AlamoVampire

did some more missions to both the mun and to minmus for some science. I am slowly unlocking the tech tree, but something just irritated me to no end. WHEN did the monolith by the KSC lose its own biome status???? I swear it was considered its own biome for science purposes. I just flung Bob at it with a light scanner arm and to my utter irritation after spending far too long trying to fling a rocket at it found that i cannot scan it, and being right NEXT to it is considered the shores???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? An hour of effort for NOTHING gained at that stupid monolith. 054001282025

@dok_377 i questioned that too. Time will tell if they see us asking. onto my newest headache. Im finally at a point after 3 runs at Minmus where I can put up real relays. I also unlocked mor MJ features and felt like I was having a legit stroke. Could not figure out why I suddenly couldnt launch an automated rocket via mechjeb. I set my altitude, hit engage autopilot, hit spacebar and watched more times than i want to admit as it just went NO! And fell onto the launch pad. My mistake? Failed to do a basic step. Check the staging. A decoupler was staging too soon and that was the issue. I feel stupid. Im better than that. But the old saying is true! Check your staging! 034601272025 Ok, here are some mission pictures. The launcher is roughly the same one used for the trio in LKO as well as the four in KEO. You will also see the relay itself. All 7 are the EXACT same relay set up with 1 exception. The final 1 has 6 hidden batteries buried inside the HECS. Aside from that, all 7 are identical. Just in differing orbits. When you see the relay itself, you will think im a total nutter in just how BIG that launcher is. Well, go big or disappoint Jeb! This shot is from one of the launches for the trio in LKO, but, like I said, its roughly the same launcher for both the LKO and KEO sets. Id say for not having built a relay set like this in some time other than the test save, doing 7 of these in quick order, literally the trio back to back then KEO back to back. Spoiler contains our little relay. Is this suspenseful? I think it is? I dunno Hope this was enjoyable. 051201272025

@Eclipse 32 dunno if its just me and a borked connection but your images are not showing up, even if clcked on. did you use an image host site like imgur or try to direct upload from your computer? Ok, now, onto my little run at science. I am currently in year 1 day 57 and change having JUST returned from minmus, where I did a landing! on tech that was all 90 per box or less! I am quite chuffed to be honest, a pleasing run! I ended my mission with about 660 science or so total <counting the 55 i had pre-launch> My rocket The lander with a custom Kerbal onboard as pilot <named for me, so, no images showing that kerbal or its name for privacy sake> and Bob as my scientist. I learned something about that capsule on top. It has absolutely zero torque. Learned that during the landing back at kerbin. But, before I get back home, need to land on that minty green orb and see if its really mint ice cream <iykyk>! Everyone already back on the ship, flag planted, samples gathered, ready to go! My ship called Sci Mule 3.75 cruising towards home. Minmus says hey now, you cant do this with out a photobomb! Capsule on top there with its lander stange/transfer stage/science stage below it. For those curious that plasma trail is actually hard coded INTO KSP and the mod that unlocks it is re-entry particle effects. Why it was never turned on by Squad/PD/TT/?? is/was never fully explained beyond "performance" being the reason. Works fine turned on if you ask me. Drifting at 120m/s prior to full chute deploy. Going to be a wet yet soft landing! Mission COMPLETE! Oh, also, prior to this mission, I launched a minor relay to about 80-100km. Have a look! has a little engine behind it if I need to try to change its orbit. Its not much, its a gen 1 early tech tree, but, its something! For now thats what today has seen me do. Im off to go get dinner. Why did I mention dinner? dunno, feel like sharing 212001262025

@magnemoe wanna see something cool? This image isnt out of proportion. If anything that sword is scaled DOWN! That is a zweihander, a 2 meter 2 hand sword. Teehee i got to nerd out yay! 181901262025

Ah. 164501262025

I had noticed that too but i figured just pointing out the sphere thing was bad enough for some folk to have wrecked their childhoods, and wanted to ease them into it. Happy to have you join me on that mission 163901262025 Just to make it more fuzzy/creepy. Goofy He is clearly a dog and sentient. Pluto He is clearly a dog and NOT sentient. Why the difference? Donald, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Scrooge McDuck ALL DUCKS. ALL SENTIENT. What is up with that?!? 165201262025

Im giving science mode a try. So far? Its interesting. Its letting me forge my own path and write my own story. This I like. Im at the 90 science per box level on the tree and i got to that level in a few launches. I just did my first successful mun mission. No landing, just a high orbit then a lower pass as a return to kerbin was targeted. I had no idea my dV margin was going to end as tight as it did. I had 24m/s left after getting a 50km periapsis. Took a pair of aero captures to land. 2nd aero brake slowed me enough to land. Was actually fun! 062401252025

@richfiles it would not be a kerbal construction project if it didnt glitch somewhere my friend Also, where did you pick those KSP related uh plates? Cards? What ever they are! Where did you find those?!? your project looks awesome! 033701262025

was this related to the great purge in those way back days or was that mass deletion of people event a different thing? All I know is, I some how survived that lol. 024801262025

Appreciate this. FWIW all my saves are normal difficulty. The save has been deleted so I cant go back in an look at it <mission was a failure regardless of datalink failures> to know for dead certain, but, from memory, DSRN2 with the 5 RA100's and 4 88-88s were within range of the relay net closer to Kerbin and Capture 2. I never do maths so much as sling a bunch of relays out into the void to ensure coverage, but, here as an example is from my prime save. Only highlighted are my relays. Comm Net 1, 1.1, 1.2 Relay, 1.3, and 2.0: while technically the one pictured is Comm Net 1, all 4 listed are this version that you see orbiting Kerbin. This is MRA Relay orbiting Moho. And this is my Prime Saves DSRN. Comm Net 2.5. Last up is Comm Net 3.0 around Jool. At time of image in its orbit, it has 2 yellow bar connection to KSC. My prime save has a much more robust communication network as you can see. I was checking my probes and they have the 88-88s but the relays are as you see in the images. It was the memory of THIS network that had me so frustrated in my test save with Capture 2 and my relay set there. I guess in the end, building a temu version of THIS beastly network did my datalinks in, and a dismal ship did my idea of moving a giant comet around in lol. If I had turned on my tracked items other than my comm net relays for the first picture you would see this save also has a comet in it, but its orbit is much more dainty compared to Sanrie 1 from my test. Its orbit is no further out than the gap between Jool and Eeloo if memory serves. I didnt think to look while getting these pictures just now lol. I should also state that the network shown here was designed and orbited before my best friend and brother from another mother died back in August of 2020. So, also theres that fun 4 year gap in my play time between around when he died and I left KSP and my return just some few short weeks ago. But, I do honestly appreciate the refresher you gave me. And I hope you and everyone else enjoys seeing the ghost that sparked such frustration in me lol. Also, isnt that just a pretty shot of the relay over Jool? I do not run any visual enhancer mods. Pure stock for visuals 024601262025

Ok so I gave career mode another shot just now, and frankly, it still just is NOT my thing. I know a bunch of yall enjoy/love it, but, for me, its just too haphazard for my tastes. There is absolutely zero rhyme or reason to what the contracts want. Sure, you wont get a contract to reach jool lets say while you still lack the tech to reach even Mun or Minmus, but, its just too poorly done. I had hoped it had seen some improvements in my absence but, nope. its still as clunky and haphazard as always. Maybe science mode is better, but, idk. Maybe I will give science mode a try, but, for me, even 11 years in, sandbox where I can write my own story, blaze my own trail is where its at. Shame really, I had high hopes way back when, and even now, and even now it still fails to deliver a quality experience. Heck one of my complaints STILL exists to this day: Not a single ounce of story which leaves zero compulsion to do this or that. Oh well. I still have sandbox so yay! 035201252025

I just learned that mickey mouses ears are spherical. No matter what angle you view them from in the animations they are circles. The only way this is possible is if they are spheres. Google mickey mouse. 221101242025

@mrneon @Bobbejans from what i know based on what the moderators made public we have about 60ish days left on the current license for for forums. What that means for us as users best that i know is murky at best. I can only guess but my instinct says unless its renewed we will at best lose support, at worst shut us down. Like you im just a user so im guessing. Deddly i think it was said the recent glitch (one just before the one a few hours ago) was tied to a handoff. Meaning? No idea. As i said on my own behalf until the true powers that be comment, we cant know, i expect worst case total shutdown by may. Am i right? No idea. Hope the best expect worst. 165501242025

Final Update on Capture 2 and Sanrie 1. The mission was a failure. The Comet is just too massive to move. Capture 2 is too small. When hooked, it had a DV of 1ms. 163601242025

I saw the thread asking what the game itself meant to each of us, and I figure we should have a place where we can talk about what the forum itself means to us. I will start us off. I came to this forum a few days after 0.21 KSP was released onto Steam. If you see my profile you see that was in the way back times of August 2013. To be honest, I chanced across the game itself on Steam and have no real clue how I found my way here. I am something of an introvert and have never really had many friends in the 4 decades or so of life. I had one friend, a brother from another mother who I lost 4 years and change ago now. This forum has been my safe haven. A place where I can come and be with like minded folks and share stories of what we have done in game, and well, in real life as well. This forum has been my connection to the world, to people who care about each other, who have each others backs. We have all been on a journey together here. I have shared parts of my life with all of you that have been great times, mediocre times and times where my world has caught fire. You have given me advice and comfort in the dark times, smiles and laughs in bright times. This forum is a connection to wonderful people. This has been a decidedly dark time for us as KSP enthusiasts. We have watched as the future of the IP has come into question, we have discussed and speculated on what will if anything happen. Then the errors began, cutting us off at random moments, stopping us from talking, sharing, laughing and crying together. Then in October of 2024 we lost this forum for about 2 weeks. Then we got it back. Things were mostly stable, and optimism began to shine again. Then it happened again. This time, for only a handful of hours. Then it returned. Then it happened yet again. This time it got me thinking. Thinking about the memories here. Thinking about how much we are going to lose when it goes dark. I got to thinking about just how much this place has meant to me in 11 years. How much the lot of you have meant to me. This forum will not survive forever. It will one day end, and the way things look, that may be much sooner than any of us want. You have been my safe place, my safe friends. I now as each of you, what does this forum mean to you? Not just as users, not just as moderators, but as enthusiasts that enjoy our little green friends. The endless possibilities that not only the game gives us, but the ones this forum give us. From our challenges, to our mission logs, our pictures and, our very interactions with each other. Let this thread for however long it survives, be our testament to what the Kerbal Space Program Forums means. 163401242025

These errors only erode my confidence in this forums future further. Like I said in the other thread like this. Until the powers that be (those who control the license and IP) make some sort of public statement about this forums future, the future of KSP1 support if any, and the future of KSP2 is directly commented on, I am of the opinion that by May at BEST we will not have a forum any more. And that guess is me being optimistic. The 502 Bad Gateways and now the THREE total failures of the system in the last 4 months is not making me hopeful. 162001242025

I noticed the outage last night around 1915 local to me. As for bad gateways ive had 4-5 in the last 2 weeks. The only good sign would be whomever holds the string to the Sword of Damocles to get on here and make a public statement about the future of KSP1, KSP2, and the Forum that either all 3 and done and dusted or that updates (for ksp1 anything to stabilize it as tech gets better) KSP1 will resume, that KSP2 either see the current version be completed as sold to us and have its specs become reasonable or that a new KSP2 will rise, and that our forum will continue for another 10+ years. Anything short of that leaving us to speculate as far as im concerned is the former and not the latter. Am I bitter? Yes. Is this fatalistic? No. Pragmatic. Im just going where the evidence seems to point. And right now its pointing at total systems failure in 60-90 days at best. 154301222025

Im going to be honest. Between the bad gateways and these outages im fully expecting this forum to not be here much longer. That outage ended my optimism. Im not leaving of course and will stay until the lights go out, but my hope of longevity is gone. 152401222025

Capture 2 qualifies then for direct control as i need to control it to dock, drill, refuel, and redirect. So the question deepens. DSRN2.0 has connection to KSC and there is no astronomical body occluding it from Capture 2. The pictures show DSRN2.0 having signal. Clarity sake this is before Capture 2 lost datalink. It maintained connection to both KSC and DSRN2.0 until just before DSRN2.0 it apoapsis. Again as you see on same plane. Nothing between them. Im on my phone so i cant tell if you can see the red connection lines or not but they are there. as to what mode i play, sandbox. I HATE career mode with a passion. Ive hated it since day 1 when it was added. It just doesnt feel worth playing. So again, why wont a probe accept communication? And around kerbin are 4 com sats with ra100s. Relatively equidistant, plus the 4 true relays across the system. Ill add a top down image in a bit. Not at home right this second. 181901212025 There is no rational explanation for what i am experiencing. None that I can find. Again, here is top down: I just cannot explain it. 183101212025

When did this change? In the past ive used the 88-88 for long range probes and what not without this being an issue. I cant fathom a giant bulky ugly antenna like the ra-100 to be on a probe or remote vehicle such as capture 2. Why is DSRN2.0 not talking to Capture 2 given its got 5 relay antennas on it? Im still just as if not MORE confused now as why this problem is happening. DSRN2.0 has more than enough range where its at to hear KSC AND Capture 2 yet it refuses to establish a data link. I need to know why. 165301212025 new page!

As i type this its snowing! It will not stick for long but long enough for pictures and for schools to be canceled. Its not even 1/4” deep and schools will cancel. Last time it snowed here was in 2021. 032201212025

I am currently attempting to catch Sanrie 1. I have found I have a problem. It has a communotron 88-88 and its having issues talking to the KSC. I have 4 relays in the system right now not counting the Sentinel probe that found this thing. For some reason that I cannot figure out the stupid thing is refusing to talk to the relays. 3 of the 4 relays has an RA 100 relay. I should add here that I have 4 relays in direct LKO of Kerbin, and they all have the same RA 100 Relay antenna. The 4th relay wasnt a relay at all, but the final stage that delivered my 3rd DSRN or Deep Space Relay Network satellite into orbit. It has the same Communotron 88-88 antenna as Capture 2 but it is set to relay mode. I am perplexed here. I have a manual alarm set to a little while before what I am considering my base leg before Capture 2 goes into final approach. If I cannot sort this communications issue out over the next 9 years and change <game time> I will have no choice but to disable communications network functionality for this test save. If memory serves my prime save has relays all across the system <around 20-30 of them> so, I doubt I will have this problem there, but, thats a different day and different issue. wish me luck. If I succeed in figuring this out, I will post pictures in an update. If I cant, I will still update but with a memorial to my wasted effort but a lesson learned. 233001202025 Edit: I just NOW managed to get my new relay into orbit. It has taken me an HOUR to achieve a SIMPLE retrograde orbit. I just want to CRY. As you know I have spent the last 4 years and change not playing KSP at all because of reasons <one of which being I got over whelmed trying to figure out if procedural fairings would work after its caretaker went dark and stopped updating it> and my Pilot brain just will not cooperate with orbital inclinations. I am using MechJeb 2 <i think sarbian is its caretaker but when I just checked to see when it was last updated it seems linixgurugamer is now its caretaker???? ok now my brain hurts MORE> and its what ever version is currently available for download. So, this is just a quick picture of a command pod on the pad. but, its for illustrative purposes. as you see, 90 degrees is my direct right with 270 direct left. at least according to the nav ball. This is where my brain broke, and pilot mode kicked in. I kept trying to tell mechjeb to go 270 degrees and it kept going polar. I tried the other launch sites and still kept getting polar orbits. What did not click was 0 degrees from an orbital perspective was ya know equatorial. My pilot brain kept trying to fly via nav ball headings. It took me an hour to finally reach the point of screw it, tell mechjeb 180 degrees and see what happens. what happened? it went bloody WEST. Im sad to say that this should not have taken an HOUR to figure out. Im going to cry i think. Ok back to trying to extend my relay network. this works as intended, i will update at some point soon™. 005101212025 minor edit with pictures to follow. Im mid burn to a course that IF this works I will have a relay in range of Capture 2. Its going to take a Jool fly by for a bit of an assist. Its going to be interesting. 012601212025 now im heart broken. I have spent ALL NIGHT trying to do this. I am faced with no choice but to cheat this. I literally have no other option at this point. I cannot understand it. I am going to share some images with you. One was taken prior to reaching apoapsis with DSRN2.0 <its picture will be in this>. You would THINK based on this, that I would maintain a datalink with the KSC. So, here is that image: Next up is right around apoapsis after data link with Capture 2 has been lost. As you see, its essentially on the same inclination as Capture 2, but there is no datalink to it. Now, Here is DSRN2.0 with its transfer stage still hooked up. that is 4 Communotron 88-88's plus 5 of the big long range RA-100s or w/e. This thing is holding steady around 58-61% signal to KSC yet I cant re-establish datalink to the communotron 88-88 on Capture 2. All vessels are RTG/Nuclear powered. So power is not the problem. For clarity, the next few images are the relays. 3 of theses, they make up DSRN 1.0, 1.2, and 1.3. The next image is the more sketchy relay. This is the sketchy one. DSRN 1.3 Probe Relay??? <thats its title in the tracking station as I had no idea what to call it when i found it still on orbit around the sun>. So, As you see, the network SHOULD be talking to Capture 2, but it isnt. I am beyond irritated, frustrated and angry. I do not want to turn on comnet required for probe control. but, as you can see here in the next image, Capture 2 has no data link. Nothing is broken. Its just not talking. I am already angry enough at this mission having had to cheat the fuel level to unlimited to act as if my fuel mission had not krakened itself into oblivion. Now this? Im angry. I will post an update once this thing reaches Sanrie 1. 021301212025 Good Update Time! Sanrie 1 is in sight! Sanrie 1, you dont look so big. I mean, I can see my shadow on you! <Sanrie 1, just you wait little ship, just you wait!> Sanrie 1, you are getting bigger! Im starting to feel inadequate here. <Sanrie 1: maybe.> I got this!. I have your center of mass targeted. I got this. <Sanrie 1: mmhmm> GULP! Uh what have I just gotten myself into???????? <Sanrie 1: maniacal laughter comet style> anyone else getting this kinda vibe from the final picture of Capture 2 and Sanrie 1 docked? 025201212025

Thats pretty slick! Bet it was fun to watch! 153901202025

i have completed a few more missions to Capture 2. It is now strutted <stock construction feels clunky and is a trip in EVA in orbit> and fully fueled. Its ready to head out after the comet. The comet will require at its current orbit about 70 years to reach periapsis but, if all goes right, im going to have that puppy in orbit of Kerbin in half that time. Fun stats for your reading: It has an electric charge of 150 EC being recharged by multiple RTGs. For Monoprop it has 7500 units. For Oxidizer it has 44000 units. For Liquid Fuel <presuming LOX because its my save and thats my head canon lol> 36000 units. It has an Ore capacity of 12000 units to be mined in situ at Comet Sanrie 1. I have 4 of the large drills as you saw in the pictures a few posts up. Multiple radiators on board. I am not going to try for this tonight as well, I just dont wanna lol. I figure getting it fully mission ready is enough for now. I will try this in the next day or so when I work up the courage. Wish me luck! 030401192025

Coyotes are getting bolder in my area thanks to needles construction. Im used to seeing 1 or 2 at a time in my neighborhood but a few minutes ago i saw a pack 8-10 deep of em. Looked healthy and well fed but it worries me nonetheless. Neighbor hood has families that have outdoor dogs/cats. 011801192025 new page!