Adventures with WildBlueIndustries - Blueshift and Kerbal Flying Saucers

[Ooglak Kerman]

The engineering recruits have completed their training and are now K.R.A.P. engineers and ready for assignment to Minmus.  Shown here with their transport pilot before getting to work.

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Already hard at work in the fabrication facility making K.R.A.P. parts under the supervision of a senior K.R.A.P. engineer.

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Edited January 23, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

With the other new K.R.A.P. engineers hard at work making the necessary parts, the base is coming together.

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And finally finished.  Now Minmus can look back at Kerbin - Looking at Minmus - Looking at Kerbin.  And continuing to the path of madness.
5 housing habitats each providing apartments for 4 Kerbals.  Rec center in the middle which has a meeting hall and a small garden.
The lessons learned from this construction will be passed along to the team at Nova Kirbani

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Edited January 25, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

Minmus Base continues to expand with the addition of a dedicated vehicle assembly facility.

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Once there are sufficient parts for the assembly, the automated assembly system begins to build the vehicle.

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Minmus Base now has a new improved rover/cargo carrier.

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If a vehicle/ship proves to be unsuitable, the system can also disassemble it.  Angelo has certainly outdone himself for K.R.A.P.

[Ooglak Kerman]

At Leyn in the Blalo system, The Flamingo has landed in an area that KZAM-11 indicated was promising.

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"KZAM this is The Flamingo.  The spot you mapped for us is pretty good in resources, but it doesn't have any flat spots more than 10 square meters.  Soon as we top off a bit, we're gonna relocate to retrograde and stay on the equator" groused Gemzon
"Sorry about that.  Best we could do mapping from orbit" replied Debbo "There appear to be a number of promising spots 30-40 KM to retrograde.  Good luck.  Fly safe"
 

[Ooglak Kerman]

"How does that crater off your port side look?" inquired Debbo "We're passing overhead now"
"That crater looks good, but the walls are very steep.  No ground rover will be able to get in or out.  We may have to go for that big crater south of the equator"

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[Ooglak Kerman]

"I'm not sure this will work out for us" said Gemzon.  "There are just no level spots that we can find here on Leyn.  We may have to move on to Rav and hope for better conditions.  We'll know in another day or so"

[Ooglak Kerman]

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"Science.. what trends are you seeing with the terrain?" asked Gemzon
"Terrain appears to be increasingly rugged as we head north, Captain.  No particular patterns have emerged though."
"Yeah, that's what I'm seeing.  Engineering.  How we doing"
"Fuel and consumables are good.  Gravatic and other systems nominal.  Wouldn't hurt to put down to replenish and do some preventive maintenance though."
"Ok.  Science, find us a good spot to land."

Half an hour later...

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"Science.. Out and go do science.  Scout around and see if this site might be suitable."

[Ooglak Kerman]

"Good news, Captain" said Patberry - the station scientist.  "There is a suitable spot 400m straight south of us.  Unfortunately, though this region has the resources we need, some are rather scarce"
"Ok. Recommendation?"
"I've marked the location.  We should scout for a more suitable location and return here if one is not found.  The location of this site in relation to Nova Kirbani-A should ensure that it has sufficient ambient light for some time to come.  If you would authorize release of 3D printer parts for a small resource container, it would aid in determination of this site suitability."
"Ok" replied Gemzon "Lets get that container printed and see what we have here."
 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

"Bad news, Skipper" said Patberry "Every time the engineers put down a support pad for a ground station and walk away.. it explodes.  Two so far.  The surface is very irregular and this may contribute"
"Ughh.. " replied Gemzon "Ok.  Get the ship ready for flight everyone.  Let's see if we can find a better spot"

[Ooglak Kerman]

"Hey Gemzon" called Debbo onboard KZAM-11 "you guys will be on your own for a bit.  We've got orders to scout out Alva and a probable jump ring in orbit of it."
"Ok.  We're good here.  We have to find a better spot.  You folks fly safe.  Stay in touch" replied Gemzon

In a 650KM polar orbit of Alva.  The unknown object did indeed turn out to be a jump ring.  A fortuitous discovery.

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Alva.. Desert planet.  The innermost planet of the Nova Kirbani B system.  All the signs indicate it was a temperate world with oceans of water in the distant past.  Now a dried husk with vast deserts of sand and a rumor of wurms that live in the sand.  Orbital scans reveal the presence of resources that are vital for the establishment of a colony.  Colonists would have to live in their habitat domes since the thin atmosphere is a mixture of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, but Kerbals are a hardy race.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

Aboard KWL-1000 "We're Goin' Down" in orbit of Alva, Rodvis was looking over the latest orders with Julred.

"Well..  they want us back at Kerbin to upgrade Kiwi and the ship.  Oh, and test the Alva jump ring while we're at it.  We're getting reconfigured to deliver colonists and supplies to seed them.  We'll be right back here to Alva to drop off a colony" said Rodvis
"Aye me laddie.  T'is past time we were bein' upgraded.  Let's be tae it, eh?"

By now, the jump rings were old hat and had proven reliable.  Back in Kerbin orbit docked to the repair and refit station, Rodvis watched in amazement as Julred and the station crew assembled the new ship and transferred Kiwi - their drive - over.  Testing complete, the cargo boxes for the colony were bolted to the ship and he, Julred, and the colony crew transferred aboard, rendezvous with the Kerbin jump ring and jumped back to Alva.

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Ungainly at first look, but the engineering staff at the Center assured them that it would handle just fine for re-entry to planets with the same atmospheric density or less than Kerbin.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

Deorbiting to the chosen landing site for the Alva colony.

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Landing went off without a hitch - to the relief of all - and the obligatory flag planting by a portion of the crew.  Alva is quite bright during the day.

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Then, hard at work setting up the FlimsyTek shelters.  Night is coming and the temperature differential generally means high winds, even though the atmosphere is thin.

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Excellent progress for a days work.  There is only bunk space at this point for half the crew at a time, but there is much to do preparing to expand the base so everyone will sleep in shifts.  As expected, the winds have started up and it is not safe to continue work into the night.  So far, the FlimsyTek is holding up.

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[Angelo Kerman]

Man, those look so bad now, compared to where my skills are at today. Back then that was the best I could do though, so, progress! I'm glad the kerbals are making use of the FlimsyTek portable bases.

[Ooglak Kerman]

After a night of howling winds, dawn came and with it some relative calm.  All the team members not engaged in parts manufacturing or tending of machinery (primarily pilots and scientists) were out with rakes and shovels smoothing out the ground.
Capability has been greatly increased with the addition of a large manufacturing facility that was built on-site.

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The decision was made to first construct a work truck before building out the habitat facilities as it will speed the whole process - which has been quite laborious so far.  Once the habitat facilities are built, the original base will be disassembled and repurposed.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

Now that a work truck is available, construction can resume and allow their transport ship to head on to its next mission.

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[Ooglak Kerman]

The pace of construction has increased and the colony has greatly increased manufacturing and storage capacity.

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Now it time for work to begin on the crew habitat facility

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Inside one of the crew living modules

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Closing in on the end of day 3.  The base has evolved considerably.  One more day and all crew will have their own living spaces and they can start preparing for the next wave of colonists.

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[Ooglak Kerman]

There is great excitement at the Alva Colony.  Not only have they completed construction of the first living facility and all crew members now have their own rooms and bunks, but the communications relay station has been completed and now everyone can play their favorite game - Earth Space Program - with their friends back on Kerbin.

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Anticipating the likelihood of accidents and injuries, a mobile medical facility has been constructed.

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Though small, this mobile facility is able to provide primary care for two patients and features a full array of light, graphs, and things that go ping.

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[Vagrant203]

This K.R.A.P. is legit

[Ooglak Kerman]

Meanwhile... back on Kerbin..

Bobby-Ray, his wife Bobby-Sue, their eldest son Tee-Ray and his wife Emma-Belle were discussing the future of the family

"Ah been thinkin'" said Bobby-Ray "they's takin' purdy much everyone wants to go for that thar new colony.  Wutchall think.. we-all up n go?"
"Wutabout th' still, Paw?" asked Tee-Ray - ever the practical one
"Huh.. we if'n we can't takeit, we can build another"

And that settled matters.  Bobby-Ray and his clan were added to the manifest for the next trip to Nova Korbani to the Alva colony.

In another "similar" conversation....

"Hey babe.." said Leaf "wanna go to the new colony?"
"Cool, man!" replied SunDream "can we take our chickens?"
"Don't see why not.  You good?"
"Groovy man..  wanna brownie?"

Edited February 9, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

At Alva Colony on board KWT-1000 "We're Goin' Down", Rodvis was looking over yet another set of new orders

"Hey Bureley" called Rodvis to the colony commander and de-facto mayor "We're off.  There's a new load of colonists to bring out"
"Yeah..  I got word.  Some of them are a bit unconventional and independent minded.  Some of their living quarters to be fabricated are.... interesting"
"Anything yall need us to bring back?"
"We're good.  We can fab pretty much anything we need at this point.  Thanks.  You two fly safe"
"Ok.  See you in a few days"

Up to orbit before the winds kicked up in ernest

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Edited February 13, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

At Alva Colony, the work continues to expand the colony

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The new colonists who wish to live here will have their own spaces when they arrive.  The colony continues to evolve into a more efficient configuration.

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Fabrication of mobile facilities for those who wish to be more... nomadic...  will begin soon.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman

[Ooglak Kerman]

From The Admiralty: Engineers Needed For K.R.A.P.

Kerbals Relocated Among Planets (K.R.A.P.) has immediate need for engineers of all skill levels at the newly established colony on Alva in the Nova Kirbani B system.

Do you hit it with a hammer to make it work?  Do you hit it harder with a bigger hammer to make it work better?  If so, you may have the skills needed to help our K.R.A.P. colony grow.

On Alva, you will be a pioneer - shaping the planet for those who will follow.  Your skills will be K.R.A.P. skills and you know that will look great on a future resume.

Apply now!  The next colony shuttle will depart soon.  Bring your hammer and show your K.R.A.P. talents.

[Ooglak Kerman]

On board KWL-1000 "We're Goin' Down" Rodvis and Julred have made another uneventful jump ring transfer from Nova Kirbani B to Kerbin.

"I'm feeling quite the Jump Gymnast with all these transfers" observed Rodvis
"Aye me lad.  Beats takin' th' long way tho" responded Julred
"True enough....  me lassie.. " as he ducked a playful swat  "we're cleared to deorbit to the Space Center.  Lets get 'er done"

A short time later, they landed on the apron at the SPH and a small swarm of vehicles came out and the new colonists formed up for the obligatory group photo

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Their small amount of personel effects were stowed into the cargo boxes - along with SunDreams chickens and they boarded the ship.

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[Ooglak Kerman]

"Take your time getting settled in folks.  We've got at least an hour before we get clearance to orbit" called Rodvis over the announcement system

Leaf came back to the tiny room that was assigned to him and SunDream to find her staring far off and looking thoughtful

"Hey Babe.  What's on your mind?" asked Leaf
"Huh.. oh, hey man.  Just talkin' to the ship" she responded dreamily  "thought at first it was the brownies"
"Cool beans!  You too?  Kiwi was talkin to me earlier.  Pretty rad!"
::You are both welcome to the command deck if you wish - though I should let Rodvis and Julred know first::

Kiwi informed a very surprised Rodvis and Julred.  Kerbals who are innately sensitive to the drives are rare.

[Ooglak Kerman]

"Ok folks.  Everyone strap in.  We're departing" called Rodvis

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Half an hour later - with Leaf and SunDream watching very interestedly, they rendezvous with the Kerbin jump ring and maneuvered for entry to the ring and transfer to Alva orbit

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Then in toward Alva for a close in warp circularization and then de-orbit

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After landing, Rodvis reminded everyone to have their visors down before exiting.  The Alva sun is very bright.

"You sure you two don't want to stay with us and and get warp qualified?" Rodvis asked of Leaf and SunDream
Leaf glanced at his partner who gave a small shake of the head - "Naw man.  We want to explore this planet and we got SunDreams chickens to think of"
"Ok.  Best to ya.  Stay in touch.  I think it will be very easy for you now"
::I wish you would stay, but I understand - I think.  Be well.  I have enjoyed our time::

The colonists all disembarked and there was the usual flag planting and photo op.  As they were warned, the sun is intense

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And then off to the darker and cooler receiving facility for housing and task assignments.  Still no replacement for the old KSP emblem with a K.R.A.P. emblem

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Edited February 15, 2023 by Ooglak Kerman