Forgotten Space Program

[Cydonian Monk]

Just now, The solid fuel chemist said:

Has this thread... Died? 

Yes. It was pronounced dead at Kerbin Memorial Hospital at 1:15 on the 76th day of the 100th year. The attending physician was Jebediah Kerman. Services for the thread will take place this Saturday at 10AM. Condolences may be sent to /dev/null. 

 

No, just rather busy, but I will likely have an update in a day or so. And maybe one next week. And then there'll be nothing for two weeks as I'm going on vacation over the two weeks around American Labor[ious] Day. Regular postings will resume somewhere in September.

[0111narwhalz]

18 hours ago, The solid fuel chemist said:

Has this thread... Died? (Voice echoes in to the emptiness) ..... I'm experiencing thread withdrawal.

Dude, it's been less than a week since the last update. That's pretty alive compared to a thread like my Kerbal Future or Ten Key's Farlight.

[cubinator]

20 hours ago, The solid fuel chemist said:

Has this thread... Died? (Voice echoes in to the emptiness) ..... I'm experiencing thread withdrawal.

Patience you must have. Answers in time, hm?

Edited August 19, 2016 by cubinator

[The solid fuel chemist]

Sorry, but living out here in the sticks (woods) gets dull and I'm trying to enjoy my summer in full before school grinds my soul to a pulp. I guess that giant starship enterprise progect is back from the almost forgotten backburner 

[Cydonian Monk]

Just now, The solid fuel chemist said:

Sorry, but living out here in the sticks (woods) gets dull and I'm trying to enjoy my summer in full before school grinds my soul to a pulp. 

No worries.  The exciting stuff (Laythe landing) is right around the corner. As in, the next update!

Enjoy what's left of your summer. It won't be back around again for another nine months, and in time never comes back. (Though the soul pulping does eventually subside.)

[Geschosskopf]

Ah, some answers   Thank you!  I must admit reading this on my phone during the recent unpleasantness but that format and my sleep-deprived lack of fine motor control didn't lend themselves to replying at the time.

 

On 8/14/2016 at 3:44 PM, Cydonian Monk said:

"So I'm right. This really is the afterlife, and you're all ghosts. We're all somebody's ghost. We may not be dead ourselves, but everybody else is. Their ghosts are ours." At that he rose, still laughing, and made his way out of the library. "Ghosts." The galley, that's the only place he could go. There was no amount of grog that could clear the madness that was reality from his memory, but he was willing to give it a go. Omega Universe, computer simulation, black holes, ghosts? Madness. Pure madness.

Well, this is a lot to digest.  And as I approve of Thomlock's method of coping, I myself have been giving it a go.  And no matter how the tides of altered consciousness flow, I can't shake the impression that he's right.  At least if you assume Earthly laws of physics apply to the KSP universe.  If you instead just assume that fundamental forces are so different between the Omega Universe and our own as to explain the Density Discrepancy by themselves without invoking black holes inside everything, then no worries.  Except the sun, which is ALWAYS a bother no matter how you parse it.  Or how much grog you consume

I'm very glad, at least, that the mystery of the Famously Dead Thomlock, despite all the intervening rewrites of history, has been explained.  Although, unfortunately, that means the space program wasn't totally forgotten by anybody after his time.

 

On 8/14/2016 at 11:42 PM, Cydonian Monk said:

Either way the Calcium 7's mission was now complete.

And that was an epic journey for something with no wings at all in a not-terribly-dense atmosphere.  I'm quite impressed.  I might have to steal some ideas there.

 

On 8/18/2016 at 1:46 PM, The solid fuel chemist said:

Has this thread... Died? (Voice echoes in to the emptiness) ..... I'm experiencing thread withdrawal.

No, it's just Forgotten  

IIRC, CM had some rather pressing real-life business to attend to.

[Cydonian Monk]

1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

I must admit reading this on my phone during the recent unpleasantness but that format and my sleep-deprived lack of fine motor control didn't lend themselves to replying at the time.

Glad to see you're getting back to normal. Your "recent unpleasantness" is mind-blowingly vast. Some folks I know in the Baton Rouge and Covington areas have just now resurfaced.

 

Quote

IIRC, CM had some rather pressing real-life business to attend to.

Oh, just driving halfway across the country (twice) so I can go into a known disaster area where there may or may not be roads. Probably get to swing a hammer in there somewhere too. (At least the first part of it will be "low-stress" in the DC area, aka: an actual vacation.) And of course work over the last six weeks being five times busier than usual.

 

1 hour ago, Geschosskopf said:

And that was an epic journey for something with no wings at all in a not-terribly-dense atmosphere.  I'm quite impressed.  I might have to steal some ideas there.

I was impressed with it, too. Wings would've helped some, but as for easy ways to explore different parts of Laythe (or any oxygen-rich atmosphere), drop-pod jets like that are remarkably versitile. And small. And inexpensive. Only trick for me was to maintain a radio connection. Going forward I'll stick more science stuff on them instead of wasting it on the heatshield bit.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Cydonian Monk

[The solid fuel chemist]

I wonder if the crew will end up in a survival situation, with nothing but debris and resourcefulness to get back to orbit (using KIS and KAS to build a makeshift launch vehicle, perhaps?)

[Cydonian Monk]

15 minutes ago, The solid fuel chemist said:

I wonder if the crew will end up in a survival situation, with nothing but debris and resourcefulness to get back to orbit....

Only if I _really_ mess something up. More likely is a pilot of the Aluminium X-4B aircraft may need to complete a triathlon to get back to the launch vehicle by building a rudimentary bike out of whatever parts survive whatever fate befalls it, followed by a swim and a run.

[The solid fuel chemist]

After a very long train of thought (don't ask) you have inspired me to build a Juno-powered kerbal jet ski. Thanks!

[Geschosskopf]

9 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Glad to see you're getting back to normal. Your "recent unpleasantness" is mind-blowingly vast. Some folks I know in the Baton Rouge and Covington areas have just now resurfaced.

Yeah, it's quite a mess south of here, plus in the low spots where I live.  It'll be a long road back.

 

9 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Oh, just driving halfway across the country (twice) so I can go into a known disaster area where there may or may not be roads. Probably get to swing a hammer in there somewhere too. (At least the first part of it will be "low-stress" in the DC area, aka: an actual vacation.) And of course work over the last six weeks being five times busier than usual.

Good luck with your own unpleasantness.

 

9 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

I was impressed with it, too. Wings would've helped some, but as for easy ways to explore different parts of Laythe (or any oxygen-rich atmosphere), drop-pod jets like that are remarkably versitile. And small. And inexpensive. Only trick for me was to maintain a radio connection. Going forward I'll stick more science stuff on them instead of wasting it on the heatshield bit.

I might have to do something similar.  I'm thinking of going to Laythe in my NH game.  I'm not entirely sure how I want to approach it, but something small and cheap might be the best option.

[Omegagoldfish]

On 8/19/2016 at 0:21 PM, The solid fuel chemist said:

Sorry, but living out here in the sticks (woods) gets dull and I'm trying to enjoy my summer in full before school grinds my soul to a pulp.

At least you have a soul...

[Cydonian Monk]

Wings of Fire

The day had finally come for the crew of the Jumble of Parts to return to their jumble. The flight of the Calcium 7 probe had proven jets could function properly in  Laythe's atmosphere, the mapping satellites had gathered enough data for them to identify a handful of good landing sites, and they were now ready to drop Gletrix and the Aluminium X-4B 10 into the thick atmosphere.

They said their (temporary) goodbyes to the crews of the Edge of Infinity, and were making their ways towards the nearest of the station's spokes and their shuttle when Jebediah stopped Macfred to ask a question. 

"Say, Macdude. You've got an extra seat in your lander, right?"

"The Silicon seats 5, yes. Why?"

"Well, we've been here for years. Endless years. Trapped in these tin cans. The girls got to land on Duna and Ike, but I've been in space ever since we left Kerbin and, well.... I uh, I need my fix. Something more exciting than just spinning around in this tin can."

And so when the Silicon 3 undocked from the Edge of Infinity, it carried five kerbals instead of the four it had brought. 

It seemed the least Macfred could do to return the hospitality their hosts had shown them. Thomlock was still a bit freaked out by Jebediah (who's presence had yet to be adequately explained in his eyes), but the elder kerbal spent most of the trip back to the Jumble in the shuttle's cockpit.

The Jumble was exactly as they'd left it - though it didn't stay that way for long. To land on Laythe, both surface-bound craft would use the lowest-remaining stage of the Sulphur 5 Laythe Descent/Ascent Vehicle to drop to an 80km orbit. Once there the Aluminium 10 would separate and reduce its orbit such that the aircraft was in its desired suborbital trajectory. Afterwards the orbital stage would detach from the aircraft and return to a parking orbit, where it would remain until the Sulphur LDAV returned to orbit. Afterwards it would tug the LDAV back to the Jumble.

The crews grabbed their gear (Jeb having brought his with him after saying a quick goodbye to Bill and Bob) and transferred into their respective crafts and seats for the landing. For Gletrix, the chosen pilot of the Aluminium 10, this meant an EVA to the aircraft's cockpit. Once everyone was in place the two craft undocked from the station and connected up for the first descent.

The shroud and docking port covering the LDAV's Poodle engine were discarded, the combined craft burned to bring its periapsis to around 80km, and then they were on their way. Another burn half an orbit later captured into their parking orbit, and they readied themselves for the toughest task of the entire mission.

As discussed, first up were Gletrix and her ride, the Aluminium X-4B 10 Laythe Exploration Aircraft. The Aluminium X-4B 9 had survived a reentry at Kerbin, so entry into Laythe's much thinner and shallower atmosphere wasn't much of a concern. Yet to say Gletrix wasn't a bit nervous would be lying. Any number of things could go wrong, most of which would be fatal. 

Enter at too shallow of an angle and you glide well beyond your landing site, possibly as much as half a moon away. Enter at too steep an angle and you burn up and die. Enter at the wrong angle of attack and parts of the craft would burn off and you would die. Take too sharp of a turn at hypersonic speeds and the craft enters into a flat spin, disintegrates, and you die. Lots of things ended with "... and you die" in the "don't do this" part of the flight manual.

The failures with the potential for survival of the pilot were the reason the Aluminium was going in first. In the event something went wrong, its pilot could bail out and the LDAV would then pick a new landing site somewhere closer to the Aluminium's failure location. Hopefully not a process that would be needed.

Once Gletrix was mentally prepared for the task at hand she undocked from the LDAV, pushed away with the orbital stage's RCS, and then waited for the entry window. A long wait in the dark. Neither right nor proper nor good for the mind.

There were two landing sites selected for the Aluminium. The first was the "debris site", located over a large island to the West of the island flown over by the Calcium 7. This location was where the Aluminium 10's debris would crash should the vehicle not survive entry into Laythe's atmosphere. (This first site was also close to a recently detected piece of debris [or "Surface Thing"], which would allow the crew to investigate two potentially morbid sites for the price of one.)

The second landing site was the same island on which the Calcium 7 was situated. This allowed Gletrix to glide the Aluminium in from the initial entry vector and land without executing a 180 degree turn or expending (much) fuel to reach the initial landing site. 

The orbital stage of the Aluminium 10 performed both of its burns flawlessly. The first to reduce the combined craft to its periapsis of 14km, the second to place the orbital stage back into orbit. (Where it will need a new name and designation.... Likely will just become another Chlorine of some number.) 

Gletrix was unavoidably committed to the landing now that the orbital stage had disconnected. No going back, the only option was to ride it out and hope for the best. And to avoid all the "... and you die" scenarios.

The initial part of the Laythe Entry was completely silent as the craft slipped through the very upper layers of the atmosphere. It was there, the atmosphere that is, but barely detectable, much as the data from the Calcium 7 had shown. It wasn't near enough for the wings to bite into, but was sufficient to slowly degrade an orbit or extend her glide. And then suddenly plasma was licking at the Aluminium's wingtips and nose.

That was when the radio link to the LDAV cut out. It was expected, but still unnerving for Gletrix. She was now alone, completely alone, and would remain so through the worst of the entry. The flames continued to build, and as planned she started alternating her heading and angle of attack to spread out the heating. 

Her crewmates were of course watching her entry from several kilometers above and behind, though all they could really see was a streak burning across the sky. Nothing but silence and static on the radio at both ends, and Gletrix could barely hear the static now that the atmosphere was thick enough to roar past her canopy. 

And then the altimeter started going up again. A skip! Not much of one, and not high enough to fully leave the atmosphere, but a skip was a skip. The Al-10 drifted back upwards into Laythe's upper atmosphere, and the "debris recovery" landing site sailed underneath. The radios linked up again briefly, and then the craft was at the plasma again to burn off a bit more of its underbelly.

The first interface had bled off most of the craft's near-orbital velocity, so the second entry was nowhere near as rough on the Al-10 and its pilot. The skip brought the craft's landing projection down somewhere between the two land masses yet closer to the second, controlled-landing site, meaning a glide-out was still possible. Jool slipped over the horizon while Gletrix was holding a high angle of attack, and she was pleasantly surprised to see it when she dropped back into level flight.

And then the flames were (mostly) gone, the landing target was in view, and it was on to he landing. Gletrix was happy to find the radio had once again relinked with the LDAV (and one of the other orbiting relays), allowing her to coordinate the landing with Thomlock before they fell over the horizon and out of line-of-sight. (The LDAV would land after its next half orbit.) 

Gletrix angled the craft down to maintain velocity and spooled up the twin jets. She wasn't planning to use the jets for this first landing, but ti would be nice to have them online in case anything happened. (And potentially for use while braking, in case she needed to stop in a hurry.)

Once everything was agreed upon with the LDAV crew and their landing site was dialed in, she banked to the North and started looking for a nice, long, and reasonably flat spot. The further to the North she went the better, as the orbital path of the LDAV and the rotation of the moon would bring them down considerably further North than her entry.

The craft was handling well, even at these supersonic speeds.

The colors of Laythe were far more striking in person than they had been over the Calcium 7's video feed. The lower atmosphere generally had a sickly yellow tint to it, no doubt due to the moon's volcanic activity. Something of a sulphuric fog. This, combined with the atmosphere's generally blue color lent the moon an aquamarine hue, which pushed into rich purples and violets the further away the horizon. Over head the sky was a familiar cerulean, much like Kerbin.

All of the potential landing strips looked just as difficult and rough as the others, so Gletrix decided to take the next that came along. This was the most dangerous part of the entire operation. There was no guarantee the wheels they had carted across three years and millions of kilometers of empty space would still work when coming into contact with the moon's mixed surface. And there was always the chance the sands would collapse under the plane, pulling it into a permanent home much sooner than they liked.

Only one way to find out, so she hit the "Extend Gear" button and hoped for the best.

The patterns in the dunes were disconcerting, playing with the landing lights as they were. Tiny dunes and patterns worked into the larger drifts of sand and boulders. And then a larger dune ridge rose up towards the Aluminium 10, forcing Gletrix to flare a bit more than she had wanted. (Landing on sand dunes is no way to conduct business with an aircraft, and whoever did it first or suggested it was a good idea deserves a stern talking to.)

And then the rear wheels made contact. Squeak-squeak, followed by the sound of sand pelting the underside of the craft. She tapped on the brakes softly, bringing the nose wheel down to get its own taste of sand. She allowed the planes's surface speed to drop to a safer 20m/s as it coasted towards a good stopping place. A few large boulders on the edge of the next dune forced an adjustment to the path, but nothing dangerous appeared once the dune was crested and so the coasting continued. 

She brought the Al-10 to a stop at a nice spot with a decent view of two lakes, one just over the ridge to the East and one back towards the LDAV's planned landing site. It would make a decent enough spot to gather some quick surface samples for Agake. She locked the brakes in their active position, turned off the jets and their intakes, and extended the ladder. Macfred, Thomlock, Agake and even Jeb radioed down congratulations from the LDAV.

Gletrix Kerman was now officially the first kerbal on Laythe.

Surface operations will continue in the next update....

 

Navigation: Next Post

Edited December 4, 2016 by Cydonian Monk

[Drone_Kerbal]

Another satisfying update! Loving the screenshots, the visual mods you have really make them special. I wonder if Jeb will get up to anything in the next chapter...

[DMSP]

Oh wow. Those images. I have waited so long for the Aluminum 10 to land on Laythe.

It was so worth it. This story, every time I read it, it doesn't just make my day, it makes my entire week. I can't appreciate it enough.

Are you a professional writer or something?

I also, believe it o not, spent about 3 minutes carefully studying the Sulfur LDAV departing the Edge of Infinity, thinking that somehow Geltrix was already aboard the Aluminium, and that there weren't going to be enough seats for everyone.

I then read some more and found the truth-I need glasses.

Edited August 22, 2016 by DMSP

[Angelo Kerman]

Way cool! Congrats on a successful landing.

[Cydonian Monk]

8 hours ago, Drone_Kerbal said:

Another satisfying update! Loving the screenshots, the visual mods you have really make them special.

Thanks. I'm very pleased with how Laythe has turned out, appearance-wise. All credit for it goes to Scatterer and EVE. Scatterer alone is worth using if your machine can handle it, even on lower settings. As for EVE.... I'll share my config file one of these days. Pretty sure I'm only using textures that come with it (or in the case of smog layers I'm using a 1-pixel image that's smaller than the config file).

 

Quote

This story, every time I read it, it doesn't just make my day, it makes my entire week. I can't appreciate it enough.

Are you a professional writer or something?

Thanks so much. While there are more than a few professional writers here amongst us in the forums (and likely some well known sci-fi names), I'm not one of them. At least not yet.

 

30 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

Way cool! Congrats on a successful landing.

Thanks!

[DMSP]

3 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Thanks so much. While there are more than a few professional writers here amongst us in the forums (and likely some well known sci-fi names), I'm not one of them. At least not yet.

Well, maybe publishing this could change that.

Who knows, I would definitely love to have a copy!

(The legal stuff might be a pain though)

[Just Jim]

25 minutes ago, DMSP said:

Well, maybe publishing this could change that.

Who knows, I would definitely love to have a copy!

(The legal stuff might be a pain though)

Send me a copy as well...  

[adsii1970]

39 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Send me a copy as well...  

Ditto...

[Cydonian Monk]

1 hour ago, DMSP said:

(The legal stuff might be a pain though)

Which is why things like Mission Reports are never likely to be published beyond where they're posted. Mind that there's not much Squad could do to stop it aside from preventing the use of their specific marks and material. Most of these are fairly generic once the Ks are removed. It would still be obvious that it's a space program of little green men or a vampire love story or the record of a D&D campaign that developed a life of its own, just generic enough to not be sued into oblivion. The latter two of those examples obviously passed closer scrutiny and have gone on to become a [quite frankly terrible] movie and a fairly popular HBO series. 

And, as mixed media, these mission reports don't make much sense beyond an html (or media-rich) presentation. Pictures really can replace 1,000 words. 

I suppose I could collect all of it into a handful of pdfs or epubs or something of the sort once it's all said and done. We'll see.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Cydonian Monk

[0111narwhalz]

19 hours ago, Cydonian Monk said:

first

I'm a bit skeptical of this word when applied to events in this space program. Seriously. I mean, did everyone forget the banana incident already?

[Omegagoldfish]

On 8/22/2016 at 4:12 AM, Drone_Kerbal said:

Another satisfying update! Loving the screenshots, the visual mods you have really make them special. I wonder if Jeb will get up to anything in the next chapter...

I'd be surprised if he didn't. This is Jeb we are talking about here.

[Drone_Kerbal]

11 hours ago, Omegagoldfish said:

I'd be surprised if he didn't. This is Jeb we are talking about here.

Haha, you do have a point there! 

[KAL 9000]

Any updates?