Dirt and Stubbornness : A Hard Mode Eve Space Program with an Unkerballed Start

[Watermel00n]

22 years ago, Kerbin was hit by a comet. The 16 kerbals of the Space Station Ranger used its remaining fuel deposits to flee to Eve during the lucky transfer window it got. Arriving at Eve, the crew landed in their various Kerbin reentry pods and began to build underground bases to shield from the radiation and the harsh environment. Now, the 34,000 residents of Eve's only city New Kerbin City but on Eve hopes to return to Kerbin. They do not know how they could escape the thick atmosphere and strong gravity, but these hardened Kerbals knew one thing. It would not be easy.

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Yup. A new career game. But not just any career. This time, the KSC is on Eve and HARD MODE. No quicksaves, no reverts, tougher contracts and funds. And Unkerballed Start. And SimpleConstruction. And all their dependencies.

But why SimpleConstruction? Because the Goal for this career is to COLONISE KERBIN.

This mission report will have some story elements.

Jeb: Like this.

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Let's get to it.

Spoiler

Day One of the Space Program and the engineers are working away - to make probes that will go up and fall down. And explode. That makes it count as science!

The sunrises on Eve were always green and nothing like on Kerbin. But for the 30 kerbals who built this probe, this sunrise was just another day at the KSC.

Bill Kerman, the designer of the First-1 probe watched as the probe barely moved. So much for Kerbin-designed parts, he thought to himself. Not meant to deal with the gravity or the atmospheric drag on Eve.

Gene hit the "Transmit Science" button on his remote control as the probe took off.

Well look who survived, Bill thought as the probe plummeted to the ground after running out of fuel. Mission Control cheered.

The R&D staff soon got to work.

The First-2, a bigger version of the First-1 ignited its engines. The upper stage engine was accidentally turned on. Luckily, it didn't burn through the bottom stage.

For some strange reason, First-2 somehow landed mostly intact.

The First-2B launched with correct staging. Gene called for the tech team (1 kerbal) to fix the TWR display after the probe somehow took off with 0.48 TWR.

Again, the upper stage didn't burn through the bottom stage. Oof.

The First-3 takes off while simultaneously detaching two side boosters. (and losing thrust) Wernher von Kerman told Bill to  

 

The last stage fell to the ground and the recovery crew ran out to grab the probe.

Finally, the R&D team had hammered together a liquid-fueled engine that could be shut off. New science probes were immediately taped together. 

"science" was all on the KSC staff's minds.

R&D invests into jet planes. What a bad move.

 

Jeb: Wait, why did you get jets, they don't work.

R&D people: Oops. Sorry. It definitely won't come back to bite us later. (that's called foreshadowing)

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Watermel00n
fixed OP

[Maria Sirona]

Liked, followed, and i really like the idea! How'd the kerbals end up on Eve?

[Watermel00n]

Spoiler

A rocket tricycle was constructed and immediately bounced uncontrollably and fell over. Its designer, 3-year-old Sammy Kerman, burst into tears.

Another probe was constructed with a helicopter-like rocket system.

It fails miserably.

On a happier side, a new probe was launched.

It broke the height record. Maybe the Eve Space Program has a chance after all. 

 

[Watermel00n]

Spoiler

A more aerodynamic version of the successful probe First-5 was constructed.

Its 2 launches both veered off course seconds after liftoff.

Spin-stability was tried but also failed to keep the rocket on course.

Lastly, Jebadiah's brute force method was tried. This literal block of SRBs still scares me.

It didn't go well.

and... we are in trouble. gotta farm some contracts.

 

[Watermel00n]

Spoiler

much contracts later...

The random vab engineers built this in their spare time, using the ESC's funds. Grrrr.

What started as a rocket assisted helicopter ended up as the Science-Flinger. For Science! 

 

[Watermel00n]

Spoiler

Uh oh. We're in trouble.

Meanwhile those pesky VAB engineers invented the Jeb-Thrower. *sigh*

A contract mis-click did this... argh!

Gotta take this car to the water.

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of the rover in the water.

SCIENCE! Crisis averted, now back to contract farming.

 

Edited June 28, 2022 by Watermel00n

[Watermel00n]

So lately, I got a contract for the small rover wheels. Cue the rover montage!

Spoiler

 

[Maria Sirona]

Rover: cute

[Zozaf Kerman]

This very good. I like.

[Watermel00n]

Spoiler

Rover goes to the Sea!

Seperaton from contract goes brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[Watermel00n]

I realized i still had the save in my KSP!

Spoiler

After much contract grinding and rover driving, the tech tree now looks like this.

I built this helicopter spinning thing that worked surprisingly well.

Landed on VAB roof!