Sirius Space Program

[SiriusRocketry]

SIRIUS SPACE PROGRAM

Our house may be Kerbin, but our home will always be the stars- Adton Kerman

Hello, and welcome to my very first mission report! I've played KSP for a while, and have been burnt out for roughly 2 months. On a whim, I started a new playthrough, with no Original Four, no reverts, respawns and 120% penalties. CommNet is on as well as G-Force tolerance, everything else is unchanged.

This is a stock install (aside from SETI Contracts and Unmanned before Manned) played in KSP 1.3.1.

Inspiration:

@Hotaru first and foremost for her excellent mission report (which inspired me to write this one)

@Ultimate Steve @Cydonian Monk @Kerbalstar same as above

@RealKerbal3x @spaceprogrammer and @HansonKerman who are also doing mission reports at the same time- go check theirs out!

Spoiler

Space Operations Mission Log:

MICRON PROGRAM

MICRON-1- PARTIAL SUCCESS

MICRON-2- FAILURE

MICRON-3- SUCCESS

MICRON-4- SUCCESS

MICRON-5- SUCCESS

MICRON-6- SUCCESS

MICRON-7- SUCCESS

VANGUARD PROGRAM:

VANGUARD-1- SUCCESS

VANGUARD-2- SUCCESS

SPIN-OFF MISSION: BLAZE- SUCCESS

IRIS PROGRAM:

IRIS-1- SUCCESS

Micron program - first sounding rockets.

Spoiler

Powered by their respective university trust funds, the Sirius Space Program was founded by Adton, Sergei, Arcazon, Lengee and Melcan. Immediately, with some help from their friend Wernher, the SSP built their first solid fueled sounding rocket, the Micron 1:

The Micron 1 was driven to the pad by Sergei and his trusty Lowell Motors truck. Unloaded from the launch pad, it was unassuming in its diminutive stature:

The first few seconds of launch were nominal. Several observers noticed the plume of the RT-5 'Flea' booster - visible for miles across the Eastern Coast Plateau. Several kerbs fainted on the spot when told it was a rocket launch; cannier kerbals snapped photographs that would later be worth a fortune.

Pictured above is a photograph taken from a news helicopter.

Unfortunately, a malfunction caused the data transmitter to shut down, though not after a temperature scan was received at the Launchpad - 20 seconds later the craft lost control and plummeted from its original trajectory.

 

The site of the impact.

 

Disheartened by the apparent failure of Micron 1, the glum kerbals were surprised to see a number of smartly-dressed kerbals striding into the Space Center. Introducing themselves as the Kerbin World-Firsts Society, they handed Adton a large cheque for 25,000 funds, explaining that it was for the science data transmitted and the commemoration of the launch. Spirits soared, and the Micron 2 was launched. Armed with pressure sensors and an aerodynamic nosecone, the Micron 2 was much faster and more efficient than its predecessor. 

 

At the launch pad, standing by for remote activation:

 

The launch went well, even better than Micron 1.  Wernher described it as 'more hopeful than the last'

 

However at an apogee of 9,961 meters, the complexity of the pressure scan shorted out the probe's controls and battery, and it fell back to Kerbin, inert and useless.

 

The explosion rocked the shoddily constructed buildings of the Space Center- several pieces of flaming shrapnel rebounded, one embedding itself into the dirt road of the plane hangar's taxiway. 

 

Undeterred by the failure of Micron 2, and a little concerned by the mob of angry kerbals demanding compensation for their damaged belongings and/or injuries, the SSP launched Micron 3, which benefited from a reinforced battery and probe core container. Temperature and pressure sensors were placed atop the nose cone, in the hope that Micron 3 would survive long enough to take measurements.

 

A brave photographer ventured to the pad's bunker to get this closer shot:

 

The initial seconds of the launch, as usual, went perfectly. The SSP and the civilian observers watched in trepidation, crossing their fingers in the hope that Micron 3's primary mission would be successful.  

 

The Micron 3 set a new speed record on the way to its apoapsis: 427.2 meters per second, 37.6 meters per second faster than Micron 2's 389.6.

The Micron 3 reached an apoapsis of 11,267 meters. It's seen here deploying its antenna and transmitting the data from the pressure and temperature scans. Thankfully, the probe core and battery survived transmission, and Micron 3 began its inexorable plunge downward.

 

The impact, a larger explosion than Micron 2, occurred 1 km north of the runway:

  

Invigorated by success, the fourth Micron mission was designed and shot into the sky. Improvements included a protuberant battery, for more efficient power routing.

 

The pre-launch was rather boring - a wheel had fallen off the transport truck, and Lengee had to repair it, wasting an hour. At last, Micron 4 was ready to fly:

The launch went rather well, considering the debacle of the rocket's transportation.

 

The Micron 4 took a more efficient flight trajectory with a thruster limit, reducing speed to 407.3 meters per second but increasing the apoapsis height to a remarkable 12,563 m.

The craft smashed into the ground, slightly east of the Micron 3 crash site.

 

 

After this the Micron program was put on hold, for the SSP had gained enough funds to pursue crewed planeflight. Celebrations and congratulations were offered all around- the first launches were now over, and were reasonably successful. Armed with this knowledge, the SSP went off to pursue other ventures. Several pices of technology were researched with the scientific data gained, as the SSP prepared to build its first aeroplane.

Contract from RoveMax.

Spoiler

(Author's Note: from now on, I'll only be showcasing interesting contracts. No need for boring ones like this.)

The SSP were given a contract from RoveMax to test a rover wheel. Upon recovery of this data, RoveMax would pay the SSP 6,200 funds - a reasonable sum to recover the cost of newly engineered parts. Adton began to protest that the RoveMax contract would be better suited to an actual rover company, but the others shushed him, thinking of those glorious funds.

 

Running the test *snore*

Contractual briefing *snnnnnore*

 

Grasshopper- first aeroplane flight, and pilot training.

Spoiler

The SSP's bank account was now near full, and the decision was made to build the Grasshopper: a reusable plane for training its astronauts. Pictured in the hangar:

Arcazon Kerman (paging @DarkOwl57 he'll get the reference) was lined up as first pilot for Grasshopper's first flight.

Standing by for takeoff:

Picture from Arcazon's helmet-cam, which he promptly slammed into the cockpit glass and destroyed. Wernher and Adton were not pleased.

"Why is it so bumpy? Guys, we seriously need runway paving."

"I can see my house from here!"

"Uhh...you don't live underwater, Arcazon."

"Shuddup, Melcan. I've always wanted to say that."

"This is a pretty good photo opportunity. Shame I smashed my camera."

 

'"Air traffic control, this is the coolest kerbonaut ever, Arcazon Kerman, requesting permission to land. Over."

"But nobody is there, and-"

"SHUT UP, MELCAN!

Unfortunately Arcazon got a little too excited on landing...

"Guys? GUYS! I'M STUCK OUT HERE!"

After the Grasshopper was repaired, the SSP all gratefully went to bed- tomorrow was an even bigger journey.

 

 

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DESIGN A LOGO AND/OR MISSION PATCHES

please contact me via PM if you have some designs. 

Edited October 29, 2018 by SiriusRocketry

[Pretorian28715]

Comment to follow

[SiriusRocketry]

@Pretorian28715 What do you mean?

[Pretorian28715]

3 hours ago, SiriusRocketry said:

@Pretorian28715 What do you mean?

If I add a comment it shows in the list with a star instead of the dot, for unread posts.

This is interesting, therefore I am following. 

[SiriusRocketry]

New post up tomorrow or the day after- can I draft posts on the forum or do they have to be done in one go?

[spaceprogrammer]

This looks cool, I really like how the inline cockpit on planes removes the need for putting nacelles on like in the early stock game.

Edited September 29, 2018 by spaceprogrammer

[SiriusRocketry]

Continuation of Micron program- a great achievement, and a horrific realization.

Spoiler

The funding allocated from earlier missions allows the SSP to begin construction of the Micron 5, a more advanced booster compared to the earlier Micron missions. Wernher's statistics from the R & D labs indicate that the new RT-10 has almost three times the propellant capacity of the RT-5 and 20% higher thrust at sea-level.

Micron 5 on the pad at T-minus 25 seconds from launch.

Micron 5's launch is underway; if all proceeds as planned Micron 5 will gather and transmit temperature data from the upper atmosphere of Kerbin: this data will be useful in determining factors for a possible orbital or suborbital mission in the near future.

Micron 5 exceeded all expectations by reaching an apoapsis of 33,594 meters and transmitting its temperature data - also confirming its status as the first SSP-made object to pass the Mortimer Boundary. Commonly defined as 18,000 meters, it is the boundary between the lower atmosphere and thinner troposphere. Wernher was congratulated heartily; unfortunately radar data from Micron 5 stopped shortly after data transmission, therefore pictures and/or data from the crash were never obtained. Micron 5 was still a huge success, however, and the funding from contract completion and World-Firsts enabled several technologies to be researched.

On day 6 of the SSP's operation, Micron 6 was launched, with a smaller, fuel limited Flea booster mounted on top to test payload capacity of a launch vehicle possibly developed from RT-10s. Pressure scanners were placed on the probe core.

Fears were initially running high as several of the techninicians maintained a belief that the Micron 6 could not be structurally stable due to its double-booster configuration. However, these concerns resolved themselves when Micron 6 (pictured on the pad) stayed upright and solid, much to Adton's relief.

The RT-10 stage took off with a high thrust to weight ratio, so that it could offset the weight of the payload.

Micron 6 pictured at apoapsis, 50 kilometers above Kerbin: data transmission was successful. The horizontal velocity was enough to propel the upper stage halfway across the Eastern Strait, landing at 140 m/s in the middle of the sea.

Impact site, 40 km east of Booster Bay.

Thanks to the additional scientific data and fat cheques, a final mission of the Micron Program was approved, Micron 7. In contrast to the specialized equipment approach of each Micron mission, Micron 7 was launched with both temperature and pressure experiments. Sporting a fully fueled RT-5 first stage, Micron 7's mission was very simple; escape Kerbin's atmosphere. Intended as the Micron program's final swansong, there were no dry eyes in the office, and Sergei had to be removed after refusing to let the booster leave the VAB.

Unfortunately the pad camera was destroyed after it was buffeted from its mount during transit (OK, Sergei knocked it over with his truck) here's a picture of launch instead.

Micron 7 breaks the sound barrier.

Micron 7 reached an apoapsis of 81 kilometers. Shortly after passing the Kerman line at 70 kilometers, the probe received faint signals coming from the direction of the Mun: upon transmission, scientists jumped for joy and then cowered in fear: the signal was [REDACTED] frequency, similar to [REDACTED] or [REDACTED]. Standard data was transmitted and soon after the first SSP rocket reached space, it descended again.

Visible from the Space Center, Micron 7 is seen descending over Booster Bay.

Site of impact, with splash.

The final Micron mission netted over 100,000 funds total from contracts over seven flights, over a total cost estimated at around 15,000 funds- over six times profit: enabling the scientific data to go towards these new 'liquid-fueled' engines and fuel tanks. While it was sad to see the end of the program, the SSP remained positive for future exploration. However the news from the scientists threatened to overcome this jubilation: the momentary signal received from the Micron 7 probe could spell disaster for the SSP, and for all of Kerbin.

 

Edited September 29, 2018 by SiriusRocketry

[SiriusRocketry]

Update soon, sorry for the wait. I have very little time.

 

[SiriusRocketry]

It's finally here!

Vanguard I- first artificial satellite

Spoiler

After the success and the financial boosts of the Micron program, the next logical step for the SSP was to put a small satellite into orbit around Kerbin, with several companies offering large sums of money to sponsor the mission. There were to be no scientific instruments the craft, as it was only meant to orbit in 'low space' which the Micron 7 mission had already been. Nevertheless, two Sepratron motors were mounted to the craft, henceforth named the Vanguard I, both to satisfy a contract and hopefully boost to higher altitudes.

Pictured below: Vanguard I attached onto a Javelin 1 launcher.

Vanguard I on the pad, prepped for launch. Bobak the fight controller's fingers are crossed so tightly that he's actually sprained them.

And we're off! The modern, powerful and efficient LV-T45 engine lifts the booster stage and the 4x LV1-R equipped orbital stage up, up and away. Telemetry looking good, and flight systems nominal.

Breaking through the upper atmosphere at just over 600 m/s.

A wee bit of fire on ascent: the flight path is pretty shallow, and the high TWR of the LV-T45 engine is causing all sorts of high speed hijinks, none of which are welcome at all in this situation. he engine throttles down in the last few seconds of its use to preserve the upper stage from heat damage.

Upper stage deployed, reaction systems were slightly damaged, leading to a strange tumbling motion. A few seconds of firing from the LV1-Rs is enough to right it back onto a prograde course.

 Prograde firing of the LV1-Rs, nudging the Vanguard I onto a sub-orbital trajectory with an apoapsis of 92 kilometers.

Shot from the tracking station of Vanguard I's trajec- hey, who left the game's UI here! Whoever you are, you're fired! Nothing to see here, an intern accidentally switched on visual telemetry options.

Burning at apoapsis to complete orbital insertion: the moment of truth awaits.

SUCCESS! The SSP's first satellite is Deployed in space, with a final orbit of 94 x 201 km. Obligatory shot of the orbit, as picked up by ground control:

Vanguard I itself, soon be forever immortalized on collectible stamps (Sergei bought 20 of these stamps and stuck them to a board in his room, we aren't sure if he's mentally sound again yet.)

The money earned from this venture was easily enough to build Vanguard II, which was hopefully going to be placed in a much higher orbit around Kerbin to facilitate longer access to positioning satellites: while the batteries would shut down eventually, the Vanguard II would stay up there longer, using its extra height to collect extra, juicy science data. Here it is on the pad:

Liftoff! Like Vanguard I before it, Vanguard II's launch went without a hitch, another successful launch in the SSP's catalogue.

Another terrible stage separation: the reaction wheel wasn't even on the craft at the time. Several interns were to blame, so they got to play Wernher's favorite game, Throw The Heavy Spanner At The Interns. They weren't amused, and they don't seem to like the game, fun as it is. (For Wernher, at least.)

Burning to apoapsis with the LV1-R stage: several interns complaining of headaches shut up, because of the tension in the air.

Lovely scenic shot, T-minus 13 sec to orbital insertion burn.

Sepratrons burning on the other side of Kerbin at final, 700 km apoapsis to raise periapsis.

Final picture of Vanguard II after the Sepratron burn raised it to a 703 x 549 km orbit. A strange signal was broadcast to Vanguard II from the general direction of Minmus, and relayed to Mission Control, consisting of a scattered audio file. 

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:

"all...worlds are yours except...no landing there."

"Do not go...that good night...dying of the light." 

Several technicians fainted on the spot and even the notoriously brave Arcazon paled in fear. (Lengee said the stain in her suit was water. WATER!)

Nevertheless, work continued on a new craft, built to return from space, and the first ever craft to return from a mission so far in the SSP's history.

Blaze- re-entry test from space!

Spoiler

The Blaze probe was designed to return from space with basic scientific data: as a result, the probe was almost stripped bare, containing only basic science instruments, a nose cone with probe core, small heat-shield and batteries. It was launched on a Puffer 3 rocket, the latest evolution of the Puffer launchers from the earlier Micron Program.

Here it is on the pad, held aloft by the newly-researched launch clamps.

Unfortunately the solid-fueled booster lost control off the pad, smashing into the shores of Booster Bay and regrettably destroying the SSP's perfect launch streak in the process. This time it was Bobak's turn to play Throw The Heavy Spanner At The Interns.

Blaze's second attempt was launched on a sub-Javelin liquid-fueled rocket, jokingly referred to as the 'Shotput' by staff. Basically a Javelin 1 minus the orbital stage and a fuel tank, the Shotput had enough fuel to launch small objects, encased within a new fairing, onto sub-orbital flight paths. Cheap and efficient, the Shotput received a thumbs up from Mortimer in the accounting department.

Blaze taking off from the pad after the pad-mounted camera was destroyed for the THIRD TIME! Seriously, which kerb was stupid enough to break it this time!

Blaze in the upper atmosphere, going through a steep ascent path.

Another scenic shot, taken at the Blaze probe's apoapsis of 103 kilometers. Several newspapers published this photo and in no time flat the picture was voted Nicest Shot of the SSP's career, so far.

Blaze living up to its name, with a spectacular fiery reentry. Near the bottom of the picture you can see the discarded Shotput booster plummeting towards the ocean's surface.

Parachute deployment...

...and touchdown!

The success of the program and the return of science data and the Blaze probe from space prompted a flurry of sponsorships, contracts and publicity as the latest endeavors of the SSP were completed. Adton and Wernher put the data to good use discovering new technologies, and for a while the frightening broadcast from Minmus was forgotten...

...until next time.

Shot of tech tree after missions completed:

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by SiriusRocketry
Image problems

[Kerbalstar]

I’m an inspiration to anybody? Really? Yay! I guess that I should keep writing!

[SiriusRocketry]

Hi everyone (or anyone reading)

Unfortunately due to the second round of exams and preparation for the national spelling bee, my posting will be more erratic. I can post this weekend,but I'm unsure about any further dates.

Cheers for reading my report!

[Kerbalstar]

4 hours ago, SiriusRocketry said:

Hi everyone (or anyone reading)

Unfortunately due to the second round of exams and preparation for the national spelling bee, my posting will be more erratic. I can post this weekend,but I'm unsure about any further dates.

Cheers for reading my report!

Okay, I get it. You're welcome! 

[SiriusRocketry]

Another update! Hopefully I can find time to make this a fortnightly thing.

Iris program- unmanned probes to Kerbin's moons

Spoiler

After the success and payout of the Vanguard and Blaze missions, the Iris 1 probe was constructed to fly past the Mun, and transmit scientific data. A secondary (although not directly stated) objective was to gain insight on the strange transmissions received by the Micron 7 and Vanguard II missions. Pictured below is the probe mounted onto a Javelin II launcher.

The day (or, rather, evening) of the launch was still, with low temperatures. Several kerbs wrapped up in warm coats, scarves, hats and boots to watch the Iris 1 begin its journey to Kerbin's nearest celestial neighbor.

 

Zooming through the upper atmosphere, target above us.

Heading through the upper atmosphere, this photograph was taken at 22,000 m.

Stage separation, 45 kilometers altitude. (THE FLAMES! THEY BURN!) A slightly inefficient ascent profile means that the Iris 1 and the upper stage were traveling at just over 1200 m/s at the time of stage separation: well into to 'barbecued crispy' range. Luckily, the Javelin II's aeroshell prevented  heating damage.

Coasting to apoapsis, with the new six LV1-R upper stage configuration prominently featured in the centre. The R&D department is seriously considering stealing money to pay for a larger upper stage engine/fuel capability as the Javelin II and indeed the rest of the Javelin series have a very low payload capability.

Separating clamshell into debris approximately 40 seconds away from orbital insertion.

Inserting the orbital stage and Iris 1 into Low Kerbin Orbit; the reasonably high amount of remaining fuel pleased the engineers greatly as the Javelin II seemed to not require expensive modifications for inclination change. This was required for a potential Minmus probe later on in the pipeline.

Separating probe from upper stage and activating the Iris 1's two LV1-R engines, prepped for the trans-munar injection burn. Ground control set the maneuver for undertaking in roughly nine minutes, with total Delta-V expenditure coming in at just above 860 m/s.

Probe undergoing trans-munar injection burn (TMI). The LV1-R engines burned for the mission target, and trajectory calculation after the burn proved that it was indeed a success.

Scenic shot of transit, with Kerbin and Kerbol visible in the background.

Success! Iris 1 has flown past the Mun! Unfortunately, shortly after gathering scientific data, an anomalous reading from the Mun's south pole fried the probe's electronics. The few seconds of transmission were completely undecipherable, although scientists hope that can be resolved when more advanced instrumentation on future craft can decode the strange data.

Strangely, no money was received from the flyby, as a result operations are on hold until the SSP can strangle the members of the Kerbin World Firsts Society  sort out these financial irregularities. (OOC: Weird contract glitch. I'll have to alt-F12 to try and fix it, anyone else heard of contracts completing but not awarding cash? The pop-up appeared but my amount of funds didn't change. ) 

The science was enough to unlock more scientific modules and heavier rocketry parts, including the upper stage spacecraft engine the techies were begging for. 

 

State of tech tree after Iris 1 mission:

 

Javelin standardised launchers- a new step forward for the program

Spoiler

To reduce costs, manufacturing times, and generally bad construction methods concerting the 'custom' launchers for each mission, the SSP decided to standardise basic launcher designs.

Javelin I is a very cheap alternative for very light satellites and/or sub-orbital science payloads. With a smaller, thrust reduced version of the earlier LVT-45 liquid fueled booster stage and a solid fueled upper stage (to save costs) the Javelin I requires a very steep ascent path to enable the Sepratron upper stage to reach LKO insertion altitude.

Javelin II is a heavier payload launch vehicle, rated to carry a 1.5 ton payload to orbital velocity or a 450 kilogram load to TMI. the venerable LVT-45 booster stage and 6x LV1-R engined upper-stage is cheap and cheerful.

Javelin III is hypothetically rated for a 2 to 2.5 ton payload to low Kerbin orbit, however this has not been tested. Wernher says all designs are modifable and modular depending on certain needs, and size of money-wad in pocket.

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by SiriusRocketry
Imgur. You need help.

[RealKerbal3x]

Great work on this, @SiriusRocketry! I wish I could write my mission reports more frequently. Most of my time in KSP is spent doing whatever takes my fancy in my 'mucking about' save, and I only jump into my 'main' save occasionally when I feel like it.

[SiriusRocketry]

Post should be ready now, if your curiosity hadn't gotten the better of you already.

[Chel]

One thing I can say Sirius, this story is HUGE. It took like 20 seconds to load the thread! So much text! So many images! Keep it up! 

Edited November 1, 2018 by The_Cat_In_Space

[SiriusRocketry]

Thanks very much, @The_Cat_In_Space! Hopefully I can deliver more on this next weekend, everyone. Thank you all for the support- guess that's all the encouragement I need for more updates!

 

Cheers, and keep on throwing Jeb into the atmosphere at 3 km/s smashing giant planes into the VAB Kerbaling with total respect for the kerbonauts' lives!

[Chel]

1 minute ago, SiriusRocketry said:

Thanks very much, @The_Cat_In_Space! Hopefully I can deliver more on this next weekend, everyone. Thank you all for the support- guess that's all the encouragement I need for more updates!

 

Cheers, and keep on throwing Jeb into the atmosphere at 3 km/s smashing giant planes into the VAB Kerbaling with total respect for the kerbonauts' lives!

I prefer doing tests on the feasibility of a drop pod, with only a command seat and structural wings

[SiriusRocketry]

Exams over (except for internals on Friday and next Wednesday) I won the national spelling bee (New Zealand) so I'm going to buy a nice laptop with some of the prize money, and maybe start a YouTube channel. Expect some more SSP this weekend (hopefully) and in a few weeks I'll be installing some nice visual mods

[lunardog15]

post to watch

[The Minmus Derp]

HO! wOW ERMAGERD so cool

[SiriusRocketry]

Hi guys,

Some of you might be wondering why I haven't updated in a while. The reason is the save might be corrupted: I can't access any building when I click on it. I'll try fix it, but if not you'll have to either wait till I get a new computer or I'll restart a new save so much effort down the toilet. Sigh...

 

[RealKerbal3x]

13 hours ago, SiriusRocketry said:

Hi guys,

Some of you might be wondering why I haven't updated in a while. The reason is the save might be corrupted: I can't access any building when I click on it. I'll try fix it, but if not you'll have to either wait till I get a new computer or I'll restart a new save so much effort down the toilet. Sigh...

  

Corrupted saves are never good. Do you maybe have a backup of the savefile? You'll probably lose some progress but at least you'll have your save back.

[SiriusRocketry]

Desperate bump...

Would it be OK if I used the same mods and such, and cheated the save to the same amount of funds and science as before on my new machine?

Sincerely hoping to be playing again in the new year. 

[Dfthu]

33 minutes ago, SiriusRocketry said:

Desperate bump...

Would it be OK if I used the same mods and such, and cheated the save to the same amount of funds and science as before on my new machine?

Sincerely hoping to be playing again in the new year. 

Well yea it would be fine. We all know you’re doing it for valid reason.