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NOTE: I will be continuing Paler Blue Dot. This is another thing I will continue after Paler Blue Dot. SpaceY Inc. - Cheaper. Better. Quicker. We are currently developing a launch vehicle called the Raptor 1. This launch vehicle will only be able to lift very light payloads into low Kerbin orbit. A test flight with a simple boilerplate satellite called RaptorSat will be launched soon. You can submit some light stock payloads and SpaceY will select a few to attempt to launch. Please submit your payloads. We will consider every one of them. Thank you in advance. - Elon Kerman, SpaceY CEO, and co-founder of KPal MODS USED: SpaceY, KVV, VSR, Tantares LV (historically), Hullcam VDS, RealPlume, SpaceX Launch Towers, Tundra Exploration, and KerbalKonstructs DISCLAIMER: I am not trying to steal the name of the SpaceY mods from @NecroBones. SpaceY was a good alternate name for SpaceX and I think it works well. I love this dude's mods and I respect him in lots of ways. If this was too much of a precautionary measure, I will remove this disclaimer.

Hello! Welcome to Through Hardships to the Stars (previously known as KSP Megastructures)! This is a fan-fiction illustrated story, played in sandbox mode, with many, many mods. Contents: Chapter 1 - StarDust (This Post) Chapter 2 - SpacePlane-1 Chapter 3 - Comm Fleet Chapter 4 - Station Science Chapter 5 - The End Chapter 6 - New Beginnings Chapter 7 - Further Than Any Kerbal Has Gone Before Chapter 8 - Merkury-Appaloosa Chapter 9 - Moving Forward Chapter 10 - The Mun and Brumby Chapter 11 - Interstellar Hazard Chapter 12 - Bigby Solar Observatory Interlude - The Plan Chapter 13 - Starting The Plan Chapter 14 - SpaceLab Operations Chapter 15 - Updating The Plan Chapter 16 - Satellites Galore Chapter 17 - The Grand Tour of Kerbin Chapter 18 - By SQUAD... Chapter 19 - Solar Trusses Chapter 20 - Gilly Chapter 21 - Getting Stuff Done Chapter 22 - The Hybridium Chapter 23 - A Discovery Chapter 24 - Duna Calls Chapter 25 - Maintenance Chapter 26 - Minmus Chapter 27 - Good and Bad Chapter 28 - Rebellious Chapter 29 - Unexpected Developments Chapter 30 - Pushing Forward Chapter 31 - Something Big Chapter 32 - Something Big II Want to submit a payload? Answer these questions and it'll be launched Note: Any mods are allowed except those that add life support (TAC-LS, USI-LS, Snacks, etc) and those that add different fuel systems (like RealFuels, EngineIgnitor, Cryogenic Engines, etc) Payload Submission Form: CHAPTER 1: STARDUST The International Kerbal Space Program wasn't going well. After the Kongress decided that manufacturing enough nukes to annihilate Kerbin three times over (with no conflicts going on at the time) was more important than space exploration, the IKSP had all fundings cut. The space program was bankrupt, with all their achievements being forgotten over time. After 4 years of uncertain-ness, Jerome Kerman, head of the IKSP, had no choice but to sell off the program to a private investor. That private investor was Dave Kerman. The IKSP was officially declared a private organization 4 years, 3 munths and 2 days after kovernmental funding was cut. Dave immediately set his sights on the IKSP's huge, but ageing, space station. It was officially named the Kerbal Space Station, but nearly everyone called it "StarDust". 4 years ago, it was an engineering marvel. The culmination of the entirety of Kerbin working together to reach into space, and stay there. However, now the station was slowly failing. The RTGs were losing power, the circuit connections were getting unstable and the atmosphere inside was escaping. Something had to be done, or StarDust would soon be rendered completely unusable. The first thing that Dave Kerman and his team decided on was to replace the old habitation arms with an all-new, modern habitation ring. Or more accurately, four of them. The 364-ton monstrosity needed an all-new launcher to get it into orbit: the SB-3, Station Builder 3. The SB-3 was just an SB-2 with 3 cores. The SB-1, compared to these huge rockets, was so small it was barely worth mentioning (it was still pretty big, having been made of 3.75m parts). The habitation ring was mounted on top of the SB-3. Unfortunately the fairing wasn't wide enough for the ring, so the entire assembly had to be botled to a rocket with a flat top. The brute force approach would have to be used, punching a hole through the lower atmosphere and getting out of it ASAP. The rocket was rolled to the launchpad successfully. With a crowd of exactly 14 kerbals in Mission Control, SB-3 with the Habitation Ring lifted off. The rocket followed an unusually steep gravity turn, focusing more on getting out of the lower atmosphere than building up horizontal speed. Booster separation: And finally, a stable orbit was reached. The closest approach was 47.2km. Not too bad for a private space program who had never docked before. Mission Control could work with that. All further maneuvers would be completed with the second stage, which had a full tank of fuel. All maneuvers were performed successfully and the stage was detached from the Hab Ring less than a kilometer from StarDust. The Hab Ring guided itself in under the power of its own RCS thrusters. Docking was completed on the light side of Kerbin, which is not at all right and proper, but it was the safest option for a first mission. The IKSP's first private mission was a complete success. Now all that was left was deorbiting the second stage: Most of the components overheated on reentry. Only the fairing base and docking port survived, which showed some strange aerodynamic properties... Since the base was practically gliding down, it was no surprise when it survived contact with the ocean. [This gave me an idea... can I make a glider out of fairing bases?? I'll have to try some designs.] The IKSP's first mission was a success. But Dave Kerman wasn't finished there...