Kerbal Space Telescope.

[BagelRabbit]

Hello, everyone! I'm trying my hand at writing... let's see how this turns out.

If you like this series, please comment. If you have constructive criticism, please tell me what I can do better!

Anyway.

Prologue

The sky was eye-wateringly clear when Shelcott Kerman first thought of flying a telescope into orbit.

The Kerbal Amateur Astronomical Society had begun to set out their telescopes: painstakingly planting tripod legs in the ground, gently fitting precision instruments to the back of their ‘scopes, or calibrating their computer-guided telescope mounts to the first stars of the night. Landred, a gifted telescope-maker and Shelcott’s good friend, had unpacked another one of his telescopes from the back of his truck. The grass was whispering in the light breeze and a few crickets had begun their steady rhythm under the rapidly darkening sky.

As Shelcott had swung his tiny telescope towards Eve, Landred had asked him, “How much can you see of, say, Jool with that thing?â€Â

Shelcott, momentarily startled, had jerked the telescope upwards. “Kerbol Almighty! Don’t sneak up on me like that!†After taking a deep breath, he had replied, “You know, I can pick out a green hazy circle with a few little dots around it. On good nights, I can see the lighter and darker bits. Why?â€Â

Landred had rubbed his chin. “I can’t see much more than that, either, and I make my telescopes with the finest optics around. Do you know what the problem is?â€Â

“It’s the atmosphere, of course.†Shelcott had locked in on Eve, and was now carefully focusing his telescope. “The air causes the image to wobble and distort, especially on the warm nights. You know that!†Satisfied with the focus, Shelcott had paused, and had looked up from the telescope straight into Landred’s eyes. “What are you trying to get at?â€Â

Landred had taken a deep breath and said in a rush, “So what would happen if we got a telescope above the atmosphere of Kerbin? We could get perfectly clear pictures, right?â€Â

“Another one of your crazy ideas, I see.†Shelcott had repositioned the telescope so that Eve was smack-dab in the center of the eyepiece. A sprinkling of stars dusted the perimeter of his view. “You know, that would be a noble idea… if it were at all plausible. Getting a telescope into orbit -- that’s the only place it could do any good, after all – well, it could work. If the government decides to direct funds to spaceflight, I would very much like to see the images that they could get. But what are the chances of that happening?†He had chuckled and raised his head from the eyepiece again. “Second to none, I would say.â€Â

“You never know,†Landred had said slowly, walking back to his massive telescope and slowly pointing it up towards the sky. “You never know.â€Â

More stars were appearing by the second. It would be a beautiful night. From the eyepiece of the telescope, the thin purple crescent of Eve smiled.

[KSK]

Looks like a good start to me. I'm keen to see where this goes.

[BagelRabbit]

If KSK likes it, it must continue!

Part One

The reaction was immediate.

The Kerbol screamed, “ARTIFICIAL MOON LAUNCHED!†The Daily Newsletter shouted, “NEW SATELLITE CIRCLES KERBIN!†Even the Daily Kerbin found its way into the action with a hearty, “Kerbin’s New Satellite: New Details on Celestial Object.â€Â

Shelcott, however, was first informed of the news when his phone startled him out of sleep. He rolled to the side of the bed – oh, how early it was! – and grasped for the handset. The best he managed, upon picking the phone up, was a sleepy “H’lo?â€Â

“Turn on your TV!†It was, of all Kerbals, Landred.

“Whaa–?†Shelcott groggily reached for the remote, on the other side of his bed. This is really much too early for any of this. He managed, after some time, to find the on button and was immediately blinded by the brightness of the screen in the dark room. “Okay, it’s on.â€Â

“What do you see?†Landred sounded positively ecstatic.

His eyes had adjusted, but he was still not sure that he was seeing properly. On the screen, two Kerbals were talking. The screen switched to a picture of a small rocket of some sort. Behind it was a backdrop of stars, and to the side of the screen, an artist’s rendition of Kerbin.

This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t. It couldn’t.

The screen changed again. The picture that it now displayed raised every hair on the back of Shelcott’s neck. The image was a loose mass of pixels. At the very top was a thin black line, where the image hadn’t loaded yet. Over to the right side was an overexposed Kerbol. A few bright pixels suggested distant stars.

On the left side of the picture was the curve of Kerbin.

Shelcott was overwhelmed. He gaped blankly at the picture. He propped himself up in bed. A faint, ephemeral smile played at the corners of his mouth.

He dropped the phone.

[KSK]

*blush*

Can't believe I missed the second installment though. It's looking good - and I love the picture!

[BagelRabbit]

Two

Kerbal Space Agency:

Congratulations on the successful launch of your Vall One satellite into low Kerbin orbit. May Kerbol shine on all of your future attempts to launch artificial satellites.

“Where is it?â€Â

“I don’t think that it’s come up yet. Let’s wait a few minutes.â€Â

“Where will it be, then?â€Â

“The Daily Kerbin said that we should look due west.â€Â

Many prominent scientists agree that a telescope launched into low Kerbin orbit could resolve images extremely well, due to the lack of the atmosphere’s distorting effects. We therefore recommend that you consider flying a telescope into space during a future rocket launch.

“I still don’t see it.â€Â

“Any minute now…?â€Â

While there are numerous difficulties in attempting to achieve this feat, it is certainly plausible with current technology. In fact, astronomers could attach a eight-inch telescope to a craft identical to the Vall One, and the craft would still achieve a nearly perfect circular orbit.

“Wait. What’s that on the horizon?â€Â

“Where?â€Â

“There. It’s pretty faint.â€Â

“I think that’s it!â€Â

When placed into space, even a small telescope has the potential to clarify images tenfold or a hundredfold. This could allow for unprecedented mapping of celestial objects, including planets and moons, and pave the way for future missions to these exotic destinations.

“Yeah, that’s it. No doubt about it.â€Â

“Wow.â€Â

“Look at how fast it’s moving! Almost ten degrees of sky a second!â€Â

“Faster than any plane, that’s for sure.â€Â

“Is it just me or is it getting fainter?â€Â

“I think that we’re seeing the craft pass into Kerbin’s shadow.â€Â

“Sorta like a sunset?â€Â

“Yeah. Look, it’s getting red!â€Â

“Must be a beautiful sunset out there.â€Â

“And… it’s gone.â€Â

Please consider this request, and inform us of whatever decision you make.

Sincerely yours,

The Kerbin Amateur Astronomical Society (KAAS).

Shelcott peered into the inky sky for a few more seconds, squinting for any last glimpse of the Vall One. I must, he thought, write a letter to the Kerbal Space Agency. They may be able to place a telescope on a future satellite. We could be able to see the craters of Moho... the Great Canyon of Duna... the violet seas of Eve... the unknown terrain of Tylo....

Shelcott's cheeks were sore long before he realized he was smiling.