Reconstruction - a 0.23[.5][.24.2] career mode story

[S4qFBxkFFg]

It looks like something in 0.24 has killed the LOCOM and HICOM satellites (they're no longer communicating and when I switch to them they're uncontrollable even though they have adequate power and extended antennae, and Kerbin itself has disappeared, but with its atmosphere remaining...), I'm in the process of removing mods to figure out what's causing the problem (not any ones I thought were obvious culprits), but I suspect I'm going to have to do some savegame editing or a few more launches to restore comms.

Not saying it will be needed, but if anyone who knows their way around a KSP save file is willing to look through it, please let me know.

edit: so I decided to continue and just delete the satellites...

Edited August 24, 2014 by S4qFBxkFFg

[S4qFBxkFFg]

Disaster!

All our communication relay satellites have, to all intents and purposes, disappeared! Investigations are ongoing, but there appears to be no signal, or even radar return, that would correspond to the satellites or their debris.

Probably as a result, we are now subject to budgetary constraints, and are going to have to bid for commercial test contracts to keep the space program afloat.

Therefore, we can expect to be constructing a lot more vehicles like this.

The objectives are to test the BACC solid booster, the hydraulic detachment manifold, and the Mk25 drogue parachute.

This will be an extremely simple mission - the rocket will fly straight upwards and deploy the 'chute at the target altitude and speed (to achieve this, fuel and thrust have been cut to about 15% of normal).

We'll just fire the decoupler off the side of the tower before launch - seemingly a bit pointless, but that's what the contract says.

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MISSION REPORT

Crew: n/a

Result: Success

Status: Recovered

Details: A simple mission, with a simple outcome - after launch, the rocket ascended quickly to parachute deployment altitude then floated down to be recovered from the sea.

Easy money!

Edited August 25, 2014 by S4qFBxkFFg

[S4qFBxkFFg]

With budgetary constraints in mind, the new HICOM satellites are going up with their lower stages powered mostly by solid fuelled boosters; the new KD25ks we've got our hands on recently seem especially good value for money and simulations indicate the three Globe 1s provide enough extra thrust while still in the lower atmosphere.

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MISSION REPORT

Crew: n/a

Result: Success

Status: Orbiting Kerbin

Details:

The satellite is on station and functioning, but the orientation of the fixed PV panels is sub-optimal - it's possible for the vehicle to be positioned side-on to the Sun such that no panels are lit - this wasn't an issue with the earlier HICOM satellites, which had three PV arrays.

Anyway, it's working, which is the main thing.

Edited September 28, 2014 by S4qFBxkFFg

[S4qFBxkFFg]

Another commercial test mission, this time to evaluate the performance of the Skipper engine.

The radial engines will get it to the correct altitude and speed before we light it up, recovery is expected to be uncomplicated.

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MISSION REPORT

Crew: n/a

Result: Success

Status: Recovered

Details:

If Rockomax pays us to test its engines, so we can pay them to buy their engines, so they can make more engines and pay us to test...

...it's all just money going in circles, but we seem to be doing OK out of it - another successful test, with a very lucrative payout.

[S4qFBxkFFg]

A 2.5m diameter solid-fuelled booster, not previously tested, and not likely to be ready for use for some time - what to do?

Despite the risk of something like this being equivalent to detonating a large bomb on the launch pad, the temptation of easy money proved too strong for the Program's management. Fortunately, we've found a way round the problem...

MISSION REPORT

Crew: n/a

Result: Success

Status: Recovered

Details:

The contract never stated the booster even had to leave the pad, or even run for any length of time, just that it should be ignited and allowed to run. So, after removing as much propellant and reducing the thrust as much as possible (i.e. it would still, briefly, function) that's what we did.

No-one thought to take any pictures, but it was one of our least interesting "flights".

[jake9039]

what mods are you using?

[RAINCRAFTER]

What are the mods you used?

[S4qFBxkFFg]

what mods are you using?

What are the mods you used?

Sorry for the delay - for the last few months my weekends have been taken up with mixing baby formula, changing nappies, you get the idea...

Anyway, it's quite a large collection, so I'll just copy/paste the directory listings:

Aviation-Lights-v3.6.zip

FASA_Launch_Clamps_and_Towers-4.96.zip

KSP-AVC-1.1.5.0.zip

Trajectories-v1.0.0.zip

Connected_Living_Space-1.0.11.0.zip

Ferram_Aerospace_Research-v0.14.4.zip

DeadlyReentry_v6.2.zip

Kerbal_Joint_Reinforcement-v2.4.4.zip

AnimatedDecouplers.x64.zip

FloorIt.zip

Chatterer-0.7.1.zip

RealChute_Parachute_Systems-1.2.6.zip

TacLifeSupport_0.10.1.13.zip

VOID-0.15.zip

KerbalGPS (v1.0.23.5.01).zip

SatBatts-v1.zip

TweakScale_-_Rescale_Everything-1.47.zip

6S_Service_Tubes_1.2.zip

KW_Rocketry-2.6d2.zip

B9_Aerospace_Pack-R5.2.6.zip

Magic_Smoke_Industries_Infernal_Robotics-0.19.2.zip

Bahamuto_Dynamics_Parts_pack_v1.1-v1.1.1a.zip

More_Fuel_Types_aka._NEARFuels-1.3.zip

DistantObject_1.3.1.zip

NavUtilites-0.4.3.zip

DockingPortAlignment_4.0.zip

PersistentMomentum-1.0.0.0.zip

EnhancedNavBall_1_3_2.zip

PreciseNode-1.1.1.zip

EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements-7-4.zip

Procedural_Wings-0.9.1.zip

Firespitter-6.3.5.zip

ProcFairings_3.09.zip

Flight_Manager_for_Reusable_Stages_FMRS-v0.3.00.zip

RasterPropMonitor 0.18.3.zip

HawkspeedAirstairs_v0.6.zip

RemoteTech-v1.5.1.zip

HGR_V1.0.zip

ResearchThemAll.dll

HullCameraVDS.V0.3.zip

Rotate.zip

KAS_0.4.8.zip

SCANsat-v8.0.zip

KAX_v2.2.2_0.24_HOTFIX.zip

SensiblePumps.1.1.zip

kdex_1.02.zip

ShipManifest.24.2_3.3.2_09282014.zip

KerbalAlarmClock_2.7.8.2.zip

SH-MK2Cockpit_1.0.24.zip

Kerbal_Konstructs-0.6.zip

Stock_ReBalance-1.4.zip

KerbinSide-0.39.1.zip

StripSymmetry_1.4.zip

Kerbonov_7-29-14.zip

TacFuelBalancer_2.4.1.5.zip

Klockheed_Martian_2.1.zip

The_Colliders_Strike_Back-v1.0.1.zip

Klockheed_Martian_Special_2.1.zip

TMS_TAC_Life_Support_Retexture-2.1.zip

Klockheed_Martian_SSE_2.1.zip

Toolbar-1.7.7.zip

KSI Aerospace Parts.zip

TurboNisuPartsPack1.02.rar

KSI MFD v1_2.zip

TweakableEverything-1.5.zip

KSP-0.23.5-EditorPartHighlighter.zip

VNG_EVALoading.zip

KSPInterstellar-v0.13.zip

VNG-Parachute_1.2.zip

VNG-Plugin_0.7.2.zip

VVRPM.zip

KSP-Plugin-24.0-SelectRoot-Jul18.zip

XTLandertron07c.zip

ksp_sdhi_sms_v2_3.zip

(I'm in the middle of making sure everything is 0.25 compatible, then I'll go back to the story.)

[JPmAn]

i want more stories, these are beautiful

[S4qFBxkFFg]

Given the exit-from-beta, I've decided to retire this game - the Kerbals involved can be satisfied with several notable achievements:

• orbiting the Mün
  
• rendezvousing with, and refuelling/rescuing a spacecraft stranded in Münar orbit
  
• landing on Minmus (with sample return)
  
• maintaining a satellite communication network
  
• successfully deorbiting space junk
  
• atmospheric flight
  

Stay tuned for more though, I have a feeling my next game will be starting with these: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/102502-1-0-2-Sounding-Rockets!-Start-small-Dream-big!-0-2-1-2015-05-15