Total Conversion Reboot!! [Pic Heavy] - Final Mission!

[Taki117]

(This one goes out to rbray89 for the awesome clouds!)

Once their crash course had been completed the new space tourists boarded the Discovery and strapped themselves in for their ride. Nelgan and Ferby smiled as they prepared for takeoff. Ferby keyed the intercom. "Thank you for flying Kerbal Air, we will be taking you to the Hotel California currently in a 200km orbit above Kerbin." he said as Nelgan finished up the preparations. "In just a moment you will feel slight acceleration as we head down the runway, please note that all of your seats are equipped with an ejection mechanism. In the event of an emergency keep your arms tucked in as your seat boosts clear. And once again, thank you for flying Kerbal Air." he said as Nelgan fired up the engines and released the brakes.

Once they had reached takeoff speed Ferby once again got onto the intercom while Nelgan pulled the yolk back to raise the nose. "You will experience some g-forces as we ascend, this is normal. We will be ascending at an extreme angle and you will be pushed back into your seat as we do so. Don't worry, we will be leveling out in a moment." he said before raising the landing gear once they were clear of the runway.

Once they began losing power on the jet engines Ferby once again came over the intercom. "We will soon be switching over to rockets, you will feel a slight bump as you are pushed back into your seats from the force of the rocket engines. we will also be shutting down our jets so any whining you hear is normal. Welcome to space." he said before switching modes and leaning back as the rockets ignited.

Once they were clear of the atmosphere Ferby deployed the solar panels as Nelgan shut down the engine. Ferby then keyed the intercom. "Welcome to space, bags have been provided in the pocket of the seat in front of you. I will remind you that if you need to use one of these bags to please seal it when you are done. We are just setting up our transfer burn to the station here in about nine minutes, please feel free to look out the windows, but be ready to be pushed back into your seats as we perform our burn." he said as he finished up plotting the maneuver.

(Here we can see Duna just to the right of the Mun, Jool just to the right of the Discovery and the space station as a single pixel to the right of Jool)

As they drew closer Ferby once again keyed the intercom. "We are now approaching the station and will perform a braking burn to get ourselves lined up for docking. After this burn you will be free to move about the cabin." he said as Nelgan reoriented the Discovery and moved it in for docking with the station.

[KeithStone]

+Rep for you! I love all of your rocket designs, your SSTO is smooth as butter, and that station is EPIC.

Couple questions:

Even browsing through your modlist I'm not sure that I know where those station 6-way hubs came from, as well as some of the hexagonal pieces you brought up in your first solar panel expansion probes for the station. Also of note, those giant solar panels looks like they are on a dome-shaped hub. This isnt from the near future pack (at least I dont think they are) what pack are they from?

Anyway, amazing builds, great and straightforward story, and epic pictures!

EDIT: Nevermind, looks like those are KOSMOS parts. Apparently I need to play with that pack lol!

Edited May 4, 2014 by KeithStone

[Taki117]

+Rep for you! I love all of your rocket designs, your SSTO is smooth as butter, and that station is EPIC.

Couple questions:

Even browsing through your modlist I'm not sure that I know where those station 6-way hubs came from, as well as some of the hexagonal pieces you brought up in your first solar panel expansion probes for the station. Also of note, those giant solar panels looks like they are on a dome-shaped hub. This isnt from the near future pack (at least I dont think they are) what pack are they from?

Anyway, amazing builds, great and straightforward story, and epic pictures!

EDIT: Nevermind, looks like those are KOSMOS parts. Apparently I need to play with that pack lol!

The Solar Arrays are in fact from KOSMOS (Only parts I have from that pack are the solar panels and fuel line) The Hexagonal pieces are from the Kerbin Mini Shuttle mod. (I deleted the shuttle because I didn't like it), my SSTO is from B9 with AIES solar panels and Space Shuttle Main Engines, The Daikon Emergency Escape System is predominantly Home Grown Rockets, with some AIES stuff and RealChutes. Also on the Station are some Tac-LS Hexcans.

[KeithStone]

Thanks. And sorry for all the questions, but I was just reading through the thread AGAIN (because I really do love all of your builds, every one is sleek and unique) and noticed something else I didnt recognize. What are you using for your "greenhouse" on your station, and how does it balance with TAC LS? I've tried biomass+ a couple of times but find the parts bulky, heavy, and the recycling/food manufacturing process overly complicated.

[Taki117]

Thanks. And sorry for all the questions, but I was just reading through the thread AGAIN (because I really do love all of your builds, every one is sleek and unique) and noticed something else I didnt recognize. What are you using for your "greenhouse" on your station, and how does it balance with TAC LS? I've tried biomass+ a couple of times but find the parts bulky, heavy, and the recycling/food manufacturing process overly complicated.

That's from the Kerbin Mini Shuttle Mod with a Config Edit. I just took the Generator Modules found in the TAC resource generators and added them in, then added the Food Generator Module From This post in as well. It's a little bit of work, but it will serve my purposes.

Edit: I don't mind the questions at all, I like answering them.

[Taki117]

With the space tourists safely tucked away in the Hotel California the Kerbal Space Program decided to turn their attention to the other planets. A probe had already been constructed for landing on Eve, however with the Kerbals limited knowledge of the planet meant that the probe may not survive the descent, much less the landing. It was decided to construct a space telescope to observe these bodies. Soon enough a new rocket had been constructed to convey the new space telescope into orbit.

Milzon watched as the countdown progressed, when the counter reached zero the main engines were ignited and the rocket rose slowly into the air.

The rocket ascended slowly at first, and then continued to gain speed as it rose through the atmosphere.

Once the main lifter stage had burnt out it was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage was fired up and the ship rotated to facilitate proper fairing jettison.

Once it was clear of the atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned and the solar panels and antennae deployed to provide power and communication throughout the flight.

Once it had reached an altitude of 350km the orbital stage was jettisoned and de-orbited. It was time to test the capabilities of the telescope. It was first pointed towards the Mun, then Minmus.

Satisfied with it's capabilities it was decided to turn it towards Moho. "Sire, we've lost telemetry on the Farseer." someone shouted from their panel. Milzon rushed over and looked at the logs. "Looks like we've burnt out the processor, guess we'll have to send up a repair crew. Macdun and Rofen should be able to take care of it." he said and soon construction had begun on another, smaller, cargo transport.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

Once construction of the new cargo carrier was complete (It only took 20 earth hours) Macdun and Rofen prepared for takeoff. This would be their first time piloting an aircraft.

Take off was pretty standard, with Macdun pulling back on the yolk at take off speed and Rofen retracting the landing gear once they had cleared the runway. Macdun got a tad overzealous with the ascent, but all went well.

Soon enough they were within docking distance of the Farseer Space Telescope. Macdun nudged the Atlantis ever closer until finally they were docked, at which point Rofen opened the cargo bay.

Macdun then clambered out of the cockpit and made his way to the cargo bay where he retrieved the new processor. He then used the service ladder to install it and retrieve a module that would no longer be needed.

Once they had finished Rofen performed their de-orbit burn and reoriented the ship for reentry. Macdun retracted the forward solar panels once they had entered the atmosphere.

Rofen pitched the nose down as the Atlantis began to heat up due to reentry. Suddenly an explosion reverberated through the cabin and Macdun frantically checked what was wrong. "We've lost the lights!" he shouted. Rofen nodded as he tried to keep the aircraft on course. "Not a big deal, we shouldn't lose anything else." he said as they continued to descend.

All of a sudden another explosion shook the craft and Rofen noticed a distinct list to one side as they descended. "Rofen, we've lost an air intake and the right side landing gear." Macdun said as he held onto his seat. "You don't say?" Rofen replied, unable to contact Mission Control due to the ionizing radiation of reentry.

Once they had passed through the upper atmosphere Rofen keyed his mic. "Mission Control this is Shuttle Atlantis, we've lost one of our landing gear and are unable to land. We've just passed over the desert so we'll ditch there." he said as he banked sharply and lowered the nose to get below the cloud layer so he could see where they were coming down.

Once they were over land Rofen hit the eject button, shooting both Kerbonauts clear of the aircraft and deploying their chutes. Macdun and Rofen watched as their plane crashed a mere 300m from them.

Once they had landed they went to investigate the crash site, surely something could be salvaged. Macdun found a life support container, containing a full supply of food and water, enough for several days. Rofen noticed that the cargo bay was intact, the stored experiment safely tucked away in its transport container. He fished it out and looked it over. "Might be able to turn this into a basic beacon." he said as he began fiddling. Soon he had a working beacon, though it was simple. Any search and rescue craft flying close by would be able to pick it up.

(My main reason for not just recovering them is I have something I wanted to try with one of my new mods)

[15nelsoc]

Was the reentry damage and subsequent ditching something you had planned, or did it just happen? It's always fun when something unplanned happens, and you have to try to figure out how to salvage the situation. Anyway, keep up the great mission reports; I always find them entertaining!

[Taki117]

Was the reentry damage and subsequent ditching something you had planned, or did it just happen? It's always fun when something unplanned happens, and you have to try to figure out how to salvage the situation. Anyway, keep up the great mission reports; I always find them entertaining!

Totally unplanned. Finished servicing the telescope, performed a standard deorbit burn to put the edge of my orbit on the west coast of the KSC continent. Overshot due to cloud cover, not enough fuel to correct. (9 units of oxidizer, about 30m/s dV) hit atmo and was doing alright, then BOOM! No more lights. No big deal, they are expendable. BOOM! No more solar panel. Again expendable. I'm coming in way short though, and with FAR jets don't work past Mach 5 at aal, and not well enough at Mach 4. (I'm doing about Mach 6 at this point) BOOM! No more intake and I see my landing gear fall away. Start rolling and manage to stabilize. No way I'm gonna fight it all the way back to KSC. Just passed over the desert. Nice, flat, maybe I can set her down Scott Manley style and save the crew. Too hilly and no way can I compensate for the roll. Pull up hard and punch out to await rescue.

The whole reason I didn't just recover them via tracking station is so I could show how I envision my recover button working. (And to play with a new mod)

[Taki117]

(This is what happens when I hit the recover button! THIS IS NOT AN ACTUAL MISSION!)

With Macdun and Rofen crash landed in the desert a rescue operation was dispatched to search their last known coordinates. The Helicopter was rolled out onto the runway with Milzon and Roddan at the controls. They had input the last known coordinates into their guidance computer and then increased throttle to rise slowly into the air. Once they were safely off the ground Roddan retracted the landing gear.

Milzon then rotated the aircraft to face the direction of the desert and then pitched forward slightly to pick up speed. Soon they were travelling at just over 200m/s at an altitude of just over 3km. It would be a long flight.

Soon enough they were over the desert and Roddan picked up a strange signal, it was faint but recognizable as a beacon. "Milzon, I got something. Sounds like a beacon, but there shouldn't be any out here, it's nothing but desert."He said as he tried to tune the radio. Milzon just smiled as he began to lower his altitude. He knew exactly what it meant.

As they drew closer the signal became stronger and soon Milzon had spotted the crash site.

After a few more minutes of flying They were directly over the crash site. Milzon brought them to a hover and then slowly began to lower their altitude while Roddan lowered the landing gear. Macdun and Rofen moved out of the way to avoid being smushed by the craft as it descended.

Soon enough they had touched down and Roddan deployed the ladders to allow the stranded Kerbals to board.

Once Both Kerbals were safely aboard Milzon fired up the rotor and lifted off to head for home.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

With Rofen and Macdun safely recovered it was discovered that Dres was approaching the appropriate alignment for interplanetary transfer. A probe was quickly designed (since a ship for such a duration mission would take too long to construct) and set on the launch pad.

Despite the overcast the countdown proceeded normally until the engines were ignited and the rocket rose slowly into the air. Once it had cleared the tower it began its pitch and roll program to put it in the proper orientation for booster separation.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned, however due to their lack of aerodynamics there was concern that they would not separate properly, fortunately there was no damage to the rocket.

As the rocket continued to climb the Mun eclipsed Kerbol, this would provide power issues later in the launch. Nothing too severe, but enough to be annoying.

Once the desired apoapsis had been achieved the main engine was shut down and the fairings jettisoned. The Solar panels were also deployed, however because of the eclipse they were not receiving solar power.

In order to keep the probe alive the secondary communication antenna was shut down to conserve power, and the main engine was fired at low thrust towards the maneuver node to ensure the satellite had enough power to circularize at an altitude of 100km. Once it had circularized not only had it moved out of the shadow of the Mun, but it also jettisoned the main lifter stage, which would be de-orbited once it had cleared the transit stage engine bell.

The Dres transfer was set up and several days later it was executed, shooting the probe off into deep space, the first Kerbal Made object to leave the Kerbin System.

[Taki117]

With the Dres probe safely out of the system and on it's way to Dres it was time for the space tourists to come home. Their two weeks in space they were ready to get back onto solid ground again. Ferby had the controls and began prepping the Discovery for the return trip as Nelgan ushered everyone back into their seats. Once Nelgan was in the cockpit he keyed the intercom. "Thank you for flying Kerbal Air and I hope you enjoyed your stay at the beautiful Hotel California Once we undock from the station we will set up for our de-orbit burn and then we will be on our way back to the Kerbal Space Center. He then turned to Ferby and smiled. "Ready when you are." he said and Ferby hit the switch to undock them from the station.

Once they had hit the atmosphere the solar panels were retracted and Nelgan one again keyed the intercom. "Please have your seat backs and tray tables in their upright and locked positions, We will be closing the window screens to provide protection while we descend through the atmosphere. If you look out the windows now you can see the first hints of plasma as we continue our descent." he said before hitting the switch to close the protective panels that would cover the windows to prevent the glass from melting due to the extreme heat.

As they continued their descent Nelgan once again flipped the switch to open the window panels and keyed the intercom. "We are now safely through the atmosphere and coming up on the mountains just to the west of the Kerbal Space Center. If you look out your windows you will notice that they are really close, but don't worry, we might not crash into them. The weather at our destination is early morning cool and overcast. Thank you for flying with us. Also, remember in the event of an emergency you will be shot out the top of the cabin." he said as Ferby made the final adjustments to their glide path.

At 5km from the end of the runway Nelgan lowered the landing gear while Ferby made a few last minute corrections, unfortunately this also decreased their speed causing them to slam into the end of the runway. Fortuneately they were ascending so all that really happened was they lost the rearmost section of the aircraft and the right aileron.

(That's the rear solar panel flying off due to the crash)

The aircraft then rolled to a stop before it taxied to the hanger for an upgrade.

[Taki117]

With the next set of space tourists sitting in the orbiting space station it was decided that more science was needed to further the technological advance of Kerbal Kind. Since Minmus had not been explored in a while so it was decided that a mission would be performed. Soon enough a new rocket was set on the launch pad and Roddan and Burburry were ascending the elevator. (They were the only two kerbals that had not gone to Minmus and they were feeling left out.)

First Burbrry and then Roddan bade their way across the gangway, and once they were both safely aboard the gangway was retracted to provide a clear path for the rockets ascent.

With the new ascent autopilot it was decided to let it launch the vessel into the plane of Minmus, this caused a slight delay in the launch as they waited for the planet to align properly. Once this was complete however, the engines were ignited and the rocket rose into the air.

It performed it's pitch and roll maneuver (The roll was performed manually) to provide adequate space for booster separation as the rocket continued to climb.

Once the boosters had burnt out, far higher than expected but not unanticipated, they were jettisoned, the main lifter continuing to push the rocket ever higher.

Once they were high enough in the atmosphere the launch escape system was jettisoned since now, in the event of an emergency, the capsule could be decoupled and it would be pushed out of the way of the rocket to fall back to Kerbin.

Once the main engine had been cut out the solar panels were deployed and the rocket drifted towards apoapsis.

At Apoapsis the main lifter was ignited once more to circularize their orbit before being discarded and de-orbited, thanks to the installed micro probe core.

Once that had been completed it was a short matter to perform a Hohhmann Transfer to Minmus.

Once the Crew passed over their landing site they fired up their engine to perform a braking burn. Once that was completed and they had begun their final descent the transfer stage was jettisoned to fall back to the surface and the landing legs extended to prepare for landing.

The Landing proceeded Normally and both Burburry and Roddan Got out to take surface samples and plant a flag.

Once they had finished their mission They fired up the engine and departed minmus for home.

Once thee capsule was squarely in the atmosphere the lander section was jettisoned and the pod prepared for reentry. Roddan tuned the radio to his favorite station and they heard the following. "...And for those of you still awake if you step outside you'll be able to see the Minmus crew reentering the atmosphere as they return from their 4 day mission." They both smiled as their pod began to heat up and the news report turned to static.

They then landed safely in the ocean.

[Orionkermin]

Wow, is that eerie minmus from the better atmospheres mod?

[Taki117]

Wow, is that eerie minmus from the better atmospheres mod?

It is, it doesn't make landing any harder (If anything it's easier, but I let MechJeb do it anyway) but it certainly adds a little bit of, I won't say realism because for clouds you need atmosphere, which Minmus doesn't have any of (Even with the mod) but I will say Variety. This was the first mission where I had left Kerbin after installing it, and I kinda want to go to the Mun now...

And In case you were wondering That's little more than The Raddish pod (The test version) attached to it's Service Module, with a 6S compartment (Hiding all the science gear and a fuel line) Running to the Gemini lander engine combo with legs, a Realchute stack combo (So I could stick that Awesome LES on top) and a couple AIES solar panels for power.

Also, I was surprised at how stable the Raddish is. Pointed it retrograde for Lander Jettison, turned off SAS and didn't touch the controls. Stayed Retrograde the whole time. Amazing little pod.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

It was about this time that Milzon realized they knew more about the rest of the universe (Small as it was) but they didn't know a whole lot about Kerbin. He decided it was time to change that. After talking with the designers they built a satellite that was designed to map out Kerbin from orbit. Soon they had a launcher ready on the pad.

Once the countdown had finished the engines were ignited and the rocket rose slowly into the air.

Since it was destined for a polar orbit (To cover the entire surface of Kerbin) it turned northwards as it continued to accelerate.

Once the main lifter had burnt out it was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage fired up to provide the final push to orbit.

Once that atmosphere had thinned enough (About 40 km) the fairings were jettisoned and the Solar Panels deployed.

Once it had reached it's target orbit the booster stage was jettisoned to be de-orbited and the scanning instruments activated to scan the surface of Kerbin.

[BejeweledSun0]

What mod gives you those cool launch clamps and launch towers?

[Taki117]

What mod gives you those cool launch clamps and launch towers?

They are from FASA, but if you want just the towers click here

[Taki117]

With the mapping satellite safely orbiting Kerbin Milzon turned his attention towards mapping the Mun. A new rocket had been constructed to fit the mission, and as such it was quite a bit larger than the previous iteration. Once it was complete it was placed on the launch pad and prepared for launch. Milzon initiated the countdown and once it reached zero the launch clamps released and the rocket shot skywards.

Once the Booster engines had burnt out they were jettisoned, however a combination of the decoupler force and atmospheric drag cause the boosters to be destroyed, however, no damage occurred to the rocket and the mission continued as planned.

Once atmospheric pressure had reached vacuum the fairings were jettisoned and the solar panels deployed on the satellite to provide it with enough power to make it's way to the Mun.

Once the Mapsat had established a stable orbit the main lifter was jettisoned and de-orbited to keep space clean for future missions. Then the satellite was put onto the proper heading, and once alignment was correct, sent of towards the mun.

"Sir, we've lost contact with the satellite. It is currently on a collision course with the Mun." one of the technicians at his panel said as he turned to face Milzon. "Any way to recover?" Milzon asked as he watched the large screen at the front of the Mission Control room. The tech simply shook his head. A short time later all telemetry was lost as the satellite smashed into the surface.

[BejeweledSun0]

They are from FASA, but if you want just the towers click here

Thanks. BTW, great thread.

[Taki117]

Thanks. BTW, great thread.

You're welcome, and thank you. All of my fails are actual fails, nothing that occurs outside mission parameters is planned. (Like the overshoting the runway here or the aborted launch here Or my personal favorite, where I repair my telescope Hubble Style and then lose a very critical part during reentry.)

[Taki117]

With the failure of the last mapping mission to the Mun analyzed and poured over Milzon finally had a design he was confident would get him not only to orbit, before which most designs failed for one reason or another, but also to the Mun. The Space Tourists had safely returned, but some waited to go home so that they could watch the launch up close. Once Construction had been completed the lifter was rolled out onto the launch pad and the countdown begun.

Once the countdown was over Milzon ignited the engines and watched as the rocket roared to life and began clawing it's way skyward.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned. "Milzon, we have a problem, one of the boosters is stuck to the rocket!"

Milzon nodded and noted tht it was being held in place by aerodynamic forces and not anything to do with a mechanical failure. "Put it into a gyroscopic spin, let's see if we can shake it free." he said and soon after the rocket was spinning like a bullet, the booster finally flying free.

Once the atmosphere had thinned the fairings were jettisoned with the solar panels and antenna being deployed shortly thereafter.

Once the main engines were cut off the main lifter stage was jettisoned to fall back to Kerbin and burn up in the atmosphere. The Orbital insertion engine was activated in preparation for circularization and Munar Transfer.

Once the satellite had reached the Mun the mapping equipment was deployed and the polar orbit circularized before the Munar Transfer stage was jettisoned and de-orbited.

[Dat_Spacewaffle]

So, just out of curiosity, how much longer till you land on the mun?

[Taki117]

So, just out of curiosity, how much longer till you land on the mun?

What do you mean? I've been to the mun several times already (Specifically Here and Hereand my Kerpollo Mission). And I have a probe en route to Dres, and as soon as I can fix the Kraken attack I will have one going to Eve.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Taki117

[Dat_Spacewaffle]

What do you mean? I've been to the mun several times already (Specifically Here and Hereand my Kerpollo Mission). And I have a probe en route to Dres, and as soon as I can fix the Kraken attack I will have one going to Eve.

Oh, for some reason I forgot about those missions......