Ghostshark27

Cool info on the stream! I for one am interested in them, and am salivating to get my hands on the new trucks and everything. So I've got a few more flights in with the Super25 and I've found another slight issue that's bugging me a bit. Has the electric generator been toned down from the KSO? I ask because on reentry, almost all my flights have ran out of power before I can get them down. I'm toying around with a couple theories, but it seems like SAS eats all the power trying to keep the orbiter on the perscribed angle. Also, as a positive (well, more of an amusement, really), I run the Final Frontier mod, and have found something fun about the Super25's. They're an easy way to get the fast orbit ribbon! Every mission, save for my overloaded one, has gotten some form of the ribbon, on top of all the other regular ribbons. Some of the Kerbals service records are getting quite impressive now!

No worries man! I was just curious about being able to send off multiple kerbals somewhere. I've strapped on crew containers to some designs before, but they don't look all that elegant. Shame about the Queen Bee though, I guess it was just too much work keeping all the water in the hot tub in zero-G. As far as my story goes, hopefully they'll learn to redesign it, and you'll see advanced designs like the equinox and stuff. That is, if Jeb survives to help tell the boffins how it was designed. So far he hasn't woke up from the crash.

Ok, I'm a slacker, totally missed that you had released two new designs! I'll have to give them a spin tonight, if I get time after rescuing some kerbals in need. They look great as always, though! Just a quick question... Are you planning on making any dedicated multi-crew dropships? I know you've got the Queen Bee, but it's been pulled for a refit. Any chance of any purpose built two or three seaters, though? I just figured it'd get lonely on the long trip out to Jool, and you might need someone to chat with. And to lift the big heavy rovers off the dropship so you don't have to break a sweat. BTW, I updated my mission log tonight, and one of your craft made an appearance. I had fun with it, but it didn't end too well.

OK, so I did a bit of a stress test last night. Launched a 10+ ton module up to my interplanetary tug last night, along with a tank of xenon weighing in at 3-4 tons. Took a bit longer to do, as I kept orbits relatively close and didn't do my usual high to low transfer, but I made it with probably enough fuel to spare a reentry. Dropped off the module, crew, and the gas, and was able to fill up the orbiter with what was left in my launch vehicle. I'm really getting the hang of the Super25, it's a big burly beast, not as smooth as the KSO but still very managable. If I had one complaint though, it would be that it seem a bit too twitchy in atmosphere. I think it's a bit too manueverable for its size, as it snaps pretty quick to any control input. Also, on a slightly unrelated note, how are you guys doing the FASA launch pads? Every time I go to the launchpad the crew tower seperates from the shuttle as soon as the physics kicks in.

Interlude 1: New Horizons... In the following weeks since the Javelin had left orbit for the Mun, several interesting events happened around Ikarus Industries, and for that matter, the whole world. With all the buzz from the Javelin launch and it's mission, Ikarus received even more funding to help further the possibility of an orbital production facility. The board of directors saw fit to create a new department, the Extraplanetary Construction Department. After hiring some of the brighter names in engineering and metallurgy, the department was tasked with designing a system that would allow processing of raw materials into useable goods, and provide storage of both. The EX-CON's, as they began calling themselves, went to work designing a space station that could fit the bill. One thing was clear, whatever they designed would have to be launched from Kerbin, and it would have to be big. All the departments realized that whatever they built would be large, and no one was sure that the Rockets division alone would be able to keep up with the pace or demand, let alone be cost effective. So the engineers went to the drawing board, looking at the design or the current orbiter. While the KSO shuttles are plucky little craft capable of being used again and again, their payload always seemed to be lacking a bit. A few of the boffins in R&D declared that they could enlarge the design of the entire orbiter system, and after several long caffeine filled nights, were able to show proof of concept. The final product was a beefier version of the current shuttle, capaple of carrying 2.5m wide cargo weighing up to twenty tons into space. The board of directors signed off on a plan to build up to 4 orbiters and launch systems, with two being available after two months, and the other two between a month or two later. The new shuttle project, named the Super25, would work in conjunction with the current KSO system, rather than replace it, at least for the time being. While the Production Department was working on manufacturing the new shuttle systems, the R&D Division worked on their next project. They were working on a vessel that would allow for large loads of equipment to be transferred from one planet to another. An interstellar space tug was devised, capable of hauling heavy loads of cargo through space, and housing personnel if needed as well. As the project took shape, it was clear that it would require several launches from the new shuttles to complete, and that at least one of the pieces would be large enough that the Rockets Division would have some work to do. Initial concept split the craft up into five pieces: Cockpit/Crew Module, Passenger Module, Propulsion and tankage, Extra Stores, and a Nuclear Reactor Module. The ship would mount its engines forward of all cargo, and essentualy pull it's load to wherever it needed to be. The mystery of the unsanctioned launch was solved, for the most part. It turns out that Jeb and the technicians were siphoning off supplies and fuel to build a strange new craft, capable of reaching orbit and transferring between planets. Several amatuer astrologers reported seeing a strange craft flying around the planet, and one such report claimed that they saw it approach the Odyssey Space Station. The crew of the station confirmed this report, stating that Jeb had stopped by and paid them a visit, although they refuse to say what they all talked about. They just claim he stopped by for a chat before heading off to go "see the sights." After he left, not much was heard from him until shortly before the first launch of the new Super25's. A strange craft came hurtling through atmosphere over the Space Center, headed for the ocean above. Witness report that it's rocket engines appeared to be on full throttle but that it was still hurtling towards the water. Eventually, it seemed to level out about 10 kilometers from the shore, and began to fly towards the Space Center. Just before it cleared the waterline, the engines cut off and the whole ship dropped onto the shoreline and broke into dozens of pieces. When the rescue crews arrived, they found a pile of debris, and a command pod holding a battered and unconcious Jebediah inside. He was taken to the medical center, but is still unconcious and doctors are unsure as to when he'll be able to return to duty. While reviewing the wreckage, computer techs found the mission logs. It appears that Jeb visited both the Mun and Minmus, landing on each, and still making it back home to Kerbin. Meanwhile, Dilvey continued her mission the whole time everyone was developing new technologies back home. She managed to map the surface of both planets, and the deep penetrating radar managed to scan enough of the moons to get an idea of resource location on them as well. The Javelin was able to send rough images to Kerbin, and the boffins back home are drooling over the images, waiting for the hi res copies to pull off the storage drives once Dilvey gets back into Kerbin orbit. (Thanks to Cupcake for his awesome landers! I just had to put one in my game, and it probably won't be the only one you see. Check out his stuff if you like the design.)

Ok, so I'm loving the new shuttle! Using mechjeb for launch and orbit, I've had no problem using the same profile I did with the KSO. (Turn at 1k, 45 degree turn to 70k.) One thing I've noticed, and this happens on both craft, is that Mechjeb doesn't limit thrust upon reaching terminal velocity anymore even if I have it selected. No big deal, I end up burning just enough fuel to make sure that I can ditch an empty EFT, just thought it was wierd. Also, as another small bug I've noticed, Alternate Resources doesn't show a difference in fuels between the total amount and the stage with just the orbiter and EFT. Both of them have the same amounts, unlike the booster stage where the numbers count down differently. Also, is there a magic number out there as far as how heavy a payload this thing can lift? I'm building a Space Tug, and need am sending up a reactor that will weigh probably around 10-12 tons. I know it will fit in the payload bay, just want to know if I'll be able to get into LKO and back. Thanks!

Chapter 2: Is the Mun Made of Cheese? The recent exploits of the Ikarus shuttle crews have gained popularity in the media. Everyone is excited to see a renewed effort to learn more about the solar system and beyond. Funding for Ikarus Industries has doubled in the last few weeks as everyone watched the Odyssey Space Station progress. Potential recruits are lining up for a chance to be selected for the space program. The Administrative Office is being bombarded with contracts and sponsorship requests by companies all over the world. With all of the newfound support, new options are available to pursue. Mission Control, with a station in orbit, has decided to turn their efforts toward the moons orbiting Kerbin. If Ikarus is to reach out to the other planets, they need to conquer Mun and Minmus. The Research Division has figured out how to miniaturize the nuclear reactors found in power stations. One of the eggheads made the suggestion that this might fit the bill for the future mission to the moons. It took several days of debating, tinkering, arguing, and eating snacks, but the designs finally came around, and a craft was designed for scouting and mapping purposes that could operate under its own power almost indefinately. Equipped with the latest in scanning technology, on paper the craft can reach a polar orbit of one moon, transfer to the other, repeat the process, and still make it home without refuel. The craft is rather heavy and fragile, so it's going to be assembled in orbit. The shuttles have been tasked with a series of 3 missions to build the craft. In other news, there's still no word from Jeb in the VAB. There have however, been various parts and supplies from stores going missing over the last few days. Also, Faciltiy Maintenance is reporting that there may be a leak in the fuel supply somewhere, as the gauges have been dropping recently for no apparent reason. One of the more paranoid eggheads in the Research Division was suggesting that this was all related, but Admin promptly disregarded that idea. Surely, that would be crazy if Jeb was somehow staging something grand, right? Mission 8 ISS Resolute Crew: Billy-Bobnand, Aldden, Kirlong, Danlan Day 44, 3:20 Payload: Engine Module for Javelin This mission is the first of three to assemble the moon scout craft, named the Javelin for it's appearance. Mission Control has tweaked protocol for the shuttle flights prior to this mission. From Mission 8 on, the Orbiter crews will consist of four Kerbins, unless the mission requires more personnel, such as passengers to orbiting spacecraft. Also, the Mission Commander will be phased into the right seat, rather than the pilot's chair. Currently, the only certified MC's are Billy, Andan, Kirlong, and Jeb, so they will be training extra pilots over the next few missions to adjust to protocol. The mission went off pretty smooth, until shortly after cargo release. Billy radioed to Mission Control on the way down to land if there was a plan to put the craft together, since seperately none of the pieces could manuever themselves. Mission Control was full of blank stares at that point as they realized that there was that one really big problem in their plan. A representative from the Rockets Division piped up that moment with an idea that might just fit the bill. They recommended a design that they had worked up to chase asteroids, but turned out to be a bit too weak for the job. So within a couple of days, a Low Kerbin Orbit automated tug was launched, equipped with a claw device. Upon successful meeting of the tug to the engine module, the tug was able to grab the module without damaging it, and is now ready for the next component to be brought into orbit. Missions 9 ISS Dauntless Crew: Kendald, Andan, Edski, Thromhat Day 48, 1:42 Payload: Javelin Powerplant Module Mission 9 was delayed a bit due to a commotion a couple days earlier. There was an unauthorized launch at the space center late one night, and the various department heads spent a full day piecing together what details they could find. So far as anyone could tell at the time, all the missing resources had went into building whatever launched, and that Jeb is missing. There's no security footage of the incident, as one of the boffins had repurposed all security cameras in the facility so he could catch whoever had been stealing his lunch out of the fridge. Regardless, the Dauntless and her crew had another textbook entry into space. After a few hours of manuevering, they approached the tug, dropped their cargo, and moved clear. The unmanned tug ran its program, manuevered itself and the engine into place, and successfully attached both parts with no incident. Edski made an EVA inspection of the parts, ensuring everything was safe, and verified integrity of the reactor. After a good laugh of locking the orbiter from the inside, and hearing the screams of panic from Edski, they finally let him back in, and the made a successful reentry into atmosphere and landed with no incident back at the Space Center. Mission 10 ISS Adamant Crew: Danlan, Kirlong, Keldred, Bill, Dilvey Day 50, 4:40 Payload: Javelin Crew Module, Pilot Dilvey The Adamant made another trip up to space to drop off the last piece of the Javelin Survey Craft, and remain on station for support until the Javelin departed for the Mun. There was a slight issue upon launch where the computer was programmed to make a stable orbit at 1200 kilometers, instead of 120, and everyone was bumped around pretty good when Danlan mad the adjustment. Other than that, the craft arrived safe and sound and was able to release the crew module without incident. The tug linked everything up and released its hold, and adjusted to a higher orbit. Dilvey went EVA, and proceeded to link the modules together using parts and tools brought along in the cargo bay for this mission, and after several long and tedious trips between the Javelin and the Adamant, she was able to verify that everything was structuraly sound. After one more trip back to the orbiter, she had her large supply of extra snacks and krossword puzzle books stowed in the survey cockpit for what was bound to be a long trip. It took a few minutes, but Dilvey was able to get the reactor online and heated, checked all the surveyor equipment, and powered up the electromagnets on the engine. Then, after programming in her course, she started the 5 minute engine burn that would propel her away from Kerbin to be the first kerbal of Ikarus Industries to break away from Kerbin's gravity and visit another celestial body. Once Dilvey and the Javelin reported a successful manuever, the Adamant made its manuevers and burned through the atmoshpere to land at the space center. Danlan brought it down a bit too fast though, and master alarms screamed through the cockpit upon contact. The crew was able to limp the orbiter off the runway and to the Spaceplane Hanger before the right rear landing gear gave out. Danlan is on review for the incident, but the techs estimated that the repairs were minor, and certainly not as bad as Jeb's incidents. The Adamant should be down a week, maybe two at the most.

Chapter 1 Continues... Mission 5 ISS Adamant Crew: Billy-Bobnand, Bill, Gilley, Dandous, Obbus, Enfurt Day 33, 4:30 Payload: Kerbal Lab, Equipment Storage Box Billy had a relatively easy takeoff, aside from the fact that Bill was a bit twitchy and nervous, but that might just be frayed nerves from being Jeb's copilot for so long. Once they made final approach to the Space Station, the crew had an unpleasant surprise. The cargo loaders failed to let the crew know they had wedged the lab module in too tight, and when the crew released the module there was a loud slam and it spiralled out of the cargo bay. Sidford managed to jump into the tug and chase it down, bringing it back and attaching it to the station. Enfurt returned to the station and took the storage box, attaching it to its mount before he hopped in. Obbus also tranferred over to be the sixth and final crew member on the station, at least for the moment. Billy and Bill managed to bring the orbiter back down into the atmosphere, and become the first crew to land at the Space Center on a normal 090 heading. Upon landing, Billy was met by Jeb in the Orbiter parking pad. There was a quick conversation, and they both hurried off into the Space Plane Hanger, with Jeb muttering something about new designs. Meanwhile, on the Station, Bob puts in an urgent request for monopropellant, since so much was used in retrieving the lab. Mission Control worked with the Rockets Division, and they whipped up a small unmanned probe. It was equipped with a decent supply of monopropellant, a 3 way elbow connecter, and a docking module with a strange adaptor and a robotic arm. The drone made successful contact, dropped of its cargo, and burned itself back down to Kerbin. The Station's residents are happy to be able to actually do something, but now they're requesting a way to renew their power. Sidford is getting tired of using a hand crank generator to power basic functions. Mission 6 ISS Tenacious Crew: Kirlong, Billy-Bobnand, Kelred, Gilley, Dandous, Dessby Day 37, 4:55 Payload: Truss/Power Cells The Tenacious rolled onto the pad fresh from repairs after Jeb's first landing. This mission saw a new pilot getting his first run into orbit. Billy-Bobnand would serve as his copilot and trainer for the mission. The mood in the Space Center was a bit nervous. Jeb had been acting strangley for the past few days, and him and several engineers had taken residence in the Vehicle Assembly Building and locked out everyone else. Loud banging noises and power tools could be heard from inside. Kirlong showed to be a capable pilot, and managed to get into position alongside the station without hitting anything. A warning light spooked the crew though, and they quickly released their cargo and burned for deorbit. Upon reentry, the orbiter dipped through atmosphere a bit too fast and it appeared that the Tenacious would wind up ditching again. Kirlong managed to glide over seventy kilometers and land safely on the runway. Meanwhile, up at the space station, Enfurt boarded the tug and manuevered the solar panels into place. He's spent so much time working in the tug, they've officially named him the tug pilot. He even moved his favorite belongings into the tug's pilot compartment, and is making it his new home away from home. Mission 7 ISS Adamant Crew: Andan, Aldden, Edski, Dilvey, Keldred, Gilley Day 39, 1:13 Payload: GreenLab Module This time around, Andan was responsible for adding the last operational piece to the Odyssey, the GreenLab. Her takeoff was routine, aside from one problem. A glitch in the system prevented the orbiter from releasing the EFT prior to orbit, but they were able to release it prior to climbing up to the station. So currently there is an empty tank floating around in the target orbit area for all shuttle missions. Mission Control began crunching numbers to adjust orbits until a mission can be devised to get rid of the tank. Aside from that problem though, the Adamant was capable of reaching the Odyssey and deliver its cargo. After the Robotic arm managed to grab the cargo, Andan turned the ship around and was able to successfully land at the Space Center with no incident. This trip, Mission Control asked the station crew to assemble new module via the robotic arm that was previously brought up. After a few tense moments, and some lost paint on the side of the powerplant module, it was realized that the arm didn't have the articulation to manage placing components properly. Enfurt took over and was able to drive the Lab into position. The station is now completed to operational design. Mission control is currently looking into development of an orbital production facility of some sort. It's undecided if the Odyssey will host the construction yard, or if a new facility will be built for that specific purpose. The upcoming plan is to send either scout craft or satellites to the Mun and Minmus to search for ore deposits capable of supporting a construction facility.

Cool, I can hold out a bit more for clear textures then.

Just a quick question... How do I make exceptions in ATM so I can see the additional cockpits at full resolution? Resolute comes in crystal clear, but all the others are fuzzy. I dug around in the config files a bit, and I think I saw where the exceptions should go, but I want to get the info from an expert rather than hack and slash my way into a problem.

Mission 4 ISS Resolute Crew: Jebediah, Keldred, Danlan, Billy-Bobnand, Bob, Sidford Day 21, 2:20 Jeb was heard mumbling about having such an early launch, but he managed to make it to the shuttle in time, and everything checked out for takeoff on schedule. The launch was uneventful until separation of the EFT, where Jeb gunned the throttle before he had enough clearance from the tank. A loud scraping could be heard, and Mission Control threatened with severe bodily harm if he had any more shennanigans like that. A few burns later, and the Resolute was within a reasonable distance to the Odyssey station. The onboard cargo, the powerplant module, clipped the orbiter as it left the cargo bay, and slowly careened away. After a long and tense chase, the tug finally managed to catch it and bring the module back for assembly. After everything was connected, Bob and Sidford went EVA from the shuttle and moved into the space station. Jeb set a course for reentry, and Keldred managed to fix the course heading before Jeb hit the throttles. The pilots are still trying to get the hang of reentry, and Jeb was no exception. He overshot the Space Center again, and Mission Control gave him authorization to use the island runway again. Jeb, ever so sure of himself, vowed he would hit the main runway even if it killed him. To say the rest of the crew was nervous would be an unsderstatement, but after a rough high speed turn while diving, Jeb managed to line up with the 270 heading of the runway and successfully touch down. After crew debrief, Jeb was placed on suspension for doing risky stuff with the orbiter again. He left the Administration Building fuming and cursing under his breath. Various kerbals overheard him muttering something similar to "Shuttles aren't the only way to get into space." He was seen running into the Space Plane Hangar, where he reportedly locked himself in a small office. Meanwhile, up on the Odyssey, Bob was named the Station Commander, and given the task to unlock the mysteries of life and the universe. Failing that, just figure out some interesting science stuff. He requested some lab equipment so could actually perform research, and some more monopropellant to replace the stations dwindling supply. Mission Control assured him that he'd have one of the two soon, they just weren't sure which.

Chapter 1: Here's the Deal... So, I could give you a grand story on the early life of the Space Orbiters. The history of it's design, the research and building of it, and thedetails of its first few missions. Unfortunetely, that's not possible. Mission Control, in all their wisdom, decided to put all of that information on a single storage device. Said device was "borrowed" by Bill, who unknowingly erased all the info on it to make room for episodes of his favorite TV show, Kosmos, and his collection of kitten pictures. (He really likes kittens.) I can give a summary of the first 3 mission, as recalled from memory as those involved. That means it won't be very informative, but you'll get something at least. Mission 1: The first mission of the shuttle orbiter had Jeb flying the Tenacious into orbit to drop off the first piece of the future Odyssey space station, the habitat module. Mission Control was a bit nervous handing the keys of the orbiter to Jebediah, given his sordid history in the Rockets Division. His last rocket flight made headlines for having enough speed on reentry to skip across Crater Ocean like a skipping stone. Regardless, he managed to get the payload into a stable orbit, and get the orbiter back down to Kerbin. Unfortunately, he overshot the Space Center and was forced to land on the abandoned runway off the coastline. On landing, the shuttle bounced hard, Jeb was overheard yelling "MOAR POWAR!" while throttling up and pulling back on the controls. This caused all control surfaces to be ripped off the orbiter, and in the confusion Jeb almost let the craft roll off the runway and almost into the ocean. Luckily, the damage was only moderate, but the Tenacious is expected to be in the repair hangar for at least two weeks. Mission 2: With Jeb under review for his poor landing, Andan Kerman was givin the go ahead to pilot the Resolute into orbit to deliver the Space Station Tug to the habitat, in preparation for the upcoming modules to be deployed in the coming weeks. The whole experience was relatively uneventful, although Enfurt Kerman was left behind to check a power issue on the Tug. He was given very implicit instructions to NOT go joyriding. On reentry, they overshot the runway again, but managed a much more respectable landing on the island runway than Jeb. The resolute was expect to be off the roster for three or four days for basic maintenance and refit. Mission 3: Billy-Bobnand was next up on the schedule to pilot an orbiter. She was able to achieve an orbit and deliver docking module and central hub to the Odyssey. Upon delivery of the modules, Erfurt declared the Tug repaired, and hops over to the Dauntless for a ride back home. This trip, a different approach on reentry was attempted. It didn't work. The orbiter deorbited well short of the Space Center and Mission control was scrambling for a way to save the craft. Billy, aware that she wouldn't be able to clear the mountain range to the west of the runway, she made a daring move to turn south toward a flatter area. The orbiter was able to be brought down gently enough, however an approaching rise in the terrain catapulted the ship back into the air. After making contact with the ground a second, third, and fouth time, the orbiter had more than a few pieces broken off, and one of the engines was pointing at a really wierd angle. No screenshots for these missions, as I was so focused on the missions, I forgot to snap any. I will leave you with this shot of my satellite network, since I'm using RemoteTech. It was supposed to be a 4 satellite system, but as I put up the 3rd and 4th I realized I messed up the timing, so I had to put up a 5th. It actually worked better, since you can never have too much coverage. The two polar orbit satellites have very long range capabilities, along with mapping abilities.

Sorry guys, I'm all kinds of derpy. It's been almost 6 months since the last time I cracked open KSP, and just started back up last week. Trying to get the hang of things, I thought I remembered having problems deleting the control part with other parts still in the VAB, but I guess not. Thanks for your help, and I've now got a fleet of orbiters preset and ready to go.

Ok, so I'm finally caught up on here so I shouldn't be asking any more questions that have already been asked numerous times before. As far as my previous questions, after looking at the pics helldiver put up, looks like I'll have a new delivery vehicle for my Fustek stations. And ignore the whole station tug thing, I was evidently being derpy last night, or tired... or both. My little guy was able to EVA and board the shuttle and is now drinking Rum and Koke at his favorite watering hole. I did have an idea tonight, but am not sure how to implement it. I'm wanting to clone the stock Block 7 craft file, but put the other cockpits in in place of the Resolute, so I have 4 complete craft files ready to go with everything entact. I'm currently throwing some subassemblies onto the new cockpits from a clean build, but I still have to add a few items on that wouldn't transfer over, and I don't get the benefit of the preset hotkey functions. Is there any way to get into the craft file and tweak it so it uses the other cockpits instead of the vanilla one? Thanks for any light you can shed on this...

Hey all, just wanted to give a huge thanks to helldiver and all involved for an awesome design! I'm having a blast with the ships, and am going to start a mission log based off of Jeb and companies exploits in their orbiters. I do use mechjeb for takeoff and plotting maneuvers, but am hands on with everything else. I follow a slightly different takeoff checklist though. My ascent profile has the turn starting at 1k, leveled off by 70k, shooting for an 80k orbit. By doing this, I can usually empty the EFT after apoapsis, and have well over 500 Dv to use for orbital operations. I've found that I'm in good enough shape to just use the OMS thrusters alone to circularize. On re-entry, let's just say the island runway is seeing a lot of use, I keep overshooting KSC. I'm getting better, although it might be because I'm deorbiting at 200k instead of 75-80k. Regardless, I'm getting the hang of it, I'm getting closer each landing. A few things I was curious about though: 1. I'm having problems with my SST, I saw some of the twitchyness some people were complaining about, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Although I'm still not sure how it suddenly ended up sailing 2k away from my station, but I got it under control. No, my problem was that I couldn't get the pilot out after I was done maneuvering. My plan was to drop off the tug, EVA someone out of the orbiter, pilot the tug a bit, then get out and head back to the orbiter. But for some reason I can't get him to EVA, there's no picture to click an EVA button on. I am using Ship Manifest andConnected Living Spaces, so I'm not sure if one of them is causing problems. 2. On the Super25's, would the be big enough to fit say, a module from the Fustek Station Parts pack? I only ask because I really like this pieces, and am planning out a couple of stations the will be mixing the 1.25 and 2.5 sized parts together. Although, if your planning a series of larger modules yourself, I could always be swayed to tweak my designs. 3. Are your docking ports proprietary, or will the work with other parts? I'm a fan of the Fustek IACBM's, but if your ports don't play well with them (or stock parts for that matter), that's no big deal, I'll just have to work up some adapters. If any of these were answered previously, I apologize. I'm trying to backtrack through the posts, and I'm up to mid April right now. I just wanted to post before i was caught up to give some kudos!

Hey guys! Just wanted to make bit of a placeholder post here to start cataloging the grand (?) exploits of my brave Kerbals in their quest to take over the solar system. After watching various youtube series', mainly Scott Manley's Interstellar Quest and iKerbal's KSO missions, I've decided to start a fresh save with a few new mods and keep track of the goings on for my sake, and hopefully you'll find it humorous or interesting as well. So I'm going for a strong KSO based mission system, at least until it's time to start sending large amounts of materials accross the void. Other mods include the Near Future packs, Fustek station parts (and expansions), some LLL stuff, and Extraplanetary Launchpads. I'm doing this in sandbox mode, but I am running remotetech and possibly TAC life support, so it's not going to be a complete cakewalk. As I progress, I'll make sure to have some screenshots to go along with the stories. Ikarus Industries History: The company was founded some time after the National Kerbal Space Department folded due to budget cuts. A large group of private investers managed to raise enough funds from the population to manage a buyout of the old facilities that once housed the old space program. They were able to hire a majority of the old administrations employees, while supplementing the old timers with a group of intelligent young blood to bring a newer outlook to an industry that was beginning to stagnate. And so Ikarus Industries was born, essentially a privatiziation of the old agency with a new source of income, and a new mandate to conquer the sun, moons, and everything in between. Projects/Status Satellite Communications Network: Complete Terrain/Resource Mapping: Kerbin mapped 100%. Mun/Minmus completed low-res scans, resource mapped. Mun being rescanned for high resolution map. Odyssey Space Station: Essential modules complete. Future expansion currently being drafted. Javelin Scout Craft: Complete. Awaiting refuelling/reassignment. Interplanetary Space Tug: IST Agamemmnon assembled. Further missions required to refill tanks. Mun Construction Yard: Crew Habitat/Stores designed, currently being fielded. Production facility under development. Orbiter Missions/Status ISS (Ikarus Space Shuttle) Adamant: 3, Ready for Service Dauntless: 2, Ready for Service Resolute: 5, Post Mission Refit Tenacious: 3, Ready for Service IHS (Ikarus Heavy Shuttle) Ascension: 2, Post Mission Refit, Minor Repairs to fuselage Reliant: 3, Post Mission Refit Mods Used: ATM Astronomer's Visual Pack Chatterer Connected Living Spaces Cool Rockets Docking Port Alignment Extraplanetary Launchpads FASA Launch Clamps Baha EPL Parts Hooligan Lab Airships GSI Suits GSI Purple Haze Skybox KAS Kethane KSO Shuttles Fustek Station Parts LLL SXT Pack Mechjeb MKS Colonization Near Future Technology Procedural Fairings Real Chute RemoteTech ScanSat Ship Manifest Texture Replacer Toolbar And more to follow...

Ok, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but everytime I set up a craft with the crew tower, it swings clear as soon as I get to the launchpad and the physics kicks in. All other clamps, even the umbilicals work fine. I tend to put all my clamps on one stage, should the towers be higher up the list?

So I'll confirm the utility of the Equinox. I used it to align my geostationary satellites for my comm network. I launched 4 satellites into orbit, then sent up an Equinox up to collect them and put them into place. They were all pretty heavy at almost 3 tons each as they were equipped with nuclear reactors from the KSP Interstellarpack. Anyways, I managed to linkup with 3 of them in low orbit (the fourth glitched out and flung half of itsself accross the galaxy), and haul them up into geo-orbit and get the spacing on them pretty darn close to perfect. All on a single tank of gas! One problem I had though, and I don't know it it's mod related or not was that I almost didn't make it into orbit. I followed the established flight profile to the letter, but at 20K, when I started turning the craft almost level I started dropping altitude and airspeed. Had to change my angle way up and get altitude before trying an even more gradual change to about 10 degrees at 30k. I made it, but the whole process took about 15 more minutes and a whole lot of fuel to do it. I read somewhere that the interstellar mod does something that requires an intercooler for jet engines, so I'm thinking that I might have robbed myself of some valuable power at the higher airspeeds and altitudes because I didn't have one.

Quick questions, Cupcake... First, I'm big into mods, and am debating on running a hard mode career with a bunch of the difficulty mods. I've got Remotech and Life support right now, question is, have your designs been tested for FAR or deadly reentry? I'm not too keen on using them anyway, so it won't hurt my feelings if you say your designs would crumble to pieces upon reentry. Also, you got any tips on setting up a flight stick in KSP? I'm probably going to work on that tonight, but if you've got any good little tricks, I'm all ears.

You have just bolstered my SSTO fleet exponentially. I keep trying and failing to build some SSTO's to handle quick missions to and from my holdings, and your ships so exactly what I need, and they actually get off the ground where mine just kinda skim the ocean till they run out of fuel. Thanks, this is amazing work.

Hey, just downloaded this last night and it's amazing. I've just got one question, though. On the ships that come with the mod, what other mods were you using? I can't get them to open, somethings missing.

I have been working with this mod for a while and love it! While admitedly I haven't tried docking with the Tri-strut couplers yet, I would agree that there needs to be more of them. I first got this mod to use it in a transporter-style ship that would move base modules from Kerbin to wherever, and put a bunch of the stock couplers around it to fit that goal. Problem was I'm not creative enough to design a ship well enough to get into orbit in one piece (and I refuse to hyperedit), so I'd really like some different styles of couplers to help piece together a ship in orbit that will fit said bill. As such, I've been using these parts in various space station designs I'm working on and they are coming out great! Keep up the great work and I can't wait to see what you come up with next! This is definately in my top 5 of fav mods!

I first tinkered around with this mod a few months ago, and it didn't really fit my plan of huge grand contraptions floating around in space (which never really worked very well.) Now, with the new update, I'm working on creating a more conservative approach to space flight, and the design of these modules will work quite well for my orbital stations I have planned. I've even created a reusable craft to push these modules up into orbit, and a mini-tug to put everything in place. Keep up the good work, you've got something amazing going, and it's going to be even greater once the IVA's are put in. I'm battling a mystery bug in the VAB right now, but once I'm able to start launching stuff again, I'll be building up my station and getting pictures.

Greetings, the name is Ghostshark, and I've been playing this game since early June. I fell in love iwht it, and after a few months of tinkering and building weird stuff, trying out different addons, and generally causing mayhem in the process of learning the game. So with the .21 update I've decided to focus on a core group of mods, take on a more serious approach to the game, and help my Kerbals slowly and safely branch out from their home planet to conquer the solar system, and beyond. With this great endeavor, I have created Ikarus Industries, in honor of the Kerbin legend of the Kerbal who threw caution to the wind, and dared to test fate by overreaching his limits.