[AAR] The Grand Tour - Voyage To The Planets

[Patupi]

No no no! It's not 'Voyager' It's the good ship 'Dun dun dun'. He said as much on the post!

[Henry01]

That's not Voyager, I've got that one covered. Soon.

[Ravenchant]

This...this is seriously by far the best AAR I've ever read. There's too many out there that only focus on spacecraft, but you manage to build up believable crew interactions and personal drama without delving too much into it. And I'm only at chapter 20 Congratulations!

So...czokletmuss, how did you like Europa report?

[czokletmuss]

This...this is seriously by far the best AAR I've ever read. There's too many out there that only focus on spacecraft, but you manage to build up believable crew interactions and personal drama without delving too much into it. And I'm only at chapter 20 Congratulations!

Thank you very much, I appretiate it I'm doing my best and I really enjoy writing though I know there are a lot of imperfections, typos and grammatical erros. BTW looking now at chapter 20 I see there is a lot of things which should be done different - but it's okay since it means that I'm learning

So...czokletmuss, how did you like Europa report?

Finally someone get the reference! And hey, good thing "Proteus" doesn't use hydrazine, right?

And the movie itself was great and I even used some of its soundtrack in the later chapters

[Dartonal]

No words I am speechless

[Danish_Savage]

And yet you still speak.

Czo, can we get the link to your other fanfic?

[czokletmuss]

Yup - I sent you PM with a link. If anyone else wants a link, please PM me

Edited December 16, 2013 by czokletmuss

[czokletmuss]

Before the next chapter is released, take a look at that:

A piece I did for czokletmuss. The funeral of a beloved Kerbal.

Isn't it great? You rule, Highlad!

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

We need, MOAR chapters!

I love this AAR, can't wait for the dramatic return to kerbin!

(I.e, more chapters!)

[czokletmuss]

Well, there are no ETAs officially... but unofficially I'm planning to release next chapter today

[team.leit]

Well, there are no ETAs officially... but unofficially I'm planning to release next chapter today

Hopefully your plan will work. How many versions of the game has this AAR spanned? 2? 3?

[czokletmuss]

We'll see about that

I started in 0.20 and later upgraded to 0.20.2 and that's what I'm playing now in GT.

[team.leit]

We'll see about that

I started in 0.20 and later upgraded to 0.20.2 and that's what I'm playing now in GT.

I was talking about version releases, which would make it 5 versions that have come out while you are writing this AAR

Edited December 17, 2013 by team.leit
Forgot a letter

[czokletmuss]

Well, I started it before April purge you know

[NuclearWarfare]

Well, I started it before April purge you know

*shiver*

[Patupi]

Well, there are no ETAs officially... but unofficially I'm planning to release next chapter today

Hopefully your plan will work. How many versions of the game has this AAR spanned? 2? 3?

*Starts chewing cigar* Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?... Ptoooey! Gahd! I hate cigars! What came over me?

[team.leit]

*Starts chewing cigar* Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?... Ptoooey! Gahd! I hate cigars! What came over me?

A-Team FTW, I love that line. Drives my friends and family nuts

[czokletmuss]

CHAPTER 48

LAYTHE: DAWN

***

28 DAYS AFTER THE LANDING

ROZER: Fuel status.

LAYTHE LANDER: Fuel level – 41,84%.

ROZER: Fuel status of Laythe Ascent Module.

LAYTHE LANDER: Fuel level – 86,79%.

ROZER: Fuel level required for execution of the ascent protocol, let me see... ascent protocol 156-B2.

LAYTHE LANDER: Required fuel level – 87,12%.

ROZER: :sigh:

LAYTHE LANDER: Warning. Required fuel level above current fuel level of Laythe Ascent Module. Safe ascent impossible. Please change the parameters of the projected ascent path and refuel.

ROZER: You don't say. I'm trying to find a solution for this since we landed here, you fraking piece of crap.

SID: What's going on, Rozer?

ROZER: Well, what do you think is going on? I'm trying to find a way for us to leave this mun with the samples, that's what's going on. In case you didn't notice, that's what I'm doing since we've landed.

SID: New ascent protocol? Hmm. But did you-

ROZER: Yes, I included the velcro in the calculations. Even if we tore it off from the inside of the LAM it's still not enough.

SID: :sigh: Is there anything we may throw away to reduce the weight?

ROZER: Well, we already get rid of the chairs and practically every non-essential equipment from the pod. Which means what we're left with are essential parts – solar panels, batteries and so on. Unfortunately we don't have proper tools to get rid of the RCS thrusters too and before you ask, yes I did run several simulations of what would happen if we get rid of the monopropellant completely – it won't help. In fact, we need to carry more or less 5 units of it into the orbit. Even these 2-3 m/s more we could get using the RCS thrusters will help.

SID: Crap... This doesn't look good, does it?

ROZER: Not at all. I even calculated what would happen if we didn't take oxium, and reduce the life support system to heating-cooling subsystem only.

SID: And?

ROZER: Well, apart from the fact that we would be dead if we didn't perform rendez-vous several hours after we get in orbit, it's still isn't enough. Besides, these calculations aren't perfect – if we get into a jet stream during ascent it could just easily give us a few meters per second or take them from us, not to mention screwing our trajectory.

SID: And what about “Proteus� What about BERTY?

ROZER: I'm getting mainly white noise. You were out there with me, Sid – one can practically cut the radiation with a knife in orbit. Few bytes which get through to the Laythe Sat are just a pathetic remnants of our transmissions, so there isn't much to send to “Proteus†for analysis – and that's assuming the satellite is working nominally.

SID: You still think there are problems with it? It was hardened against the radiation after all.

ROZER: You are the professor, you tell me. How many single-event effect have already occurred? How many glitches its software have encountered? I'm sure it was in a safe mode several times by now. This mun is in the eye of a radiation storm - we could just as well start making smoke signals. Thick atmosphere, interferences, breaking down equipment and I don't even want to mention our laughable transmitter. No, we can't count on BERTY's computing power. We're alone and we have to figure this out by ourselves. And it seems that there is no other option than to leave some samples here – if we want to get in orbit.

SID: Leave the samples? But that's why we get here! First samples from Laythe could change everything we know about the-

ROZER: I know, Sid. I know. The thing is, we're not getting of this mun if we're going to take everything with us. We've used too much fuel during landing. That's it. One can't argue with the rocket equation – as a scientist, you know this better than me.

SID: …

ROZER: We still have weeks to figure out something, you know.

SID: Yes, of course. I'm thinking about EVA.

ROZER: EVA? What about it?

SID: Well, four weeks have passed and our adaptation period is over, so we may now perform extravehicular activity. I've been thinking-

ROZER: We may perform EVA? You're not going anywhere.

SID: No way Rozer, we've been talking about it and there isn't such an option.

ROZER: Yes there is. I am the captain and I say you're not going out. You're not strong enough.

SID: I've been training the whole time for it!

ROZER: You're a scientist and I was in the spec-ops – my organism is stronger. What if you trip over or get a heart attack? It's not a picnic, it's a hard manual labour.

SID: What if I trip over? You're the one who broke his arm when we got here!

ROZER: Good thing I'm ambidextrous than. I'm not going to argue about it again.

SID: But-

ROZER: No, Sid. You're too important for the mission to risk stupid accident.

SID: That's why you want to get out there? To protect me?

ROZER: As a valuable asset-

SID: Oh for the love of Kod, stop it! If you die out there, how am I going to get off this mun without a pilot?

ROZER: You're smart, you'll figure out something. Enough of this – I'm stronger than you and that's I'm going out today. You'll oversee my EVA and after we get some biomedical data-

SID: Okay! Fine, I'll stay this time!

ROZER: Good. Order: extend the ladder.

LAYTHE LANDER: Affirmative. Extending the ladder.

ROZER: But why are you so upset? Is it because you wanted to be the first one?

SID: …

ROZER: Sid?

SID: I've dedicated the last 40 years of my life to Jool and its muns. I've gone millions of kilometers from home to finally land on the only mun with atmosphere and bodies of liquid on its surface. And now I can't even get out...

ROZER: You will. You've waited so long, what would few more days change? Or do you really care about being the first one?

SID: Don't you? Doesn't everybody care about this?

ROZER: To be completely honest, I don't think it matters.

SID: Yeah, sure. Being the first kerbal to set a foot on a different world doesn't matter? It's important. Apart from science, obviously – but we're not only the scientists here, we're explorers too. You think it doesn't matter?

ROZER: It doesn't.

SID: So what does than?

ROZER: It's not where you are but what you do that counts – for me, at least.

SID: Huh. After sacrificing your entire career to one goal you won't downgrade it so much.

ROZER: How do you know I didn't sacrifice it too?

LAYTHE LANDER: Ladder extended. Lights on.

SID: Why should I know? It's not like you like to talk about you with anyone.

ROZER: And there are good reasons for that – we need to stay focused. Now please help me prepare the airlock. The last thing we need is an unexpected decompression.

***

ROZER: Okay, initiating final check-up. Order: EVA check-up.

LAYTHE LANDER: Affirmative. Suit temperature – 20 °C. External temperature - 4 °C. External pressure – 1 atm. Oxium level – 99,65%. EVE check-up completed. All systems nominal.

ROZER: You got that?

SID: Yes. Check the dosimeter before you leave.

ROZER: Zero milisiverts. Okay, I'm going out of the airlock. Opening the hatch. I think – wow!

SID: I see it on the airlock camera.

ROZER: Is it normal? This fog-

SID: Don't mind it, it's just the atmosphere. On the outside the pressure is bigger, so it's filling the airlock. But the fog... it condensates in contact with the warm air.

ROZER: Warm?

SID: It's all relative. You should start moving, you're wasting oxium.

ROZER: Yes. I'm going out. Uh! Hatch closed, I'm on the ladder.

SID: Everything seems fine.

ROZER: I'm going down.

SID: Rozer?

ROZER: I'm on the surface. It's really... muddy.

SID: Muddy. Truly inspiring words for the future generations.

ROZER: Hmm. Yes, definitely slash. I sink a little with every step but only few centimeters. Walking isn't that hard however. It's dark, I'm turning on the spacesuit light. The atmosphere is dense enough to-

SID: Yes? Dense to what?

ROZER: …

SID: Rozer?

ROZER: It's – it's beautiful.

SID: What?

ROZER: The dawn.

ROZER: Uh. I can feel the cold in my feet.

SID: You do? Computer, EVA status.

LAYTHE LANDER: Affirmative. Suit temperature – 19 °C. External temperature – minus 92,3 °C. External pressure – 0.8 atm. Oxium level – 97,34%. All systems nominal.

ROZER: Minus 92 degrees? So why I can feel the cold?

SID: It's the atmosphere – on the Mun in the shadow there are lower temperatures but vacuum is a great insulator. Here the atmosphere is sucking heat out of you.

ROZER: Copy that. I better take the tools and the experiment.

SID: I agree.

ROZER: Uh! Damn, it's really heavy.

SID: It's 0.8g after all. Are you ready?

ROZER: Yes, I'm ready.

SID: Okay. It's dark and the surface isn't that stable so you need to make small steps and take it easy.

ROZER: Roger. How far should I go to deploy the experiment?

SID: 50-60 meters would do.

ROZER: I'm going.

SID: Uhm, your suit temperature is still slowly dropping. Can you hear the heating system working?

ROZER: Sure I can, the fans are rotating like crazy.

SID: Oh. And you still can feel the cold working its way through your boots?

ROZER: Yes.

SID: Ahem. I think one experiment would do this for today than. There may be some problems with the suit heating and cooling system.

ROZER: :breathing: Great. So how much time I have before I freeze to death?

SID: Two hours?

ROZER: :breathing: Damn. The, uhm, slash is a little slippery.

SID: Remember, small steps. You don't need to hurry, you've only 40-50 meters left.

ROZER: :breathing:

SID: ...

ROZER: :breathing:

SID: So, uhm... Do you want to know what this experiment actually does?

ROZER: :breathing: No. But it won't stop you from telling me this. Am I right?

SID: Well, you are carrying it so you can just as well-

ROZER: :heavy breathing: Just say it.

SID: Okay. This experiment is spectrometer-based combustion monitoring device for flame stoichiometry. As you know, we have three more of them and-

ROZER: :heavy breathing: Stoichiometry?

SID: It's chemistry, branch dedicated to reactants and products in chemical reactions. It will basically use the oxium from the atmosphere to, well, burn it and then it will analyze the products of the oxidation as well as detect all the atmospheric gases.

ROZER: :heavy breathing: So basically it's a gas lighting.

SID: Well, I guess you can describe it like this... But it's much more sophisticated than this – it's like saying that a space rocket is just a pile of explosives. If successful, these experiments will give us a detailed knowledge about the composition of Laythe's atmosphere. And I hope it will give us the answer for the basic question – why there's oxium here?

ROZER: :heavy breathing: Frak. I hope it's 50 meters because if I have to carry it even further I need a break.

SID: Uhm, actually I'm getting your spacesuit signal from 56 meters. You may stop.

ROZER: :heavy breathing: Good.

ROZER: :heavy breathing: Damn it... May I deploy it now?

SID: After the check-up. Computer, EVA status.

LAYTHE LANDER: Affirmative. Suit temperature – 13 °C. External temperature – minus 92,4 °C. External pressure – 0.8 atm. Oxium level – 91,34%. All systems nominal.

SID: Hmm, you're using oxium too fast – but it's nothing, you'll be back before you'll be down to even two thirds. Deploy the experiment, Rozer, but be careful for your arm.

ROZER: :breathing: Copy that.

ROZER: :breathing: It's deployed and it's working, Sid.

SID: Fantastic! And to think it's the first artificial flame on this mun ever.

ROZER: :breathing: You're forgetting exhaust flames from the lander. Can you see me?

SID: The only source of light out there? Of course I can see you.

ROZER: :breathing: Not the only one.

SID: I'm getting data from the device!

ROZER: :breathing: Good.

SID: This is amazing. Rozer, you should start heading back to the lander, spacesuit's temperature is still dropping slowly.

ROZER: :breathing: Copy that. Just give me a minute to catch my breath.

SID: Rozer? Your spacesuit temperature has dropped to 8 °C .

ROZER: I'm going.

SID: I'm really worried about it – this shouldn't have happened. I mean, were the spacesuits damaged during the landing?

ROZER: It doesn't matter now. We have to fix my spacesuit and hope your is fine.

SID: But what if we can't fix them? We need to deploy all the experiments and take samples from various locations. We can't leave without taking the samples from the ocean, for the love of Kod.

ROZER: Right now we're not leaving with any samples at all. But we should deal with the problems one at a time.

ROZER: I'm at the ladder, I'm going up.

SID: Be careful with your arm! And how are you feeling? At 4 °C it must be-

ROZER: I'm fine. It would be much worse if it happened during a long EVA, half--hour walk from the lander, don't you think?

SID: Well, yes, it could always be worse but... how's this comforting?

ROZER: :breathing: If it could be worse and it isn't yet I find that comforting.

SID: Yet?

ROZER: :breathing: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I'm at the hatch, Sid.

SID: Opening. But you always expect the worse to happen, don't you?

ROZER: :breathing: I guess I do. Uh! Okay, I'm in.

SID: Repressurization started. So where's logic in that? You're preparing for the worst but not hoping for the best?

ROZER: Hope is the denial of reality. And reality is all that is – just so.

***

MISSION STATUS

***

Edited January 23, 2014 by czokletmuss

[czokletmuss]

New Grand Tour postcard:

(reserved)

[Patupi]

I'll buy that (postcard) for a dollar... OK, if I had a dollar to spare. Great story Czokltemuss, and thanks for nothing; getting us to actually sympathize with Rozer!

[ssgavin1250]

Positively loving this story! Picked it up again since I'm on vacation. Can't wait for the next one!

[czokletmuss]

I'll buy that (postcard) for a dollar... OK, if I had a dollar to spare. Great story Czokltemuss, and thanks for nothing; getting us to actually sympathize with Rozer!

Thanks! Well, you can always donate And Rozer, well, IRL people aren't one-dimensional

Positively loving this story! Picked it up again since I'm on vacation. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you, it may come sooner than you think!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Here's a thing - I'm using Imgur to post all the images. And I'm using it like a LOT:

The problem is, pics older than 6 months with no views are going to be deleted - and if I understand correctly, they can't get any views unless they are "visible" in my gallery on Imgur. And at the moment there can be only 225 most recent images visible (10% of what I uploaded).

So I thought that I'll buy the premium account with which no images are deleted and I can show all the pics:

Now $13 ain't much but in Polish currency it's 40 złotych and I would rather buy a book for this amount of money. But hey, there are still donations right? To summarize, all the donated money is going now for the Imgur premium account so that I can continue publishing image heavy chapters. So if you guys feel like sharing a dollar or something, you're welcome - it would take only several people donatinge $1 to gather these $13 for the account. But if you don't no worries, I'll figure out something or find some other site with free images upload. Just saying that in case anyone is wondering what I'm going to do with the donations money

EDIT

Some sneak-peak screenshots from the next chapter:

Edited December 19, 2013 by czokletmuss

[czokletmuss]

Last sneak-peak screenshot before the next chapter release:

[BigOto2]

Nice! Looking forward to the next chapter. I would donate to cover those costs except that I'm currently too poor, but I might just chip some in as they keep coming.

[Patupi]

'As the ship orbits the great egg moon of Jool...' Aren't wide angle lenses fun?