MattJL

I've been working on a Skylab replica with functional solar array hinges. They're not perfect, but it does accomplish the goal of unfolding the solar array "wings" correctly: In the VAB. The hinge (thermometer + RCS bearing) and attachment setup is strong enough that it can survive launch without struts/autostrut. Detail of the hinge. Once in space, the small docking port that holds the solar array wing parallel to the body is decoupled, allowing the part to swing freely. I've hidden a small landing gear (wheel) inside the structural tube in order to help kick the array out to the correct position, or else it just sits there. It usually swings around a bit aggressively until the ports click together. A side effect of this is that the arrays never quite lock into a perfect 90-degree orientation, but that's fine enough by me. Docked! You can see what I mean about it not quite being perfect. Arrays all deployed, now awaiting crew. Just for kicks, Skylab as it actually was. Those structural panels really are handy!

This should be an interesting one... So I'm currently working on updating my ships from 1.4, and after screwing up and reaching for the trusty Ctrl and Z keys, I found that the part model on the FTL series fuel tanks reset! This appears to happen even when starting from scratch: I threw together a simple ship. I put something on the top so I can undo a step. The tanks revert back to their original models. What on Earth could be causing this? They're persistent enough that even when I load a saved ship, the models aren't retained. Have I contaminated my save by bringing over old .craft files? EDIT: Just discovered that this happens even when reloading a save.

Tried my hand at building a Model T: Not perfect, but it sure is charming.

Was updating some old craft files (yeah, still), when I stumbled across an old roadster that I made way back when: Armed with the ability to deploy parachutes from command seats, and some fond childhood memories, I knew what had to be done. Behold, Not-Quite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Had I better building skills, Kerbie the Love Bug would be next on my list. EDIT: And had another flash of inspiration...

Been working on a heavy-lift Saturn V variant (25(S)U, specifically) to lob NERVA stages into orbit for a future Duna expedition: And did some docking tests with a pair of NERVA stages in orbit: I'm not sure which one I like more - the orange, or the white. Feedback desired!

Did some driving around on the Mun: Discovered that there's a third camera angle in the Mk1 Crew Cabin by accident. Kind of a cool find, but I'm sure everyone else has seen this before:

Just a simple, silly little thing that I think would add a lot to the game, in terms of user experience. I enjoy the challenge of doing missions entirely from cockpit view, and going "outside" to do EVAs breaks the immersion (and I feel like I'm cheating when I glance at the altimeter). Plus, it'd be something else to interact with.

After a semester-long hiatus from KSP, I finally set out to update all of my ships for 1.4 and beyond. (I swear the latest version's 1.4.3, but for some reason, I'm still stuck in 1.4.1). But I've also been working on updating my Duna lander to something more cosmetically attractive/functional. It's based heavily off of what von Braun presented to the Space Task Group for what would turn out to be his final Mars expedition proposal in 1969: I'm particularly proud of the ladders that run through the heat shield, which I unfortunately don't have a great picture of. But I do have a better shot of the habitat built into the descent stage:

Just a short, simple mission. In honor of the 49th anniversary of Apollo 8's, I decided to recreate it with the stock Saturn V that I've been working on for the past two months. SA-503 stands tall on the pad, with Bill, Jeb, and Bob nestled safely in the CSM. Liftoff! The S-IC thunders skywards, burning literal tons of propellant every second. The five KS-25 "Vector" engines on the S-II take over. Mere minutes later, the S-II exhausts its propellant, and the S-IVB handles the task of circularization. The single Vector on the S-IVB burns to near-depletion to send Apollo 8 on a course to the Moon. The SLA is blown clear of the S-IVB, freeing Apollo 8 from the stage. Looking back on the S-IVB after it performs a short burn to put it on a Munar impact trajectory. The additional tankage visible at the top of the stage is a mass simulator for the LEM (which IRL wouldn't be flight ready for another two months). Apollo 8 enters Munar orbit after a six-hour coast. Surveying the surface of the Mun. Kerbin rising above the desolate surface of the Mun catches the three Kerbonauts by surprise - a blue jewel against an endless sea of space. Jeb rushes to get the camera. "Oh, my God! Look at that picture over there! Here's Kerbin coming up. Wow, is that pretty!" - paraphrased from Bill Anders. The best shot of the bunch, cropped and rotated to match Earthrise as best as possible. Hope you enjoyed this little read. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you out there!

Wow, lots of comments since I last checked in. Impressive work all around! Updating the leaderboard right now.

I'll have to take it on, then, I think I've got every craft needed for the challenge. (Also finally got the SIM bay where I want it, test pictures incoming). That Harrier is mind-boggling. How on Earth do you rotate all the jets simultaneously? I'm assuming they're paired off, but that seems like a real trip to fly. Thread-relevant, I just ran a "Gemini to the Mun" run with a lander I prepared earlier. Not fully satisfied with this yet, more revisions needed. Happy with the Saturn C-3, though. EDIT: SIM bay test:

Been working on a stock Saturn V/Apollo spacecraft replica for the last two weeks-ish, and just had the opportunity to test out the LESS/Long-Range Flyer this afternoon. (LEM and CSM got a major overhaul as well, which I'm pretty happy with). It's loaded with excess propellant from the descent stage (~15% residuals for a full load, I think). Surprisingly skippy little thing; I was able to run a rendezvous with the CSM while only burning about two of the toroidal tanks worth of prop. Hitching a ride! The CSM is based heavily off of @Servo's absolutely fantastic design from the Apollo Applications Program challenge. I added some tweaks to allow for a jettisonable SIM bay cover, but that's still a work in progress (test below). Go check Servo's design out, it's beautiful.

Very cool, thank you!

Great! I went ahead and rushed my entry. I've been working on re-doing every single Apollo mission (and then some) in stock, and with Apollo 15 being next on my list, this was the perfect opportunity to enter (as it's the first one that fulfills most of the requirements). SCORE: 215 POINTS Apollo 15: Kerbkind Must Explore. Imgur album is a bit image-heavy, so I also pulled out some highlights: Liftoff of Apollo 15. SLA panels jettisoned for transposition, docking, and extraction. Munar Orbit Insertion with the SPS on Endeavour, the CSM. "Falcon, you are go for PDI." Driving on the Mun. Subsatellite launch. Almost home! GOALS (starting with +50): The 3 Little Kerbals +20 A Flag on the Mun?! +5 Mun Buggie +15 Abort! Abort! +15 (Proof) Return for Free +10 No More MEM! +5 Up, Up, and Away +20 Look on the Bright Side! +10 Shut Away From The World +5 Down Under +20 Splashies! +5 MEM Hugger +10 SubSat +10 Parachute Problems - Have 3 main chutes and 2 drogues on the CM +10 Saturn-Alike - Make the launch vehicle (LV) resemble the Saturn V (S5) Additional Goals: I was roving on the Mun one day... Proper Shakedown - Drive beyond 2 kilometers of your lander +10 Munar Scientific Experiments Package (MunSEP) Minimalist - Deploy one MunSEP at the landing site +5 TOTAL SCORE: 215 points