Search the Community

Today, IPEV Tailwind took to the pad to rendezvous in low orbit with her sister Excursion, just returned from the Mün with news of disaster. Tailwind brought many design improvements to the IPEV hull design, including greater RCS fuel capacity, and carrying the recently-upgraded Kea Civik rover. A Mosquito dropship arrived on orbit soon after, and met with Excursion to egress the crew after shutdown procedures were completed (Excursion had suffered some damage during her voyage, and Kontrol ordered her parked for a follow-up assessment). Johnoly, the Mosquito pilot, ferried Jeb and Bill back to Tailwind one by one, where they would take up their duty quarters in the flank pods in preparation for the upcoming münar rescue mission. "Those lucky jerks," Jeb commented almost bitterly on the first run back, "I can't believe one of them almost got taken out by a one-in-a-million debris strike!" Johnoly frowned and looked upward as if to will his disapproving glance through the hull at Jeb in the topside seat. "You call that lucky? He could have been killed." "If it had been me down there, it would have been a sure bet. In fact I could have FINALLY collected on the pool back home if it had been me!" "You'd have been dead, Jeb." "Pff... Mere detail. I'm working on fixing that one, too." Johnoly was still shaking his head in disbelief as he came back to pick up Bill. "Your kab's here," he called, "Time to get your krap and get the heck out!" "Yeah yeah," came the dismissive response. "Just finishing up." The distinct sound of chewing followed intermittently over the comms, and Bill appeared minutes later at the airlock. "Bring any snacks for me?" Johnoly asked jokingly. Bill responded by waving a Kit Kat bar across the canopy as he proceeded to the topseat. The final trip back to Tailwind was uneventful while the pair reflected on the critical task ahead: the rescue and safe return of Jenlas and Hanry, currently stranded on the Mün. On final approach, it never occurred to Johnoly to ask Bill to hop off and head for his quarters before docking; Tailwind's new docking guidance system made the process almost completely effortless. After the docking clamps had thudded firmly in place, Johnoly signaled all-clear and began switching the Mosquito's systems over to the support umbilicals. "Thanks for the smooth ride, see you on the flip-side," Bill called as he disconnected his harness. "With any luck the rest of this mission will go just as smoo-"*WHAM* Bill's comm was abruptly cut off by a massive thud, followed by alarms all across the Mosquito's status boards. The lighting in Tailwind's Mosquito bay instantly flipped to an angry red, and Johnoly knew something "Very Bad" had just taken place. "Bill?" he called, hoping beyond hope his crewmate was okay. Panicked breathing answered. "I don't know what happened! I just took off my harness and BAM, I was crashing through the hull!" Johnoly craned around to peer through the canopy, looking for signs of damage. In the distance, he caught a pair of light reflections, one of which looked disturbingly like a broken solar panel. A fine mist of atomized fuel began to spread in the bay, prompting Bill to switch to the ship's primary comm channel to warn the bridge. He needn't have bothered. "Mosquito bay, bridge!" came mission commander Shepdo's urgent voice, "What's going on back there? We've got proximity and collision alarms going off all over the place!" "It's Bill," Johnoly called back, already reversing his ship's standby status, "he dismounted and something shoved him through the hull!" After a moment's pause came worriedly "So, all these debris pings are... Bill?" "No, Bill's okay, but he just went through the aft hull of the Mosquito bay! Apparently he quite literally cannonballed through it!" "Well whatever it was just dealt us a death blow. We just lost most our maneuvering capability, and two of the main engines aren't responding. Kontrol is ordering us to ditch!" "But we're in a parking orbit!" Johnoly objected. "We can just scrub and wait for the repair shu-" "They're demanding de-orbit in thirty minutes; this boat's maiden flight will be her last. You are to capture the rover, retrieve the crew and make landing at soonest opportunity, understand? Prepare for emergency separation." Johnoly's blood ran cold. They'd practiced this maneuver many times, but only in simulators. Shepdo had to repeat the order twice more before the Mosquito pilot realized he'd only been nodding while he numbly ran through the emergency startup checklist. Some detached part of him listened as Shepdo contacted Bill and made sure he was okay, then worked with second officer Dongard to initiate emergency ejection of Tailwind's payload. "Black Shoal protocol is active," Shepdo uttered the dreaded words with a strained voice. "Initiate in...3...2...1..." Johnoly gripped onto the handles on his canopy as the Mosquito lurched violently upward out of the bay and into open space. Directly ahead, he watched the automated rover rise with him and immediately stabilize, prompting him to follow suit. "Mosquito clear," he called, "rover is clear and stable. Standing off 300 meters." He guided his ship away to the predetermined docking rally point, and watched his displays to be sure the rover was following as well. Shepdo came back on the comm. "Copy clear. Bill you get yourself back to the Mosquito and settle in once he's got the rover tucked in. We'll be joining you in ten minutes.... mark." With that, Tailwind's comm channel fell silent for the last time. Johnoly looked back just in time to see her "boo" lights flicker and die, a tell-tale of just how badly her power systems had been damaged. "So much for those damned things scaring off the Kraken," he thought to himself sadly. Bill was making his way back to the Mosquito as ordered, offering a debris tally as he went. "So far I've got eyes on at least six components in the local area, many more moving away at high velocity. Tailwind's legacy is going to be a constellation of junk." "You sure you didn't bump your MMU controls when you dismounted?" Johnoly asked calmly, still trying to wrap his head around how quickly things had gone so wrong. "Right," Bill returned hotly, "because these things routinely do 20 g's, is that it? Let's ask Jeb what kind of chicanery he's been pulling with them, why don't we?!" "Hey," came Jeb's voice, obvious from the tone that he was already back in his suit, "I had nothing to do with this! Plus, they won't give me the green light on it anyway." Bill was stunned. "You mean you're already working on th-" "HEY!" Johnoly cut across the retort. "Act now, talk later. Get your butts on-board ASAP, I've got the rover locked. "On my way," Bill sighed. As Bill finally got back in-range, he spotted a suit already on the Mosquito's topseat. He could just make out Jeb's face behind the faceplate as he turned to grin at him. "Dibs on the top bunk!" Jeb sang happily. "Masochist," Bill muttered too low for the comm to pick up, and moved to take one of the rover's seats. A few minutes later, Dongard arrived and strapped himself in next to Bill in the last open seat. Bill asked the question that had been bothering him since the commander had first called Black Shoal. "Where's commander Shepdo going to ride?" Dongard quietly avoided Bill's gaze and became interested in watching a far-flung bit of Tailwind as it drifted by instead. "Bill," Johnoly said on the private channel, "Dongard was supposed to assume command. Skip's been with the IPEV project since day-one, so he was making the launch of Tailwind his final mission before retirement. He was going to catch a shuttle back to Exterra station before we left." "We can't just leave him-" "Tailwind's dying, Bill. Kontrol has ordered us to scuttle her before she blows apart in orbit and creates a hazard to the space program. Somebody's got to fly her in." "So? He can set the autopilot to fire and bail before it does! I've done that before! YOU'VE done it!" Bill struggled to keep the anguish out of his voice. "Not with something as big as she is," Johnoly answered matter-of-factly, "somebody has to stay aboard and make sure she goes in over water or wilderness instead of drifting over populated areas. Black Shoal means 'ship down, crew lost'. You know this." "But...!" "Let it go. It's already done." Before Bill could make another plea, Johnoly pulled the flight stick and brought the Mosquito about in preparation for emergency landing. The survivors contemplated their fate in silence from there. Landing site chosen and marked, Johnoly keyed up the command channel. "Mission Kontrol, this is Rescue One. Transmitting intended landing coordinates now. Be advised commander Shepdo has departed with Tailwind on final run. Repeat: Shepdo is with Tailwind on final run." "Rescue One, Kontrol. Fortune favors the brave, and Shepdo will be remembered as one of Kerbin's most fortunate children. We'll be monitoring your beacon, see you on the... of... ckou..." The signal was lost to a storm of static as the dropship entered the blackout zone with its precious cargo. The descent was violent and terrifying, much worse than any among the survivors had ever experienced during practice drops. Must be from the passengers on the rover, a distant corner of Johnoly's mind mused. The violent orange glow of ionized air was whipping by his canopy; he could only guess at what the rest of his crew were experiencing of it. His eyes flickered to the rover status panel, where he could verify his passengers below were still okay. Terrified and white-knuckled on the braces for sure, but still okay nonetheless. He didn't need to bother with doing the same for the topseat. Jeb was issuing his own audible lifesigns. "WOOOHOOO!" he bellowed over the comms, "Why the heck didn't I save the marshmallows?! I could've had S'MORES!!" "Can have my Kit Kats when we land," Bill groaned, "I'm gonna be too sick to eat anything for days." "Gimme a break, gimme a break!" Jeb sang the commercial tune, seemingly oblivious to the danger they were all in. Minutes later, the dropship's velocity began to fall dramatically, helped along by Johnoly's expert guidance. Slowly and carefully he leveled the craft, gradually bleeding off lateral speed and curving into a vertical descent, the Mosquito's engines rumbling confidently. Johnoly heard Dongard issue a quiet sigh of relief, certain the worst was behind them. On the monitors, Bill's heartbeat slowed and his breathing relaxed, though he'd otherwise fallen silent. Jeb was busy being Jeb, to everyone else's annoyance. "Hey guys! I can see my house from here!" The ground approached. Johnoly bled off speed. Jeb spotted a lark in the grass, and Johnoly bled off speed. Dongard leaned over and aimed a hand-held ground radar gun to calibrate altitude readings, and Johnoly bled off speed. At 30 meters, the Mosquito was drifting lazily down like a dried leaf. They were going to make it! Suddenly, the Mosquito's engines coughed and sputtered. The fuel tanks were dry! "Hold on!" Johnoly called as he cut the throttle as much as he dared, but the engines only gasped and cut out again. The Mosquito dropped sharply, and the rover rammed into the ground. Through his frantic attempts to recover, Johnoly heard one of the laser struts overload and explode, and the suspension underneath groan in protest. Through the chaos, Dongard issued a short yell and fell silent. The engines sputtered and the Mosquito began to lift again. Johnoly slammed the rover deploy button, cutting the rover loose from the ship. The Mosquito lurched and angled backward sharply, taking the rover out of view just as it appeared to be toppling. The engines sputtered one last time, seemingly bent on the ship's destruction, pushing the Mosquito further backward until it was now pointing back toward the sky. Finally the tanks ran dry, and the engines died out completely. The sudden silence was immediately broken by Jeb's angry voice. "Who the hell was drunk enough to give you a pilot's license dude?!" Less than a second later, the ship toppled over and slammed into the ground, upside-down. Johnoly was slammed violently into his seat amidst the deafening thunder of Armageddon. Blackness enveloped all. Johnoly awoke to a throbbing pain in his head, and silence. Though his vision was blurred, he struggled and finally found the canopy manual release. Climbing and coughing, he made his painful way out of the cockpit. When he stood, what greeted him stunned him cold. Very little remained of his ship but his cockpit module and the broken, battered remnants of the aft fuel and power core. The mid-section, the section to which the topseat had been mounted, was gone. An angry scorched patch of ground marked where it must have landed. Jebediah Kerman was no more. Beside himself with anguish and pain, Johnoly looked around for any signs of life. Nothing moved. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but the wreckage wasn't even smoking anymore. It could have been days. A gentle wind moaned across the plains. In the distance, Johnoly spotted the rover. Though it was definitely toppled, it was, for the most part, intact! His heart soared. He'd been in countless simulated wrecks with that rover! After all, it was designed to protect the drivers if it ever went over! Running toward the rover as fast as his suit would allow, Johnoly called out breathlessly to Bill and Dongard. When no response came, he told himself that his suit comms must have been damaged in the crash. As he drew near to the rover, he knew he'd been very wrong. In the field a short distance from the rover was a single command chair, twisted and bent. There was no body to be found. Still holding on to hope, he scrambled to the rover. By the angle at which it was laying, he knew what he'd find before he even came around destroyed wheel: the remaining rover seat, similarly deformed. Most of the rover's safety supports had been crushed, so violent had the landing been. Despondent and alone, Johnoly made his way back to what remained of his ship to try to bring the comm systems back to life. His grief was only mildly dampened by the fact that the radio was still intact and working. It crackled to life, screaming with static. A sharp, annoyed stab at one of the controls re-tuned the unit back to the command frequency. "-ue One this is Mission Kontrol, do you read!" Johnoly half-heartedly pressed the transmit button. "Mission Kontrol, Rescue One," he intoned. Taking a careful breath, he spoke the words he'd hoped to never hear once, let alone twice in one day. "Black Shoal."

Hey guys. Anyone of you have an idea to get a small rover (using the default body) to say like, Duna, that uses KAS? I'm looking for one that can be strapped to a small rocket + skycrane with parachutes. This is what I made, but I think it'll be a tad too heavy. It has a fixed arm with a vertical winch + magnet, for RP purposes, can scan the planet surface. From what I've read in this thread so far, KAS is best used for space stations. But I haven't really seen anyone talk about getting one to another planet, to serve something like this. Either it being a tow rover to tow damaged rovers back to a base on another planet, or what I want to use it for.

And the new water system? why don't you talk about that? Boat and submarine parts in 0.21 are going to be the Bomb! I heard they added 50 new underwater easter eggs on Kerbin. We have officially highjacked this thread.

Amazing, cant wait to start scanning! The rate that Kethane has been developed recently is simple astounding to me. Thank you again for such amazing work and dedication Majiir P.S. still think you should talk Squad into changing your forum name to Majiir Rockefeller

Cool! A space vacuum. I like the Box design. I've been using this with great success: My Squid Deorbiter Claw. Pretty neat to see two different takes on the same problem. I am so messy... we won't talk about how many pieces of Junk I can see in the Tracking Center.

there was talk about this on the first page, i brought it up and someone else did too about mercury and galium. thats the only way they could stay liquid at such high tempertures due to eve's high pressure.

its the blutonium. its always the blutonium. we dont talk about the blutonium

Dude. Renewable Energy provided 22% of Germanys electrical and 11% of its total energy needs in 2012. And you talk about solar sails. à ² _à ² There's a reason we pay 0.25€/kwh and it's not high voltage lines which are hand braided by blonde maids during full moons. Oh and geothermal is pretty much dead in europe - it caused prety big earth quakes (5.x on Richter scale) below Basel and a village near me pretty much falls apart after test drills.

Two's Company “Anyway, I'm done for the night. Speak soon, Ademone." “Speak soon, Jerdo." Ademone put the phone down and swung back and forth in her chair trying to summon up the enthusiasm to start on the pile of paperwork stacked up neatly in front of her. The temptation to take advantage of the clear night sky and spend an hour or two adding to the Mün map decorating her study wall wasn't helping this endeavour. For that matter she thought, going out to the sandpit and trying out some of the new colour powders would be a useful way to spend the evening and she could even justify that as work. She sighed and flicked the radio on. May as well find something decent to listen to if she had to spend the evening working. She turned the dial back and forth looking for a good station. Snatches of music clattered out from the speaker, interspersed with what sounded like news bulletins. Ademone reluctantly picked up the first piece of paper from the pile and was skimming it half heartedly when a sudden loud beep from the radio made her jump. She scowled. Some ham's idea of a joke no doubt. Strange though - the dial was quite a way outside the normal frequency range for the local enthusiasts. It wadn't a very good transmission either, although there did appear to be a voice talking somewhere behind the static. Suddenly intrigued, she worked the fine tuning dial, trying to get a better signal. “Bob, Geneney, Richlin... kerbals... Barkton!" That brought her up short. Barkton was quite a way away. Not many amateur transmissions from there and whoever was sending this one definitely sounded amateur. The radio beeped again. “This is a message from the Kerbin Interplanetary Society. Broadcasting from orbit, around the world, around the clock! We are Jebediah, Bill, Bob, Geneney, Wernher, Lucan, Ornie, Richlin and too many other kerbals to mention from the great town of Barkton!" Ademone burst out laughing. Definitely amateurs but with a sense of humour. Kerbin Interplanetary Society indeed! Chuckling, she turned the dial back to the nearest music station and picked up her pen. It had been a good three months for the Speciality Fireworks Company and Ademone worked her way steadily through the stack of invoices. After deciphering one particularly illegible one, she decided it was time to take a break. She stared out of the window as the coffee pot burbled away. It really was a good night for Mün gazing - surely ten minutes couldn't hurt? Then she grinned, remembering the message from Barkton. Maybe she could just ask Bill, Bob and the rest of them for a map instead. On a sudden impulse she reached out and switched the radio back to the Barkton frequency. The radio hissed softly as Ademone drank her coffee. Then, much to her surprise, a burst of static echoed out of the grille, followed by an indistinct mumbling. Another burst of static almost drowned out another loud beep and then the recorded message played again getting clearer and clearer as it went on. Ademone looked up at the clock on her wall. Just over an hour. She tore off a fresh piece of paper from her desk pad and wrote out some calculations, frowning as she underlined the final figure. The time between broadcasts was certainly consistent but an orbiting transmitter? Somebody just had to be playing an elaborate joke, although it was an unusual frequency to choose. Then an idea struck her. Assume this thing really was in orbit. How long for it to travel another 500-600 kilometres further east? She scribbled away on the pad. Hmm, too late this time round but maybe not the next! She picked up the phone. Jerdo sounded sleepy and rather put out. “What is it, Ademone - it's getting late." “I know, Jerdo but this could be interesting. Can you stay awake for another hour or so?" “I might be able to but why?" “It's probably nothing but I picked up this odd little broadcast tonight and I was wondering if you could check it out for me. Doesn't sound like the usual crowd either." Jerdo's voice was guarded. “I guess so - what frequency?" Ademone read off the frequency. “You probably won't get much but static for another hour but if you could tune in in about 55 minutes that would be perfect. Oh - and call me back as well. I want to listen to this too." As the minutes dragged by, the pile of paperwork slowly decreased, although each invoice signed was almost invariably followed by Ademone staring out the window, fidgeting with her pen or pacing up and down the office. Finally the 55 minutes were up and she eagerly switched the radio back on and telephoned Jerdo. “Have you got the radio on?" “Sure but I'm not getting anything but static," Jerdo yawned. “What am I waiting for anyway?" “Oh you'll know it when you hear it, Jerdo - you'll know it when you hear it. You are at the right frequency aren't you?" Jerdo dutifully checked the dial and read off the frequency with another stifled yawn. Suddenly, there was a familiar beep. Ademone waited tensely. And then at last, she heard another voice down the telephone line. It was faint but perfectly synchronised with the one spilling out from her own radio. Ademone sank back into her chair as Jerdo's suddenly excited voice filled her ear. Dear Kerm, she said quietly to herself, Dear Kerm... ------------- “Genie! Genie!" Jeb poked his head around the door of Geneney's office. “Hey have you seen Genie anywhere?" He paused, “Hey wait a minute - have we met?" Then Jeb looked around the room. “Hang on - this is Geneney's office right?" Roncott looked up from the drafting board. “He's just out getting another filing cabinet. Should be back in a moment. Hey Camrie - how long did Geneney say he'd be?" Camrie slowly put down her wrench. “Roncott - you might want to try using those eyes of yours for a change. Being a little more polite to the boss wouldn't hurt either." Roncott jumped to his feet flushing dark green in embarrassment. “Oh my. Oh goodness I'm sorry sir!" Jeb waved dismissively, “Just call me Jeb. But seriously, who are you guys?" Much to Roncott's relief, there was a squeaking of rubber wheels as Geneney came into the room pushing a filing cabinet on a trolley. “Oh hi, Jeb - you've met Camrie and Roncott then?" "In a manner of speaking," replied Jeb. “I met Roncott anyway. Good to meet you too, Camrie!" He raised his eyebrows. "Filing cabinets, Genie?" Geneney nodded cheerfully. “Yep. Got to have somewhere to store all the plans! We're about halfway through cataloging your stock for useful parts - got some other volunteers still working on that." He looked sheepishly at Jeb. “You might have noticed that the petty cash has taken a beating lately - I figured that the gang deserved a drink or two at the end of a hard day sorting junk. Anyway, Camrie and Roncott are helping with Phase 2." Jeb made a mental note to top up the petty cash. “Phase 2?" he asked mildly. Geneney gestured proudly around the room. Two large drafting boards were placed by the windows. A set of well equipped workbenches were lined up against one wall. Camrie was sitting at one of them, stripping down a piece of machinery and carefully setting the various components out in order. Two large filing cabinets stood in the corner and a selection of diagrams were pinned up around the walls. “Phase 2. We're taking the useful parts from stock, working out where they fit and then measuring them and drawing up plans so we can make more of them! We're doing the same for parts that we've already prototyped - Camrie is working on the LV15 combustion chamber right now and I forget what Roncott is doing." “Parachute ejector rails," said Roncott happily, “Oh yes," said Geneney enthusiastically, “we'll need to test this, Jeb but I think we've got a much lighter design for the rails - and Roncott has figured out a way of using fewer parts too! I'm working on the electrical system for the Kerbal 2. Bill had a great idea for making the electrics more modular. Not quite sure how it's going to work yet but we're hoping that the modular system will be need less cabling and be easier to build and install!" Jeb beamed. “Not bad at all guys - it's almost starting to look like we know what we're doing!" He moved to one side as Wernher pushed past him. “Camrie - do you have the plans for the LV-9 propellant manifold?" Camrie pulled open a cabinet drawer and flicked through it. “Right here, Wernher. Just leave it on the table here once you're done." “Thanks, Camrie - Oh hi, Jeb - didn't see you there." Wernher dashed out of the door. Jeb shook his head. “Haven't seen Wernher looking that excited for a while." Geneney chuckled. "Me neither. I think he's quite enjoying working to proper plans for a change." Jeb smiled. “Finally having the money to buy in some materials is helping too I think. Our little museum is bringing in some cash now and we made quite a lot from ticket sales for the Kerbin 1 launch. I have to admit that all the free advertising is helping the junkyard business too. Oh - that reminds me, Genie. There's a couple of drums outside in the yard that you may want to take a look at. Don't go too near them with a naked flame though." Geneney's eyes lit up. 'Trashcan propellant?" he asked. “You got it. I tell you what though - I think we should look seriously at going to an all-liquid design. I had to call in a favour to get hold of those drums and even then they were pricey. Apparently they've got a big new customer and they just can't make the stuff fast enough at the moment." Geneney nodded. “Something to talk over with Ornie and Wernher," he said, “Wernher never really liked using solid boosters anyway so he won't mind. And now they've worked out a better turbopump for the LV-9, maybe they can squeeze a bit more power out of the LV-15 too." -------- It was early afternoon at the Spaceship Museum and Jeb was taking a turn at the Kerbal 1, cheerfully posing for photographs and signing hats. Lucan trotted up and tapped him on the shoulder. “Phone call for you Jeb," he said, “I told them you'd take it in your office." “Jeb Kerman here - who's speaking please?" “This is Thomplin Kerman at Stratus Ltd." “Pleased to meet you, Thomplin - what can I do for you?" “Well it's like this, Jeb. We're in the storage business. Gases and liquids mainly and I think we've got one or two products that you might be interested in." Jeb fished out a notepad from his desk drawer. “Go on, Thomplin - what kind of products did you have in mind?" “Well as I said, we're in the gas storage business. Pressurised gas mainly - although we are starting to look at cold storage solutions too. Anyway, we've come up with a design for a compact spherical tank. Very light, very strong and holds about 20 kg of fuel... I mean gas." Jeb drew a circle around '20 kg' on his pad. “How about pressure regulation?" he asked, “and how big is this thing?" He listened intently as Thomplin rattled off details. “Hmm. I think we could certainly use that. I hate to ask but how much do you sell these for?" He winced. “Uh - I presume you offer discounts if we buy them in bulk? Oh that is with the discount... OK" Jeb sat back in his chair. “I'm sorry but we can't afford that," he said, disappointment leaking into his voice. “It's a real pity - I've got some ideas already about how we could use those tanks and I bet the team here will have even more. But we could get an awful lot of much needed material for that price." “Although... hmm. Maybe we could work something else out. What would Stratus say to a sponsorship deal?" Thomplin's voice was cautious. “What kind of sponsorship are we talking about Jeb?" Jeb thought rapidly. “We got a couple of thousand people watching our last launch and we've got some pretty big plans for the next few launches, so we expect that number to go up. No reason why we couldn't set some billboards up for you. Maybe even set aside some space where you can set up a display for your latest bits and pieces. There's a fair bit of room on the side of a rocket too - what would you say to painting a Stratus company logo on there?" “And in return for that, we supply you with the tanks at a reduced price?" “I'm thinking free, Thomplin. Lots of exposure for you - and we make sure that everyone knows that Stratus tanks are helping get us to orbit. That sort of endorsement has got to be worth a couple of free tanks I reckon." Thomplin sounded thoughtful. “We might be able to work on that, Jeb. Tell you what - how about if we come over next week with some samples? Your team get to have a look at them and we get to see the launch site and talk things over." “Looking forward to it. Would Münday afternoon at 2:00pm suit you?" “That would be perfect, Jeb. See you then." ----------- That evening, Jeb called a meeting. The Kerbin Interplanetary Society was growing rapidly and the original eight names had now grown to a respectable crowd of some twenty members, all sitting out in the back yard in time honoured fashion. Jeb got to his feet and waited patiently for the chatter to die down. “OK folks. I've called this meeting after a very interesting phone call today with one Thomplin Kerman from Stratus Ltd. Apparently they sell some hardware that we could use - and I think we can do business with them. The question is - do we actually need their stuff?" Malmy raised his hand. “Depends what they're selling, Jeb," he said, “although I'm guessing it's not complete junk if you bothered to give this Thomplin the time of day." “Oh it's far from junk, Malmy, said Jeb, "if I'm understanding things right, it could be a nice compact propellant tank. Spherical, pressure controlled, holds 20 kg of whatever gas we put in there. Supposed to be lightweight too but I don't know how light." “It won't be cheap though," said Ornie, “Me and Richlin know Stratus pretty well. They do nice tanks but they charge a nice price too." Jeb coughed. “I think we can work around that," he said. “I'm kinda hoping that some billboard space at Kerbin's first Space Centre, plus maybe their name on the side of a couple of rockets, will persuade them to part with a few little propellant tanks. But, as I said, the question is - what would we do with them?" Camrie got to her feet. “Could we use one to power a small rocket? Something we could put on the back of a satellite and actually fly it around a bit once it gets to orbit?" Roncott jumped up excitedly, “Yeah - we could fly it to the Mün!" Lucan laughed. “Don't think we could get it to the Mün, Roncott. It would be great for moving a heavier satellite around in orbit though. Sounds perfect for the kind of rocket control system that me and Geneney were talking about too." There was a clamour of voices. “Rocket control system? What are you talking about?" Lucan raised his arms for silence. “Well we're not going to need it any time soon - the Kerbal 2 won't be going that high. But one day we will be going a lot higher and we were just figuring out how we'd set about steering a capsule at that height. We thought a set of small rockets around the capsule would do the trick but we couldn't quite work out how the fuel supply would work. A small pressurised tank sounds like just the thing, especially if it really does hold 20 kg of gas." “Yep - 20 kg of gas would let us do quite a bit of maneuvering," said Geneney. He snapped his fingers. “Actually - forget the rockets. A lightweight gas tank would be just the thing for taking some extra air along for longer flights!" Jeb listened happily as the ideas flew back and forth. Then he heard Bob's voice over the noise. “Jeb - do they make a bigger tank than 20 kg?" “I expect so, Bob - I'll certainly ask them when they drop by next week. They'll be bringing a couple of tanks along too, so everyone can get a look at them, maybe try them out. Why do you ask?" Bob looked thoughtful. “It was what you said about pressure control that got me thinking," he said, “I was wondering if we could fill one with something non flammable and then stick it in the top of a fuel tank. Use the pressure of the escaping gas to push the fuel out of the other end of the tank. It probably wouldn't work so well for a big engine but something smaller like the LV-9s, we might be able to do away with the turbopump altogether." Wernher walked over to Bob and shook him by the hand. “That might just be the best idea that you've come up with yet," he said. “No reason at all why that wouldn't work and it should make the LV-9 series into a really simple and versatile engine for all kinds of things!" He looked Roncott in the eye. “Nothing big you understand. Just little routine things like landing on the Mün." << Chapter 4 :: Chapter 6>>

I thought the last ~3-5 years - "4-core cpu" it's every cpu(with the exception of some mobile options). Why it must do something special with ksp? It's can to be unexpected if it was "just got 10ghz CPU" or "50-core CPU"(first one, if existed, will be more interesting for ksp) It's not work this way. "64-bits" don't make it "allow using raw CPU strength" and don't need to "allow using raw CPU strength" in general(not allowing just some improvements in some cases). You need "multitreadeding" and "parallelization", not "recoding everything in 64 bits", if we talk about CPUs and cores. I'm not pretend to be specialist but this "64" is too common disorder in this place, everyone always insert it with or without reason. It's become ksp analog of "more boosters" in terms of perfomance. "My cursor is slow moving" - "need to make you mouse 64-bit"

I think 'connect the probe to the miner' was meant to just power the miner, rather than move over the panels. I've yet to use KAS but you may potentially be able to dismount panels and move them with a crane or something, and mount on the miner, but I wouldn't know how, just that I've seen people talk about moving stuff about. If you're not beyond persistance file editing I'd suggest that route.

I thought we're not supposed to talk about conspiracies.

Chapter 1 - To the Mun (Again) MC: The Hab module is approaching the station. Are you ready Jeb? Jeb: Yup. Trajectory is clean. Burn detritus has missed the station completely. It's coming in to dock. MC: Good. Soon we will have the cargo for the mission docked, and you will be able to double-check everything. Jeb: Yes, because that seems to be all I am good for these days. Jeb: It's docking. MC: Well, only since you broke the solar array off that other station. Jeb: I said I was sorry! What more do you want? MC: Well, for starters, could you start tracking the autonomous fuel station being sent up? Jeb: Tracking... Hey- there is another object coming into rendezvous range. What is that? MC: That is the Autonomous lander vehicle. It carries two long-range riders, for munar exploration. Jeb:... Um, it doesn't look like it's coming into dock. MC: It's not. The vehicle is the wrong shape for the station. Docking port would fit, but autopilot will have none of it. Jeb: So where's it going? MC: To the autonomous fuel station. Jeb: I have a visual. Jeb: It's docked to the remote station. MC: Nice to have an active living eye-in-the-sky. Jeb: Eh. I get lots of spare time. I finally got a Moon mission to land and return in HSP. MC: HSP? Jeb: Human Space Program. You guys should try it sometime. MC: Sure.... Hey- we have checks on the ground crew- The Orion with passengers is heading up to you. Jeb: Finally! Please tell me you sent up drinks other than Tang with the resupply ship.... MC: We thought you liked it. Jeb: I like this stuff, but not for every meal. MC: Orion is on the pad. Bill: Hey Jeb! We are on the way up in 10. Jeb: I see you. These cameras are brilliant. Bill: Well, we are heading up. ZerooAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! MC: Bill? Bill!?!!?!? Jeb: MC, just give him a sec. Bill is not used to being in a pilot's seat. Bill: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Jeb: Bill, you separated nice and clean. Burn and trajectory looks good. Bill: THE SPEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bob: Sorry, Bill's acceleration seat malfunctioned. Jeb: Well then.... Someone mute him, please. Bob: Done. *Faint screaming in the background* Bob: Bill, what are you- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jeb: Bob- what's going on! Bob: Bill! Leggo of that! Sorry Jeb, Bill got a hold on my headset. MC: We don't think Bill should be piloting that anymore. Bob: Agreed. Decouping Liquid ascent stage and burn for intercept. Jeb: Separation looks clean. Bob: See you soon. Dammit Bill! Bill: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *BANG* Bill:...... MC: What happened? Bill stopped screaming? Bob: I unbuckled him at a 2 G burn. He forgot to land on his feet. Jeb: Well, your burn should be done in a few seconds, so make sure you secure him when the burn stops. Bob: Alright, we will see you in a couple hours. ... A couple hours later ... Jeb: I can see you coming in- Docking hatch 2 is clear. Bob: On approach. Jeb: Re-fueling is complete, and I am ready at the dock. Bill: MMMPPHHH! Jeb: ??? Bob: He was acting a little crazy. Jeb: Well, then, let's take him with us. I want to see the mun again! Bill9000: Jeb, the launch window won't be open for a couple hours. Jeb: Thanks B9K. Bob: Well, lets take a nap before we reach the window. *** 1 Nap later *** B9K: Activating alarm. *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Jeb: WHO? WHAT? WHY? WHEN? Bill: What happened? Bob: gbhrgl. B9K: Since Bob is not awake to tell you, you suffered a high-G stress attack on the ascent in the Orion Vehicle. Bill: Oh bugger. Does that mean I will be shifted home? Jeb: No, you will probably get my job. Kirk: Hey guys- Why did you leave us in the module? Bob: Bhrg..... Jeb: Oh, sorry! I thought there was only two people here. Kirk: That's fine. There are three of us- Myself, Lenwise, and Shepney. B9K: Launch window in 20 minutes. Disconnecting from the Lander Module. B9K: I advise you all get into the Orion. Launch window in 19 minutes 30 seconds. Jeb: Nice to meet you all, but we will have plenty of time to get acquainted with each other on route to the mun. Everyone Sound off and enter the Orion. Kirk: Kirk Kerman, Communications and Logistics. Lenwise: Lenwise Kerman, Comms and Data. Shepney: Shepney Kerman- Backup Pilot and Chef. Bob: Bob Kerman, Geologist, Biologist, and Chef. Bill: Bill Kerman. AI Template/Psychoanalyst, Pilot, and Inventor. Jeb: Jebidiah Kerman. Badass, Stunt Pilot, and Mission Commander. B9K: Bill9thousand, Or B9K. AI, and electronic presence. Jeb: You are not coming on this mission, tinman. Two weeks of you is more than enough. B9k: I am not going, but my duplicate in the Landing Vehcle and the Orion are both coming. Jeb: *Starts Twitching* GRRRRRRR....... Bob: It will be fine. C'mon- we don't want to miss the launch window. B9K: 18 minutes 58 seconds. Jeb: Lets Just go. *a couple minutes later* Jeb: Alright, Disconnected. Rendezvous is 500 meters out with propulsion and hab stages. B9K: Should I prep a rendevous Burn? Jeb: No need. Lets coast on RCS. Kirk: Guys- this is so cool! *THUNK* Jeb: Mission Control- we have docked. Burn in 15 minutes. MC: Jeb, this is MC. We hear you loud and clear. Prep engines and get ready for the burn. Jeb: I hear you loud and clear. Kirk: Who's going down tho drive this boat? Jeb: I will. Bill, Bob, and You, Kirk, will meet me there. Lenwise, you and Shepney, you will stay in orbit, and keep us in communication with mission control. MC: Your burn is soon guys. Jeb: Right- everyone move! * A few minutes later * Jeb: Beginning burn. Kirk: Metastable link looks clear. Lenwise: Soundproofing and vibration-dampers are keeping the metalink clean. Jeb: ... I have no idea what you two are talking about. Lenwise: We will tell you later. Jeb: Burn complete. Mission Control, we are on our way. Jeb: OK- Lenwise, Shepney, how is the connection to the cargo lander? Shepney: Looks clean commander. We are ready for automatic piloting. B9k: Jeb, Permission to activate my duplicate on the cargo lander? Jeb: No. B9K: But- Jeb: No. No AI lander. Set Autopilot to headings for intercept, and fire engines on ideal burn-time. Shepney: Done. Burning in 5. Jeb: Can we get a visual? Kirk: Done. Jeb: Seems like the engine is operating at a trickle. Kirk: Telemetry stream shows the burn worked- It is at the proper speed. Jeb: That's good. MC: Jeb? Jeb- Respond. Jeb: We are here MC. What's up? MC: Check your insertion vector- you need a correction burn before the munar intercept. Jeb:.... Hey guys- come look at this.... Bill: What's up, commander. Jeb: Don't call me that. Doesn't this burn projection look like a pulse-long burn? Kirk: What is that? Jeb: A short high-thrust burn, and then a long trickle burn... If we adjust it so that the pulse is here- *Gestures* Bob: I see. It should get us saved fuel with a trickle then the pulse, then a smaller trickle to circularize. Jeb: Right- everyone, buckle in. We need some rest before the next burn. Shepney: Jeb- That last metatransmission from MC contained a burn trajectory for the cargo lander. Should I set the autopilot? Jeb: Sure. Just make. It. Quick. *Sounds of beeping and tapping, as well as the clicking of seatbelts Jeb: So now, as the burn throttles a little, Kirk- can you tell me what this metalink is? Kirk: The metalink is a small module that can communicate with MC instantaneously, without needing line-of-sight. Jeb: How? Kirk: The metalinks have sacks of quantum-entangled material, and measure the changes in movement within the segments. Here- you can see it. Jeb:.... Bill:... Bob: That looks like.... Kirk: Yes, I know it looks like a set of lungs. Bill: Where's the third lung? Kirk: There isn't one. Jeb: So these.... Sacks... Contain material that moves? Kirk: Right, but only under specific circumstances. Acceleration will not effect it up to 15 G's, and the material will not be effected by pressure. It is only effected by heat, and it moves in fractal patterns otherwise, due to some properties of Bosek-Keinstein Kondensates. Jeb: What? Kirk: The most recently discovered state of matter. Think- you know about solids, liquids, and gasses, right? Jeb: Sure. Then there is plasma. Kirk: True. However, these are just descriptions of energy levels, and how matter changes between the different macro-energy levels on the atomic scale, and how that changes their properties. Jeb: Alright, keep going. Kirk: Solid objects form strong kelectro-magnetik attractions, and form into a solid under a specific temperature. Liquids lose their magnetik properties (to some degree) and allow the atoms to move freely. Bill: Gaseous matter is even less magnetik, but plasma is MORE magnetik. Kirk: Right. Scientists think that the frameshift engine and super-ion engines that were reverse-engineered from the data that the SWARM sent back utilize these properties to create spatially disrupting acceleration reactions, with the super-ion engines creating a small 'pinch' by using superheated plasma to generate a magnetik field that bends space, making matter out moving over 100,000,000 m/s faster than the input stream, while the frameshift rings seem to use properties of plasma and the Bosek-Keinstein kondensate to push/pull space around the craft, generating an expansion/contraction bubble around the motor... They are still working on it. Jeb: Ok, that sounds cool. But what does this Bosek-Keinstein kondensate actually do? What properties does it have? Kirk: The kondensate is a slurry of basic materials- smaller than atoms. It can only exist in a supercooled state- the parts smaller than protons, neutrons, and elektrons can become a singular material at that temperature, and can resonate at the quantum level. Jeb: How does that work? Kirk: Quantum. Jeb: Quantum? Kirk: Yes, Quantum. Just leave it at that. Quantum-effect theory and perception-effect theory are a bit beyond a small discussion. Jeb: Alright. We are coming up on the heavy part of the burn anyway. Pulse burn in 3. 2. 1... Bill: Telemitry looks good- we are coming up on the sun-side. Jeb: Micro-burn in 3. 2. 1... Burn complete. B9K: Looks nice. Jeb: Gentelmen, Welcome to the Mun. Bill: The cargo vehicle is finishing the burn directly behind us. Jeb: Let's Get an image. Jeb: Nice work team. MC: Come in Jeb. Jeb: Jeb here. Kirk: Why doesn't MC talk to the rest of us? Bob: Shut up Kirk. We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, remember? MC: Kirk, we will talk to you when we need to. Bob- you are on station duty when we shift you back. Bob: Damn. MC: Jeb- we have telescopes trained on the lander. Before you guys go to sleep, we need to make sure the lander is dropped near the location of the alien craft. Jeb: On it. Shepney! Lenwise! Get the lander on the ground. Bob! Prepare a nice meal. Lenwise: On it commander. Shepney: Remote control ready. Bob: I am working on the soufle' now. Jeb: Alright people- we are doing this by the numbers. *Bang* Jeb: What happened? Bob: The blender and microgravity don't mix well. Jeb: Alright. Lets try this again. By the numbers: Decouple. Lenwise: Done. Jeb: Correction burn for location- set. Shepney: Burning in 3. 2. 1. Shepney: Burn complete. Jeb: We should have a visual on the landing site. Lenwise: Image coming in now. Jeb: Good work. Shepney:... What's that smell? Jeb: BOB! What's happened now? Bob: The meatloaf- it's not meatloaf. Jeb: What.... Nevermind- I don't want to know. Shepney- prep for landing burn. Shepney: Prepped. Burn in 10 seconds. Bob: The meatloaf- Bill! Kirk! Come back here and help get this psychotic meal off me!!! Bill: Just don't eat it! Shepney: Burn in 3. 2. 1. Shepney: Burn complete. Microburns engaging. Jeb: Telemetry indicates..... We have landed. Nice work guys. Lenwise: Ramp deployed. Jeb: Nice work guys. Bob: Soup's on! Jeb: Well then, everyone go get some food, then some rest. Bob: Oh, and for entertainment, we are going to vacuum the damn meatloaf .... Thing... Into munar orbit. *Sounds of scratching at the airlock door Jeb: Is this a good idea? Bob: No reason why not. Bill: PULL THE LEVER BOB! *Fridge Door opens, and knocks out Bill with a sound that is a mix of *Thunk* and *Whack* Jeb: I think that was the wrong lever. How about this one? *FWOOSH (Or whatever sound air leaving an airlock makes) Jeb: Wow! Look at it go! Kirk: Telemetry shows that that gave us a little thrust- we will be dropping 2 meters lower at periapsis. Jeb: That we can account for. MC: Well done crew. We will resume contact after the sleep cycle is over. Jeb: We will sleep after the soup is finished. So... Munfall soon? Kirk: Everything is green across the board. So... Yeah. Jeb: *Slurping soup* Kirk: Munfall is soon.... DAMN THIS SOUP IS GOOD! Sorry it took so long to write this up, but I have had my siblings and parents visiting, so I have had alot of free time eaten up. Next update in a few days- we will have munfall. Thanks to everyone who replied with mining landers... Oh wait Thanks for reading! The request: anyone have any cool ideas for companies and slogans? If you want to submit an idea, include a company name, a slogan, and a motive (What the company is going into space to do, be it mining, tourism, construction/manufacturing, or other) Go nuts with this- the more, the merrier, and the more of a plot I can construct. "It's not flying- It's falling: With style."

The difference between constructive criticism and non constructive would be like what you said at first. Now maybe you are right about infrared radar, who knows, from what I looked up on google, there are plenty of people who believe otherwise. However, the part that made your criticism non constructive is this specific comment "Why would I be interested in watching you talk about things you don't understand?" That part isn't criticism, it's just a douche bag statement. Constructive criticism would simply be "There is no such a thing as an infer-red radar." with no rude comments after. "I'm just so sick and tired of the word "constructive criticism", cuz people simply use it against criticisms they don't like." I am guessing you hear it to much, probably because your criticism is borderline rude and uncalled for. Again, that last comment was unnecessary. It would have been just as effective to correct him with out putting in why you wouldn't want to watch him. Anyway, " In contrast to constructive criticism, non-constructive criticism does not offer any advice on how to improve the negative aspects of the work that is subject to criticism." In other words, you pointed out something wrong, and then you insulted them. So ya, you fail at constructive criticism. It doesn't matter how much you are right, but if you don't help to fix anything and you only say something rude, it's not very constructive as it does nothing to help. But as I said, I will take your word for it about the infrared radar. But next time, you probably should leave out any remarks that are non constructive to actually helping someone out. If I didn't help, maybe you should use this as a guide from now on http://www.wikihow.com/Know-the-Difference-Between-Constructive-and-Non-Constructive-Criticism

During my eve mission today, it got me wondering what the oceans might be made of, I was thinking methane or something of the sort, but according to deadly reeantry its around 150c on the surface which is far to hot for methane to exist as a liquid. It could be some sort of metal. Given eves pressure compared to kerbin though, it could be a lot of things

I enjoyed the game when I played it a year ago but the expansion hasnt addressed anything that I was wanting added/changed - it doesnt add animated aliens to talk to during diplomacy, nor animated assaults and invasions, nor more events or adding much better use of heroes. All it seems to have added is fighters and bombers, yet another race (meh) and some more tinkering to the game (again). Big chance to completely enhance the game in all its lacking areas has been completely screwed up AFAIAC. Big shame, I have played the original game for 75 hours from beta through release, and am STILL looking for a reason to get back into it again. But this aint it.

Wait until they have a dental procedure involving anesthetic. Talk to them while they're still high off the anesthetic. What the best way of becoming comfortably numb to the point where people only come through in waves.

Destroyer message me and we can talk alright?

Gah. I listened for maybe thirty seconds before I had to shut it off. Lots of talk, very little action. Those guys sound like they're both trying too hard, and like to hear themselves talk. I've seen more content on a ticket stub.

Not sure if you're asking for evidence, seeking further explanation or suggesting a method so I made an album. It includes measurements of the Hecto envelope. Also all this talk of real airships meant I had to make one of these: It still fits on the runway but it dwarfs everything else. Rest of the album

Introduction: So you thought you’d have to assemble a spaceship capable of taking Kerbals to Jool and land them on Tylo in order to be cool? Sure, that is cool and the same goes for other common achievements such as circumnavigating Kerbin or building a Kerbal ISS, but I'll tell you about something else that's cool: flying a robotic aircraft to the airbase island - with ion engines! That's right! Even a seemingly trivial achievement can be super-cool. All it takes is that you waste enough time reaching your destination! Anyway, let's cut the small talk and get to business, shall we? Allow me to introduce you to the slowest aircraft ever flown, the Trollaris! Also known as the snail, the cash shredder, and the flying pitch drop. Takeoff: Beautiful, isn't she? On this picture, you can see her taking off after long wait for decent weather. That's much easier said than done, however, as the Trollaris suffers from a crippling inability to navigate any airspace windier than the average cave. Transit: After a successful takeoff, the Trollaris slowly climbs towards its final cruising altitude of 600 meters, where the slightly lower air resistance will allow it to travel at speeds up to 20 meters per second. Final approach: After a long, boring journey, the Trollaris has finally reached its destination and is now descending towards the runway. However, as dull as the flight was for mission control to watch, it was by no means uneventful. In fact, the flight almost had to be ended when it was discovered that the control tower was cheaply built and had to be replaced. Landing: At last, the Trollaris has landed safe and sound on the runway of Runway Island! Money well spent. Lives well sacrificed. The plane was perfectly lined up during the final approach, but I lost a ton of style points when I forgot to turn off the engine, causing the plane to skip over half of the runway before stopping instead of rolling smoothly along it. Thus, I got no cool landing pictures, but it was a very cool flight indeed!

Many people believe that lunar landing never occurred, how to convince them that people were on the moon When i talk with my friend about Apollo program, he told me that he watched movie about Stanley Kubrick, filmed all landings in film studio. I heard that earlier but i do not believe in this.

Hey guys...I thought this looked like a lot of fun & bought a copy. Still looks like fun but I'm miserable with it, I literally can't figure a thing out in it...and yes I've read through wiki's and hints till my eyes glaze over...it just doesn't make ANY sense to me, can't load a ship that flies, can't take off, nothing...really disappointed. Everything I've read about how to get started just seems to assume I know stuff about the game that's a complete mystery to me... Is there some Moron's guide to this that will talk me through? I'd love to fly :-(

So how big is the memory footprint of this? For all the talk of it being a resource hog, taking it out didn't make that big of a difference.

Looking a few pages back I noticed some talk about an ODST style system for dropping Kerbals to planets. I instantly went into KSP to try my hand at something like this. The final product was this - Ragnarok Storm. A large vessel with 4 resupplyable drop pods, 2 escape pods (capacity 6 total), docking nodes and armor plating. (I wish I could make this interplanetary-capable, but it's going to require more fiddling around. If anyone has suggestions.. ) The RS also has four hitchhiker storage containers for those bigger missions, or for docking purposes. The drop pods are fairly simple, as seen here. Just a clamp-o-tron jr., some KW rocketry fuel/rcs tanks, a decoupler and a command module with parachutes. The two 3 seater escape pods are very simple, just a low profile engine strapped to a fuel tank underneath a command module. The ship is highly photogenic as it skirts past Kerbin. Someday, this may go past the Mun. The ship also features an ejection system for the main command module (the B9 cockpit). One of the drop pods can be seen detaching from the docking node on the top of the ship and preparing for departure. The antennas everywhere are part of a complex defense network. The fairings and docking port detach and the pod is ready! There is plenty of fuel to do a legitimate landing on Kerbin, so I figure a civilian version with interplanetary capability can't be far off. The pod speeds away as Ragnarok Storm disappears into the distance. With the right orbits, you could theoretically hit any part of Kerbin or other celestial bodies with this system. The re-entry protocol begins, letting the engine act as a minor heat shield before entering the atmosphere. The rest of the drop follows the HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) principal of deploying one's chute as low as possible. And that's what I have so far! It's a blast (no pun intended!) to mess around with this system. The civilian version (less armor and defense systems) has significantly less parts and the lag is much less. Ah yes - Mods: B9 (cockpit), KW Rocketry (the armor, fuel tanks) and mechjeb - really, that's it. A second version does have lazor system supported cruise missiles, however.