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Howdy y'all! Some of you might remember me from some of my previous mission report series but for those who don't, I'm Stephen and this is On the Shoulders of Giants. Before we get into the thick of things I just want to give a shoutout to everyone and everything that allowed me to build, fly and write this series. To the outstanding mod makers who are the engine behind this game, to the poor stand-up guys who read my drafts, to Squad, to the writers who continue to inspire me every day, to the people who helped me troubleshoot my install, and to all the mad lads coming up with wild ideas in the space program, I say thank you to all. None of the things I've done would be possible without y'all and I dedicate this to you. Anyway, soppy stuff over, welcome to On the Shoulders of Giants! Like I said I'm Stephen and in this series we're going to be looking at the transition between the first generation of reusable launch vehicles and the second generation, as well as anything beyond, in a JNSQ 1.8.1 install. The overarching idea behind this series is, unlike previous series I've done where we look at one or two launch systems, we're looking at several spread across the globe. Along with that, expect a few vignettes along the way. The full mod list can be found here, and a special thanks to Zorg and his TUFX profiles that can be found here. So, without further ado, I humbly present for your viewing and reading pleasure: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROLOGUE: The Space Transportation System Booster "Enterprise" on the pad ready to liftoff on STS-161 The Crew Chief could see a lot of long days and oceans of paperwork ahead of her. As the hangar door closed, the warm sunlight of the late afternoon was replaced by the cold halogen lights of the building. Three years with her leading the bird's sprawling hangar gang and not a single hiccup. Until today. She chafed at the thought. She was grateful it was in mostly one piece, and she offered a silent toast to the pilots who brought her back on a wing and a prayer. As if on queue, the STS-161’s booster commander and flight engineer walked over to her after surveying the damage for themselves up close. They looked ashen, like they'd just seen their own ghosts. “What say you about this, Chief? Enterprise is your bird after all.” the commander asked in his wide drawl. “I'd say you two are the luckiest sons of guns out there.” She led the two back to the looming engine section, battered and blackened. One of her four massive main engines completely gone, and the other three in various states of damage. “When number three blew, shrapnel was about an inch from taking out your aileron hydraulics line.” She pointed her flashlight on the hole punched out by the offending hunk of metal, hair raisingly close to the yellow hydraulic lines. The Chief then pointed at the damage sustained by engines two and four. “It was a good call opting for single engine abort. Trying to restart two and four would've sent the two of you to an early grave.” The three of them got quiet for a second, fretting at the thought of the great booster Enterprise plummeting out of control at Mach 5. “Well,” the flight engineer started, “I estimated us at about Pucker Factor 9.0 at the time. Something tells me my estimate was way low.” “Like I said, lucky.” The commander crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, unsatisfied, but couldn’t think of any reason why his very presence in the hangar couldn’t be explained by plain luck. He looked past the Chief at the two suited men being pointed in his direction by one of the investigation team. “That must be our ride down to the capitol,” the commander took a deep breath, “I don’t know who has the more unenviable task Chief.” She laughed, “Definitely you two, I don’t have the patience for congresscritters. Enterprise might be a cranky old girl, but she’s my cranky old girl.” The three shook hands and over his shoulder the flight engineer called out, “Take care of her, she’s a good bird and I hope to see her again soon.” “Me too,” the Chief said quietly to herself. The Chief wasn’t Enterprise’s first handler, or even her second or third. Enterprise was getting old, the entire booster fleet was and The Chief knew it. She stepped outside and took a good long look across the Cape. Past the gaggle of press outside the hangar, out past the company launch pad, was the competition. Younger, meaner and leaner. Securing contracts that her team couldn’t. She felt a breeze, and over the hills to the west she could see thunderheads. Change was coming to town. What seemed like an eternity later she flopped onto her bed, but after a concerted effort she found sleep elusive. Her future, a future with the Space Transportation System program, wasn’t so sure anymore. Minutes and hours ticked by as she, consciously or not, weighed different implications for today’s events. She decided that sleep was a fool’s errand tonight and rolled out of bed and lumbered to the coffee pot, making a pit stop at the liquor cabinet on account of the late hour, and over to her desk. It might’ve been paranoia, or good sense, but either way the Chief gave her resume a thorough update. As the first whispers of dawn started blotting out the stars she was satisfied and sat back in her chair, feeling sleep finally sneak up on her. Before tucking in, for giggles, she took out her rolodex and looked up the contact information of NASA’s chief astronaut she’d met at an STS contractor symposium. Attaching her working life’s story to the email she was confronted by a blank page asking to be filled. She thought for a second and decided to let the liquor take the wheel. “Per aspera ad astra.” She hit send, shut down her computer, and settled in for the night. "Enterprise" in the hangar after its harrowing launch

SIRIUS SPACE PROGRAM Our house may be Kerbin, but our home will always be the stars- Adton Kerman Hello, and welcome to my very first mission report! I've played KSP for a while, and have been burnt out for roughly 2 months. On a whim, I started a new playthrough, with no Original Four, no reverts, respawns and 120% penalties. CommNet is on as well as G-Force tolerance, everything else is unchanged. This is a stock install (aside from SETI Contracts and Unmanned before Manned) played in KSP 1.3.1. Inspiration: @Hotaru first and foremost for her excellent mission report (which inspired me to write this one) @Ultimate Steve @Cydonian Monk @Kerbalstar same as above @RealKerbal3x @spaceprogrammer and @HansonKerman who are also doing mission reports at the same time- go check theirs out! Micron program - first sounding rockets. Contract from RoveMax. Grasshopper- first aeroplane flight, and pilot training. LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DESIGN A LOGO AND/OR MISSION PATCHES please contact me via PM if you have some designs.

Jebediah Kerman First KERBONAUT By Walter Kerman – The Daily Planet – Eelops 1, 720 The first day of the new year sees an exciting new breed of Kerbal. At the Kerbal Space Center, Jebediah “Jeb’ Kerman becomes the first Kerbal to become a kerbonaut. The new title refers to crew members of the Kerbal Space Center's (KSC) fledgling space program. Jeb, as he prefers to be called, has been a test pilot before joining the KSC in the role of kerbonaut pilot. He was tasked with being the first kerbbed crew on a rocket propelled vehicle. The new vehicle, titled Kerbin I, was launched into the sky on a plume of smoke and fire in the early afternoon. The rocket travelled 10km into the sky before slowing down and returning to Kerbin’s surface. The return was aided by a parachute on the top of the “command pod”, a gum drop shaped capsule on top of the rocket. The kerbonaut and his vessel broke height and speed records on this historic first journey. Gene Kerman, Flight Director for the KSC said that this mission was an important first step for future space exploration. Gene said, “Kerbin I, while only going up 10,000 meters, proves that we can use rockets for powered launches. This one small step is actually a giant leap for all kerbals.” Gene also stated that this launch will be only the first of many with the goal being an actual Kerbal in orbit around Kerbin. After his return, Jeb Kerman described his historic flight. “The lift off couldn’t have been more perfect. I was slammed to my seat and felt some gee’s [Gravitational Force] like I haven’t since my test flying days.” Jeb also talked about the sheer joy of knowing that his experience would allow kerbals to explore the space around Kerbin and in time, the other planets as well. When asked if the program could really reach other worlds, Jeb said, “certainly. Getting into orbit is half way to anywhere you want to go. We could get to Mun before the end of the year.” Whether the claims of kerbals on Mun are the stuff of science fantasy or within the grasp of the Kerbal Space Program, one thing is sure this day. The new year promises to be an exciting ride. Profile of a Kerbonaut Jeb Kerman is a decorated test pilot. Flying everything from prop-powered crop dusters to turbine propelled jets, it was once said that “if we could get a tin can to lift off, Jeb could fly it.” He joined the Kerbin Space Center (KSC) as a consultant on aerodynamics and flight controls. He eventually spent more time in simulators than designing them and the decision was made to make him part of the “First Four” flight crew. Gene Kerman said that Jeb’s natural bravery, coolness under pressure, and willingness to “push the envelope” made him a perfect fit for the “First Four”. “Jeb was a Dev send. When he came on, we were mostly scientists and engineers. His flight experience and degrees in Aerodynamic Theory and Avionics have been crucial in both kerbbed and remote piloted endeavors,” Gene said. He also stated that Jeb’s skills helped the KSC solve problems they didn’t realize they had. During his off time between design and piloting, Jeb gives tours around the fledgling KSC to school groups. His ability to explain the complex concepts of Thrust to Weight Ratios and Orbital Mechanics to primary school students is incredible. Often, young kerblits are seen leaving the KSC campus looking up. Jebediah “Jeb” Kerman. First Kerbonaut. The Kerbin I An unassuming craft. The Kerbin I, named after its home planet, is a simple looking piece of hardware. A Mk1 Command Pod sits atop a RT-5 solid rocket booster. On the top of the Mk1 pod is an industrial grade parachute. Along the bottom of the RT-5 is a set of four control fins. Gus Kerman, head of Operations, said that the Kerbin I is the last leg of a long line of smaller rockets and the first step in a new breed of larger rockets. “We have been testing with sounding rockets for some time,” Gus said. “But this beauty puts them to shame.” He explained that the capsule is state of the art with guidance data licensed from KER, vacuum rated hull, and life support systems provided by Umbra Space Industries. The RT-5 has a maximum thrust of 162.9 kN of force on the launch pad. Gus Kerman was quick to point out that the RT-5 was not set up to maximum thrust for the Kerbin I launch. “With SRB’s [Solid Rocket Boosters] like the Flea [nickname for RT-5], we have no throttle. No control on the gas except for how much it can push”, Gus said. He explained that tests at maximum caused “poor results” from test bags of potatoes. As work is completed on Kerbin II, the next vessel in the program line, the RT-5 and Mk1 Pod will continue to be a stable of KSC exploration. Mod List