FoxHunt

Showed up to check out that incredible shuttle, then had to do a double take of that awesome Soyuz. Totally blown away.

That's a great Ariane 5. I love the boosters. Using struts for the landing legs on Philae? That's a nice little probe. Can't wait to see what else you come up with.

Thanks! I was stumped there for a bit until I saw that I misspelled 'persistent'.

When 1.0 first came out I was unable to load any previous saved games. Clicking the Resume Saved button does nothing. When starting a new game, everything works fine. If you put in the name of a previous save, it asks to overwrite the file, so it knows a save file is present somehow. After playing a new game and then quitting/restarting KSP, the problem goes back to the same thing; the Resume Saved button does nothing.

Just came across this thread today and read it all in one go. Absolutely fantastic and really brings back the urge to load up KSP again. I'm loving the ships so far. Any chance we can get some detail on the Hummelbee and the Pogo? Maybe a craft file or two?

The Aerospace Race After a certain period of snack-rationing and various threats of huge asteroids hurtling toward Kerbin appeared to be less than true, the Kerbal Space Agency received some grants, government funding, and heart-shaped cookies. Jeb and Bob decided to get back to work. It's what Bill would have wanted. Both did so in entirely different ways, but with the understanding that many of the old designs they had relied upon couldn't be used. The Rockomax built MALV had fallen out of favor with Bob, due to long times to orbit and the constant attention needed for its flight profile. The recent fall out from the lost space missions caused Kerbodyne to pull many of it's 3.75m parts, and its entire line of Rook launch vehicles. Meanwhile, Jeb had several disagreements with B9 Aerospace over the cost of its various SSTO's and shuttles. He told them their services wouldn't be needed for the forseeable future. Bob's steady relationship with AIES Aerospace over the years was hard to top. Kerbal engineers got together, threw snacks at the walls, and connected the cheesy mess that was left over with crayon. They eventually came up with this: The Beta software had rendered their Fulcrum 9 launch vehicles useless, so Bob decided to improve the design while adding an extra layer of cost effectiveness; the vehicle would be entirely reusable. All stages would land and be recoverable. The Fulcrum 11 was born. The Fulcrum 11's main purpose is to get crew to and from the Kerbal Space Station. Replacing the Miranda spacecraft is a more modest successor, Rhea. Some differences were made to the main stage -8 Constellation 06 engines were mounted radially while a single Vulcan VR1 sat in the middle. Later versions of the Fulcrum 11 would use 9 Constellation engines. Was this more effective and efficient than the previous version's main engine, the Mogul 1500? Who knows? It gets to space. Once the main stage was jettisoned, the Rhea spacecraft was powered to orbit by a secondary stage with a single Orbit II engine. After separation from the secondary stage, the Rhea was powered by RCS only, although later designs fiddled with adding some small radial engines. Once the Rhea was in orbit, the main stage was controlled, and used RCS to change its orientation. Parachutes would slow it down, and then a small amount of fuel left for the single Vulcan engine would slow it further until it splashed into the ocean gently. Once the main stage was recovered, the secondary stage could be brought back to the launch pad, where it was retrieved in the same fashion. The Rhea would later drop off it's crew members, any cargo it may have had, and then fired its RCS thrusters retrograde to get back into the atmosphere. It would land with normal parachutes; unlike the Miranda or the EEV's, a service module is not jettisoned. Meanwhile, Jeb was not to be left out. He need a small shuttle that was easy to fly, reusable, and cheap. Rather than spend countless weeks trying to iron out yet another SSTO, he turned to relative newcomer C7 Aerospace. C7 engineers convinced Jeb to try a design they had already been in the works since they introduced their new mk2 shuttle parts: Jeb loved it almost immediately. He decided that to power this new shuttle, he would use a castoff Ariadne II main stage from KW Rocketry. He then added components to make the main stage recoverable. The solid boosters would be jettisoned and lost, but the KW Maverick engine could get the rest to orbit, and be recovered in much the same fashion that AIES Aerospace was recovering their Fulcrum stages. Jeb took no chances; the first launch of the Andromeda shuttle had no crew aboard. This turned out to be a wise decision; the shuttle lost control on final approach, fell short of the runway and exploded. Jeb changed the flaps around and tried again, making sure it could pitch up and be controlled. Again, no crew in this launch... This time, the shuttle landed flawlessly, even though night landings were throught by most Kerbal engineers to be cursed. Jeb made several variants; a cargo hold was added to one, a passenger section added to another, and yet another was fitted with ion engines and put into orbit: A rare mis-step for C7 Aerospace. The less said about that one, the better. It did manage to land safely.

Thank you for the replies. I'm terrible with naming things, so I've hit on the idea of naming crafts after those on the KSP boards that inspire me. Or at the least, the names that have stuck in my head. As for my poor lost Kerbals, I thought of reviving them, but at least this gives me an excuse to plan a rescue mission.

Phoenix So what happened? Maybe it was the new .90 Beta software uploaded to several probes and spacecraft that caused them to malfunction and disappear. The new Brotoro I, both Saltpeter and Temstar probes, the two Duna Surveyor spacecraft, and the Nelph I Orbiter no longer responded to commands from KSA. A massive solar flare from Kerbol may have been the main culprit. Majorjim Station was nowhere to be found, and even the Miranda 3A that was grappled to an asteroid disappeared. Kerbal scientists were horrified to find that the Rune DTV was no longer in orbit. Then there was the massive Duna sandstorm that all but wiped out the Duna mission. The iDan DAV, the Katateochi Habitat Lander, and all rovers were destroyed. Only the Science Lander survived, where Fredbin and Roely Kermin were able to seek shelter to survive. In all, 8 Kerbals were unaccounted for, and presumed KIA: Bill Kerman Anlas Kerman Shelfurt Kerman Thompbert Kerman Dooly Kermin Gus Kermin Diller Kermin Genegun Kermin Memorials were held for weeks to honor the fallen Kerbal astronauts, although there were several in the pseudo-scientists community that thinks their disappearance is either a cover-up for a military operation, proof that Kerbals never reached space at all, or a jelly donut. Meanwhile, Roely and Fredbin Kermin were able to get a message back to Kerbin. A rescue mission would be necessary. Roely has a moment of silence for his fallen comrades.

Beta Fail (It's been a long hiatus from KSP for me, due to things like extra work, health issues, kids, etc. I happen to recently see that .90 Beta came about, was eager to give it a try. Maybe too eager. Steam apparently uploaded automatically, and I tried to update the mods as best I could. However, I did something wrong apparently; Many of my launches didn't load; possibly due to my overuse of B9's tiny colored lights. The gave apparently saved its status in this manner, so that even though I tried to reload the game, nothing got better. Several boffins died. I decided to trudge on with the save as is rather than start over.) And just like that, it all fell apart. Everything was going swimmingly for our little team of Kerbals at the KSA. The team of Jeb, Bill, and Bob had decided on several contract missions to further their science technology, and also had worked around some extreme budget issues. The launch of the StarDiver shuttles was expensive, and not much could be done while one was in orbit. A new station was drawn up, and plans to move the old Kerbal Space Station needed to be carried out. Spacecraft were designed and built to send to Jool and Eeloo, two planets that the Kerbals knew little about. Brotoro I was launched toward Jool, on a modified Fulcrum 9 rocket. Brotoro I is the first probe equipped with new Ion engine technology. It will attempt to explore the entire Joolian system. Problems really started cropping up when the KSA launched the Nelph II toward Eeloo. This expensive KW Rocketry launch vehicle officially "broke" the launchpad. Nelph II was of the same design as the predecessor, and would also attempt to return to Kerbin with samples of Eeloo. While the repair of the launchpad were underway, serious discussions and meetings were had about the need for a cost-effective way to put big things into space, especially if the Kerbals wanted a new space station. The old station was already being pulled apart and transported to the Mun via Miranda spacecraft: It has been renamed the Majorjim Space Station. A few engineers hit upon a designed lifter vehicle that was neither a spaceplane nor a rocket, but combined elements of both. It had the lift capacity to haul heavy space station modules to orbit, and land back on Kerbin and be recovered. Thus, the Manley Automated Lifter Vehicle was born. Here, the MALV puts the first station module, the Karya, into orbit. From there, everything was coming up roses for Kerbal-kind. The MALV and StarDiver shuttle lifted several Kerbin Space Station modules into orbit. The Type 3 Emergency Escape Vehicle would remain on hand to remove any crewmembers if disaster struck. A modified Miranda spacecraft was constructed with the new grappler technology to intercept an asteroid, and put it into orbit around Kerbin: Last but not least, a new contract was taken to inspect an anomaly on Minmus that had been picked up by Kylab I. Investigator I was launched on the now-standard MALV. Success! What is it? Dibs! Around about this time, KSA engineers decided to upload their new, spectacular 'Beta' software into all of their flight computers. What ensued was anything but hilarity.

Building Up To Orbit Getting back to orbit cheaply has been on Jebediah's mind for the last few months. He's constantly battling with the KSA brass over funds, which mostly go to Bill Kermin's various probe missions. Jeb's first working Single Stage to Orbit plane was this Aeris 2A prototype. With a successful landing, Jeb went about building a better spaceplane, capable of carrying cargo to orbit. Approval was given to take up the first Solar Array Truss to the KSS. Jeb rolls out his StarDiver prototype. The StarDiver intercepted the KSS and delivered the Solar Array Truss without a hitch. However, problems developed while attempting to return to Kerbin. The shuttle was simply uncontrollable, and Jeb was again forced to ditch in the ocean. He was uninjured. Undaunted, Jeb began building the vehicle that would be the mainstay of his fleet. He poured his remaining funds into the project, and convinced the KSA brass that a returnable shuttle would be cheaper than the various rockets they were subcontracting. Jeb worked with B9 Aerospace's new SABRE engines, and unveiled the CS-1 StarDiver. Enough fuel is left to reach a 200x200km orbit. The payload is prepared and released - a new orbital telescope that will help the Kerbal Space Agency peer into the solar system and beyond. The Kerbal Deep Space Observatory. The DSO was able to take some stunning pictures. Here's one of the Mun. With the mission completed, Jeb attempts to set course for a landing at the KSC. However, the extended orbit necessary for the DSO leaves the StarDiver with little fuel left. Returning to Kerbin isn't a problem, but this will be an emergency landing. Jeb is forced to land at the continent beyond the KSC, and it's a bit rough. Some flaps and an engine are broken, but otherwise, landing was successful and no one was harmed. On the plus side, the flight characteristics were really good, unlike the prototype. This StarDiver will be tweaked, and put into service. CS-1 is now StarDiver Shuttle Caladan. Meanwhile, the DSO snaps pictures of the Kerbals' next target.

A Red Mystery Finally, the Kerbal expedition to Duna has arrived. First, the iDan DAV attempts aerobraking into Duna's thin atmosphere. A month and a half later, the Duna Surveyor arrives at Duna. It has enough fuel to bypass aerobraking, and looking for a landing location for the crew. It will also find kethane deposits the DAV will need to make its kethane/oxygen fuel. Here, Duna Surveyor A has separated, and will begin detecting kethane. Duna Surveyor B will begin mapping the surface, identifying surface features, biomes, and any anomalies. It also studies the magnetic field of Duna, which appears to be extremely weak here. The next craft to arrive is the Biscuit Rover. It isn't looking for a landing site; instead it will study the surface on the other side of the planet. It is capable of searching for the previous existence of life here; the Kerbals are keen on learning if Duna ever harbored any creatures of its own. Biscuit ditches it's transfer stage. A single parachute is deployed. The heatshield/fairing has been jettisoned. The landing is extremely rough. Biscuit survives and radios back to the KSA; some wheels are damaged, but Biscuit is able to move around, and use it's bio drill to examine the soil for microbes. Bill Kermin points out a large rock for Biscuit to examine. Commencing Science! While Biscuit keeps scientists at the KSA occupied, the Rune Duna Transfer Vehicle arrives. The Katateochi lander arrives not long after. The Rune intercepts it, and our intrepid kerbonauts EVA to board it. A landing site has been chosen. The Katateochi will land first. Thompbert Kermin is at the controls as the lander ditches its transfer stage, and maneuvers its heatshield. Landing goes without a hitch. Plenty of fuel and parachutes. The 'CoffeeCan' rover can be seen in front. Roely Kermin pops out of the hatch first. Seems pretty excited! First Kerbal on Duna! Ike is in the background, acting all jealous. Back in orbit, Genegun and Dooly Kermin board the Science Lander, and separate it from Rune. Down they go. Next is the MultiDuty Pressurized Rover, and its skycrane. The MPR lands about 10km away, but is automated, so it begins to head toward the rest of the expedition. It also checks for life with the bio drill from time to time. With everything else landing safely, and the Rune on autopilot in orbit, the iDan descends next. Once landed, it "hops" closer to the habitat lander, and begins making its kethane/oxygen fuel. It will continue to do so until the crew is ready to depart. Time to Science! Much needs to be done. First, the 'CoffeeCan' Rover is released, to begin materials study of the surrounding region. Katateochi's cargo bay is opened, and Roely Kermin releases a second rover, the 'Breadbox', that unfortunately isn't shown. Roely then begins to unload some cargo. The two rovers will collect science data from the landscape and report back to the Science Lander. Meanwhile, the crew will collect surface samples and tend to other duties. This will take several months of work, but the crew doesn't mind staying busy. Stop loafing, Roely!

Bad Moho Rising While much attention has been paid to the progress of the Duna mission, an incoming signal grabs the attention of KSA control; Saltpeter II has arrived at Moho, and is positioning itself to make its burn for capture. Moho, imaged up close, for the first time. Is there enough Delta V available for capture? Saltpeter II begins its burn. The AIES secondary stage is completely used; It will have to be jettisoned early to achieve orbit; the probe will have to use the fuel reserved for landing to accomplish this. Orbit is achieved, and KSA control erupts in cheers. A few days later, Saltpeter I achieves orbit. Bob Kerman can't help but smile. Commands are sent to Saltpeter II to begin landing operations. The inclination of its orbit will force it to land on the dark side of the planet, but the probe sports quite a few lights; this shouldn't be too hard. And then, nothing. The last data received from the probe shows that it was at full burn in an attempt to slow down on it's final approach to the surface. The entire KSA team, and Bob especially, just have to confront the fact that they misjudged the distance to the surface, and the probe was unable to slow down in time. Impact was at a high enough velocity to completely destroy the probe. It is a heartbreaking failure, with only the data sent back from the Saltpeter I to provide comfort. Magnetometer and RPWS scans show that Moho has very little magnetic field, while the planet itself seems to be geologically dead. Multispectral scans are underway, mapping Moho's surface and it's various biomes, while Saltpeter I awaits a signal from its lost brother.

The Big Duna The Duna launch window is now open. Everything the Kerbal Space Agency has been working towards the last few months begins now. It is decided that the entire Duna mission architecture should have a code name. Bob suggests "Konstellation". Bill suggests "Hyper Rainbow Gunfire". There's a vote, and Bill's suggestion wins. The Hyper Rainbow Gunfire Program will consist of the following: Support - two satellites will orbit Duna to provide communications, mapping of the surface, discover kethane deposits, and detection of various anomalies. A Duna Science Rover will also land on another part of Duna to conduct more experiments. Duna Ascent Vehicle - Will be sent to Duna unkerballed, will land, produce its own kethane/oxygen fuel, and transport the crew back to the Duna Transfer Vehicle. Duna Habitat Lander - Will carry the crew to the surface. Living quarters, science equipment, and two rovers will round out its cargo. Duna Trasfer Vehicle - The Rune, already in orbit and waiting for a crew. Will carry the crew to and from Duna. Also contains the Science Lander, which will be left on Duna next to the DHL. The crew for this mission has been decided, and will consist of five Kerbonauts. Originally six were going to be sent, but Jeb and Bob did not like the idea of leaving one Kerbal in the DTV to stay in orbit for such a long period of time. Five will land on Duna, and five will return. The Kerbals will specialize in no specific task; each is trained to pilot, do research, render medical aid, and carry out engineering or repair. Thompbert Kermin - The recent mission commander on the Miranda/Vagabond mission, and he will command this one. Thompbert is neither the smartest nor the most courageous, but can best be described as 'steady'. Fredbin Kermin - Recently returned from the KyLab I orbiting Minmus. Made several landings and EVAs on the moon. One of KSA's most experienced kerbonauts. Roely Kermin - Piloted the Miranda MPCV on the Miranda/Vagabond Mun mission. Low stupidity score (Kerbal engineers still argue whether that's good or bad). Genegun Kermin - Rookie kerbonaut. Low courage and stupidity scores. Dooly Kermin - Rookie kerbonaut. Extremely high stupidity score and low courage score. Is this good or bad? KSA engineers think that if he can work the Rune's space toilet, he's ready for space. First up, the most important piece of the mission; the Duna Ascent Vehicle. Several versions were tried, including this early model from Rockomax - This design was considered too complicated, and there was much effort given to fit it into the newly researched 3.75m fairing base. However, B9 Aerospace submitted a design late that was simple and efficient. This design was designated the IDan DAV. The IDan is carried to orbit by the newer version of the Rook IV Heavy launch system. Next, the Duna Science Rover, also called simply "Biscuit" is launched. Biscuit is launched on a KW Rocketry vehicle with Kerbodyne SRBs. The next launch is the Duna Surveyor, which consists of two satellites that will assist the mission and collect science data. They are launched together on AIES Aerospace's new Fulcrum 9 Heavy lifter, which consists of three Fulcrum 9 stages. A newly designed Duna MultiDuty Rover (MDR) is launched, due to the previous rover belonging to an older version of the DAV. It is decided that this new rover will be launched separately and land under its own skycrane, while being transported to Duna via the Rune. The Duna MDR is launched on a AIES Fulcrum 9 rocket. The Duna Habitat Lander, designated the Katateochi, is launched a few days later on a Rook IV Heavy. When the Kerbodyne boosters try to separate, disaster. The booster collides with the main stage engine, destroying it. The lander cannot reach orbit, and is lost on re-entry. Thankfully, no kerbals were aboard. This is the most significant failure in all of the Kerbal space program. Jeb, Bob, and Bill are forced to endure hearings, trials, and general name-calling after the accident. It was finally decided that the catastrophe was due to a jelly donut being left on one of the booster's separatrons, clogging it with jelly goodness, and pushing it the wrong direction. A new Katateochi was hastily built and launched. So far, there are no leaks. The last launch itself is the Miranda Crew Vehicle. This one launches on the standard launch vehicle, but is designed to carry five kerbals instead of three, and now consists of a handy Launch Escape System. The MPCV proceeds to dock with the nearby Rune DTV. Everything is set. All mission craft have burned for Duna. Now, the Rune shoots for Duna with two separate, 7 minute burns. Some fine tuning and a light touch is needed at times to prevent shaking, but overall the Rune performs fine, and is left with plenty of fuel; aerobraking may not be necessary. Now comes 200 days until Duna intercept.

Jebediah is a Steely Eyed Missile Kerbal Various warning sirens alert the Kerbals at the KSA that a problem as developed near the KSS station; a spent Ariadne I booster in orbit around Kerbin is on an intercept orbit, and will strike the station unless something is done. It's a dangerous mission; Jebediah and Bob Kermin decide to handle this personally. Jeb wants to use the X-1 shuttle. He wants to strap it to boosters and a large fuel tank. He wants to modify it with engines that have never been tested. He doesn't have time to test any of the components. Thus, the launch of the first Kerbal Space Shuttle, hereby designated Arya. Jeb and Bob run into a severe problem rather quickly; one of the spent SRB's struck the right wing elevator. returning to Kerbin is going to be a significant problem. Jeb will have to worry about that later. For now, they approach the spent booster stage... It's up to Bob Kermin to attach the probe core. Some fuel will be transferred as well, and the stage will remotely de-orbit under its own power. Careful Bob; that booster is awfully close. Once completed, the booster is able to stay on course enough to reach a suborbital trajectory. Jeb and Bob now have a decision to make; try to return and land in the Arya, or head to the KSS, transfer to the station, and allow the shuttle to re-enter the atmosphere by remote. Jeb opts to pilot in himself. The shuttle fights violently, and Jeb can barely control it; this will have to be a water landing. Bob notices that they are approaching way too fast. Jeb engages the air brakes and uses the rest of his RCS monopropellant to keep his nose up - speed below 100 m/s! This is gonna hurt! Jeb wins another staring contest with Death. The shuttle is destroyed; Bob will be catatonic for a few days.

Fly Me To The Mun More science of the Mun is needed. Several new designs will be tested during the mission. Thompbert, Diller, and Roely Kermin have been selected to carry out this project. First, the new Miranda MPCV is launched, using the finalized version of the Miranda Launch System. Later, the newest Mun lander, the Vagabond, is launched atop a Kerbodyne rocket. Once docked to the Miranda, its transfer stage will propel the Kerbonauts to the Mun. Roely Kermin remains in the Miranda in orbit, while Commander Thompbert and Vagabond pilot Diller Kermin land safely on the surface. The Kerbals attempt to land in several locations, and collect varied samples from the surface. Finished, Thompbert Kermin jets to the top of the lander and gazes toward home. The team will ascend to orbit, dock with the Miranda, and then detach the lander before heading to Kerbin. Back in Kerbin orbit, final modifications are being made to the Rune DTV. Bob Kermin is overseeing the modifications himself, helped by Anlas Kermin. Several strut sections are needed to make the Rune stable for transfer burn. Although tedious work, Anlas doesn't mind. Once finished, the Kerbonauts will re-enter the Kerbin atmosphere with a Miranda MPCV. The crew of the Rune is not yet finalized and will remain uncrewed until the Duna transfer window. There's still time for one more mission.