicking on anything failed. The logs were unhelpful, blaming plugins such as Kerbal Alarm Clock (which I removed), then the Docking Port Alignment plugin (which is nonsense), and then everything at random. This save file had gone mad, even the Quicksave was bugged, and no amount of cutting could stop the gangrene. So I started over. I totaled up the tech nodes that had been unlocked in the previous iteration and granted myself enough science points to unlock them again. And then some more, as reparations for causing the headache. Then I awarded the save a bunch of Funds to unlock the parts I had been using. And then I switched from Mac to PC, installed HGR and a bunch of other shiny mods, and set the 19th back on its path to the Mün. And then I went replica crazy. The Falcon is my HGR version of the Gemini and the Titan II GLV, modified to include a third stage for Münar Orbit Insertion. (Not unlike some of the plans for Gemini....) After some quick tests in my SkunkWorks save, the Falcon and all its snazzy new parts were ready for their maiden fly-by of the Mün. I queued up two of them in Kerbal Construction Time, Falcon 1 and Falcon 2, as the mission involved a rendezvous test between the two in Kerbin orbit following the first's return. A few days later and KCT spat out the first of the ships from VAB High Bay #1. Falcon 1 Launch Year 76 day 377 - Cape Kerbal 19th Kerbal Space Agency Along for this flight were Jack and Jervan Kerman, Jack a raw recruit and Jervan on his second flight, having flown previously on Kestrel 2. The launch of the Falcon 1 went perfectly according to plan. I decided to not use ejector seats like the real Gemini, and instead built a simple launch escape system into the nosecone. Also, the first stage uses the RD-108 inspired HGR 4-chambered engine, as it was the best-available in the thrust class needed for the vehicle. Stage 1 separation included a set of down-rated sepratrons hidden inside the structural fairing. Stage 2 used a single LV-T45, guaranteeing Jebediah would still have some sales for the foreseeable future. (Have to keep the local junkyard in business afterall.) The nosecone and launch escape system are jettisoned shortly after Stage 2 ignition. Jack gave Jervan a big thumbs up once it became obvious they'd make orbit, and a few moments later the second stage cut out and the Falcon was drifting. Sweet, sweet microgravity. Stage 2 separation was similar to Stage 1, and involved a set of retrothrusters to (hopefully) deorbit the second stage. (They didn't.) A few quick EVA reports (to double-dip a bit on the science that was lost with the old save), a quick orbit, and then J&J set up the Trans-Munar Injection for their slingshot around the Mün. A surprisingly long burn with the little Rockomax engine, but they had more than enough ÃŽâ€v to make it work. Everything was going great so far. Jervan jumped out to make some quick high-orbit orbit observations of the Mün, but then everything started to go dark. And then they started cursing the mission planners. Oops. Nothing like flying by the Mün when it's completely dark. Everywhere. Bloody eclipse. Lots of "Yep, the surface is still dark" EVA reports this time around, too. And yes, I was once again double-dipping on the Mün science, as J&J were repeating some of the experiments Anny did on the maybe-it-existed maybe-it-didn't Peregrine 2. A bit later and they were back around the Mün and back to the lightside of Kerbin. A couple aerobraking passes and they were sitting cleanly in a 120km orbit. Time to launch the Falcon 2! Falcon 2 Launch Year 76 day 379 - Cape Kerbal 19th Kerbal Space Agency Same deal as before, this time with two rookies along for the trip: Enlan and Herhat. The plan was to rendezvous with the Falcon 1, trade one crew member, then splashdown off the coast of KSC. (KSC, which keeps moving on me, as KSCSwitcher sometimes can't decide if I've selected a launch site or not. My fault entirely.) Just a quick orbit to let the Falcon 1 catch up (I launched a bit too soon) and we had a nice rendezvous over the big crater and the desert continent. As planned, the two ships docked up, traded a crew member (Herhat for Jack), and then went about their business. Falcon 1 reentered first, having already spent more than 2 days in space. I have to admit that after the flames from the aerocapture, I was disappointed by the lackluster reentry of these two. Splash down was just a bit northeast of KSC, well within the range of the recovery teams. Wherever or whatever they are. Falcon 2 soon followed suit, and had equally uninteresting reentry effects. I'm strongly considering Deadly Reentry again, though I'm still a bit soured on ModuleManager.... Oh well, weak flames are better than none, I suppose. Another safe splashdown, and not far from the Falcon 1 recovery point. Next stop: Mun! Year 76 day 380 - Lake Fortunate Rebel "18th" Space Agency "Ok, so I get the assembly business, but how do we get the crews up there?" Shepgee had cornered Meldo and some of his assistants in the workshop and was busy grilling them on the plans for the Munlit Silence. "We've only got so many days to get this done." "The Luzhin isn't an automated craft, and only seats 2. So if we send up six of them to dock with a specially built armature, we can get the Silence loaded in only seven launches." "Seven!" Shepgee almost squeaked. "We've only even launched six of the things to date!" "Well, if you've got better ideas, then I'm all ears. Assuming I actually have ears." "Hey! Dudes!" A kerbal none of them had noticed was standing at the far end of the workshop, lit blowtorch in one hand, gnarly-looking metal... thing in the other. He flipped up his welding glass, exposing the rapidly aging face of the veteran astronaut. Jebediah. "Why don't you just use the Hydra. She seats 24 with a crew of 4." "Jeb, what are you talking about?" "The Hydra Shuttle, man. I built three of the things a decade ago, but the buyer disappeared at the last minute, so they've been sitting in my junkyard ever since. Needs a big launcher to reach orbit, but it can take 28 up or down, and get to the Mün and back if you refuel it. They're yours if you want em." Shepgee looked quizzically at Meldo. "M? Think you can make this work?" "Well," Meldo scratched at the back of his neck, "I guess we can take a look at it." "Make it happen Meldo." Shepgee thanked Jeb, who returned to making whatever weird thing he was making out of rebar and steel plates. Shepgee wasn't sure he wanted to know. He made his way off towards the administration building, but was ambushed by Lem just outside the VAB. "You should have let me talk to your crews, Shepgee." Shepgee didn't break stride and made the rescuee catch up to him. "Why?" "I'm supposed to be the author avatar. You know, the random guy that swoops in and explains everything?" "Look, Lem. No disrespect, but we've got enough crazy around here now that Jebediah, Bill and Bob are camped out in the workshop. The last thing we need is that crazy spreading like wildfire, fueled by two madkerbs like you and Jeb." "That's the same attitude _they_ take. That's what led _them_ to keep the people ignorant, to sort out the crazies and put them in the space program in the first place! Who would believe the crazy ones anyway, right? The easiest kerbals to control are the ones that think they're free!" "See, now that's just what I'm talking about. Crazy." Lem shook his head. "Fine. Whatever you want. I've got better things to do then argue with a hardheaded pilot. The League's Commissioner wants me to prepare a history, a true history of the space programs and how the Unionists have kept everyone in the dark. He wants me to start at once. Just not here." "You're leaving? I thought you wanted to go to Duna?" "Not if I have to be in space between here and there. Build me a transporter and I'm beaming over today. But I can't stand space travel. It's, well, it's unnatural." "Unh huh. Riiight." Shepgee stopped, turned to face Lem and stuck out his hand. "Lem, it's been a pleasure working with you. Let us know if there's anything you need." That took him by surprise. "Th'thanks, Shepgee." Lem smiled and shook the old test pilot's hand. "I best be going now. Good luck with Jool." Jool. Shepgee was going to Jool. The sheer coolness of that had just hit him. "Thanks. Good luck with that history of yours. Somehow I think that's more dangerous." Munlit Silence - Core Section Year 76 day 387 - Lake Fortunate Rebel "18th" Space Agency I launched the Munlit Silence in three sections, with two resupply launches afterwards. For Kerbal Construction Time I upgraded the high bays of the VAB so bay 1 and 2 were equivalent, and rather fast. (I've ignored the SPH.) Building the core stage of the Munlit Silence took quite some time, but not near as long as the armature stage (which we'll get to later). That allowed the drive stage to catch up to the other two. Only 11 days build for the relatively simple core, with 27 days for the arms and 18 days (29 total after waiting for 11 days) for the drive. Regardless, the core stage went up first. This one fit neatly and cleanly atop a Tantares ALV-series launcher, and also fit cleanly inside the fairings. (Wish I could say the same for the rest.) The core of the Munlit Silence is small enough that the first stage made it to altitude before cutting out, mercifully leaving quite a bit of excess fuel in the second stage. That saved me from needing to launch a refueler. Munlit Silence Armatures Launch Year 76 day 395 - Lake Fortunate Rebel "18th" Space Agency This launch wasn't as pretty. If it wasn't for the weak physics around docking ports, I would have launched the heads of the arms separate from the arms themselves and docked in orbit over 4 launches. At least that would have fit cleanly inside of a fairing. Orbital assembly is a really nice thing, but I'd never be able to get the kind of stability this ship or ships like it need. So I suspended disbelief for this launch and just went with it. Another Tantares ALV launcher, but this time with an asparagus/parallel-style set of six liquid boosters. These arms are HEAVY. More reason they should have been split over multiple launches. A quick orbit and we had a rendezvous with the Core Stage. I sent along a little assemble bot to move the arms around, and the arms themselves were attached to a specially-built mount. A quick zip out and back and the bot was attached to arm #1. A bit of wrangling and we were all lined up and ready to install the arm. This took a bit of twisting to get the docking ports aligned to 0°. Something I've already fixed in future versions. Wash, rinse, repeat, and the second arm was attached just before sunset. The bot jetted back to the ship that brought it, which would then hang around to become a fuel tanker. Just in case. Munlit Silence Drive Section Launch Year 76 day 400 - Lake Fortunate Rebel "18th" Space Agency The third and not-quite-final piece of the puzzle was the Drive Section. This one was tough to figure out, as I'm still running under the Kerbodyne and Rockomax ban for the 18th KSA. Tantares meanwhile has introduced a big grey version of the Big Orange Tank that will serve my uses well. Once again we're launching atop a hybrid ALV and Tavio parallel/asparagus launch vehicle. And this one sort of had a fairing! Kinda. Ot at least had a nosecone. The idea here was to lob this thing far enough up into the sky that the Drive Section could burn itself into orbit without falling too far back down. Worked like a charm. Unfortunately I timed the launch slightly wrong. While I did manage to get into the same 20° inclination as the rest of the Munlit Silence, I was a great deal behind it. So I left my orbit low and took some time to play catch up. A bit later and I was down to only one orbit until rendezvous. And then I got to play "musical docking ports". Because the upper stage of the Core Section's launcher was still attached, and because I needed to drain it of fuel before it could deorbit, I had to dock the Drive Section on the forward docking port. Which naturally happened right at sunset. (When else?) The sun had come up by the time the fuel was balanced and the Drive Section was installed where it belonged. Afterwards the two construction bots (the one from the armatures and one that rode up with the Drive) moved the upper stage of the armature launcher into a higher orbit, where it'll be used as a mooring for later projects. Meaning _this_ is the completed Long-Duration Rotational Spaceship LDRS-01 Munlit Silence. All it needs now is the Jool science package, the towed-antenna array, and a crew. Hawk 1 Launch Year 76 day 402 - Cape Kerbal 19th Kerbal Space Agency "Hawk 1 has cleared the tower!" No easy feat for a craft the size of the Hawk. Even with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.5 it took half a lifetime to claw upwards into the sky. Anny was just happy he wasn't flying out of it sideways this time. He glanced up at the two "rookies" riding to orbit in the window seats: Enlan and Herhat. Neither were true rookies, each had completed as many missions as him, but they'd not been to the Mün like Anny. Then again not many had. He relaxed and listened to Enlan calling the launch events down to the ground controllers. "Clear on planned ascent trajectory." "Approaching max dynamic pressure." "Mach 1." The cabin was quieter now, quiet aside from the deafening rumble transferred through the frame. "Central engine burnout, just on time." The loss of 1/5 of their thrust wasn't noticeable. "MECO." That was. Freefall! All three of them floated forward into their straps and were pulled violently backwards a few seconds later. "Ooomph! Stage 2 Ignition." A sudden roar and the sound of heavy rain hitting the cabin filled Anny's ears as the launch escape system shot away. "No going back now!" The second stage was much quieter than the first, producing far fewer violent vibrations. Still enough to pin a kerbal into their seat, though. Anny almost unstrapped when the stage throttled down, thinking they were in orbit. Herhat looked back and said "No, still another couple minutes of this Slow Burn." Do _NOT_ start singing David Bowie songs.... The world was dark when the second stage burned out, with only the faintest light to see by. Anny checked their telemetry and set up the Münar transfer burn. "Most of the way around Kerbin again and then we're headed for the Mün, boys." "You know," started Enlan, "we've got enough ÃŽâ€v to go to Duna. Maybe we could take a little side trip?" "Wrong time of the year, E. We'd get there, yeah, but there'd be no Duna. Maybe next trip." "Bah. All that fourth-dimensional logic takes the fun out of space travel." Herhat smacked at Enlan with the back of his glove. "Hey! We're going to the Mün! The Mün! How cool is that? Duna can wait!" Half an orbit later and the transfer stage burned for all it was worth. The initial trajectory placed them on a collision course with the Mün, by design, so any debris would clean itself up. And debris was exactly what they created when the jettisoned 8 pieces of fairing, the inter-payload connector, a bunch of tie-downs, and the spent transfer stage. MEM-extraction completed, the Hawk and her crew of three turned to face prograde and completed their transfer burn, placing them into a free-return trajectory. Anny moved into the MEM cabin and started bringing the lander online. A day later and they were in Münar orbit. The Hawk Command Module was more than up to the task of completing the Münar capture. The rest of the crew took a few orbits to take photos and draw crude maps of the surface, while Anny spent most of the time in the lander. Making sure everything was in place and ready to go. If he was going to land it, then he was going to be familiar with the ship. His ship. Sometime later Herhat pulled the hatch closed, sealed it, and made sure the life support systems were ready to go. Anny hardly noticed him, having been already strapped into the lander's seat for an hour. "You ready to go down here? Thought so." They wasted no time backing away from the Command Module. "Keep our seats warm, Enlan. We'll see you in a couple orbits." "Copy, Hawk Lander. Take your time." "Ok," Herhat called forward form the jumpseat. "I've got our trajectory plotted. First burn coming up in, T-45 seconds." The descent went perfectly according to plan. Two small burns to target the landing coordinates Gene had been given by some unknown agent, and then one long burn to make the actual landing. Everything was fine, up until the point when they blew past the Arch at only half orbital velocty. "Woah. Now that's a big arch. Hey Herhat, what'do'ya think that thing's made of?" "Abort!" "Relax, I've got this." "We're going 250m/s! There's a crater wall directly ahead! Abort!!" "Herhat relax. I'm swinging back around to the Arch." Anny did think the ground was rushing up at them a bit faster than he'd like. "We're going too fast! Abort or I'm jumping out!!" "Stay in your seat or I'll throw you out myself!" The proximity alarm was beeping. Then it started beeping much, much faster. "See! Now you've ticked off the ship, too!" "The wall!" "Enough! I see it already!!" Anny brought the lander to a slow hover, mere meters from the crater wall. Close enough to kick up a small dust cloud even. The sounds of small particles ricocheting off of the lander filled the cabin, a bit like driving through the desert during a sandstorm. He reset the proximity alarm and spun the lander around to face the Arch, gaining a bit of elevation in the process. "Ok, lets try that again." Anny angled the lander towards the Arch and nudged the throttle. "Would you look at the size of that thing! Wow!" "You should have aborted. The checklist says we should have aborted!" Herhat's voice was enough to tell Anny he was still more than a bit shaken. "Pfft. No way José! I told you I had that!" Anny glanced over his shoulder at Herhat and took his hands off of the controls for a second, holding them in the air mockingly. "You ing-gah-neers are all a bunch of chicken****s when it comes to real flying." Anny could see the panic in Herhat's eyes so he turned back to the task at hand: landing on the Mün. They passed through the arch and came down gently, the sound of the sandstorm intensifying until Anny cut the main engine. Silence, lit only by the glare of reflected Münlight. "Cape, Big Scary Arch here. The Hawk has landed." "Copy you down, Hawk. You had some guys turning pink down here for a few minutes, glad to see you down. He glanced back at Herhat, who was still a bit on the pale green side. "Was that fun or what?" Cape Kerbin - Mission Control Gene's hands were still sweating, along with everything else, but his hands were noticeable. He had been gripping the arms of his chair so tightly that his fingerprints were most likely permanently embossed in the leather. He looked around mission control and risked a smile when he saw all the cheering and relieved faces. No, no time for mirth just yet. "Ok people. We may have landed on the Mün, but the day isn't done. Let's get back at it." Higher resolution images were being beamed back from one of the "spear" cameras. The idea was for one of the crew to fly over to a spot, throw a spear in the ground with a camera mounted on top, then fly back and take the publicity photos that would go in all the newspapers. That way nobody misses the first steps on the Mün, no reenactment is needed with some kerbal already on the ground, and some extra ammunition is given to the Mün-Deniers. Gene watched as Anny and Herhat both descended the ladder stairs and set about playing in the thin Münar regolith, giant arch looming in the background. Why did all this seem so familiar? The memory of the photo of their first launch came to mind. Such a similar feeling. "What am I missing?" The flag planting ceremony left a bit to be desired, and the photographer in Gene's head was screaming about proper light angles, poor lighting, high sun, and the poor composition. He motioned Carl and Wernher over to his station. "Cape, we think the target site is just over the small hill we landed on. Headed that way now." "Roger that, Hawk Lander. Proceed with caution." "Caution? What's that? Hawk out." The three of them watched as Anny jetted out of view of the first cameras. Wernher leaned in and asked quietly "What is it you think they'll find?" Gene motioned for silence and pointed at the screen, where the feed from the new camera had just come online. "I think they just found it." Herhat was giving them a rundown on the hardware. "It appears to be the lower stage of a lander, not unlike our own. No identifying marks otherwise, but several of these parts are exactly the same as those on the Hawk Lander. There's a fine coating of dust on everything. Looks like it's been here awhile." Anny chimed in. "There's a plaque on the flag. Reads: 'Shepgee found this strange stone arch on the Mun. What could it mean?' This flag appears to be identical to our own." Gene hmmm'd. Carl and Wernher were both scratching at different places on the backs of their necks. The rest of mission control was a flurry of activity, with every image downloaded birthing a new conspiracy theory. "They said we'd find the truth of our Space Race at each of these two sites." Gene tossed a scrap of paper to his console. "What truth is this? That we got there after... who? Us?" "Gene" Carl and Wernher both started at the same time. Carl won the silence battle and restarted. "Gene, think about it. That's one of our flags. Why has no one, at any time, ever, mentioned this? 'You're going to the Mün too? Talk to Lenber, he's been there already.' Out of the millions of places we could have set down on the Mün, out of the billions of possible things we could find, we found exactly what we took with us. Ourselves." A long, pregnant pause permeated mission control as a close up image of the plaque was radioed back. Gene stared at the screen blankly, thoughts elsewhere. Thinking of a framed photo, and a strangely intense sensation of Deja Vu. "Now we _have_ to know what's at the other site." Shades and Spectres "We can NOT allow them to land again. They already know too much." "That ship is long dead and has been evacuated for generations. So what if they find an empty husk? Who else would know? Who would believe them?" "Valid point. What of this Jool mission?" "There's nothing for them to find at Jool other than old debris. It's Duna we need be concerned about." The scene on the conference table changed to that of a hexagonal ship near a red planet. Duna. "This MUST not occur." "Our guests may have temporarily left, but if one of their scouts finds them, or they happen upon the surface base, well, I don't want to be the one who has to explain why we can't control our own populace." "On that we're agreed. This one flame, this thirst for that which has always been unknown. It may be that which is feeding the wildfire. Douse it."

Agreed - Mercury Atlas with the disposible boosters was a weird thing. I tried to make a stock-only version of it some time back and decided to just leave the two extra engines attached. Very much an SSTO. Cool reenactment!

And here I was, looking for some more 5m parts.... Energia looks great so far.

Finally had a chance to sit and read through this. Fantastic so far! Keep it up! I was sold at:

Congrats! No easy feat to land anywhere using Remote Tech! (Even if it's slightly botched.... I've done the same myself.) Now send a repair kerbal to fix it!

Well, until Jeb has to come back down at least. Nice start! Welcome to the forums!

He he he he. I dtír na ndall is rí fear na leathshúile. Though I prefer having two. Absolutely. Though because of the way I docked it up it's causing problems with the Rotate mod, which preserves angular momentum during timewarp. Seems Rotate wants to keep every ship moving based on it's "Normal", positive-Z direction, and one of the probe cores on that ship is facing backwards. That's causing some severe phantom physics when exiting tinewarp, and given how simple that mod is code-wise I'm not sure there's a way to fix it. But that's just the first generation of Centrifugal Ships I have in mind. Such engineering mistakes will be resolved on future constructions.

Yes and no. The earlier ones (from last year such as the various Fios craft) have nothing at all to do with this save. The Apollo one (Hawk) is for the "19th" program, that run by Gene, while the later one, the nuclear one, is for the "18th" at Lake Fortunate. Lots of tech unlocks and science contracts to get to that one.