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

[Taki117]

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

It happens, I wanted to keep my Mun and Minmus missions to a minimum so that I had to go interstellar. The only reason I did the later ones was because I needed more science and I didn't have any way to generate it other than a mission. (The Telescope I put up Gives science for bodies observed, and the Mapsats give science when the map is done) Once I unlock the next tech node I will be doing a mission to upgrade my telescope and get more science.

[Taki117]

So...

And I want to do something special for all the people that have taken the time to look at my missions without a single stock part. (Not even the Klaw, Still working out how to move an asteroid without it)

Anyway, What would you guys, my readers, want me to do to commemorate the 9000+ views I have?

Edited May 24, 2014 by Taki117

[Dat_Spacewaffle]

SRB Fireworks?

[Taki117]

SRB Fireworks?

By Request!

Also a Mini update.

After a minor course correction the Dres probe is not well on it's way to the planet, where it will land and collect science!

[Motokid600]

By Request!

Also a Mini update.

http://i.imgur.com/OnskT7o.gif

After a minor course correction the Dres probe is not well on it's way to the planet, where it will land and collect science!

That's awesome. How'd you manage that?

[Dat_Spacewaffle]

By Request!

Also a Mini update.

http://i.imgur.com/OnskT7o.gif

After a minor course correction the Dres probe is not well on it's way to the planet, where it will land and collect science!

SRB Fireworks are best fireworks

[Taki117]

That's awesome. How'd you manage that?

With a little help from

But really, it's just a bunch of SRBs on decouplers.

[Taki117]

Once Mapping of Kerbin had been completed the satellite was de-orbited to burn up in the atmosphere. With the Eve window approaching a new rocket was constructed and put on the launch pad.

Once the countdown had reached zero the engines were ignited and the rocket rose into the air.

As the rocket ascened everything seemed to be going according to plan, and once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned.

Once Atmospheric pressure had dropped low enough the fairings were jettisoned and the intersystem communication antenna deployed.

Once it was in a stable orbit the main lifter stage was jettisoned and de-orbited. 3 days later the satellite was well on it's way to Eve.

[Taki117]

(I'm not dead, I promise!)

With the Eve probe well on it's way to it's destination and the science gathered from the mapping of Kerbin it was time to upgrade the Farseer Space Telescope. Space Tourism had been put on hold while the necessary components were being constructed so that Ace Pilots Ferby and Nelgan could perform the mission. While construction was nearing completion they were busy practicing the repair in the giant swimming pool. Soon enough though they were airborne and on their way up to the telescope. (For some reason pictures of the Ascent were lost)

Once the jet engines began to lose thrust Ferby switched over to rocket power and pitched the nose up ever so slightly to assist with their climb to orbit.

Once they had cleared the bulk of the atmosphere (Atmospheric pressure read .001 units) they leveled out and pushed their apoapsis to 76km.

The Transfer to the Space Telescope was uneventful and soon the dynamic Duo was successfully docked to the telescope.

Nelgan Keyed the controls to open both cargo bays and extend the service ladder while Ferby donned his space suit for his EVA.

Ferby then made his way to the Cargo bay and retrieved the container with the replacement parts before grabbing onto the ladder and performing the replacements.

Once he had finished he returned the container to it's rack inside the cargo bay of the Atlantis and returned to the cabin. Nelgan then prepped the spaceplane for return, retracting the EVA ladder, and closing the cargo bays before undocking.

Ferby then took the controls and performed their de-orbit burn, which was far more conservative than the previous crew that had serviced the Telescope.

After the burn was complete they oriented themselves for reentry, and retracted the solar panels once they had become blocked by Kerbin.

They hit the upper atmosphere and began to decelerate, flames beginning to form around the leading edges of the craft.

(I didn't do this, the Camera thought I was still in orbit, despite being at 35km)

With their first reentry complete they edged into the thinner atmosphere, both to relieve the heat load on the underside of the craft, and to extend their glide range so that they could make it back to the Runway. At this point they also crossed over the Terminator.

As they dropped back into the thicker atmosphere the leading edges of the craft once again began to heat up.

They once again puled out of it and rose to the thinner atmosphere as they continued their trip around Kerbin.

Now well within range they dropped into the atmosphere once more, and this time they wouldn't be coming out again. Flames began to once again lick the leading edges, before engulfing the entire craft in fire.

The Flames of Reentry subsided as they continued to descend over the mountains to the west of the Kerbal Space Center, the thicker atmosphere helping to slow them down quickly.

at 30km from the end of the runway they began to pick up the Instrument Landing Beacon and began to follow it in, it was overcast above the Kerbal Space Center, so they had to rely on their instruments as they fell through the clouds.

Soon enough they fell through the bottom of the clouds and for the first time in their flight they could see the Runway.

Final adjustments were made on descent and at 5km from the end of the runway Nelgan lowered the landing gear and prepared for touchdown.

Touchdown was gentle and the drag chute deployed as expected to slow them to a gentle stop. Ferby applied the brakes as they slowed to assist the drag chute in slowing them down before they reached the end of the runway.

Soon they had stopped and Ferby taxied the craft to the hanger where it would be refueled and the heat resistant tiles repaired.

(Interesting note: From the completion of the De-orbit burn to Touchdown Engines were not used.)

[Kreuzung]

This makes me kinda ashamed for my low-quality ejection module model... By the way, which mod do you use for the telescope?

[Taki117]

This makes me kinda ashamed for my low-quality ejection module model... By the way, which mod do you use for the telescope?

Low Quality Ejection Module Model? You mean that thing that has saved more than one Kerbal in this play-through? I don't know what I would do without it. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work, and boy does it.

As for the Telescope, it's the Cacteye EVA Serviceable Telescope with AIES antenna for remote control via RemoteTech. It has some other bits, (Like a KSO docking port, KW Battery packs, and HGR adapter, but the main bulk is Cacteye)

[Kreuzung]

Thanks for the reply, though I already found Cacteye a few hours ago and now I'm playing with it (just accidentally made space for a better processor).

Sure, the think has allowed you to go this far without killing anyone, but I still hope that I can get rid of this model soon...

EVA parachutes will probably be integrated into RealChutes

[Taki117]

(A big thanks to everyone that takes a look at this. It's means a lot to me)

With a Jool Transfer Window only 9 days away Design and construction begin on the next rocket. It's only purpose would be to confirm that the spots on the Farseer pictures are not just dust on the lens, as many Kerbal Scientist claim them to be. Soon construction was completed and the Joolian Atmosphere Diver was sitting on the launch pad.

Milzon stared the Countdown and when he reached zero he ignited the engines and watched and the rocket ascended skywards.

Almost as soon as it had cleared the tower it began to pitch over, performing a pre-programmed gravity turn.

Once the boosters had been exhausted they were jettisoned as the main lifter continued on it's journey to space.

Once clear of the atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned to fall back to Kerbin while the rest of the rocket continued to circularization. At this point the Radiators and Magnetometer were deployed to provide cooling and accurate information on Jools Magnetic field.

Once the Main lifter had burnt out the Transfer stage was ignited to finish the circularization burn. The Lifter would fall back to Kerbin and smash into the ocean.

Once the remaining time had passed the probe fired up the transfer stage once more to shoot itself out to Jool, saying goodbye to Kerbin one last time.

[Taki117]

So, the time has finally come. The first of the interplanetary missions reaches it's conclusion. The Eve explorer Probe crosses into the realm of Eve. The purple planet begins to grow and a final course correction is made.

Once it had hit the upper atmosphere the radiators were retracted and the transfer stage jettisoned to burn up in the atmosphere.

(I was disappointed at the lack of reentry flames) The probe made it's second and final pass through the atmosphere, taking the appropriate readings as it plunged through the depths. Because of the position of Eve and Kerbin the upper atmosphere data would have to be transmitted after landing.

The chutes deployed successfully and once they had fully deployed the heat shield was dropped and the landing engines activated.

As it made it's final descent the landing legs were deployed and just before final touchdown the braking engines were fired to slow the craft to a half a meter per second before touchdown.

They had done it. The Kerbals had successfully landed, for the first time, on another planetary body. The probe then began transmitting data once the connection had been reestablished.

[jedensuscg]

All your rules sound awesome and a few I might implement into my career I am logging (currently have TAC, FAR and thinking of getting Deadly Reentry). However, I don't get the reasoning behind the no storage of fuel on manned stations. Is this a safety precaution? Does this mean you can have unmanned refuel stations in orbit of Kerbin/Other planets? Or is this just a method of adding difficulty (having to bring all the fuel you need with you from launch)

[Taki117]

All your rules sound awesome and a few I might implement into my career I am logging (currently have TAC, FAR and thinking of getting Deadly Reentry). However, I don't get the reasoning behind the no storage of fuel on manned stations. Is this a safety precaution? Does this mean you can have unmanned refuel stations in orbit of Kerbin/Other planets? Or is this just a method of adding difficulty (having to bring all the fuel you need with you from launch)

It's a safety precaution. Kerbal lives are precious. (I haven't lost one yet) so I don't need multiple tons of fuel exploding on a manned station resulting in the death of the crew. (Not going to happen with the mods I have, but I like the RP aspect) I can however have massive fuel stations floating around (and might if I ever send a Kerbaled mission to Jool) Because then all that's lost is equipment, which can be replaced. The only reason that the Emergency Escape Pods are docked is because they can be remotely controlled, so in the event of an emergency they are undocked and RCS is used to move them a safe distance away from the station.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

With the advances in technology it was time for a new labratory module to be sent up to the Hotel California. It would be capable of performing long term experiments that would generate science for Kerbal engineers on the ground. After it was built it was rolled onto the launch pad and readied for launch.

Because it was going to the space station the launch was delayed until the station was in the correct point in its orbit so that the module would end up not too terribly far from a rendezvous. Once the countdown had finished the engines were ignited and the module climbed skywards.

Once it had cleared the thicker atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned and the solar panels on the tug deployed to provide power. In between this the main lifter stage was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage ignited to provide the final push to orbit and rendezvous.

Once it had arrived at the station the tug attached itself to the old lab module that would be deorbited with the tug, then flipped itself around and docked the new lab module to the station in place of the old lab module.

The tug was then deorbited to preclude any debris from hitting the station.

[Taki117]

With the Kerbals on the Hotel California hard at work it was determined that the science lab needed more power to successfully run its experiments. While the was no effect on the rest of the station operations some of the lab experiments weren't progressing as expected. Milzon and the design team sat down and designed a small power plant delivery system consisting of two of the smallest nuclear reactors and generators. Soon it was set on the pad and ready for launch.

Milzon counted down to launch as the station came overhead. Once it had lined up appropriately Milzon ignited the engines and released the launch clamps. Freed from its earthly bonds the rocket rose skywards.

Once the rocket had reached sufficient altitude it pitched over to begin its gravity turn.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned, however, do to aerodynamic forces they did not properly separate, but damage was minimal.

THe rocket continued skywards, inching ever closer to space.

Once the main lifter stage was exhausted it, along with the fairings while the Orbital insertion and rendezvous stage was ignighted to push the power plants towards the station. Shorty after clearing the atmosphere the heat radiators were deployed.

Once the power supply moduesl had arrived at the station the main lifter stage was jettisoned to be deorbited and the first power module was aligned to the docking port between the solar arrays.

Once the first power plant was installed the delivery system moved around to the other end of the station to install the second. Installation went smoothly and the delivery probe was undocked and de-orbited.

[Taki117]

With the advent of better reactors and microwave technology (Some Kerbal scientist decided that it would be a good idea to keep a Snack in his pocket) it was decided that super efficient spacecraft could be designed and built without heavy reactors and generators. This would significantly reduce weight and make long voyages more economical. However, there wasn't a sufficient infrastructure to make this feasible. So the design crew got to work designing, and building, arguably the largest rocket to date. Four such rockets would be built and launched (Images may be from different launches)

Milzon counted down as the flight crew double and triple checked the on-board reactor. If things went wrong there was no way to shut down the reactor, and if it got far enough down range, or failed to make orbit, radioactive debris could rain down on innocent civilians, or be spread around the entire globe. Knowing the risks Milzon hit the button and watched as the rocket climbed skywards.

Simulations had shown that if booster separation didn't go as plan aerodynamic failure would result. Milzon held his breath as the fuel in the boosters was exhausted and they were separated.

The boosters separated without incident and the rocket continued to climb.

Once the main lifter had burnt out the fairings were jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage ignited to push the reactor beyond Kerbo-stationary orbit. Once it had cleared the atmosphere the radiators were deployed to provide cooling.

Once it had reached the target altitude both the Transmitter and Relay were activated to provide power to any ship with a receiver.

[Taki117]

With the advent of beamed power, and the Munar Mapping satellite stuck in a Polar Munar orbit, Milzon decided to send a single relay sat out towards the Mun using the new microwave relays. A very basic relay sat was designed and built. It would use conventional rockets to get into space, then use a Magnetoplasmadynamic engine to push itself to the Mun. A short time later the newest construction was sitting on the launch pad.

Milzon counted down and smiled as he hit the button and watched the rocket climb skywards.

Once it had cleared the thickest part of the atmosphere and the main engines shut down the fairings were jettisoned, the receivers activated, and the radiators deployed.

The main engine was fired up again to begin the circularization burn and to give the Magneto Drive enough time to circularize in the event that the Thrust to weight ratio wasn't high enough. Once it had burnt out it was jettisoned and the Magneto Drive activated.

Soon it was off to the Mun, and once it was close enough to establish a link the Munar Mapsat was deorbited and the Relay left to crash into the Mun.

[Taki117]

With the disposal of both the Microwave satellite and Munar Mapping sat complete attention turned to the Dres probe and it's landing attempt. Because it was far away from the sun (And in a really bad position) a very small burn was required to both lower periapsis and generate enough electricity to maintain communication.

Once it got closer to the surface the engine was fired up and the orbit circularized in preparation for landing. At this point everything was going to plan, with the Sun generating enough electricity to maintain comms, but not much else.

Once the de-orbit burn was complete the transfer stage was jettisoned and the probe prepared for landing.

Due to the length of the burn and the proposed landing site the probe would be landing on the dark side. All non-essential equipment was shut down to conserve battery power.

It touched down gently and awaited sunrise to transmit the scientific data it obtained.

[Taki117]

With only a couple more nodes on the tech tree to unlock it was decided that one more visit to the Mun would be in order. This would give the Kerbal scientists the necessary information to research the last bit of technology before moving on to far more advanced technology. Milzon and team sat down and designed one of the largest Mun rockets they had ever launched. Soon it was completed and set on the launch pad.

Milzon was the first across the gangawy, followed by Burburry and Macdun. Once they had boarded and were sealed in the gangway was retracted.

Milzon smiled as the countdown neared it's conclusion. It had been a while since he had been to space and he was beginning to miss it. With all the probe launches he was getting bored. Smiling manically he pushed the throttle to it's limits as the launch clamps released, causing the rocket to shoot into the air. Once it had cleared the tower Milzon initiated the pitch and roll program.

Once the first stage had burnt out it was separated and the ship entered into a short coast phase before its second stage was ignited to push them higher in the atmosphere and set the crew up for orbital insertion.

At SECO the lauch escape system was jettisoned since it would no longer be needed shortly thereafter the second stage was jettisoned in preparation for orbital insertion.

Once the ship had cleared the atmosphere the third stage was ignited to push them into a stable orbit. Once the Mun was in the proper alignment it was fired up once more to push them towards the Mun.

Once it had crossed into the Sphere of Influence of the Mun the fairings around the lander were jettisoned and the Command Service Module docked to the lander. Once that was complete the Trans Munar Stage was jettisoned to crash into the Mun while the Command Service Module engines were used to put it into a stable orbit while Milzon and Burburry made their way into the lander.

Once the crew were ready the lander undocked and performed its deorbit burn to put it on target in a decently flat spot on the Mun.

Once the burn was complete the landing legs were lowered and the lander oriented for proper landing.

Once it had landed safely Milzon lowered the ladder and then exited the lander to climb down and step foot on the Mun.

Once he had gatherd a few surface samples he returned to the lander and lifted off to rejoin the Command Service Module, unfortunately it ran out of fuel and had to circularize with RCS.

Once it was close enough Milzon docked the Lander to the Service Module and they then performed a burn that would return them to Kerbin.

Once it was within the atmosphere Milzon undocked the lander and jettisoned the Service Module before reorienting the capsule for reentry.

Once the capsule was below 3km the parachutes deployed and slowed the capsule for a safe landing.

[Taki117]

(While this mission occurred later chronologically than my Duna mission I have decided to write it up first for brevity)

After a very long time in sleep mode it was finally time to activate the Jool Atmospheric Probe that would plunge deep into the heart of the Green Giant. This particular probe had been circling the Sun for almost two years, and after such a long wait much of the technology used on the probe was out dated, but it would still return some very viable results. Soon its target was insight as it made a small course correction.

Once it had hit the upper atmosphere the probe jettisoned it's transfer stage to be consumed by the giant. This also exposed the heatshield that would protect it during it's excessive reentry.

Almost immediately the compressed air in front of the heat shield began to glow, the probe immediately started transmitting data back to Mission Control from the experiments it could repeat later on.

The probes descent continues as it continuously transmits scientific data back to Kerbin.

Once it had slowed down enough the flames of reentry finally abated and shortly thereafter the probe deployed it's parachutes. Now it would use the single use experiments that it had been saving.

Once the chutes had fully deployed the heat shield was jettisoned to fall away and be consumed by the Green Giant Jool, followed shortly by the probe itself! Fortunately the last bit of data from the probe made it through.

[Taki117]

With the excitement of his recent Munar Mission Milzon decided it was time to take things to the next level. He was determined to be the first Kerbal to set foot on another planet. Naturally he chose the closet one, Duna. Mostly because it was the easiest to get to, but also because it had an atmosphere for aero-braking. This meant he could save some delta-V on slowing down once he got to the planet.

Milzon, however, didn't like travelling alone, so he conscripted the entire rest of the Kerbonauts to come with him. There would be seven of them, and all of them had experience with space flight. Milzon got togeather with the design team to design a rocket for just such a task, one that could support an interplanetary trip. It took nearly two weeks to build, but once it was ready it was placed onto the launch pad.

Milzon was the first across the gangway, trying desperately to hold in his excitement. Soon the others followed him, Burburry, Roddan, Macdun, Rofen, Philfort, and Eddas all piled into the command pod. Once they were all secured the gangway was retracted to provide a clear path for the rockets ascent.

Mission Control counted down as Milzon moved the throttle lever to it's full position and activated the gyroscopic stabilization system, which was affectionately known as the Sickness Avoidance Scheme. Once the Countdown reached zero Milzon ignited the main engines and released the launch clamps. The crew of 7 was pushed back into their seats as the ship rose into the sky.

Once they were clear of the tower and far enough down range Milzon executed their pitch and roll program to put them on a proper heading for orbit, as well as facilitate booster separation. The rocket continued to climb throughout the procedure.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were separated from the main lifter. Milzon and crew smiled as they rocketed skywards into orbit.

Once they had cleared the atmosphere the protective fairing around the lander and living quarters was jettisoned to reduce the amount of weight that they would be carrying to their destination.

The Solar panels were also deployed to provide adequate power to the recyclers which would be activated once the solar panels had fully deployed.

Once the main lifter had burnt out It was jettisoned and the transfer stage used to finish circularizing the orbit. Macdun and Rofen moved into the Greenhouse which would provide them with food, water, and oxygen for the duration of their trip and started up the various recyclers that would be used to accomplish this task. From here final system checks would be completed while the crew waited in orbit for a day for proper planetary alignment.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

WE last left our heroes in orbit around Kerbin, performing the final system checks on the Recyclers and other systems needed for interplanetary travel. Milzon awoke to his alarm and smiled as he floated his way towards the cockpit. Once there he strapped himself in and turned on the intercom. "Alright, everybody strap yourselves in and prepare for engine ignition." he said before turning to Burburry. "Alrght, let's light this candle!" he said and smiled as he watched the indications as Burburry fired up the engine. He also activated the return stage, routing fuel from the transfer stage to the return tank to keep it full.

Once the burn was complete Burburry cut the engines and leaned back in his seat as he keyed the intercom. "You are now free to move about the cabin." he said before passing a smile to Milzon who gave an approving nod before unbuckling and drifting back to the greenhouse.

After about a day in space it was time to wave goodbye to Kerbin as it continued to shrink into the distance. After a very long time in space it was time for a correction burn. Burburry made all the necessary adjustments and gave the engine a short burst to correct their approach to the planet. They would have to make one more correction as they got closer to prepare for aerobraking.

Soon, after a very long time in space the crew were finally able to see Duna, with Jool and the Jool Diver probe in the far distance. Burburry readied the final course correction prior to aerobraking and gave the engine a shot puff to put them on the proper trajectory with the correct periapsis for aerobraking.

As they neared the planet Roddan retracted the soar panels while Milzon inflated the heat shield. Then it was time for everyone to hang on while they barreled through the atmosphere.

Once they had cleared the atmosphere the process was reversed and the orbit circularized at an altitude of 100km using all but the last small bit of fuel in the transfer stage.