DMSP-The beginning of a space program. [Final Chapter] Chapter 33-When the clock hits zero.

[DMSP]

@max_creative I got Wifi sooner, so here is:

Chapter 17-Kathena Space Industries.

By this time, Mort was looking for some more funds. He wanted to look back where Val found some in like Chapter-1 or something, but after Bill had put some more paneling on the Fourth Wall he was unable to remember what Chapter-1 was.

He went to the nearest town, Darmstadtium (named because it had a mine of, well, Darmstadtium) and went around looking for private companys looking for space launches. Since this was the nearest town to the spaceport it was only logical someone would be there. After walking for about 2 hours, he sat in Uranocene Cafe. Apparently they had some cake with Uranocene in it, the only place on Kerbin.

How is this legal? He thought to himself.

But it wasn't all in vain, for two reasons.

First, the Uranocene cake was good.

And second, there was a company, Kathena Space Industries, and they already had two CubeSats prepared for space. They were only looking for a way to launch them.

A rough payload was stuck together, and a quick Equatorial Relay Satellite was added on the Top. This was all placed on a Black Sparrow which lifted off in a cloud of smoke.

The first stage did its job well, pushing 7,000 Meters, and the second stage punched the stack, named Private-1 to orbit.

A few last minute maneuvers were made, but then the engine bell was separated and the Relay Sat was prepared for deployment.

"This is Gene to Separation, you are clear for Satellite deployment."

The Antenna on the Satellite deployed, but soon after something went wrong. One Solar Panel would not deploy, and the two "Ants" only ignited for half a second.

KSC lost contact moments later. From Private-1, a small video was sent back, showing the Relay Sat tumbling in the Distance.

Failure behind, the CubeSats were now ready. They were named Hera-1 and Hera-2 by KSI.

Hera-1 separated cleanly, only tumbling a little bit, but that was steadied soon after.

About a minute later, Hera-2 separated and floated out of the Structural Fuselage.

The now empty shell of Private-1 was abandoned. Maybe some Kerbal would one day come and take it apart for Scrap.

Back at KSC, Bill asked for a flight in KSC's newest aircraft, the Experimental-3+. After waiting in the Administration Office, he noticed one of the ground crew parking it outside.

Bill taxied to the runway and lifted off. His mission: Identity all pieces of Debris left by Jeb's failed spaceplane launch.

It was a good day to fly, and the plane worked perfectly.

The closest piece of Debris was a Booster. Not much. How it survived the fall was questionable.

Bill then began his turnover to the next piece, probably also a booster.

Unfortunately it didn't end up like that. The Experimental-3+ nosedived into the bay.

Some VAB staff relaxing at the beach watched in horror as a massive splash went up. They waited to see a few wing panels floating, and nothing left of Bill.

But somehow, a miracle happened and the cockpit was alright.

Bill opened the canopy and swam out, looking in shame at the aircraft.

Rather, what was left of it.

Oh well. This isn't the last we'll be seeing of this.

Edited March 21, 2016 by DMSP

[Mister Dilsby]

8 hours ago, DMSP said:

Oh well. This isn't the last we'll be seeing of this.

FOR N=1 TO 10000  LET MISSION=["Experimental-N+1, your mission is to recover all the pieces of Experimental-N"] DO

[DMSP]

52 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

FOR N=1 TO 10000  LET MISSION=["Experimental-N+1, your mission is to recover all the pieces of Experimental-N"] DO

Lemme ask first.

Wut?

[Mister Dilsby]

1 minute ago, DMSP said:

Wut?

I guess my 1980's vintage C64 programming structure is out of date... it means that the mission of each new Experimental plane is to find the pieces of the previous one with the next lower number.  

[DMSP]

3 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

I guess my 1980's vintage C64 programming structure is out of date... it means that the mission of each new Experimental plane is to find the pieces of the previous one with the next lower number.  

Ah I get it now! [X-N+1=Recover=X-N-1]. Sorry. Brain Fart.

[RocketSquid]

Or, in python:

ships = {1:Ship(Model="Experimental", number=n+1)}

for n in range(1000):

   ship=Ship(model="Experimental", number=n+1)

   ships[n+1]=ship

   ship.mission=recover(ships[n])

 

[Bev7787]

Structural fuselage cubesat deployment? Reminds me of my reddit post...

[DMSP]

2 hours ago, Bev7787 said:

Structural fuselage cubesat deployment? Reminds me of my reddit post...

Really! It would be awesome to see.

I've been using the tactic ever since I noticed that the Structural Fuselage was hollow! It's been amazing! Chairs, Airlocks, the possibilities are endless!

[Bev7787]

What I did was strap that and an engine/fuel pack onto a kickback, orbit, ditch the pack and release the probe

[DMSP]

A note to all, I changed the title from DMSP-The Story of a Space Program to DMSP-The beginning of a Space Program.

The reason is I will be continuing this, but in multiple parts. I think "The Beginning" will finish at Chapter 30-40.

[DMSP]

Just added a Table of Contents. Should make navigating this site easier.

But before we start today's chapter, let me warn you guys, Chapter 18 is the longest yet!

Chapter 18-The Next Big Thing.

Docking. It's what Jeb had set out to do. But he ended up hitting the atmosphere at 1600 m/s after his launch vehicle failed miserably.

So Val stepped up. She hadn't been in orbit yet, so it was her turn. Her turn to make history.

"Val, launch window is in 12 seconds. On my mark".

12 anxious seconds later, the mark came. With only 9 seconds in the launch window, Val got right to it.

Rene-vouse-2 lifted off, leaving behind smoke, a scorched launch pad, and about 164 Kerbals looking up in awe.

In only a few minutes, Val dumped the empty boosters and began her gravity turn.

The Rene Target Spacecraft zipped overhead, and Val began to catch up.

She soon ditched the empty (but very useful) First Stage. Then the makeshift escape tower rocketed off. What a good riddance.

Val pulled into orbit. She depressurized the capsule and "stepped" outside. She was in awe. It was one good view.

As the KSC Slipped below the horizon, Val settled into her capsule for a nap. It was going to be a long day...

Four hours later, Val made the final retrograde slowdown burns. She was heading right towards the Rene Target Spacecraft.

First it was a speck. Then a dot. Then the size of a brick.

But there it was, the Rene Target Spacecraft!

Val set up her docking port with the forward docking port of Rene and began the final approach.

Only a few meters and history would take place.

Just 3 meters for Val.

2.

1.

0.5!

And then they docked. Mission control went up in celebration.

Kerbals cheered at their TV screens. History had been made. Someone had finally docked.

Val did another EVA. She looked down at her planet, and then towards Kerbol. She saw Eve, a small purple dot. Moho, of course, was far too close to their home star to be seen, but she imagined it there anyways.

Val, after only 2 days, ran out of stuff to do. She told Mission Control she was burning to land.

She undocked from Rene and fired retrograde, marking the beginning of the end of a brilliant mission.

Using the standard "Spin Clearance", Val watched as the stars disappeared.

"I'll be back!" She yelled as Rene-Vouse-2 entered Kerbin's atmosphere.

She endured the grueling reentry, overshooting the KSC.

She watched as she slowed down, hitting the parachute deploy button, and splashed down, 90.5 Kilometers from the KSC.

Val transmitted her coordinators, allowing Gene to send Jeb off on another Pickup flight.

Using their Velocitize (with floats strapped on the bottom), Jeb set course for Val's capsule and began his flight over.

As he flew over Insular Airfield, he got in contact with Val.

"Alright Val, I'm coming to pick you up! See you in a few!" He told her.

"Sure, but don't crash the plane..."

About 19 Minutes later, and with exactly Half the fuel he started with, Jeb cut the engines and began the descent glide.

He then splashed down a kilometer from Val's capsule.

"Val! You are going to need to take a swim."

"Hey Jeb! You didn't crash!"

"Later. We need to get back now."

So Jeb took off and set course for home.

Val looked out her window, remembering the view outside her capsule only an hour ago. The black background sprinkled with salt. That's what it looked like. What a view. She knew she would be back.

With about 3 units of fuel, Jeb began landing procedures and touched down on the runway. The ground crews scrambled to recover the aircraft.

Val walked back to the Astronaut Complex. She was greeted by an intern, some guy who she couldn't remember. She walked past the centrifuge tester, up to level 2, and into her room.

Then she smiled. Another great mission done. The new age of exploration had finally begun.

[galaxyguy]

This thread is dead Now Please continue it Please?

[DMSP]

2 hours ago, galaxyguy said:

This thread is dead Now Please continue it Please?

No! It's not dead at all. There was a bit of Motivation Lackness (excuse that English) but I guess I can get chapter 19 up soon.

I have a bit of work to do so not right now, but soon. Soon.

[galaxyguy]

15 hours ago, DMSP said:

No! It's not dead at all. There was a bit of Motivation Lackness (excuse that English) but I guess I can get chapter 19 up soon.

I have a bit of work to do so not right now, but soon. Soon.

YAY thanks!

 

Is an enemy space agency is a possible idea?

 

Maybe Krussians

 

Edited April 15, 2016 by galaxyguy

[DMSP]

7 hours ago, galaxyguy said:

Is an enemy space agency is a possible idea?

Well, I'll say one thing, not anytime soon. But that's all I'll say...

[DMSP]

@galaxyguy You wanted this, so here's the next chapter! Suborbital spaceplanes for the win!

Chapter 19-The Brave.

The failure of Jeb's spaceplane launch, X-3-L, was most unfortunate. It was lucky Jeb and the spaceplane survived.

But for Val, it gave her the chance to wait for a few technological advances she needed and eventually she got a launch reserved for her craft, the Experimental 4-L, a.k.a X-4-L.

The lifter Val was launching on was truly something special. Everything on this launch, apart from the fuel and the fairing, could be reused and saved.

"Val, good luck." Was all Jeb said before the launch. He was pretty bummed on not getting to be the first spaceplane pilot. He'd get over it though. Chances are he would probably be the first on the Mün or Minmus. Maybe even Duna.

Val looked carefully at the patterns on the fairing. They almost looked like wood. She was given the clearance for launch, but didn't even hear it at first because of her concentration on the fairing.

It was time to launch.

Off it went. The rocket shot off into the skies, powered by six of the most powerful engines in business. It was also a test for the 3.75 meter fuel tanks they would soon be using.

It carried on upwards. It would need no extra stages, this was a Single Stage To Suborbit. Not the biggest accomplishment, but it was cheap.

Within 2 minutes, the engines automatically shut down. But not before they had put Val on a course towards space.

The fairing staged, revealing the now familiar shape of the X-4.

Soon the craft was in space. Val was officially the first Spaceplane pilot.

Val then gave the command to ditch the first stage. This is where the real fun began.

The X-4-L is very light and has a lot of lift surfaces, meaning that even without engines on, it can glide well at high altitudes. So, it descended much slower than the booster, which began dropping quite fast.

Val then set course for a glide-around and would then ignite the jets and fly home.

The booster, finally slow enough, deployed its four parachutes.

It was going to be a rough landing, but there was one last trick in the book.

Val had saved a bit of fuel in the booster, allowing for flight controllers to do a suicide burn and touch down softly at only 3 m/s.

Of course, the booster had other ideas and tipped over.

Meanwhile, Val was finally beginning her landing approach.

The runway was all clear, and a few Kerbals lined up along it, waiting patiently in the afternoon breeze, which rustled along the tarmac, cooling the asphalt from the heat of the sun.

She was now home free. Nothing could stop her. Val was home.

She flew over the waiting Kerbals, who looked up in wonder at the new Spaceplane Pilot. A first in kerbalkind.

Val then taxied the X-4-L to the SPH to be painted off and fully fueled, should it go out again.

The sun soon began to set on the booster, which would be recovered the next day. Mission sucsess.

 

The next launch booked was number 49. This launch was a light-medium one, and would play a critical role in the next mission. It needed to work.

It really did. The Solid Rocket Boosters preformed incredibly well, boosting the payload, which was a "Stage Tug" into space.

The second stage then finished the job and brought it into a stable, circular orbit.

The next week was the big week.

Launch 50.

And it would be one launch, with one mission riding on its back.

Val hung on in her chair. She was facing downwards, towards Bill, and it was getting uncomfortable. The harness straps holding her down seemed to want to snap any minute.

Bill also wasn't that excited, but heck, they were going to make history today.

5. 4. 3. Main Engine Start. 1. Liftoff!

The lifter shot up into the air. Bill was pushed into his seat and Val was pushed out of hers.

The first stage ran dry soon enough, so the second stage took over to bring the craft into space.

After the escape tower was ditched, the third stage then did the final work of bringing Val and Bill on a rendezvous with the Stage Tug.

It started getting closer and closer. Val fired the engines to slow down and then ditched the third stage, ready to dock.

The spacecraft lined up. Val took control of the Tug and pointed it at them.

Only a few meters now.

 

We must wait to see what happens!

Edited April 17, 2016 by DMSP
Premature post.

[DMSP]

Alright, just updated this. Sorry guys, didn't mean to post this and then forget to edit it for hours. Full chapter is up!

[UnusualAttitude]

Congratulations for designing the first spaceplane that can also double as a door wedge. Great stuff ! 

[DMSP]

8 hours ago, UnusualAttitude said:

Congratulations for designing the first spaceplane that can also double as a door wedge. Great stuff ! 

Thanks! I wonder if I can use it at the SPH... Or the VAB.

[galaxyguy]

The lights on the capsule were Pink!

[DMSP]

4 hours ago, galaxyguy said:

The lights on the capsule were Pink!

Say what now?

[Cydonian Monk]

That cheesewedge spaceplane looks cool. (And I'm not saying that just because I'm hungry and stuck at home on a newly formed island without anything to eat except peanuts....)

[DMSP]

7 minutes ago, Cydonian Monk said:

That cheesewedge spaceplane looks cool. (And I'm not saying that just because I'm hungry and stuck at home on a newly formed island without anything to eat except peanuts....)

Thanks!

Hey, Peanuts are cool too! Should I make new food shaped aircraft to fill your desires?

[Cydonian Monk]

17 minutes ago, DMSP said:

Thanks!

Hey, Peanuts are cool too! Should I make new food shaped aircraft to fill your desires?

Mmmm. Flying peanuts. Bonus: autmotaically get cooked on the way back into the atmosphere. 

[DMSP]

1 minute ago, Cydonian Monk said:

Mmmm. Flying peanuts. Bonus: autmotaically get cooked on the way back into the atmosphere. 

Deal. Stay tuned.

Also, 100 Posts!

Thank you to all my readers.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!