What did you do in KSP1 today?

[capi3101]

(1.1.3) With Strange Cargo on its way to Mün, I began my day yesterday with another run of the Old Bessie 7 fuel hauler from the Munport space station to the Piper Alpha refinery, having completed two identical runs the day before. The third refueling run left all craft at the station fully fueled including the station's reserve tank, so I was pretty happy all told with what was left. I switched over to the Minmusport space station and had the Old Bessie lander there make a run down to the Deepwater Horizon refinery for good measure, since Next Objective is en route there. Minmusport only required the one run...

Strange Cargo then arrived at Mün and affected a successful docking at Munport. Engineers Kelzor, Wilberry, Liztha and Phovie Kerman were loaded into the station's Spamcan 7a lander and made a surface excursion. One of the two tourists that came with the group, Neiloly Kerman, also wanted to make a surface trek and with time being of the essence, I loaded him aboard the Fireball 7a science lander docked at the station and sent him down as well. (I could've sent him down in the original Spamcan docked at the station, but I didn't want to risk the craft running out of fuel - which has happened every time I've used the craft for surface landings so far). All five Kerbals reached the surface safely and the engineers all piled out to plant flags before returning to Munport. Neiloly's return to the station took longer than I wanted it to owing to a botched ascent; I used the extra time to get Strange Cargo fully refueled for her impending departure. The Fireball did eventually return to the station, Neiloly was hastily loaded aboard and Strange Cargo departed. I decided to try something novel - since the engineers needed to go to Minmus next and fast, I decided to try a direct transfer to the minty moon from Mün. I was able to calculate a successful burn that resulted in a Minmus encounter and executed said maneuver - Strange Cargo will arrive at Minmus in twelve days. I'm not confident I have actually saved any time...

I also decided the time had come to rectify an ongoing problem with the Kerbinport space station, namely that I could only dock one spaceplane at a time there and then only if I was lucky enough to turn then plane the correct direction - the station really wasn't designed to service planes very well. I had attempted to solve this problem with an earlier adapter module I'd put on the station's single Sr. Docking Port, but the problem persisted and I decided a redesign was in order. I went ahead and sent up a Bill Clinton 7 grabber probe to pull the old adapter from the station and de-orbit it - an operation that went very smoothly, since retrieving orbital space junk is what the Clinton is designed to do. The launch of the new module has so far been a story of fail and revert owing to me being a bit sloppy with the booster design; I'll make another attempt to send it up today. I'm confident the redesign will do what I need it to, if I can actually get it into orbit...

[Risky_Tactics]

Delivered a  shipment of material kits and specialized parts for the new storage/engine addition of the Kerbin Orbital factory

Edited January 11, 2017 by Risky_Tactics
trying to add an image

[obi_juan]

My drone just reach Eve two days ago, and I started to explore Eve... In my previous games I explore the sea and the surface... But I never visited the bottom of the sea... Until now.

But also fly

If you wanted to see more about it...

http://imgur.com/a/pLKxs

Every thanks to @RoverDude mods.

Edited January 11, 2017 by obi_juan

[Tyko]

16 hours ago, algwat said:

Management approved the design and budget for a new space station..

Cool design. Which mod enables you to see the cutaways of your crew compartments?

[TheEpicSquared]

5 minutes ago, Tyko said:

Cool design. Which mod enables you to see the cutaways of your crew compartments?

It's not a mod. It's a stock feature that was added in 1.1. Somewhere near the crew portraits there's a circular button, press it and the cutaways will become visible.  

[Tyko]

2 minutes ago, TheEpicSquared said:

It's not a mod. It's a stock feature that was added in 1.1. Somewhere near the crew portraits there's a circular button, press it and the cutaways will become visible.  

Ha! you learn something new every day 

[dangerhamster]

30 minutes ago, Tyko said:

Ha! you learn something new every day 

Would you believe I just found only recently about holding left shift and dragging with the mouse in the SPH to reach the ends of long vessels. By accident. Suddenly things are much easier.

Meanwhile Val lured a scientist and an engineer onto the Buzzard 4 and set off north towards another reported anomaly location. Passing an already visited site and getting a rough location of another (believed to be signal station) they arrived in the frozen north just under two hours later. Whilst the raw power of the slightly overspec go module got them there quickly stopping the ship from wanting to continually climb proved interesting. Not to mention slowing down requiring some anticipation.

Dropping a science pod during the descent they landed 3km from the source and deployed the rover, which totally failed to explode. The source turned out to be a totally unKerbal like crashed spaceship of unusual design. Hang on that sounds very Kerbal.... totally forgetting to document the event they moved onto a flatter area, deployed the science caravan and took a chemcam reading to satisfy a contract.

Next up they backtracked to the science pod which received the same treatment.

Tasks completed they returned to mother and the crew are currently planning a route back combining deploying some more pods and a visit to the signal detected on the way up.

 

 

[benad]

ive just started a new career with a new mod set! Yay.

ive gone with the basics utilites, ker, mechjeb, kac ect.

but this time i've gone with the full USI constellation gonna be fun!

[something]

Having "landed" my tower on Minmus yesterday, it still had those two fuel tanks attached to the top. Well, I got rid of them by slamming them onto the ground (from time to time I wanna see some fireworks). Getting rid of those things, I realized the implications of having a 20m tower in the proximity - it tends to be in the way, way after taking off.... If you hit the tower correctly, it will fall down to the left, lifting up the entire remaining base. I assume, the structure on top of the tower might be a bit heavier than I thought it was (which tends to explain, why it was so hard to get in in LKO)

 

[justidutch]

    Disaster has, for the second time, struck the space program at KSC.  A routine mission to gather science and plant a flag on the surface of Minmus went horribly wrong when the pilot misjudged the (lack of) power of his ship's engines, crashing into the surface at over 70m/s.  To be fair, it was only the pilot's second mission, he was flying a ship that, other than getting to Minmus Stayshun, was on its first mission and therefore was mostly untested, and the mission was to the so far unvisited north pole.  A few unknowns adding up there.  The scientist who also made the journey must have been terrified.  A picture of the doomed mission was radiod back just after departure from the station.  May the poor souls rest easy enjoying the Great Snack Vending Machine In The Sky.

    

    The now single remaining crew member of Minmus Stayshun, another scientist, broke off his research and grieved for a bit, then got on with it.  He took the tried and tested original lander and performed the mission flawlessly, in honour of his fallen mates.  Once back at the station he resumed the research programme there, but KSC admin is considering shipping another scientist to the lab as the returns would be beneficial.

 

    The other moon finally got some attention, a contract to place a satellite in its orbit was accepted.  Although this mission ended up being greatly over-engineered not even having dropped its transfer stage, it was a somewhat profitable success, and after fulfilling the contract the sat was repurposed into polar relay role.  A second sat will be needed to give the area full coverage, the admin types at KSC will wait for another contract to make that happen.

 

    The last mission this report covers was to return an astronaut abandoned in LKO.  This astronaut was already picked up by the little bus docked at Kerbin Stayshun 250, but he needs to get back to KSC.  The department heads took the opportunity to give an SSTO a shot, just to see if such a vehicle would be possible with the current engines in development.  The first attempt used two Panthers and two Terriers.  The second and successful version replaced the Terriers with Thuds, managedd to get into a 80km orbit, and accepted the new recruit from the station bus.  The flight back was extremely tricky in that this was the very first plane flight and the skin of the plane was glowing quite red.  Also, the batteries almost ran out!  There were only 4 units of battery power left before the plane was low enough that it could spark up its Panthers and recharge.  After recharging was finished 10km above KSC, the engines were shut down again and a gentle glide onto the runway capped off an engineering and piloting success.

[Triop]

Today, Engine testing:

 

[XB-70A]

Today is was time for the team to fulfill its contract with someone in the name of Rolong :

 

Well, Rolong just ask for a more than simple orbital flight. But, a new small 3-seats shuttle was ready in the VAB for its inaugural flight. Samus also volunteered for her first Munar trip : 

 

The X-23A is a low-cost, medium-tech shuttle system made to carry three souls or a small payload instead of the cabin with a dV of about 3 km/s. The orbiter is powered by two Spark midget-engines. The complete system being made of 80 parts.

Powered by a Mainsail and a pair of Thud acting as powerful vernier, the first stage got enough punch to kick the whole system to approximately 1500 m/s at an altitude of 30 km.

 

A single Swivel ensure the propulsion of the second stage. It got only 1.8 km/s of dV. But its more than enough for the Kerbin circularization and nearly all the trans-munar injection.

 

Ugggh... 802 m/s. But my probe Eve Express will arrive at its destination in just 21 days. No way to miss it.

 

In Munar orbit, Steven Kerman is enjoying an umpteenth EVA close to the satellite. But it already was the time to jump back to Kerbin.

 

Nun nu nuuu ... And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too... I'll see you on the dark side of the Mun...

 

The X-23A Adonis got more than enough fuel remaining to even realize a circularization at 140 km, then wait for the perfect time to de-orbit.

 

Its good CoL and CoM ensure a really stable re-entry. I feared a possible overheat of the nose cone at one time but no way. Everything went smooth without even touching the controls.

 

At this moment the little craft becomes a bit unstable so nicely maneuverable, answering to any inputs immediately. Speed was still good as Adonis isn't a good glider.

 

WHOOOOO...

 

Definitely a good boy! I keep this one.

 

Next shuttle system concept, the X-22A : 

Still not ready.

[Fearless Son]

1 hour ago, something said:

Having "landed" my tower on Minmus yesterday, it still had those two fuel tanks attached to the top. Well, I got rid of them by slamming them onto the ground (from time to time I wanna see some fireworks). Getting rid of those things, I realized the implications of having a 20m tower in the proximity - it tends to be in the way, way after taking off.... If you hit the tower correctly, it will fall down to the left, lifting up the entire remaining base. I assume, the structure on top of the tower might be a bit heavier than I thought it was (which tends to explain, why it was so hard to get in in LKO)

Needs moar buttresses.  

 

59 minutes ago, justidutch said:

Is that a different version of the craft in those pictures?  Either way, I want to duplicate this, or at least something very close to it.  I like how compact the design is.  

[Opus_723]

Since I turned on communications in 1.2, I haven't had contact with my probes in the Duna and Eve systems. So today I started setting up the Mid-Kerbolar-Relay system. Managed to load up four relays into a fairing and launch on an escape trajectory.

Spoiler

 

We deployed one of the relays while still in Kerbin's SOI, and it circularized into a large orbit containing the entire Kerbin system. Notice that I don't have the largest relay dish yet. I'm pretty sure this setup will get me a good signal, though.

Spoiler

 

The main deployment ship then left Kerbin's SOI and entered orbit around Kerbol. It burned off a precisely calculated amount of DV in order to achieve and elliptical orbit with a period of 3/4 Kerbin's period.

Spoiler

 

The plan is to release an additional relay each time it comes back out to Kerbin's orbital distance and let the relay circularize. I should end up with three relays in Kerbin's orbit, spaced at 90, 180, and 270 degrees  from Kerbin, plus the relay we left behind AT Kerbin.

We also packed some extra DV in case I have to maneuver to avoid Eve at some point, since the elliptical orbit crosses Eve's.

Finally, I have a contract mission to Ike currently parked in LKO. One more relay is hitching a ride to the Duna system on that mission, and will circularize near the edge of Duna's SOI. The end result is that, even when Kerbin and Duna are furthest apart, I should be able to bounce signals to the far side of Kerbin's orbit and then to the Duna system from there. I'll send a similar relay on its way to the Eve system soon.

It'll take a few in-game years to set this up, but I should have a good signal throughout the middle solar system at the end of it (eclipses will still be a problem, but I'll deal with that later), as long as I don't miss a burn.

[The Raging Sandwich]

17 minutes ago, XB-70A said:

 

Nice backwards docking port design, reminds me of Interstellar!

[XB-70A]

3 hours ago, The Raging Sandwich said:

Nice backwards docking port design, reminds me of Interstellar!

Dank, Sand'

Even if they are terrible for the docking maneuver, I just like the rear port configuration. Every time there is an occasion to place one instead of a linear, I will.

From my first shared craft Arethuse :

To Hecate :

And the SSTO Nike-Beta :

 

Should be a form of video-game masochism.

[Brownhair2]

Decided to put together my base (or at least what I've made of it so far) on Kerbin to see if everything fit

Still have one more section to make, as you can see

[ProtoJeb21]

Today I assembled a space station, which is also the first station I completed in a day and the first time I docked a plane to anything in orbit.

The final result: Kupole Space Station! An orbital haven for science experiments, vacation, and Kerbal "relaxing." (I seriously doubt Kerbals even relax, or if they even sleep. Just stare at them and notice how they stare back at your with creepy, unblinking eyes...)

[Jett_Quasar]

Those Kerbals better be careful they don't get stepped on...

Jett

[Red Shirt]

Thanks to @Martian Emigrant for mounting ideas, I added a rover to my Apollo type mission lander, Hangs off the side of the landing stage via a stack decoupler. Easily uprighted once staged.. 

While I miss the 40 m/s I get with my big rover, the 8 m/s of the mini was incredibly satisfying as an add on. The SAS does make getting an upside down rover back on its wheels incredibly easy if not totally unrealistic. Seats two. 

[Simøn]

I crashed down on Lythe... Turns out that one parachute is not enough haha But on my second save I put the first module of Minmus Transfer Station on orbit thanks to Jebediah the best pilot.

[capi3101]

(1.1.3) After taking some time to refuel the stores at the Piper Alpha refinery, I turned my attention to the design of the booster of the new pier addition for the Kerbinport space station. Temstar's tried and tested formulas for classic asparagus booster designs (from v0.20 unless I'm mistaken) weren't working for some reason. After several failed attempts, I came to the determination that KER wasn't adding the mass of the stock fairing I was using, so I was actually designing for a booster about thirteen tonnes less massive than what I was dealing with. Once I made that realization, I adjusted the formulas accordingly and got the pier extension up to the station, docking successfully.

My link has rotted on Temstar's discussion of asparagus design - otherwise I'd post the link. Fortunately I was able to locate his Zenith booster family thread so I can work my way back there. One of the things from the early days that still applies even now...his boosters even had nosecones way back then, when all they really did was add unnecessary mass...

With the pier added to the station, I went ahead and re-docked an old Block II Auk II passenger spaceplane that I had cut loose from the station a few days ago to accommodate another Auk II with incoming tourists. I hadn't de-orbited the plane, so I figured I'd go ahead and put it back at the station so it could still be used. Rendezvous and docking went by well and the new pier system meant that I didn't have to finagle anything or bounce off of pieces of the station. Next, I sent up an Auk III tanker spaceplane in anticipation of the return of Strange Cargo and Next Objective to the station. Rendezvous and docking went alright, but immediately afterwards the station got the shakes and all but the nose section blew off the Auk III, including its precious fuel payload. Fortunately I had quick-saved at rendezvous, so I was able to try again. Docked and blew about three times before I decided the time was long past for me to install Kerbal Joint Reinforcement. So now I've got two planes docked at the station. Can't say if I could put up more or not...that certainly was the idea with the new pier design.

After being in transit for 23 days owing to a bad ejection burn, a Bill Clinton 7a grabber probe finally made its way back to Kerbin from Minmus, having successfully acquired a Mk1 Lander Can for contract. Re-entry went well though the probe pulled 35 gees after the craft's inflatable heat shield deployed. The replacement contract is a junk-and-Kerbal mission, once again at Minmus; for this mission I launched a Bill Clinton 7b probe - which is just a 7a with a large ASAS wheel added for extra stability during re-entry (I've had a couple of times where the thing flipped on me and exposed the target module to the airflow during re-entry; nothing has blown yet but I imagine without this change it would've only been a matter of time). The craft reached LKO safely and will arrive in the vicinity of Minmus in twelve days. Meanwhile, I performed a course correction burn for Strange Cargo, currently en route to Minmus. The burn took place at the descending node and thanks to the use of Protractor I was able to adjust the incoming craft's trajectory enough to get it a) going in the right direction, b) closer to an equatorial orbit, c) within a 400 kilometer approach. I might try another corrective burn later to try and lower the periapsis some more.

Last thing that happened last night was the arrival of Next Objective at Minmus; the craft entered orbit, rendezvoused with the Minmusport space station and arrived successfully. Landing operations to commence today. Next Objective only has four tourists aboard and only two of them are bound for the surface; I will also be sending down Januna Kerman, who was rescued from Minmus orbit, for flag-planting duties. She and pilot Buremy Kerman will be returning to Kerbin aboard Next Objective when the craft departs. I'm also considering going ahead with getting the Kerbal from the new junk-and-rescue mission, since I should still have an open seat aboard Next Objective and only three Kerbals going to the surface at the moment (no harm in getting another Kerbal with flagging experience, right?)

 

EDIT: Found it. Some ancient wisdom from the days of 0.19 that can still be used. Stage TWR should be limited to about 1.3 these days but that's really the only big diff.

Edited January 12, 2017 by capi3101
Found link to Temstar's asparagus discussion.

[Risky_Tactics]

I revised my SSTO heavy lifter to an ultra heavy double decker version.  

This Behemoth can now carry over 3000 tonnes of supplies to my LKO, 100k orbital build factory each trip.  

The combined weight of the ship and the station are currently over 30,000 tonnes.

One more supply run and the Orbital factory will be ready to build the ground manufacturing facility.  

Reentry

and a touchy landing, lost the right side main gear but it held together

and here is the upcoming ground manufacturing facility with the mobile workshop on top

Edited January 12, 2017 by Risky_Tactics

[GDJ]

Not much. Just flew around for a bit in my Biplane Trainer.

[justidutch]

20 hours ago, Fearless Son said:

 

 

Is that a different version of the craft in those pictures?  Either way, I want to duplicate this, or at least something very close to it.  I like how compact the design is.  

Yes, it is a different version, but only slightly.  The first version used Terriers as second stage engines, the second version (and the one that made orbit) used Thuds instead.  The rest of the plane is exactly the same.  Part count is exactly 30, as I haven't upgraded the hangar yet!

Edit: thought to detail the flight plan as best as I can remember, it was a few days ago:

- Panthers continuously in 'wet' mode, but only because I don't have action groups yet in my career.  If you do, probably start in 'dry' mode.

- I got up to about 9km and was going around 300m/s.

- angled down to -5 degrees AoA, for a speed dive. 

- as soon as the wind effects started changing from white to lightly reddish (maybe about 600m/s?) I angled up to about +10 degrees, and climbed

- the speed got up to around 830m/s, about 18km up, then started slowing down.  At that point I switched on the Thuds, angled up to +20 degrees, and rode that up to orbit.

- the flight finished with some excess oxidizer, so you could dump a little out to make the plane lighter, or add a little more fuel.

Edited January 12, 2017 by justidutch