Beyond: Kerbalkind's History of Space Exploration

[SkyFall2489]

Are commercial spaceflight design submissions still open?
SkyFall Industries is developing a small, mostly reusable crew shuttle for 3 kerbals. However, at the moment it looks like it'll need an aerospike.

It will launch vertically and land horizontally, and only drop 2 SRBs, 2 nose cones, and 2 radial decouplers.

 

DEVELOPMENT UPDATE:

Looks like the planned configuration of 1 rocket on the main hull (aerospike, swivel, or Koidak )and 2 Thumper SRBs mounted on the sides won't be enough.

The point of the design is to avoid dropping anything expensive like jets or rockets, so I'm planning to try a higher-power core engine combined with drop-tanks. 

Wait, the Reliant is pretty cheap, I might be able to afford dropping one or two of those into the ocean

Edited October 19, 2023 by SkyFall2489

[Kerbalsaurus]

On 10/18/2023 at 10:02 PM, SkyFall2489 said:

Are commercial spaceflight design submissions still open?
SkyFall Industries is developing a small, mostly reusable crew shuttle for 3 kerbals. However, at the moment it looks like it'll need an aerospike.

It will launch vertically and land horizontally, and only drop 2 SRBs, 2 nose cones, and 2 radial decouplers.

I’m sorry, but they’re not open anymore. At the moment, Beyond doesn’t have much demand for a private space shuttle as the Libra Orbit exists as well as the current WIP shuttle program. However, you have given me a very good idea… if you’d like to submit something, I’ll pick it first.

——————————————

YEAR 3, DAY 209 - CALLING ALL BUSINESSES

Kerman Station is an ever expanding outpost in space right now, with the first tourist flights flying up now. But one thing tourists want is luxury, which the standard module doesn’t have. And Beyond’s scientists and engineers aboard Kerman Station would like to work without people constantly getting in the way. So we ask various private space agencies to submit their own space station modules to launch up to Kerman Station. Modules must be able to support at least 3 Kerbals. You have the choice between a habitat and laboratory module. But act fast! Only four modules can be launched!

 

How to Send in your Module

- Share your space program’s name

- Share you program’s flag

- Share a link to you Module on KerbalX

Edited October 22, 2023 by Kerbalsaurus
Added directions

[TwoCalories]

3 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

I’m sorry, but they’re not open anymore. At the moment, Beyond doesn’t have much demand for a private space shuttle as the Libra Orbit exists as well as the current WIP shuttle program. However, you have given me a very good idea… if you’d like to submit something, I’ll pick it first.

——————————————

YEAR 3, DAY 209 - CALLING ALL BUSINESSES

Kerman Station is an ever expanding outpost in space right now, with the first tourist flights flying up now. But one thing tourists want is luxury, which the standard module doesn’t have. And Beyond’s scientists and engineers aboard Kerman Station would like to work without people constantly getting in the way. So we ask various private space agencies to submit their own space station modules to launch up to Kerman Station. Modules must be able to support at least 3 Kerbals. You have the choice between a habitat and laboratory module. But act fast! Only four modules can be launched!

Are we allowed to reserve a spot? I don't have one designed yet, but I would like to submit a habitat module.

[SkyFall2489]

6 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

I’m sorry, but they’re not open anymore. At the moment, Beyond doesn’t have much demand for a private space shuttle as the Libra Orbit exists as well as the current WIP shuttle program. However, you have given me a very good idea… if you’d like to submit something, I’ll pick it first.

——————————————

YEAR 3, DAY 209 - CALLING ALL BUSINESSES

Kerman Station is an ever expanding outpost in space right now, with the first tourist flights flying up now. But one thing tourists want is luxury, which the standard module doesn’t have. And Beyond’s scientists and engineers aboard Kerman Station would like to work without people constantly getting in the way. So we ask various private space agencies to submit their own space station modules to launch up to Kerman Station. Modules must be able to support at least 3 Kerbals. You have the choice between a habitat and laboratory module. But act fast! Only four modules can be launched!

Hmm.

The SkyFall Industries shuttle was (semi-intentionally) planned to compete with Libra Orbit, providing a (hopefully) safer and cheaper alternative.

 

As for station modules, perhaps SkyFall Industries may be able to provide an artificial gravity centrifuge. What payload capacity are we working with?

 

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by SkyFall2489

[Kerbalsaurus]

@TwoCalories

I’m afraid I can’t reserve a spot for you in the submissions. I’m only doing it for SkyFall because I felt bad about rejecting his spacecraft submission. Speaking of which…
 

@SkyFall2489

We will have to reconsider your offer. This fully reusable spacecraft is something that will come in handy for space station construction. As for the module weight, I’d say between 10-15 tons? I’d have double check that.

[SkyFall2489]

4 hours ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

@TwoCalories

I’m afraid I can’t reserve a spot for you in the submissions. I’m only doing it for SkyFall because I felt bad about rejecting his spacecraft submission. Speaking of which…
 

@SkyFall2489

We will have to reconsider your offer. This fully reusable spacecraft is something that will come in handy for space station construction. As for the module weight, I’d say between 10-15 tons? I’d have double check that.

Alright, I should have a module ready by Monday. 

 

EDIT:
As for the shuttle, it'll only be mostly reusable, and won't be able to carry any payload as-is. Perhaps it could be up-scaled.

Edited October 19, 2023 by SkyFall2489

[SkyFall2489]

Here's the centrifuge module. A little over 10 tons, comes with its own RCS for docking. Run the KAL to start everything up.

 

Craft file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A27rA_RxBzrsGOgaSGw0bClpUyWglMNP/view?usp=sharing

 

[fulgur]

Jeb's Junkyard would like to congratulate SkyFall Industries on their planned development of a shuttlecraft. Speaking this morning, CEO Jeb (no relation) said "It's a laudable goal to have the cheapest possible reusable shuttle. And SRBs are pretty cheap. But do they have style? Style like our Libra Orbit? Nyoooooooom! Pchoooooooo!" Jeb (no relation) then spent fifteen minutes making aeroplane noises and waving his arms about. "Anyway," he continued, "an upscaled shuttle to carry cargo does sound like a useful thing. I think we might have a big tin can somewhere in the junkyard - let's go and dig that out!"

---

I, fulgur, the real Miss BLANK of BLANK & BLANK College, University of BLANK, BLANKshire, BLANKland, United BLANKdoms of Great BLANKtain and Northern BLANKreland, regret to inform the assembled readers of this thread that I am extremely bloody busy with my degree & will be unable to play KSP myself until the end of term. Which, both thankfully and regrettably, is remarkably close. As such, I am living vicariously through Kerbalsaurus' flights, both of my Libra Orbit and other craft [no pressure :-p] but will be less able to provide updates, debugging etc.

Edited October 21, 2023 by fulgur

[SkyFall2489]

15 minutes ago, fulgur said:

Jeb's Junkyard would like to congratulate SkyFall Industries on their planned development of a shuttlecraft. Speaking this morning, CEO Jeb (no relation) said "It's a laudable goal to have the cheapest possible reusable shuttle. And SRBs are pretty cheap. But do they have style? Style like our Libra Orbit? Nyoooooooom! Pchoooooooo!" Jeb (no relation) then spent fifteen minutes making aeroplane noises and waving his arms about. "Anyway," he continued, "an upscaled shuttle to carry cargo does sound like a useful thing. I think we might have a big tin can somewhere in the junkyard - let's go and dig that out!"

SkyFall Industries has swapped out the SRBs for liquid-fueled engines for safety concerns. Also because the SRB version repeatedly failed to reach orbit. However, our crew shuttle still has an approximate cost-per-launch of 7.2K funds, or 2.4K funds per kerbal. It will be ready soon. 

The SkyFall Cargo Shuttle, however, is still heavily in development and may not see service for a while.

[Kerbalsaurus]

10 hours ago, SkyFall2489 said:

Thank you! This honestly a perfect fit for Kerman Station. I like the look of the low-tech ring.

4 hours ago, fulgur said:

Jeb's Junkyard would like to congratulate SkyFall Industries on their planned development of a shuttlecraft. Speaking this morning, CEO Jeb (no relation) said "It's a laudable goal to have the cheapest possible reusable shuttle. And SRBs are pretty cheap. But do they have style? Style like our Libra Orbit? Nyoooooooom! Pchoooooooo!" Jeb (no relation) then spent fifteen minutes making aeroplane noises and waving his arms about. "Anyway," he continued, "an upscaled shuttle to carry cargo does sound like a useful thing. I think we might have a big tin can somewhere in the junkyard - let's go and dig that out!"

---

I, fulgur, the real Miss BLANK of BLANK & BLANK College, University of BLANK, BLANKshire, BLANKland, United BLANKdoms of Great BLANKtain and Northern BLANKreland, regret to inform the assembled readers of this thread that I am extremely bloody busy with my degree & will be unable to play KSP myself until the end of term. Which, both thankfully and regrettably, is remarkably close. As such, I am living vicariously through Kerbalsaurus' flights, both of my Libra Orbit and other craft [no pressure :-p] but will be less able to provide updates, debugging etc.

4 hours ago, SkyFall2489 said:

SkyFall Industries has swapped out the SRBs for liquid-fueled engines for safety concerns. Also because the SRB version repeatedly failed to reach orbit. However, our crew shuttle still has an approximate cost-per-launch of 7.2K funds, or 2.4K funds per kerbal. It will be ready soon. 

The SkyFall Cargo Shuttle, however, is still heavily in development and may not see service for a while.

Ah, here we go. Now we have a real space race going on. And good luck with your degree, Fulgur! Don't worry about de-bugging, college is much more important than KSP.

***

YEAR 3, DAY 315 - LIBRA 4

Rolled out to the runway is the Libra Orbit, a spacecraft unlike any other to date. And on board is a mission unlike any other to date. Felix Kerman and his coach, Milberry Kerman board the Libra Orbit for their "jump" from space mission. For the past month, the media couldn't talk about anything else. Who cares that Kerbals have gone back to the Mun? We like tourism (actually, there will be another Aurora flight soon)! Also, Libra 4 will test a brand new system: automatic accent. Jeb's Junkyard has provided a program that can automatically fly the spacecraft through the atmosphere. They have dubbed this system kOS (seriously though, thank you so so much Fulgur for writing the kOS script for the Libra Orbit). And so, Ronvin punches the activation code in the little instruction booklet handed to him before the flight, and the Libra Orbit is off!

Pitching up

Felix is handling just fine inside

"Jet engine separation confirmed." - Gene Kerman

The terrier engines finish up the burn to apoapsis, and the kOS system sets up a maneuver node for its orbital insertion burn. Now the Libra Orbit is back in the hands of the pilot.

"It's real alien to look out of a plane window and see the planet below." - Milberry Kerman

Afterwords, the standard space station procedures take place. Kerman Station's crew ready the main spacecraft, while the actual rendezvous spacecraft will preform the... rendezvous.

Within 200m of Kerman Station

And Libra 4 successfully docks to Kerman Station! Ronvin talks to his fellow kerbonauts, while Felix begins preparing for the highlight of the mission. He leaves for Kerbin's surface in two days. Until then, Kerbin is on the edge of its seat.

[SkyFall2489]

31 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

"Jet engine separation confirmed." - Gene Kerman

Those jet engines alone cost 8K funds combined. The SkyFall Industries Shuttle will cost less than 7.2K funds per launch in total, even if 100% of the fuel is burned. 

[TwoCalories]

Can we submit more than one module? I would like to submit a power module and/or a habitat module, if possible.

EDIT: Nevermind, combined the two modules.

Edited October 22, 2023 by TwoCalories

[Toaster355]

2 hours ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

Thank you! This honestly a perfect fit for Kerman Station. I like the look of the low-tech ring.

Ah, here we go. Now we have a real space race going on. And good luck with your degree, Fulgur! Don't worry about de-bugging, college is much more important than KSP.

***

YEAR 3, DAY 315 - LIBRA 4

Rolled out to the runway is the Libra Orbit, a spacecraft unlike any other to date. And on board is a mission unlike any other to date. Felix Kerman and his coach, Milberry Kerman board the Libra Orbit for their "jump" from space mission. For the past month, the media couldn't talk about anything else. Who cares that Kerbals have gone back to the Mun? We like tourism (actually, there will be another Aurora flight soon)! Also, Libra 4 will test a brand new system: automatic accent. Jeb's Junkyard has provided a program that can automatically fly the spacecraft through the atmosphere. They have dubbed this system kOS (seriously though, thank you so so much Fulgur for writing the kOS script for the Libra Orbit). And so, Ronvin punches the activation code in the little instruction booklet handed to him before the flight, and the Libra Orbit is off!

Pitching up

Felix is handling just fine inside

"Jet engine separation confirmed." - Gene Kerman

The terrier engines finish up the burn to apoapsis, and the kOS system sets up a maneuver node for its orbital insertion burn. Now the Libra Orbit is back in the hands of the pilot.

"It's real alien to look out of a plane window and see the planet below." - Milberry Kerman

Afterwords, the standard space station procedures take place. Kerman Station's crew ready the main spacecraft, while the actual rendezvous spacecraft will preform the... rendezvous.

Within 200m of Kerman Station

And Libra 4 successfully docks to Kerman Station! Ronvin talks to his fellow kerbonauts, while Felix begins preparing for the highlight of the mission. He leaves for Kerbin's surface in two days. Until then, Kerbin is on the edge of its seat.

Nice, mate! I liked the post so fast after it was posted, ha (definitely not because I have been typing out my next Freedom post for several hours today) 

If you want, I will give you some tips to make your updates look light-years more cinematic.

 

Spoiler

First off, typing out everything in the center, with a new font like Arial or Verdana and large text like this makes it look generally more epic.

Second, taking your screenshots in a rotated way, then rotating them in an editing software of some kind, and putting them in a post makes them look much longer, larger, and more exaggerated, adding to the glory, Like this for example:

 

This is how it was taken; it actually looks just fine in landscape, but once you flip in into portrait:

Cool, right?

And as I'm sure is already common sense at this point; holding the Alt key and scrolling changes the FOV, and pressing and holding the mouse wheel button while moving the mouse offsets the camera, both making for much more cinematic shots.

 

Here is all this in some brief action:

Spoiler

Endeavor roars into the night sky of the Floridan coast, on her way to nourish the station orbiting high above the planet.

And finally, what are your PC specs? I can recommend some fantastic visual mods for you.

 

[Kerbalsaurus]

4 hours ago, Toaster355 said:

Nice, mate! I liked the post so fast after it was posted, ha (definitely not because I have been typing out my next Freedom post for several hours today) 

If you want, I will give you some tips to make your updates look light-years more cinematic.

 

  Hide contents

First off, typing out everything in the center, with a new font like Arial or Verdana and large text like this makes it look generally more epic.

Second, taking your screenshots in a rotated way, then rotating them in an editing software of some kind, and putting them in a post makes them look much longer, larger, and more exaggerated, adding to the glory, Like this for example:

 

This is how it was taken; it actually looks just fine in landscape, but once you flip in into portrait:

Cool, right?

And as I'm sure is already common sense at this point; holding the Alt key and scrolling changes the FOV, and pressing and holding the mouse wheel button while moving the mouse offsets the camera, both making for much more cinematic shots.

 

Here is all this in some brief action:

  Reveal hidden contents

Endeavor roars into the night sky of the Floridan coast, on her way to nourish the station orbiting high above the planet.

And finally, what are your PC specs? I can recommend some fantastic visual mods for you.

 

Thank you for the tips! As for my specs, I have a very dinky computer. The visual mods I have I’ve carefully selected, to make sure they work on my PC. However, if you do find a really good mod, here are my PC specs:

8gb of RAM

Intel Core i3 processor

Intel Core i3 UHD

Yeah, I play on a laptop.

[TwoCalories]

@Kerbalsaurus

The private space agency CalSpace is reaching out to Beyond with a proposal for a new habitat/utility module for Kerman Station. We call it the HPUM (Habitat and Power/Utility Module) "Power Tower". It has a small but comfortable cabin with (the IVA doesn't actually have all this, just pretend ) individual sleeping quarters, lounge areas, a proper restroom, and storage lockers. The Power Tower also has four radially mounted radiators, which we at CalSpace believe will assist with Kerman Station's heat dissipation, something that appears to not be touched upon with the current layout.

The addition of the Power Tower will require some minor changes to Kerman Station. First of all, the solar panels on the Harmony and Sumerki modules must be retracted to make way for the larger, more advanced solar cells of the Power Tower. Also, the Fate laboratory module must be rotated 90 degrees to catch the Sun better with its solar arrays. Optionally, but we recommend, the station must be positioned Prograde (when controlling from the avionics module) at all times for optimal performance of the solar panels from the Power Tower.

This craft does have some mods, but I think they are compatible with the Beyond save game due to them appearing in the game. The mods are Near Future Solar and Electrical, and SSPXR.

Pictures here:

Spoiler

Standalone shots of the module.

Kerman Station with the Power Tower docked.

The KerbalX link is here. For CalSpace's flag, just use the in-game "stripes" flag. We don't have our own flag yet.

[Kerbalsaurus]

YEAR 3, DAY 317 - DAREDEVIL 1

Kerbull gives you wings...

Crew: Felix

It's the day everyone's been waiting for. The day the press hasn't stopped talking about. The day Felix takes a historic plunge into Kerbin's atmosphere. His destination will be the deserts of the Gobus region. Fairly open, flat, and unpopulated. He's been through rigorous training and instruction. Oh, and one more thing, he's doing this in true daredevil fashion. Felix insisted upon not bringing a parachute on the way down. When Beyond officials informed him about the risks of this, he simply responded "I'm well aware of the risks. Why do you think I'm doing this." He steps out of the airlock, and makes his way over to Daredevil 1.

This is message to @Toaster355: I promise I will use your advice for the screenshots. I just made this mission before you posted that.

Felix straps himself into his seat, where NO parts are clipping through him.

With the all clear from mission control, Felix undocks from Kerman Station. His decent will be almost immediate, as PLSS aboard his spacesuit can't last that long in flight. He turns his spacecraft retrograde, and fires the aft spark engine. Shortly after the de-orbit burn, the main service module is separated.

Now Felix sits in a helpless metal cage, at the mercy of gravity, with his only defense a thin layer of ablator and a multi-layered suit and helmet. Too late to back out. He sits tight, and prepares for all that awaits him below.

At approximately 50km, flames start to lick the outside of the spacecraft. These flames turn into huge inferno.

And this inferno turns into a huge fireball, speeding through the upper atmosphere at 5 times the speed of sound.

Connection is lost with Felix, and all anyone can do now is hope he survives re-entry. It's a tense two-minutes. Finally mission control attempts to contact him.

CREW VERBAL LOG

GENE KERMAN: Felix Kerman, do you read?

...

GENE KERMAN: Felix Kerman. Do you read.

FELIX KERMAN: Loud and clear, Gene! Boy, that sure was a fireball wasn't it? Bet it looked cool from the ground. I'm kinda sad I missed it!

Mission control erupts into a frenzy of cheers! Felix Kerman survived an open air re-entry! In simply a spacesuit and cage, he survived something even a rocket stage couldn't survive!

Picture taken from recovery helicopter.

At T+ 18m, on Day 317 of Year 3, Felix Kerman touches down in center of the Gobus region. His name will be uttered by Kerbals for years to come, as the first Kerbal to ever jump from space. Congratulations Felix!

Edited October 24, 2023 by Kerbalsaurus
Oopsie, typos.

[Toaster355]

On 10/22/2023 at 4:39 AM, Kerbalsaurus said:

Thank you for the tips! As for my specs, I have a very dinky computer. The visual mods I have I’ve carefully selected, to make sure they work on my PC. However, if you do find a really good mod, here are my PC specs:

8gb of RAM

Intel Core i3 processor

Intel Core i3 UHD

Yeah, I play on a laptop.

Oof... You should absolutely get a new PC once you have the money.

But even with these specs, you should definitely give TUFX a try.
I've heard mixed answers on how heavy of a performance impact it gives; some say it has little-to-none, and others say it has a very large one. I recommend giving it a go with one of my profiles.
I can help you tamper with it to your needs too.

 

49 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

This is message to @Toaster355: I promise I will use your advice for the screenshots. I just made this mission before you posted that

Nah, it's all good.

Congratulations, Felix!!!

[Great Liao]

I just finished scrolling throught this and goddamn, this is a massive campaign!

Where are you planning to take this in the future?

[Kerbalsaurus]

21 minutes ago, Toaster355 said:

But even with these specs, you should definitely give TUFX a try.
I've heard mixed answers on how heavy of a performance impact it gives; some say it has little-to-none, and others say it has a very large one. I recommend giving it a go with one of my profiles.
I can help you tamper with it to your needs too.

Yeah, funny thing about that. I used to have TUFX installed, but then they updated it at some point in 1.12.3 and my computer COULDN'T RUN IT ANYMORE. So that's my beef with TUFX right now. Maybe I'll give it another go.

6 minutes ago, Great Liao said:

I just finished scrolling throught this and goddamn, this is a massive campaign!

Where are you planning to take this in the future?

Yeah, I often look back and realize how large this thread has become. This is almost a year of KSP! As for the future, I have plans for more complex Kerballed missions and probes to the outer planets and *gag* Moho.

Edited October 24, 2023 by Kerbalsaurus
Accidentally sent it. Wasn't finished.

[TwoCalories]

1 minute ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

So that's my beef with TUFX right now. Maybe I'll give it another go.

I'd recommend either Pallete or Steven's. Both of them are great, but I prefer Steven's a little bit. I still hold onto Pallete though, mostly because it comes with KASA flags and also because certain profiles will look better than Steven's in certain scenarios.

[Great Liao]

50 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

Yeah, I often look back and realize how large this thread has become. This is almost a year of KSP! As for the future, I have plans for more complex Kerballed missions and probes to the outer planets and *gag* Moho.

Have you considered planet packs? You could add QuackPack and make that part of Kerbol more interesting. Of course, the classic OPM would also be interesting to fly to.

Of course, notwithstanding performance, because planet packs tend to be a bit demanding on the GPU due to them being of a certain higher caliber that the stock stock planets.

It's a suggestion to diversify playthrough experience.

Edited October 24, 2023 by Great Liao

[SkyFall2489]

Shuttle update:
After a prototype in my own career save burned up from a high-orbit re-entry (I somehow managed to glide the front half into a nearby lake and keep everyone alive), shuttle development may be delayed. But when it's ready, it may be capable of reaching stations anywhere in Kerbin's SOI.

[Kerbalsaurus]

16 minutes ago, Great Liao said:

Have you considered planet packs? You could add QuackPack and make that part of Kerbol more interesting. Of course, the classic OPM would also be interesting to fly to.

Of course, notwithstanding performance, because planet packs tend to be a bit demanding on the GPU due to them being of a certain higher caliber that the stock stock planets.

It's a suggestion to diversify playthrough experience.

I have thought about it, but introducing planet packs, especially at this point, would be like operating near an artery. Planet packs, especially when introduced in a developed save, have a tendency to corrupt the save file. So, unfortunately, there will be no planet packs.

6 minutes ago, SkyFall2489 said:

Shuttle update:
After a prototype in my own career save burned up from a high-orbit re-entry (I somehow managed to glide the front half into a nearby lake and keep everyone alive), shuttle development may be delayed. But when it's ready, it may be capable of reaching stations anywhere in Kerbin's SOI.

Oof. I can’t wait to fly it though.

[TwoCalories]

2 minutes ago, Kerbalsaurus said:

Planet packs, especially when introduced in a developed save, have a tendency to corrupt the save file.

In my experience, it works fine. I installed OPM midway through my own mission report and it worked fine. The planets might be a bit out of alignment but oh well. 

[Kerbalsaurus]

10 minutes ago, TwoCalories said:

In my experience, it works fine. I installed OPM midway through my own mission report and it worked fine. The planets might be a bit out of alignment but oh well. 

I don’t know. I’d rather not risk it, and I also don’t really have an issue with the stock system.