Kertech's reports

Kertech · February 13, 2017

So after numerous restarts of careers (the saves keep dying, or time runs out) I'm giving up on narrative and just posting some of the thousands of photos I've collected!

Current stuff

mods

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Early game

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Avionics

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First Orbit in career

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More aviation

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More of the boring stuff to come, but eventually it'll come to present day (these photos come from a month ago till today)

Interesting stuff like the Intrepid

And what to do with engineers when they're been annoying

Edited February 13, 2017 by Kertech

Kertech · February 26, 2017

Just gonna miss out a lot of stuff, mainly because I've read them all a lot and seeing someone set up maneuver node for comnets and interplanetary maneuvers is a little bit dry...

After my 6.4scale save's previous three mun landings, all to non equatorial random sites apollo style, the powers that be decided to make some permanent infrastructure...

Launched half fueled the first of a new class of ship, designed to be reusable, and have a wide range of utility, initially though it is a glorified long distance ferry! The Intrepid (which names the Intrepid class) has 6,500m/s when fully fueled and has life support reserves for an extended exploration mission of 100days (for the standard crew of 4).

I'm quite pleased with it, looks like something that could exist

The big reason for doing the switch to reusable craft so early is due to difficulty stuff. I started this save in 6.4 scale and wanted to focus on in-situ resources and colonization, as such there is a whole host of things just to make this happen which included MKS, which despite having played Kerbal for several years now I've never really used. I went to their relevant forum and got told that although tac is supported USI-LS is better for USI stuff (Sounds leggit). I've never used it before but had nothing permanent in orbit so gave it a go and found that it was pretty much impossible to do a standard fuel efficient transfer with a full cabin to minmus (standard is 7 days) due to habitation limits. So I designed a new ship, which just grew until I decided sod it and built this. (Though @RoverDude I am LOVING every second of it, and I'm probably doing it wrong, but having fun learning by error!)

Onwards with the infrastructure:

New rover

Kerbin science/docking station first module (Titan IIa launch system is really getting its money's worth in this post)

Lots of room for expansion on this one...

Nearly Identical station for Munar orbit (Titan IIb this time, currently my heaviest launch vehicle though getting close to space Y)

Of course it launched at night, but here is the first of the Eagle mk2 (there's a mk 1 in the first picture) Improvements, single stage and re=usable, 3 man instead of 1, better docking equipment, KIS storage and cameras, more science equipment. Cons 7 days life support for full landing crew of 3.

Docked her over on the mun station (not named)

Then sent a fuel pod to the intrepid for the first Lunar extended expedition.

Finally the first three kerbals to use the intrepid launch, these are Jeb, Bob and Bill, Val will launch separately, due to the need for an emergency shuttle at the mun station. (why take a cruise ship for dinghy jobs)

Then to the Mun

Obviously just at a moment of success dangit steps in to break a battery, nearly ramming my ship with the station.

Jeb decides not to wait for Val and takes the three down for a little Munar jog

Finding an oddly flat area, flags were placed for possible base sites...

I love the ASET interior, can't help but fly from IVA

Anyway Bill now had to go and fix the battery on the intrepid ( I swear tht should be covered by warranty... )

Apologies for the long post, unfortunately there's more to come (not getting much chance to do this atm) your reward for getting this far is amadame who nearly ruined todays flight by walking on the keyboard during docking, hitting, space and confusing translation control stuff...

Kertech · February 27, 2017

we left off, with the Boys up around the Mun, Val has got clearance for launch and has the solitary3 day trip to the Mun

Docking her little Dennis pod, it's to be left there as an emergency rendezvous tug if someone (most likely Jeb) runs out of fuel on ascent.

Immediately she grabs Bill and Bob and lands her own mun mission, this time to the east farside crater

Eagle eyed among you will notice the plumes changed colour, may have installed real plume at this point...

(oooh purple)

At least Val sems happy with the new colours

After wandering around they all go back to the Mun station and waiting intrepid.

Overall this station + intrepid can house the 4 of them for around 2 years,which is considered more than sufficient leeway for supply missions.

With this the first expedition is finished, the extended duration element not being a goal. This was merely a proof of concept beforeexpanind to minmus as well.

For efficiency the deceleration was done over 4 passes (it is about 2000m/s)

Meanwhile on the ground, plans were being made to retrieve them from the intrepid. issue was that the original capsules were either deorbited or at the mun. So two capsules were launched commanded by rookies, having two spare seats each. These rendezvous with the core module and await the intrepid.

It was decided that all future launches would be to the LKO station where the Intrepid would be "parked"

The rookies gave the command seats over to Val and Jeb who were to fly a pod each and both cast off, leaving the station unmanned for now.

Meanwhile some of the rookies decided to head off on a long drive to go camping...

(this was just a trial of howto work things, might end up using pathfinder,we'll see... annoyingly all other photos seem to have gone!)

Up next two ridiculously over sized fairings with possibly some rockets attached!

More specifically it's a Titan Ic below...

Even the relative baby of the titan series was overkill for these launches, they had to be used though due to the scale of the faring and not the actual mass of the payload!

Two trusses with more construction ports, bigger radiators and solar panels, and bigger reaction wheels (basically MORE!!!!!!!)

The ports will eventually have long truss with docking ports for the Intrepid class ships and station science labs!

Another ridiculous fairing

And probably the biggest pain to launch so far... Inside is a fully fueled mk1 Lion tug!

Immediately after this launch the Munar fuel pod was launched, this looked more like a rocket again!!

This Lump was hauled over to the mun and welded to a construction port, it includes anoth hundred days of supplies, more RCS and more Liquid fuel for all those nuclear rockets up there!

It is worth noting that the Lion is capable of landing on the Mun and Minmus , and also transporting light payloads to the ground!

Finally one of the probey bits. There are currently 4 probes in Kerbol SOI, 3 going to planets (which will appear soon) and one thats a bit different.

Based off the basic vagrant design the whole upper stage was flipped, a heat shield and lots of radiators added.

With a relatively ridiculous 11km/s at LKO this ship is designed to go fast, well really it's designed to very very slow! The heat shield and radiators are cause it going to Kerbol (planned to impact!) the RTG's are there because ironically solar power is not the best idea that close to the sun!! Set off on a bi-elliptic transfer beyond the orbit of Jool it'll impact kerbol in 12 years time!