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The first systematic approach at solar system expansion using KSP as a simulator. projekt inspiRE will release soon™; featuring soundbites from Isaac Arthur, nuclear expansion and tension, and advanced propulsion concepts/technologies. Featuring Artemis III (2022 version) and other NASA concepts; from the return to the moon to the settling of post-humans on Proxima Centauri b. Beginning in the summer of 2020, this project was conceptualized, and since then, has gone through 5 major revisions. Throughout those revisions, realism has been added and the goals of the project have been refined: this project features full RSS/RO (Real Solar System and Realism Overhaul). Not only are future propulsion concepts realized, but also future power sources and the ways to manage their heat are explored in depth. Thanks to publicly available NASA presentations and the Atomic Rockets website by Winchell Chung, nearly two years of research was compiled into the project. Obviously, presenting all this research only scratches the surface of what I’ve covered, so I encourage you to explore the websites below. Atomic Rockets - http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/ NASA Artemis - https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram As of November 28, 2022, the project is still in development as I wait for an update to the EVE volumetrics and as finals comes crunching down. I plan on using this thread to talk a little about the research I've been doing in the past year and why I am doing this project instead of being 100% sane (lol). The amount of work I have put into this project shows when some of the scenes blur the lines between reality and simulation; the storyboard Word doc has over 8,000 words and I'm not finished. I'm using this thread to both 1.) make myself accountable and finish the thing already, and 2.) showcase what I have already made to the community without spoiling the project. Trailer has already dropped:

lemon cup's Stellar Frontier Initiative presents... PROJECT STARPOWER - Combining Kerbin's many sectors of industrial might with years of trailblazing research and experimentation in the field of nuclear fusion propulsion. STARPOWER aims to do what has never been done in the history of Kerbalkind, and do so with the utmost ambition and intrepidity: Harness the latest in fusion drive technology to send a crew of 6 brave kerbonauts to the surface of Laythe, and back, in under 6 months. CONTENTS Introduction Part 1: Pre-Mission Part 2: Departure Part 3: Arrival Part 4: Landing Part 5: Return Part 6: Home Epilogue: The Future Introduction PREFACE This is a somewhat straightforward mission to Laythe with a few twists and heavy emphasis on realism, or rather, what could be reasonably assumed to occur and what obstacles (some huge) would have to be overcome. I couldn't make up my mind on how hard to go with this, so I figured I'd go all in! Expect detailed explanations, real-world science, tons of pictures, and the unwitting Kerbal perspectives on such matters. That being said I will do my best to keep fluff to a minimum, and content rolling in thick. MOD LIST Lots...I won't list them all! Rather I will list the ones that feature prominently here in plain sight. Those that reside beneath the surface, I will mention throughout if I think it to be relevant. In order of significance: JNSQ - the astounding community-favorite planet pack, where this all takes place. Far Future Technologies(beta) - provides all of the theoretical nuclear propulsion aspects that make this mission possible; Nertea just dropped the 1.0 release for download. Near Future Technologies (full suite) - I think of this as the de facto expansion pack to KSP as I know it, adds incredible depth and utility parts for advanced spaceflight and features heavily on this mission. OPT Spaceplane - used to craft the Mk.III-J "Shadowfax," the mission's interplanetary SSTO. Restock - revamped models for every stock part, meshes flawlessly with NFT and other mods. Kerbal Atomics - nuclear fission reactors and advanced NTR rockets CryoEngines/Tanks - adds hydrolox and methalox engines and tankage SSPXR - Stockalike Station Parts Expansion Redux adds the large hab modules you'll see here. Kerbal Konstructs - you will occasionally see some decorative infrastructure, thanks to this mod. Visual Mods include: EVE, Scatterer, TUFX, DistantObjectEnhancements, and Planetshine Some QOL mods: MechJeb, KerbalEngineerRedux, BetterTimeWarp, PersistentThrust, Kerbal Joint Reinforcement, Tweakscale, RCS Build Aid, EditorExtensionsRedux, and more... AND LASTLY, playing in KSP 1.10.1, let's get started. STELLAR FRONTIER INITIATIVE Excelling where previous space programs have failed, SFI was founded to put a stop to repetitive gameplay mission architecture centered in Low Kerbin Orbit. Instead of wasting excess time, resources, and funds at the behest of corrupt save files administration changes and economic lulls, SFI is the result of a joint venture between many Kerbal nations to go to the Mun, Duna, and beyond, and this time for good. Many strides have been made in the past 3 decades. We've researched much science, completed many contracts, and earned much reputation. Also we took some pretty pictures. Over the last 10 years, breakthroughs in rocket propulsion and particle physics has led to a boom in the exploration of parts unknown. I'm playing in JNSQ, where planets are 2.7x the size and even further away from each other. A minimum-energy Hohmann transfer to the Mun takes 4 days. To Duna takes almost 9 months, and beyond that, years. The reality is, Kerbals don't live such a long time, being the little frog men that they are, and that would be cut even shorter should they be exposed to the harsh radiation of interplanetary space for such long durations. Of keen interest to Kerbalkind is Laythe, the crown jewel of, erm... Jool. Before now, it has been held beyond our reach by vast gulfs of time and space, accessible only by our long range probes. But this, is the Fusion era! Behold the latest in experimental atmospheric probes designed to study Laythe and identify areas of interest for future exploration teams. Nicknamed the "Blindwolf," it is both a high-concentration test bed, and a valuable research platform. It is able to convert superheated air into reaction mass via a state of the art high-powered electromagnetic ramjet, and a compact spherical Deuterium-Deuterium powerplant generates the electricity necessary to do so. Top speed is limited only by the melting point of the skin. As it tears through Laythe's atmosphere, it is able to send back telemetry on a particularly optimal equatorial island, with ample flats for a landing... All that's left to do is assemble the vessel, the crew and their vehicle, and the resources needed to get them there. Easy, right?

Kerbal Future is a multithreaded tale which takes place post-FTL. So far, I have two arcs: Wehrcan, a gunner on a cruiser in the Second War, and Edrim, a spacer businessman. These two arcs take place about 1200 years apart. The idea is to unite all the little doodads floating about in my mind into a (hopefully) cohesive story. I'm writing this by the seat of my pants, so if it takes unexpected turns, then that's probably why. Worldbuilding notes found here! NOTICE: I'm rewriting Kerbal Future in its entirety. You can find the old version here, or its reincarnation above. Thank you, 0111narwhalz