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Yeah that is a bother for a fact i mean discussing all this sort of stuff is important for us,When it comes to talking about that has a value,And please where people talk about it can really be good.

Only some what fly? Not all the way fly? Man, talk about low-hanging fruit...

I have two questions I would like to ask; 1) There was a question answered earlier today (#1946) about disabling the time delay feature. The process involved editing the Remotech_settings.cfg file I have looked in my remote tech folder and I have 4 .cfg files, none of them named settings. Could someone clarify what exactly I need to modify? I am not a programmer so kindly do not use the word "obviously" in your answer. 2) The flight computer built into remotetech, how do I operate it? I have seen people talk about putting delayed commands into it to perform actions when a probe has no active communications. How do I do this? I have tried pressing some of the buttons and all it does is spin my ship around. All I want to be able to do is to re-activate an antenna after re-entry. A simple, "wait 10 minutes then turn this bit on" is all I need. Thanks.

We're back after those horribly pointless commercials! Jeb: Hello viewers! We left off when bob was telling us about the early days of kerbol and KSC! Bob: Been a blast these past few episodes! Jeb: Yes it has. Bob: So, When the first kerbal landed on the mun it was a happy day for KSC! Jeb: Who exactly was that kerbal? Bob: You were! Jeb: Oh yes i was...no i don't want to go to minmus! Bob: Haha. So then bill kerman was the first man to set foot on the surface of minmus. Jeb: Oh? Bob: I have a picture, Can i do the show up thing? Jeb: Oh no, I saw this on the kerb kerman show. Thank you Xacter that series is so funny! I just had to reference to you! Bob: Please? Jeb: Oh fine, What can possibly go wrong. Bob: Yay! Jeb: Okay, Very nice. No! i don't want to go to laythe, MAYBE LATER! Bob: So then they returned to KSC! I have a picture of KSC Back then. Jeb: I say, That is very different. Bob: Yes it was. Jeb: What was the first successful landing to duna? Bob: The dunar 12 mission had a lot of fails. But i do have a picture of the flag, Then i'll talk on the fails and success. Jeb: Okay, let's see it. Bob: What's the button to make the picture go on screen? Jeb: Oh for kerbol sakes, Give me the remote. Bob: Here, haha! Jeb: That's cool. Bob: It was, The fails we're very often. They discouraged alot of kerbals. Jeb: Well, I can tell. Bob: Approximately 2 Years it took to finally land on duna. Jeb: Picture? Bob: Yes. Jeb: I'm afraid that's all we have time for! Be waiting for episode #3!

Was it capable of simulating 200+ objects at time warp factor of 1,000,000 with sufficient precision to give good predictions for all of the orbits well ahead? What you are talking about isn't even in the same category of problems. Try and write a simulation that manages to keep track of an asteroid or a comet in the Solar system. Then come back and talk about how easy it is to implement something like this.

Okay, quick update on things. Made it back home okay. Got KSP updated to 0.23 and updated all of the mods. I had hoped to get an update out tonight but ran into issues with some of the mods: Specifically KAS' hotkeys being incompatible with my RCS hotkeys, causing the winch to do things when I use the numberpad for RCS translation. I was installing new NAMLARV/Fennec combinations at both Mun and Minmus since the new KAS was incompatible with the old ones. So I had to undock the old NAMLARVs and allow the game to delete them. Anyway that messup with KAS was solved by removing its hotkeys, but delayed things a while. Then I realized CrewManifest now requires that toolbar plugin so I decided at that point to just call it a night. Not sure if I will talk about the new Fennec rover in a mission report or just retcon it since I had to delete and relaunch it because of KAS. Hopefully the next mission report is out soon.

Like I said. TWO-WAY communications. Your KSC having all the range in the system is completely useless if the probe/rover doesn't have the range to talk back. For me, and for most communications and network science types, this would be clear as day. But I realize that as simple as the principle here is, this pushes into adv. telecommunications territory and a lot of the interconnectivity people take for granted these days doesn't necessarily impart unto them the knowledge of what's going on. In this case, any given computer communications connection can only take place if both parts can communicate across the medium. In the case of probes, the problem you have is not that KSC or your satellite rings don't have the range to talk to your probe, but because your probe's transmitter doesn't have the range to talk back. It's return signal is too weak and whatever data it's sending has deteriorated to background static by the time it reaches KSC. KSC sees nothing but static, so the computer connection handshakes required can't proceed. Realistically, one could create a probe that would still work under these conditions. However, it would be no more than a multi-million dollar RC car with a rocket engine strapped to it. You can tell it what to do, but you can't actually see what it's doing because it can't talk back to tell you what it's doing. What good is a science probe you can tell to do whatever if it can't talk back?

Let's talk about Grand Tours. How do you plan it? What is the best way to tackle it? Multiple landers on a mother ship? Single launch? Kethane? I've been trying to wrap my head around it for a while now, so maybe a few more brains out here could help. Any suggestions would be great, and screenshots of your ships would be awesome too. Thanks all!

Two-Way communications is required. The Comms DTS-M1 doesn't have the range to talk to the stuff past minmus. It's range is 50 Mm. Minmus has an orbit at 46 Mm.

VKM meeting *AWOOOGA AWOOOGA AWOOOGA!* "Wha, who where what?" Jeb said, jerking up as the siren filled the little capsule. With a click the horrible sound shut off and Gene's low tones wafted in. "And now the collision warning test is complete. I'm sorry VKM Two, weren't you ready yet?" Jeb attempted to keep the venom out of his voice while his heart beat backed away from it's frantic hammering. "Obviously not Flight. I must have missed the memo." With a sigh he calmed himself a little more "So, I'm assuming it's time for the rendezvous. Is there a reason Milton didn't wake me as I requested?" A poignant silence filled his headset and Jeb suppressed a grin. Eventually Gene replied. "It seems there may have been a slight mis-communication." Gene said with somewhat more severe sounding voice than usual. At least it wasn't aimed at Jeb now! "But yes, we're set up for your rendezvous. Bob is just fine tuning the Munbase's orbit. Are you fully fueled?" Jeb stared out across the regolith as he caught a sparkle through the window. "Hold a second Flight." He took out his pad and gauged the navball for direction. "Flight, while I'm here shouldn't I test the pump equipment?" "Test it with what? You'll need a ship to connect to." "I was thinking VKM One would do for that. Might have to drill a mount for the new pipe connectors to plug into the fuel feeds on that, but it should work. That way if we ever need to use VKM One again it'll be fueled for a trip. Maybe the converter is messed up, but the engines works fine." "That sounds good VKM Two. Hold a sec." Jeb leaned back in his seat as Gene conferred with others at Mission Control. "Operation approved VKM Two. You're go for a hop over to VKM One and a refuel test. After that Munbase Alpha says to 'Get your sorry butt out here pronto.', to quote the Captain succinctly." "Oh I'm sure. Tell Bob I'll be up there in a about, what, Ten to twelve hours? Well add a bit for reaching Munar orbit and a little more to match orbits with Munbase at LKO. Say fifteen hours." "I bow to your superior temporal assessment Major Jebediah. I'll have Milton plot a course anyway to see if we can match your estimate." "Oh if you must Flight, if you must." Jeb chuckled as he started warming the engines up. After a rather abrupt start it was looking to be rather interesting day. *** The roar of the engine was rather muted. Even at full fuel load it had an acceleration nearly three times Munar gravity, so he barely had to push fifty percent throttle to get off the ground easily. Curling over towards the IFF marker on his HUD Jeb gauged the distance by eye, then checked it on the flight computer, just to be sure. Not bad. With a snap he cut the engines off and edged the craft around on the reaction wheels. Watching the ventral camera as he tipped retrograde he waited till the speed indicator started to climb as his ship swung lower in it's arc. "Engaging descent burn." He murmured idly. Reporting his condition to Mission Control was pretty automatic by now, even when he was pretty much doing this by feel. He slowed his descent, watching the twinkle of VKM One define itself as he grew closer till he cut all the horizontal velocity and just hovered overhead. "I'm positioning for landing now Flight. Looks good. I'll try to put it down pretty close." The next minute was fun, but not too taxing. Jeb had done a lot on simulators of late and that, plus his experience on the Mun before, made his landing rather precise. Touching down he glanced over at the HUD and grinned. "VKM One is within thirteen meters Flight. That close enough for you?" "I'm sure it's close enough for you VKM Two, and that is what counts. You're go for EVA." With a shake of his head for Gene's dry witticism Jeb double checked his suit, plugged his EVA Flight pack and opened the hatch. At least with this model they'd improved the Flight pack positioning a little. He didn't have to hang half out the hatch to lock it into place. Still, best test out the more straightforward maneuvering systems. "Descending the Mobility Enhancer now Flight." Jeb said, hearing groans on the line. No, he decided now was not the time to wax lyrical about ladders. Maybe next time. He didn't even have any of the new folding systems on this ship! Using the rungs it was fairly easy to descend the craft to the ground, though a little awkward to go around the bend in the craft due to it's bulky lower fuel tank. He almost gave up and used his RCS pack, but in the end found a way to climb around the corner without falling off. Two gently cascading plumes of grey dust marked Jeb's boots touching Munar regolith once more and he gazed across at the VKM One just past the bulk of his own ship. "I'm outside Flight, gonna grab one of the snap-fit connector pairs and the tool-kit." "Roger EVA One. Don't drill a hole in your suit." Jeb chuckled dryly but most certainly would be careful. This was hardly a joke after all. The kit was mounted under the bottom rung of the ladder, one of three on this ship, and with that in hand he swung around to one of the three side tanks and the connector mounted there. He manually shut off the fuel feed to that connector, double checked the pressure, then started dismounting it behind the snap-fit connector. Thankfully the connector pair came off easily and he gently eased it up, over his shoulder, and slid it onto his back pack. "OK Flight, one connector assembly and tool kit acquired. Heading over to the VKM One." He bounded over the surface to the older ship and shook his head. The Mark One miner had been put together a little quicker than his current ship. He could see where the fuel lines had sheered off close to the solar panels. Seems Loddan had attempted to bypass the panel and re-attach the lines, but it hadn't worked. Those things weren't designed to be mounted out here in space. Unfortunately they also were a different size to his connector so he had to fasten this elsewhere. Putting down the tool kit Jeb looked over the tank. "So, Milton. You have a schematic of the VKM One up there? Where on the lower section of the side pods should I go digging for an emergency fuel feed to tap into?" The next few minutes were a back and forwards talk of plumbing, cooling manifolds and turbopump assemblies. Not Jeb's favorite topic of conversation, but at least familiar. Finally he took of an inspection plate and peered inside and found the line he needed. Couldn't reach it from the inspection plate, but at least he could see where he had to cut. "OK, I got it Milton. Hang on while I cut a section of cover off." Slowly Jeb pulled out the multi-cutter tool and fitted the jigsaw attachment. He carefully set the head to a quarter inch depth and went to work cutting a small hole, a little smaller in diameter than the snap-fit connector. Once that section of hull plate was removed he reached in and double checked, by feel, where the pipe fittings went to be sure he was getting the right feed line. Then he separated the connector into it's two parts and lifted his boot up to rest on the hull beside the hole. Balancing the female coupling connector base there he whistled while he adjusted the junction behind it, then shut off the lines around the pipe he wanted and used a hand drill to make a hole in the pipe. Extending the fitting behind the coupling connector base he aligned it, using a foot to balance it in place, one hand to hold the coupler away from the hull and the other to reach for his tool kit again. Pulling out a welder he hooked it on one shoulder while mounting a tether on the line. God, he must look like some kind of juggler right now! Chuckling to himself he carefully started the welder and began to draw a test bead on the edge. With a good contact he pressed the extended fitting against the hole he'd made and started welding the fitting in place. This was all old stuff to him, something he'd done countless times back in his old workplace. Not necessarily in vacuum though. Still, he hadn't lost his touch and soon the weld was complete and the fitting was securely mounted to the pipe. He cranked the handle and withdrew the mount for the rest of the coupling connector back till the housing pressed against the fuel tank. There! Perfect! Now he had a mount spot a male connector could fit to any time they wanted. With a smile he lifted up the male part of the connector pair he had left after he'd welded the female part on and test clipped it in place. Fitted like a dream, though his gloves did get a tad warm. Yeah, heat didn't have many places to go up here did it? He'd have to be more careful welding in future otherwise he'd likely melt stuff nearby. The problems with lack of air convecting heat away, huh? "OK, all set here Flight. I'm gonna plug a hose in and see if I can plug into one on my ship." "Roger EVA One. You've made good time there." "Come on, I'm owner of a scrapyard company. What'ya think, I couldn't handle this? Huh!" After the mounting and welding, fitting a pipe up between the ships was simple, though the tension did make both the ships wobble once connected. He'd have to be careful when connecting in orbit. With nothing to stabilize it the two ships would likely wobble like crazy while he was pumping between them. It took only a few minutes to pump fuel into the old capsule, and the systems worked fine. Now, with a removable connector on it you could dismount and mount it as often as you needed it. It was a simple matter to disconnect the male end and draw the hose back and coil it in it's niche. "OK, I'm done here Flight. I'll get set up for the trip back to Mun... AFTER I've mined some more Kethane and filled up the tanks again." "Roger EVA One." Gene said in response. "Catch up to you when you're ready to head back. Glad the operation was straightforward." "Well, at least not hard shall we say Flight. Not quite straightforward, but it'll do." Jeb started back up the ladder... sorry, Mobility Enhancer, towards his capsule once more. Just a bit of mining, processing and he'd be ready to head back. Just another day in the life of Jebediah, fuel delivery guy!

Glad it helped. Between space programs I spend more time in excel and paint planning networks than in game. I might try to write something up and draw some clean diagrams and add it to the wiki. Editing my post again... realized that with your geosynchronous if sat 1 is over KSC, then sat 2 and sat 3 would never need to talk to eachother. They can just point to sat 1 and active vessel and cover their section of space, and use sat 1's connection to KSC. So as you said you have enough dishes to do what you wanted, but guess had a kerbal error pointing to the wrong place. There is a coverage if you have inactive kerbin surface based ships. You could cover them with a dish or probably better to use the 5mm omni to point/cover kerbin's surface from sat 2 and 3.

If I repost the first suggestion, sorry for double post. Suggestion #1: Have Kerb talk with a technician that works on a space station orbiting Kerbin, which is secretly a XAC missile platform to launch missiles, and have Kerb accidently show the missiles firing. That'll be funny to see. Suggestion #2: Have Kerb interview a rocket designer, who has his new rockets to show. Hope this helps you write new stuff!

If you put 3 in kerbosync and aim dishes at each other, they'll pair up. If you put in another three and rotate their orientation so you end up with a pentagram of connection lines, the two sets of three will talk to each other through omni if you also put 5Mm omnis on all 6 satellites. Three of those satellites should also have omni to Kerbin Command. Omni should take care of any drift and you'll have very little outage. Dishes should be 50 or 90Mm. With 4 dishes on each satellite you can use two to pair up with partners in the 3 set and two for the Mun and Minmus. Add a couple huge 350Gm dishes and you will only lose connection out in the solar system if eclipsed by a planet/moon.

So a Bussard ramjet is a theoretical method of spacecraft propulsion proposed in 1960 by the physicist Robert W. Bussard. it works on a principle of a fusion rocket but instead of carying its own fuel it uses a giant magnetic scoop that gathers hydrogen from the surounding cosmos,then the same magnetic forces crush the hydrogen together causing a fusion reaction,proppeling the craft forward. Its an interesting concept but i see some problems with this desing. 1 If we use the same interstellar lanes then as more gas is scooped up less and less fuel will be left making them useless at some point in the future. 2 For a field that strong you will have to make a ship very robust to not crumple in on itself,and not to talk about your keys and other such sticking to the wall furing burns. 3 Like all proposed interstellar propulshion (excluding the Orion N.P.E.) where is it going to get all that power? BTW i have an idea, wouldnt it be neat if ships have an emergency hydrogen scoop in the times they run out of fuel

It's not clear what you're saying exactly, at least to me. But think of the dishes themselves as talking face to face. When doing satellite aiming, two satellites must have a dish on BOTH facing the opposing sat as if having a conversation with each other. If you have a third satellite come in and aim a dish at them, it's going to be ignored. In order to speak with the third sat, sat 2 or 1 must have a free dish to aim at the third one. The biggest mistake I see going on is that people aim one dish, but either don't realize, or forget that the receiver is a dish as well, and can't just receive from any direction and must be aimed, just like turning to face someone speaking to you. It gets horribly complicated really fast if you're trying to chain satellite constellations using dishes. That's why I prefer using lower orbit omnis, and linking them to satellites in synchronous orbit, then having all the sats in sync orbit pointing at a hub that's half way to minmus. Also, remember that your interlink has to chain back to a mission control. That is defined as KSC itself, or a vessel containing SIX (6) kerbals AND a large probe core. If your chain is broken somewhere else, then you don't have the uplink, even if you have connectivity. I suspect some Kerban Error to be involved with the 'aim at active' command. In this case, you work on sat 1, tell it to aim at the active, then launch sat 2, and sat 1 aims at sat 2. Then you tell sat 2 to aim at the active and launch sat 3. Now sat 1 AND 2 aim at sat 3, which means sat 1 is not longer talking to sat 2. Further, because 'talk to the face' with sat 3 aimed at sat 2, sat 1's attempt to link is being ignored by sat 3. Oops, link is broken... TWICE.

So, to address the OP's original question: how do you convince people these devices are safe? First of all: I don't know. These are just some of my ideas, I'd love to hear from someone with some expertise. But some things I think are helpful are: Recognise that your default style may not be the right one. I suspect that many of us here on a KSP forum are of an engineering/science/technical bent, and are generally data-driven and analytical. As others have mentioned, our default approach is to argue rationally, which isn't effective when engaging people about changing their beliefs. Which leads on to: Recognise you're dealing with a belief. The idea that EM radiation from devices is harmful is a belief, which means it doesn't necessarily have a logical and consistent framework that supports it. It may be based on vague, emotional and/or contradictory ideas. Worse, people don't simply drop beliefs if you manage to contradict the ideas that support them. An adversarial approach makes many people entrench their beliefs. Recognise that beliefs are ok. We all have a ton of beliefs. Some of us like to think that we work hard to ensure these are evidence-base and factual, but tbh most people don't. People define themselves by the collection of beliefs they hold, so don't make the mistake of thinking an irrational belief is trivial to them because it's trivial to you. Recognise that beliefs take time to change. People need time to realign their beliefs, even if they do accept new information which contradicts existing beliefs. You're probably not going to get a quick win. Be sympathetic, not adversarial. You're dealing with people's fears, you need to reassure, not argue. Pick your language carefully, say "we" a lot, mirror their words back to them and ask open questions. Don't lead the conversation, try to get them to talk openly about it. Many people respond to an argument from authority. You may be able to find an authoritative figure that they trust and can provide reassurance. This is a risky one IMO, as the wrong authority could simply reinforce their beliefs.

We now return you to your host with the post, Kerb Kerman! Kerb: Thank you, Bob! I'm glad we have a few moments to...collect ourselves there. Haha! Nothing better than some rowdy accordion players to lighten the mood! Jedgun: I like the singing. Dr. Thomble: I've never seen so many accordions before... Were they supposed to smack into each other like that? Kerb: Haha! Just a small sample of the quality entertainment we provide here at Xackylvania National Kerbivision! Now, lets get to the real meat of things... Tell us about the landing, Jed. Jedgun: Ok, landing. I can do this. I'm not alone. I'm here in a... a place with Kerbals. I can do this. Well, the landing was... it was... Hetta hetta...hey, can we put a picture up? Kerb: Of Course! Kerb: Oh, what's this? It looks like there is a video clip in here... from the cockpit cam! Dr. Thomble: Wait! Don't! Kerb: Hm? Now, why? Dr. Thomble: The landing... it wasn't exactly..uh. Jedgun: Land... hetta... no landing. Rolling. So much rolling. Over and over. Hetta...hetta...heh. Kerb: Now, now that I want to see. Kerb: Ooooh Jedgun: EEEEIIIIIIII Dr. Thomble: Uhhhhhhhg. Uh, Kerb. Are we allowed to show that? Kerb: Oh, right! Well, that is... it was all planned! The rolling of the ship, you see, it uh... it helps slow it down for landing! SO! Jed, what happened next! Jedgun: I...I waited till it was slow, then I deploy...deployed the gear. We stopped rolling. Yeah. That was nice. I.. I got out then. It was nice and not-spinning. Kerb: Let's take another look at the pictures, shall we? Jedgun: Then...the...hetta...hetta... then the thing... part, radio! Yes, radio. It was broken. Couldn't talk to home. Heh heh heh. Kerb: That doesn't sound good. Dr. Thomble: Kerb, I think we might want to stop for a bit, here. He looks a little... Jedgun: hetta hetta hetta... All alone! So cold... so dark! Kerb: C'mon, one more picture! Dr. Thomble: But... Kerb: Ha! Jedgun: Eeeeiii...eiie...eeeiiiiiiiiiii Dr. Thomble: I insist we take a break! Kerb! KERB! Kerb: What? Dr. Thomble: I have a Kermas sweater in my bag here. Kerb: Bob! I think its time for a commercial! We'll be right back with more Kerb Kerman, right after this!

And now, a break from the daily 23-hour marathon of 'Gee, I Sure Love Xackylvania!' for your favorite host with the most, Kerb Kerman! Kerb: Hello, and welcome to the Kerb Kerman Show! The only history show you're allowed to watch! I'm here with two very special guests, today. The amazing, wonderfully talented Jedgun Kerman has graciously taken a trip away from the All-Kerbin Makehappy Psychiatric Hospital to talk to us about being the first Kerbal on the Mun! Jedgun: Hetta...hetta... hi... hi, K-kerb. Dr. Thomble: You're doing great, Jed. Kerb: Of course, he is joined by Doctor Thomble Kerman, who is here to help prevent, well, the sort of thing that happened last week. And two weeks ago. Kerb: Thank you, Bob. I'm sure we all needed to be reminded about that. Jedgun: W-what does he m-mean by tha-that? Dr. Thomble: Nothing, Jed. Everything's fine. Kerb: Well, Jed, can I call you Jed? How did you come to be the first Kerbal on the Mun? Jedgun: E-eberybody else... they exploded... b-boom...lots of fire, so fire... Kerb: Right, right, haha. I'm sure he's just joking, folks. Everyone knows that the XAC is a very safe, and not at all explodey, place. Lets just, uh, lets just put a picture up, shall we? Kerb: Now, this was your ship, correct? Jedgun: Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiii Dr. Thomble: Shhh, Yes, that was the MTGM-6. Jedgun doesn't really like.... reminders, you know? Kerb: I'm sure I can sympathize. I can't look a Kermas sweater in the face now for the same reason. Jedgun: What? Kerb: Nevermind! Well, so what does MTGM stand for, if I may ask? Jedgun: Its.. its the Make Things Go Mun. I was pilot. Hetta...hetta... real pilot. Yeah. Went fast. Really fast. Kerb: I think we have a picture of that as well, hold on just a moment. Jedgun: That was me! I was happy then. I like flying... liked... before it got cold... Dr. Thomble: Can you tell them about the cold, Jed? Jedgun: I guess. Dr. Thomble: You can do it. Jedgun: I took the...the...the rocket up and into orbit. Yeah. I was in orbit. XACC was on the radio to me. They told me what to do. But...but they w-wanted me to go further away... away from Kerbin... away from the radio. Dr. Thomble: What happened next, Jed? Jedgun: They made me...made me go EVA. It was so empty.... empty and cold. Kerb: Picture Time! Jedgun: Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiii Dr. Thomble: Shhhhh. Kerb: Ooooh, pretty. How far away from Kerbin were you at this point? Jedgun: TOO FAR! Hetta...hetta...he..the radio... it didn't work so well out there. I was alone... in the dark, and cold, and alone. I didn't like it! Kerb: Fascinating. You heard it here, folks! If you're going to space, pack a warm swea...gahhh.... coat. Yeah, coats are safer. Oh wow, look at the time! Its time for all of us to get to our feet and sing 'All Hail Xacktar, He's Really Cool!' We'll be back right after this! Jedgun: Eeeeiiiii

This story is still being worked on, I can't write the whole story in one day, Check back everyday or soon to see if I've Added Anything! If you like the story, Support it and help it get more readers by rating this post so it can be seen by others! Characters Jeb or Jebediah : Kerbalnaught Bill Kerman or Bill : Kerbalnaught Bob Kerman or Bob : Kerbalnaught Mission Control : Mission Control (Doesn't have a name because the name mission control represents KSC's Tracking Station/Mission Control) The Guard (This is the character name for any guards around any facilities) Attendant Manager/Guide (This is the person who greets at any facilities) also can be referred to in the story 3 different ways: Guide Manager or Attendant Manager or Facility Manager Any other names you may see just know they are a character there's so much characters in this story i can't list them all. But those are the main characters you'll see. if you see anything in real life with ker or anything with the letters of kerbal in it, Know its me renaming that real life item so it'll be more KSP-like. Prologue They first landed on the mun... After the successful Kerpollo 11, All of Kerbal Space Center was intrigued to explore all of kerbol. They then thought, We succeeded for mun...Now we go to minmus. From the minds of kerbal space center, They issued a new mission. Minmus 12. From there, Our story begins... Chapter #1: The Test Kerbal Space Center was very busy after they issued Minmus 12. All the planning and thinking, All the work and teamwork put into the mission... Was amazing. Immediately they started recruiting kerbals for the mission. All astronauts that wanted to be in the mission, Had to retest. There was 3 kerbalnaughts, sitting at a table enjoying a sandwich. (Fun fact for the story: They were in the kerpollo 11.) Then "Why don't we go in that mission." Jebediah Said, Bob quickly replied "Are you crazy? They haven't even guaranteed safety yet!" Bill replied "Why did we sign up for the job to be an astronaut? To be kerbals who only take missions if they are safe. Or to explore kerbol if its the last thing we did." Bob replied "Yeah...Let's do this." Jebediah replied "I knew you guys would do it!" The three went along to the counter to sign up. The three gradually signed up, Their three signatures on the paper! They then returned to their houses about 6:00 PM Kerbin Time KPT (Kerbin Planet Time) Before heading into their houses, They enjoyed a late-lunch. At the table they we're eating at outside, "Hey now that we've signed up for minmus 12, Do you think they'll pick us?" Said Bill Jebediah replied "Why wouldn't they pick us, We we're in the kerpollo 11 and basically maneuvered the ship back into the atmosphere safely when the engines started to overheat to dangerous levels!" Bob replied "Jeb's right, It wouldn't make sense if they didn't. Not a lot of kerbals can do that." Bill replied "Yeah you guys make a good point." After their late-lunch, "Well it's about seven thirty, We should go get some rest. We have a long day of testing ahead of us." Jebediah said. Bill Replied "Yeah, When they say we should show up?" Bob replied "7:00 AM or 5:00 AM To avoid lines of aspiring kerbalnaughts, Man you got short term memory loss?" Bill replied "Heh, I may look old but i still fly the ship way better than you ever could, My friend." Bob replied "Heh, Ain't you a sight for sore eyes." The 3 then went to their houses and went to sleep. 5:00 AM KPT Bill hears a knock at his door, He opens it. There was jebediah and bob. "Man we said we should get up at 4 to get ready, You ain't even packed your spacesuit." Jebediah said. Bill replied "Oh yeah i forgot to set my alarm, I can go get everything that i need done fast" Bob whispers to jebediah as bill goes to prepare "I swear he has memory loss" Jebediah replied "Hah, Not like you've never forgot to set your alarm sometime! Need i remind you kerpollo 11 20 minutes late to the launch because you forgot to set your alarm!" Bob replied "Hah. I guess your right man." Jebediah replies "Lets come in, It's freezing out here." Bill yells "Start the car, I'm ready! Bob and jebediah walk over to the car and start it, Bill comes running out. Then as bill enters the car "Come on let's get going! Freezing out there." bill said. Arrival at the training center "Looks empty" Bob said, Bill replied "Oh, Ain't you a sight for sore eyes." Bob replied "Oh yeah, Your the one who forgot to set your alarm." Bill replied "Heh, Let's go before anymore kerbals arrive so we don't got to wait in the huge line. Besides, It's freezing still." Bob replied "Yeah, How much kerbals suppose to show up?" Jebediah replied as they all exit their car "About 100 if noone calls in sick, Or if some of them reschedule to the next testing date" As they walk up and open the doors of the testing facility "Let me see your testing ticket" The guard said Jebediah replied "Here you go." The Guard replied "Head in, They should be ready for you." Jebediah replied "Thanks." The guard hands jebediah the testing ticket back. Inside the testing facility "Hello Bill, Bob and Jebediah. I've been told you 3 are very good pilots and astronauts, And you we're in the kerpollo 11. You managed to return home safely without help when the engines started overheating at dangerous levels, Around here your historic legends to KSC, You have proven to be great pilots. I'm glad that you signed up." Attendant Manager said. Jebediah replies "Hello, We are here for the test for the mission minmus 12." Attendant Manager Replied "Yes, right this way. We were expecting you, We didn't think you'd come later." Jebediah replied "Yeah, I wouldn't want to be caught up in a huge line of kerbals-- Especially for testing for a mission in space." Attendant Manager Replied "Me neither." They all started walking down the hall of the lobby at the training facility. They approach the end of the hall and then approach a 2 Door Entrance door at the end of the hallway. They open the door to another room As they walk in, "Okay, From here these guards will take you where you need to go." Attendant Manager Said Jebediah Replied "Okay." "Right this way." The guards said. "Seems a bit far-fetched, Wouldn't you say?" Bob said Jebediah Replied "Well we are going to test for a mission to a planet in space, Not like they're going to tell everyone. We may not be NASA But we're KSC. We're a space association, We have classifieds to." Bob replied "Yeah." "Okay, Go straight down that hall door to the right is where they're testing." The guard said. They head down the hall and approach the door on the right. As they open the door "Welcome, That kerbal in the Orange KSC Suit is the testing manager. You'll want to speak to him and let him know You've arrived." Said Training Manager Assistant Jebediah replied "Okay, Thanks." They then approach the kerbal. "Oh! You've arrived. First off for your test You'll take a written test Then from there you'll each be tested in a simulation of the landing. Said Testing Manager Jebediah Replied "Okay, Where will we go to take the written test?" Testing Manager Replied "Go straight down to the left. Take a seat and complete the written test. Come to me when your Done." Inside the written testing room The 3 started their tests. "Wonder why they have a written test as well as a simulation test?" Bill said. Jebediah replied "That i'm not really understanding either. I guess they just want to make sure we really know what we're doing. Besides if anything goes wrong and they can't help they don't want the kerbal dieing because he can't fly the ship." Bill replied "Yeah, Now that you say that it does make a little more sense now." They finished their tests. It took them about 20 or so minutes KPT. They returned to the testing manager "Here's our tests." Jebediah said handing the tests to the testing manager Testing manager replied "Thank You." He then reads the answers "Great job, You've gotten 100% Right!" Testing Manager said Jebediah Replied "Yes, We are experienced pilots." Testing manager replied "Yes you we're in the kerpollo 11, Right?" Jeb replied "Yes." Testing manager replied "Okay, The simulation will start with you landed on the surface of minmus. The other 2 kerbalnaughts with you are bob and bill. You will be able to talk with them by using the microphone provided. Instructions and objectives will appear at the top of your screen, Good luck." Inside the simulation "Hello Jeb, Bob? Can you hear me?" Bill said Jebediah and bob replied "Yes, we can loud and clear." Objective appeared at the top of the screen it sayed "TAKE SURFACE SAMPLE 0/3 TAKEN" "Three?" Bill asked Jebediah replied "All three of us need to take one." They take surface samples A new objective says "Plant a flag" Jebediah plant's a flag. The simulation then ends... They exit the simulation, Greeted by the testing manager. "You have passed. We will test the others, If you get a call from KSC It means you got the mission, If it doesn't then you didn't. "How long will it take?" Jeb said Testing manager replied "Shouldn't take more than one day, If not later sometime today." Jeb replied "Okay, Thanks." Testing Manager replied "Your welcome and Good luck." That ends Chapter 1: The Test Hope you guys have been enjoying the story, It's been a super fun process so far! It's not over yet too. If you guys are reading this, I'd like it if you posted a comment and tell me if you've been liking it too, And what you think i can do to improve the story! There's about 3 parts until the launch. (Not positive may make it longer or shorter) Just a friendly head's up if you were wondering. Or not wanting to finish the story, Just read on and be patient. Trust me you'll wanna know the other parts during the launch so just be patient and keep reading trust me you'll love it! Chapter 2: The News They arrived in the car at their homes. The time was about 1:00PM. We continue our story here... They all 3 exited the car, "So, Everyone sure they got all questions right on that test?" Bill asked jokingly Jeb replied "I'm pretty sure i saw you two sneaking a peek at my paper, Haha." Bill and Bob both Replied "No, What no!" Jeb replied "Pretty defensive for a no. Heh." Bob and bill both replied "Okay..You caught us, Haha." They all laughed. They all followed Jeb to his house. Inside Jeb's House Bill and bob sat down on the couch. Jeb threw 2 soda's at them and they caught them. They all sat down. "So...What ya' Wanna do now?" Bob replied "I really don't know." The phone rings Jeb picked up the call. After the call jeb hangs up, And tells everyone "We got the mission!" Bob and bill replied "Really! Are you serious!?" Jeb replies "Yes! Yes!" Bill and bob reply "Yes! this is so awesome!" "When is the launch scheduled?" bob and bill asked Jeb "In 1 month! We're getting sent a briefing video from the KSC Facility in Colorado in the mail!" bob replied "The videos being stored on some system like an kerpad?" Jeb replied "Yes!" The next morning Jebediah called bill with his kerpad "Hey, Bill. The briefing came. Turns out it was an email. Haha." Bill replied "Oh it was? Haha, Bob over there with you?" Jeb replied "No, I'll tell him next." Bill replied "Oh okay, I'll go ahead and call him for you." Jeb replied "Okay, After your ready go ahead and come over with bill, Breakfast is also here to Heh!" Bill replied "Okay, See you there." The call ended. Bill then got ready to go, When he was done he called Bob "Hey, Bob! The briefing turned out to be sent in an email, Jeb's got breakfast waiting, The briefings ready. I'm going to head over to Jeb's House now, So get ready and head over. Bob yawned as he woke up and replied to bill "K, I'll be over in a few." Then the call ended Bill arrived at Jeb's house. "Bill, Where's bob?" Bill replied "He's getting ready. I woke him up Haha." Jeb replied "Ahhh, Okay come on in haha." Bob knocked on jeb's door jeb then opened the door "Come on let me in, It's Freezing cold hahaha." Bob said Jeb replied as bob came in the house "Haha, You always say it's cold" Bob replied "Because in the mornings it's Always Cold! haha." They all ate breakfast, then sat on the couch to watch the briefing. "Hello, This is KSC Director of Operations and Lead Rocket Scientist, Wernher Von Kerman. It's came to my attention that you've been chosen to do the Minmus 14! I'm much glad that you are the kerbalnaughts for this mission. When i heard that you don't know how Relieved i was! But back on to the reason i sent this Video to you. You are going to go to minmus, You know that. You also understand there is a danger, We don't want to guarantee safety and have it be wrong. You courageously accepted this challenge. This briefing will be short, Everything you Already know. So if you succeed, You will go down in history and you will have helped kerbalkind greatly in their triumph of minmus. You will also be Number ONE Most selected for other missions. If you succeed all three of you will be promoted to Director of Kerbalnaught Operations And be given a medal and ribbon for this triumphant victory for the kerbalkind. That's all for this debriefing, WERNHER VON KERMAN signing off!

Prologue Part 2 A small meeting room looking over the VAB is bustling with activity as almost two dozen Kerbals take their seats. A well dressed Kerbal moves toward the podium as another in a lab coat follows. Gene: Welcome ladies and gentlemen. I know you all have questions as to why you are here. Today, all things will be answered. Cassi here will start. Cassi: we have brought all of you here for a mission of the utmost importance. We have been building a new ship over the past 2 years and it is nearing completion. It is time to begin your training as a crew. Who is all here? Nelcal, pilot, Avionics Sidely, engineer, Propulsion specialist Loddred, pilot, Landing Specialist Gerbo, scientist, Astrobiologist Hertrey, surgeon, General Surgery Shelgun, scientist, Planetologist Herrick, engineer, Life Support Specialist Patman, engineer, Lander Specialist Wherbert, surgeon, Microgravity Medicine Deske, engineer, Robotics Specialist Mitburry, scientist, Physicist Cassi: Thank you all, I am pleased to now introduce you to the KSS Orion. Cassi: It has 12,000 dV in its current configuration before the landers and probes are attached. It will be crewed by 12 with a pair of science labs and dedicated airlocks for EVA maneuvers. It is powered by a pair of Z Pinch Fusion engines graciously built by Leucome Industries. They are the latest in design for dependability and safety. You will each be trained in depth in your respective fields. Any questions? Sidely: 12,000 is a lot of dV to work with. Are we running multiple trips to an outer planet? Deske: And why multiple landers? What is the mission? Gene: You will be embarking on a multi year mission to all the planets. We are talking a Grand Tour as it has been coined at the Agency. Kerbal feet on every planet and moon in our solar system. Herrick: But why not just send multiple missions? “We are doing it not because it is easy, but because it is hard†In walks a Kerbal in a suit with a pair of darkly dressed Kerbals in shades flanking him. All in the room snap to attention as they recognize the President. Gene: Mr. President, I wasn’t expecting you so soon. John F. Kerman: I know Gene, but I wanted to meet the crew. Thank you everyone here for venturing out on this journey of a life time. You will bring back so much Science! for Kerbalkind and you will be written into every history book for generations to come. I look forward to seeing the progress made. Now Gene, continue where you were. Gene: Any other questions for Callie or me? No? Ok then you are all dismissed... Loddred: If i counted right, which i know i did, there are only 11 of us here. You said 12 crew? Cassi: Your Commander is sitting in the back of the room now. All eyes turned to see Jeb… **************** The VAB was bursting with activity as the briefing concluded. Jeb and Gene cut their way through the busy hallways as they headed toward the main production floor. Jeb: I need them here, it won’t work without them! Gene: It was hard enough getting you reinstated, I can’t do that! Jeb: But you saw how the crew reacted to me. I’m not of this era in space travel. They don’t trust me and I can’t be commander of a ship with a crew that questions me every step! Gene: I don’t have the power, I’m sorry… Jeb: So am I. You will have to find someone else to command the Orion, that’s final. Gene: There isn’t anyone else qualified enou… John F. Kerman: Hello Gene and Commander Jeb. Cassi was just giving me the most excellent tour. Jeb: Its just Jeb. Permission to be dismissed, Sir? John F. Kerman: Now hold on Jeb, what seems to be the issue? You know you can talk to me. Jeb: You are a very observant Kerbal, so I’m sure you noticed the tension in the briefing. I am not from the same era as that crew and there’s no trust for me in that room. I can’t command a ship like that, it just won’t work. John F. Kerman: Yes, I did notice it. Its the reason I wanted to speak with you actually. I have studied your career intently and I know you to be a very wise Kerbal. I would be curious in knowing what your solution would be. Jeb: Simple. I need someone I know and trust on that ship with me. Someone to help me carry out duties till the crew learns to trust me. I need my old team back, Bob and Bill. Gene: But that simple can’t be done Sir. It took all my efforts to have Jeb reinstated, I don’t have enough pull to get them back too. Not after the Minmus incident. Jeb: Incident? Sure…. John F. Kerman: What if I had a word with the Space Agency Administration? Gene: And even if they could reinstate them, I can’t bump anyone off the mission. They were specifically chosen and trained for this mission. John F. Kerman: Jeb, what are Bob and Bill’s specialties? Jeb: Bill is the best co-pilot I have ever flown with, he could fly anything. And Bob always knows whatever spacecraft he is on inside and out. I swear he breathes with the spacecraft and feels every creak and groan it makes. John F. Kerman: How many can bunk on the Orion? Gene: The mission is for 12 Sir. John F. Kerman: I know what the specs say but I’m talking realistically. Cassi: Its designed for 18 on short trips, 14 shouldn’t be an issue according to my calculations. Gene: But, but… John F. Kerman: Then its settled. Bob and Bill will be reinstated and added to the team. So what shall I call you Jeb? “Commander Jebediah,†he said with a grin.

Logic can be cold and unfeeling, but it allowed the earliest Philosophers to explore the nature of the world, and I (personally) believe that (up to a point) The most logic solution is the best. lets examine the situation from BERTYs point of view. He is confused at the reaction of jeb, because he is incapable of feeling empathy, apart from towards the purpose of his existence (the mission and its success), this is similar to jebs situation, both are incapable of feeling empathy towards one another let alone both of their causes. Therefore jeb is being just as naive and correct as BERTY, both of their views are correct, and both have their flaws, BERTYs is unethical to us, but it is completely allowed by his definition of ethics (the mission, as stated earlier) and jeb sees this as unethical, and it can be applied the other way around. You have stated the previous points in your post, except the you didn't deal with the different ethic view points. and yes, A world of completely logic beings would be a 'terrible' situation, apart from knowledge, they would logic calculate the quickest and easiest way to progress technology and we would be much further in civilization terms. Not creatively. It's like a IQ test, those who think most logicically excel, but those who's brain is wired different may excel at, say, social thought processes, I believe I am a good example of, I am under 16 (not revealing age) and I understand organic chemistry, speak 4 languages, understand quantum physics, general relativity and calculus, but I am about the mental age of 4 in social situations, and in communication. I never really talk to anyone and I am introverted. I am essentially the human embodiment of BERTY. I undestand where he is coming from and his reasons, but I can also take into account the complete (in our reference frame) un-ethical...ness of his actions. Thus by proof of contradiction, they are both wrong. Q DOT E DOT D

We don't talk about the "incident"... @PizzaCat: The Devbuild should work with Career Mode by default. The nodes used for the parts are stock nodes so KSP Interstellar compatibility isn't an issue. It only adds new nodes and does not change stock ones. Remember, if you add mod parts to your tech tree, you'll need to unlock them piecemeal before you can use them, if you've already unlocked the node they're under.

Next chapter is up. A Journey Around the World Jeb lifted the picture onto its hook and squinted as he tilted it from side to side, holding it carefully by the edges of its frame. Satisfied, he climbed down off the chair and stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Not bad, Jeb," said Geneney, “Bill's photo from the Kerbal 1 is still my favourite though." He stepped into Jeb's office. “Kerbin from thirty kilometres, Kerbin from orbit and the far side of the Mün. What's next - Minmus from orbit?" Jeb grinned. “Actually I thought a nice snap of you posing by the lander on Minmus would finish the set off nicely, Genie." Geneney rolled his eyes. “I admire your ambition, Jeb - but believe me - I know exactly how much we need to do before we can even think about it." he said, scrunching his voice into a passable imitation of Wernher's gruff tones. Jeb laughed. “With a voice like that you could be his long lost brother, Genie." 'Whose brother would that be?", said Wernher as he walked in and took a seat by Jeb's desk. “Oh nice - is that one of the high res images from the Muna 2, Jeb? A couple more of those on the wall and people might even start to believe that we're running a space program from here." He raised an eyebrow. “Although we do indeed have a lot to do before you can take that picture of Gene on Minmus." Jeb had the sense to keep a straight face as Geneney blushed. “Speaking of which, Genie," he said, “how's the new Mark 2 capsule coming along?" “Not much more than an engineering mockup at the moment, Jeb," said Joemy from the doorway. “Nothing you could stick on top of a booster but it's a good test bed for crew fit and function and the new environmental systems." “Are we still on for a three kerbal crew?" “Probably," said Joemy, “provided that we can fit all the electronic gear in too. The lower equipment bay is starting to look a bit crowded but Bill's working on that. Oh hey, Bill - we were just talking about the electronics for the Mark 2." Bill slumped into a chair. “Talk to me about that, once we've got the Mark 1 working properly," he said. “Any chance of a coffee, Jeb?" “Right behind you, Bill," said Jeb, “Still having problems with the radar then?" “Oh the radar is fine, Jeb," said Bill as he poured himself a coffee. He added a lump of sugar, paused for a moment and added two more. “Edsen found some lighter weight parts in that heap of old avionics gear that Ornie brought over. No it's the computer that's giving us all the problems." “A three sugar problem?"said Jeb, “We havn't had one of those for a while." Bill sighed as he took a sip of the thick, sweet brew. “No we haven't,“ he said, “although the radar came close. But getting the computer to talk to the radar and the SAS, making a robust enough interface board to survive the launch and making the whole mess small and light enough to cram into a Moho capsule is very definitely a three sugar problem." “We can give you more weight to work with," said Wernher, “The LV909 in the upper stage is more efficient than the 905, so we can handle a slightly heavier capsule for the same fuel load." Bill stared into his mug. “That's something anyway. Thanks, Wernher." Just then, Lucan stuck his head around the door. “Sorry I'm late," he said. “The last Whirligig run took longer than expected. What have I missed?" “Three sugars," said Jeb. Lucan grimaced. “Computer still causing problems, Bill?" he asked Bill looked up. “Edsen and Neling got the radar working at last," he said, “but we're having problems integrating the computer with the radar, SAS and rate indicators." Lucan sat down beside him. “What if we pull the computer?" he said, “Will the radar play nicely with the rest of the capsule systems?" Bill took another sip of coffee as he thought it over. “It should do," he said at last, “The computer takes data from the radar but isn't needed to control it. I should be able to rig up a reporter system so that Adelan can get rate, range and bearing data directly and hand off the calculations to Mission Control. It's a cumbersome way to fly though." “Actually," said Lucan, “I don't think it'll be that bad. A couple of guys in the flight dynamics team have been figuring out some backup options. Visual navigation techniques, manoeuvre charts for flying manual rendezvous, that kind of thing. Theoretically we could just about do the whole thing by hand if we had to." “Have you run these on the Whirligig?" said Jeb. “We've had a couple of goes with the charts," said Lucan. “but the Whirligig isn't a good enough sim for the visual navigation procedures." Geneney looked thoughtful. "It'll need some work," he said, “but using the backup options for a non-critical rendezvous would be a valuable test anyway and it would give Bill's team more time." “Assuming that Adelan is willing, that sounds like a plan to me," said Jeb. “We'll need to have the computers working for Moho 5 and 6 though." Bill nodded. “We will," he said, “and we'll have them working by then, Jeb." “I know you will, Bill. Right, what's next?" Geneney pulled a notebook out of his pocket. “I had a rather interesting phone call the other day from a Mr Lodan," he said. “Apparently he's the director of the Kerbin Space Agency..." Jeb choked on his coffee. “The what!" “That's about what I thought," said Geneney, “Director Lodan was remarkably non-specific about the details of his space agency but he did wonder whether we would be interested in joining his tracking and communication network." Lucan looked across at him. “I'd say that we might be," he said, “What does it involve?" “As far as I could work out, free access to three tracking and communication stations," said Geneney. “The first one has just finished testing - that's down by the Koluclaw mountains. I'm not quite sure where the others are - Mr Lodan did mention place names but they didn't mean much to me." Lucan scratched his ear. “Another station out by the Koluclaws, would be useful," he said. "Between that and Sigbin and Doodie's station, it would improve our orbital coverage quite a bit. Are you sure you didn't recognise those other names, Gene?" “Afraid not," said Geneney, “but I think they were supposed to be placed equidistantly around Kerbin, or as near to equidistant as they could manage." Jeb sat up straight. “Now that would be helpful," he said. “Even better coverage for orbital spacecraft but more importantly - proper communications and tracking for Mün bound craft."He scowled. “There has to be a catch here somewhere." Geneney shrugged. “Mr Lodan did say that his facilities were for 'the further development and free use of any and all spaceflight efforts on Kerbin." “Sounds like a pompous bureaucrat to me," muttered Jeb, “This is a government organisation if I ever heard one." “Probably," said Geneney, “but any money we can save on comms facilities is money we can spend on new hardware. And frankly, I'll take whatever help we can get right now." “Help?" said Jeb, “Genie - we've got more money now than we've ever had thanks to you. The Moho 4 is going to be more of a flying billboard than a rocket ship. That new deal with Stratus was a masterpiece and I can't believe you talked Zaltonic into taking out that sponsorship deal and giving us free batteries for the rest of the Moho flights. We've even got some of the Probodyne money left! I know that we can always use more funds but is it that much of a problem right now?" “Yes," said Geneney, “it is. Look - the Moho booster can put a single crew capsule into orbit with enough consumables for maybe a day. With a bit of tweaking and a lot of weight shaving, it'll put a probe into orbit around the Mün or possibly Minmus if we pare the payload back to the bare essentials. For anything else - we're going to need a bigger rocket." “How big is big?" said Jeb. “Clustered LVT-20s in the main stage, plus more of the same or scaled up Trashcans for the strap on boosters. For the second stage we might get away with a 909 but we'll probably need to use another LVT for that as well." Jeb's face fell. “Seriously, Genie - seven, maybe eight T-20s?" “Yes," said Geneney, “Using engines and parts that we have right now, that's about the minimum we need to put a Mark 2 into orbit with a very basic service and propulsion module. The good news is that a slightly downsized version would also let us put a decent sized probe around the Mün, Minmus or possibly even Duna or Eve. Roncott and Camrie have also been doing some preliminary design work on a new probe chassis." Jeb sighed. “I can see where this is going. Fine, go ahead and see what Mr Lodan is offering." “If it makes you feel any better, Jeb," said Geneney, “I'm a bit suspicious about this myself. I can't believe that a new space agency would simply spring up out of nowhere and build a Kerbin wide space tracking network unless they were planning to do something with it." Lucan laughed. "Maybe you can pick up some business for us, Gene." Jeb finished his coffee and put his mug down. “OK then. Gene has a word with Mr Lodan and in the meantime, we go ahead with Moho 4 without the flight computer. Anything else?" He looked around his office but nobody else spoke up." “Thank you, everyone." -------------- Adelan jerked forward against her harness and narrowly managed to avoid bumping her head on the hatch wheel as the first stage engine shut down. A light blinked off on her control panel as the decoupler ring fired, pushing the spent stage away from the rest of the Moho 4. Seconds later she was pushed back into her seat again as the second stage engine lit with a reassuring rumble. She caught a brief glimpse of the midnight blue sky outside the hatch window before turning her attention back to her instrument panel. “Flight, Moho 4. Second stage ignition confirmed. Altitude and velocity are green." Lucan's voice echoed in her ear. “Copy that, Moho 4. Trajectory is nominal - you're flying straight through the window." Not the best choice of words after that staging. “Understood, Flight." Adelan kept a wary eye on the booster status displays as the Moho 4 continued it's long climb to orbit but the tank pressures and engine temperature stayed firmly within their expected limits. Apart from the steady vibration from the engine it was almost like a simulated launch in the Whirligig. Yeah and its about now that the Booth Crew like to throw something into the works. Keep on top of it Adelan. "Moho 4, Flight. Forty seconds to loss of signal. All systems are Go. Good luck." “Thank you, Flight. See you on the next orbit." The radio crackled and fell silent. Twenty seconds later the second stage engine shut down and the capsule shuddered as the final decoupler ring fired to push the empty second stage away. The reaction control system fired automatically, nudging the capsule further away from the lazily tumbling rocket. As the capsule pitched down into the correct orbital attitude, Adelan's breath caught in her throat as a blue glow filled the capsule interior and she took her first proper look outside. I don't think you're in the Whirligig any more, girl. The flight plan for the first orbit was simple. Monitor capsule systems, enjoy the view and wait to re-establish contact with Mission Control. Adelan spent most of it with her face pressed up against the hatch window watching her home roll past beneath her. From this height it was almost impossible to get any sense of depth. Continents and oceans appeared flat, spread out before her like a fantastically detailed map. Towns and cities were clearly visible as irregular sprawls of densely packed shapes that flowed across their patches of landscape like amoebae, creeping around hills and insinuating themselves into the gaps between rivers. Away from the cities, a mosaic of fields and farms marched across the land broken up by forests and moors and ending in a ragged fringe near the mountains. The regular dots of Kerm groves covered farmland and moors alike. Kerbol dipped below the horizon as the capsule sped out over the ocean. Streamers of crimson and cerise light washed through the clouds and all too soon, the capsule was plunged into darkness. Then, as Adelan's eyes adjusted, the stars came out around her. The softly glowing band of the Great River dominated her view but even from this perspective she could recognise some of the constellations; the Octopus, the Minor Fishes and the Little Snake, the Cookpot, the Plough and the Ship. Around and far beyond the familiar patterns from her childhood, uncounted shoals of new stars littered the sky. They all look very different today, she murmured to herself as the capsule raced onwards. The lights on the instrument panel dimmed as the first faint rays of light from Kerbol filtered through the clouds below. The radio crackled and buzzed and then she heard Sigbin's familiar voice. “Moho 4, Wakira Station. Come in, Moho 4." “Wakira Station, Moho 4. Peaceful morning, Sigbin." “Peaceful morning to you too, Adelan. We're tracking you in a one six two by one eighty eight orbit. Barkton will confirm timing for the first burn but in the meantime we've got some thrusters to warm up." “I have the checklist, Wakira. Standing by." Adelan set to work, setting switch positions and watching for warning lights as she brought the reaction control system online. “My board is green, Wakira. Please confirm." “Our board is green, Moho 4." “Horizon scanners are good. Starting IGU check." The navball attitude and direction indicator on Adelan's control panel shifted slightly as the guidance system updated the gyro positions in the inertial guidance unit, aligning them with the capsule axes. “Platform is good, Wakira, Re-orienting to local horizon." “Go ahead, Moho 4." Adelan took hold of the hand controller and nudged it gently to one side. There was a quick rattle of solenoids as the reaction control rockets fired, slewing the capsule slowly round. She watched the navball intently as it drifted round and then fired a second burst from to bring the capsule to a halt. Deftly she twisted the handgrip a fraction, triggering a second set of control thrusters. The capsule spun about it's axis. Flame puffed out of the thrusters again and it stopped. “Wakira, Moho 4. Oriented to horizon, roll and yaw control is good." “Copy that, Moho 4. Standby for handover to Barkton Control." “Thank you, Wakira. Have a good day down there - looks like it's going to be a scorcher." “Tell us about it. Wakira Station out." The capsule was silent for a moment and then Lucan's voice crackled over her headset. “Moho 4, Flight. How's it looking up there, Adelan?" “Beautiful view from here, Flight. Capsule systems are good, platform is aligned, RCS checks out in roll and yaw." “Understood, Moho 4. Everything looks good from here too. We'll confirm RCS in pitch and then we're Go for catch up. According to the flight dynamics team we can proceed as planned with an orbit raising burn at MET one-four-two minutes followed by circularisation at MET one-nine-one dot thirty minutes." “Copy that, Flight. Apoapsis to two one zero kilometres and then circularise at the start of orbit three. Do you have the burn times? “Affirmative, Moho 4. Stand by." --------------------- Four tongues of fire lit up the darkness over Kerbin, although nobody on the surface would have been able to see them. The matt black flanks of the capsule remained hidden in the dark, although yellowy white light sparkled off thruster housings and antennas. Inside the capsule, Adelan settled gently into her seat. Then the thrusters flicked off and she bobbed back up against her harness. An observer on the ground would have been extremely hard pressed to spot the Moho 4 as it crossed the terminator on its way up to the highest point in its orbit. Even with quite a powerful telescope, the small, dark, swiftly moving capsule would have been next to impossible to find. Fortunately, the KIS tracking station did not rely on optical tracking and the kerbals sitting at their consoles in Mission Control knew exactly when the craft was supposed to pass overhead. Even so Edsen was relieved to see his screen light up with data at the expected time. “Flight - we have reaquisition," he reported. He pushed his headset back and scratched his sweaty scalp. In the background he could hear one side of the ground to air dialogue as Lucan ran through a systems check with Adelan. According to the altitude reading on his console, the Moho 4 was near to apoapsis. Right on cue, it's velocity suddenly increased and then settled at precisely the pre-calculated value in the flight plan. "That's a good burn, Flight." “Copy that, Edsen. Let's see if we can find that satellite." Lucan turned back to his console. “Moho 4, Flight. We're Go for radar acquisition. Estimated distance to the Kerbin 1 is no more than three hundred kilometres." Aboard the Moho 4, Adelan reached out and flicked a toggle switch. In the capsule nose, Bill's rendezvous radar came to life, sweeping the space in front of the spacecraft with its electronic gaze. The reflection from the metal sphere was weak but it was enough. Adelan smiled broadly as she thumbed the microphone switch. “Flight, Moho 4. I have a lock. Range one-five-eight kilometres, bearing three dot six radial in, two dot two normal. The satisfaction in Lucan's voice was unmistakeable. “Good work. Edsen is working the next burn. Stand by. Several orbits later, the satisfaction had given way to frustration. “This just isn't working, Flight! Maybe an onboard computer or more comms uptime would do it but trying to run the manoeuvre when I'm out of touch for most of each orbit is just impossible. It doesn't matter how close I get, the damn thing just slides past at a different angle every time!" Adelan paused. “Sorry, Flight." “Judging from the language that I've been getting from the press loop, I think we can trust Leland not to write that down. We gave him a good interview with Edsen's team too. Okay, take a break and get set up for Objective Two on the next pass." “Copy that, Flight. Speak to you in an hour or so." Adelan's headset crackled and then fell silent as the Moho 4 flew over Barkton's radio horizon. She stretched as best she could in the cramped confines of the capsule and then reached for the squeeze bottle clipped to the wall. The water was tepid but still wonderfully refreshing after nearly five hours of flying. She set the bottle floating by the window, pulled a foil package out of it's clip on the wall and ripped it open. Looks like one of Ornie's compressed ration bars. Oh well, better than nothing. As she bit into the bar, her eyes lit up at the wholly unexpected taste of sweet dried sunfruit pieces and chocolate chips. I take it all back. Ornie - I think I love you!. Washing down the end of the fruit bar with a last mouthful of water, Adelan clipped the bottle back to the wall and stowed the empty foil package. Then she reached under the control panel and retrieved a coil of crinkled silvery tubing fitted with a blue adapter plug and locking collar on each end. She fitted one plug into a socket on her spacesuit, twisted it and heard it click into place. Then she twisted the locking collar in the opposite direction and felt it click into place too. Suit locked, suit lock locked. Adelan uncoiled the umbilical and plugged the other end into its socket in the arm of her seat. The tubing was stiff and drifted awkwardly around her in the zero gravity environment of the capsule. She pushed it to one side as best she could and twisted the second collar into place. Supply locked, supply lock locked She forced her hands into her stiff spacesuit gloves and secured them at the cuffs. Finally she put her helmet back on, snapping it into place on the neck ring of her suit. The suit gloves were too restrictive to let her cross her fingers, so she tapped the edge of the control panel for luck and toggled the cabin air supply switch to EVA. As cool air began to flow over her face, she switched her headset from CAB to SUIT and waited. ----------- “Wakira Station, Moho 4. Come in, Wakira." There was no reply. Adelan checked the switch positions on the communications panel and tried again. “Wakira Station, Moho 4. Come in, Wakira." She heard a faint buzz from her headset and then Sigbin's muffled voice in her ear. “Moho 4, Wakira. You're very faint, Moho 4." Adelan twisted the volume dial up to full. “I've boosted volume to maximum, Wakira. How do you read?" “Not great but enough to do the job." “Understood, Wakira. Environmental systems are Go for EVA. Requesting capsule systems check." "Copy that. Your board is green and you are Go for depress." Adelan reached out, flipped open a protective cage on her control panel and jabbed the button underneath with one padded forefinger. Immediately air began to vent from the capsule and her suit began to swell as the cabin pressure dropped. As the pressure fell below ten percent of normal, she closed the vents and re-caged the button. “Wakira, Moho 4. I'm opening the hatch." The wheel was stiff and cumbersome to operate with gloved hands but Adelan eventually managed to turn it far enough to withdraw the locking bolts and push the hatch open. She released her seat harness, took a firm hold of the hatch frame and then slowly and carefully stood up on her seat and pulled her head and body hrough the doorway into open space. There was absolute silence over the air to ground loop. Sigbin shared a worried look with Doodlie and keyed her microphone again. “Moho 4, Wakira. Do you read me?" “Loud and clear ,Wakira! You can't see me but I'm waving at you guys!" Doodlie slapped his forehead and pressed a switch on his console. “Don't bet on that, Moho 4. How about another wave for the camera?" A small television screen lit up and Doodlie's jaw dropped open. Sigbin glanced up too and promptly sat back in her chair with a thump. The curved surface of the Moho 4 filled the bottom of the screen. For the first time ever, the capsule hatch was open in flight and a space suited figure was leaning out of it and waving at them. Behind the capsule, the bright backdrop of Kerbin lit up the entire scene. The image was good enough that Sigbin could just make out clouds and the edge of the Wakira coastline. “Oh wow..." she said softly. “Moho 4, is that view as good as it looks?" “Probably even better, Wakira!" came the exuberant reply. “The view from the capsule window is spectacular enough but this... this is something else! I tell you, Sigbin - every kerbonaut that we send up needs to see this." “I don't suppose Jeb has any spaces left in the roster has he?" said Doodlie wistfully. “Not for Moho flights," said Adelan, “but we'll need plenty of new pilots for the new three kerbal capsule. We all build them - we all fly them guys." At that moment, both Doodlie and Sigbin decided that they would be taking a trip to Barkton in the not too distant future. “It's a tempting thought, Adelan. Wish we could watch you out there all day but you're about out of range. One minute to loss of signal and transfer to Barkton Control." “Understood, Wakira." Adelan waited as the radio crackled into static and back again. “Moho 4, Barkton. Come in, Moho 4." “Do I have to, Flight?" There was a pause and then a chuckle. “Not yet, Moho 4. We've got you right on camera and you've got a lot of people down here cheering at you. From the expression on Jeb's face, I think you're giving him an idea or two as well!" “The boss is watching this too, Flight?" “We're all watching this Moho 4. Everyone here at the junkyard and I don't know how many others around the world. You're headline news, Adelan!" “Too bad I can't do much more than wave at the camera, Flight." “That's good enough for us. We'll get to more complex EVAs in time but right now - you're making us proud here, Moho 4." Adelan was suddenly very thankful that her face was obscured by a reflective visor. “Uhh, thanks Flight. I just wish that everyone who helped put me up here could see this too. Flying the capsule is already pretty special but EVA... it's just me, Kerbin and the whole wide universe, Flight." For a moment, there was silence from Mission Control. “Copy that, Moho 4. I hate to bring us back to the flight plan but how's the suit holding up?" “I'm as snug as a kerblet in its pouch, Flight. Thermal control is excellent, mobility is good, environmental systems are nominal. Feels great to be able to stretch my arms without worrying about knocking into anything important." “That I can imagine, Moho 4. The Kerbal 2 was a bit cramped too but I only had to spend twenty minutes squashed between Gene and the capsule wall." Lucan paused. “OK, Moho 4, I've got a roomful of people here confirming your suit status report. How do you feel about staying outside for the extended thermal systems evaluation?" Adelan smiled behind her visor. “I'd be happy to, Flight," she said. The Moho 4 soared around the night side of Kerbin. Adelan tucked her gloved hands under the hatch wheel and watched the lights unroll beneath her. Her suit radio had long since fallen silent, leaving her to contemplate the view in peace. Enjoy it while it lasts girl she told herself You're probably the only kerbal who'll ever get to do this without having Mission Control in their ear the whole time. She glanced down and checked the suit readings on her chest. This is crazy. I'm a hundred miles into space, flying in the shadow of Kerbin and it feels like I'm tucked up in bed. Wonder if Mission Control could rig up a hammock next to the hatch? Something to lie back on and watch the stars go by. The stars faded away as Kerbol crept over the horizon, bathing Adelan and the Moho 4 in sunlight once again. Adelan sighed and prepared to climb back inside the capsule. Then she grinned. Might as well stay out here a little longer and finish the orbit first. Sigbin had to work hard to keep her voice sounding properly matter of fact. “Moho 4, Wakira. We're seeing a problem with your hatch bolts. Please confirm locking status." The voice from space still sounded a little faint. “Wakira, Moho 4. Locking status is nominal. Recommend you check external camera systems." Sigbin raised her eyebrows at Doodlie, who shrugged and flicked the camera back on. “What the...! You're still out there, Moho 4?" “Uh, it's in the flight plan, Wakira. Extended thermal systems evaluation on the suit." “Well yes, yes it is. But running the extended evaluation first time out!" Adelan's voice was soothing. “Relax, Wakira. Suit status was confirmed by Barkton before the EVA extension. Besides - I had enough light from inside the hatch and enough air in my helmet to get back inside if need be. I was just taking a nice easy journey around the world." ----------------- Astronomers all over Kerbin spotted an unusually bright shooting star passing overhead that night. The more astute ones noted its almost perfectly equatorial heading and realised what they were watching. Some of them even waved as it blazed overhead, silently wishing the pilot a safe landing. Minutes later, a dark speck sailed through the sky and out over the Great Tranquil Sea. An orange ribbon snapped out behind it, pulled taut and broke away as two orange discs burst into view. The Moho 4 was coming home. ------------------ I'd like to dedicate this one to Colonel David Randolph Scott; Apollo 15, Apollo 9 and Gemini 8, a great astronaut who never did get to take his walk around the world. << Chapter 24: Chapter 26>>

Talk about power. I'm about 300 miles from cape canaveral, and if it's clear out during a launch I can clime on my roof to see a shiny red dot fly into space. I've also made it out to cape canaveral a few times and yeah real loud.

Hmm.. That talk about the CIWS, I wonder if it might be really overpowered or underpowered. Does it just point at the COM and shoot or does it lead the target? And how much damage does the spray of bullets do, plus you made a video of it a long time ago testing lazor missiles against the CIWS, and the CIWS almost instantly destroy them. Just wondering!