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Through Hardships to the Stars [Chapter 32 - Something Big II]

TheEpicSquared

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Mister Dilsby

Mister Dilsby

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6 hours ago, TheEpicSquared said:

I am?? I'm really sorry @Kuzzter, I haven't got around to reading your stories yet so I didn't know! I promise I didn't steal your ideas. Hope you don't mind... :blush: 

Oh no, they're just talking about the Tropes page which I also reference quite a bit. And of course the reason they're Tropes is that everyone uses them :) 

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TheEpicSquared

TheEpicSquared

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On 11/24/2016 at 2:24 AM, Kuzzter said:

Oh no, they're just talking about the Tropes page which I also reference quite a bit. And of course the reason they're Tropes is that everyone uses them :) 

This post is also no longer needed

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TheEpicSquared

TheEpicSquared

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CHAPTER 19: SOLAR TRUSSES

SpaceLab was getting quite big. And that meant that it was consuming a lot of power. The 2 solar arrays on the original module just weren't keeping up. So 2 solar trusses were built.wg57H7I.png

When deployed, the 6 giant panels produced more than enough power for the whole station. When not deployed, the trusses could easily fit inside a standard fairing.nnix1G7.png

It was decided that 2 would be launched at once, in case on truss failed. Both trusses were bolted onto the trusty Cormorant A-0.uiEtTVM.png

As with every SpaceLab-related mission, the launch occurred at the Western Continent Launch Facility (WCLF) [that's the old KSC, I accidentally named it the Eastern Continent Lauch Facility in previous chapters. It will be called Western Continent Launch Facility from now on].XDRu15r.png

The rocket executed its gravity turn perfectly as it rose past the mountaintops.nyF7OrQ.png

As the air thinned, the first stage Mainsail pushed the rocket upwards and sideways even faster.rdxDUcD.png

Then the first stage ran out of propellant, detached and the second stage ignited.y475kF5.png

A few minutes later, the circularization burn began.8MmFf3f.png

And soon the spacecraft was in a stable orbit.1Fgy8sx.png

A rendezvous was set.STxeRW3.png

Soon the spacecraft was closing in on the station.fLLKs8N.png

The first solar truss separated from the station just under a kilometer from the station and maneuvered itself in with its own thrusters.Lgut9sQ.png

JgimLTJ.png

As Kerbol set below the horizon, the first truss began its final docking procedure.LNnC7WG.png

A few seconds later, the magnetic force of the docking ports pulled the truss safely into the docking port of SpaceLab.oqCbBOg.png

Before the second truss could be attached, the Brumby CSM had to be moved to another docking port, because it was taking up the docking port for the second truss. Obkin Kerman strapped himself into the pod and carefully maneuvered around from SpaceLab.Qdatkhb.png

He also snapped a picture.SNBwVOK.png

Obkin lined up and docked expertly.rYlwvBk.png

Now, the second truss could move into position.vkNqGNi.png

As Kerbol silently appeared, the truss closed in.HvuxL2s.png

A couple minutes later, it docked successfully.yAseSXI.png

The upper stage was then deorbited and was left to suffer a fiery demise.xMhffPE.png

And so another successful mission for the KSP was completed, and SpaceLab looked better than ever.Ig3OWf8.png

***

Back at the tracking station, Amelie Kerman sipped her koffee and looked at the image KEOSAT-1 had taken just a couple of days before. The picture was a bit grainy, but the structure was unmistakable. 

Jebediah Kerman, meanwhile, was at the astronaut complex, sipping his koffee and investigating the same image with a magnifying glass. He moved the lens around the picture to see if he could find anything that would explain the craft. But he couldn't. There was only one thing he knew for certain.

Amelie and Jeb said it aloud at exactly the same time, even though they were in two separate buildings.

"That thing is alien."

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TheEpicSquared

TheEpicSquared

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I've updated the Grand Plan:

PRESENT DAY:

  • Reusable Space Transportation System (RSTS) development
  • SpaceLab Botany Module (BM) launch
  • Kerballed Mun Mission using Brumby Mk2 CSM & Kondor Lander (Mun Ex-2)
  • Kerballed Minmus Mission using Brumby CSM & Kondor Lander (Minmus Ex-1)
  • Sightseer Space Telescope (SST) launch
  • Gamma Ray Observational Space Telescope (GROST) launch
  • Nuclear Propulsion Test Demonstrator  (NPTD) launch

 

DUNA TRANSFER WINDOW 1 START:

  • Duna Polar Reconnaissance Orbiter (DPRO) launch
  • Duna Kuriosity rover launch
  • Duna Opportunity rover launch
  • Duna Polar Resource Scanning Satellite (DPRSS) launch
  • Duna ISRU Proof of Concept rover launch
  • Duna ComSat network launch
  • Duna Sample Return Mission (DSRM) launch
  • Ike Polar Resource Scanning Satellite (IPRSS) launch
  • Ike ComSat network
  • Ike Spirit rover launch

DUNA TRANSFER WINDOW 1 END

 

KERBIN RETURN WINDOW 1 START:

  • Duna Sample Return Mission (DSRM) return to Kerbin
  • SL Ex-2 return
  • SL Ex-3 launch using Brumby CSM
  • SL Ex-4 launch using Brumby CSM
  • Kerballed Mun Mission using Brumby Mk2 CSM & Kondor Lander (Mun Ex-3)
  • Kerballed Minmus Mission using Brumby Mk2 CSM & Kondor Lander (Minmus Ex-2)
  • SL Ex-3 return
  • SL Ex-5 launch using Brumby CSM
  • SL Ex-4 return
  • SL Ex-5 return
  • Duna Orbital Vehicle (DOV) tests in LKO
  • Duna Descent/Landing/Ascent Vehicle (DDLAV) tests in LKO
  • SL Ex-6 launch using RSTS
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TheEpicSquared

TheEpicSquared

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CHAPTER 20: GILLY

Hardfield Kerman was sorting through the ridiculously large pile of papers on his desk. We have to land the Pompadour 1 Munar Survey landers from Kosmos Interplanetary Dynamics, land the second Korona Lite return capsule from KOS-1, find some time for the nuclear engine test... He sighed and sipped his tea. 

As he put down his cup, an urgent series of knocks could be heard, and a voice called, "Hardfield? Can I come in? It's an emergency!"

Hardfield replied, "Come on in... oh, hi Lodfurt. What's up?" Lodfurt was the new head of Celestial Tracking.

Lodfurt, out of breath, panted, "Ten minutes ago, I arrived at the tracking station, where I saw something... something astonishing!" He passed a picture over the desk to Hardfield.UzPFKGh.png

"Oh SQUAD... Gilly? How the hell did Kerbin capture Gilly?"

Lodfurt replied shakily, "We have no idea, Hardfield. Our only guess is that something ejected Gilly out of Eve's orbit and Kerbin happened to capture it..."

"But our simulations predicted that the Kerbol system would be stable for millions of years! What could cause this? Anything big enough to pull Gilly out of Eve's SoI would have been picked up by telescopes... right?"

"Unless it's hidden," Lodfurt said.

"Hidden? What do you mean. You mean... invisible?"

Lodfurt silently passed over another picture, the one Jeb and Amelie had taken with KEOSAT-1.

"A few days ago, Jeb and an intern called Amelie were in the tracking station doing the night shift when they happened to access the live video feed of KEOSAT-1. At that moment, what you are seeing passed by."

"That isn't ours," replied Hardfield simply. "And it's huge."

"Exactly. And after it passed, we detected that KEOSAT-1's orbit had changed. We used up a lot of propellant bringing it back to keostationary alititude."

"Wait... you're saying that thing somehow put Gilly into a stable orbit around Kerbin?"

"I simply don't know, Hardfield. But what I do know is that we should launch a probe!"

So the Gilly 1 was built. It was a tiny lander for a tiny moon.w6fSX8B.png

VMARwMQ.png

It was bolted onto the trusty Cormorant A-0 booster.l3IO6hC.png

It launched in the late afternoon, as Kerbol descended towards the horizon.b2vFMRz.png

The second stage fired when the first stage ran out of fuel. 8jMWSsV.png

A few minutes later a circularization burn was conducted.wbtuYBg.png

After reaching a stable orbit, an encounter for Gilly was set.csHhLmU.png

The engine fired one orbit later to complete the maneuver.XoPfMAb.png

And an encounter was confirmed.UyaS4KK.png

A Gilly Orbit Insertion (GOI) was also planned.Dkmxs6R.png

The GOI was carried out at Gilly periapsis.TbHkxeA.png

And soon the Gilly 1 was in orbit.WrxUDg7.png

Then, Gilly 1 separated from the upper stage. 0wbLanV.png

Its RCS system fired and put it onto a suborbital trajectory.3LMPKps.png

The RCS fired again to slow it down.zZIWTG9.png

Gilly 1 approached the surface painfully slowly, and the RCS fired to slow it down even more.AiPiiZK.png

A few meters above the surface, the RCS shut off and Gilly 1 touched down at a measly 0.4 meters per second.vbaQKJj.png

After collecting some scientific readings, Gilly 1 launched itself back into space to move to a different biome. While it was floating in space it captured an incredible picture of Kerbin.Ybfw7ew.png

More and more of Kerbin was blocked by Gilly as the probe descended.N4SkWEj.png

The probe touched down once again. Facing one direction, Kerbol had just set behind Gilly.gmWi49K.png

And on the other direction, Kerbin was peeking out from behind the surface.X1iD1dB.png

***

With the Gilly 1 mission a success, Hardfield had to change some things in the Grand Plan. The most significant changes were the addition of a crewed mission to Gilly and the decision that the circumnavigation mission (dubbed the Elcano mission) would not be on Kerbin. Instead it would be on Gilly.

 

 

 

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering how I got Gilly into Kerbin orbit, I used HyperEdit.

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TheEpicSquared

TheEpicSquared

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I've updated the Grand Plan yet again!:

PRESENT DAY:

  • Reusable Space Transportation System (RSTS) development
  • Gilly Elcano mission rover development
  • Kerballed Gilly Mission using Brumby Mk2.5 CSM (Gilly Ex-1)
  • SpaceLab Botany Module (BM) launch
  • Kerballed Mun Mission using Brumby Mk2 CSM & Kondor Lander (Mun Ex-2)
  • Kerballed Minmus Mission using Brumby CSM & Kondor Lander (Minmus Ex-1)
  • Sightseer Space Telescope (SST) launch
  • Gamma Ray Observational Space Telescope (GROST) launch
  • Nuclear Propulsion Test Demonstrator  (NPTD) launch

 

DUNA TRANSFER WINDOW 1 START:

  • Duna Polar Reconnaissance Orbiter (DPRO) launch
  • Duna Kuriosity rover launch
  • Duna Opportunity rover launch
  • Duna Polar Resource Scanning Satellite (DPRSS) launch
  • Duna ISRU Proof of Concept rover launch
  • Duna ComSat network launch
  • Duna Sample Return Mission (DSRM) launch
  • Ike Polar Resource Scanning Satellite (IPRSS) launch
  • Ike ComSat network
  • Ike Spirit rover launch

DUNA TRANSFER WINDOW 1 END

 

KERBIN RETURN WINDOW 1 START:

  • Duna Sample Return Mission (DSRM) return to Kerbin
  • SL Ex-2 return
  • SL Ex-3 launch using Brumby CSM
  • SL Ex-4 launch using Brumby CSM
  • Kerballed Mun Mission using Brumby Mk2 CSM & Kondor Lander (Mun Ex-3)
  • Kerballed Minmus Mission using Brumby Mk2 CSM & Kondor Lander (Minmus Ex-2)
  • Kerballed Gilly Mission using Brumby Mk2.5 CSM (Gilly Ex-2)
  • SL Ex-3 return
  • SL Ex-5 launch using Brumby CSM
  • SL Ex-4 return
  • SL Ex-5 return
  • Duna Orbital Vehicle (DOV) tests in LKO
  • Duna Descent/Landing/Ascent Vehicle (DDLAV) tests in LKO
  • SL Ex-6 launch using RSTS
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KAL 9000

KAL 9000

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I changed which mods I used for this based on the actual thing. I actually used Procedural Parts, Procedural Fairings, Lithobrake Exploration Technologies, Mk2 Expansion, KW Rocketry, TweakScale, SpaceY, and SpaceY Expanded. The rocket should be reusable if the spacecraft has a tiny bit of fuel (just enough for orbital insertion), but not if the spacecraft is full. I didn't design a tanker, though. A fully fueled spacecraft on top of a rocket will mean that the rocket won't be reusable, but it can make it to Duna with just that launch. ISRU is not included. Instead of huge solar panels, this ITS is powered by several RTGs offset so that they are inside the craft.

Full crew capacity: 100. 

Minimum crew required for a successful mission: 4 (4 in the Lithobrake 4-crew command pod).

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martinjh999

martinjh999

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10 minutes ago, KAL 9000 said:

I changed which mods I used for this based on the actual thing. I actually used Procedural Parts, Procedural Fairings, Lithobrake Exploration Technologies, Mk2 Expansion, KW Rocketry, TweakScale, SpaceY, and SpaceY Expanded. The rocket should be reusable if the spacecraft has a tiny bit of fuel (just enough for orbital insertion), but not if the spacecraft is full. I didn't design a tanker, though. A fully fueled spacecraft on top of a rocket will mean that the rocket won't be reusable, but it can make it to Duna with just that launch. ISRU is not included. Instead of huge solar panels, this ITS is powered by several RTGs offset so that they are inside the craft.

Full crew capacity: 100. 

Minimum crew required for a successful mission: 4 (4 in the Lithobrake 4-crew command pod).

KAl where did you get the Procedural Parts and Fairings? Can I have a link please?

 

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KAL 9000

KAL 9000

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13 minutes ago, martinjh999 said:

KAl where did you get the Procedural Parts and Fairings? Can I have a link please?

 

KAL, not KAI. Look it up on the forums, or use CKAN :wink:.

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KAL 9000

KAL 9000

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@TheEpicSquared Three ITS vehicles are being delivered to your space center for test flights: 

ITS-T01 (ITS-Test 01): Nickname: Ugly Duckling. Mission objective: Get to Kerbin orbit and return safely. 

ITS-T02 (ITS-Test 02): Nickname: Hunk of Junk. Mission objective: Land on the Mün, refuel from a prepositioned tanker on the Mün (of your design), and return to Kerbin safely. 

ITS-T03 (ITS-Test 03): Nickname: Bill's Worst Nightmare. Mission objective: Test the ITS's long-term life support systems. Dock to SpaceLab (which it is probably bigger than) and transfer over SpaceLab's crew to the ITS's Mark 3 Crew Cabins habitat units. Seal off the docking ports, and have SpaceLab's crew and the 4 pilots who flew it up live and work in the ITS for one Münth (30 Kerbin days). If anything goes wrong, the crew should immediately return to SpaceLab and ditch the ITS. If all goes well, return the crew of SpaceLab to SpaceLab at the end of the Münth and have the 4 pilots return the ITS to Kerbin. 

--- 

If all goes well, I will ship over the two mission-capable (and reusable!) ITS vehicles currently built: 

ITS-M01 (ITS-Mission 01): Nickname: Heart of Gold. Mission objective: Intended mission (transport colonists to Duna). 

ITS-M02 (ITS-Mission 02): Nickname: Starship Bistromath. Mission objective: Intended mission (transport colonists to Duna).

Edited by KAL 9000
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KAL 9000

KAL 9000

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53 minutes ago, TheEpicSquared said:

@KAL 9000 

Thanks for the craft! You'll launch in a few weeks (roughly chapter 30) when the first Duna transfer window rolls around. :) 

Thanks! You can add me to the Grand Plan if you like, but the test flights can launch any time! (But please hurry, I would like Bill's Worst Nightmare to finish its one month mission and return home before the Duna window, for obvious reasons). 

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