Koviet Space Program (Muna 1, First Munar Flyby)

[Sanic]

  This is a very kerbalized version of the Soviet space program that lasted from 1957-1991. There will be SOME Kerbal States (US) missions, but only during the times when the Koviets aren't doing much. I will try my best to pump out a chapter every couple of days. Since this is my first crack at writing, I would greatly appreciate any criticisms (or compliments). 

Table of Contents
Prelude Part 1 - Twilight Days of Kerbin War II - Late 1345
Prelude Part 2 - The Intermediate Years - 1346
Prelude Part 3 - Hurdles - Late 1356
Prelude Part 4 - So Klose - Mid 1357
Chapter 1 - Beep... Beep... Beep... - Late 1357
Chapter 2 - The Stayputnik Crisis - 5 Days After Stayputnik 1's Launch - Late 1357
Chapter 3 - Living Up to Its Name - Early 1358
Chapter 4 - The Last Stayputnik - 2 Days After Stayputnik 3's Launch Failure - Mid 1358
Chapter 5 - Fly Me To The Mun - Early 1359

Prelude Part 1 - Twilight Days of Kerbin War II - Late 1345

  Kazi Germany, which had once set its sights upon obtaining all the snacks on Kerbin, was soon to be no more. Its kapital city, Kerlin, was surrounded by the mighty armies of the Koviet Union. While the Kazis desperately tried to destroy all the snacks they had hoarded, the Kerbal States were trying to gather up the Kazi rocket scientists that worked on the K-2 rocket, the first missile of sorts. Werhner von Kerman and his missile team had heard of the strict snack confiscation policy imposed by the Koviets, and together they decided that they loved their cheese dip too much to surrender to the Koviets. Desperate to save their snacks, they snuck towards the Kerbal State's army under cover of darkness. After many days of travel through the woods, they finally surrendered to KS forces. The Kerbal States hit the jackpot of rocket scientists. But even the lead rocket scientists in the world could not keep up with a somewhat obscure kerbal that had only recently gotten out of prison.

K-2 rocket, ballistic reentry test, first object to cross the Kérman line

  One year. Sergei Kermanolev had only been out of prison for nearly a year, and was still facing charges for supposedly hiding snacks from the Kommunist Party. Only recently had he failed in attaching SRBs to a fighter plane to boost its clime rate. While he worked on SRB powered planes unsuccessfully under his superior Klushko, the Kazis finally surrendered unconditionally. With the surrender of the Kazis, the Koviet forces captured K-2 rockets that were sent back to Krussia. Kermanolev, Klushko, and other Koviet scientists analyzed the captured rockets and started to draw designs for improved versions. Political tensions rose between the UKKR (Union of Kommunist Kocialist Republiks) and the Kerbal States over how to divide up the old Kazi land. With the future of Kerbin very uncertain, the rocket scientists on both sides worked frantically to develop interkontinental ballistic missiles to attack each other. With the Koviets getting more and more secretive and less open to negotiations with the KS, the Kold War had begun.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

  MOAR.

Prelude Part 2 - The Intermediate Years - 1346

  With the Kold War now in full swing, the KS and UKKR raced to develop larger and larger S-bombs, special bombs designed to rapidly decompose snacks and thus shatter the morale of the enemy. Both sides raced to create missiles that could strike the enemy from interkontinental distances. In 1346, Sergei Kermanolev and other top Koviet rocket scientists were sent to Kermany to develop rockets based on the captured K-2s. Armed with this knowledge, Sergei Kermanolev further developed the K-2 into his K series of rockets, beginning with the K-3. Under pressure from the Kommunist Party, and the military, the early K series rockets were all military missiles designed to carry larger and larger S-bomb charges. But while Kermanolev toiled on the early K series military rockets, the Kerbal States turned their attention to their captured K-2 rockets...

   It wasn't much, but at least they had their cheese dip. Wernher von Kerman looked around his almost barren room. The Kerbal States had shelled as little as they could on the living quarters for the rocket scientists. Werner sighed as he ate his cheese and crackers, taking some comfort in the fact he wasn't captured by the Koviets. Still, he was a prisoner, along with his team, but at least he got to work with rockets. He had heard rumors from some members of his rocketry team that had barely escaped the Koviets about their strict snack policy. Wernher was interruped from his snacking when a KS soldier opened his door and told him they had an important mission planned that would require his expertise in rocketry. Eager to do something, anything really, he agreed to go with the soldier. As he walked towards the launch tower, he noticed the familiar black and white coloring of the K-2 rocket. Wernher asked the soldier, in stiff English, what the rocket was for. The soldier replied "Research." Werner  noticed something being done with the nose cone of the K-2, but before he could ask the soldier what they were doing with the rocket, he was called over by another solder standing near the launchpad to help with the inspection. Wernher asked his fellow scientists what the rocket was for. They didn't know either, but from the looks of things the top nosecone was meant to detatch. Abruptly, the spaceport PA announced 5 minutes until launch, and told all kerbonnel to head to the assigned viewing areas for the historic launch.

  Wernher von Kerman and his fellow scientists were ushered into Mission Control and finally informed about the nature of the mission. Wernher was exhilarated. The Kazis had never allowed him to do such a thing, because of pressures on the K-2 development. Pictures from space! Wernher was about to go outside on the beach naked and dance in joy when he was once again interrupted by the PA.

  10... 9... 8... 7... Wernher reached for the cheese dip only to realize it had all been eaten. Still, the loss of his favorite snack during this great moment could not dampen his mood. 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Ignition! The rocket, with its heavy warhead removed, had an incredible TWR of almost 10, and sprang off the pad on its groundbreaking mission.

  Despite the incredible speed of the launch, it was rather uneventful, and after reaching an apokee of 74km, the booster burned out, and the small nosecone seperated. By this time, the probe was out of sight. The PA announced that all was well, and an apokee of 74km had been reached. After an uneventful yet nail-biting experience, the tiny payload was recovered only a couple kilometers from Kape Kanaveral. After much debate, the coolest looking photo was chosen for press release.

  Back in the Koviet Union, the recent news craze about the first photos from space from a KS rocket finally convinced the Kommunist Party to allow their rocket scientists to made dual-purpose rockets that could function as space launch vehicles and IKBMs. Emphasis was placed on the missile portion, but this did not stop Sergei Kermanolev from developing the most overbuilt IKBM ever. While it was able to be used as an IKBM, Kermanolev had his sights set on space, and cared less about its practical applications as a missile. With the UKKR seemingly eons behind the Kerbal States in rocket technology, Wernher von Kerman and his team worked at a more lax pace, not predicting the massive leaps and bounds the Koviets would make in rocketry technology in the coming years.

 

Edited January 10, 2016 by Sanic

[Parkaboy]

This is great! If I can ask for something, though, I'd like to see the text interspersed with pics. There are mods for soviet parts and even for the KSC, are you planning to use them? They'd make some great visuals!

[Dfthu]

Im really the likening the story so far Sanic. Really loved the S-bomb!

Edited January 8, 2016 by Dfthu

[Sanic]

7 hours ago, Parkaboy said:

This is great! If I can ask for something, though, I'd like to see the text interspersed with pics. There are mods for soviet parts and even for the KSC, are you planning to use them? They'd make some great visuals!

Yes, I actually did the Stayputnik 1 already. Sadly, my computer is more brick than machine, so don't expect anything TOO beautiful.

I am using Tantares and KerbinSide, for the Koviet rockets and the Kaikonour Kosmodrome. 

Edit: I am working on MOAR photos.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

7 hours ago, Dfthu said:

Im really the likening the story so far Sanic. Really loved the S-bomb!

Thank you! That means a lot to me, as a newbie to this writing critchwaft.

[Sanic]

  Even MOAR! Due to the rather sketchy Soviet (and American) information before 1957, I have decided to fastforward some time. All it means is that this will be the last chapter before the launch of Stayputnik 1.

Prelude Part 3 - Hurdles - Late 1356

  After the early success of the Kerbal States' space program, Wernher and his team hit a roadblock. The president of the Kerbal States, Harry K. Kerman, ordered Wernher and his team to build a research-only rocket as to avoid looking like a 'warmonger' using a soon-to-be military missile as a launch vehicle. The Jool-C launcher was now of limits to scientific payload, forcing the Kerbal States to develop a new and more explody rocket into orbit. President Kerman couldn't have chosen a worse time to stop the Jool-C development. President Kerman clearly ate some drugged snacks that day, because right after banning the use of the Jool-C for a satellite, Kerman announced that the KS would put a satellite in orbit during Kerbonational Keophysical Year, meaning that Wernher and his team had until late 1958 to put something in orbit with a completely new rocket.

  Sergei Kermanolev munched on his cabbage glumly, awaiting approval for his newest rocket. So far, all of his other designs had been rejected. As he snacked, he started sketching yet another rocket, anticipating the denial of this one as well. He heard a knock on the door, and the mailkerb handed him a letter bearing the official Koviet seal. Sergei sighed as he opened the letter, but as he read, his entire word was flipped upside-down...

Dear Sergei Kermanolev,

We are happy to inform you your design has been chosen as the best kanidate for the Koviet Union's first IKBM. Its tremendous S-bomb payload and ability to put a small payload in orbit will bring hunger to our enemies and glory to the Koviet Union. Please report to the Kommunist Party of Krussia's headquarters in Koscow for further debriefing at 3am tomorrow. Congragulations.

                                                                                                                                                   -Armed Forces of the Koviet Union

Sergei Kermanolev was elated. His gargantuan K-7 rocket was actually going to be built! For years he and his design bureau toiled away on rockets, with his team getting more and more disgruntled after every denial. Sergei didn't sleep that night, too exited to visit the KPK Building the next day. 

The next day, KPK Building  

A medalled-up general looking kerbal loomed at the front of the long table. "Kermanolev, I'm sure you got the letter we sent you. Your K-7 experimental IKBM/Space launch system has great strategic and propaganda value, so it has been approved for testing and evaluation." drawled the general. "You have been placed in charge of the production of a K-7. The first rocket is to bear a dummy warhead. You will test the dummy IKBM until a reasonable success rate is achieved. Kermanolev, return to your Bureau Headquarters. I have already notified your bureau factory of the approval of the K-7. Production will begin immediately. This meeting is dismissed." Kermanolev felt somewhat odd about being the only one to get up and leave, all eyes in the room on him, but nonetheless he had gotten the go-ahead for K-7 production. The sky wasn't the limit anymore; there were no limits.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Sanic

[fgjordy]

Cant wait till the first moment the KOVIET STATION! will be launched! keep up the good work bro!

[Sanic]

After shamelessly skipping too many years, here comes the real start. Also, just something random, there is a reason why this takes place in the 13th kerbal century.

Prelude Part 4 - So Klose- Mid 1357

  Even with the K-7's approval, Sergei Kermanolev was still under pressure from the Kommunist Party to get his missile working. The first 4 tests had ended up in the dummy payload exploding during terminal descent. The small explosive charge in the front, designed to blow up on impact to destroy the rocket should it go off couse, had detonated to early on all tests due to aerodynamic breakup of the rocket. Determined to get his K-7 Kemyorka operational, to prove its viability as a space launcher (and satisfy the Kommunist Party), he launched yet another K-7, not expecting anything to be different. The launcher was still too new and untested. Sergei head to the mission control, and signaled the countdown.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. Ignition.

3. 2. 1. Liftoff! The rocket veered east towards the target area, all engines roaring at full power. A mere 30 seconds later, the K-7 had cleared the mountains surrounding the Kaikonur Kosmodrome.

  The rocket functioned fine for the next minute, but a small yaw anomaly resulted in the K-7 to change direction a bit too early. The boosters, instead of separating into a nice and neat Kermanolev cross, flew wildly into the airstream. (I will be sure to get a nice pic of the Kermanolev cross for the Stayputnik 1 launch, which I am redoing) The rocket's yaw anomaly was corrected by the computer soon after and the rocket continued to burn at an angle to reach its target zone, which was right next to the Kral Mountains.

After reaching an apokee of 40km, the rocket descended on course, to its target site. After an unstable descent, the missile hit the ground at a mere 50 m/s (due to the wild flipping during reentry). Telemetry stopped, and the mission was deemed a success despite the wild flipping, as if the K-7 had actually had its S-bomb equipped all snacks in the area would still be destroyed.

  With the recent success of the K-7, Sergei Kermanolev was confident in the rocket's ability to put a payload in orbit before the Kerbal States. A small and simple probe named Stayputnik (a subtle nod to the first test flight of the K-7, where mere seonds after ignition the entire rocket blew up) would be put in orbit and beep a menacing beep for all of Kerbin to hear, to bring notice to the Koviet's expertise in space beepers.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2016 by Sanic

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, Sanic said:

After shamelessly skipping too many years, here comes the real start. Also, just something random, there is a reason why this takes place in the 13th kerbal century.

So Close - Mid 1357

  Even with the K-7's approval, Sergei Kermanolev was still under pressure from the Kommunist Party to get his missile working. The first 4 tests had ended up in the dummy payload exploding during terminal descent. The small explosive charge in the front, designed to blow up on impact to destroy the rocket should it go off couse, had detonated to early on all tests due to aerodynamic breakup of the rocket. Determined to get his K-7 Kemyorka operational, to prove its viability as a space launcher (and satisfy the Kommunist Party), he launched yet another K-7, not expecting anything to be different. The launcher was still too new and untested. Sergei head to the mission control, and signaled the countdown.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. Ignition.

3. 2. 1. Liftoff! The rocket veered east towards the target area, all engines roaring at full power. A mere 30 seconds later, the K-7 had cleared the mountains surrounding the Kaikonur Kosmodrome.

  The rocket functioned fine for the next minute, but a small yaw anomaly resulted in the K-7 to change direction a bit too early. The boosters, instead of separating into a nice and neat Kermanolev cross, flew wildly into the airstream. (I will be sure to get a nice pic of the Kermanolev cross for the Stayputnik 1 launch, which I am redoing) The rocket's yaw anomaly was corrected by the computer soon after and the rocket continued to burn at an angle to reach its target zone, which was right next to the Kral Mountains.

After reaching an apokee of 40km, the rocket descended on course, to its target site. After an unstable descent, the missile hit the ground at a mere 50 m/s (due to the wild flipping during reentry). Telemetry stopped, and the mission was deemed a success despite the wild flipping, as if the K-7 had actually had its S-bomb equipped all snacks in the area would still be destroyed.

  With the recent success of the K-7, Sergei Kermanolev was confident in the rocket's ability to put a payload in orbit before the Kerbal States. A small and simple probe named Stayputnik (a subtle nod to the first test flight of the K-7, where mere seonds after ignition the entire rocket blew up) would be put in orbit and beep a menacing beep for all of Kerbin to hear, to bring notice to the Koviet's expertise in space beepers.

 

 

You should have said so klose.

[Sanic]

50 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

You should have said so klose.

Well, not everything starts with a k. Just the important words. Hmm... there is an edit button...

*shamelessly takes suggestion*

It also works as a story tie in, seeing as this chapter is about the K-7 Kemyorka.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

6 hours ago, fgjordy said:

Cant wait till the first moment the KOVIET STATION! will be launched! keep up the good work bro!

Unfortunately you will have to wait until 1371, or a couple weeks, though at my current pace it could be a wee bit sooner. I think we all know what the station's going to be called

 

Edited January 10, 2016 by Sanic

[Sanic]

  Hmm. I appear to be replying in a bumping manner. No matter, I'll just add another chapter. The first 4 have been rebranded as 'prelude' as they were really just setting the stage. So, without further ado, here comes the true beginning of the Kerbal Space Race: The launch of Stayputnik 1.

Chapter 1 - Beep... Beep... Beep... - Late 1357

  The Stayputnik was a straightforward design meant only to demonstrate the Koviet capability of orbity beepy things (officially known as satellites). A small avionics package and batteries were packed into a metal sphere, where four Communotron 16s were fastened onto the side to transmit the menacing beeps. In a single Kerbal month, the Stayputnik 1 was tested and approved for launch atop the barely tested K-7. Sergei Kermanolev was feeling more confident about this launch than any other, despite the K-7 having only worked once before, and that K-7 being a slightly older model than the one being used for this launch. The Stayputnik was the future of kerbalkind; it practically defined the 'caution to the wind' attitude of all future Koviet missions. The K-7 stood at the Launchpad, fully fueled and ready to take its tiny payload into orbit. Sergei gave the signal to start the launch, and watched the countdown timer from mission control.

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... Ignition! 3... 2... 1... Launch!

Sergei watched as his K-7 soared into the heavens, underway on its mission to make history.

  Everything was fine as the rocket cleared the mountain range surrounding the Kaikonur Kosmodrome.

 Booster separation was normal, as there were no navigation anomalies of any kind on this flight. The boosters separated whilst on the correct course and thus formed a shape dubbed the 'Kermanolev Kross'.

40 seconds after booster separation, the K-7 began its orbital insertion powered by the sustainer kore engine.

 
After reaching an apokee of 107 km, the rocket turned towards Kerbin to keep its apokee from getting too far away, since the engine could not be re-ignited. After doing this until the apokee of 97 km, the rocket once again turned, this time to the normal orientation to finalize the orbit insertion.

Sergei Kermanolev watched the probe telemetry closely. The periapsis was quickly rising. -300km... -200km... -100km... Sergei couldn't believe it. His thrown-together probe, Stayputnik 1, which had been strapped onto a barely tested rocket, had worked almost perfectly. Now safely on orbit, there was only 1 thing that could go possibly wrong at this point.

Sergei held his breath, unsure that the probe would separate correctly despite the complete success of everything up until this point. The radio, which was tuned to Stayputnik's frequency, suddenly started emitting ominous beeps. This could mean only one thing: Sputnik was a success, and the Koviet Union had forever etched its name into the history books by being the first to put a satellite in orbit.

As Sergei celebrated, he and his fellow scientists kept an eye on Stayputnik's telemetry, to calculate which country would be hearing the beeps from space. A mere 10 minutes after probe separation, Stayputnik 1 passed over the southern part of the Kerbal States.

  20 minutes later, the team determined Stayputnik 1 was seeing its first sunrise from orbit. Having no cameras onboard, the Koviets were left to imagine what the view was like from orbit.

  Stayputnik 1 would continue to transmit its menacing beep across Kerbin for many months to come. These beeps would soon have a profound effect on the history of Kerbin itself.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Sanic

[fgjordy]

So history has been made ah?... :3

[lajoswinkler]

beep, beep, beep, beep

[Sanic]

1 hour ago, lajoswinkler said:

beep, beep, beep, beep

beep beep beep beep

[SpaceplaneAddict]

beep beep beep beep beep beep.

[Guest]

According to the mod, that's actually dontstayputnik.

[Sanic]

47 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

According to the mod, that's actually dontstayputnik.

According to what mod?

Unrelated: Announcement to readers: I will try to churn out at least 1 chapter a day from now on. 

Edited January 11, 2016 by Sanic

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Sanic said:

According to what mod?

Unrelated: Announcement to readers: I will try to churn out at least 1 chapter a day from now on. 

There's a mod that adds a staypunik without the base and is called the dontstayputnik. I'm pretty sure that that's what you used, as I see no base in the picture. 

[Sanic]

43 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

There's a mod that adds a staypunik without the base and is called the dontstayputnik. I'm pretty sure that that's what you used, as I see no base in the picture. 

  I used a procedural probe, since I don't like part clipping, and to get the proper battery life on a regular Stayputnik Mk. 1 I would have to clip in 16 battery packs. In any case my Stayputnik is custom  

[fgjordy]

When comes the next chapter?

[Sanic]

14 minutes ago, fgjordy said:

When comes the next chapter?

Later today, maybe around 6pm.

You know, school and whatnot

 

[fgjordy]

where u from? Here its 10 pm right now going to bed soon xd 

[Sanic]

1 hour ago, fgjordy said:

where u from? Here its 10 pm right now going to bed soon xd 

California. Time at last comment was around 1pm. I'm guessing you're somewhere in Europe?