[AAR] The Grand Tour - Voyage To The Planets

[Deadpangod3]

Hydrazine (also called diazane) is an inorganic compound with the formula N2H4. It is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odor. Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable unless handled in solution. As of 2002, approximately 260,000 tons were manufactured annually. Hydrazine is mainly used as a foaming agent in preparing polymer foams, but significant applications also include its uses as a precursor to polymerization catalysts and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, hydrazine is used in various rocket fuels - Russian Proton rocket family uses it, Chinese Shenzhou uses it and New Horizons (probe) used it too. Additionally, it's very commonly used as monopropellant - that's right, every manned spacecraft in KSP uses it too!

And how toxic is it?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Hypergolic_Fuel_for_MESSENGER.jpg/640px-Hypergolic_Fuel_for_MESSENGER.jpg

I'll answer (as always) for your comments guys ASAP, right now I'm working (ahem).

So basicly, Mir-2 was partially flooded with mono propellant...?

[The Jedi Master]

Ending?!

The action, the suspense, the twists and turns, the crazy theories, the fevered waiting for a new chapter that rivals the wait for a new update, all GONE?!

I mean, the Grand Tour has always been here for us. Through the loss of our first community manager, through the resources disaster, through everything for the last few months this story has always been here to help us get through. And now it will be gone?!

NOOOOOOO!

Well, at least that AAR guide will be posted after this...

[gumwars]

When I was in EOD we worked around hydrazine. That is some scary stuff. F-16s use it in their EPU. In the event of an engine failure, the EPU is supposed to keep the hydraulics working so they can use the primary flight control surfaces. What I do know about it is, if you can smell it, you're dead.

[Starwhip]

Would you mind terribly putting the entire thing into a PDF format? (Not the posts, just the content of the story!)

I want to read it. From the start. I started somewhere in the middle, and never read the beginning, or the end. Not yet. MUST. MAKE. MOVIEEEEEEEEE- *Brain short-circuits from anticipation*

[The Destroyer]

Then uh, click chapter 1?

Seriously, starting in the middle is a bad idea

[czokletmuss]

only one left

this feels so surreal

but what's happened proteus?

Yeah, it's kinda surreal to see it ending after a year.

"Proteus"? :dun dun dun:

Aerobraking with solar panels deployed.

You're brave. And... why not just dump the, ah, waste out of an airlock?

It's not like they had a choice.

Dumping waste to space would mean going out which is always risky and considering Mir-2 state the less you use the airlock, the better. Treat this as a Word of God or Handwave but either way, that's why they stored it in the landers

Good. Freaking Fraking. God.

Wow, just wow...

0.o ......all I have to say.....

Thank you

http://i.imgur.com/8z7D9.gif

No...!

Alas, everything ends.

This is... probably the first chapter of this story that's got me jittery.

Well, better late than never

Weeping.

Kodspeed. *salutes*

:salutes:

Despite what some people think, Kod has nothing to do with fish.

I see what you did there.

I don't think that the motors for the solar panels were working. However, I see it as a flaw that the Soviets did not have a backup electricity generator. They may have only added necessary things, but a shielded, fixed panel would have helped.

There are no failures or accidents in Soviet Krussia. There is only sabotage. Therefore, I blame BERTY for anything that went wrong with Zvezda. (Mir-2)

I honestly doubt that RTG fillled with plutonium would help the crew

Fly a Soviet Kerbal into the sun. If he dies, it was because the mission was sabotaged.

In Soviet Krussia, the police calls you!

Kod dammit. They feel so hopeful. So happy. And they are going to die....

...You uninstalled deadly re-entry, right?

Did I?

Oh, My, God, I am legitimately crying right now.

I don't know whether its because of this chapter or the fact that the story I've been (quietly) following and loving for a year is coming to an end.

Czo, you sir are evil

But seriously, thank you for kind words

Even knowing that they may live... I'm still sad that they might die, and it's coming to an end...

But Jeb will be in the next chapter, I'm sure.

You are sure, yous say?

Good old sturdy Krussian tech! Anyway amazing chapter, probably the best(and longest).

I don't really care about Jeb, I care about Sid anyway...

Thanks! Yeah, it was quite long.

Then you should scroll down a little...

This is it. After all this time...

These last few chapters had me thinking of back when you were just starting this story, with the 'COMING SOON' picture of Proteus approaching Mun. So long ago, yet we're already here. One chapter left.

Oh my.

Oh yes, nostalgia and all. I took a look at the first few chapters recently and man, they are lame And I'm not talking about general goofiness and light-hearted characters but my writing skills. Meh. I surely learned a lot during this year!

where still to find out what is under that shroud

Actually, it was already revealed

One chapter left!

I told you that space station would be important hmm?.

(Slight typo at the end of entry 9, it should read why did you leave us, not left us.)

Just realised this was my 1000th post

Congrats, I guess :> Grammar error fixed. And yes, space station was a Chekvoh Gun of immense proportions, waiting more than 40 chapters to fire!

An epic last photo there. And that shot of Proteus all on its lonesome.

It's an interesting perspective on chemical engines. I suppose it makes sense, given how crude it is compared to what they are used to.

All things come to an end. I wonder if this will lead to a few less visits to the fanworks forum. Us other writers better lift our game.

I had a dream involvving Proteus the other night. I was driving Evepod on Eve, through what looked like purple mangrove swamp soil, and crashed the Proteus, which was flying nearby. Except Proteus flipped, bent and bounced like rubber. Weird.

Thanks. Yes, chemical engines are really crude compared to futuristic fusion engines they had on "Proteus" - and IRL they kinda are too. All rocket engines are engineering masterpieces but there is a huge technological gap between oxidizing something and riding on an explosion and using plasma (ion engines, VASIMR).

I'm happy to see people inspired by my humble story, especially considering I myself started writing being inspired by AAR on ParadoxPlaza forum

Huh. Really weird indeed. Or was it rather... eldritch? Depths of hellish Evian atmosphere, gigantic ship flying through the purple maze apparently breaking laws of physic. I sense alien geometries!

In stock Kerbal Space Program, I don't actually think that their is no deadly reentry. It's just that the Kerbals have advanced to the point where every part is completely heat, water, vacuum, and pressure proof. Except for some Solar Panel joints. Perhaps the grand tour happened, then briefly the Insular Corporation, and then a new national KSC. I wonder how Jebediah, Bill, and Bob got on the list.

I bet the crew would love to have such sophisticated technology

Did I miss something or didn't they bother to check what's under that big fairing at the top?

Anyway, it's hard to believe that the story is actually ending, after one year. I just hope there will be another story to be told (secret project?). Oh, and I still have hopes for them to make it - After so many catastophes this one time everything may work. I guess the next (and last) chapter is going to be very interesting again, because there are still so many questions unanswered (unless of course, you like to keep it that way - in which case you are even more evil than I thought )

It was revealed.

There is a secret project going on but more on that after the last chapter is released. And no comment about the ending

Oh, you mother... Why did you end this chapter there? It was intense! You cruel, cruel magnificent son of a hound of the feminine gender!

God damn it Czo! You and your masterful cliffhangers!

Muhaha! I perfected the art of cliffhanging during the last year and I'm willing to use it, so tread carefully!

That's all I have to say.

Actually it's magnificent mother of a hound of the feminine gender

The phrase is "son of a _____", normally, so it wouldn't be mother of a _____".

Ah, the subtleties of English

The image right after or before this text broke.

On topic...

Holy. Crap.

Fixed. And you are welcome

Since this is ending soon, i am posting to say I WAS HERE! It will prob. be closed.

Looks at Graffiti on the side of Proteus.

KenBob5588 Wuz Here

*shrugs*

Huh, no matter how far you come they always show up.

LOL

I take a short break, come back to several chapters and....EPILOGUES!! *Read's all of them* *ERROR, ALL SIGNS OF LIFE IN <CURRENT ROOM> HAS TERMINATED* *CAUSE* *HEAD EXPLOSION DUE TO ULTIMATE CLIFF HANGER*

Seriously, wow. And its bitter sweet seeing the epilogues, nice to know that they MIGHT survive, and bitter that it is actually ending (Don't you dare kill them now, not now, not this close)

Don't worry, I'm known for having a weak spot for my characters - I just can't bear them suffering

Unless this is not based on a "true" (Kerbal histories are never true, it is fan-made "true") story, the crew had to survive. Or some of it. Otherwise there would not be surviving recording because the ship wreck would've been too difficult to analyze.

Right, normally someone's gotta survive to tell their story. On the other hand, they may just die and somehow the records survive (we all know how evil Czo can be sometimes ).

PS: Gosh, I maybe should stop giving him ideas... Pls let them survive, will you?^^

If the ship burns up, nobody's ever going to read the diaries . It could be a stretch to work out exactly what happened with the station coming back at all. Or indeed a serious danger if all that hydrazine lands in a city or gets dispersed above one.

Well, the crew could always die on impact, but books are known to be extremely resistant to lithobraking, so some parts of the diaries could always survive...

I'm just giving czo ideas, aren't I?

Yes you are

But this is not "Europa Report" - for example, we've been with

Bill on Bop during his final moments

.

What's hydrazine?

A type of (very, very toxic) rocket fuel.

So basicly, Mir-2 was partially flooded with mono propellant...?

Yeah, basically.

Ending?!

The action, the suspense, the twists and turns, the crazy theories, the fevered waiting for a new chapter that rivals the wait for a new update, all GONE?!

I mean, the Grand Tour has always been here for us. Through the loss of our first community manager, through the resources disaster, through everything for the last few months this story has always been here to help us get through. And now it will be gone?!

NOOOOOOO!

Well, at least that AAR guide will be posted after this...

As I said, alas, all good things have to end in the, err, end.

When I was in EOD we worked around hydrazine. That is some scary stuff. F-16s use it in their EPU. In the event of an engine failure, the EPU is supposed to keep the hydraulics working so they can use the primary flight control surfaces. What I do know about it is, if you can smell it, you're dead.

You worked with hydrazine and you were in EOD? Wow. Respect - in my job the worst what can happen to me is that I spill the hot coffee on myself or cut my finger with a sheet of paper. I don't think I would have the stomach to go to work knowing I'm going to deal with frakking hydrazine.

Would you mind terribly putting the entire thing into a PDF format? (Not the posts, just the content of the story!)

I want to read it. From the start. I started somewhere in the middle, and never read the beginning, or the end. Not yet. MUST. MAKE. MOVIEEEEEEEEE- *Brain short-circuits from anticipation*

Czokletmuss is there anyway you could complie all the chapters into a .pdf when the grand tour is over? I know I would enjoy an offline copy that I could read im sure other people would appreshiate it to if it is possible.

Well, that's the plan However, it would take a lot of work - and not only mine, I won't be able to do this without some help (thanks Patupi!). Plus it's going to be a chore going through every chapter, editing, correcting, putting this into e-book or pdf and so on, especially considering that everything is on the forum already avaible. You know - writing this and coming up with ideas was fun but putting it together for a pdf/e-book release is more like normal work. So I was thinking if I charge few bucks for this, would there be anyone interested in getting such "The Grand Tour" e-book/pdf? Tell me what you think about this please.

Then uh, click chapter 1?

Seriously, starting in the middle is a bad idea

It always is.

And here's the first sneak-peak screenshot:

Edited May 7, 2014 by czokletmuss

[iDan122]

And here's the first sneak-peak screenshot:

http://i.imgur.com/YXNR5Za.jpg

(head explodes) I KNEW IT!

btw your spoiler in the above post is broke, you need a title like this: [noparse]

bill **** on bop

[/noparse]

[czokletmuss]

Oh, right - thanks!

[iDan122]

You're welcome

Anticipating the ending chapter like crazy!

[silentdragon]

Well, that's the plan However, it would take a lot of work - and not only mine, I won't be able to do this without some help (thanks Patupi!). Plus it's going to be a chore going through every chapter, editing, correcting, putting this into e-book or pdf and so on, especially considering that everything is on the forum already avaible. You know - writing this and coming up with ideas was fun but putting it together for a pdf/e-book release is more like normal work. So I was thinking if I charge few bucks for this, would there be anyone interested in getting such "The Grand Tour" e-book/pdf? Tell me what you think about this please.

Does my previous donation count?

To be honest, I would totally pay another 5$ or so for it, just because it's so epic My main fear is that, at some point, the pictures might go offline or the forum breaks, and then the story might be gone, and that must not happen.

[nuclearpower13]

I would be interested in paying for an ebook/pdf. You more than deserve it.

[The Error]

I'd pay some for a .pdf of this. Hell yes.

[iDan122]

Btw Czok, your mention of Mir-2 once more made me inspired to build a stock Mir.

Oh, and of course I couldn't handle it and sent it to Duna:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Barely got into orbit, had to use Explorer to get it into a proper orbit. Explorer had a ton of fuel anyway.

[Rainbowtrout]

Wait... If Laythe's atmosphere is oxygen, and if Sid is alive...

THERE IS LIFE ON LAYTHE

[iDan122]

Hehe I have a feeling I was right! I always hoped Sid was alive...

Oh wait, maybe Jeb is going to save Sid???

[czokletmuss]

You're welcome

Anticipating the ending chapter like crazy!

I, for one, fell kind nostalgic while writing it - and of course there are no surprises for me. But yeah, it is going to be big.

Does my previous donation count?

To be honest, I would totally pay another 5$ or so for it, just because it's so epic My main fear is that, at some point, the pictures might go offline or the forum breaks, and then the story might be gone, and that must not happen.

I would be interested in paying for an ebook/pdf. You more than deserve it.

I'd pay some for a .pdf of this. Hell yes.

I guess so

Thank you guys, it's really cool to see such positive response I'm still curious about opinions of others, so please let me know what do you think about this idea!

Btw Czok, your mention of Mir-2 once more made me inspired to build a stock Mir.

Oh, and of course I couldn't handle it and sent it to Duna:

-snip-

Barely got into orbit, had to use Explorer to get it into a proper orbit. Explorer had a ton of fuel anyway.

You know what, this:

Reminds me of real life Soviet TMK-MAVR idea:

Wait... If Laythe's atmosphere is oxygen, and if Sid is alive...

THERE IS LIFE ON LAYTHE

Hehe I have a feeling I was right! I always hoped Sid was alive...

Oh wait, maybe Jeb is going to save Sid???

:dun dun dun:

No comments, no spoilers. But you can expect one or two more screenshots before the release I think

[Marksius]

On the topic of the PDF, I would for sure pay for it.

[PwnedDuck]

My as yet untied plot strings in this:

Where is Proteus, and what are Jeb and BERTY doing?

What happened to put the Krussian station into the situation it was in when found?

What happened to the Duna team, and where are they now?

What happened over Bop?

What does KSC really want?

What happened to Sid?

And, obviously, will they make it?

I'd go for a paid PDF, maybe even some sort of e-book thing. It might help if the earlier chapters got edited to make it clear who was speaking and to fix up the grammars and words and such.

[Michaelo90]

I would pay for a pdf of this, can't risk everything being lost if the whole forum crashes again

[Spica]

Well, thanks czo, it has been a pleasure reading this story.

Anyway, I would buy this in book form.

[The Jedi Master]

I would buy it, but I have no money.

No matter! I'm curious to see how you tie up all the loose ends!

[Zaptrip2]

Wow, amazing writing, really top-notch. Ever thought of making writer a full-time job? I would read all of your books front to back. Now what's happening with Jeb and BERTY.... I suppose only time will tell!

[iDan122]

I'd Happily buy, I suggest selling it for around 10-20$.

It might be hard to take all the pics and copy them into a .pdf, but who knows.

Or you could just take screenshots of the pages and compile them into a long PDF.

I'd like an .epub too (for iPad iBooks).

[The Destroyer]

You should seriously make it into a real book. If you make a million dollars (which you will) talk to disney about making a movie

[Tw1]

My concern about this being published as a book is the fact that it draws from other well known sci fi stories. There may be a way around this, perhaps the source materials could be acknowledged in the blurb/about paragraph.