The deep breath before the plunge

[Freshmeat]

As I am writing this, I am putting off starting KSP.

Since roughly January, I have been working on a crewed mission to Vall. Selecting a target, getting a refuel station on Minmus, building probes, lander with habs for the stay, two large space tugs, comms network, the works. Now I have the crew in orbit around Minmus in the transfer module, the tug is fully fueled, lander already waiting at Vall, two ingame days before it is time to break orbit for a deep periapsis at Kerbin giving a good Oberth effect for the interplanetary transfer.

The preparations has been done since late March or early April, but I am stalling. I play other games, or just sit at the computer browsing humor sites.

I am afraid.

This is my first crewed trans-Duna mission, despite having played for three years and stopped counting at a thousand hours of playtime. What if my life support calculations are wrong? What if I have misestimated the amount of EC my hab requires? What if my Vall ascender is build poorly, and I strand the four brave Karbonauts? It will take years to get a rescue mission, and they will run out of supplies before that.

I know I can revert to my stack of quicksaves, but if the problem is due to poor mission planning, I have to revert to my game as of early March or take a huge funds hit, and push the mission several years. Then I will need to divert additional time to base keeping in the Kerbin system.

I am just taking a game far to serious, or does other feel the same way undertaking a big mission?

[cratercracker]

I feel you.

I lost my first crewed mission to the mun and got depressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SchweinAero]

If you feel serious about the future of your space program, then it seems KSP has succeeded with you. You are immersed in and thrilled by the very questions that surround real space travel. I think that feeling is one of KSP's greatest gifts.

Also, remember that the timing of the mission is completely up to you, and this is good and just. KSP is a tool for you - not the other way around. If you are concerned, do other things. Eventually your curiosity about the outcome will overwhelm your anxiety, and that is when progress happens.

 

[ansaman]

My answer for these problems is to calculate what I need for the mission and then add 25 percent more than I think I need and if possible, even more.  If you are concerned about supplies, consider a smaller crew.  I test mission critical landers and capsules before I send them manned.

[Human Person]

2 hours ago, Freshmeat said:

I am just taking a game far to serious, or does other feel the same way undertaking a big mission?

I totally get you. I have a similar mission in preparation, it's going to explore the whole Jool system from a mothership in Vall orbit.

Here's a Tipp: Installing Hyperedit and testing parts in a "simulation" is totally fine, it's actually highly recommended. Do this to check if your landers work and your EC consumption is ok. Make plans what to test and if a test was succesful, go with it (don't try to improve too much, that will only cost you a lot of time)

Edited May 28, 2017 by Physics Student

[NISSKEPCSIM]

Well, that's exactly how NASA felt before they launched Apollo 11, or how Yuri Gagarin and the Soviet rocket designers felt before the launch of Vostok 1. "We know that we've Done the calculations, everything checks out, this flight will go perfectly, we've been planning it for years. But what if it doesn't?"

Edited May 28, 2017 by NISSKEPCSIM

[Pecan]

You're doing something 'big'.
A relevent 'small' situation has been a topic of conversation for the pub tonight:

In a guide I wrote a couple of years ago you launch satellites to LKO, then first-manned, then move out to satellites around Mun.  Fot that you use a transfer stage to get the satellites from LKO to Mun and put them in place (roughly).  Then you de-orbit it to get rid of the debris.

Despite the disposed launch stages and satellites left to do 'whatever' it's the first time people conciously decide to destroy a vehicle and I've had lots (well, several) reports of how bad they feel about it.  I understand that; I felt the same way too.

At least you're not aiming to destroy.  Go for it :-)

Edited May 28, 2017 by Pecan

[TheKosanianMethod]

Tip: back up your save file to before the mission starts. If something goes horribly wrong and you can't pull an Apollo 13, revert to the back-up.

[StrandedonEarth]

You could always send an extra supply tanker (fuel and LS supplies; spare parts if you have KIS/KAS) following your main mission, in the same transfer window. It won't cost much extra dV if you are a day or two behind. It might get more difficult if you have Kerbal Construction Time installed

[LordFerret]

My big leap is Eeloo. The mission is currently under way. It's been 2 months so far... I'm not using time warp, I'm doing other things in-between and the bits of time-warp here and there are what is moving the mission along at other than snail's pace. There are no saves. There are no backups. The reverts at launch are very very rare. This is make or break. While I'm sure we'll get there... er... if the capture goes well... it's the trip back home that's worrying me. That, and I'm hoping I didn't miscalculate my lander's abilities.

This is where you find out if you have 'the right stuff'. So hit that Spacebar and launch that baby and get going... it's the only way to find out.

Good luck!

[Ultimate Steve]

3 hours ago, LordFerret said:

My big leap is Eeloo. The mission is currently under way. It's been 2 months so far... I'm not using time warp, I'm doing other things in-between and the bits of time-warp here and there are what is moving the mission along at other than snail's pace. There are no saves. There are no backups. The reverts at launch are very very rare. This is make or break. While I'm sure we'll get there... er... if the capture goes well... it's the trip back home that's worrying me. That, and I'm hoping I didn't miscalculate my lander's abilities.

This is where you find out if you have 'the right stuff'. So hit that Spacebar and launch that baby and get going... it's the only way to find out.

Good luck!

Huh, interestingly enough I'm also doing an Eeloo mission right now... actually two. One with the bits of timewarp you mentioned, and one in a different save because I said "Eeloo's the only place I've never been. I should go there!"

7 hours ago, NISSKEPCSIM said:

Well, that's exactly how NASA felt before they launched Apollo 11, or how Yuri Gagarin and the Soviet rocket designers felt before the launch of Vostok 1. "We know that we've Done the calculations, everything checks out, this flight will go perfectly, we've been planning it for years. But what if it doesn't?"

For some reason this affected me emotionally way more than it should have.

*goes off to think of something dramatic to say inside my head*

[Snark]

4 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

You could always send an extra supply tanker (fuel and LS supplies; spare parts if you have KIS/KAS) following your main mission, in the same transfer window. It won't cost much extra dV if you are a day or two behind. It might get more difficult if you have Kerbal Construction Time installed

Or, indeed, send off the supplies *before* the main ship.

Probably a bit late to be suggesting this now, of course, since it sounds as though you already have everything thoroughly planned out. But just for future reference:

You can significantly mitigate risks to crewed missions by sending uncrewed ones to blaze a trail. For example, say you send an uncrewed ship that delivers a hefty cargo of fuel and life-support supplies to Vall orbit.  (Or even just orbit around Jool.)  This kills two birds with one stone. First, it gives you excellent practice at making the transfer, without risking your crew-- if you screw it up, you're only out a few thousand funds.  Second, once you've accomplished that, it makes your crewed mission safer; e.g. if it turns out that you don't have quite enough dV or life support with you, you can re-load from the supply tanker that's waiting for you at your destination.

[Freshmeat]

T -46.

Node is set.

Thanks for the kind words and advice, guys.

I have another All-father class ship in orbit of Vall, and each carry almost enough fuel for a roundtrip. If push came to shove, I could probably dock them together and transfer fuel enough for the return of one ship. I carry food for just shy of seven years on a five year mission, with the ability to grow food on site. Both the lander and an independent vessel carry ISRU equipment, and the refueler is active already. Every calculation is done. Now all I need is to throttle up, and here we go.

T -34 and counting, all systems are go.

[Dafni]

Godspeed the crew of Freshmeats Vall mission! May your brave Kerbals return home safely.

[Zeiss Ikon]

May the Kraken not even roll in his sleep.

[Francois424]

I have had a science grand tour planned since January/February.   Still hasn't gotten around to it even tho having put as much work into it as you did.

Sooner or later we'll come back to it =)