Bengsch85

Hey guys, thanks for the positive words. Unfortunately life threw me a curveball and I have been working 16 hour days quite often so the story has been put on the shelf for now. It will make a reappearance in the next few weeks though I hope so stay tuned!

I had considered trying to balance them out better as I looked into the configs more. I only use the 3m version so it wasn't a big deal to me at the time. If there is interest I would take a look at balancing them. Also the 5m air breather I have tossed around the idea of setting it up like the RAPIER engine is with dual mode and actually using air instead of faking it with ISP changes like it is now.

With it being a station, many lines. Most parts have numerous lines per part so you do the math I've done it before so it just takes patience

If you go into the save file and find the vessel you can copy and paste it from one save to the other. I recommend a backup both saves before attempting. Make sure you copy from [vessel] to [vessel] tag or else something will be missing and can ruin a save file if done wrong.

Except that doesn't answer his question, the whole first page doesn't show the actual tree... Try this link: http://i.imgur.com/OkwRzka.png

Engine stats are now up!

I'm really glad I could do this for everyone asking for it in your AAR. I sure can! I will have some time tomorrow and I will put it in the first post.

As these are just cfg edits to keep the engines updated I can't edit the models themselves. I don't have the model files, and I agreed with the previous author I wouldn't touch the models. There are a few of us using these engines that wanted updated versions (last version was for .18!) and that was what I set out to do.

Bengsch Industries Parts V1.0 I would like to introduce my first line of parts, the Leucome Z-Pinch Fusion Engines! Leucome graciously gave me permission to bring these up to date and to keep them that way until he chooses to take up the project again. They are compatible with Tweakables and Career Mode (in the Experimental Rockets tech node). Most importantly, they now can be put in the GameData folder as well! Specs: 3m Version Thrust: 1950 ISP: 462, 1200 Mass: 13T 5m Version Thrust: 2450 ISP: 480, 1380 Mass: 38T 5m Air Breather Thrust: 2550 ISP: 2850, 1520 Mass: 37T 10M Version Thrust: 2600 ISP: 480, 1280 Mass: 57T Spaceport link: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/bengsch-industries/ Simply unzip the contents of the file into your GameData folder and you're done! More parts to come in the future as I re-learn how to use Blender and Unity! These parts are covered under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

I also recommend ksp interstellar and kosmos station pack for large solar panels and radiators. Its what I've used in the past for building large stations.

That wasn't the issue I had, its that the ray-casting used to determine where the re-entry effects hit allow the heat to go through the cracks in the shield. It has to do with the model and not the cfg file and the original author in the thread mentioned it over there.

I tried for a week to make it DRE compatible and just couldn't. It was one mod I had to take off my list for the grand tour so now I just pretend

Check the link out, specifically the GE-1600 Heatshield. The Icarus Project

Dun dun dun! And where Jeb is, trouble always seems to follow no matter who's story it is!

I might be able to help out, I definitely enjoy designing ships and stations in KSP. Sent you a PM.

Every chapter better then the last! So many twists and turns, I'm not sure where its headed anymore! Stellar job on it.

Trouble? I sense no such thing. On another note, life is creating a little delay for me lately on writing so there may be some breaks between some chapters but never fear, the story will go on!

Chapter 5: Returning Home Sid: What happened down there Jeb? Jeb: Long story, we can discuss it on the transfer home. Sid: Well, we have an issue up here. We can’t dock the landers on the main ports. Jeb: Dang, he damaged it? Sid: Loddred did this? Jeb: He pulled a stunt and landed it on the docking port. How bad is it? Sid: I’m looking at it right now and there is no way I can fix this. We have to take it to Farpoint Station for repairs before we head off for Moho. Jeb: We should have 3 weeks to do the repairs. Is that doable? Sid: That’s not the issue, it’s the aerobraking maneuver. It was never approved to be done on those front ports. The stress from even a minor aerobraking could rip the landers off the ports and right into the fuel tanks. Jeb: So what is our options? Sid: We don’t have one, Mission Control is adamant that we still perform the aerobraking. Jeb: Even with the dangers? Sid: They want their data, one way or another. Jeb: Any way you can make it easier on the ports? Sid: We can go shallower in the atmosphere to eliminate some of the stress. Jeb: Let’s plan on that so we don’t upset the suits back home. We are 10 minutes from docking so I’ll see you in a bit. ****************** Jeb: Gene, I need to talk to you on a secure channel. MC: Hang on one minute Jeb… Gene: Ok, go ahead. Jeb: When we get back to Kerbin in a couple days, Loddred needs to go. He is a danger to this mission just like I had said many times before. Gene: Jeb, as I told you before as well, he has to stay on this mission. He is the only one who can fly the Eve and Tylo landers. Jeb: Surely there was a backup training with him just in case. Gene: He was the only one from the beginning. Jeb: Why would you do that? There’s always a backup trained for any mission, no matter what it is! Gene: Jeb, just drop it. My hands are tied on this. Jeb: Hands are tied? Is there something you aren’t telling me Gene? Gene: Loddred stays, end of story. Now is there anything else you need? Jeb: He isn’t the only one who can fly those landers… ***************** Commander’s Log 25, Day 28: We made the transfer burn back home a few hours ago and will arrive in a day and a half. After a very heated discussion, Mission Control finally agreed to our plan of a less aggressive aerobraking. I still think they are idiots (yes, I know you can read this) for even risking it in the first place but as Gene likes to say, its out of my hands now. I will have to brief the crew on the danger of it soon though. Loddred is another issue. Apparently there isn’t anything I can do to keep him at home. He will be the death of someone on this ship if he doesn’t change his ways. Hopefully he, or Gene, will realize that before it is too late. ****************** Jeb: I called you all here to discuss our upcoming situation. We will be performing an aerobraking maneuver with our ship in a less than ideal situation. As you know, due to a malfunction in the main docking port of Apollo has forced us to dock both landers on the secondary ports. These ports are not as strong as the main ones and there is a risk of failure during the maneuver. Sid. Sid: The risk is small but it is there none the less. We are not getting as aggressive as Mission Control wanted us to. It should eliminate quite a bit of the stress. In my eyes, it shouldn’t be an issue. Jeb: So I don’t want everyone to panic, I just wanted to keep you all informed. Herrick: What did happen to the lander down there? Jeb: It was just a malfunction, that’s all. Wherbert: Will it be an issue that could come up in the future? Jeb: We are getting it fixed when we get back home and it shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Loddred: Why do you lie and cover things up Jeb? Why not tell them how you really feel. The hate you feel towards me. Jeb: I do not hate you Loddred. Nel: What is he talking about Jeb? Loddred: Yes Jeb, what am I talking about? Jeb: I didn’t deem it as important to the mission so I wasn’t going to tell you this. Loddred attempted to pull off a stunt on the surface and landed on the docking port, damaging it. He has been reprimanded and things will be back to normal soon. Nel: Isn’t he dangerous to the mission? Jeb: The decision has been made and he stays. No more discussion on this topic. Loddred: Is the your decision, or Mission Control’s? Jeb: … Loddred: That’s what I thought, you never make decisions anymore. You are afraid to make the wrong one again, aren’t you? Jeb: … Loddred: Hate to have that career taken away again, huh? Jeb: … Loddred: And that wasn’t even the worst part, you had to ruin things for your friends too, huh? Bill: You know nothing about that day, Loddred. Loddred: And what about when you froze up while landing yesterday? Bob: How did you know about that? Loddred: I hacked into communications to check on things. The point is you aren’t fit to be commander. Jeb: I am going to my quarters. Loddred: Just run away Jeb, that’s what you are good at. Run away from your problems! Bill: Was that really necessary? Loddred: Someone needs to make sure the truth is told. Bob: You don’t know the truth, that’s the problem. Loddred: Whatever Bob. Sid: What really happened to you guys? Bob: What I’m about to tell you is something we were sworn never to tell another living soul. The way I see it though, if we are going to spend the next 7 years together, you all deserve to know the truth. Loddred: I’m not going to stick around for this extravagant work of fiction. Bob: That’s fine, but you are welcome to stay. Loddred: I’m good! (walks out) As most of you know, the Pegasus was a first of its kind. It was a science vessel, designed to support 3 kerbals for 3 months on a science mission to the Mün or Minmus. It also had a secondary role, allowing the lab to be converted to a medical bay and used to rescue up to 6 kerbals from either location. It had passed all of the orbital tests it was subjected to, and we had the mission of the first landing on Minmus. Our secondary mission was to test the recently prototyped version of the EVA propulsion unit. It was very similar to the one we have now. The launch, transfer, and landing all went by the book perfectly. As Jeb had put it, almost too perfectly. We had been there for around a week, collecting data from experiment probes that had been landed on previous missions. I had taken a few test flights with the EVA pack, mostly just short jumps from one side of the frozen lake we had landed to the other. I was about to head out for another test when the radio crackled to life. “Bob, I want you to initiate Order 66.†Only a few people at KSC knew what that meant, and only I knew what it was on Minmus that day. Jeb especially didn’t know, he never would’ve allowed it. It was an order to attempt an EVA flight from surface straight to orbit. When Jeb asked what it meant I told him it was to test how the EVA pack fit in the rover we were using to get around. I took the rover to the top of the hill on the edge of the lake and ran through my preflight checks. “I’m sorry Jeb,†was all I could say as I pushed off and headed for the stars. As I started to arc across the lake, Jeb must have caught sight of me and realized what I was up to. The curses and threats still ring in my ears all these years later. Just as I had passed over our landing zone, one of the bi-directional thrusters failed. I attempted multiple times to override the failure but couldn’t salvage it. I knew I had no choice but to minimize the speed at which I would hit the surface. I thrusted forwards to kill as much horizontal velocity as I could as I started to fall back down. Then, with much effort, I rolled my body backwards and thrusted away from the surface and hoped for the best. The last thing I remember is seeing the stars above me. I woke up 3 weeks later in the hospital after I came out of the coma. It was then that I learned the rest of the story. They figure I hit the ground at roughly 30 m/s square on the pack, crushing it, knocking me out instantly, cracking my helmet, and putting a tear in my suit in two places. Luckily, I never broke anything. By the time Jeb found me, I was down to the last minute or so of oxygen left. He, by chance, had space tape in his utility pouch and patched all of the holes as best he could. Jeb then unhooked his oxygen line, plugged it into my suit, and carried me for 15 minutes back to the ship. He only stopped once to replenish the air in his suit, and the doctors said he still had signs of carbon dioxide poisoning when we landed. BIll and Jeb took off immediately and requested a ballistic return trajectory to save time which, as you know, was denied. It turns out, they saved about 6 hours disobeying that order and saved my life. The impact had caused bleeding in the brain, and the doctors were able to relieve the pressure just in time. Bill and I were asked to retire after the incident; never allowed to talk of it again. Jeb was forced to accept a dishonorable discharge and take the fall for the incident. All members of Mission Control on duty during those events were paid to retire and disappear out of sight from the media spotlight, all except Gene. That’s what really happened back then. Sid: So KSC didn’t want it to get out that they screwed up? Bill: It was a class A coverup. Nel: Is that why Jeb doesn’t trust them? Bob: He doesn’t trust Gene specifically. But, when it comes to judgement, can you blame him? Whoever is up here will always have a better handle on a situation than those on the ground. Loddred: You really expect me to believe the KSC would cover up one incident? It was an accident, the public would understand. Bill: Thought you weren’t going to listen to this story. Loddred: Figured I could poke some holes in your theories. Bob: To answer your question, no it wasn’t the only case. If you remember, both Scott and Manley Kerman were killed in accidents on Minmus that were blamed on faulty landers. Both were EVA pack failures similar to mine. Shelgun: But things are different now, right? Jeb: Don’t be so sure… We will be aerobraking in 12 hours so I suggest everyone get some sleep so we are fresh for whatever might happen. ******************* (from Mission Control room) Gene: Alright folks, this is for real. CAPCOM, what’s the time to atmospheric contact? CAPCOM: 30 seconds Gene. Jeb: (over radio) Everything buttoned up and secured up here. Heatshield reading at 100%. CAPCOM: Atmospheric contact now. Periapsis in 45 seconds. Gene: Sid, how are the ports holding? Sid: (over radio) Both ports holding at 95% holding power. Jeb: (over radio) Atmospheric effects are showing on the heatshield, still at 100%. Nel: (over radio) I have a slight list to port, trying to correct it. CAPCOM: I’m reading it as well Gene, 15 seconds to periapsis. Sid: (over radio) Starboard docking port dropping quickly, 80%, 70%, 60%! If we go below 50% we may lose the lander! Nel: (over radio) It’s coming back straight. Sid: (over radio) Stabilizing around 55%, we might be in the… (static) Gene: What happened? CAPCOM: We lost connection, hold on, I’m verifying the problem. NAVCOM: I have lost all link to Orion. Not even the transponder is there. Gene: Don’t we have a Sat that can get some eyes on it? CAPCOM: Not for another 10 minutes. Gene: I need solutions people! CAPCOM: There is nothing we can do, we must wait.

*Motions to share microphone* I don't want to take all of the spotlight, if you are singing too we should share and make it epic!

Is it sad that sang that entire thing in my head as I read it? Awesome work, I love it!

Orbital velocity at 70km kerbin orbit is roughly 2300 m/s and if you match orbits they relative speed should be 0 because the orbital velocities are identical. The only thing I can think of is your 2 ships are orbiting in opposite directions?

You paint a picture very well with your words! I like that you didn't keep it exclusively for KSP, it adds a different feel to it. Keep up the good work!

And generally if its strictly a mod related issue, the question should be taken to that mod's thread.

Escape

Chapter 4: Struggle Is Born Sid: Come on Gene, you know I'm right here! MC: We had our best engineers working on this for months, there's no way they would miss something like that. Sid: You never had me look at it, and I am positive that we can squeeze some more efficiency out of these lander engines. I can send you all of the data I've collected. Just show your engineers what I found, I'm sure they will agree. Jeb: Gene, this kid knows what he's talking about. I'd listen to him if I were you. MC: Fine, I will pass the info along and get back to you. There is still 30 hours till your transfer so sit tight. And I want you to promise not to go out and do any work until I get back to you, understood? Sid: Yes sir. MC: I was actually referring to Jeb. Jeb: Don't worry, I will not wander outside the ship while you are gone... MC: Good. Mission Control out. Sid: So now all we do is wait, huh? Jeb: Yup. Come on, let's play a game of chess. *************** Nel: I can't believe that they let you do this! Sid: My reasoning was sound, they had no choice but to listen to me. Nel: And it wasn't because you sweet-talked Cassi into letting you? Sid: Haha! She was the hardest to convince but that was only because she didn't want to admit she was wrong. Nel: If you say so... How's it coming? Sid: Almost there. I need those calibration numbers I gave you. Nel: 3.26, 15.8, 3253, and 0.0362. Sid: Perfect. Nel: So how much will we gain with your tinkering? Sid: I figure another 100 m/s of deltaV or so. It should make for a nice cushion when you are flying. Nel: At least they let me fly them! Sid: And they put me in charge of making sure it flies for you, just keep that in mind. (with a wink) Nel: Always have a comeback, don’t you? Sid: Someone has to keep you on your toes. I’m on my way in now, things are all done here. ***************** Commander’s Log 21, Day 26: Minmus, my old enemy. It never was that way, so many great things happened there. It all changed in a matter of minutes, didn’t it? I asked Bob how he felt about the upcoming visit. He seemed anxious to meet his fears head on. Bill is excited to land anywhere besides home, nothing unusual in that. He’s was always the one wanting to get away from home, even more then me at times. At least there will be two Kerbals in that lander who aren’t afraid. We made our transfer burn not long ago, almost a two day trip to arrive. We will have to make a small correction burn halfway there to match inclinations with Minmus. Sid’s tweaks to Apollo will be put to the test in the hands of Loddred. It will be nice to step foot on unfamiliar soil, even if it has to be Minmus… ***************** Gerbo: I swear, I am so sick of looking at Mün rocks! Shelgun: I know, but we have to test the equipment and with Mün rocks we know the outcomes we should get. It’s much easier to calibrate the systems that way. Gerbo: Still sucks, all of this fancy experiments and nothing learned from any of this work! Shelgun: It will come, even Minmus may have a surprise or two for us, you never know. Gerbo: Do you remember Johndrin from the university? Shelgun: Vaguely, but I’m not the greatest with names. Who is he? Gerbo: He was in our Advanced Chemistry class. Not always the brightest but always gave his all? Shelgun: I remember him now! Gerbo: Anyways, before we left he contacted me and asked me to perform an experiment for him. On Minmus specifically. Shelgun: Oh yeah? Gerbo: Yup, he wants me to taste a sample from the highlands. Shelgun: Did you just say taste? Gerbo: He firmly believes that the hills of Minmus are made of mint ice cream. Shelgun: But that's just an old fairy tale to tell to the young ones! What did you tell him? Gerbo: I would run the test for him. I won't really taste it but I'll send him a report. Shelgun: Mint ice cream, just when I thought I had heard everything... ************** Bill: All systems are nominal Jeb, Artemis is ready to undock. Sid: Looks good from here guys as well. I will send down Loddred to join you on our next pass over. Jeb: Undocking now. Bob: We are clear, prepare to deorbit. Jeb: Engine firing now. Bill: Trajectory is good, right where we wanted to land. Bob, Bob! Where are you! I'm not losing you! Bill: Coming up on landing sequence, are you ready Jeb? Talk to me Bob, what can you see? I need to hear your voice! Bill: Jeb? Listen to my voice. Don't give up on me. I’m coming for you. Bill: Jeb! Jeb: You take the controls Bill, its all yours. Bob: Are you ok Jeb? You aren't taking my best friend from me, Minmus. Bill: Are you ok Jeb? We are on the surface. Jeb: I'm fine, I just need some fresh air. Bill: I need you to hold it together, you are Commander of this mission. Jeb: Let’s just get things done here and get off this forsaken moon. Put on a smile for the publicity shots, everything is just fine. Bob: Alright, I setup the camera, let’s all smile for the postcard shot! Sid: Jeb, we are coming back around. Loddred is undocking right now. Jeb: Copy that, we will be watching out for them down here. Let’s get things finished up out here and get back in Artemis. Bill: You don’t trust him? Jeb: I trust him, I just want to follow safety protocol. Anything can happen out here. ************* Loddred: We are on final approach, do you have their beacon signal locked in? Pat: I have it locked in now. We are 4.7 kilometers away and closing at 63 m/s. Loddred: Let me know when we are below 1000 meters. Gerbo: Are the lakes always so sparkly on Minmus? Loddred: Yes, now be quiet, I’m concentrating. Pat: 1000 meters, velocity at 15 m/s. Loddred: Switching off engine. Pat: What?! Loddred: Switching to RCS thrusters only. Pat: We can’t decelerate enough with only RCS, we don’t have enough thrust! Loddred: Come on baby, behave for me. Pat: You are going to hit the other lander! Loddred: Almost there… Pat: Watch out for the solar panel! Gerbo: Brace for impact! Loddred: This won’t work, finishing the landing with the engine. There, touchdown. Pat: You almost killed us, are you crazy?! Loddred: Relax, I was in complete control. Jeb: Loddred, meet me outside now. Loddred: Oh come on, lighten up a little. Jeb: Now. And Pat, put the landing gear down, someone forgot that step while he was showboating. Jeb: What were you thinking? Or were you even thinking at all? Loddred: It would’ve been pretty awesome if I pulled it off. Jeb: I can’t believe you! I always thought you would be an issue, but endangering the lives of your crewmates? You are dangerous and a liability! Loddred: I think you are reacting a little there bud… Jeb: No, this part of the mission is over for you. No exploration, no science experiments, nothing. You take Apollo back up immediately, your landing privileges are revoked indefinitely. Loddred: Seriously? Jeb: Get out of my sight now. ******************** Loddred: Coming in to dock. Sid: Aren’t you a little early coming back? Loddred: Just have the port ready for me. Pat: 50 meters. Loddred: And dock. (thump) What the? Sid, I told you to have it ready for me! Sid: It is! The problem is on your end. Pat: Maybe we damaged… Loddred: Shut up. Sid, we will dock with the front port and you can take a look at the port. Sid: Did Pat say something about damage? Loddred: Its nothing. ******************* Bill: You know its not much different than things you used to do Jeb. Jeb: No, its completely different. I never risked the lives of those with me. My stunts were when i was alone in a craft. Bill: Don’t be too hard on him, he’s just a kid. Jeb: And what if he had taken both landers out and we were stranded here? Mission Control would’ve had a hard time cobbling together a mission to rescue us before our oxygen levels ran out. Bob: Can we just drop it? I’m trying to enjoy the view. Jeb: I’m going inside, we will be leaving in 15 minutes. Bill: I will come with, I have some pre-flight checks to do. Bob, you coming with? Bob: I will be there in a bit, I want to enjoy the view for a bit longer. Bob: All these years, all these memories. It’s good to be back. And to think my life almost ended here. It’s amazing how something so beautiful, so serene, can be so deadly. Mission Status