Forgotten Space Program

[DragonsForce]

A fantastic chapter, well done! Perfectly captures that feeling of sneaking around in the dark when you know there's not supposed to be anybody else there, but you definetly heard something.

[Angelo Kerman]

Often the worst demons are the ones that we create. Great chapter!

[cubinator]

Duna zombies have got to be the creepiest thing I've heard of in KSP. Well done!

[obney kerman]

it's back! and it's terrifying! well done!

[DerkyJerkyWreaksHavoc]

On 12/3/2015 at 8:02 PM, Cydonian Monk said:

Maybe the Kraken ate the ship Jeb and the Bs were in.

Question: who are the B's?

Answer: 

[Cydonian Monk]

11 minutes ago, DAFATRONALDO2007 IN SPACE said:

Question: who are the B's?

Answer: 

Wow. I had no idea Bill and Bob were so bee-like. 

[DerkyJerkyWreaksHavoc]

2 minutes ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Wow. I had no idea Bill and Bob were so bee-like. 

IMAOOOOOOOOO LOL

[Misguided Kerbal]

Wow! I just discovered this a few days ago, and I've been reading it from the start. This is great, and I can't wait for the next chapter!

[Cydonian Monk]

18 hours ago, Misguided Kerbal said:

Wow! I just discovered this a few days ago, and I've been reading it from the start. This is great, and I can't wait for the next chapter!

Thanks!

More soon. The next post is pretty image heavy, so I need to find some time to sit down and get those finished. And the last several weeks have been crazy busy.... Soon though. 

[Cydonian Monk]

Wow. Ok. 

Back when this pandemic began I'd thought maybe I'd end up spending more time in KSP and thus would be more motivated to _finish_ Forgotten Space Program. Instead the opposite happened. After 8+ hours a day working from home the absolute last thing I wanted was more hours sitting at my PC.

Some of that mood started to pass last November when I began posting these Forgotten things again, only for me to be interrupted by events of the world that are outside the rules of this Forum to discuss. And then we had the winter freeze here in Houston and Texas which has taken months for some of us to recover from. And then a bunch more stuff that's still well outside the scope of this forum, and then a big push in May and June for us to get back into our offices full time, which was oddly disruptive despite being a return to "normal". 

After a month of finally being _somewhere other than my home_ for 9+ hours a day I'm at last able to sit at my PC and actually enjoy something. Like Untitled Goose Game. And Journey. And Kerbal Sacrifice Program. Wait, no, Kerbal Science Platform. No, that's not it either. Little Green Dudes in Space And Not Splattered on Mountainsides Program. Yeah, that one.

Just in time for Kerbal Space Program to END. 

Ok. That complicates things. Forgotten Space Program was originally intended to be somewhat open-ended while still having a destination to reach _at the end of time_. Unfortunately I've delayed continuing this long enough that _time ended_ without me. Oops. 

That can still be the case, but I'm not really sure just how I want to handle it yet. I'll definitely finish posting the rest of this Second Volume as we move into Summer, but I'm not sure I'm ready to move beyond that just yet. The most recent semi-original idea was that KSPv2 would have already released, and would have come into play in Volume 3 (as I mentioned in a recently previous post). At the moment I'm not even sure I'll be able to play KSPv2 (I certainly won't be able to run it on my current system). And the Forum today is a much different place than it was in 2015 when Forgotten started... and I'm a much different person. I'm not entirely sure this type of long-form mission report is still welcome here, so... IDK. Need to think about this some more.

Right now I'm playing through a semi-casual career game in 1.12.0, trying to decide if I like all the changes that have been made to the stock game since whenever I last regularly played. (v1.4.5? v1.6.1? v1.10.1? I don't even remember anymore.) I'm not particularly fond of the occasional crashiness of the game in this "final" release, but I really do like the now-stock Alarm Clocks, suit switchers, and maneuver node editors, among other things. I'm not entirely sold on the stock KIS/KAS stuff yet, and I still haven't tried the stock robotics, but maybe they'll grow on me as I learn. 

Anyway, aside from another "near collapse of civilization" event like we witnessed with the February Freeze (I'm only partly exaggerating there), you can expect the next Forgotten post to show up in a couple days. And then another right after. And another shortly after that. And then we'll have to see. 

Cheers,

[Misguided Kerbal]

18 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

And the Forum today is a much different place than it was in 2015 when Forgotten started... and I'm a much different person. I'm not entirely sure this type of long-form mission report is still welcome here, so... IDK. Need to think about this some more.

I think, even if just speaking for myself here, that long mission reports like this are always welcome, and people would love to see more.

[LordOfTheNorth]

12 hours ago, Misguided Kerbal said:

I think, even if just speaking for myself here, that long mission reports like this are always welcome, and people would love to see more.

Not just you, reading these sort of mission reports is probably the main thing I do on the forums. As a matter of fact this particular report was the first I read, and kind of what got me into reading them (still ranks in my top ones).

In terms of seeing more, I'd certainly be keen for more, but no pressure, wouldn't want you feeling like you have to do it, or anything like that. Completely up to you .

[cubinator]

This is the only mission report/fan fiction I've cared to follow closely, and I think the story has been great. It's inspired me and given me new ideas about what the Vallhenge is like, and what kinds of missions I want to fly. My latest project, CLOUD ONE, is somewhat based on this story (particularly the eeriness about Vall) and is a precursor mission designed to scout the areas I want to fully colonize in KSP 2 by establishing a presence at Jool. I always appreciate the new chapters and am eager to read them every time.

[DragonsForce]

Good to see you again. I can only echo the sentiment that yes, long-form mission reports - at least if they as well done as the Forgotten Space Program - are absolutley still welcome.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next post.

[Cydonian Monk]

Ok, sounds like the forums here are still as awesome as ever.  I've got some ideas as to how to proceed and will start working in that direction over the next couple weeks. Need to rework some of my custom suit textures so they work well enough on the _new_ suit layouts, and tweak some of the older parts configs, but there's going to be a "point of no return" (when I jump the FSP save from 1.6.1 and 1.10.1 to 1.12.x) for a few of the older mod parts and such that have trickled along (mostly) unseen in the background of this save. It'll all make sense once we get to it. 

I'm still retooling this and am about half done with the next post. Will definitely be posted sometime this weekend, likely Saturday.

[Vagrant203]

Ya had me panicking for a few there.

[adsii1970]

@Cydonian Monk I, for one, am glad to see you're back and going to start writing again

 

[Cydonian Monk]

Legitimate Salvage

Captain Hallock had his hands full. Having secured the mysterious Seconee station at Duna, he now had to integrate it into the Memory of Tomorrow. He checked one last time to make sure the ghosts were ok with his plan, convinced his new pet goo to stay in the lab, then prepared for the reconfigurations. Mostly this meant sealing all the bulkheads, unplugging any wiring, coolant lines, and other connections, but there were a few small cases where he had to replace batteries or completely rewire modules to allow for remote control.

He started with moving the two landers and the transfer-shuttle-looking-craft over to the Memory. Only one of the landers had docking ports on both ends, so it became the obvious option for docking. He moved it in underneath the Memory and secured in place. 

Next were the fuel depot and the tug attached to it. That stack was temporarily docked up opposite the landers on the top of the Memory. There was still a small amount of rigging work Hallock had to do before the fuel pod could be integrated into the Memory's drive section.

Finally came the station itself. Hallock took the Rock Spear out to grab it, intending to place it directly ahead of the Memory's retrofitted living compartments. 

With that done, he tested the new connections and docking seals. There was still a great deal of work to do before everything was solid enough to move under its own power. It had been a long day, and Hallock needed a nap before he started into the difficult tasks. This was work best suited to a crew of more than one, but Sieta was still immersed in her latest trance, looking for sanity in the madness of the Universe's background radiation.

Hallock napped long enough for the ship to drift through the shadow and the light and back into the shadow once more. 

--

He awoke fully refreshed and with a new determination to ready the ship. It had been quite some time since they last added to the Memory of Tomorrow, back in Kerbin orbit, and even then the ship had been incomplete. They had only the "test" drive section to get them this far, and none of the planned expedition craft. As such the two landers were a much welcome addition, no matter how old and worn they might be.

He checked in on Queen Sieta before suiting up, finding her asleep at her station, having drifted off in the noise from the radios. She had thus far found several dozen Things in orbit around Duna and Ike, objects which had been missed during their earlier surveys. She was left to sleep while he ventured back into the void. 

His first inspection pass of the ship and its newly acquired additions was done in the dark, illuminated by only his headlamps and the ship's scattered floodlights. The pressurized sections had been brought up to their regular atmospheres, and no major leaks had ruptured out into the nothingness. Some of these pressure vessels had taken more abuse than others, with the occasional ding and divot to patch over.  

Hallock made note of the myriad flags adorning their collection, none of them familiar to him. Most bore some resemblance to kerbals, while other were more esoteric designs such as dice and gears and little orbs. They slipped into the bright side of Duna during this inspection, while Ike slipped into its master's shadow.

The first move of the day was the small craft he had taken to calling the transfer shuttle. Its interior was very slick and had a modern feel to it in comparison to the Rock Spear, so he decided it would become the "Bridge" to this new Memory of Tomorrow. He undocked it and the smaller lander, then slipped it in behind the Spear before docking the back up.

Next was to restring and tighten several of the craft's struts and stays. They were now considerably further from the Sun than at Kerbin, and the reduced energy had become evident in the contraction of the metal masts which held the ship's power systems and radiators. These struts, constructed of some meta-material Hallock barely understood, were either completely taut or oscillating freely with the motions of the ship. So a good re-rigging was in order.

Additionally, new anchor points were required on the modules from the Seconee station. The extra mass towards the ship's bow called for additional bracing and stays along the spine of the ship. Not work one would normally expect of a lone kerbal, let alone a ship's Captain, but what choice did he have?

This process which took several orbits, so many that Hallock lost count. Once he had finished the re-rig he went around to all the electrical bundles and coolant lines and other bits of equipment and double checked their connections. 

Afterwards he brought the ship under full sail and rode the winds of the middle Kerbol System. It wasn't much, the photon and particle pressure from their distant star, but a captain could dream. It also served as a good test of their full electrical and cooling capabilities. There was still enough light in this distant land for the solar arrays to help, but just barely.

He drifted off to sleep while dreaming what the future might bring for their little ship.

--

The following day brought one of the most important tasks he would undertake - moving a tank that was partially full of fuel and oxidizer into position between the ship's spine and the drive section. He pulled the solar arrays and radiators in to protect them, locked down the internal bulkheads for safety, then suited up and went to work. 

First thing to do was unlink the stays holding the drive to the rest of the ship. These struts were all that kept the energy from the drive from bending the ship in half under full thrust, and this force would have to be re-routed through, and around, their new fuel tank.

With the struts and masts readied, he went back inside and cast the fuel depot free. Once the minute amount of vibrational energy from the undocking had bleed out, he unlatched the ship from the drive and also let it drift away.  The timing of this dance had to go perfectly, because they couldn't afford to waste fuel lining back up or tracking down the drive section.

He moved the fuel tank into place and then quickly moved the tug back to its position atop the ship. The Memory shoved backwards, slowly, and relatched to the drive. The entire operation was completed in less than a quarter of an orbit, with very little drift occurring and only a minor correction needed.

With the ship reconstituted he grabbed his pistol grip tool, aka the electric wrench, and went out to rig the aft section back together. A strut to the port mast had broken loose during the maneuver, and needed replaced first. He had probably pulled it too tightly during the re-rig. 

Afterwards there was the new set of stays and struts between the drive and the ship. New anchors were secured to the fuel tank, new lines were run between the three sections. One rigged up the fuel lines were opened, resource transfers were tested and confirmed as working. All good.

It was another long day of work, but in the end the ship was in top shape and ready for whatever they asked of it next. 

There was just one last finishing touch needed. While Hallock was working on the outside, Sieta was busy doing a few things of her own. 

First, she had heard Hallock's complaints about needing extra hands to help out, and had scanned the surface of the planet for some wayward souls they could conscript. In total it appeared there were three sites where kerbals might once have visited, two of which were still likely to have them present. One was far removed from the other, but easily within the reach of both landers Hallock had acquired.

She had also been busy working up a new flag for their rag tag jumbled mess of a ship, one more befitting a vessel of its stature. And along with it came a new suit for their captain.

Now they would look the part they were playing, and hopefully command the respect they were deserved. And if not respect, then dread.

Arrrrrrr.

[Angelo Kerman]

I love it! The Dread Pirate Hallock. Funny enough I just hired Allock in my game. I wonder if they're related...

[Cydonian Monk]

I feel somewhat compelled to mention that when I started Forgotten Space Program five and a half years ago I had not yet seen the fifth episode of the 2021 Loki TV series. 

That is all. 

(Because saying anything more would be spoilers for both this and that.)

[ruiluth]

Occasionally, the old space bug that lives in the back of my brain bites me and I come look at Kerbal Space Program again. And every time, I check this thread, and I'm always delighted when there are new posts. We still have a ways to go until KSP 2, and even then, I'm sure I'll keep playing the first game now and then (mods being what they are) and checking this thread. I've been following it for years and I've learned and absorbed so much about ship design and mission planning (docking ports on both ends). So yeah, hope things are going alright and glad to see this isn't abandoned!

Also, incidentally, I love that little warning above the reply box. "This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one." There's so much history in this story for those of us who have been here through the updates, and it's such a nostalgic tale.

[Cydonian Monk]

On 11/5/2021 at 1:56 AM, ruiluth said:

I'm always delighted when there are new posts.

I'm just glad folks still remember this little old wandering tale.

I'm still around here somewhat, though much less than I used to be. Now that KSP is "done" I'm working on getting a static group of mods and plugins put together to use _forever_. I was rather hoping for a 1.12.3 before I did that, but, c'est la vie.  

As for Forgotten.... I'm so very far behind things at this point, but I do intend to at least finish this chapter full of things at Duna. Requires I be in the right mindset and have enough free time to actually work on the rest of it of course. I may have too many irons in the burning dishwasher at the moment.

[Vagrant203]

On 11/9/2021 at 8:04 PM, Cydonian Monk said:

I'm just glad folks still remember this little old wandering tale.

I recently reread it all actually. Well worth it.

[Admiral Fluffy]

I just started reading it becuase it came up in the mission report thread, and i just realized that all of the rockets are named after the elements, in order.

[Admiral Fluffy]

On 11/9/2021 at 6:04 PM, Cydonian Monk said:

As for Forgotten.... I'm so very far behind things at this point, but I do intend to at least finish this chapter full of things at Duna. Requires I be in the right mindset and have enough free time to actually work on the rest of it of course. I may have too many irons in the burning dishwasher at the moment.

Just finished.

When do you suppose the next part will be done? Sometime in December?