From Kerbin, Onwards! - A "Realism-Inspired" History of the KSP

[Budgie]

From Kerbin, Onwards!

A "Realism-Inspired" History of the KSP

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So an introduction: You can see from my join date vs. post count that I'm a big time lurker. I've been playing KSP since forever, but only recently got it into my head to write something about it. I write okay, but fiction isn't my strong suite. So I decided to write a "history" of the Kerbal Space Program as it exists in my mind. Think Eyes Turned Skywards, but of course, on Kerbin. Things will be reminiscent of real life, but no real countries, rockets, astronauts or space programs will be harmed in the making of this history. The story begins at the completion of the Kerbal Space Centre as we know it in the sandbox game, following the first landings of Kerbalkind on the Mun. There will be highs, there will be lows, there will be (some) pictures, there will be way too many commas, and there will be really boring parts as I go on way too much about something that you don't care about. Through it all, however, we'll go From Kerbin, Onwards!

A Note: I use A LOT of mods. Aesthetics is important to my play style, and frankly the stock look is not attractive to me. So let me know if you want to know where a certain part comes from and I'll dig through my GameData to find it for you. I have plans to release .craft files of the lifter family that will feature heavily in this story. I'll make sure to trim down the parts on those rockets so that you can use it without downloading my entire mod library.

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Chapter 1 - Auspicious Beginnings

From its wingman, a "Peregrine" astronaut trainer and chase plane is seen flying over the KSC

Day 1, Year 1. For a species that values scientific inquiry as much as Kerbalkind does, landing a small crew of three on the surface of another celestial body was the crowning achievement in a series of events marking the Global Keophysical Year, a year’s worth of increased funding for and awareness of the planet’s scientific organisations.
    Following the Kerbal Space Program’s greatest achievement in its twenty year history, the agency was riding high on its success. A series of flawless landings on Kerbin’s two moons followed that fateful first touchdown. These missions demonstrated the agency’s technical mastery of spaceflight, a step beyond its former reputation for callous underengineering and lack of safety. Flags were planted, data retrieved, and the KSP secured its position as the undisputed leader of the Kerbal scientific community.
    Global support for the agency quickly grew, amongst both the Kerbals and their governments, and what was once an oft-ignored branch of a mid-sized country’s military became the flagship international scientific organisation. Multiple countries committed their support, pledging budding astronaut applicants, various sizes of lifters (many still developed from ICBMs, a carry over from the recently diffused political climate), and skilled engineers and technicians.
    The new hardware and manpower flocked to a small coastal plain well-situated for the planet’s newest and most capable spaceport. Although the number of flights launched drastically decreased in the few years that the centre underwent construction, the finished location was something to behold. From a tiny airstrip located far from any major centres of commerce or scientific study arose a state-of-the-art research and launch facility, attracting scientists, engineers, technicians and, yes, administrators by the hundreds. 

A "Condor" heavy cargo aircraft unloads its payload of spare parts for the Research Plane program. Another Condor taxis off the runway and prepares to discharge its own cargo

    Three launchpads, each with a vertical assembly facility stood in a row, ensuring small and medium class lifters would never need to wait for available launch infrastructure. The clean pad design ensured any vehicle could be launched from the pad, a must for the new international entity. Alongside the pads, two runways provided the facility with connections to the rest of the globe, and the ability to continue crucial aerodynamics research. Rumours hinting at returning a vehicle from orbit to the runway were even silently shared amongst the centre’s population. The possibilities were endless, all of space beckoned to Kerbalkind from beyond the gateway that was the KSC.

"Peregrine" trainer aircraft are common sights at KSC, shuttling astronauts to and from other KSP centres. Astronaut Bob Kerman takes this photo of the KSC from the rear seat. 

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That's chapter 1. Not a lot of action yet, but I promise a rocket launch tomorrow!