[AAR][Pic Heavy] Race to Space | Now with Chapter Eight!

[Scorpi15]

Race To Space

The Story So Far:

-The Kerbal Space Agency has been founded!

-A launch center has been built.

-A Kerbal Bus has been commissioned.

-Jeb, Bob and Bill have been hired to drive the Kerbal Bus

-The Baker One rocket achieved mission goals: Test Engine, Guidance and Radio systems

-The dirty Kommunists, with their rocket codenamed "Big Long Stick" have achieved a flight that has reached a maximum altitude of 46,767 meters above sea level.

-The Kape Kanaveral Tracking Base has been set up and manned.

-The KSA has revealed their new flag! But there was kind of a typo on it so now the KSA is kinda the CSA now.

-The newly-renamed CSA has launched an old wartime W-2 rocket! It's the first kerb-made object in space, with an apogee of 134,202m!

-The Kommunists have blown up Kape Kanaveral Tracking Base!

-The Pioneer Missile launch has crashed! (Quite spectacularly, might I add)

-Searching through the debris of the Pioneer rocket, a stamped piece of metal has been found. The markings correspond to a Kommunist company!

-We've tested a 'LV-T45' engine. It's got this fancy thing called gimbals or thrust vectoring. That means that it can steer!

-The Reds have launched something into orbit around Kerbin! Wow! The KIA have codenamed it 'CATTLE PROD' and the CSA needs to step up their efforts.

-We've trained three Kerbals, Harbas, Wilnie and Elby, in the Zero-G-Flight-Plane, or it's more common nickname the Vomit Komet.

-Harbas, Wilnie and Elby... We're so sorry...

Chapters

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five Part One-Calamities at the CSA

Chapter Five Part Two-Calamities at the CSA

Chapter Six-Tests and Success

Chapter Seven-Hold on to your Lunch!

Chapter Eight-To the Mun

Edited February 1, 2014 by Scorpi15

[Scorpi15]

Chapter One

Ribzor Kerman inspected the engine of the Baker One test rocket. He nodded to Melble who wrote it down in a notepad.

"All clear on Engine No. 1 and 3, Melble" Ribzor said.

"Copy that. Engine two is good."

"Gantry?"

"Gantry is good. Antenna is good"

"Great. Can't wait to tell Wernher-oh, come on, Melble! We gotta go!"

"Just a sec. Gotta check this decoupler link-Got it, lets clear out"

The two climb into the Bus.

"Okay Jeb, drive us to the Mission Control center, we gotta launch this thing!"

(One bumpy and reckless ride later)

*pop*

"Oh, that noise was the tires!"

"Cmon Jeb, you knew that would happen when you do that"

"Aww, but I didn't know that that would happen..."

"Jeb, you always do that! That's the third time this week!"

"Sweet kerbal, I'm getting out of here"

"Good call on that Melble, I'm outta here"

"Hold contact"

"Ignition and separation! Baker One clear!"

"And up she goes!"

"We're getting shockwaves here! Gene, look!"

"Aaand ME-CO."

"Top altitude 18,653M. Just within radio range"

"Good job Wernher, you did good"

"No problem Gene"

[insert sound of smashing rocket here]

"Man, when they said that we would be working for the Space Agency I thought it would be flying spaceships, not driving a bus and cleaning up rocket debris"

"You said that right Jeb"

"Hey Bill can you drive next time?"

"Sure Bob"

"Aww, but next time I promise to drive straight..."

(Bill and Bob in unison) "NO!"

Comments, feedback appreciated Or a better name... My imagination sucks...

Edited August 6, 2013 by Scorpi15

[Apollo1391]

this is cool good job!

[Scorpi15]

Chapter Two

[transmission detected]

[transmission intercepted]

*crrrk*

[the enemy has ach#eved a succe##ful r#cket test komrade]

{but how? they h#ve clear#y inferior tech#nology}

[nobod# knows komr#e. we n#ed to step up progr#ss.]

{then mak# it so. you are al#owed to launch a rocket in the ne#t week}

[th#nk you komrade. wait. oh no.]

{wh#t is it?}

[th#y have intercept#d th# signal.]

{you fool. go to th# secure lin#. do n#t let this happ#n again.}

[transmission end]

"This just in from the KIA sir, it's a Kommunist rocket codenamed 'Big Long Stick"

"Thank you Agent, you may leave"

[launch]

[booster package separation]

[second stage ingition]

[third stage ignition]

[projected apokee]

[the craft coming down with reefed 'chutes]

[the craft with full parachutes deployed]

[the craft down on Kommunist soil]

"This is unacceptable. You are the top scientists this half of Kerbin, am I correct?"

*many nods around the room*

"Then how can you let this happen. By any rate the dirty Kommunists will be the first to explore the reaches of space. Do not let that happen."

"Yes Mr. President, sir!"

"You are dismissed."

[BostLabs]

Nifty!

I like how you came up with your own gantry.

[KSK]

Yep - that was a nice touch but it was the Bus that I really liked! I think I'll be borrowing that idea - it never occured to me to use fuselage parts to make a rover.

[Scorpi15]

Fredbert:"Okay, let's get this radio-communications tower up"

Sonler:"Okay Fredbert, hook up the cables"

Fredbert:"THere, the cables are in. Is the power link good?

Sonler:"Sure is. Good old Radioisotope-Thermal-Generators. I guess now Kape Kanaveral Tracking base is fully operational!"

*SCREECH*

BOB: "Well at least you didn't pop any tires, Jeb!"

*POP*

BILL: "You stand corrected."

JEB :"Everybody out! Come on! We're gonna reveal the new flag of the Kerbal Space Agency!"

Jeb then ran across the road, even though there was a clearly marked pedestrian crossing nearby. The others, eager to see the new flag, followed suit.

The President's voice rang out over the loudspeakers.

"And here we are, at the reveal of the new flag for the Kerbal Space Agency!"

The small crowd cheered, and the many that were watching the live TV broadcast nodded in approval.

"Jeb, you may do the honors"

Jeb, always eager to climb things, grabbed the pole and stated to climb his way up the flagpole.

After five minutes or so, he reached the top and tugged on the rope. The magnificent flag unfurled, the white CSA lettering proudly emblazoned against the blue...

Wait, did I say CSA?

"Okay, who sent in the order form and misspelled the name of our own race!?!" The president bellowed.

Bob: "Oh well. I guess Cerbal Space Agency isn't such a bad name though"

Bill: "How about the Cambrian Space Agency? You know, after the great astronomer Cambell Kerman?"

Ribzor: "Yeah, I guess that would work"

Melble: "a toast to the new CSA!"

(everybody) "Agreed!"

[Scorpi15]

Seancal: "Gantry separation. Fuel top-up cut off"

Sonler: "I got the tracking dish linked. MisCon, we are go for launch"

Seancal: "Ooh! I'm going outside to watch this!"

MisCon: "This is Mission Control. We are good for launch. Kape Tracking Station keep your tracking dish on the W2. RocEn you good on those SRB's?"

RocEn: "Rocket Engineering checking in. Liftoff solids are good. Switch to low-gain commands, ProCom"

ProCom: "Probe Communications are good. Low gain antenna on. Wait... Yup, we're getting good signals. MisTel are you for with the readings?"

MisTel: "Linkup is good."

MisCon: "Kape this is MisCon. We are good for launch"

MisCon: "And Liftoff!"

MisTel: "Telemetry is good. Roll 3° and pitch 90° up"

RocEn: "SRB's are firing. Liftoff package is good"

RocEn: "Liftoff SRB's shutdown. Man, look at those photos coming in from the Kape!"

MisCon: "Gravity Turn program."

MisTel: "Roll 90° and pitch 5°."

KABOOM

MisCom: "What was that? Readings spiked!"

MisTel: "We got no telemetry. RocEn what happened?"

RocEn: "Random Spontaneous Disassembly-RSD. I think we've got a G-Force overload on the booster."

MisCom: "We can still salvage the mission. MisTel what have you got?"

MisTel: "Projected Apoapse...

... 134,202 m! We, my friends, are going to be the first Kerbs to put an object into Space!"

MisCom: "Somebody get Wernher! We gotta tell him!"

Wernher: "I knew taking and modifying one of the old W-2 boosters I designed in the war was a good choice! In your face, dirty Kommunists!"

"What a historic moment"

MisTel: "It's starting to tumble now. Altitude decreasing, it's going to fall back to Kerbin"

MisCom: "It's through the heat of re-entry. It's going to splashdown east of KSC"

"And Kabloosh. Job well done everybody!"

[Apollo1391]

Good job nice chapters

[The Jedi Master]

I love it! Mun landing will be epic!

[Kerbal01]

I don't recognize the W-2's engine, is it stock becaus I've never seen something like that before.

[Hashbrown66]

I don't recognize the W-2's engine, is it stock becaus I've never seen something like that before.

I'm pretty sure that's the LV-45, or whatever it's called. It's the one that's smaller and can gimbal.

[Scorpi15]

Hashbrown is right, it's the LV-30 or -45. It's just the camera angle that makes it look different. Anyway it's good to see that you are enjoying it

[KSK]

I'm enjoying this. I like the extra bits you're making for the Space Centre and you've definitely got an eye for a screenshot! Also, the slight hitch with the flag was very Kerbal somehow.

[Scorpi15]

Nine o' Clock

Fredbert: "Come on! The new VABar is open! The aerospace engineers said drinks are on them!"

Sonler:"Maybe, I got work to do- Oh, is that Jenny!? What are we waiting for?"

Seancal:"Do we have to? There's a star constellation that I want to observe..."

Fredbert:"Oh Seancal, you neeerrd. We can do that later!"

Seancal:"Fine, but we need to get back before midnight..."

Eleven o' Clock

A assault car, later identified as a Kommunist GO-FST Assault Car, approaches Kape Kanaveral Tracking Base.

*SKREECH*

UNKNOWN:"Move OUT, Komrade! Hurry, we must not be seen!"

The Kommunist agent sprints the distant to the nearest piece of equipment, that just so happens to be the main command receiver and encoder of the tracking array.

KOMRADE:"The first charge is in place. Coming back for the second."

KOMRADE:"And that's the second charge primed and loaded. Timer set to proximity-minus, when our transponder exits a 50-meter radius it will detonate"

UNKNOWN:"Shut up with the science stuff. Our job is to destroy the tracking station"

KOMRADE:"Go, go go! Hurry! They may be onto us!"

UNKNOWN:"Why aren't the charges detonating? Have you attached the dud explosives!?"

*KA-BOOM*

Eleven-Fifteen

FREDBERT: "That was awesome! But I seriously think that chick was into me! Why'd we have to go? I swear!"

SONLER:"..."

FREDBERT:"What? I mean, I wasn't trying to get Jenny this time! I know, I know that she's all yours!"

SEANCAL:"Uh, turn around..."

FREDBERT:"Why? What could possibly-"

FREDBERT:"Oh. We're going to have to fix that ourselves, aren't we..."

[Scorpi15]

10 PM the next day

RocEn, Rocket Engineering:"I'm not sure that the Pioneer Missile will be able to function at full capacity. This rain must have surely got into the casings"

MisCon, Mission Control:"Override. We need to test the capabilities of our missiles and rockets in all weather conditions"

ProCom, Probe Communications:"Anyway, the linkup is good. Our makeshift local receiver is functioning optimally, although this rain is interfering with the signal"

MisCon:" And it's lucky that we installed the rain shield and the drainage system, so at least the rocket is somewhat protected"

RocEn:"Well, that's true."

MisCon:"*Click* Gantry and rain-shield separation."

RocEn:"Isolating main thrust chambers. Fuel pumps starting up"

ProCom:"And the rocket is on low-gain signals"

MisCon:"Separation and ignition, we have Liftoff"

RocEn:"Main thrust chambers are good. We have good readings, 2.3 Gees"

MisTel, Mission Telemetry:"Roll 364 over to 002. Pitch 2 degrees west"

RocEn:"Uh, we have abnormal readings here..."

MisTel:"It's going crazy! The guidance systems are offline!"

RocEn:"We have high pressure in the combustion chambers!"

RocEn:"The engine's burst! We have fuel leaking and split valves!"

"..."

In the official inquiry into the incident a unknown item was found in the debris of the rocket engine. It consisted of metal and wires fused together by the heat and melted. However, there was one thing that could be salvaged- a partially remaining stamped piece of metal, bearing the logo of a notoriously Kommunist company...

Edited August 20, 2013 by Scorpi15

[Scorpi15]

:ROAR:

SONLER: Yeah! This is awesome!

FREDBERT: What did you say? Tissis Are Some? I know, I like their music, but this is time to work!

SONLER: I said this is awesome! You can't hear because of the rocket engine!

FREDBERT: Bacon rocking men gym? I don't need to work out and I'm not hungry, thanks for asking.

SONLER: :sigh:

FREDBERT: But look at this! It's awesome!

SONLER: :facepalm:

SEANCAL: You know that I'm just in the capsule and you have your radios on, right? I can hear every word you're saying.

FREDBERT: Near every world I'm staying? I'm staying on this world, thank you very much!

SEANCAL: Sonler, your noise cancelers are working, right? Say okay if they are.

FREDBERT: Okay his hay far? Whose hay is far? What?

SONLER: Don't worry Seancal. I can hear you.

SEANCAL: Then do me a favor and check the readouts on the little panel behind the engine, will you?

FREDBERT: Piddle panel beehive sea men's gym? What's up with all these men's gyms?

SONLER: Will do.

SONLER: Pressure good. Thrust optimal. Fuel a bit low, though.

SEANCAL: That's fine. I'm stopping anyway. Throttling down now...

FREDBERT: Hobbling hound pow?

SONLER: Shut up Fredbert.

FREDBERT: Hut muck Egbert? Who's Egbert?

SEANCAL: And it's off. A good test, everybody. I'm coming outside to look at the engine and see if it's up to scratch.

FREDBERT: Ooh, a nice big engine. Can I touch it?

SEANCAL: Careful, it's-

FREDBERT: OW OW OW OW OW!

SEANCAL: -hot. Never mind.

SONLER: :another facepalm: Well, it was a good test. Let's see if those thieving Kommunists can beat this tech!

ASSISTANT: Uh, sir? There's something in Mission Control that they want you to see.

FREDBERT: Ooh! Let's go!

AT THE MISSION CONTROL BUILDING

PRESIDENT: Look at these photos.

MISCOM: It's just Kommunist propaganda, sir, they're obviously-

PRESIDENT: If it was propaganda, then why have the tracking bases on the southern cape confirmed it? I mean look at this telemetry projection! You can't argue with facts!

SEANCAL: Well I'm sure that maybe they were tracking a small meteorite or something, they're quite common around these parts...

ASSISTANT: Sir! Sir! This just in from our KIA operatives undercover in Kommie territory-

FREDBERT: KIA?

PRESIDENT: Kerbal Intelligence Agency. You may continue.

ASSISTANT: Thank you, and as I was saying, these images were microfilmed down just earlier this week-

FREDBERT: This week!? And it only gets to us today? And what is microfilm?

MISCOM: Microfilm is an image reverse-magnified and shrunk. It takes time to unshrink it. Continue.

ASSISTANT: :sigh: Well we only got them today.

SEANCAL: This is their rocket, correct?

ASSISTANT: Affirmative. Our operatives have codenamed it the CATTLE PROD.

FREDBERT: What's that thingie falling away from the rocket? Is it broken?

MISCOM: I wish, Fredbert. But it appears to be a service tower.

ASSISTANT: Gantry separation and launch. It appears to have a shroud covering the delicate satellite.

ASSISTANT: As the operative was on the ground, he took this photo with a telezoom lens, but Kerbol was in the way. However, you can see the silohouette of the craft, with-

SEANCAL: Are those vernier engines? To stabilise the craft? I suppose we could use those but we're designing gimbals.

FREDBERT: Gimbals?

SONLER: Gimbals are the stuff that allow you to turn the engine and steer.

ASSISTANT: And these are Kommie official photos, taken from an aircraft passing overhead.

ASSISTANT: We assume that this is MECO, or Main Engine Cut-Off.

ASSISTANT: This is-

SEANCAL: Main stage sep? Those Kommies seem to have perfected that technology.

ASSISTANT: Correct, Seancal.

ASSISTANT: And now they've jettisoned the fairings. Of course, this is merely a simulation run using the mission parameters that the Kommies sent us.

ASSISTANT: And Orbit Insertion Burn. At this stage the craft is nearly into our tracking range.

ASSISTANT: Here they’ve staged the booster away and it’s currently in a decaying orbit, projected to burn up over the Eastern Sea.

ASSISTANT: This, oh, this, is the first ever picture to be sent back from space. Think, orbiting eighty thousand meters above sea level-

PRESIDENT: Shut up, we’re not here for a lecture into philosophy and opinions of orbiting satellites.

ASSISTANT: Oh, yes, er, sorry about that.

ASSISTANT:And this is a better photo, from the bottom-mounted telefocus lens. Just imagine, drifting in orbit around Kerbin, singing a lullaby with the stars…

PRESIDENT: :cough:

ASSISTANT: Oh, sorry. I do have the tendency to ramble off sometimes…

The assistant wanders off in a dazed stupor, fantasizing about space and being in it.

PRESIDENT: So I want you to step up your work. More progress is needed for us to beat the Reds in the Space Race. Don’t fail me. You are dismissed.

[The Error]

Dun, dun, DUN!

[astropapi1]

Awesome explosion effects!

Next time, you can use a jumbo tank and whack-a-kerbal for that.

[Javster]

Very good actually! Although the images with the effects of flames aren't very refined, the storyline is really good!

[Javster]

Any more coming soon?

[Javster]

Looking forward to more anyway. I'm sure others are. No pressure

[Scorpi15]

Don't worry, a new chapter will be up soon. Stay tuned!

[Scorpi15]

Tower: "Intakes?"

Bill: "Check."

Tower: "Tailplane?"

Bill: "Check, tailgear lookin' good."

Tower: "Engines?"

Bill: "Check, gimbals in line."

Bill: "I'm climbing back into the cockpit now, Tower."

Tower: "We read you, switch to cockpit radio. Radio name V-K, Victor Kilo."

Bob: "Copy that Tower. Radio switched, engines spooling up, brakes on."

Tower: "Victor Kilo, you're good for takeoff. Are your passengers secure?"

Jeb: "Yup, they're buckling up in the back right now, actually."

Tower: "Well, you're good. MET starting now. Don't be late for dinner!"

Bob: "Tower, we've cleared the groundspace. Altitude 150 meters and rising."

Tower: "We copy you Victor-Kilo, we have a visual on you out the window."

Jeb: "Bob, switch to intercom. I want to talk to our guests."

Bill: "Jeb... This is their first flight in the Komet you know?"

Jeb: "Aah, the Vomit Komet. V-K. How could we live without you?"

Bob: "Tower, we're turning on the INCOM. You might hear our guests in the background."

Tower: "Copy that Victor-Kilo. You are cleared out of KSC, proceed to the Desert Island Marker. You're cleared for up to four cycles until you pass the Marker. Also, remember that the crew in the back are going to be the candidates for the first Kerbal in space. Don't harm them."

Jeb: "Don't worry. I'll personally make sure of that."

Bill: "Yeah, right..."

???: "You know we can still hear you, right?"

Jeb: "Uh, yeah, of course we knew that, uh-"

Harbas: "Harbas. Alongside Wilnie and Elby."

Wilnie: "That's me!"

Elby: "And me!"

Jeb: "Yes, we knew that, er, Harbas, Wilnie and Elby."

Harbas: "Thank you. Also, why are we going up, it's quite the strain on the seats and harnesses."

In the cockpit, Jeb looks to Bob. He turns his head and asks, "Can we?"

Bob: "Oh, all right. Tower, we're starting the first cycle."

Tower: "Copy that, Victor-Kilo. Logging first cycle at 2:31 MET."

Bob then pressed a button on his console, activating Jeb's control yoke, and flipped a switch, disabling the autopilot. Jeb then pushed down on his yoke and he plane was sent into a deep dive.

Jeb: "Hold onto your lunch!"

Harbas: "Huh, what do you mean? Oh. This is the Vomit Komit, isn't it. I heard a lot abou-":HURRRK:

Elby: "Oh, don't be silly. You know that only a small percentage of passengers get nau-" :BLORRGCH:

Wilnie: "Ooh! This is zero-gravity! It's so cool! I wish we could do this every da-" :GLOORKCH: *wipes mouth* "Errk, on the other hand, maybe not.."

Elby: "Gah! I hate that bit!"

Harbas: "You've done this before?"

Elby: "For the tests... For my role as science officer, of course..."

Back in the cockpit, Bob turned off Jeb's controls and reactivated the autopilot. Meanwhile, Bill chucked up into a little disposable baggie that he then threw out of the window. It survived the landing in the water intact went on to be ingested by a certain barracuda that was later caught by a certain Danbree Kerman, who won the Booster Bay Fishing Competition for it, and used the fame from the prize-winning catch to enter a prestigious university, and then became mayor of his hometown and married his childhood sweetheart. But that's not relevant and so we shall go back to the Vomit Komet.

Jeb: "Aww, but that was fun!"

Bob: "No, Jeb, we're handing it back to the autopilot. It can do this better."

Jeb: :sigh:

Wilnie: "Here we go again..."

Elby: "OKAY! I give up! Get us outta here!" :puke:

Bob: "Oh, okay. Tower, we're turning around. Also, we're practicing the emergency landing."

Tower: "Copy that Victor-Kilo. You're cleared through to the landing. Tell the boys to hold on tight!"

Harbas: "Whew, we're finally getting off- wait, why did you stop the engines?!?"

Jeb: "Tut tut tut Harbas, don't question the pilots."

Harbas: "But the engines..."

:WHUMP:

Elby: "Gah! A little warning next time!?!"

:KRASH:

Jeb: "Well, you know what they say, any crash you can walk away from,"

Jeb: "Wasn't hard enough!"

Bob: "Tower, we're going to need the bus to pick us up. Also, get the janitors in, we've got a bit-"

*Sound of Elby puking, whatever it is. I think it's Splorrkch or Bluurggthk or something like that.*

Bob: "-Can that, a lot of a mess in the back. And don't forget the air fresheners!"

[Tw1]

Ooo, a Vomit Comet. I know what I'm trying to make next.

I like the way you portrayed the assistant being enthused by seeing something put into space, but the president more annoyed because politics.

Worth the read. Nice job so far.