Project Astra: America's Next Small Step (CHAPTER 5)

[AeroSky]

HINT

Note: These hints are hinting at the event that occurs at the end of the Chapter.

Apollo [REDACTED], you are go for [REDACTED].
Copy that, Houston. We're coming home.

Expect more hints in a few hours, as well as tomorrow!  

[AeroSky]

HINT # 2

This will be the final hint until Chapter 1's release, which I hope will happen within 36 hours. (Estimate)

Apollo [REDACTED], do you read, Over.
Apollo [REDACTED], are you receiving? 
Capsule Harmony, do you copy?
It seems we've [REDACTED], Flight.

Enable [REDACTED] Protocols immediately.

As I have said above, these hints are hinting at the event which occurs at the end of the Chapter.

Spoiler

I may give more hints, regarding different parts of the Chapter this time, if Chapter 1's development takes too long (Delayed by a day or so). Do you all want that?  

 

[Misguided Kerbal]

3 hours ago, AeroSky said:

Spoiler

Do you all want that?  

 

Sure?

Just give us the chapter already! 

[AeroSky]

16 hours ago, Misguided Kerbal said:

Just give us the chapter already!

I hope to release it within a few hours.

 

[AeroSky]

UPDATE: Hello everyone!

I am going to have to delay Apollo 20 and 21 to Chapter 2 because of time constraints. However, I may be able to get Chapter 2 out by Monday, but it's not that likely. Chapter 1 will hold Apollo 18, 19, Skylab and 1 or 2 commercial launches. 

Expect it in 2 hours or so.  

Edit: I can't seem to get my BDB Saturn V to work well, so I will be using stock parts from Making History to do Apollo 18 and 19 for Chapter 1. I hope to get it fixed by Chapter 2.

Edited November 28, 2020 by AeroSky
Added edit

[AeroSky]

Note: This Chapter is missing photos. Placeholder photos or a "Photo here" has been placed to mark their location. They will be added at a later date.

Chapter 1: Apollo Wraps Up

"One minute and counting"
"S-IC Main Service Umbilical retracted."
"Launch Abort System is armed."
"Crew Access Arm retracted."
"Thirty seconds and counting.."
"Spacecraft power and Electrical Charge generation is internal"
"Twenty, Nineteen, Eighteen...."
"Guidance is internal."
"Flight is go for launch."
"Apollo 18, this is Houston, You are go for launch."
"10, 9, 8"
"7, 6,5"
"Ignition sequence start."
"4, 3, 2"
"Launch commit"
"Liftoff! Liftoff on Apollo 18, beginning America's future in space."

Photo here

As NASA astronauts James McDivitt, David Scott and Thomas Stafford launch into space aboard the mighty Saturn V, NASA's hopes and dreams of a sustainable and permanent future in space grew one step closer to becoming a reality. Apollo 18's launch went by smoothly, and the systems checks went by without a hitch. About an hour after launch, Capcom, or Capsule Communicator, gave Commander David Scott the go for TLI.

Photo here

As Apollo 18 cruises their way to the Moon, NASA holds the Apollo 19 Commit to Preparation conference to discuss Apollo 19's changed mission plan. 

  Apollo 19's unmanned mission will launch in May-June 1974 aboard a Saturn V launch vehicle, and will consist of the Apollo Modified Long Duration CSM   (Nicknamed Achilles) and the Lunar Surface Resupply Vehicle (LSRV). The mission will head to Low Moon Orbit, where it will stay until Apollo 19A arrives   in Low Lunar Orbit.

  Apollo 19A is the second part of Apollo 19's mission, and will be unmanned. The Apollo 19A mission will launch aboard a Saturn V launch vehicle, and will   consist of the Apollo CSM Extended Module (ACEM), and another Apollo Modified Long Duration CSM. (Nicknamed Hector). By the time Apollo 19A   reaches Earth Orbit, the Apollo 19 LSRV will have gone down to the Sea of Tranquility already.

  The ACEM and "Hector" CSM will dock with the "Achilles" CSM in Low Moon Orbit. The ACEM will be left with "Achilles", and "Hector" will return to   Earth. Afterwards, Apollo 20's Command Module Pilot will dock with the Achilles-ACEM vehicle in Low Lunar Orbit for an extended stay while Apollo 20's   Commander and Lunar Module Pilot go down to the Sea of Tranquility for an extended stay on the Lunar surface.

On December 22, 1973, testing on the Neptune I Launch Vehicle (LV) begins. Photographed is a placeholder tank powering 4 F-1 engines, which is currently planned as the engine configuration for the Neptune I. 

Also on December 22, 1973, a spare Titan IVB launches the Kerbal Space Center WeatherSat I, or KSC WeatherSat I, and the LV Communications Satellite, used in communicating with missions on the other side of the world. The mission launches from Launch Complex 34 at the Vandenburg Launch Complex.

The mission successfully launches the two satellites into their respective orbits. 

Two photos here

Meanwhile, on December 24, 1973, NASA announces more news about the Skylab Program under Project Astra. NASA says Skylab is set for a late 1975 launch at the earliest. The Skylab Orbital Laboratory itself is currently at the Marshall Space Flight Center undergoing software checks before final shipping to Cape Canaveral. NASA also says that the Skylab launch could be delayed to 1978, as there are plans to use a Neptune V launch vehicle to launch it into orbit, and to use a Neptune I to ferry crew. 

Meanwhile, news comes in from over the Atlantic that the European Space Agency has formed with France, Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy among the leading members. ESA and NASA begin talks about collaborating together on Skylab, with ESA hoping to send their first astronauts, or Euronauts, into space to Skylab. NASA is equally as enthusiastic and shares data regarding the Titan II, Titan III and the Vanguard to ESA. 

On December 25, 1973, Apollo 18 reaches the Moon. Within 6 hours, McDivitt and Scott board the LM and begin their decent to the lunar surface. 

Placeholder photo

James McDivitt and David Scott successfully lands in the Sea of Tranquility on December 25, 1973. Once the astronauts were on the surface, they sang a few Christmas carols in spirit of the day they landed. 

Placeholder photo

On December 29, 1973, McDivitt and Scott liftoff from the Sea of Tranquility, having completed their scouting mission, which will benefit Apollo 19-21. During their stay on the Moon, they scouted around in the Lunar rover for possible landing sites for Apollo 19's LSRV, as well as returning more Lunar surface samples back to Earth.

Apollo 18 begins its reentry into the Earth's atmosphere on January 3, 1974. The trajectory of the capsule was steeper than usual, but Mission Control gave the all clear for reentry.

As expected, Mission Control in Houston loses communication with the capsule as it reenters the atmosphere somewhere over Australian outback. Houston expects communications to return within 8 minutes. 

About 3 minutes into the communications loss, controllers at Houston suddenly loses their Capsule Telemetry Data. As controllers scramble about looking for answers, Flight Director Gene Granz orders them to stay put until communications is returned, which is set to happen in 5 minutes.

As the minutes pass by, more and more of the controllers at Houston become worried of the crew's situation, until the impossible happens.

-------------------------------------

[AUDIO TRANSCRIPT RETRIVED FROM APOLLO 18 REENTRY, HOUSTON MISSION CONTROL]

Mission Engineer: "Flight, we have photographic reports coming in from the Australian outback."

Kranz, Gene (Flight): "Show it to me."

[Shuffling of papers and footsteps]

Kranz, Gene (Flight): "We're expecting communications to return within the minute. We can't jump to conclusions."

Capsule Communicator: "Flight, we're expecting communications return in 30 seconds."

Kranz, Gene (Flight): "Let's wait till' then to make conclusions."

[Thirty seconds pass by]

Capsule Communicator: "Apollo 18, do you read, Over."
                                                       "Apollo 18, are you receiving?
                                                       "Capsule Harmony, do you copy?"

[Silence in Mission Control]

Capsule Communicator: "It seems....."

Kranz, Gene (Flight): "You know what to do."

Edited January 2, 2021 by AeroSky

[Misguided Kerbal]

9 hours ago, AeroSky said:

my BDB Saturn V is wiggling around a lot,

How about using KJR or autostrut?

[AeroSky]

Update: Added Tantares to the modlist

Chapter 2 still on track for a weekend release.

[AeroSky]

UPDATE: Chapter 2 will be renamed to:

Chapter 2: A New Space Race

Chapter 3 will be called Competition Reignited.

 

[AeroSky]

UPDATE

Hello, everyone! I am happy to announce that Chapter 2: A New Space Race has completed drafting and all is ready for a release, except the photos (I believe I have everything sorted out now  ). 

However, I have some time-consuming things that require doing this weekend, so I may have to release the Chapter on Saturday or Sunday, but the photos shall come at a later date. However (again), that is not likely to happen.

Expect some more exciting hints soon! Here's your first one:

------

HINT

[{(evidence of the development of a Soviet [REDACTED] rocket that appears to be...... heavy lift?]}) 

---------

[AeroSky]

Hello, everyone!

Just a quick little update. I have Chapter 2 all finished up and ready for release, but the photos have not been taken due to time constraints. Do you want Chapter 2 now, but without the photos (But I placed MUCH more content compared to Chapter 1), or do you want to wait for the photos to be finished (Which can occur as early as tomorrow, theoretically)?

I'd love your feedback as soon as possible.

[GuessingEveryDay]

4 hours ago, AeroSky said:

wait for the photos to be finished

 

[AeroSky]

Chapter 2: A New Space Race

As the mission controllers stood in silence, with nothing but their breaths giving away the sense that nearly a hundred humans are in the room, a loud, yet subtle beeping sound disturbed the solemn silence.

Audio Transcript retrieved from Mission Control, Houston. Jan. 4, 1974.

Gene Kranz: “What is that?”

Capsule Communicator: “It’s….It’s….a signal. From the capsule.”

Gene Kranz: “We’re receiving?”

Capsule Communicator: “Yes, Flight.”

MCDIVITT: “That was one mess of a reentry.”

STAFFORD: “Mhm. Well, look at that! We have Mission Control back!”

SCOTT: “Houston, this is Apollo 18. We’re back. We hope we didn’t give you a scare there.”

-Sounds of cheering in Mission Control-

--------

 

With the safe return of Apollo 18, NASA shifts focus to preparations for Apollo 19 and Apollo 19A. The integration of the Apollo 19 Saturn V enters its final stages, with a specialized payload fairing being used for the first time on a Saturn vehicle. 

On January 11, 1974, NASA announces a change to Apollo 20’s crew. James Lovell will remain the Mission Commander, Walter Cunningham will remain Command Module Pilot, and Eugene “Gene” Cernan being made Lunar Module Pilot for the mission, primarily because of his long duration stay on the Moon. James Lovell was also chosen for a similar reason, except in his case, because of his actions on Apollo 13.

The CSM and LM for Apollo 20 have already been delivered to Cape Canaveral, and are awaiting the Saturn V modules for final integration. Apollo 20 is currently slated for a late Summer-Autumn 1974 launch.

Meanwhile at Stennis Space Center, the primary testing site for NASA launch vehicles, a large amount of different and diverse rocket stages are being tested for flight.

Following the successful hot fire test of the 4 F-1 engines designed to power the Neptune I Launch Vehicle (LV), The second stage, consisting of 2 J-2 engines, was also hot fired on January 14, 1974. NASA announces a possible Neptune I test launch of a full Neptune I stack in early 1975.

On January 25, 1974, a new booster design, consisting of 3 F-1 engines running on liquid fuel, was hot fired at a horizontal test fire stand at Stennis. The test was successful, and NASA announces a hot fire test of the Neptune V main stage, consisting of 5 F-1 engines, currently set for August 1974.

In international news, the European Space Agency, formed on December 15, 1973, launched its first rocket, the Diamond, from the Kourou Launch Complex in French Guiana. The Diamond, a small sounding rocket capable of carrying small sounding payloads into suborbital space, is the younger brother of the first medium lift launcher of ESA, the Emerald ELV (European Launch Vehicle).

On February 14, 1974, NASA and ESA sign a preliminary agreement to collaborate on Skylab. NASA will launch ESA astronauts on Saturn IB and Neptune I rockets, and ESA will build a research module and an airlock module for Skylab. The agreement, known as the Houston International Accords, was a landmark achievement in space exploration, aside from the upcoming Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which, with the large amounts of delays, was about to be renamed to Neptune-Soyuz Test Project, with the American astronauts launching on a Neptune launch vehicle.

On February 20, 1974, a Titan IVB launches and the European Solar Observatory (ESO) into a 500x500 kilometer orbit. The observatory is a European-built solar observatory built to monitor solar activity and radiation levels in the Near Earth region. NASA and ESA have begun preliminary discussions on developing a collaborative space observatory, called the Sagan International Space Observatory (SISO), named after Carl Sagan, the American astronomer.

Meanwhile, the first ever Space Shuttle, named Enterprise, was rolled out from the new Shuttle Maintenance Facility at Cape Canaveral. The new Shuttle was set for its first Approach and Landing Test in late 1974, with a possible first flight by summer 1977.

On February 31, 1974, James Lovell, Walter Cunningham and Eugene Cernan arrived at Cape Canaveral to undergo final training before their new launch date of late summer 1974.

In March 1974, NASA announces the official mission plans for Apollo 20 and Apollo 21, as well as more news about Project Astra’s Neptune family of launch vehicles.

Apollo 20 will conduct a 3-4 month stay on the lunar surface to observe the effects on the human body and brain during and after a long duration stay on the Moon. The mission is planned to be supplemented by 2-3 LSRV landings, which will arrive during different parts of the mission. Commander James Lovell was chosen for his  experience in long duration flight under panic (Apollo 13). Lunar Module Pilot Eugene Cernan was chosen for his long duration stay on the Moon (Apollo 17). The mission is set to return to Earth in January-February 1975.

Apollo 21, consisting of Commander Charles Conrad Jr., Command Module Pilot John W. Young, and Lunar Module Pilot Robert Crippen, will land on the Moon for about 2 weeks, in conjunction with Apollo 20, in the same landing zone. The crews of Apollo 20 and Apollo 21 will then conduct joint experiments before Apollo 21’s departure about 2 weeks after landing.

Apollo 20 will then depart about 3 days after Apollo 21.

 With NASA’s plan to continue these “Long-Duration Lunar Landings” into the 1980s, the Soviet Union begins to ramp up its own space program. The N-1 Heavy Launch Vehicle was retired from service and sent to redesigning by the top design bureaus in the USSR. The Soviet Politburo passed the Union of Space Exploration Policy of 1974, which asked (READ: forced) the design bureaus to work together, or risk getting shutdown by the Soviet government.

Work on the N-1’s successor, the N-2 begins. The N-2 SLV, or N-2 Soviet Launch Vehicle, would have only 9 NK-33 engines for its first stage, compared to the N-1's 30 NK-15 engines. The Soviet government sent a few divisions of military personnel to classified development sites across Russia to keep the project as secret as possible.

On April 6, 1974, Apollo 19 was rolled out to LC-39A in anticipation of its April 11 launch. The Mobile Launch Platform was equipped with new umbilicals to support the unmanned computer commanding the spacecraft.

On April 8, 1974, Apollo 19A was rolled out to LC-39B while Apollo 19 began final launch procedures. The Apollo 19A Saturn V had a smaller third stage “petal” fairing, as the LM was switched out for an Apollo CSM Extended Module (ACEM). Apollo 19A is scheduled for an April 15 launch.

Edited January 2, 2021 by AeroSky

[Misguided Kerbal]

Great! I am loving this! Just a suggestion though, if your PC can handle it: perhaps use a visual mod like Spectra, + TUFX?

[AeroSky]

18 hours ago, Misguided Kerbal said:

Spectra, + TUFX?

TUFX may work fine, but I'm not confident about Spectra, since I'm running an Intel graphics card. I can, however, run 8k RSS textures with no lag. Scatterer and EVE have caused large amounts of lag on my device (tested). I'll look into low-end graphics mods for KSP.

Thanks for the recommendation! Any advice to make this story better will be greatly appreciated!

[Misguided Kerbal]

6 hours ago, AeroSky said:

TUFX may work fine, but I'm not confident about Spectra, since I'm running an Intel graphics card. I can, however, run 8k RSS textures with no lag. Scatterer and EVE have caused large amounts of lag on my device (tested). I'll look into low-end graphics mods for KSP.

Thanks for the recommendation! Any advice to make this story better will be greatly appreciated!

No problem! I'm actually also running spectra, with both scatterer and eve, and I get a decent 40 or so fps. You might want to try: 

 

[AeroSky]

On 12/9/2020 at 10:55 PM, Misguided Kerbal said:

No problem! I'm actually also running spectra, with both scatterer and eve, and I get a decent 40 or so fps. You might want to try: 

 

I've taken a look at it, and it looks cool, albeit a little to "sci-fi" for me. Might install.

[AeroSky]

Hello, everyone!

Drafting of Chapter 3: Competition Reignited has finished successfully! Expect more Soviet-related stuff, as well as a natural disaster

EDIT: That natural disaster has been removed from the story

Edited December 22, 2020 by AeroSky

[AeroSky]

Update

Hello, everyone! Due to time constraints, Chapter 3 will be delayed until tomorrow. However, since I said it would release today, here's the name of Chapter 4!

Spoiler

Chapter 4: A Scarlet Moon

What could it be about? Tell me your predictions below!

[Misguided Kerbal]

8 hours ago, AeroSky said:

Tell me your predictions below!

Red Moon. 

[AeroSky]

Update

Chapter 3 will be delayed to next weekend due to severe time constraints. More hints soon!

[NH04]

@AeroSky, great storyline so far!

[AeroSky]

Update (Again)

Hello! Just to let you all know, Chapter 3 is complete and ready for a release, but the photos are not ready (or taken) yet. If you want, I can release Chapter 3 without the photos now (or later today) so you all have something to read. Otherwise, you all will have to wait until Saturday.

Thanks!

P.S. I'm thinking of adding probes (Which will totally not be Soviet) and their missions to the story. What do you all think?

 

[Misguided Kerbal]

1 minute ago, AeroSky said:

P.S. I'm thinking of adding probes (Which will totally not be Soviet) and their missions to the story. What do you all think?

That would be cool. I'd like to wait for the pictures though.

[AeroSky]

Hello, everyone! I have stumbled upon this mod called KSRSS which reskins the stock planets to the Solar System planets, but keeps them at stock scale. It's only available for 1.8.1 (and possibly 1.9.1 since Kopernicus is updated to that), and I'm guessing mods such as BDB, KSC Extended, KER, etc. have 1.8.1 (or 1.9.1) versions.

Should I "film" Project Astra in KSRSS (I have a few empty 1.8.1 saves lying around on my laptop) or should I stay with stock KSP planets?

Mod: 

The photos look great!