USKnight

Launch 116: Gemini 15 (Pegasus 6) / Titan IIGLV 22 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Manned ferry mission to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 202km. Docked at Pegasus on Day 33, Year 3. Departed Day 94. Landed 1km west of Woomerang. Payload: Gemini 15 "Falcon" - Crew: Cross Kerman, Evans Kerman, Bridge Kerman Gemini 15 was the last planned mission to Pegasus station. It was the first Block IV Gemini to carry three kerbonauts and the first to utilize the recently developed Gemini Launch Escape System. KASA Lead Test Pilot Cross Kerman commanded the mission accompanied by Bridge Kerman of the Dyna-Soar team and rookie Evans Kerman, the first of the Fifth Class of kerbonauts to fly into space. Falcon was placed into a standard 92km parking orbit and used the Titan Stage II to raise their orbit to 202km to create an encounter with the space station. A few hours later brought the spacecraft to rest at the forward dock of Pegasus. The crew of Gemini 14 greeted them and together they shared a meal and de-briefing. Praying for their safe return, the crew of the Endurance departed the next day leaving the sixth Pegasus expedition with the unenviable task of preparing the station for decommissioning. Cross Kerman and Bridge Kerman would perform alternating daily EVAs during the first week inspecting Dyna-Soar Dawn's condition and bringing the spaceplane and its Transtage back from hibernation. The test Recycler in spacecraft's utility bay was checked for corrosion and wear, the elevators and rudders were cycled and the craft's primitive avionics computer was tested for proper navigation. Evans would tend to the Greenhouse during the first weeks, planting and cultivating the last cycle of vegetables. His task was also to remove and stow any non-essential items aboard the station into the Logistics module or for return on Falcon. The "rumble seat" would be open for their return, allowing for cargo in place of a kerbonaut. As the first month of their mission came to close, the crew celebrated with the entire world on the success of the Apollo 3 Mun landing. In the following week, Bridge performed an EVA to stow soil and plant containers in Dawn's cargo bay for return. He and Cross went over a final system check before Bridge ate his final meal with his crewmates. On Day 67 Year 3, Bridge EVA transferred to the Dyna-Soar and undocked to return to Kerbin. Cross playfully radioed him permission to depart, telling Bridge to "go home to his wife". The Transtage de-orbited the craft and was discarded, allowing Dawn to streak across the sky and over Booster Bay. The Dyna-Soar performed admirably and fired up its jet engine to make a powered flight and landing on the runaway at Kerbal Space Center. The final month on Pegasus was spent double-checking that everything was in order. Cross cleaned out the habitation modules and prepared the Greenhouse for hibernation. He would be responsible for retracting the High Gain antenna and bringing the communications suite offline. Cross would also provide support for Evans. His partner proved to be so diligent in his tasks that he earned the nickname "Captain America" from the KASA and ARPA ground controllers. Evans performed two EVAs to check the Dorian module and its Transtage for damage. He would rouse the Transtage's control system from a year of slumber and run diagnostics against it. Another EVA saw him install protective coverings over the windows the Gemini lifeboat as well as pen the central utility bay and shut down the two Mini Recyclers. Evans disconnected many of the station's batteries to preserve them. On yet another EVA he latched the inflatable airlock shut to protect it. Immediately in the wake of the excitement of the second Mun landing, on Day 94 the Dorian module was released from the station. It was the last piece of the original MOL and had spent one year and 70 days in space. On command, Transtage fired to de-orbit the module where it burned up over the Ocean of Smiles. Evans performed one last EVA to inspect the empty back half of Pegasus to ensure the docking mechanism had suffered no damage. He returned to the docking bay and joined Cross aboard Falcon. After a 61-day tenure, it was time to say goodbye to America's first home in space. Gemini 15 thrusted away from the docking port and swung around to capture a parting picture. The OAMS was fired to bring them home where they landed only a kilometer west of Woomerang. Cross Kerman, left. Evans Kerman, right. Interlude – Day 94, Year 3 Launch 117: Munar Orbiter 2 / Atlas SLV3 43-Agena D 25 Mission: Reconnaissance probe to medium Minmus orbit. Orbital Information: 84km x 29km, 11.3 deg inclination. Payload: Munar Orbiter 2 - Dual-lens camera system, multispectral camera, and Geiger Counter. Manufactured by Boeing for ARPA. The second Munar orbiter was identical to the first, but destined for distant Minmus. It was launched using the venerable Atlas-Agena into a 95km parking orbit. Agena separated from the booster and burned for an eight-day transit. After arriving in orbit around Minmus, Munar Orbiter 2 was released from the Agena and moved to photograph the surface of the moon. The transit stage fired its engine for a collision course with Minmus and was destroyed on impact. The Orbiter would search for topographical features of interest, primarily for prospective sites for a future Apollo landing. Launch 118: IDCSP 3 / Titan IIIA 3-23-Transtage 10 Mission: Communication relay network deployment to medium Mun orbit. Orbital Information: 200km x 200km, 0 deg inclination. Payload: Initial Defense Communication Satellite Project satellite - Manufactured by Philco-Ford for ARPA. IDCSP-17, IDCSP-18, IDCSP-19 Before America would send kerbonauts to the Mun, a proper communications network would be completed in order to minimize any communications black outs or disruptions, especially on the Far-side. A three-satellite equatorial constellation would be deployed, each member able to communicate with the rest. The polar orbiting Hugin relay would provide long distance transmission capability. A Titan III booster placed the IDCSP 3 Transtage into a 90km parking orbit. From there it completed a day transit to Mun and placed itself in a resonant orbit with a periapsis of 200km. At each of the following periapsis, one relay was released. After deploying all three satellites, the Transtage burned for a collision course with the Mun and was destroyed on impact on the Far-side. The final member of the triangular formation was brought online on Day 50, Year 3. Launch 119: Biosatellite 1 / Delta G 1 (Jupiter LV44) Mission: Biological experiment satellite to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: 133km x 128km, 33.5 deg inclination. SRV landed 23km east of GSPG. Payload: Biosatellite 1 - Biological exposure experiment package. Manufactured by Kerbal Electric for ARPA. The Delta G was another improvement in the life extension of America's first launch vehicle. The Model G featured a wider second stage mounted atop a thrust-assisted Jupiter booster stage. The new stage was derived from a similar design called Ablestar that has been proposed, but never used. As the Able had been improved into Delta, an improved Ablestar was now Delta G. Biosatellite was a relatively cheap biological exposure experiment using the proven SRV capsule from the Air Force's Project Corona. Kerbal Electric designed the satellite control core. The experiment package itself was coordinated by KASA from various university and medical agencies and included various seed, plant, and biological components. The satellite was launched into low orbit and deployed. The Delta second stage de-orbited itself on command, leaving Biosat to circle Kerbin for the next three days. After the allotted time, the SRV decouple from the carrier and fired its solid rocket for re-entry. The capsule slightly overshot Green Sands Proving Grounds, coming to rest in the desert 23km to the east. It was recovered shortly and handed over the Air Force's Aeromedical division for analysis. Launch 120: Apollo 3 / Saturn V 2-(Saturn IVB-5) Mission: First manned landing on Mun or any exoplanet. Manned mission to land on Mun and return. Orbital Information: Landed in the Northwest Crater, north of the equator on Mun on Day 60, Year 3. Splashed down in the Kraken Sea, off the coast of the Kraken peninsula. Payload: Apollo 3 "Columbia" - Jebediah Kerman (LEM), Eliot Kerman, Eugene Kerman (CSM) LEM 2 "Eagle" - Manufactured by Krumman for ARPA. The big one. The Mun shot. The all veteran crew of Apollo 3 consisted of Jebediah Kerman, Eliot Kerman, and Eugene Kerman. Jebediah had been the first kerbal in space on Mercury 2. Eliot had performed the first science in EVA on Gemini 7. Eugene had spent 19 days in space aboard Pegasus station as part of Gemini 8. All three were now prepared to depart Kerbin for another world. The second enormous Saturn V rocket boosted its payload into a 110km parking orbit. The IVB stage decoupled and fired to send them on a five-hour transit to the Mun. After crossing the sphere of influence, Saturn would make two burns to bring them into a 50km orbit. Now at their destination, Eugene guided Columbia away from the IVB adapter and swung around to dock with Eagle. The combined craft backed away from the transit stage and Jebediah and Eliot transferred to the LEM to prepare it for landing. Their target site was the Northwest Crater, chosen because it was relatively flat and the conditions of the area was relatively well known thanks to the Surveyor 1 lander. Eagle separated from Columbia and orientated to first change its inclination to line up for landing and then perform the de-orbiting burn itself. The ground controllers at Kerbal Space Center could only hold their breath and the LEM made its slow and controlled descent, coming to rest upon the Munar surface on Day 60 of the third year of the Space Era. Thanks to Hugin and Kerbin's extensive relay network, millions of kerbals at home made this the most watched television event in history. Jebdiah Kerman suited up and made a historic climb down the ladder to stand upon the foot of Eagle. The first step on another world was accompanied by the words, "This is one small step for a kerbal, one giant leap for America." As planned, the LEM had landed in close proximity to Surveyor 1 lander. Eliot was tasked with assessing the state of the lander as well as retrieving any data that remained in its science experiment payload. Surveyor has been exposed to the harshness of space for over one hundred days. Jebediah set up a small ground station, consisting of a control unit, Mystery Goo experiment, worklamp, and a Seismic detector. Eliot would use her skills as an engineer to properly deploy a small solar panel unit to provide power. The remainder of their mission involved taking pictures of their surroundings and retrieving rock and soil samples to bring back to Kerbin. Everything in place, the duo performed one last ceremony before returning to the LEM. Eliot positioned the Mystery Goo experiment camera for a shot of their landing site. Jebediah planted the flag of the United States and saluted. The captured image was the perfect realization of everything the American Space Program had accomplished from the launching of Explorer 1 to landing on the Mun. Jebediah Kerman (with stripes), left. Eliot Kerman, right. Returning to Eagle to rest for a few hours, Saturn IVB-5 was commanded to de-orbit and crash into a crater north of their landing position. The Seismic detector would capture data from the resulting impact for and transmitted that data back to Kerbin. In orbit, Eugene was very busy with photography tasks, especially pictures of what could be seen of the sunlit portions of the Far-side. Celestial photography was another major focus of his efforts. After less than a day on the surface, Eagle's ascent stage blasted off from the lander and returned into Munar orbit. Several maneuvers aligned their inclination to Columbia and put them on a course for rendezvous. Eugene piloted the CSM to dock and the trio were re-united after over a day. He then would use the SPS for a transit burn to return Apollo 3 to Kerbin. Jebediah and Eliot stowed the return samples into the Command module made their re-entry preparations. Columbia fired the SPS again at periapsis to de-orbit the spacecraft. Eagle was released to burn up in the atmosphere. The Command module would streak across the night sky and splash down off the coast of Kraken peninsula. In coincidence, precisely where the Gemini 13 Mun encounter mission had intended to land. The kerbonauts were recovered shortly by the Navy and in good spirits. One of the greatest accomplishments in the history of kerbalkind had been achieved. The crew of Apollo 3, joined by hundreds of sailors, and millions around the world looked up into the night sky to see an American moon.

Launch 111: Hitchhiker 1 / Atlas LV3C 4-41-Centaur D 4 Mission: First encounter and landing on a solar orbiting asteroid. Scientific experiment probe to grapple onto asteroid JQL-401. Orbital Information: Grappled to JQL-401 on Day 424, Year 2. 15.7Gm x 13.2Gm at 0.5 deg inclination solar orbit. Payload: Hitchhiker 1 - Advanced Grabbing Unit (Jr), UV Spectrometer, Micrometeoroid Detector, Geiger Counter, Thermometer, Seismic Accelerometer, Micro Goo Radiometer, Hemispherical Ion Trap, and Surface Hydrometer. Manufacture coordinated by ARPA. The powerful Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle was tasked to launch the Hitchhiker probe on an ambitious mission. This was the first anti-spinward launch of the space program, lifting off towards the west from Kerbal Space Center. The flight was coordinated to parallel the path of asteroid JQL-401 as it drew near Kerbin. At its closest point, the asteroid passed inside the orbit of the Mun. Hitchhiker was a modified Mariner B space probe, taking design features from the Surveyor lander. It mounted a similar grapple claw as used by the Seahawk H recovery VTOL. Originally launched into a 90km parking orbit at 158.5-degree inclination, Centaur would fire to create an rendezvous with the asteroid on its way out of the Kerbin system. The two would meet near the orbital distance of Minmus about a week after launch. JQL-401 is a 39-ton Class C solar orbiting asteroid. Centaur delivered the probe in close proximity where it was released to perform the grapple operation. Hitchhiker carefully closed in and latched onto JQL-401 on Day 424. It used its extensive payload of science experiments to collect data about the asteroid and interplanetary space in general. Hitchhiker will remain a rider as the asteroid orbits the Sun. Launch 112: IDCSP 2 (IDCSP-9 through 16) / Titan IIIA 3-20-Transtage 9 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Communications satellite network launch to high polar Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 3.4Mm x 2.86Mm, 90 deg inclination. Payload: Initial Defense Communication Satellite Project satellite - Manufactured by Philco-Ford for ARPA. IDCSP-9, IDCSP-10, IDCSP-11, IDCSP-12, IDCSP-13, IDCSP-14, IDCSP-15, IDCSP-16 The second ISCSP satellite launch was tasked with deploying a polar network of eight satellites over Kerbin. The mission began using the Titan III launch vehicle to deliver the IDCSP 2 Transtage into a 90km parking orbit. A series of transit burns placed the spacecraft into a resonant orbit above keosynchronus altitude where an IDCSP relay would be deployed at each periapsis. Over a period of the eight days, one satellite was positioned until the final member of the IDCSP polar network came online on Day 8 of the third year of the Space Era. America now enjoyed an extensive network of relays surrounding Kerbin. Launch 113: Apollo 2 / Saturn V 1-(Saturn IVB 4) Mission: Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 251km. Landed 5.5km west of KSC. Payload: Apollo 2 "Vanguard" - Crew: Deke Kerman, Lovell Kerman (LEM), White Kerman (CSM) LEM 1 "Explorer" - Manufactured by Krumman for ARPA. Fitting for the first launch of a new year, the maiden voyage of the Saturn V represented the original ultimate goal and ambition of KASA, ARPA, and Werhner Von Kerman. The Saturn V weighed 588 tons and could loft three kerbals to the Mun, land two of the upon it, and return them home to Kerbin. The proving flight would test the full functionality of the launch vehicle and the LEM while still in Kerbin orbit. Deke Kerman commanded the mission of all veteran kerbonauts, joined by Lovell Kerman and White Kerman. Deke named the Apollo and LEM spacecraft used in the mission in tribute to America's first two satellites. The Saturn V rocketed them into space with a power the dwarfed any other rocket in existence, depositing the Saturn IVB third stage into a high 150km parking orbit. For this launch, the breakaway version of the adapter was used. This was an unfortunate addition to existing orbital debris, but there were concerns that the delicate LEM could be damaged during retrieval. This caution seemed to be unfounded when White Kerman docked Vanguard to Explorer and deftly pulled the combined craft from its mooring. The RCS system proved to be able to keep good stability and it was decided that the petal adapter would be used for the missions destined for the Mun. Deke and Lovell would transfer to Explorer to begin dual craft operations. As this was the proving flight for the LEM, Explorer would fire its descent engine to push the combined craft into a 250 km x 150km orbit. Afterwards, the two craft separated and drifted apart for an orbit. Lovell was then tasked to rendezvous with Vanguard and fired the LEM's decent engine several times to perform the maneuver. After closing to within 40 meters, the two spacecraft were left to drift apart until they reached the next apoapsis. At this point, the LEM burned for a sub-orbital trajectory and jettisoned the Lander stage. The ascent engine was fired to again rendezvous with Vanguard over a series a several burns in a rough simulation of returning from the Mun. While the standard procedure was envisioned to be the CSM being the active docking vehicle, Explorer performed all docking maneuvers in order to prove out the capabilities of the LEM. Following a rest period during the second day, Deke and Lovell performed a double EVA on the third day. The primary goal was to test out the reinforced Mun landing suits and their known rigidity. It also allowed for a test of the LEM egress and re-pressurization systems. Lovell was given a handheld camera to take photos of Kerbin and evaluate the difficulty of use before a similar camera would be used on the Mun landings. The remainder of the mission involved systems checks of the LEM's condition and some celestial photography. After spending a total of five days in space, the SPS was fired for de-orbiting and Explorer was discarded to burn up in re-entry. Vanguard landed 5.5km west of Kerbal Space Center. With the mission fully successful, the path was clear to send an Apollo mission to the Mun. Lovell Kerman, left. Deke Kerman (with stripe) center. White Kerman, right. Launch 114: Surveyor 3 / Atlas LV3C 5-42-Centaur D 5 Mission: Scientific experiment probe lander to land on the Mun. Orbital Information: Landed near the middle of the East Crater, near the equator, on the Near-side of the Mun. Payload: Surveyor 3 - Radar Altimeter, Micro Goo Radiometer, Geiger Counter, Ion Trap chamber, Micrometeoroid detector, and television camera. Manufacture coordinated by ARPA. Surveyor 3 was the final planned mission bound for the Mun. Calling again on the powerful Centaur transit stage, the probe lander was placed into a 90km parking orbit before being hurtled towards its objective. Less than a day later, Surveyor 3 arrived over the Mun and entered into a 50km circular orbit. Several hours later, the probe detached while it was on the Far-side of the Mun and performed several maneuvers to land on in the East Crater of the Near-side on Day 19. Centaur would be commanded to de-orbit and crash after passing back to the Far-side. The lander itself collected data from its landing site and transmitted the data back to Kerbin. Afterwards, like its siblings, it entered low power mode for long duration data collection. Launch 115: Corona KH-8-9017 / Titan IIIB 1-21-Agena D 25 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 115km x 95km, 94 deg inclination. SRV splashed down 99km south of Woomerang on Day 33, Year 3. Payload: Corona 9017 - KH-8 Gambit camera system and SRV. The NRO/Air Force reconnaissance program launched its first long duration design with the mission of the first KH-8 Gambit satellite. At this iteration, the camera and supporting systems were twice the size of the Agena transit stage. Titan would act as the launch vehicle and the KH-8 design would incorporate solar panels to augment the Fuel Cell system allowing for missions to last much longer. The initial flight differed from the following missions in that Corona-9017 carried only one SRV. Lifting off from Woomerang, the satellite was placed into a low polar orbit by a Titan IIIB booster. The Model B was nothing more than a Titan III that did not feature a Transtage. After over six days in space, the SRV was released to return and splash down 99km south of the launch site to allow for a Navy recovery. Corona-9017 itself would remain in orbit for an additional three days until USAF engineers were fully satisfied proving out the new model. On command it de-orbited and burned up in the upper atmosphere, ending the mission.

Launch 106: Corona KH-7-9016 / Atlas SLV3-39-Agena D 22 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 81km x 80km, 93.8 deg inclination. SRV-1 splashed down 115km east of KSC in Booster Bay. SRV-2 landed 5km south of GSPG. Payload: Corona 9016 - KH-7 Gambit camera system and two SRVs. The sixth and final KH-7 Gambit reconnaissance satellite was launched from Woomerang Space Center into very low circular orbit at a high inclination. It's classified primary mission involved obtaining high quality photos of foreign installations on the West Kulge continent. The first SRV was released on the fourth day of the mission and splashed down in Booster Bay for recovery. The satellite would remain in orbit for nearly a week before de-orbiting and releasing SRV-2 to make a perfect landing 5km south of Green Sands Proving Grounds. Launch 107: Gemini 14 (Pegasus 5)/ Titan IIGLV 19 Mission: Longest duration in space. Manned crew ferry to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 202km. Docked with Pegasus on Day 391, Year 2. Departed Day 34, Year 3. Landed at KSC. Payload: Gemini 14 "Endurance" - Crew: Robert C. Kerman, Donn Kerman Gemini 14 was a Block IV ferry spacecraft that was named Endurance by her crew, a name inspired by the expedition's primary goal of a record setting long duration in space. The mission featured a two-man crew; veteran kerbonaut scientist Robert C. Kerman and rookie pilot Donn Kerman. "Bob" Kerman would be the first kerbal to fly into space for a third time. The "rumble seat" for this flight was again empty was used to carry additional supplies for their extended stay. After arriving into orbit, Stage II fired to raise their orbit to 202km to create an encounter with the space station. The arrived a few hours later and performed the first "night" docking. Prior to this mission docking procedures had always been delayed in the absence of sunlight. This fifth expedition to Pegasus was also the first not immediately followed by a Saturn rocket delivering a new module for the station. Bob Kerman's primary duties involved the use of the Dorian camera system. An ample supply of available film had been provided to make full use of Dorian during the mission. ARPA had openly called upon universities and research laboratories to request specific uses of the imaging system for scientific and geographic study. Any and all opportunities to use the large and expensive camera system were entertained for what would be the final operation of the Dorian module. Donn Kerman was tasked with two long duration EVAs to inspect the station's solar arrays for micrometeoroid damage as part of the Pegasus Experiment. He would also tend to the Greenhouse module; their extended stay meaning that a great variety of vegetables could be grown, analyzed, and consumed during their stay. A third EVA saw him inspect Dyna-Soar Dawn for any damage. 21 days into their mission, Pegasus would enjoy a visit from Valentina Kerman and James Kerman aboard the Apollo 1 spacecraft. During this time the crew's work load was reduced, giving them ample time to be social and treat their guests with some of the first set of grown vegetables. Bob Kerman would perform his only EVA of the mission during this time, performing maintenance on Pegasus' battery bay in tandem with Valentina Kerman. After three days, the distraction was over and the crew settled in for their remaining month and a half in space. The Endurance expedition would see eight space launches, two manned Apollo missions, and the first space probe visit an asteroid during their tenure in space. They would also celebrate the station's first anniversary in orbit. At the very end of their mission, the arrival of Gemini 15 would make them the first to meet two different spacecraft in orbit and the first to meet their replacements before departing the station. In the days before the end of their mission, Donn planted new vegetables for the next crew while Bob unloaded the film canisters of the Dorian along with certain classified materials that would return to Kerbin onboard the Endurance. Giving their well wishes to the three-man crew of Falcon, Gemini 14 departed after spending 69 days in space. The OAMS was fired for re-entry and they would make a perfect landing only a few hundred meters from the launch pad at Kerbal Space Center. Robert C. Kerman, left. Donn Kerman, right. Launch 108: Munin / Atlas SLV3-40-Agena D 23 Mission: Communications satellite to medium Minmus orbit. Orbital Information: 200km x 20km, 90 deg inclination. Payload: Munin - Manufactured by Lockheed and modified by ABMA for ARPA. Munin was the second of two powerful relay satellites intended to provide near constant communications across Kerbin and its moons. Named after one of the ravens that served the Norse god Odin, Munin was boosted into orbit using the Atlas-Agena launch vehicle. After an eight-day transit, the Agena fired several times to place Munin into an elliptical polar orbit the with its apoapsis above the moon's north pole. Together with the IDCSP relay network, Hugin and Munin provided near constant relay capability across the whole Kerbin system. Launch 109: Explorer 11 / Delta D 3 (Jupiter LV43) Mission: Scientific experiment probe to high Mun orbit. Orbital Information: 2Mm x 300km, 147 deg inclination. Payload: Explorer 35 - Dual folding Magnetometer booms. Manufacture coordinated by KASA for ARPA. Explorer 11 was jointly developed by KASA and the Langley Research Center. The design was the fourth in-house KASA project and was essentially a lightened Explorer 10 satellite with the Rubidium Magnetometer removed. The probe's primary goal was the detection and mapping of the Mun's magnetosphere. The launch featured use of the Delta D launch vehicle to orbit and deliver Explorer 11 to the Mun. Delta would fine tune the probe's closest approach before separating from the payload and firing its engine to place the transit stage on a collision course with the Munar surface. Explorer 11 would utilize a small solid rocket to establish itself into elliptical retrograde orbit and begin collecting data from its science experiments. Launch 110: Apollo 1 / Saturn IB-3-6 Mission: Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 203km. Docked with Pegasus on Day 412, Year 2. Departed Day 415. Landed 10.4km northwest of GSPG. Payload: Apollo 1 "Providence" - Crew: Valentina Kerman, James Kerman The maiden voyage of the Apollo program was crewed by veteran kerbonauts Valentina Kerman and James Kerman. They rode the sixth and final Saturn I booster into low Kerbin orbit. The IVB stage was fired to raise their orbit to 203km to create an encounter with Pegasus station. They would arrive half a day after launch and separated from the transit stage to perform the docking using Providence's RCS thrusters. The IVB would drift away and de-orbit itself on command. During their three-day stay, Valentina Kerman joined Gemini 14's Robert "Bob" Kerman in a double EVA to perform maintenance on Pegasus's main battery cluster. The station had been in orbit for almost a year and had fared better than hoped against the harsh vacuum of space. The crews also enjoyed eating fresh vegetables that had been grown in the station's greenhouse. Robert C. Kerman, left. Valentina Kerman (with stripe), right. On day 415, Providence undocked from the station and backed away. The SPS was fired to bring them down over the desert flats north of Green Sands Proving Grounds. They landed 10.4km northwest of the base and were recovered shortly. Valentina Kerman (with stripe), left. James Kerman, right.

Launch 101: Saturn SA5 (Apollo 0) - Saturn IB-2-5 Mission: Unmanned test launch to Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit achieved was 550km. Landed 5km west of KSC. Payload: Apollo 0 - Manufactured by North American for ARPA. The fifth Saturn booster was the first mission that was not destined for Pegasus station. SA5 was an unmanned proving flight of the Apollo Command and Service modules as well as the petal-arranged adapter the spacecraft rested upon. For this flight the adapter was empty, but with the power of the Saturn V rocket the Landing Excursion Module (LEM) would be contained inside. After launching into a 110km parking orbit, the autonomous Apollo spacecraft detached from the IVB stage. To minimize space debris the adapter opened in a petal arrangement, though a version where the petals separated away from the craft was also available. The Service module used its RCS to move away from the transit stage. The discarded IVB stage would de-orbit itself shortly after. Apollo 0 would fire the Service module engine (called the SPS) four times during the test flight. First to raise the orbit to 550km and again circularize. At apoapsis, the spacecraft was ordered to lower its orbit to 100km. Near this new periapsis, the SPS was fired for the last time to de-orbit. The Service module was discarded and the autonomous Apollo would endure the violence of re-entry and make a parachute landing 5km west of Kerbal Space Center. Total mission time was a little over half day. Launch 102: OAO 1 / Atlas SLV3B 1-36-Agena D 20 Mission: First space telescope. Space observatory satellite to medium Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 342km x 341km, 35 deg inclination. Payload: Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1 - UV Photometry/Gamma Ray telescope. Manufactured by Krumman Aerospace for ARPA. The orbiting of America's first telescope in space featured the first use of the Atlas SLV3B launcher. Externally similar to the Centaur variant, the Model B was a wide top Atlas with a large fairing around an Agena second stage. This allowed the delivery of wider payloads while still keeping to the same tried and trusted launch vehicle. OAO was placed into a nearly perfect circular orbit. The satellite featured large fixed solar panels and precision RCS thrusters to orientate the telescope. The observatory was used in a vast array of astronomical studies and observations in association with various universities and laboratories. KASA pined for the responsibility, but ARPA ultimately assigned the Navy the task for coordinating the use of OAO as part of the newly formed Naval Space Command. This unified office would initially shepherd the Transit GPS, Nimbus meteorological program, and the space observatory. Launch 103: Munar Orbiter 1 / Atlas SLV3-37-Agena D 21 Mission: Reconnaissance probe to medium Mun orbit. Orbital Information: 499km x 17km, 12 deg inclination. Payload: Munar Orbiter 1 - Dual-lens camera system, multispectral camera, and Geiger Counter. Manufactured by Boeing for ARPA. The Munar Orbiter was essentially a reconnaissance probe sent to orbit the Mun. The camera system was based on NRO/Air Force designs used in Project Corona and featured a dual-lens system for low-resolution mapping and high-resolution picture capabilities. The mission's primary goal was to identify and collect data on suitable landing sites for the Apollo Mun landing missions. The Atlas-Agena launch vehicle orbited and transited the spacecraft to the Mun. The Agena was set on a collision course and was discarded with the Munar Orbiter using its engine to finalize its trajectory into an elliptical orbit. From its vantage point, the camera system operated nominally. The probe was also used to take the first photos of Kerbin from Munar orbit. Launch 104: Gemini 13 / Titan IIIGLV-2 (Titan LV18)-Transtage 8 Mission: First manned flyby of Mun. Manned mission to fly-by the Mun and return. Encountered the Mun on Day 365, Year 2. Orbital Information: Farthest distance from Kerbin was 15.7Mm. Landed on the southwest rim of Kraken Peninsula. Payload: Gemini 13 "Astra" - Crew: William "Gus" Kerman, Chaffee Kerman The last major accomplishment of Project Gemini was a manned mission to encounter the Mun. The flight was as much a publicity stunt as it was a major feat of making the most out of existing technology. Visually, Gemini 13 and Gemini 11 were of the same design and the earlier flight had been a successful proving flight for the combined Equipment/Transtage. In Astra's case, every effort was made to lower the spacecraft's weight. Supplies and equipment were reduced to minimum, along with structural changes to conserve weight that added up to savings of half a ton. The Titan III first stage was lengthened to provide 12% more fuel. Even with these changes, Gemini 13 was a risky undertaking with little margin for error. The kerbonauts for this mission were rookie scientist Chaffee Kerman and veteran engineer William "Gus" Kerman. They departed Kerbin on Day 364 of Year 2 into a low 82km parking orbit. Stage II was fired to perform the transit burn until it was expended and discarded into Kerbin orbit. Transtage finished the maneuver that would place Astra on a course to intercept the Mun and skirt past it. After just under a day in transit, Astra would close to within 40km of the Mun, collecting data with its limited science experiments. Near their closest approach, Elliot performed the only EVA of the flight, snapping unobstructed pictures from her vantage above the Mun and performing a zero-gravity experiment. Gus was tasked with capturing images himself through Astra's window, but including taking one of his partner in space above the Mun's surface. All too quickly their fly-by was nearly complete and the Transtage was fired to alter their course into a large elliptical orbit that was bring them back to Kerbin over a period of three days. During this time, the kerbonauts were given light duties comprising of mostly of celestial photography, obtaining images of the distant Mun and Kerbin, and monitoring their exposure to cosmic rays. After over four days in space, Transtage burned the last of their fuel to bring them down for re-entry. Astra separated to suffer a violent high-speed re-entry and came down over the Kraken Sea. A splashdown had been expected, but their trajectory brought them down miraculously onto the skinny strip of land of Kraken Peninsula, the southwest rim of the ancient crater. The mission was a crowning achievement for the "Gus Bus" and the kerbal who had been so instrumental in its design. Chaffee Kerman, left. William "Gus" Kerman, right. Launch 105: Surveyor 2 / Atlas LV3C 3-38-Centaur D 3 Mission: Scientific experiment probe lander to land on Mun. Orbital Information: Landed in the northwest of the Southwest Crater, southern hemisphere of the Mun. Payload: Surveyor 2 - Radar Altimeter, Micro Goo Radiometer, Geiger Counter, Ion Trap chamber, Micrometeoroid detector, and television camera. Manufacture coordinated by ARPA. The second Surveyor mission followed a similar profile to the first. Launching on an Atlas-Centaur rocket, the lander made a day transit from Kerbin to Mun orbit. Surveyor 2 detached and fired its engine to align its orbit to intercept the Southwest Crater. A second burn began its descent the Munar surface where it successfully landed in the northwest portion of the crater. Over the next few hours, the probe conducted various experiments and transmitted the data back to Kerbin. It then settled in to collect long-duration data and entered low-power mode.

As an aside, but very relevant to this story, I can see that a lot of work and planning has gone into your HASDA playthrough. I especially am jealous of the markings and colors featured on your rockets. I'm often annoyed that I can't do the same in my own playthroughs. Real scale is not my "thing", but I can appreciate the work it takes to make realistic progression in a harsh and vast solar system. The 1970s begin a dead zone, where the Americans will basically stop until the coming of the Space Shuttle in the 80s. I hope the Hatsunese can use this time to catch up in the space race and make strides to take the lead. I tried to find a quote out there to help support HASDA's dreams: "Dreams become real in this digital world." - Hatsune Miku

Launch 96: Saturn SA4 (MOL 5) / Saturn IB-1-4 Mission: Deliver Lifeboat and Habitation module to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 202km. Payload: MOL Lifeboat II and Habitation II module, and two small-scale Recyclers. Manufacture coordinated by ARPA. Saturn SA4 was the first flight of the Saturn IVB second stage. Unlike the hastily designed S-IV, this model was engineered for heavy payload transit duty. IVB was intended to be the third stage of the Apollo Mun rocket, but Von Kerman also proposed other applications for the design as a frame for future space stations and habitation modules. The mission's goal was to deliver a new three-seat Gemini Lifeboat to the station, along with a larger two-cabin Habitation module and an EVA accessible service bay. The new module featured greatly expanded long-range communications equipment, two small scale Recyclers, and additional batteries for the space station. Like the previous Saturns, SA4 was lofted into a 92km parking orbit before boosting to 202km to create an encounter with Pegasus. Arriving the day after Gemini 11, the new forward section of the station was slowly guided into place. Young Kerman observed from the Habitation module as the automated docking system performed the largest autonomous docking to date. After hard lock was achieved, the SA4 was released and de-orbited itself shortly after. Launch 97: Corona KH-7-9015 / Atlas SLV3 33-Agena D 18 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 112km x 80km, 89 deg inclination. SRV-1 splashed down in Booster Bay, 83km east of KSC. SRV-2 landed 87km north of GSPG. Payload: Corona-9015 - KH-7 Gambit camera system and two SRVs. Pundit-1 - Manufactured by Lockheed for the USAF. Orbit is 245km x 126km at 89 deg. Corona-9015 was the first reconnaissance satellite to carry a small sub-satellite payload. The mission began with a launch into a higher orbit of 126km in order to release the Pundit-1 sub-satellite. Pundit featured a small solid motor that fired to raise its orbit to the intended operational altitude. Like the SOLRAD series of satellites, Pundit was an Electronics Intelligence gathering platform for detecting specific enemy radar transmissions. Also like the previous series, the data return capability of the sub-satellite was extremely limited. After deployment, the Agena was fired twice to lower Corona to its intended reconnaissance orbit. The satellite's lifespan was shorter than usual because it carried less monopropellant for the Fuel Cell. The first SRV was released after two days in orbit to splash down in Booster Bay. The second was released after four days total, preceding de-orbiting and the end of the mission. SRV-2 landed 87km north of Area 42 and was retrieved by Seahawk. Recovery Flight Launch 98: Gemini 12 / Titan IIIGLV-1 (Titan LV17)-Transtage 7 Mission: Manned spacecraft to medium Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: 2.7Mm x 249km, 0 degrees inclination. Landed 1km east of KSC. Payload: Gemini 12 "American Eagle" - Crew: Frank Kerman, Stafford Kerman Gemini 12 was initially launched into a 85km parking orbit. After a full circuit. Stage II was fired to raise the craft to 250km where it coasted to apoapsis. Stage II was fired again to simulate a Mun transit burn until it was expended and the Transtage took over to completed the burn. The initial higher start altitude would leave the discarded Titan Stage II in an orbit that would unlikely interfere with any future missions. For this simulation a highly elliptical orbit to near synchronous altitude was selected. This allowed for a sharp return angle, as would be from a Munar flyby as well as a plausible return scenario from a mission to repair a satellite in keosynchronous orbit. The pair of kerbonauts would achieve the record for the highest altitude Kerbin orbit. Over a period of hours, they would watch the planet grow smaller and then larger as American Eagle traversed its arc. After a little over a day in space, American Eagle fired the Transtage to de-orbit. The Equipment/Transtage module was discarded and Frank and Stafford endured the hotter than normal re-entry to make a perfect landing one kilometer east of Kerbal Space Center. Stafford Kerman, left. Frank Kerman, right. Launch 99: Hugin / Atlas SLV3 34-Agena D 19 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Communications satellite to high Mun orbit. Orbital Information: 669km x 200km, 90 deg inclination. Payload: Hugin - Manufactured by Lockheed and modified by ABMA for ARPA. Project Surveyor and Apollo involved landings on the Mun and later Minmus. In order to support communications with landed probes and spacecraft, Von Kerman's team modified a reconnaissance satellite design (codenamed Strawman) under development in order to mount a large RA-2 Relay dish along with a support relay and omni-directional antenna. The completed satellite was the first of two planned launches and represented the most powerful communications satellites so far developed. They would be named Hugin and Munin, after the ravens that served the Norse god Odin. Hugin was launched first and its destination was the Mun. The Atlas booster orbited the craft with the Agena stage performing the transit. After arriving at the target's sphere of influence, the Agena was fired multiple times in order to place the relay into an elliptical polar orbit that would maximize the satellite's stay time over the northern hemisphere. Launch 100: Surveyor 1 / Atlas LV3C 2-35-Centaur D 2 Mission: First probe lander to Mun. Science experiment probe lander to land on Mun. Orbital Information: Landed in the Northwest Crater, north of the equator on Day 327, Year 2. Payload: Surveyor 1 - Manufacture coordinated by ARPA. Centaur was finally called into action for the 100th launch of the American space program. JPL's venerable Ranger probe bus formed the basis of the Surveyor lander and Hughes Aircraft loaded it with as many science experiments as could be fitted to its frame. The Atlas rocket was entrusted for the 35th time to launch a payload into orbit. This spacecraft would be the first to make a controlled landing upon another world. After a day in transit, Surveyor separated from Centaur and burned to de-orbit itself. The Centaur stage would be ordered shortly after to fire its engines for a collision with the Mun to dispose of it. Surveyor successfully landed on the Mun on Day 327, Year 2 in the Northwest Crater. The craft proved that landing on Mun was possible and that the surface was indeed viable. It utilized its bevy of experiments to return valuable scientific data to KSC. The relatively flat area of the Northwest Crater was identified as a possible ideal place for a future mission to land a kerbal on the Mun.

1974 has been quite a year for HASDA. I like the Usagi design with the petal arranged solar panels. Hopefully Hatsunese engineers have an exciting "Gemini" program in the works.

Launch 91: LES-1 / Titan IIIA-1 (Titan LV14)-Transtage 4 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Communications satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 6.4Mm x 1.2Mm, 32 deg inclination. Payload: Lincoln Experimental Satellite-1 - Manufactured by Lincoln Laboratory for ARPA. The launch of LES-1 marked the beginning of an ARPA initiative to create a global communications network. The Lincoln Experimental Satellite was a test bed for the proposed network's relay technology. It was also demonstrator for a large and dedicated military communications satellite. The mission featured the first use of the full Titan III, called the Model A, which featured a full two-stage Titan booster below the Transtage. The payload would be placed into a high orbit to test signal strength above and below keosynchronous altitude. LES-1 became the most powerful communications satellite of its day. It would replace the primitive Courier as the fourth active military relay and act as the predecessor to the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Project (IDCSP) series. Launch 92: Dyna-Soar-2 / Titan IIICs-4 (Titan LV15)-Transstage 5 Mission: Longest duration solo flight of 11 days. First return to Kerbin on a different vehicle than the one launched on. Manned spaceplane to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 202km. Docked at Pegasus on Day 257, Year 2. Departed on Day 278 onboard Pegasus Lifeboat. Splashed down in Booster Bay, 305km east of KSC. Payload: X-20B Dyna-Soar NR3 "Dawn" - Crew: Jerrie Kerman Dyna-Soar-2 was the second flight of Dawn and the first time a spacecraft had been sent into space twice. Aboard Dawn was KASA Test Pilot Jerrie Kerman. Her refurbished spaceplane had one major difference from the previous flight. The dummy docking port that had been mounted atop the fuselage had been replaced by an Apollo Active docking port, to match the passive ports on Pegasus station. Titan launched Dawn into a 110km parking orbit. The Transtage separated and took over from there, raising the orbit to 202km to create an encounter with the space station. A few hours later, Dawn successfully docked at the forward port. Like the Gemini missions, Jerrie performed an EVA transfer to the station's airlock. The spaceplane also delivered a supply of consumables and an experimental mini-Recycler for testing. Jerrie's initial duties were to assist in the Greenhouse module, working opposite shifts with Collins Kerman. She also performed an EVA to inspect the docking connection for signs of stress. After ten days, the Gemini 10 crew loaded up and departed for Kerbin after a record setting 29 day stay. Jerrie would remain in isolated comfort for a further 11 days, tending to the Greenhouse module, stowing the supplies she had brought on Dawn, and making observations from the crew module. These 11 days would set the record for the longest solo duration in space. Bridge Kerman was often the CAPCOM for her during the mission and gave her a surprise when he had her check one of the supply bags. Inside was a ring and Bridge would make the first marriage proposal from Kerbin to space. After a long pause with no reply transmission from Pegasus, she said yes. On Day 278, it was time for Jerrie to depart. She would not leave the same way she came. The Apollo program would soon begin flights with a crew of three. The space station however, had been designed with a Lifeboat Gemini that could only carry two kerbals to safety. As such, it was time for the Pegasus Lifeboat to be replaced. Jerrie climbed into the cockpit and fired up the Gemini that has spent 256 days in orbit. After 21 days in space Jerrie splashed down in the eastern edge of Booster Bay, 305km east of KSC. This was an intended landing point in order to give the Navy's team a practice recovery in the event of an emergency. Bridge Kerman was waiting for her aboard the recovery vessel. Launch 93: OGO 2 / Thrust Assisted Jupiter SLV2A-42-Agena D 17 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to medium Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 658km x 181km, 87.3 deg inclination. Payload: Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 2 - Folding Magnetometer boom, Twin radio plasma wave detectors, Ionization and Electrostatic analysis boom, two Mass spectrometers, Ion Trap boom, and a Gravimetric scanner. Manufactured by TRW for ARPA. The second OGO satellite was launched from Woomerang Space Center. The mission was launched into a polar orbit from where to make its observations. Like its predecessor, OGO 2 was designed to collect data in an effort to accurately map and model Kerbin's magnetosphere and its interactions with the Sun. Launch 94: IDCSP 1 (IDCSP-1 through 8) / Titan IIIA-2 (Titan LV16)-Transtage 6 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Military communications satellite network launch to keostationary orbit. Orbital Information: 3.4Mm x 2.86Mm, 0 deg inclination. Payload: Initial Defense Communication Satellite Project - Communications relay and antenna. Manufactured by Philco-Ford for ARPA. IDCSP-1, IDCSP-2, IDCSP-3, IDCSP-4, IDCSP-5, IDCSP-6, IDCSP-7, IDCSP-8. The first arm of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Project (IDCSP) network was the deployment of an equatorial keostationary network of eight orbital relays. Boosted into orbit aboard a Titan IIIA, the Transtage separated and fired several burns to place itself into a resonant orbit. Over a period of eight days, one IDCSP relay would be deployed at periapsis. The IDCSP satellites featured a small maneuvering thruster to circularize and fine tune their position into a keostationary orbit. The final satellite of the initial network, IDCSP-8 , was placed into orbit on Day 258. The IDCSP Transtage was orientated for de-orbiting and fired its engine to end the mission. IDCSP became the first dedicated relay network that spanned the entirety of Kerbin. Sharing the same orbit were Syncom 2 and 3 as well as Early Bird. America now enjoyed un-interrupted world-wide communications from a constellation of 11 keostationary satellites and six additional relays. Launch 95: Gemini 11 (Pegasus 4) / Titan IIGLV 17 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Manned crew ferry to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 202km. Docked at Pegasus on Day 292, Year 2. Departed on Day 341, Year 2. Landed at KSC. Payload: Gemini 11 "Cerberus" - Crew: Rush Kerman, Young Kerman Gemini 11 was the first Block IV three-seat variant. The affectionately named "rumble seat" was behind the two pilot seats and did not feature an ejection seat in the case of emergency. ARPA had begun a limited project to develop a launch escape system for the three-seat Gemini, but at the time of Cerberus' flight this was not necessary. Their mission was to prove out the extended capsule design as well as the new Ferry Equipment module and docking port. Like every previous expedition, Gemini 11 was launched preceding a Saturn launch from Kerbal Space Center on the same day. The Cerberus crew's first mission was observing the arrival of Saturn SA4 and the docking of the new forward half of the station. The three-man lifeboat and habitation module were added without incident. Young Kerman, like the scientist kerbonauts before him, took to the lab where the Dorian cameras were re-loaded with film and analysis could resume in the laboratory. Again, Dorian was used for more scientific purposes than general reconnaissance in an effort to find use for the large camera system. During their tenure, Young would perform two long duration EVAs to inspect the Solar array for damage as part of the Pegasus Experiment. Rush Kerman was an engineer who has served at KSC modifying the Dyna-Soar airframe for space. One of his primary duties was to inspect Dawn for micrometeoroid damage as well as its general health. He also performed a re-docking of the spaceplane, moving it to reside on the end docking port of the right wing. The allowed for a second spacecraft to dock at Pegasus and make use of the pressurized crew passage, a feature Dyna-Soar could not utilize. This small re-arrangement left Pegasus ready for a visit by the planned Apollo 1 spacecraft in the future. Cerberus departed after a record setting 49 days in space, largely in part due to the expanded comfort of full private cabins for the crew, fresh vegetables from the Greenhouse, and ARPA's overall experience in mitigating much of the stress on kerbonauts in zero gravity. Gemini 11 would end its successful mission by landing several hundred meters from the Launch Pad at Kerbal Space Center. Rush Kerman, left. Young Kerman, right.

Launch 86: Corona KH-7-9014 / Atlas SLV3 31-Agena D 15 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 116km x 80km, 90 deg inclination. SRV-1 landed 5.6km north of GSPG. SRV-2 landed 2km south of Woomerang. Payload: Corona-9014 - KH-7 Gambit camera system and two SRVs. Unlike any previous reconnaissance flight, Corona-9014 was launched into a polar orbit. From this position, the Gambit had several opportunities to gather intelligence from any location on Kerbin during its six-day mission. The camera was also used to provide detailed topography of the polar regions themselves. The first SRV was released after the first three days and landed on target. SRV-2 was released just before Corona-9014 de-orbited and set down only a few miles from Woomerang. Launch 87: Mariner 5 / Atlas SLV3 32-Agena D 16 Mission: Scientific experiment probe to Jool. Orbital Information: In transit for almost three years. Will arrive Day 96. Year 5. Payload: Mariner 5 - Magnetometer boom, Radiometer, Cosmic Dust detector, Electrostatic Analyzer, and television camera. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. Mariner 5 was a Block B space probe engineered on the same chassis design as the original Mariner. Whereas the Block II had opted for a simple octagonal body and four solar panels, the Block B had more in common with the Ranger and Surveyor series. The probe was the second bound for the planet Jool. The long transit meant that Mariner 5 was launched long before the primitive Pioneer 4 ever reached Jool's sphere of influence. The venerable Atlas-Agena launch vehicle performed the orbiting and transit. A solid Mite third-stage was included in this mission. Atlas burned until its fuel was expended and was discarded into solar orbit. Mariner 5 would hibernate until the early parts of Year 3 when the Agena would perform a course correction burn. The probe will arrive at its destination early in the fifth year of the Space Era. Launch 88: Gemini 10 (Pegasus 3) / Titan IIGLV 13 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Manned crew ferry to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 203km. Docked with Pegasus station on Day 238, Year 2. Departed on Day 267, Year 2. Landed on the runaway at Area 42. Payload: Gemini 10 "Covered Wagon" - Crew: Collins Kerman, Buzz Kerman Gemini 10 was the third expedition to Pegasus station. Aboard the Covered Wagon was pilot Collins Kerman and EVA-specialist Buzz Kerman. As the name of their spacecraft might hint, the goal of their mission was an extended stay in space. Their flight was the first in a tandem mission with Saturn SA3 that would launch the following day from Kerbal Space Center. 135 days had passed from the time Constellation had departed the space station and the arrival of Gemini 10. In all that time, Pegasus had remained dormant, drifting in orbit in hibernation. After EVA transferring to the airlock, the astronauts' first duties were to see to the health of the station and bring her systems back on-line. This would take up the majority of their first day. The following day, Saturn SA3 arrived at Pegasus bringing the right wing of the station. The Habitation section contained a bunkroom for the astronauts as well as a purpose-built space bathroom. Attached was the Greenhouse Bio-Lab to facilitate the experimenting with growing plants in space. At the end of this module was the Docking port, featuring two passive docks designed for crew transfer with future spacecraft. The end port was of the same design, but for craft that lacked transfer capability. Namely it was intended for use with Dyna-Soar. One of Buzz's long duration tasks was the inspection of the solar arrays for micrometeoroid damage as part of the Pegasus experiment. During the station's long period without habitation, the solar arrays had been left static and deployed. The prevalence of micrometeoroids and the damage they might cause to future stations, moon missions, and interplanetary craft needed to be determined. As the leading trainer of EVA activities at KASA, Buzz was highly qualified for the long and careful task ahead of him. He would also spend some time in the Dorian laboratory, but unlike the previous expedition Buzz's assigned objectives were largely scientific in nature. During their 29 day stay in space, Collins' time was split between conducting greenhouse experiments and utilizing various station systems. No spacecraft had ever spent the amount of time in space that Pegasus had and ARPA engineers were very interested in assessing its condition. Both kerbonauts enjoyed the relative luxury of the Habitation section and the benefit of eating fresh vegetables near the end of the mission. After over three weeks in space, the crew of Covered Wagon EVA transferred to their spacecraft and waved goodbye to their home in space. The OAMS thrusters were fired and they entered Kerbin's atmosphere. Overall, the mission proved that given proper conditions kerbals could work and live in space for extended periods of time. Their mission ended with a touch down only meters from the runway at Area 42. Buzz Kerman, left. Collins Kerman, right. Launch 89: Saturn SA3 (MOL 4) / Saturn I LV3 Mission: Deliver Habitation and Greenhouse module and Docking port to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 203km. Payload: MOL Habitat and Greenhouse module with Docking port. Saturn SA3 was the final launch using the S-IV second stage. Originally intended as a stop-gap for the delayed Centaur stage as well as engineering practice by Von Kerman's team, the S-IV was due to be replaced by the IV-B, the same stage slated for use with the massive Project Apollo Mun rocket. As a heavy lift vehicle, SA3 was tasked with delivering the MOL 4 payload consisting of the Habitation and Greenhouse module and Docking port to Pegasus station. After reaching a 90km parking orbit, the S-IV boosted to 203km to create an encounter with the station. Several hours and a few maneuvers later brought the rocket to its destination where Collins Kerman observed the automated docking of the payload as the new right wing of Pegasus. After detaching from the payload, the SA3 backed away and drifted from the station until its engines were fired for de-orbiting. Launch 90: Relay 2 / (Jupiter LV41) Delta B 8 Mission: Communications satellite to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 3.3Mm x 853km, 46 deg inclination. Payload: Relay 2 - Manufactured by RCA Astro and launched by ARPA. The second satellite in the Relay series was identical to the first and was lofted into high orbit by a Delta B rocket. It became the fifth member of the growing constellation of commercial communications satellites in orbit. Relay 2's inclined orbit gave the satellite significant uptime, but even at the time it was launched it was outclassed by Early Bird and its planned sisters. The launch was routine and overshadowed by more the more prominent missions that came before and after it. The first voice circuit relayed by the satellite was a test from ground controllers at GSPG. Their connection was not to another ground station, but to Buzz Kerman and Collins Kerman aboard Pegasus station, America's home in space.

Launch 81: Transit 3 - SOLRAD-2 / (Jupiter LV38) Delta B 7 Mission: First nuclear-powered satellite. Navigation satellite to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 435km x 385km, 66.8 deg inclination. Payload: Transit 3 - SNAP-3 RTG. Manufactured by APL for the Navy. SOLRAD-2 - X-ray Imaging scope, SIGINT receiver. Manufactured by NRL for ARPA. The third Transit satellite was designed to not only increase the Navy's global positioning network, but also act as a test bed for the SNAP-3 radioisotope generator. Transit 3's nuclear power source was a contained in a small globe mounted on the bottom of its frame. Like its predecessor, mounted atop the satellite was the diminutive SOLRAD-2. Lofted atop a Delta launch vehicle, Transit 3 and SOLRAD-2 were delivered into an inclined orbit. The SNAP generator operated nominally as a successful technology demonstrator. SOLRAD-2 was released to orbit separately and collected information on foreign radar transmissions. As it was identical to the first SOLRAD, its transmitter was poor and the majority of the data could not be returned to ground stations. Launch 82: Quill-1 / Super Jupiter SLV2A 1-39-Agena D 13 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Altitude mapping satellite to low Kerbin orbit. Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 115km x 104km, 70 deg inclination. Payload: Quill-1 - Dual SAR-X radar panels, four SNAP-3 RTGs, and an SRV. Quill represented a proof of concept for a radar-based reconnaissance satellite that could see through clouds and operate on both day and night sides of Kerbin. Publicly, it was announced that the radar would only be operated over the United States to test its resolution and capabilities as an altitude mapping satellite. The launch featured the first Super Jupiter launch vehicle, which was less a new vehicle as it was a name to identify a thrust-assisted Jupiter-Agena from the Delta D. The ascent went without issue, but during Agena separation from the booster stage, the folded starboard OX-4W solar panel was struck and shattered. This left Quill in orbit with half its ability to generate power for its high energy radar system. Only one of the two SAR-X panels could be operated at a time. The remaining solar panel was enough to keep the satellite in service and conduct operations. Initially it performed mapping tests of known areas in the United States. Quill would eventually create an altitude map of the majority of Kerbin's surface. As a reconnaissance satellite, Quill was a disappointment. The dream of a spy satellite that could operate both night and day in any conditions was not achieved. Quill gave poor resolution in the test images it returned. The led to the SRV not being used to return data. An initial pitch to use a Gemini or Dyna-Soar mission to repair the satellite was also discounted. Launch 83: GATV 2 / Atlas SLV3 30-Agena D 14 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Deliver GATV to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 457km. De-orbited. Payload: Gemini Agena Target Vehicle 2 - Materials exposure bay and Micrometeoroid impact detector. Modified by McDonnell for ARPA. The second GATV was launched into a circular low parking orbit of 88km from Green Sands Proving Grounds. It was the first in a two-launch series with Gemini 9 to act as the docking target and orbital maneuvering vehicle for the mission. Identical in construction to the original GATV, the only real notable difference in the missions was the relatively high inclination of its orbit. GATV-2 would wait in orbit for about a day until the arrival of Wally Kerman and Scott Kerman aboard Orion. Launch 84: Gemini 9 (Blue Gemini-1) / Titan IIGLV 12 Mission: Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 457km. Landed 1.4km from KSC. Payload: Gemini 9 "Orion" - Crew: Wally Kerman, Scott Kerman Gemini 9 was the first manned mission operating under a ruse for its primary objectives. It was also the first flight of the Gemini Block III spacecraft, which had longer ranged communications capabilities and four OAMS thrusters instead of two. Publicly, Gemini 9 was a repeat of Gemini 7 for manned operations in medium orbit using the GATV. The only real difference was the unusual inclined orbit, unlike the equatorial orbits of most manned missions. The reality was that Gemini 9 was actually Blue Gemini-1, a military mission conducted by two military kerbonauts to retrieve highly sensitive data from SOLRAD-1. Gemini 9 was boosted into orbit to rendezvous with the previously launched GATV-2. The inclination of both craft matched the target satellite's orbit. The normally jovial Wally Kerman kept his attitude serious as he docked Orion to the GATV smoothly. Calculations were verified groundside and only a short time later, GATV's engine flared to life to boost the combined craft into an intercept with SOLRAD-1. Several orbital maneuvers later, Wally and Scott strained to make visual contact with their target. As Wally would later say in his de-briefing, "it was like trying to find a beach ball in the middle of the ocean." The combined craft's RCS thrusters were used to bring them into close proximity with SOLRAD and Scott donned his spacesuit and EVA jetpack to make the first encounter with a satellite in orbit. SOLRAD has not been designed with the idea that its limited data recorder would be retrievable. With precision that came from much training, Scott sheared off one of the satellite's covers and removed the data transmitter and recorder, effectively disabling SOLRAD-1. Scott returned to Orion with his bounty and Wally fired the Agena to bring them back to low orbit. Their mission complete, GATV-2 was discarded to de-orbit itself. The OAMS thrusters brought the duo home where they landed less than a kilometer-and-a-half from Kerbal Space Center. Their mission had lasted nearly a day. Data analysts were able to piece together much of SOLRAD's data, learning much about the location and prevalence of foreign radar installations and their density. While the public could not know about their true mission, Wally and Scott were ecstatic over their accomplishment. Scott Kerman, left. Wally Kerman, right. Launch 85: Intelsat 1 "Early Bird" / (Jupiter LV40) Delta D 2 Mission: Communications satellite to keostationary orbit over central Gnosis. Orbital Information: 3.1Mm x 2.5Mm, 0 deg inclination. Payload: Intelsat 1 "Early Bird" - Manufactured by Hughes Aircraft and launched by ARPA. Intelsat was the next iteration of the Hughes communication satellite series. Larger and more capable than the Syncoms, Intelsat had a stronger transmitter and could handle one live television feed or up to 240 voice circuits at one-time. Nicknamed Early Bird, the satellite was placed into keostationary orbit by a Delta D launch vehicle. It's final position was essentially the original intended location of the first Syncom satellite, opposite the globe from KSC. Early Bird was the fourth commercial satellite and the seventh active communications satellite at the time.

Launch 76: Saturn SA2 (MOL 3) / Saturn I LV2 Mission: Space station module to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 201km. Payload: MOL Solar Power array, Battery section, and Recycling module. The second launch of the Saturn rocket was tasked with delivering the Solar Power and Recycling module to Pegasus station. Launched later the same day as Gemini 8, SA2 would go from a 92km parking orbit and boost to an altitude of 201km to create an encounter with the space station. The S-IV stage would perform an automated radar guided docking under the supervision of Eugene Kerman from Pegasus. The Solar Power array and Recycler module would become the left wing of the station. After hard lock was achieved, SA2 back away from the station and drifted in orbit until it was commanded to burn for de-orbiting. Launch 77: Corona KH-7-9013 / Atlas SLV3 27-Agena D 10 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 83km x 83km, 9 deg inclination. SRV-1 landed 292km northwest of Area 42 after three days in orbit. SRV-2 landed 5.7km south of Area 42. Payload: Corona-9013 - KH-7 Gambit camera system and two SRVs. The second Gambit reconnaissance satellite blasted off from Woomerang Space Center into a nearly perfect circular orbit. Corona-9013 operated as planned and seemed to be on track as a perfect mission. After three-and-a-half days, SRV-1 was released to return the first exposed film canister to Kerbin. The retro rocket firing timing was incorrectly set and SRV-1 de-orbited far too early. It landed deep in the Fang Mountains, far to the northwest of Area 42/GSPG. It marked the first time a sensitive SRV had been lost. The Air Force however, would not give up on SRV-1 easily and quickly drew up plans for a daring recovery mission. Corona-9013 would continue its mission and orientate to burn for de-orbiting after nearly six days in space. SRV-2 was released and landed on target, shy of 6km from Area 42's runway. The capsule was recovered swiftly without incident. Recovery Flight Launch 78: Mariner 3 / Atlas SLV3 28-Agena D 11 Mission: First space probe to Eve. Scientific experiment probe to Gilly flyby and high Eve orbit. Orbital Information: Encountered Eve on Day 299, Year 2. Encountered Gilly on Day 306, Year 2. Final orbit around Eve was 10Mm x 349km at 12 deg inclination. Payload: Mariner 3 - Extending Rubidium Magnetometer, Ion Trap chamber, Geiger counter, Cosmic Dust detector, and Zufar film camera. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. Mariners 3 and 4 were Block II space probes assembled in parallel. Two interplanetary transit windows were nigh and ARPA aimed to send a mission to both. The first of these was the planet Eve and the launch of Mariner 3. The Atlas-Agena rocket placed the probe on a 175-day interplanetary transit. Mariner 3 entered Eve's sphere of influence on Day 299, making it the third space probe to reach another world. The Block II Mariners were the first interplanetary probes that featured film cameras. Thus the probe would transmit back alien images of a cloud covered world, coming as close as 368km. After passing the planet, the Agena fired to make a plane change maneuver to match the orbit of the moon Gilly. On Day 306, Mariner 3 performed a flyby of Eve's only moon. The closest approach was a mere 5km as the probe sped past gathering all the data it could. Visual images along with its eccentric orbit seemed to confirm that Gilly is in fact a captured asteroid. In the following two days after the encounter, the Agena burned twice to stabilize Mariner 3 into a parking orbit around Eve. Launch 79: Mariner 4 / Atlas SLV3 29-Agena D 12 Mission: First space probe to reach another world and first to Moho. Scientific experiment probe to flyby Moho. Orbital Information: Arrived at Moho on Day 247, Year 2. Closest approach was 76km. Left Moho's sphere of influence on the same day. Payload: Mariner 4 - Extending Rubidium Magnetometer, Ion Trap chamber, Geiger counter, Cosmic Dust detector, and Zufar film camera. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. Mariner 4 was the second Block II space probe and the second interplanetary explorer (after Mariner 1) to arrive at another world. Unlike its predecessor, a FM1 Mite solid booster third stage was mounted on top of the Agena. Liftoff went without incident and the total transit time was a comparatively short 114 days to encounter the innermost planet of Moho. ARPA's leading scientists had calculated that it would take an enormously powerful rocket to enter into orbit around Moho due to the proximity and influence of the Sun. Mariner 4 was planned as a flyby that would perform its experiments and collect as much data as possible in a short amount of time. The Agena performed a course correction burn before the encounter to ensure the probe passed on the sunlit side. Mariner 4 encountered Moho on Day 247 of Year 2. Using the Zufar camera, the first pictures of another world were transmitted back to Kerbin. All too quickly the flyby was complete and Mariner 4 found itself in a solar orbit. It would transmit some data from its position in the lower solar system while ARPA scientists calculated what little, if anything, could be done to extend the probe's mission. It lacked enough fuel to encounter Moho again and while it was determined that the probe could attempt to pass by the planet Eve years later, it was decided that by then there would be little value from its primitive instruments. Mariner 4 was placed into hibernation with a final course command that if the probe still functioned two years later, it would expend its fuel to make a flyby of Kerbin. Launch 80: Dyna-Soar-1 / Titan IIICs-3 (Titan LV11)-Transtage 3 Mission: Manned orbiter to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 99km. Landed on the runway at KSC. Payload: X-20B Dyna-Soar NR3 "Dawn" - Crew: Cross Kerman The Dyna-Soar Model B was mated to Transtage NR3 and stacked upon a Titan IIICs launch vehicle. Aboard was Cross Kerman, Lead Test Pilot at KASA and the one of the most experienced kerbals assigned to Project Dyna-Soar. As was tradition in the space program, Dyna-Soar was given a name. Cross Kerman called his spaceplane, Dawn. The Titan would deliver its payload to an equatorial orbit just shy of 100km. Transtage separated from the booster and briefly fired its engines as both a test and put distance between the two craft. Reminiscent of the earlier Mercury missions, Dawn would spend three orbits above Kerbin. During this time, Cross used the Transtage's RCS thrusters to practice orientating the combined craft. His main task was to assess the health of the Dyna-Soar's systems and check for any signs of suspected damage. Like any first time kerbonaut, there was also a small amount of time for Cross to just enjoy the view. Near the end of the final orbit Dawn orientated for de-orbit and fired the Transtage engines. The combined craft re-orientated for re-entry and the transit stage was discarded. Dyna-Soar suffered the heat and violence of re-entry and streaked eastward past Kerbal Space Center and over Booster Bay. After it expelled supersonic velocity, the jet engine was engaged and Cross circled back to land at KSC runaway. Author's Note: The modified C-182 Seahawk used in this story was developed by @Raptor9 of Raptor Aerospace. His KerbalX page can be found at https://kerbalx.com/Raptor9

Launch 71: GATV 1 / Atlas SLV3 24-(Agena D 8) Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Deliver GATV to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital transit stage for Gemini 7. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 517km. De-orbited. Payload: Gemini Agena Target Vehicle 1 - Materials exposure bay, Micrometeoroid impact detector. Modified by McDonnell for ARPA. The Gemini Agena Target Vehicle (GATV) was developed in tandem with the ATDA used with Gemini 4. It could be said that GATV was an ATDA mounted onto the front of an Agena transit stage. The payload was intended to be used as an orbital maneuvering vehicle that could boost a Gemini spacecraft to higher altitude. GATV 1 was launched into a 130km circular parking orbit from Green Sands Proving Grounds. The mission was the first in a tandem mission with Gemini 7 which would launch later the same day from Kerbal Space Center. It would wait several hours in orbit until Faith II rendezvoused and docked. Launch 72: Gemini 7 / Titan IIGLV 9 Mission: Manned spacecraft to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit 572km. Splashed down 3.6km east of KSC. Payload: Gemini 7 "Faith II" - Crew: Gordo Kerman, Eliot Kerman Gordo Kerman returned to space for his second flight accompanied by rookie kerbonaut Eliot Kerman. Their mission began with a launch into a 92km parking orbit. The Titan II upper stage would boost them to 201km to create an encounter with the GATV for docking. After performing a system check, Gordo fired the Agena and boosted their combined craft to a 517km orbit. Most of the first day was spent performing system checks and monitoring the radiation dosimeter. One of KASA's prime concerns was radiation and cosmic ray exposure to kerbonauts in medium or high orbit. No indication that the Agena was having any trouble was found and the Fuel Cell was generating power as expected. Gordo would conduct a standing EVA from the cockpit and captured images of the southern starfield with an ultra-violet camera. He also captured an image of a color plate mounted on the side of Faith in an experiment to see if film produced true color results in space. The second day saw Eliot perform the first science experiments in EVA. She also retrieved the Materials Exposure experiment and the Micrometeoroid collector from the GATV. Eliot's tasks were performed without the fatigue experienced by many of her predecessors thanks to Buzz Kerman's underwater training. Her suit was also more flexible with a better cooling system. She wore a dosimeter to measure her exposure. The latter part of the day was a rest period. Day three involved releasing a small subsatellite from the bottom of Faith's Equipment module and allowing it to drift away. Eliot would attempt to locate and track the subsat visually while Gordo performed an EVA to practice orientation in space using the EVA jetpack. He followed the subsat and practiced rendezvousing with it. He also visually inspected the condition of the GATV before returning to the hatch. From the cockpit, both kerbonauts would conduct Synoptic terrain and cloud photography later in the day. The fourth day called for a return to low-orbit with GATV firing to bring the combined craft back to a "standard" 92km orbit. With their position stable, the kerbonauts enjoyed a rest period. A navigation experiment was conducted on the night side later in the day to practice manual orientation and plotting using star positions. As the fifth day began, GATV was discarded and burned to de-orbit itself. The OAMS fired to bring Faith home and the duo splashed down 3.6km east of Kerbal Space Center. They were recovered in short order. Launch 73: OGO 1 / Atlas SLV3 25-Agena D 9 Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 81.1Mm x 123km, 31.2 deg inclination. Payload: Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 1 - Folding Magnetometer boom, Twin radio plasma wave detectors, Ionization and Electrostatic analysis boom, two Mass spectrometers, Ion Trap boom, and a Gravimetric scanner. Manufactured by TRW for ARPA. The Orbiting Geophysical Observatory was a large science experiment satellite developed for a long duration study of Kerbin. The Agena transit staged placed the satellite into a highly elliptical orbit before releasing it and burning to de-orbit. OGO extended its many arms and began collecting data on Kerbin's magnetosphere, including mapping its interaction with the Sun. OGO transmitted a wealth of data proving the value of a large and expensive satellite platform. Launch 74: Ranger SD-1 / Atlas LV3C 1-26-Centaur D 1 Mission: Scientific experiment probe to Minmus flyby and return. Orbital Information: Re-entered Kerbin's atmosphere on Day 88, Year 2. Payload: Ranger SD-1 - Television camera, Micrometeoroid impact detector, Radar altimeter. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. The flight of Ranger SD-1 was also the redemption of Project Centaur. Long maligned as the Air Force's black eye of the space program, the first successful Centaur was the Model D. The launch featured the use of the non-tapered Atlas SLV booster modified for use with Centaur, the LV3C model. Ranger SD-1 was a prototype of the Project Surveyor spacecraft. SD-1 was not intended or capable of detaching from the Centaur stage, but included the lander legs and scientific payload being developed for the moon lander. Centaur itself was a powerful cryogenic propellant driven transit stage intended for interplanetary duty and heavy satellites. Its development was quite behind schedule and the Air Force was very interested in proving the worth of their investment. After launching into a 92km parking orbit, Centaur fired a transit burn for Minmus. It would arrive eight days later and swing around the moon while SD-1 conducted its experiments from low orbit. Centaur would fire again to return to Kerbin. Arriving seven days later, the combined craft orientated for a sub-orbital burn and was destroyed during re-entry. Launch 75: Gemini 8 (Pegasus 2) / Titan IIGLV 10 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: Manned crew ferry to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit and return. Docked on Day 84, Year 2. Departed on Day 103, Year 2. Orbital Information: Highest orbit 202km. Landed in the Great Kulge desert, 214 miles from GSPG. Payload: Gemini 8 "Constellation" - Crew: Eugene Kerman, Gordon Kerman Gemini 8 was a Block II Gemini and the second expedition to Pegasus station. Like its predecessor, the mission was the first of a tandem launch with Saturn SA2 from Kerbal Space Center. Gemini 8 launched into a typical 92km parking orbit before using the Titan upper stage to boost to 202km to create an encounter and rendezvous with the station. Constellation successfully docked hours later on Day 84, Year 2. Not long after their arrival, Saturn SA2 rendezvoused to delivered the MOL Solar power array and Recycler module to the station. Eugene Kerman oversaw the radar guided docking procedure. For safety, the original station solar panels were retracted during the procedure. The new section increased the station's battery life to a maximum of 14 days in an emergency. The Recycler module provided waste water reclamation that cut daily supply losses to one quarter, but its power draw was so large it could only be run during times of direct sunlight. Gordon loaded the film containers for the Dorian module and spent most of his time analyzing photographic data from orbit. His findings would confirm much of what was expected, the KH-10 was an excellent wide angle imaging system, but its resolution was inferior to the automated Gambit reconnaissance satellite. Dorian's main feature was that it could be directed at any point of interest in its path, making it adaptable on-the-fly. Gordon could also develop film on-site making initial analysis very quick. Days into the mission, Eugene would perform an EVA to inspect the base of the Solar Power wing and its connection to the station. This included operating the utility doors of the power module to inspect the rechargeable batteries arranged in a ring inside. Two later EVAs were spent taking celestial photography on the night side from the open Airlock and a third EVA to visually inspect Constellation's condition. Over 19 days, Eugene and Gordon endured the spartan conditions of their home in space. The duo EVA transferred to Constellation with the Dorian film canisters and detached for home on Day 103. After the events of Corona-9013, it was decided to bring the kerbonauts down over the Great Kulge desert to practice Air Force emergency recovery procedures. They landed 241km northeast of Green Sands Proving Grounds. Their nightside re-entry was observed by Jerrie Kerman flying in Dyna-Soar NR2. Jerrie radioed in their touchdown before landing her aircraft nearby. She taxied the plane up to their capsule and greeted the two astronauts who were both weak from their extended stay in space, but glad to feel gravity beneath them once more. The trio were joined shortly by the recovery team.

Welcome home, uchuunaut Nabatame. A very beautiful shot of the EVA that can go up there with the pictures of Ed White from Gemini 4.

Launch 66: MOL "Pegasus Station" / Titan IIICs-2 (Titan LV7)-Transtage 2 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: First space station. Space station to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 98km x 86km, 51.6 deg inclination. Payload: Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL) - KH-10 Dorian High Resolution Imaging system, MOL Laboratory, and Gemini Lifeboat. The Manned Orbital Laboratory began life as an USAF/NRO project to launch a manned reconnaissance platform into orbit. The advanced high-resolution KH-10 Dorian camera system featured an attached processing laboratory for in-orbit photographic analysis. The question at hand was whether the cost of maintaining a manned orbital station produced significantly better results over the lower-cost automated Corona Project. The project was changed when Von Kerman and his associates lobbied that MOL could be more than a single mission platform. The design was changed to allow MOL to be broken apart in order to allow a central adapter module to be added once in orbit. MOL became an expandable space station and ARPA immediately asked for additional module proposals. The nearly 10-ton MOL was launched into orbit by a Titan IIICs launch vehicle on Day 22, Year 2 from Green Sands Proving Grounds. It was placed into an inclined low orbit that was viable for reconnaissance purposes. The Transtage was not removable and would remain fixed to the Dorian module. Two sun-tracking solar arrays were unfurled from the station's sides to provide power. Aside from automated system checks, MOL would remain dormant for a week until the arrival of its first crew on Gemini 6. The crew of Bellerophon would expand MOL and also give it a name. MOL became Space Station Pegasus. Launch 67: Gemini 6 (Pegasus 1) / Titan II GLV 8 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: First crew of the Pegasus space station. Manned crew ferry to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit and return. Docked on Day 29, Year 2. Departed on Day 42, Year 2. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 150km. Landed at GSPG. Payload: Gemini 6 "Bellerophon" - Crew: Deke Kerman, Neil Kerman Gemini 6 was the first Block II Gemini spacecraft which incorporated a number of improvements. Most notably, the monopropellant capacity was quadruple the Block I. This allowed for far more orbital operation as well as a vastly increased Fuel Cell duration. Gemini 6 was launched from Green Sands Proving Grounds as the first of two coordinated launches, the second being Saturn SA1 from Kerbal Space Center. Bellerophon was placed into an intercept orbit with MOL and rendezvoused in short order. Neil Kerman maneuvered their craft to dock at the starboard connection of the Dorian Laboratory after remotely ordering the starboard Solar array to retract. Bellerophon was placed into hibernation mode and one-by-one Neil Kerman and then Deke Kerman made an EVA transfer to the Laboratory egress hatch. Once safely inside, the two kerbonauts christened their new home as Space Station Pegasus and began the process of bringing the station to life. Hours after their arrival, the first Saturn rocket arrived bearing the MOL Adapter and Logistics module. Neil transferred forward to the Pegasus Lifeboat and detached the forward section of the station from the Dorian module. This began an ambitious double docking procedure using the station's docking radar and visual assistance from Deke in the after section. Neil guided the forward section to dock with the payload delivered by SA1. He then carefully guided the newly combined front half of the station to reattach to its other half. The retractable hard lock seals were engaged and Pegasus station grew to its intended configuration, complete with an inflatable airlock. The three hard mount docking collars on the adapter module would allow the station to continue to expand. The Logistics section brought the two-man crew months of provisions and life support. During the first expedition's stay, Deke used his skills as an engineer to assess the general heath of the station as well as test the Dorian camera system. Early in the mission, he would perform an EVA to inspect the Dorian's mirror operation while Neil orientated its controls. Neil's duties were focused more on monitoring the life support system and conducting bio-medical tests. He would also perform an EVA near the half-way point of their stay to inspect Bellerophon for micrometeoroid damage. While spacious by the Gemini's standards, Pegasus lacked a dedicated crew berthing. Neil and Deke slept in hammocks in Logistics and Lab modules respectively and had a rudimentary shower/hygiene stall in the Logistics module. These conditions were subpar, but both kerbonauts were highly trained professionals. After 13 days in space, the duo transferred back to Bellerophon. The scientific and photographic data they had collected during their tenure on Pegasus was stored aboard to return to Kerbin. The station itself was placed into low power mode to await its next crew. Backing away from their home in space, Neil fired the OAMS for de-orbiting. Gemini 6 topped off their stellar mission by landing next to the launch pad they had departed from at Green Sands Proving Grounds. Deke Kerman, left. Neil Kerman, right. Launch 68: Saturn SA1 (MOL 2) / Saturn I LV1 Mission: Deliver space station module to Pegasus station in low Kerbin orbit. De-orbited. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 202km. Payload: MOL Adapter and Logistics module. The SA1 mission was the first use of the Saturn I booster and its Saturn IV (S-IV) second stage. It represented the most powerful single rocket created to date and the first use of clustered engines for each stage. From its beginning, Von Kerman envisioned Saturn I as a compromise design of existing and prototype hardware that would bring heavy rocket engineering experience to his team. The Saturn booster was essentially a Jupiter fuel tank surrounded by eight Redstone fuel tanks. The first stage was powered by a cluster of eight H-2 rocket engines. The S-IV second stage had six RL10 engines in its cluster and was designed to be both powerful and simplistic. The stage itself came as a late design when the Air Force's Project Centaur transit stage failed to materialize on schedule. This prompted Von Kerman to design his own LOX/LH2 fueled upper stage and deliver a complete Saturn I launch vehicle on schedule. Initial plans called for the S-IV to fully orbit itself as an engineering proving flight. However, the flight presented an opportunity to use the powerful rocket to deliver the MOL Adapter and Logistics module to the space station. The launch of SA1 was coordinated to take place hours after Gemini 6 blasted off from GSPG. From a 92km parking orbit, the S-IV would raise the altitude to 202km to create an encounter with Pegasus station. The S-IV would burn several times to perform the rendezvous and close to within 150 meters. After Neil Kerman detached the Adapter and Logistics module from SA1, the rocket drifted away before firing for de-orbit and ending its mission as a total success. Launch 69: Corona KH-7-9012 / Atlas SLV3 23-Agena D 6 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 92km x 80km, 95.3 deg inclination. SRV-1 splashed down in the Ocean of Smiles, south of KSC after two days in orbit. SRV-2 landed 3.5km west of Area 42. Payload: Corona-9012 - KH-7 Gambit camera system and two SRVs. Corona-9012 was the first KH-7 Gambit reconnaissance satellite. Representing a major upgrade over the Corona/Mural system, Gambit featured a high resolution camera superior to even Pegasus station's Dorian in resolution. The satellite was larger than the KH-4 system and was launched into orbit using the Atlas SLV booster. It also featured precision thrusters and had two SRV capsules for film recovery. One would return film after the first few days in orbit followed by the second at the completion of the Gambit's mission. The satellite would spend nearly five days in orbit. The first SRV splashed down in the ocean after two days in order for the Navy to practice recovery procedures. After burning for de-orbiting, the second SRV landed in the desert, west of Area 42. The film recovered from Corona-9012 was considered of the highest quality by the NRO. Launch 70: Nimbus 1 / Jupiter LV37-Agena D 7 Mission: Meteorological weather satellite to medium Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 409km x 407km, 98.6 deg inclination. Payload: Nimbus 1 - Two Hi-Resolution IR Radiometers and the Nimbus camera torus. Manufacture coordinated by ARPA. Nimbus was a second-generation weather satellite that served as a Kerbin-orientated platform for observing cloud coverage and collecting meteorological data. The satellite was large by the standards of its day. It was engineered by Kerbal Electric and RCA Astro with the Navy as the primary sponsor. Nimbus was placed into a near circular polar orbit by a Jupiter-Agena launch vehicle. It would serve in place of the primitive TIROS as the leading source of weather forecasting around the globe. Observations from Nimbus' sensors and cameras would be considered invaluable to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

@DaveyJ576, thank you for the tip. In this case, I am aware that the AR202 module is not necessary. I used it as a visual indicator of remote flights. I also just like the lights.

@DaveyJ576, thank you for your feedback and support. I too, am a dirty MechJeb player and a very poor aircraft pilot. My earliest attempt to recreate a Dyna-Soar look-a-like was a glider that dropped like a brick. This led me to add a jet engine and pitch the project as an orbital deep-insertion jet plane instead of a glider. I thank you for the warning about the possible aerodynamic difficulties the Moroz mod may have. As you noted the ahistorical variance of this playthrough, I wanted to elaborate on the origins of America Rising. Like any space enthusiast, I wanted to re-create an American Space Program that had its eyes on goals past the Apollo Moon Landing. The setting is still very much Kerbal Space Program with its nuances such as a lack of orbital decay, omission of part failures, and lack of fuel boil-off. This is a story about jingoist American Kerbals with a goal of conquering space. The scenario begins with two decisions. The first was that in the year preceding the story that Von Kerman "won". The Army is awarded the first satellite launch and to continue to develop large space launch vehicles (not ICBMs). Vanguard and Thor are thus never developed. The second decision was that NACA's bid to take over the space program and make it a civilian institution failed. KASA forms, but really so the kerbonaut corps is not a military organization under de facto control of the Air Force. The rest of the space program is run by the military coordinated by ARPA. This leads to a growing number of variances as our timeline unfolds.

Interlude: Dyna-Soar B Development Launch 61: Syncom 2 / (Jupiter LV33) Delta B 5 Mission: Communications satellite to keosynchronous orbit over the Twin Oceans. Orbital Information: 292Mm x 2.79Mm, 33.1 deg inclination. Payload: - Syncom 2 - Manufactured by Hughes Aircraft for ARPA. The second Syncom satellite differed very little from the first. Where the former mounted a solid rocket to assist in placing the satellite into orbit, Syncom 2 mounted an internal monopropellant engine that could perform precise maneuvers. After Delta delivered the satellite to the correct altitude, this engine would be used to fine tune the orbit to precisely the correct period. Syncom 2 was not placed into an equatorial orbit and thus was not truly keostationary. Its orbit would not drift and it would maintain its position over Kerbin making it the first fixed communications satellite and the sixth overall. The Syncom satellites were used for priority military and government traffic, but were borrowed to the commercial sector often for television signal relay. Launch 62: Corona KH-4-9011 / Jupiter LV34-Agena D 5 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 118km x 82km, 65 deg inclination. SRV landed 5km southwest of KSC. Payload: Corona-9011 - KH-4 Mural camera system and SRV. The flight of Corona-9011 was a return to routine. It was a reconnaissance mission of the standard KH-4 profile and duration conducted by the USAF and NRO. The satellite orbited for three and a half days before orientating for de-orbit burn and releasing the SRV. It would land 5km southwest of Kerbal Space Center and was recovered shortly. Launch 63: Dyna-Soar-0 / Titan IIICs 1 (Titan LV6)-Transtage 1 Mission: Unmanned orbiter mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 121km. Landed on the runaway at Area 42. Payload: X-20B Dyna-Soar NR4 Constructed in parallel with the first Model B, Dyna-Soar Number 4 was intended for an unmanned remote spaceflight. The spaceplane was mounted atop an upper stage developed by the USAF Titan team that was simply called Transtage. Un-original name aside, Transtage was an advanced low-profile hypergolic liquid fueled transit stage that could ferry large payloads to high orbit. It was designed to be mated to a space launch purpose-built Titan II first stage, called Titan III. Mounted on both sides of the Titan were two enormous UA1205 Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The SRBs would ignite at lift-off and hoist the Titan skyward until they were expended and detached. The Titan core stage would ignite and deliver the combined Transtage/Dyna-Soar to a circular 120km orbit. Orbital maneuvering was accomplished using Transtage's twin engines or its RCS thrusters for orientation. For this first flight, a short test burn was conducted before orientating Dyna-Soar for de-orbiting after a single revolution of Kerbin. The autopilot fly-by-wire controls were very sluggish. A runway landing of the remote Dyna-Soar was considered dangerous prompting the flight plan to call for the landing attempt to take place at Area 42. This left plenty of open desert for the plane to crash in the event of a mishap. After surviving the perils of re-entry and scorching across the sky over Area 42 during its deceleration, Dyna-Soar fired its jet engine to life and turned back to approach Area 42. In the chase plane for this mission was pilot Cross Kerman and engineer Rush Kerman who monitored the autopilot's flight path for major errors. They would tail Dyna-Soar until it touched down successfully on the runway. The orbiter was towed to a hanger for an extensive inspection of its condition. It would be dismantled and every component evaluated before the first manned Dyna-Soar would fly. Launch 64: Explorer 10 / (Jupiter LV35) Delta B 6 Mission: Science experiment satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 83.19Mm x 2.56Mm, 35 deg inclination. Payload: Explorer 10 - Extending Rubidium Magnetometer, dual folding Magnetometer booms. Manufactured by KASA for ARPA. KASA's third in-house engineering project was Explorer 10. An improvement upon the Explorer 7 design, the satellite's experiment was referred to as the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP). The IMP used multiple magnetometers to study energetic particles, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields. By coincidence the launch took place on the first anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1, the world's first satellite. Delta would deliver the satellite into a high elliptical orbit with an apoapsis near the edge of Kerbin's sphere of influence. Explorer 10 was released at its furthest point with the Delta performing a de-orbit burn afterwards. Launch 65: Syncom 3 / (Jupiter LV36) Delta D 1 Mission: First keostationary satellite. Communications satellite to keostationary orbit over the northern Ocean of Smiles. Orbital Information: 2.88Mm x 2.84Mm at 0 deg inclination. Payload: Syncom 3 - Manufactured by Hughes Aircraft for ARPA. As the first and least powerful of America's launch vehicles, Jupiter was also its cheapest. Commercial access to space depended on price and ABMA sought low cost ways of improving the Jupiter's capabilities without interfering with the development work being done by Von Kerman and the majority of the Army staff for Project Saturn. While the Delta second stage had been a major improvement, the Model D was an attempt to upgrade the booster stage. Syncom 3 was the first satellite launched on a Delta D rocket. This configuration added three Castor I solid rocket boosters to assist the first stage during lift-off and increase the capacity the rocket could deliver to high orbit. Syncom would be delivered to keosynchronous altitude where its maneuvering engine would be used to place it as the first keostationary communications satellite. It resides in the sky over the Northern Ocean of Smiles, south of the Kulge Strait, west of Kerbal Space Center. Paired with Relay 1, Syncom 3 was part of the first satellite-to-satellite live television feed of the Olympics across Kerbin only weeks after coming on-line.

Launch 56: ATDA 1 / Atlas SLV3 21 Mission: Docking Target to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 128km x 126km, 0 deg inclination. De-orbited. Payload: Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA) 1 - Micrometeoroid collector, Materials Exposure bay, and Radiological Exposure package. Manufactured by McDonnell for ARPA. The ATDA was a rendezvous and docking assembly for use with the Gemini 4 mission. It was largely a battery and Fuel Cell mounted inside an Agena core with a docking port and lights for visual acquisition. It was very similar to the parallel developed Gemini Agena Target Vehicle (GATV) which would be used in later Gemini flights. ATDA was delivered into orbit atop the first Atlas SLV3 model booster. The Space Launch Variant (SLV) series of Atlas were the first purpose-built Atlas boosters designed strictly for the space program and not essentially re-purposed military ballistic missiles. The SLV featured up-rated engines and increased thickness of the upper tank walls to support heavier second stages. After delivering the ATDA into a higher than normal parking orbit, the payload was detached and the Atlas de-orbited itself. The ATDA would wait in orbit for four days. The flight was also notable as the first in a rapid series of coordinated launches from Kerbal Space Center and one from Green Sands Proving Grounds. The KASA/ARPA ground crew was tasked with three launches in eight days. Launch 57: Gemini 4 / Titan IIGLV 4 Mission: First docking of two craft in outer space. First work performed in EVA while in orbit. Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 128km. Landed 1.4km southwest of KSC. Payload: Gemini 4 "Freedom II" - Crew: Valentina Kerman, Pete Kerman The second spacecraft to bear the name Freedom blasted off into the noon sky for a launch-to-orbit rendezvous attempt with the ATDA. The launch was the second in a three-launch series from KSC, following only four days after the previous mission. Once in orbit, Valentina engaged the Titan upper stage engine to perform several short rendezvous burns. Pete would coordinate with Ground Control to remotely orientate the ATDA docking port to face the Gemini as they approached. The RCS thrusters on Freedom took care of the rest as Valentina guided the spacecraft's nose into the docking port and confirmed a hard lock. The rest of the first day was spent testing the linked controls of the combined craft including electrical power transfer and the balance of ATDA's RCS thrusters. The second day involved an EVA to perform the first work in space. Valentina suited up and donned the EVA jetpack before opening the hatch. Her mission was to retrieve data from three experiments on the ATDA, a task relatively easy on Kerbin, but far more difficult in zero gravity. Very fine control of the EVA jet pack was necessary and Valentina found herself with few options for grabbing ahold of the smooth body of the ATDA. She found it easy to slip away, flailed often, and became exhausted after retrieving the Micrometeoroid and Materials packages. Most concerning was her visor fogging up and restricting her vision. Paired with her racing heat-rate, the EVA was cut short and Ground Control asked her to re-enter the spacecraft. Pete would hold her legs for stability and Valentina reported difficulty bending in her rigid space suit along with pain and heat along her back. Finally, the hatch was closed and she rested, her partner assisting with stowage. It would be found later that a small tear in the insultation on the back of her suit had allowed intense heat build-up. This coupled with her exertion easily defeated the already inadequate suit cooling system. The remainder of Day 2 would involve a rest period as well as synoptic weather photography. On the third day, the crew of Gemini 4 received visitors in the form of Gemini 5. This provided an opportunity to take high quality photographs of another spacecraft in orbit as well as Robert "Bob" Kerman during his EVA. Following the encounter, Valentina would perform an open hatch standing EVA late in the day to take some celestial photography. Day 4 included a rest period and featured four undocking and docking cycles with the ATDA as a proving test of the system's design. Other experiments included dim-light photography and biomedical tests. The final day of the mission involved the orbital observation of the launch of Mariner 2 from Kerbal Space Center. The military in particular was very interested in the difficulty of observing and identifying launches and their profiles from space. On the following orbit, the Titan upper stage was discarded and de-orbited. The OAMS was engaged to bring Freedom home and the ATDA was left on a sub-orbital trajectory to burn up in the atmosphere. Valentina and Pete landed safely on the beach southwest of KSC. Launch 58: Gemini 5 / Titan IIGLV 5 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: First EVA work performed on a separate craft in orbit. Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 201km. Landed 763m from KSC. Payload: Gemini 5 "Friendship" - Crew: Robert C. Kerman, Lovell Kerman The primary mission of Gemini 5 was to rendezvous with its sister flight Gemini 4 and perform a cross-spacecraft EVA. Launched from Green Sands Proving Grounds, Friendship was launched into a higher orbit to align for a rendezvous burn. One of the goals of the flight was extensive use of the OAMS. The Titan upper stage was discarded for de-orbiting and the spacecraft's thrusters would perform the orbital maneuvers to approach Gemini 4. After several hours the two Gemini were together, Valentina and Lovell maintaining a close distance. Robert "Bob" Kerman suited up for an un-tethered EVA that would cross from Friendship to the ATDA docked with Freedom. His task was to retrieve the Radiological package from the rear of the ATDA as well as mimic the same retrieval tasks that Valentina has performed the day before. Bob and Buzz Kerman, a junior in Kerbonaut Group 3, had trained extensively for the EVA in a pool underwater. Buzz advocated that underwater training could simulate a zero gravity environment and that slow and methodical movement was the key. Bob showcased this technique during his EVA and performed his tasks dutifully and without becoming exhausted. Pete Kerman was able to capture a full color picture of Bob near the ATDA that would become one of the most iconic images of the early Space Era. Crossing the void back to Friendship, Bob closed the hatch and the two spacecraft drifted apart. For himself and Lovell, their mission was at a close. The heavy use of monopropellant to perform their orbital maneuvers left Gemini 5 with little in the way of excess. The Fuel Cell could extend the duration of their mission, but their primary tasks were complete. On the next available orbit the OAMS was used to de-orbit the craft. Bob and Lovell would land less than a kilometer from the launch pad at Kerbal Space Center. Launch 59: Mariner 2 / Atlas SLV3 22-Agena D 4 Mission: First scientific probe to Dres. Scientific experiment probe to Dres. Orbital Information: In transit for 1.5 years. Will encounter Dres on Day 138, Year 3. Payload: Mariner 2 - Magnetometer, Radiometer (IR, Microwave), Ion Trap Chamber, Cosmic Dust Detector. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. Mariner 2 was the third and final launch from Kerbal Space Center in an eight-day period. Its successful launch was a point of pride for the exhausted KASA/ARPA ground crew and a mark of their professionalism. The second Mariner was identical to the first. The spacecraft was bound for the dwarf planet Dres on a journey that would last a year and a half. The Atlas booster would fire almost all of its fuel on the escape burn away from Kerbin. Mariner 2 would perform a course correction over half a year later, on Day 262 of the second year of the Space Era. This date is notable because after the burn the spacecraft's experiments were tested. Analysis of the readings detected three never before discovered contacts near Dres for further investigation. Launch 60: Telstar 2 / (Jupiter LV32) Delta B 4 Mission: Communications satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 4.7Mm x 425.1km, 42.7 deg inclination. Payload: Telstar 2 - Manufactured by KT&T and launched by ARPA. Telstar 2 was nearly identical to the original Telstar satellite. It had the added provision that scientific telemetry could be transmitted from the satellite as well as the intended live television feed. The Telstar transmitters were relatively weak and provided poor signal. Despite this, they represented the first steps towards a global communications network. When Telstar 2 came on-line, it was the third commercial communications satellite in orbit and the fifth total in operation. There were no less than four different heavy rocket projects in development by the USAF and Army at the time the thirty-second Jupiter took flight. At Green Sands, Werhner Von Kerman was busy developing the most powerful rocket engine ever designed. As access to space was becoming more routine, America's space program was aiming higher.

Launch 51: Gemini 3 / Titan IIGLV 3 Mission: First untethered EVA. Manned spacecraft to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 92km. Landed 3.5km south of KSC. Payload: Gemini 3 "Morning Star II" - Crew: Jebediah Kerman, James Kerman The flight of Gemini 3 was a storied event long before the third Titan II rumbled into orbit. Jebediah Kerman was a National Hero and KASA argued that he should never fly into space again. His demise in an accident could cause irreparable harm to KASA and the space program as a whole. Not one to hid from danger, Jebediah petitioned the President of the United States to intervene. In the end, a memo from the President to Dryden Kerman was sent in order for the first kerbal in space to be cleared for flight status. Morning Star II blasted into the standard 92km parking orbit used for manned flights and jettisoned the Titan upper stage. The rest of the first day was spent checking over the spacecraft, testing the OAMS, and the kerobnauts performing some celestial photography and observation on the night-side of Kerbin. During the second day, Jebediah Kerman suited up for the first un-tethered EVA, wearing his famous red, white, and blue spacesuit. For maneuvering he wore a back-mounted "jet pack", not unlike the RCS thrusters used by the Gemini spacecraft. Jebediah carried a small hand canister of emergency propellant in the event that the EVA jet pack failed. To minimize risk, he was also ordered to maintain a close distance to Morning Star during his eight-minute space walk and returned to the hatch before they crossed into the night-side. From the cabin, James captured images of Kerbin and his partner in space. The remaining day and a half of the mission consisted of taking the first orbital pictures of zodiacal light, the gegenschein, and other observational tasks. The OAMS was used to de-orbit the spacecraft and Morning Star would land 3.5km south of Kerbal Space Center. Total mission time was just under three days. Interlude: Dyna-Soar A Development Launch 52: Explorer 8 / (Jupiter LV28) Delta A 1 Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 9.4Mm x 1.1Mm, 42.8 deg inclination. Payload: Explorer 8 - Magnetometer, Ion Trap chamber, and Geiger counter. Manufactured by KASA for ARPA. The launch of Explorer 8 was delayed due to difficulties with its Magnetometer boom. It was the first satellite constructed by the KASA team at Kerbal Space Center. The launch was originally intended to be a proving flight of the improved Jupiter-Delta A launch vehicle which featured a more powerful second-stage. Due to the delay, the Delta A prototype stage would not be tested until after the first production Delta B has lofted the Relay 1 satellite into orbit. Explorer 8 was loosely based on TRW's Pioneer series and had experiments for observing Kerbin's magneto-sphere, solar winds, as well as data related to radiation and magnetic storms. The Delta performed admirably, placing the satellite into high orbit with an apoapsis not far from the distance to the Mun. Launch 53: Syncom 1 / (Jupiter LV29) Delta B 2 Mission: First Keo-synchronous satellite. Communications satellite to near Keo-synchronous orbit over the Crescent Mountains, west of GSPG/Area 42. Orbital Information: 2.91Mm x 2.86Mm, 33.3 deg inclination. Payload: Syncom 1 - Manufactured by Hughes Aircraft for ARPA. The Delta launch vehicle was tasked with attempting to orbit the first communications satellite into keo-synchronous orbit. The chosen location was to place the satellite in position on the opposite-side of Kerbin from Kerbal Space Center. As a first attempt, Syncom was delivered into a near synchronous orbit that would drift in time due to its orbital period being seconds too long compared to Kerbin's sidereal rotation. From the ground, the spacecraft moved in a figure-eight pattern above and below the equator throughout its orbit. It was not possible for Delta to make the precise fine tune maneuvers needed to perfect the orbit. The payload was detached and Delta de-orbited itself. The oversight of not giving Syncom its own thrusters for fine tuning would be corrected in later models. Interlude: Dyna-Soar A Development, Part 2 Launch 54: Explorer 9 / (Jupiter LV30) Delta B 3 Mission: Science experiment satellite to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 398km x 109km, 57.6 deg inclination. Derelict. Payload: Explorer 9 - Electrostatic analyzer, pressure gauges, and Ion Trap chamber. Manufactured by KASA for ARPA. KASA's second satellite, Explorer 9 was a two-part experiment to compare atmospheric and geomagnetic data for one day from both ground and orbital data collection. Explorer 9 transmitted recorded data in a constant stream to ground stations where its data and those taken on the ground were compared in real-time. Explorer operated for the day as expected before its batteries depleted and the satellite went silent. Launch 55: Corona KH-4-9010 / Jupiter LV31-Agena D 3 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 169km x 83km, 65.4 deg inclination. SRV landed 5.6km north of Woomerang. Payload: Corona-9010 - KH-4 Mural camera system and SRV. Corona 9010 was a typical KH-4 reconnaissance mission. It is notable only for experiencing a power draw during operation that caused the Mural control system to use excessive power. The onboard batteries and Fuel Cell were rapidly depleted causing the mission to end after half the planned duration. After less than a day and a half in orbit, Agena burned to de-orbit the spacecraft and the SRV was released to land 5.6km north of Woomerang Space Center. Despite the shorter mission, 9010 still provided valuable data to the NRO.

Launch 46: Ranger 5 / Atlas D LV19-Agena B 20 Mission: Scientific experiments to low Minmus orbit Orbital Information: 20km x 19km, 69 deg inclination. Rough Lander landed in the Minmus Lowlands, north of the equator. Payload: Ranger 5 - Gamma ray spectrometer, radar altimeter, electrostatic analyzer, television camera, and Rough Lander with a seismometer. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. Ranger 5 was the final Block II space probe of JPL's Ranger series. The flight was a repeat of the previous Block II/Rough Lander missions and followed an eight-day transit to Minmus. Like Ranger 4, the space probe entered into an inclined low orbit in order to create an altimetric height map over successive orbits across the majority face of the moon. The Rough Lander was released on the third orbit, aiming to land in the smooth Minmus Lowlands in the northern hemisphere. Using the same stunted solid rocket to de-orbit as its predecessor, the Ranger 5 Rough Lander would roll a very significant distance before coming to a stop on the flat icy terrain. Having survived, the seismometer data was beamed back to the Ranger orbiter and transmitted back to Kerbin. Launch 47: Ranger 6 (Ranger 0) / Atlas D LV20-Agena B 21 Mission: Scientific experiment probe to Mun flyby and low Minmus orbit. Orbital Information: 22km x 17km, 127.4 inclination. Payload: Ranger 6 (Ranger 0) - Magnetometer, gamma ray spectrometer, ultra violet telescope, micrometeor impact detector, and electrostatic analyzer. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. The final Project Ranger mission was an opportunity to utilize a space probe that had JPL had on-hand. Two prototypes of the original Ranger had been crafted in the event that a mishap had occurred. With the successful orbiting of Ranger 1 into high Kerbin orbit, the question of what to do with its doppelganger remained. JPL was busy developing further Project Mariner spacecraft as well as design studies for moon landing capable probes called Project Surveyor. The decision was made for a final Ranger mission to launch the on-hand scientific experiment probe to Minmus. Like its predecessors, Ranger 6 was ferried by the venerable Atlas-Agena launch vehicle. This time however, it was a two-leg journey. From parking orbit, instead of using its remaining fuel to de-orbit itself, Atlas was fired to send Ranger 6 on a flyby of the Mun. It would pass within 60km of the surface and perform experiments both far from and near the Mun's surface. Ranger 6's trajectory would take it past the Mun where Atlas was fired again to perform a course correction for transit that would take weeks to properly align with Minmus. A final course correction after almost a month in space placed Ranger 6 on a collision course with Minmus and the Atlas was detached for its terminal flight. The transit stage would perform the approach correction and capture burns placing Ranger 6 into a low orbit from which to conduct its experiments. Launch 48: Gemini 2 / Titan IIGLV 2 Mission: First two-kerbal spacecraft mission. Manned spacecraft to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 93km. Landed at KSC. Payload: Gemini 2 "Liberty Bell" - Crew: William "Gus" Kerman, White Kerman The last of the Mercury Seven kerbonauts who had not flown a mission was William "Gus" Kerman. Aboard the spacecraft affectionately nicknamed the "Gus Bus", two kerbonauts would ride into space together for the first time. Liberty Bell was lofted into a 93km orbit where it remained attached to the Titan upper stage. Like previous EVA operations, it was felt that the larger the spacecraft the less likely any adverse rotation would affect the kerbonaut. During their first day in orbit the hatch was opened and White Kerman performed a tethered spacewalk, complete with full color photos and video. White would benefit from the lessons learned from Mercury 7 and maintained full use of his hands though-out his eight-minute spacewalk. He was very disappointed when the order came for him to return and close the hatch. Even so, White was exhausted and covered in sweat from the effort it took trying to orientate himself in zero gravity. On day two, Liberty Bell decoupled from the Titan II upper stage. The RCS thrusters and the OAMS were used to perform orbital maneuvering, including practice rendezvous and docking movements with the upper stage. Liberty Bell would close within six meters of the Titan. Afterwards they thrusted away from the Titan before it de-orbited itself. The Gemini drifted in orbit for the rest of the day performing system checks and inspecting the overall health of the spacecraft. The third day was reserved for largely observational tasks before preparations were made for their return. Gus Kerman orientated the craft for de-orbit and fired the OAMS to return them to Kerbin. The Equipment Module was discarded as they entered the atmosphere and the duo would land inside the grounds of Kerbal Space Center, 633 meters from the launch pad they had left from. Launch 49: Corona KH-4-9009 / Jupiter LV26-Agena D 2 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 183km x 90km, 83 deg inclination. SRV landed 4.7km north of Woomerang. Payload: Corona-9009 - KH-4 Mural camera system and SRV. The ninth reconnaissance satellite in the joint USAF/NRO Corona series was the second launch using the improved Agena D second stage. An otherwise standard Corona mission, the satellite would spend three days in orbit before orientating for de-orbiting. The SRV was released and landed not far to the north of Woomerang. It and its contents were recovered promptly for processing. Launch 50: Relay 1 / (Jupiter LV27) Delta B 1 Mission: Communications satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 3.3Mm x 574km, 47.5 deg inclination. Payload: Relay 1 - Manufactured by RCA Astro and launched by ARPA. Relay 1 was the second commercial satellite developed by an American telecommunications company and placed into orbit by ARPA. Relay 1 was more powerful the previous Telstar satellite and its much higher orbit gave it longer "up-time" for relaying live television signals from one continent to another. To attain such an altitude, the Able transit stage was slightly lengthened, given a more powerful engine, and used higher-energy oxidizer. The new stage was christened the Delta which would become the name of the entire launch vehicle to differentiate it from the earlier Jupiter-Able. Relay 1 was launched on the production version of Delta, the Model B. Through difficulties with the Explorer 8 satellite that caused it to be delayed, the Delta B actually flew before the prototype Model A. Later in Relay 1's service life, it would partner with the Syncom-3 satellite to provide the first satellite-to-satellite live television feed to travel from one end of Kerbin to the other, showing live coverage around the planet of the Olympics during Year 2 of the Space Era.

@Starhelperdude, that is a fantastic mod suggestion. I really wish I had known about it before spending... a lot of time running "simulations" and totally not crashing dozens of times trying to create a flyable "Dyna-Soar" of my own. Thank you very much for making me aware of it. I will be adding this mod to my game for Research and Development.

Launch 41: Mariner 1 / Atlas D LV17-Agena B 10 Mission: First space probe to Duna. Scientific experiment probe to Ike flyby and high Duna orbit. Orbital Information: Encountered Duna on Day 106, Year 2. Encountered Ike on Day 159. Final orbit around Duna was 1.49Mm x 134km, 0.6 deg inclination. Payload: Mariner 1 - Magnetometer, Radiometer (IR, Microwave), Ion Trap Chamber, Cosmic Dust Detector. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. The initial model Mariner series of interplanetary probes were based on JPL's successful Ranger chassis. As the most powerful available launch vehicle, the Atlas-Agena was again tasked with the mission of sending a robotic explorer to another world. Mariner was launched in to an initial 80km parking orbit before making an interplanetary burn for Duna. The transit would take 294 days with the probe entering Duna's sphere of influence on Day 106 of the second year of the Space Age. At the closest approach to the planet of 300km, the Agena burned to capture Mariner in a highly elliptical orbit. After passing close to Duna for a second time, the Agena was fired to reduce Mariner's apoapsis to the orbit of Duna's moon, Ike. This led to a flyby encounter on Day 159 with the probe passing within 199km. Leaving the moon's sphere of influence, Mariner altered its course a final time into a stable elliptical orbit around Duna. The mountain of scientific data returned by Mariner is considered one of the most significant accomplishments of the entire space program. Launch 42: Mercury 8 MML / Atlas D LV18-Agena B 18 Mission: First kerbonaut transfer from a command module to a mission module. Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: 93km x 91km, 0 deg inclination. Landed 1.6km south of KSC. Payload: Mercury 8 "Theta" - Crew: Frank Kerman Mercury Manned Laboratory The final mission of the Mercury program was also its most ambitious. The proven Agena transit stage would be tasked with orbiting a heavy payload into low Kerbin orbit. Mounted atop was the Mercury 8 spacecraft and the Mercury Manned Laboratory. Aboard Sigma was Frank Kerman, first of the "New Nine" Group 2 kerbonauts to fly into space. The objective of the MML mission was a long duration endurance test of a kerbal in space and its effects on physiology. A projected manned mission to the Mun would be five or six days. Tasking a kerbal with sitting in the confines of the Mercury spacecraft for a week was deemed unacceptable. Deke Kerman's three-day mission had been unbearable enough. The Laboratory therefore was designed to be large enough for free movement and allowed for a "shirt-sleeves" environment. In other words, the kerbonaut could take his spacesuit off during his stay in the MML and greatly add to his comfort level. After achieving an almost circular orbit, Frank performed a tethered EVA transfer to the MML. Once inside he enjoyed the relative comfort of a small room for eight days. He ate a variety of packaged meals, slept in a space hammock, made observations from the port hole, and performed countless bio-medical tests including exercising in space. Frank endured his tasks with gruff professionalism and when the time came, he returned to Sigma and detached his spacecraft for de-orbiting. The CAPCOM at the time was Gordo Kerman who asked him, "I bet you're glad you didn't have to spend a week in there (Sigma)." Frank responded only with a short, "Yeah." Out of his view, the Agena de-orbited itself and the MML to burn up in the atmosphere. Frank and Sigma would land just over a kilometer and a half from Kerbal Space Center. Standing on his own two legs outside his spacecraft, Frank Kerman had proven that a kerbal could survive in space for significant periods with only minor side effects. The path to landing a kerbal on the Mun was opening. Launch 43: Corona KH-4-9008 / Jupiter LV24-Agena D 1 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 163km x 87km, 76 deg inclination. SRV landed 1km south of Area 42. Payload: Corona-9008 - KH-4 Mural camera system with SRV. Corona-9008 was a KH-4 reconnaissance satellite mission that launched from Woomerang Space Center. The flight was fairly routine at this point using a proven mission profile, launch vehicle, and payload. The USAF/NRO cadence called for one reconnaissance launch about every four-six weeks. The images Corona-9008 captured were used to maintain up-to-date information on areas of interest over foreign territory. Corona-9008 is notable only as it was the first use of the improved Agena D stage that featured a more powerful engine and improved electronics. The satellite spent nearly three days in orbit before orientating for de-orbit and releasing the SRV. This would land a kilometer shy of the runway at Area 42 and its contents were recovered intact. Launch 44: Alouette 1 / Jupiter LV25-Agena B 19 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to medium Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 441km x 429km, 80 deg inclination. Payload: Alouette 1 - Charged particle detector. Manufactured by DRDC and launched by ARPA. Alouette was the first satellite developed by a country other than the United States. It represented the first joint ARPA program with an allied foreign power. Agena was tasked with putting the satellite into a medium orbit and the Jupiter booster chosen for its lower cost in comparison to Atlas. For this launch, the Agena featured the flag of Canada on its sides. The Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) agency of the Canadian military constructed Alouette and would run the ground stations used in communicating with the satellite. At its time, Alouette was a very advanced and relatively heavy payload. The Charged particle detector was bleeding edge technology for obtaining data on Kerbin's ionosphere. Launch 45: Gemini 1 / Titan IIGLV 1 Mission: Unmanned test launch to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 92km. Landed at KSC. Payload: Gemini 1 - Manufactured by McDonnell for KASA. Project Gemini was essentially Mercury II. Both spacecraft were of similar shape, but where Mercury was a capsule with the kerbonaut largely along for the ride, Gemini was a two-seat spaceship with multiple thruster banks, a docking port, ejection seats, and a dedicated Equipment Module that allowed the craft to perform orbital maneuverers. William "Gus" Kerman had been instrumental in the cockpit arrangement and engineering of Gemini, so much so that it was commonly referred to as the "Gus Bus". Gemini 1 was an unmanned three-orbit proving flight. It represented the first use of the Air Force's Titan II two-stage launch vehicle, which like Atlas, was directly derived from the inter-continental ballistic missile of the same name. At the time of the launch Titan II was the most powerful rocket in the world. Titan orbited the spacecraft to a 92km parking orbit where it detached from the upper stage. The Equipment Module featured two Orbital Attitude and Maneuvering System (OAMS) thrusters and these were fired several times for testing, lowering the spacecraft's altitude. On the third orbit, Gemini used the OAMS for de-orbiting and discarded the Equipment Module. The emergency de-orbit solid rockets mounted below the Gemini were also fired as part of the test flight. Gemini 1 finally plummeted through the clouds and released its parachutes to land near the crawler-way at Kerbal Space Center. Interlude: Dyna-Soar Development

Launch 36: Pioneer 4 / Atlas D LV14-Agena B 7 Mission: First Interplanetary probe, first probe to leave Kerbin's sphere of influence. Scientific experiment probe to Jool. Orbital Information: In transit for 2.5 years. Will encounter Jool on Day 13, Year 4. Payload: Pioneer 4 - Geiger counter and magnetometer. Manufactured by TRW for ARPA. The fourth iteration of TRW's Pioneer series was very much in keeping with its predecessors as a spherical core with four extendable solar panels. The probe's primary purpose was to collect scientific data from interplanetary space by accomplishing the feat of being the first kerbal-made object to leave Kerbin's sphere of influence. It was determined that the Atlas-Agena launch vehicle could theoretically send Pioneer 4 to Jool, accomplishing another "First". Instead of merely launching the probe into Solar orbit as originally proposed, a planetary transit was attempted. An extendable DTS-M1 High Gain antenna was attached to the Agena body and a third-stage Star 31 solid booster was added below the space probe. The Deep Space Network at Kerbal Space Center was the only relay capable of communicating with Pioneer 4 during the first leg of its journey up to and after a planned course correction burn. Final instructions to the probe were sent for an attempt to enter a high elliptical orbit around Jool before contact with the probe was lost. It is hoped that in the future, advances in the DSN will allow ARPA controllers to reach Pioneer 4 and verify if it successfully inserted into orbit. Launch 37: Corona KH-4-9007 / Jupiter LV23-Agena B 8 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 147km x 83km, 74 deg inclination. SRV landed 4.3km south of Woomerang. Payload: Corona-9007 - KH-4 Mural camera system with SRV. The seventh Corona reconnaissance satellite was the first launched without the Discoverer moniker. Largely, launches from Woomerang became unannounced events with vague descriptions of their mission profiles. They were not entirely kept secret and the US Air Force emblem was proudly painted on the sides of the Agena stage. Corona-9007 spent three days in space before it de-orbited and detached the SRV. The capsule landed four kilometers south of Woomerang and was recovered without incident. Launch 38: Mercury 7 / Atlas D LV15 Mission: First spacewalk. Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: 92km x 91km, 0 deg inclination. Landed at KSC. Payload: Mercury 7 "Sigma" - Crew: Wally Kerman Wally Kerman became the first Kerbal to exit his spacecraft and "walk" in space. Sigma was launched into an equatorial orbit and would remain attached to the Atlas during most of its mission. On the second orbital pass on the sunlit side of Kerbin, Wally opened the hatch and performed the first tethered extra-vehicular-activity (EVA). Wally did not remain outside his ship for long, but he enjoyed the thrill of the experience for six minutes before returning to the hatch. Poor quality black and white video of the event was taken and made available to the public. What happened afterwards is largely glossed over. The pressure inside Wally's suit made his gloves rigid and it became more and more difficult for him to move. He could not re-seat the hatch or manipulate its handles. He began perspiring heavily from the exertion and KASA doctors became alarmed at his bio-medical readings. If Wally could not seal Sigma, he would not survive re-entry. Finally, it was suggested to Wally to vent his spacesuit to space to release the pressure. Difficult at first, Wally was able to manipulate the relief valve and re-gain enough use of his gloved hands to close the hatch properly. Relieved and exhausted, Wally slumped into his seat. It was decided to end the mission early, as its primary objective had been accomplished. On the third orbit, Wally detached his spacecraft from the Atlas and de-orbited. As a final trick of fate, Sigma's landing ended up directly above Kerbal Space Center and came to rest directly next to the Mark I Monument outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. A known prankster, Wally would jest that he was trying to courteous and "drop the Mercury back off at the VAB". Launch 39: Telstar 1 / Jupiter LV25-Delta 3 Mission: Communications satellite to medium Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 2.5Mm x 412km, 44.8 deg inclination. Payload: Telstar 1 - Manufactured by KT&T and launched by ARPA. America's largest telecommunications company saw the future that satellites could provide. Telstar was created to be an active relay for trans-continental live television broadcasting. The image quality was poor, but represented that first time that an event could be "experienced" in real-time on both sides of the ocean. At this early stage of the space program a great amount of cooperation existed between ARPA and KT&T during the satellite's development. Even so, Telstar could be considered the first commercial satellite launch. Launch 40: Ranger 4 / Atlas D LV16-Agena B 9 Mission: Scientific experiment probe to low Mun orbit. Rough Lander landed in the Munar Midlands, south of the equator, Nearside of the Mun. Orbital Information: 20km x 16km, 61.5 deg inclination. Payload: Ranger 4 - Gamma ray spectrometer, radar altimeter, electrostatic analyzer, television camera, and Rough Lander with a seismometer. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. Ranger 4 was the third Block II spacecraft and the second sent to the Mun. It would be inserted into an inclined orbit in order to create a larger altimetric map of the Munar surface north and south of the equator. Ranger conducted its experiments and detached the Rough Lander for de-orbiting south of the equator. After a heavy impact and subsequent bounces and rolls, the Rough Lander came to a halt in the Munar Midlands near the edge of the Nearside.

Launch 31: OSO 1 / Jupiter LV21-Delta 2 Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to low Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 235km x 222km, 31.8 deg inclination. Payload: Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) 1 - Solar observation instrument suite. Manufactured by Ball Aerospace for ARPA. The Orbiting Solar Observatory satellite was a unique design. It used sun-tracking to orientate a sail section that would keep the satellite's instruments facing the Sun. As its name implied, OSO featured X-ray, Gamma ray, solar spectrometer, and solar wind experiments to collect focused data about our closest star. Launch 32: Discoverer 6 (Corona KH-4-9006) / Jupiter LV22-Agena B 5 Location: Woomerang Space Center Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to low Kerbin orbit and return. Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 230.9km x 80km, 73.4 deg inclination. SRV landed 2km south of Woomerang. Payload: Discoverer 6 (Corona-9006) - KH-4 Mural camera system and SRV. The flight of Discoverer 6 represented a shift in the joint USAF/NRO Corona program. It was the first rocket launch from Woomerang Space Center which had been built specifically for high inclination and polar orbit launches. In the upswell of national pride stemming from Project Mercury, it was the first Discoverer to feature the Air Force symbol openly painted on the side of the Agena stage. This launch was also the last mission to launch under the ruse of the scientific Discoverer program. The satellite itself was the first KH-4 model reconnaissance satellite, featuring the "Mural" stereoscopic camera and the index single frame camera from the KH-5. This flight was also a return to traditional intelligence gathering over foreign territory as opposed to the previous terrain mapping focus. After spending four days in orbit, the Agena burned for re-entry and released the SRV. It would land 2km south of Woomerang. Launch 33: Ranger 3 / Atlas D LV11-Agena B 6 Mission: Scientific experiment probe low Minmus orbit. Rough Lander landed in the Minmus Midlands, near the equator. Orbital Information: 21km x 21km, 10 deg inclination. Payload: Ranger 3 - Gamma ray spectrometer, radar altimeter, electrostatic analyzer, television camera, and Rough Lander with a seismometer. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. The third Ranger was a Block II spacecraft with a Rough Lander. Its mission was to gather scientific data around Minmus, obtain high quality images of the equatorial region, and attempt to deploy the Rough Lander on the moon's surface. The Agena delivered Ranger into a low circular orbit after an eight-day transit. After two orbital passes to collect experiment data and identify a potential area to attempt a landing, the Rough Lander was decoupled and fired its down-rated rocket for de-orbiting. Even more so than its predecessor on the Mun, the Rough Lander bounced and rolled until it came to a stop in the Midlands, resting on the incline of a hill. The seismometer retuned data to Ranger whose High Gain antenna transmitted it back to Kerbin. Launch 34: Mercury 5 / Atlas D LV12 Mission: Manned orbital mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Landed 2.8km from KSC. Orbital Information: 92km x 90km, 0 deg inclination Payload: Mercury 5 "Delta" - Crew: Deke Kerman The mission of Mercury 5 was an endurance test of both kerbal and spacecraft. In order to power the spacecraft for three days, six additional Ranger batteries were fastened to a Z-100 rechargeable battery mounted on top of the Atlas and below the capsule. The three separation solid rockets were also removed from the spacecraft's retrofire pack to save space and weight in the very crowded coupling section. Delta would remain attached to the Atlas for the duration of the flight until it was time for de-orbiting. Delta was painted white and orange for high visibility and would also act as a rendezvous target for Mercury 6 which launched half an hour later from GSPG. As an engineer, Deke was tasked with evaluating the spacecraft's condition during the flight. He was the first kerbal to sleep in space and the first to have multiple meals instead of merely snacks. Because of the cramped conditions, Deke's work load was kept light. He was also the first kerbonaut to have wake-music transmitted to him from KSC when CAPCOM Wally Kerman played the song "Hello Dolly" to his friend in orbit. What began as a prank would become a KASA tradition. After enduring three days in his spacecraft, Deke de-coupled from his booster and orientated for de-orbiting. He would land not far from Kerbal Space Center and was very happy to be able to stretch his legs. Launch 35: Mercury 6 / Atlas D LV13 Location: GSPG Launch Pad Mission: First orbital rendezvous. Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Landed 3.4km from KSC. Orbital Information: 92km x 91km, 0 deg inclination Payload: Mercury 6 "Faith" - Crew: Gordo Kerman Part proof of concept, part publicity stunt, Mercury 6 blasted off into space from Green Sands Proving Grounds half an hour after the launch of Mercury 5. This was the first non-suborbital test flight conducted from the Army's launch pad and the first time two kerbonauts were in space at the same time. The launch was intended to minimize the amount of maneuvers needed in order to rendezvous with Mercury 5 and was also the first that re-utilized the Atlas in orbit, as opposed to only firing the booster to de-orbit itself after being discarded. Faith was launched into a lower orbit to "catch up" to Delta. Gordo orientated his combined craft for several short engine burns that brought the two craft into a passing rendezvous. At their closest, Faith and Delta were close enough for the two kerbonauts to wave to one another. They quickly drifted apart and after the better part of a day, Gordo detached his spacecraft from the booster and de-orbited. Faith landed not far from Kerbal Space Center with a beautiful pre-dawn sky before him.

Launch 26: Ranger 1 / Atlas D LV7-Agena B 2 Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to high Kerbin orbit. Orbital Information: 78.7Mm x 25.5Mm, 32.8 deg inclination. Payload: Ranger 1 - Magnetometer, gamma ray spectrometer, ultra violet telescope, micrometeorite impact detector, and electrostatic analyzer. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. The first launch that combined the power of the Atlas and the Agena B transit stage, Ranger 1 was first orbited into a 193km parking orbit. After performing a system check, the Agena performed two burns that raised its orbit to a point between the Mun and Minmus with an apoapsis near the edge of Kerbin's sphere of influence. From this distant orbit, Ranger conducted its experiments far from the influence of Kerbin's atmosphere. The satellite proved its worth as a heavy payload fame that could ferry many experiments. It acted as the prototype for future Ranger missions to Mun and Minmus as well as the planned Mariner Project missions to other planets. Launch 27: Mercury 3 / Atlas D LV8 Mission: First female kerbal in space. Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 92km. Completed three orbits. Landed 3.5km west of KSC. Payload: Mercury 3 "Freedom" - Crew: Valentina Kerman Due to the power draw requirements of the Mercury spacecraft, Freedom's retro rocket pack was fitted with three additional batteries developed from the Ranger program. Valentina's orbital profile was identical to the Jebediah's flight, but she remained in orbit for three revolutions before aligning for retrofire and re-entry. During her time in orbit, Valentina took pictures from her window and attempted to identify landmasses and terrain features. Total mission time was just under two hours when Freedom landed safely, west of Kerbal Space Center. Launch 28: Discoverer 5 (Corona KH-5-9005) / Jupiter LV20-Agena B 3 Mission: Scientific experiment satellite to low Kerbin orbit and return. Classified primary mission. Orbital Information: 307km x 100km, 82.9 deg inclination. SRV landed 5.5km south of KSC. Payload: Discoverer 5 (Corona-9005) - KH-5 Argon camera system and SRV. With the construction of Woomerang Space Center complete, Discoverer 5 was the final reconnaissance satellite launched from Kerbal Space Center. The flight followed a similar profile to its predecessors; launching at night into a near polar orbit and using the Argon camera system to refine and update maps of specific areas of Kerbin's surface. After the typical two-day duration in space, the Agena de-orbited the combined craft and the SRV was released to land south of KSC for recovery. Launch 29: Ranger 2 / Atlas D LV9-Agena B 4 Mission: First probe to land on the Mun. Scientific probe to low Mun orbit. Orbital Information: 19km x 19km, 1 deg inclination. Rough Lander landed in the Munar Midlands, near the equator, Nearside of the Mun. Payload: Ranger 2 - Gamma ray spectrometer, radar altimeter, electrostatic analyzer, television camera, and Rough Lander with a seismometer. Manufactured by JPL for ARPA. The second Ranger was a Block II design that incorporated the ambitious goal of landing a Rough Lander capsule on the surface of the Mun. The powerful Agena transit stage delivered the probe into an almost circular Munar orbit after a day of transit. Ranger 2 underwent a system check and deployed its experiments. From low orbit the altimeter began crafting the first true topographic map of the Munar surface. After several orbits, the Rough Lander was released to fire a small solid rocket for a collision course with the Mun. Near the point of impact the Rough Lander was thrown clear of the booster in hopes that it would survive the literal rough landing of impact. The primary objective of the Rough Lander was its enclosed seismometer in order to gauge the hardness of the Mun's surface. It wasn't known if landing on the Mun was even possible or if a craft would disappear under a layer of dust. Somehow, the Rough Lander bounced and rolled until it came to a halt in the Munar Midlands. The internal transmitter sent back limited data about the impact it had endured to Ranger 2, which in turn sent the packet back to Kerbin. The probe would go on to complete a radar survey of the equatorial region. Launch 30: Mercury 4 / Atlas D LV10 Mission: Manned mission to low Kerbin orbit and return. Orbital Information: Highest orbit was 92km. Landed at Kerbal Space Center. Payload: Mercury 4 "Aurora" - Crew: Robert C. Kerman The mission known as Mercury 4 was originally Mercury 5. The original Mercury 4 mission had been slated to be a repeat of the previous flight with a three-orbit duration and return carrying kerbonaut William "Gus" Kerman into space. KASA physicians however were no longer as fearful of the immediate effects of zero gravity on kerbal physiology. This cleared the way to begin testing the limits of longer durations in space. The original flight was cancelled and Gus Kerman was reassigned as a lead engineer for the Project Gemini spacecraft. Robert C. Kerman would spend an entire six-hour day in orbit. During that time his visual acuity was tested as he was tasked with identifying land masses and rivers as he passed overhead. During one pass on the nightside of Kerbin a ground station turned searchlights skyward to see if Bob could identify them. Aurora's landing was the closest yet to Kerbal Space Center, touching down just outside the base's grounds. It was a crowning achievement for America's space program. The first steps had been taken in reaching the stars.