Captain Red's Log

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D102-3H00M

 

WE MADE IT!

 

After we dock an ore converter to the pod, we'll send a loaded transport to deposit ore for conversion. HOWEVER, we'll wait until after a lander docks with THAT to convert to liquid fuel and oxidizer. Chyna, Bruce, and I will then descend to Duna's surface - I hope the craft has enough fuel for a safe landing and check out Disco Base while doing some exploring. We can't doddle, though, as Mission Control told us we have until Y9D352 to make our return maneuver node. 

• Meanwhile, a second crew shall head over to Ike and explore that moon. While we'll be without a lander for a while, we'll get it back when they're done. Too bad the fuel truck's photographs show the mountains blocking a view of Ike on the horizon.
  • And if we lose the lander, at least they'll be three of us to survive Duna rather than just one.
• Also too bad that they're going to be stuck with a crappy mini-bus. What's worse is that a fuel truck won't launch for Ike in 344 days - we'll already be in transit back to Kerbin by then.

 

We still have no ideas for an Eve ascent vehicle, but we at least put Wally on the surface. Judging by the atmospheric composition and surface temperature - we need a device for surface composition, by the way - he's not going to find any plants here. While we have a solid idea for an Eve DESCENT vehicle - just put a heat shield and parachutes on a capsule, then slap it on a moon lander - getting back up is the tricky part.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D125-5H15M

 

There's an old saying that goes along the lines of "If you tell someone a wish, it won't come true." Well, I'd like to find whoever made that saying and slug him...

 

Because I TOTALLY told EVERYONE my wish, and HOT DAMN it came true.

* me after I planted a flag in front of the Mars 1 landing site

 

After several ore runs to and from Duna, we had enough fuel to descend upon Duna. Bruce was nervous, but I told him "We either die with stories to tell or die trying. Either way, we die legends." Though Chyna felt a bit uncomfortable with the notion of barely running out of fuel in a planet whose atmosphere is nowhere near as good as Kerbin's - the parachutes were effective, but nowhere near as well as they would have been back on Kerbin - they both felt relieved to know that the craft was intact with a scrap of fuel to spare. Once I got out and planted the flag, I took that picture of myself with the lander and the truck. Disco Base is less than a kilometer from the landing site, so we're going to check it out after the lander gets refueled.

 

After the base inspection, we're sending the lander empty back into Duna orbit so that the Ike crew can explore that moon - and we're using the truck to explore the surface while we wait for it. That also means we're sending the Duna transport to where the truck is whenever we make runs. HOWEVER, we can't send the Duna transport down while Jayme is out on Ike since she is the only person other than Bruce who can repack the chutes. 

• Even if I had Bruce repack chutes BEFORE (and not after) the transport ascended (while Jayme and her crew is on Ike), the runs will be useless - what are we going to do with the ore (besides make fuel for the transports themselves)
  • Convert too much of the ore, and you've beaten the purpose.
• We have a mini-bus to refuel the lander, but even that takes days.

 

Here's a bit of math to describe what the next part of our mission may entail

• (D125-D102) = 23 days of ore runs.
  • Let's go with 28 in future calculations to account for rover movement, ore mining times, and waiting until sunlight to land the transport.
• Y9D125 + 28D ~= Y9D153 when Ike lander should be ready.
• Y9D153 + (1D Maximum Hohmann Transfer) = Y9D154 when second crew should be on Ike's surface.
• Y9D154 + (5D refuel) + (8D maximum exploration) = Y9D167 when Ike crew should return.
• Y9D157 + (1D Maximum Hohmann Transfer) + (~28D Fuel Runs) = Y9D186 when lander should be ready to pick up Chyna, Bruce, and I.

Assuming I did the math right - and we don't doddle - we should be well within our Y9D347 deadline to have everyone back in the pod. Kyle said I may be off by a few weeks due to the time it takes to mine and convert ore for the truck, but he still agrees that we will all be back in the pod WAY before our return deadline. 

 

In the meantime, (CENSORED) called someone in Mission Control and asked for "Mapence, first name Apu-en." S/he send me a video file of the prank call, and we all laughed; even Mason's crew found that funny.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D131-2H20M

 

We're actually going faster than expected in our Duna exploration mission. Our Ike crew made it into orbit around that moon at least 23 days ahead of schedule; that's PLENTY of time to pick a landing spot and explore. That also gives Bruce, Chyna, and I more time to drive around Duna.

 

Speaking of Bruce, I had to tell Mission Control that he caused some damage to the truck while repacking chutes. The rover still worked adequately, but regulations mandate I report all accidents. So far, he's destroyed.

• 2 Gigantor solar panels
• 3 medium thermal control systems.
• 1 15G direct antenna
  • We need another truck here (and one on Ike) --> since TRUCK 001 will be kilometers away from Disco Base.

 

You cannot deny that's one beautiful sunrise. We're gonna be seeing a lot of that for the next few days, as we're driving east.

• Also a good chance to see Ike from Duna.

 

What do you all think? I may consider retiring here - but first we gotta do some recon before heading back. Good thing we have some Brad Paisley in here instead of 70s disco.

[obney kerman]

What do the kerbals define as "70s"?

[MacLuky]

idiot question: how do I insert pictures in replies?

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

21 minutes ago, MacLuky said:

idiot question: how do I insert pictures in replies?

1. Get an imgur account
   1. You don't have to make any of your images public. You just need it to store KSP photos to post on the forums
2. Upload the image in question to your imgur account.
3. Click on the photo and copy the "Direct Link"
4. Paste the "direct link" in your KSP Forum post, and the image pops up.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D144-5H45M

 

Sergeant Major Andrew here, detailing our stay on Ike. We spent about five days refueling the lander for the trip back (it'd take 30 SECONDS with a loaded refueling truck), and now we started our drive around the moon. Our solar panels are pretty much useless right now since Duna's blocking our sunlight, so we're relying on our RTGs for power and for warmth. Since there are three of us in the mini-bus, we'll all be driving in two-hour shifts; same case for Captain Red's team in the truck back on Duna. Man, I wish I had one of those bad boys on Ike right now.

• I hope Red brought a telescope, because we got a nice view of Duna from here. He can definitely see Ike with his perfect eyes - everyone else in his family needs glasses - but I wish he could see us.

 

So, anyways, we're going at a steady 7 m/s - that's 25.2 kilometers an hour. Assuming constant non-stop surface velocity, we should be able to drive around the planet's circumference in about 33 days (I'm rounding up to account for fluctuations in speed thanks to hills). We're ambitious, but that doesn't mean we plan to go back home. We're going to drive around Ike for a few days and head back for the lander. Besides, Captain Red told me that he has even more ambitious plans; drive to the rumored "camera mast" (30° 20′ 30″ S 28° 48′ 37″ W), then the southern ice cap, and then the Giant Kerbal face before heading back to the equator.

[MacLuky]

22 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

1. Get an imgur account
   1. You don't have to make any of your images public. You just need it to store KSP photos to post on the forums
2. Upload the image in question to your imgur account.
3. Click on the photo and copy the "Direct Link"
4. Paste the "direct link" in your KSP Forum post, and the image pops up.

Hmm. 

 

Just becomes a link, wooha! I should have waited a bit.

Thanks!

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

@MacLuky, where was this taken?

[MacLuky]

Ceti prototyping the Tellumo base parts

Shamelessly hyjacking your thread ;-) Wierd, chapter 3 links are not expanding into pictures.

Edited February 1, 2019 by MacLuky

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D148-2H00M

 

We have arrived at the first waypoint. Turns out, the rumors of a camera mast are TRUE.

• Bruce (engineer) standing right next to the camera mast (HE planted the flag to mark the location, but the camera mast was already there when we arrived).

 

I had to wake up Bruce when we arrived; he, Chyna, and I drive in two-hour shifts (more or less) non-stop. We don't even need to stop to use the bathroom or get gas - since we have a water reclaimer and PLENTY of RTGs and batteries. And yes, we used the RTGs for heating during this excursion. Anyway, he jetpacked from the rover to the camera mast to inspect it. We have no confirmation from Mission Control yet, but based on the exterior design he believes it's NOT one of ours; not even a faded insignia. Chyna and I then left the truck with shovels and pickaxes to try and dig it out. So far, it looks like the mast goes deep into the rock.

COULD THERE BE ALIENS UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE?

 

We stopped a couple of times times to relax and get a good shot of Ike, . If my mom was here, she'd have us stop every five kilometers (give or take four) for photographic opportunities. 

From Duna's surface, Ike kinda looks like our own Mun.

 

I hope Andrew and his crew are having fun. Right now, we're going to drive to the southern ice cap before heading to the Kerbal face. Bruce wanted to go check out the rumored signal emitter at the polar ice cap (66° 3′ 12″ S 160° 53′ 38″ W), but that means we're going to the other side of the planet before returning to our starting site. Besides, we don't even have an SSTV signal decoder - but the new unmanned rover destined for Duna WILL. We'll be heading to the Kerbal face as soon as we spend some time in the southern ice caps, then back to the equator.

 

Back on Dres, Sam and Eli switched spots; Sam's now in Dresden base, while Eli's on board the Defiant. Sam also told me that he and Olivia are dating now; he had to get permission from Mason to use the refueling truck for his drive through the crater behind Dresden base (by saying it was part of a "geological survey"). I also hear that we're sending an unmanned rover to Dres, and our ore scanner on Vall found pictures of a stonehenge near the southern part of the moon. We're going to send a rover there to check it out.

 

MAYBE WE ARE NOT ALONE

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D156-0H30M

 

Andrew, Jayme, and Lizard have made it back to the pod from their voyage on Ike's surface. Though Jayme had already repacked the chutes, we can't send the ore transport back down since the only truck on Duna is NOWHERE NEAR the equator - which will be trouble when it comes to the return ascent.* More specifically, it would require less delta-V to ESCAPE Duna's SOI rather than to perform a successful rendezvous - let alone return. Even if I manage to reach the pod, it may take up too much fresh Lf+Ox for a safe descent - which beats the purpose of an ore transport.

* the Ike crew on its ascent. This was taken on a timer from the mini-bus. Nice view of Duna, isn't it?

Meanwhile, Chyna, Bruce, and I made a stop at the southern ice cap and had a little fun there. We saved some radiator parts from the ones Bruce broke, so we used them as sleds to go up and down the hills. That doesn't mean we didn't got some serious science done; we took a surface sample of the ice and observed the materials and goo - read Dr. Chyna's science report for more detailed information.

All three of us standing in front of the truck after arriving at the southern ice cap. You can tell just by this photo that we can make some serious tourism money here (starting with selling postcards with this photo - "Greetings from South Duna" kind of has a nice ring to it. What do you think)?

• Doctor Chyna and I also did a cover of "Baby It's Cold Outside" in the truck while Bruce filmed us. After showing it to the rest of the crew, everyone agreed that we sounded awesome.
  • To be honest, it's been cold EVERYWHERE on Duna.
• We then told Sam and Liv about it on Dres, and they told us that they're going to get a new unmanned rover when the next transfer window opens.

 

* A few days ago in real life, I had an interesting email conversation with Scott Manley about this video. That's where I also got the idea to NOT RISK landing the ore transport when the rover is too far away from the equator.

• Besides, I tend to land along the equator anyway (give or take 10 degrees)

[MacLuky]

Very cool, I never made a rover of that size.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D162-1H15M

 

We made it to the Kerbal Face. I can see why it's such a big deal for high-budget stargazers; from here - and apparently, from Kerbin - it looks like a well-carved statue. Below is a picture the orbital scanner took of us sitting right next to the Kerbal Face. How convenient that the scanner was coming over us as the sun rose, by the way.

 

Up close, it looks too well-carved to be naturally occurring. Mission Control has also notified us that the camera mast we found is NOT one of ours. While this means that there may be life beneath us, there's also the possibility that ANOTHER space agency on Kerbin launched a rover there before we did and it somehow got lost. While Mission Control checks with those other agencies, Bruce, Chyna, and I will be heading off towards the equator to do some more ore runs before ascending to the pod. HOWEVER, we're not parking near Disco Base since the terrain there's pretty rugged; we're going somewhere flatter. Good thing the tanks are fully loaded in case the ore concentration's too low.

Map of where we are now and where we're going.

 

Boy, what I wouldn't give for a plane to fly through Mars; that rover drive took FOREVER. Speaking of which, Michael and Clayton tested a new SSTO and I'm so happy to say that they worked out well in the preliminaries. If all goes well, we can send the new plane - and a new kind of fueling truck made just for that - to Duna to explore the surface without ever having to leave. Heck, if fully gassed up, it can even LEAVE Duna and head back home.

• Reid, however, is in the hospital being treated for third-degree burns sustained from a cockpit overheating during testing. His girlfriend, Elora, has not left him since.
  • He will be on medical leave for a while after leaving the hospital, but the doctors say there's a chance he may never go interplanetary. 

 

* Orbiting the Mun

 

* Michael after the "Conventional" landing test. Clayton took the "Unconventional," and just deployed the parachutes after cutting the engines. Though he came down nose-first at 10.4 m/s, the cockpit turned out okay - and so did everything else.

 

That was our first working SSTO, and a handsome one at that. Hopefully, we can make a Mk. II that can refuel itself without the need of a separate gas rover. At the next transfer window, Michael and two others will take off and head for Duna in that little plane; he demanded he not wait in parking orbit for 290 days.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D180-0H00M

 

All seven of us are back up to our pod, and now we're stuck doing ore runs until the next transfer window. That way the lander will be completely gassed up by the time the replacement crew gets here. Honestly, if we're not going to go down to the surface again, I don't thing we need to do anything major while waiting for our time to leave. On the other hand, after we leave Duna's SOI, we'll only have one chance to use the ore transport; nobody will be there to repack the chutes.

• Shot of me right before we lifted off to get back to the pod. You can barely see Ike at the night sky.

 

Back at Mission Control, there's a debate on whether to take the Mk. I Duna SSTO (rover required) or the Mk. II (self-mining) to Duna. The Mk. II had 2,436 m/s of dV at approximately 140 km above Kerbin - after a close call with an unplanned aerobrake - and it successfully landed on Minmus and started refueling itself. 

It will take a very long time (I'm estimating over 100 days) to refill this plane completely, but at least we can do that if we have nothing better to do. Besides, Eli's staying behind and watching the drill and ISRU while Reid and Elora are out on their "extended leave." Great that he recovered, by the way. Once it's refilled, we shall either send the crew we already have there or put a lander with a replacement crew to get on the plane to Duna.

• If we decide to go with the Mk. II, that is.

 

I also took the time to read some new chapters in "A Mystery Beyond Science." I hope Bill can find the moonjet hacker's first victim - and, essentially, the hacker himself - before he strikes again.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D194-4H30M

 

Our request to end ore collection and conversion on Duna was granted. Since nobody would be using the lander for a while, there's no reason to refuel it up to full capacity at this time. Additionally, as Ike will be getting a fuel truck in over a year (but under a year and a half), ore collection operations should be easier for us. Hopefully, when Duna is replaced with Ike as our primary ore collector, we won't have to take a piece of ore and convert it for the delivery craft itself when it arrives.

• Takes a bit away from what the lander's getting.
• (2251 m/s of dV when loaded) - (630 m/s from Ike's surface to low Duna orbit) - (990 m/s from low Duna orbit to Ike's surface) = 631 m/s of dV left after one run
  • Number's going to be higher after ore tanks are unloaded.
  • Plus, we won't have to constantly send engineers to repack parachutes.

 

I hear Reid and Elora are having a fun time on Minmus, while Levi (I said "Eli" earlier, but I was mistaken - their names sound the same) is making excellent progress refueling the jet; he's up to 1435 m/s of dV now. Reid also gave us great news that he's been deemed fit to go interplanetary now, so a crew rotation is kind of redundant now. Besides, Michael has made it clear he's never going to Minmus again. 

 

Looks like we have nothing to do but wait for our return window. There's also NO WAY we're leaving anyone stranded on Duna's surface... probably because everybody's back in the pod. After the Ike truck arrives, ore collection and refueling operations can be completely unmanned. Our lander should be fully gassed up by the time the next wave of explorers arrive.

• Reid's crew doesn't count. Why refuel in up in Duna orbit when your plane can get it from Duna itself?
  • Besides, the plane is not docking-capable.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D228-4H15M

 

Man, this is awesome. This is like a relaxing vacation in Florida, only we're in orbit 150 kilometers above Duna's surface. Since we've been given permission to cancel ore collection operations - and since we don't have a science lab, we've been up here doing the following:

• Working out
  • Chyna and I made many dates out of it.
  • We even went outside and danced in microgravity (in our EVA suits, of course)
• Charging our chloroplasts
• Napping
• Reading
  • Chapter 9 just came out. I agree with Bill that Danlong was involved in the Moonjet hacking - both 79 and 314
    • My gut also tells me that Val has something to hide. Did she commit murder, or is she covering for someone else?
      • What do you think?
• Playing games
• Emailing our buddies back home and on Dres

 

Meanwhile, operations are underway to establish an airport on Minmus' flatlands. More specifically, we're reserving a spot of land where self-mining SSTOs can rest and refuel until they are ready to go interplanetary. We're also putting a base there for the crews to bunk until takeoff; good thing too, since those planes take forever to refuel. The best part is that Michael finally changed his mind about not going up to Minmus again when he was offered command of the airport operations. 

• He agreed to go on one condition: he's not alone when he gets there.

 

• Orbital shot of the airport. Reid and Elora and their plane are on the left, while Michael and the base are in the middle-right.

 

I know Mission Control already has the crew roster, but so I can remember in case I need to know where they are.

MINMUS AIRPORT CREW ASSIGNMENTS

Base	Jet 1	Jet 2 (awaiting landing coordinates)
Michael Brandon Clayton Vicky Shreya Alex Rachel Amanda Tyler	Reid Elora Levi	Abdul Raven Lexi

 

There's also a mini-bus nearby that can drive up to five people. After Jet 2 lands, the base will pretty much will be up to full capacity (unless two engineers stay in their jets to monitor refueling). 

 

We also learned that Adam got stranded in Kerbol orbit while test-flying an SSTO. Apparently, the Mun slingshot him out of Kerbin's sphere of influence. Fortunately, it had enough fuel to make a fine-tune burn to get caught in Kerbin's sphere of influence. However, it doesn't have enough to establish a stable parking orbit. Looks like he'll have to crash the jet and bail out after he enters the atmosphere.

• Our space program has a nasty habit of stranding people. We really have to stop it before someone dies.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D243-3H45M

 

I had just woken up when everyone got this. Apparently, we're supposed to keep our eyes open for an SSTO that's supposed to be on Minmus; and a missing engineer, AND a mini-bus (how does one steal a mini-bus unnoticed)? Details below:

 

  !!  KERBAL CRIME ALERT  !!  

 

Possible crimes committed - details attached

• KIDNAPPING (OR DESERTION)
  • Subject: Levi
    • Sex: M
    • Age: 21
    • Specialty: Engineer
    • Level: 5
    • Last seen: Minmus
  • Last seen inside Hopper 1 at the Minmus Airport Site
    • Reid called him from the base at 0H23M for refueling progress --> claimed that plane was up to 2043 m/s of dV now
    • Clayton then went on EVA at 0H30m, but saw Levi's plane was gone
  • All attempts to communicate with Levi have failed
    • EVA transponder not working, either
    • Phone going straight to voicemail
    • Emergency emails sent since 0H45M unopened
      • Attached with automatic "read receipts" in case someone goes missing.
• GRAND THEFT ROVER
  • Mini-bus parked next to the Minmus Airport base is gone.
  • Surprisingly, no tracks were found at the scene
    • Suggests deliberate effort to conceal it.
  • KSC lost contact with it at the same time it lost Hopper 1
  • REMINDER: It can be remote-controlled
• SSTO HIJACKING
  • Hopper 1's transponder is dead --> no sign of it.
  • Has remote-control capability
  • Previous occupant: Levi
    • Did he steal it, or was it remotely hijacked

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, CONTACT KSC IMMEDIATELY

 

 * seriously. In my sandbox save, those items vanished without a trace (not even debris). Levi is also marked MIA.

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

STARDATE: Y9-D285-3H30M

 

The bad news is that there's still no sign of the Minmus mini-bus, and Hopper 1 was found destroyed at Kerbin's north pole. The good news is that Levi has been found alive. He said that he took a nap after Reid called him; when he woke up, he was no longer on Minmus. He tried to radio for help, but nothing. Mission Control didn't believe him at first and assumed he took the jet for a joyride and got over his head - more pilots than I can count have done it - until it was discovered that some vandals broke into the control room at the time of the takeoff and decided to prank Levi. 

• The three punks have admitted to hacking Hopper 1's remote controls and blasting it off.
  • They claim they didn't want to hurt anyone, adding that "By the time he wakes up from his nap, he should know what to do."
• HOWEVER, they deny knowing anything about the mini-bus.

 

After the vandals were charged, Mission Control sent our first Eeloo fleet into parking orbit around Kerbin. These parts include:

• 1 fuel truck - same design as the Moho truck
• 1 ore transport
• Parts 1 and 2 of Hades Station
  • Basically the same thing as Moho Station.

 

On an even better note, after about 64 days, Hopper 2 is fully gassed up and ready to fly. In terms of dV, it has:

• Nuclear engine only - 4452 m/s
• Nuclear engine and RAPIERs - 4817 m/s
• RAPIERs only - 401 m/s

Between the nuclear engine only and ALL THREE, which one should I pick to have the most dV. I know that all three has the highest number, but won't it drop faster than it should?

 

Some of my crew suggested that we send a hopper to Eve since conventional spacecraft wouldn't work when it comes to getting off; Chyna mentioned "Unconventional problems call for unconventional solutions." Though Bruce and Kyle think it may not work, it's worth giving it a shot. I filed a request to Mission Control to send a hopper to Eve so it can at least test the landing and ascent. If all goes well, then we can either land it again, destroy it, or send another one for standby

• If we have delta-V to spare, but don't have enough to make it back to Kerbin, we could send it to Gilly to refuel.
• The hopper has no docking capabilities whatsoever. It should at least be able to rendezvous with a mother ship close enough for crewmembers to EVA out one-by-one.