Cydonian Monk

It's going to require design changes for most of us. My primary landing craft design now has about a half centimeter clearance (on Duna) between the bottom of the engine and the ground.... A kerbal could walk under it before. To me, the biggest issue is with imported saves. The new landing legs use a "LadingLegModule" element in persistence files that doesn't exist in older vessels, but is generated when the ship loads. If you have bases that are being destroyed by retracted legs, you /might/ be able to copy and paste that element in. Tedious, a bit. I like the "Hack Gravity / Extend Legs / Unhack Gravity" solution. Too bad that doesn't work for dead craft (like Lunar descent stage debris).

Ah, so it wasn't just me. Thought I'd screwed something up with my save consolidation. Thankfully most of mine seem to have "landed" without breaking things, but the suspension in the landing legs is no longer enough to keep the engines in my reusable landers from dragging the surface.

From digging around in the persistence file it appears every experiment you conduct is recorded in the "Research and Development" scenario. Even the unsuccessful and untransmitted/unrecovered ones.

It's either the origin of The Kraken... or the origin of The Flood.

I never use solid rocket boosters on kerb'd craft. (Aside from sepratrons.) I always overestimate the ability of my CPU to cope with 500-part expedition ships to other planets.

"Little Green Dudes" - Kerbals

Camp Mint “Got a mission for you Bob.†Bob completely ignored Gene and continued munching on crunchy snacks. He was easy to find, as he’d been sulking in the KSC cafeteria since he was pulled from the Dunan-X, but increasingly hard to talk to. By now he’d probably put on half a kilo in snack fat, and Gene knew something needed to be done to get his third-best pilot’s spirits up. “The fifth installation of the MALROC landed hard, so we need to send Shelcan up to replace the broken bits. We were planning to put a small rover base on Minmus anyway, so we’re sending that up with you too. You’ll need to pick him up in the Cuairt 4 once he’s done with his work, which is still fully fueled and in Minmus orbit.†[Crunch. Munch. Crunch.] “Look, I know how you feel, ok? But right now I need you to get up, chose the third member for your crew, and get back at it.†“Barrie.†Bob barely stopped his snacking to suggest the name. “He handled the docking with me on Tosach 3. Good pilot.†“Ok. I’ll get him lined up. Expect to start mission training tonight. We need to get the MALROC to 100 before the Dunan-X gets too far from Kerbin.†-- Shelcan couldn’t believe his luck. Just a few weeks ago and he was only fixing the test vehicles of the great Kerbalnauts. Now he was one of them. Just last week they sent him up to finish setting up the Dunan-X, and now he was on his way to Munmus. A true Space Mechanic. This was one of the best months of his life. (Not to mention he was getting to spend a full week with two of the legends of spaceflight: Bob Kerman, fifth Kerbal in space and one of the few to land on the Mun, and Barrier Kerman, first pilot to dock in space.) The flight out was simple and uneventful, using a now-regular Minmus free-return trajectory, and hot on the heels of the Dunan-X. (Ground controllers had warned Barrie and Shelcan to watch Bob and not allow him to plot an intercept for the Dunan-X.) The plan for landing the repair base was somewhat unique. To save fuel in the rover base the trans-Minmus booster was retained through orbital injection and used to deorbit and land. Shelcan, being the inventive Space Mechanic he is, decided to create some modern art (or maybe create his own Monolith?) on Minmus. He named it the Rockolift. He also named the base “Camp Mint,†shortened by KSC from his first choice “Camp Mint IceCream.†It was a short 3km drive from the Rockolift over to the MALROC EquiA. Nightfall was just around the corner, so Shelcan set out once his art project was complete. Driving on Minmus is never an easy feat, and Shelcan let the base build up a bit too much speed before hitting the brakes. Thankfully the engineers had decided to include an RCS system at the last minute. Base upright again, Shelcan set about getting to work on the MALROC EquiA. Meanwhile aboard the Fios 5 in orbit Bob was busy tracking down the Cuairt 4. The previous Minmus crew had left it fully fueled and in a slightly-erratic 18km orbit. The rendezvous and docking occurred on the dark side of Minmus, which is apparently standard operating procedure for the Kerbal Space Agency. (And KSC engineers have made sure to include docking lights on all craft launched since the early days of kerb’d spaceflight.) Bob decided to wait until morning before going down to pick up Shelcan. The landing was far more uneventful than Bob’s landing in the Cuairt 3. Even with the strange layer of ice that covers everything on Minmus. Camp Mint was left behind at the MALROC EquiA, with enough fuel remaining to hop to just about anywhere else on Minmus. The fuel in the roving base, however, is better used as ballast for driving around. Burn too much of it off and the base gets to be so light it can’t get enough traction to drive. Bob and Shelcan didn’t head straight up to the Fios 5, though, and instead took a side-trip to the KS-L2 at Green Dust Lake. Shelcan was less than amused with Bob’s “thrilling†low-altitude flight (less than 100m at 130m/s!), but was used to this type of piloting from the fighterjock-turned-kerbalnauts that made the space program what it was. Along the way Kerbin rose above the horizon. The KS-L2 was only the second FSK craft to land anywhere other than Kerbin, so it had some historical significance. Perhaps someday in the future a small visitor’s center will be built here, with coin-operated telescopes to look back at Kerbin, and probably some cheap recording of a famous Kerbal physicist explaining the composition of Minmus’ lakes and how the impactor stage of the KS-L2 helped to gain new scientific insights. From there it was a short hop back to the Fios 5, including another of Bob’s low altitude near-misses on liftoff. Bob and Shelcan EVA’d back to the capsule, fueled up the Cuairt 4, and burned for home. Yet another successful mission. -- Further out in space, the crew aboard the Dunan-X were watching Kerbin slowly disappear into the skybox. Jeb took a picture, scribbled a message on it, and fired it off to Bob, knowing he’d get it shortly after the burn to leave Minmus. Kerbin would soon be little more than a pale blue dot against the background of the universe. Duna, however, is still many days away. Many, many days away. Space is big, empty, and cold, with very few friends around to help you out when you screw up.

I know what you mean. Due to the nuances of my design I have to drop the first stage with a tiny bit of fuel left over, or risk vehicle loss. Half of the outer ring of LV-T30s run dry first, followed by the inner core of LV-T45s. As much as my brain keeps screaming "use every last drop!", I have to just let go. Something I'll revisit when I update my designs for .22. It's something I could solve with a box truss and some fuel lines, but... part count.

Impressive. I'll have to give it a full read-through when I'm home. Also: The flame pattern from your N1's Block A is much nicer looking than that from my N1 work-alike, the Moc-20a... I just couldn't get a single ring of 30 motors around a craft that looked at home on the pad at KSC-2 (and didn't also murder my computer). Somewhat jealous.

Hi! A screenshot of the craft you're having issues with will help, but I suspect your problem is due to a high center of mass. More thrust and more powerful engines will help a bit, but getting your center of mass lower will likely solve most of your issues. It's all a very delicate balancing act, and launching large station pieces can sometimes really throw the balance off. Good luck! (And let us know how you solve it!)

Hi! I'm another Mac user and have seen some weird things, but that's not one of them (outside of trying to use mods). So I have a few questions/requests for you. First: What version of MacOS are you using (listed in 'About This Mac' on the Apple menu)? I've heard of others trying to run KSP on an older OS-X that doesn't support things the Unity engine needs. I /think/ Snow Leopard is supported, but I know Lion and Mountain Lion are. (Check the requirements on the Steam page.) Second: Can you get a screen print of the dialog boxes with missing text? ⌘ + Shift + 3 will save an OS-X screenshot to the desktop (unless you've changed the default screenshot folder). ⌘ + Shift + 4 will let you take a screenshot of just the part of the screen you highlight. Upload the screenshot to imgur or similar and post it here. Finally: Failing all else, try downloading the demo from kerbalspaceprogram.com and running that instead. I've had issues with downloading demos from Steam before for cross-platform games. It usually trys to give me some other version (though I'm guessing that's not your case since it runs). I've played both the demo and the full game on OS-X (Mountain Lion), and I've only really ever had issues with an occasional mod or plugin that for whatever reason doesn't like my system. Also: I suspect this post probably belongs in the Support and Bugs section, so don't be surprised if a mod moves it for you.

I have actually hit "space debris" before, back in .20.2 shortly after it was released. It was my third or fourth mission to the Mun in the save - the first had run out of fuel in a retrograde Munar orbit. The new mission established a prograde orbit... and promptly discovered the first. I've been rather a bit more careful since. Still, the odds of that happening... again.... Boggles.

In defense of the little things.... This is the Kestrel, one of my earliest launch vehicles. I'm guessing many players end up with a rocket in this configuration at one point when learning the game.... pretty simple basic orbiter. The Kestrel (with the Lacha payload) is capable of placing the capsule into a Munar Free-Return orbit (and could probably land, if you didn't care about coming back home). Total mass: 14.44t in current configuration. Part count: 20. I could probably get rid of the winglets with the capsule torque added by 0.21, but I think it looks better with them. Once I discovered the Kestrel was overpowered for placing little green dudes into orbit (and once the smaller LV-1 rocket motors arrived with 0.20), I trimmed it down to the design shown here, the Peregrine. Same payload - the Lacha powered orbiter (there's an LV-1 and a toroidal tank hidden in there) - just it's only capable of LKO. Enough to use as a crew taxi to station altitude (130km). Total mass: 11.06t in current configuration. Part count: 20. It could definitely do without the deorbiting retros on the orbital insertion stage, reducing part count by another 2 and mass by 0.145t. You could drop the winglets, too, but again I like how they look. Both my shortest and heaviest in the army of the small is the Wren. This is the oldest and simplest design in my book, and one I've been using since the demo. Spotted here with a microsat. Total Mass: 17.42t (all thanks to the SRBs). Part count: 26. The wren needs the winglets, as the torque in the tiny probe core is not enough to have authority over the LV-T30. You could definitely ditch the nosecones, since they're useless with the current atmospheric drag model. The dudes in the SkunkWorks X-Plane division sent over the following picture. They call this "tiny," and specify that it's incapable of reaching orbit, or much of anywhere, really. (Point straight up and you might reach space.) It's also a bit tough to land, and no longer flys straight as of 0.21 (maybe if you play around with the posisitoning of the wings?). No idea on the mass, but the parts count is somewhere around 8 or 9.

Semantics aside, this is a cool little spaceplane.

Time for the thrilling rescue mission!

I didn't (and won't get to) do anything in KSP today, but I did send my first Duna expedition on its way a few days ago: I also copied and edited some of the snippets of mission reports from my posts on Google+ and finally got them posted. Both on my (incomplete) website (link temporarily removed) and here on the forum (Null Cycles - Cydonian Monk's Tale). Maybe later this weekend (Sunday while multitasking with football) I'll get around to fast-forwarding to the arrival at Duna. Maybe.

My current space program? The one I've been playing since .21 was released? Day 59. I just sent my first crew of this save to Duna. My oldest save file? Back in a fresh .20 save I built a couple dozen long-distance probes and fired them off towards all corners of the Kerbalverse. I then let it run for about 50 years to see where they ended up. I don't have much time to keep my space program running, and really prefer to build and test and measure, and crunch numbers from the tests, then revise, wash, rinse, repeat. And I tend to start over fresh when the new versions arrive. So I seldom get past year 3 or 4.

I really wish I could remember the math and science I payed too much attention to in college! Though really, most of the math in the game is easy thanks to the 1-body physics model, especially if you had the (usually) requisite physics and math courses in college. Welcome!

Yes, if you launch from the retrograde face of the Mun, pointed upwards, and have enough ÃŽâ€v, you should easilly be able to get back to Kerbin with a single button press. Interesting concept, though it obviously limits your base locations. Might be more practical on Minmus.

Dunan-X Departure - Official Radio Transcript MET: 8d:3h:17m:20s CAPCOM (Shelcan): We have you on Cape tracking now DX. over. MC (Jebediah): Read you loud and clear Cape. We couldn’t have timed this last burn better. We’ll be right on top of Kerbin City. over. CAPCOM: Copy DX. T minus 3 minutes to TDI burn 3. over. MC: T minus 3 minutes. [static] Tell all those schoolkerbs that are staying up past their bedtime to look straight upwards. One last glimpse of us as we take one last look down at home. over. CAPCOM: Roger DX, I’m sure they’ve already got their eyes glued skyward in rapt anticipation. T minus 1 minute. over. T minus 30 seconds. You have the light, DX. over. MC: Roger, we have the light. T minus 20 seconds. Commencing main engine burn in T minus 10 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. [static] We have good burn here Cape. 5 minutes 4 seconds to TDI burn 3 complete. over. CAPCOM: Copy, 5 minutes to TDI complete. You’re giving us quite the light show down here, DX. Your exhaust trail is nearly as long as the craft. over. [2 minutes silence] MC: Cape, Bill wanted to make sure you packed enough toothbrushes for him before we get too far from the last corner store. over. DLMP (Bill): I did not! Jeb, you’re impossible! [unintelligible noise] CAPCOM: Sorry DX, we did not copy your last. Care to repeat? over. MC: Negative Cape, just radio noise. 2 minutes to TDI complete. over. CAPCOM: Copy. 2 minutes to TDI complete. Communications and tracking will transfer to Starfarer tracking station in 5 seconds. over. MC: Copy Cape. over. CAPCOM: We have you on Starfarer tracking now DX. over. MC: Copy Cape. Read you loud and clear. TDI complete in 30 seconds. It’s been a pleasure providing tonight’s entertainment and light show. We’ll be sure to schedule another in a couple hundred days or so. Main engine shutoff in 10 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Main engine shutoff. We have TDI Cape, over. CAPCOM: [background noise] Roger, DX. TDI complete. That noise you hear is KiMCA celebrating the first successful Kerbin escape. We’ll have the boys and girls in the other room run the numbers once they’re done cheering and shaking hands, and get the mid course correction to you when we have it. Kerbalspeed, DX. Have a good flight. CAPCOM out. (The initial orbits after TDI burn complete. I corrected this a few moments later to under a 200km Duna Periapsis.)

Last Crews for Dunan-X "And he's away! The last crew ferry for the Dunan-X mission is skybound. Ground controllers from the ISC have just confirmed Dosby Kerman launched the Quest 1 at 2:08AM from Starfarer Island. Now..." Everyone in mission control room KMC-A broke into excessive celebration before Gene could finish his sentence. So he muttered under his breath: "Now for the hard part. Getting them to Duna." Bob's face changed quickly from one of glee to his usual mask of grave concern. He'd been working on calculations for Dunan-X in KMC-A during down time, and turned away from his terminal to get Gene’s attention. "So, ah, Gene. If that's the 'last' crew taxi to the Dunan-X, how am I getting aboard? Riding up with the science package?" "You're not going to Duna, Bob." You could hear the gears locking up in Bob's brain, unable to comprehend what Gene just said. Then it clicked. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!! I shouldn't have pushed Jeb about what he saw on the Mun! I shouldn't have eaten the last of Dudzon's snacks! And I didn't mean to flip the lander!! It just FLIPPED!" The room quickly grew quiet, and everyone knew where this was leading. Bob would get all worked up about it, let his mind race to some incorrect conclusion, then get more worked up until he would break out into tears. "C'mon Bob." Gene motioned him out of KMC-A, walking him down the hallway to his office. "It's got nothing to do with the Cuairt 3 landing. Even Jeb would've botched that one." Gene crossed his arms and leaned against the window. "We've got something bigger in mind for you. We're sending you to Vall." Gears still frozen, Bob's eyes were bouncing left and right. Pure fear and confusion. Then it hit him. "But I want to go to Duna!!" ==== I finally sent the last of the crews and equipment for the Dunan-X mission to orbit this morning. First launch was the Wczesnie 4 from Sky’s Reach, followed shortly by Quest 1 from Starfarer Island. The Wcz4 didn’t technically have enough fuel to complete the orbit and 20º plane change to rendezvous with the Dunan-X, so I had to send out Corfal from the set-up crew to grab their ship and tug it back. Perfect morning for a launch at Sky's Reach Cosmodrome. The next to last crew for the Dunan-X are aboard the Wczesnie 4: Luton and Melke, the two representatives from the CCHR, along with mission commander Bilnie Kerman. (Sky's Reach Cosmodrome, aka "KSC2", in the CCHR, located on that other northern continent, and 20º north.) Another perfect morning for a launch at Starfarer Island. Aboard is the final member of the Dunan-X mission: Dosby Kerman of the ISC. The FSK-built Eala crew capsule was launched by the (untested) FSK-built Hawk rocket. (Starfarer Island, located considerably east of KSC, and 10º south.) After some deliberation, I decided to include a heat shield for the Rothar Series A rover, which made it too large to fit on the accessory docking ports of the IPX-1. So I added a second satellite array to the payload, which will give me 6 microsats and two of the larger ones. This brings the parts count to 467 and total mass to 154,210 tonnes. (Just imagine there's a nice, big, friendly fairing on this thing. Maybe someday I'll use Procedural Fairings....) Current mission plans call for entering the system in a highly-inclined orbit to avoid Ike. The planned landing site it at the southern frost line anyway, so this will help save delta-v from the plane change. It will also help the satellite arrays enter into a polar orbit, as they’re only capable of 40º or so of total plane-change on their own. The initial orbit will also be outside of Ike’s orbit, to allow one of the microsats to orbit Ike. Once the satellite array is fully deployed, I’ll send the Rothar down first, followed shortly by the lander. But that’s 70 or so days away, and there are other projects to get rolling. I’ve lots ‘o things to finish before 0.22 hits, and not much time to do so. Wayward goes the march o' bitter time. (The completed Dunan-X, with the taxis for the setup crew still attached.)

Greetings! (October 2013) For the last few months I've been posting little snippets of mission reports on the Google+ KSP community. It's been my intent the whole time to share those here, and add a bit more of the story to them. For a short while I was posting them to the "What Did You Do in KSP Today" thread. Then I stopped uploading images to my (incomplete) website, and... got behind. (February 2014) While 2014 has been kinder to me than 2013, I'm still not terribly fond of it yet. Once again I find myself behind on several projects, with more and more knocking on the door, and work being busier than ever. I've also not had the time or energy to post updates to Google+ as I was in the past, so all of these screenshots and notes I take while playing through KSP go unseen and unread. This is my attempt to change that. (April 2014) The latest round of updates coupled with a desire to completely start over has led me to leave the cycles behind and start a new, fresh save. So for now the cycles have come to an end. Thanks for reading about these Null Cycles! Enjoy! Last Updated: 2014-04-13 I: The Age of Myth The Age of Myth was a time when living gods and mighty beasts still held sway. The deeds of Kerbals were unencumbered by corporeal needs, and their empires were driven by forces beyond their reasoning. 2013 - The Dawn of Kerbin - The Universe Before Fios 3 (Available once I've reformatted the posts for the web. Will be an off-site link.) 2013-07-29 - (8) Hudwin's Rescue (Or: The Real First Kerbal on the Mun.) (Link temporarily removed.) 2013-10-10 - (9) Bob and Kirk Crash the Mun Party (Fios 3, this post.) 2013-10-10 - (9) Last Crews for the Dunan-X 2013-10-10 - (9) Dunan-X Departure 2013-10-13 - (9) Camp Mint 2013-10-19 - (9) Dunan-X - Arrival and Landing 2013-10-25 - (9) 0.21 Epilogue - Bob 2013-10-29 - (10-2) Aleph 0 - The Heist - 0.22 Career Mode Begins! 2013-11-01 - (10-2) Kerbal First - Projects Aleph, Bet, Moho... and Wrobel 2013-11-05 - (10-2) MunDust 2 2013-11-08 - (10-2) Continuum - Aurora Kerbalis 2013-11-24 - (10-2) Bill and Jeb's Awesome Trip 2013-12-14 - (10-2) Ares Averted? (or: What About Bob?) 2013-12-30 - (10-2) Return of the Duna Seven 2013-12-31 - (10-2) Planetary Pinball - The ION Probe Missions II: The Age of Legends The Age of Legends was a time when the powers of the world were fading. The chaos and great empires of the past were forgotten, ushering in a time of progress and continuity. 2014-01-19 - (11) MunDust Legends - The Monk's Tale 2014-02-25 - (11) MunDust Legends - Returning the Vial 2014-02-27 - (12) MunDust Relics 2014-03-08 - (12) Building Kelgee Memorial Station 2014-03-23 - (13) The Test Pilots 2014-03-25 - (12+13) Transit! ... and the Early Explorations of Moho 2014-03-30 - (12+13) The Eve Gambit... and some Business on Moho and Dres 2014-04-06 - (12 + 13) Heading Home With a Stop by a Rock 2014-04-10 - (12 + 13) This is The End III: The Twilight Age The Twilight Age was a time following the exit of magic from the world. 2014-04-13 - Epilogue Miscellania How I converted an old sandbox save to Career mode... with Science! What is Null Cycles? Simply put, Null Cycles is what I call my ongoing Kerbal Space Program universe. This thread is the collection of After-Action Mission Reports and other details related to the Null Cycles universe. Each "cycle" represents a new career save, and thus a reset of the universe and game clock. All of the vehicles and flags that are landed get carried over to the new save, and in some cases all of the satellites and other orbital craft get deleted. There are a few exceptions, such as not resetting the game clock during the Dunan-X mission and not deleting its orbiter. My cycles start at zero (for the demo), and count upwards based on my personal whims. I occasionally merge in my "SkunkWorks" test save into my main universe canon, such as when Hudwin suddenly appeared on the Mun. (I also can't count, as evidenced by two "Tenth Cycles," but that's more a result of me accidentally overwriting the save before I backed it up to DropBox.) Why use that name? A multitude of reasons. To quote Wikipedia, "a null cycle is a catalytic cycle that simply interconverts chemical species without leading to net production or removal of any component." So nothing is lost yet nothing is gained. At the end of the cycle you have exactly what you started with. I've enjoyed playing with the new things Squad includes with KSP each release, and wanted a way to start over while maintaining my "accomplishments," i.e.: landers, flags, etc. Of the craft and flags I've placed since I started playing in 0.19, only three are not included in this save. (Because I lost their save before I merged everything in.) So in truth, these are not null cycles as the craft I create remain. But the science and achievements and all the other cruft that gets saved to the persistence file gets cleared, so in a way it is. Except there are those troublesome kerbals that somehow hang around and remember.... In Memoriam The list of all Kerbals who have given their lives in pursuit of the exploration of space. This includes all test pilots and crews from "test" cycles. Many of these were lost testing my early SSTO designs, particularly the crews lost in the ninth test cycle. May their sacrifices not be in vain. Demo (Cycle 0): Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Nelsey, Thomlock* Third Cycle: Jebediah* Fourth Cycle: Jebediah* Fifth Cycle: Milbas, Chading Eight Test Cycle: Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Seeburry, Jonbald, Ludzor, Seesy, Kirbas, Kirbert, Kenke, Henzor, Luke, Charlie, Billy-Boblong, Corcott, Geneton, Newdon, Gusnard, Mitgard, Hudbald, Lobree Ninth Test Cycle: Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Patnard, Neilnard, Raylie, Geofrick, Seebro, Tomely, Ludoly, Sigdan, Harbal, Albor, Wilvey, Herdon, Thomfert, Tombert, Nelzon, Tom, Sherzor, Charlie, Chadfen, Lenfrey, Sammy, Sonsby, Landan, Will, Phildred, Desbretr, Jedbrett, Philtop, Elbal, Cormin, Ferfrey, Melbrett, Donmund, Danwig, Harbrett, Fredgee, Lubro, Dunsy; Jebediah, Bill, Bob; Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Mitbro, Ellong, Merkin, Dudwin, Matner, Milry, Bursel, Joelong; Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Franklin, Albrett; First Tenth Cycle: Jebediah, Bill Tenth Test Cycle: Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Dofrey, Patbro, Hudfry, Philemone, Lancas, Gushat, Bartfred, Ludvey, Romin, Gusgan, Lobald, Sherdan, Luke, Harbas, Matley, Ribrey Twelfth Cycle Kelgee, Jeddon Thirteenth Cycle Bartley, Kirmon, Harsby * - Indicates crews regarded as "Missing in Action." We'll start with the Fios/Cuairt 3 mission to land on the far side of the Mun.... ==== Bob and Kirk Crash the Mun Party "Wow Bob, I'm looking at the outside of Cuairt 3 from here, and, well, you really did a number on the old bird." (Dudzon Kerman) Dudzon was lucky to see Bob and Kirk after the Fios/Cuairt 3 "landing" on the far side of the Mun. The grand plan was to land in the "Dark Gorge," conduct a few studies to determine why it formed, and then head home. The gorge is rather perilous due to its rough terrain and steep sides, so it was thought this would be a good measure of the lander pilot's prowess. Plus, no kerbals had yet landed on the far side of the Mun. Naturally Bob, being the ace pilot he is, brought the lander down on an incline and proceeded to roll it. "Cuairt 3 has landed. Wait, uh..... Aaaahhh!!!!" [Crunch, bump, crunch, screeeeeee] "Uhm, Cape, we may have... may have a bit of an issue here. GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! " (Bob Kerman) When it finally came to rest at the bottom of the gorge most of the lander's fuel system was shredded, and only one of the solar panels survived. The docking port was an unusable pile of scrap, scattered mostly on the hillside. And the craft may have been venting atmosphere. (Good thing Bob and Kirk had their helmets on.) (The damage report. Minor, excepting the need for fuel to get back off this rock.) Of course no one on Kerbin was even watching the landing, despite the video feed being relayed back via Fios 3 and one of the polar Mun mapping satellites. Who cares about landing on the Mun when the "First Dunan Expedition" was launching in just 9 days? Everyone has already seen the two FSK and the two CCHR Mun landings. Why would this one be any different? No, they were more concerned with what color of jumpsuit Jebediah would wear on Dunan-X. Back on the Mun Bob and Kirk set about patching the holes, inspecting the fuel system damage, and radioing the details back to KSC. Then, while waiting for the Fios 3 to orbit (and for the engineers on Kerbin to determine if it was even possible to launch), they wandered off to take in their surroundings. Even planted a flag. (Bob inspects the damage and reports back to KSC while Kirk admires something off in the distance. Most likely wreckage from their lander glistening in the sunlight.) (There's always time to stop and plant a flag. 'Dark Gorge' was the name chosen by Bob, though Kirk was lobbying for 'Gouged By Bob.' Kirk is the short one.) In contrast to the landing, every kerbal in the universe followed the crippled Cuairt 3's ascent. Kirk Kerman, on his first "successful" mission (the previous two were aborted 2 minutes into flight), was chosen to pilot the ascent module. (He couldn't possibly do worse than Bob.) As the engineers at KSC had calculated, the ascent stage didn't have enough conventional fuel to make orbit. (Liftoff wasn't easy, and I'm not sure how they managed to miss the edge of the gorge. Couldn't have been more than a few meters away when the craft cleared it.) "Cape, we are bingo fuel. Repeat, bingo fuel. Altitude... 8km." (Kirk Kerman) So Kirk completed the orbital insertion using the RCS system.... not an easy feat when the ship's center of mass is so far off. They even had enough monoprop for a full circularization and rendezvous with the Fios 3. Two quick EVAs later and everyone was back in the command module, more than ready to head home. The analysts in the Kerbal Space Press now consider it doubtful that Bob will be selected as the Dunan-X lander pilot.

You seem to have discovered the M.C. Escher mode. This happens to me when I build craft in the SPH and move them to the VAB, even when I update the craft file to be in VAB mode. I've just always filed it as a bug, though as it's a result of something I did that the game doesn't support I just ignore it. Probably has something to do with the values of the part rot and norm in the .craft file (or related), but I've never bothered to track it down. Work-around is to build the bit you want to use symmetry for on a part that wasn't added in the SPH then move it to where you need it.

Both of which break the concept somewhat. Aerobraking obviously can't be done without the ship selected, and the 1-body physics and limited SOIs do change things. (And yes, IIRC, the real Mars Cycler concept involved occasional mid-course corrections. As you mention: solar wind and variable local gravities would throw it off course over time.) I might still sit down and try the math some day. Suspect the result is the same as what you've discovered. Thanks.

Out of curiousity, did you ever get an Aldrin/Duna Cycler set up? Or did you find it always needs manual intervention?