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

[Taki117]

With the Kerbal crew in a Stable orbit a series of problems arise. The first is that the entire ship was built inline, meaning that in order for the lander to land the transfer stage (And it's remaining fuel) must be jettisoned. The second is that there is no decoupler between the Heat Shield on the lander and the fairing base meaning that in order to land the heat shield would have to be jettisoned early. Despite these issues Milzon, Burburry, and Roddan made their way into the lander. Philfort oriented the craft to allow a clean separation of the lander, which was then undocked.

Milzon fired up the transfer engine, burning a very small amount of fuel to put them on a sub-orbital trajectory. Once they had hit the atmosphere Burburry retracted the solar panels while Roddan jettisoned the heat shield and transfer stage.

Shortly thereafter the parachutes deployed in a reefed condition to assist in slowing down the lander. Once they had passed into the thicker part of the atmosphere Milzon lowered the landing legs in preparation for touchdown. The engine shroud was kept closed to provide some measure of protection to the ascent engine during their descent.

The lander touchdown safely and immediately Burburry deployed the solar panels to provide them with power while Milzon made preparations to step out onto the surface. Milzon then lowered the ladder and climbed out onto the surface. Soon he was joined by Burburry and Roddan for a group photo.

Once they had finished taking samples and doing science the trio boarded the lander and waited until the mother ship was at the proper angle and then Burburry ignited the engine and retracted the solar panels and landing legs for ascent.

Once they were clear of the atmosphere Roddan extended the solar panels as they continued their ascent. Soon enough they had docked with the mothership.

Once all the science had been transferred to the command capsule it was decided that they would also try to land on Ike, and so Philfort ignited the engines that were originally designed to return the craft to Kerbin.

[Orionkermin]

It's a good thing Duna doesn't have much atmosphere.

Also, I was wondering if you were planning to continue this after .24 is released, or are you planning to start over again?

[Taki117]

It's a good thing Duna doesn't have much atmosphere.

Also, I was wondering if you were planning to continue this after .24 is released, or are you planning to start over again?

I will continue this after .24 is released, however this will not be going into .24. I only have 3 more tech nodes to unlock before I have finally completed the entire tree. (I need 500 more science for my next one, and then I have 2 more after that) Depending on how much TWR I can get out of the MagnetoPlasmaDynamic Drive (Featured here) I will be doing a Jool Grand tour here in the next few missions (I have this one to finish writing up, and then my Manned Dres Mission which I need to Upload to Imgur)

[MisterFister]

Bear in mind that any command pod or capsule that lands on another body generates boatloads of science if you manage to land and recover it upon return to Kerbin (independent of the science experiments it may contain -- this means that it would be a good idea to design landers with decouplers, allowing you to jettison the ascent stages / landing gear / whatnot and just land / splashdown with the lander cab and perhaps your command capsule docked and have it as light as possible.)

[Taki117]

Bear in mind that any command pod or capsule that lands on another body generates boatloads of science if you manage to land and recover it upon return to Kerbin (independent of the science experiments it may contain -- this means that it would be a good idea to design landers with decouplers, allowing you to jettison the ascent stages / landing gear / whatnot and just land / splashdown with the lander cab and perhaps your command capsule docked and have it as light as possible.)

I'm aware of this, and the main reason it didn't get done is I ran into an issue trying to repack the Realchutes attached to my lander, and I didn't even think about it on my Dres Mission (Which was a total Reuse of previous designs)

[Taki117]

Tensions are high as the crew prepare for their final landing with fuel dangerously low. Milzon, Burburry and Philford make their way into the lander and undock, performing a de-orbit burn to send them towards the surface.

Once they were close to the surface Philford lowered the landing legs as Burburry began their braking burn to prevent them from becoming small green smears on some forgotten world. Burburry adjusted the throttle and gave them a nice touchdown.

Milzon was the first out with Burburry and Philford right behind. Once they were done on the surface they returned to the mother ship, which headed back to Duna to await the transfer window.

Once the Mother Ship had entered the atmosphere the lander engine and service module were jettisoned to reduce weight for the return trip. All the remaining fuel had been pumped into the return stage, but fuel was still dangerously low.

"What if we used the escape engines for the return burn?" Roddan asked as they discussed options. Macdun ran the numbers and smiled. "It would be just enough to get us there, and we might have enough to land." he said smiling. Soon it was time to test his theory. Burburry fired up both sets of engines, and soon the main transfer set had burned out.

Once they had reached Kerbin Milzon retracted the solar panels and inflated the heat shield for aerobraking.

After the first pass (Which was uneventful) the lifesupport and living section was jettisoned followed by the heat shield. The capsule was then reoriented for final reentry.

Once the pod hit the atmosphere it began to superheat the air around it., the heat shield turning a bright red.

Once they had passed through the thicker atmosphere Burburry fired up the landing engines and brought them to a soft landing in the ocean where the pod was recovered, leading to new and exciting scientific discoveries.

[kiwiak]

Where are these solar panels used on duna lander from?

[Taki117]

Where are these solar panels used on duna lander from?

I'f I'm not mistaken they are from the Near Future Parts Pack (So glad it got modularized!)

[Taki117]

With the crew of the Duna Express safely home the scientists at the Kerbal Space center had unlocked the secrets of a long theorized substance known as antimatter. Immediately they began work on a way to harvest this new and more powerful substance for later use. Soon they had devised a collection facility and built a rocket to launch it.

They counted down and then hit the launch button, watching as their rocket rose slowly into the air.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned, however, due to a design error they did not separate properly. Fortunately there was no damage to the rocket as it continued its ascent.

Once clear of the atmosphere the Fairings were jettisoned and the radiators deployed, this would allow the reactors and generators to operate at peak efficiency.

Once the main lifter had burnt out it was jettisoned to fall back to Kerbin and the orbital insertion stage fired up to push the antimatter collector assembly into a 400km orbit where it would get a large amount of antimatter, but still be accessible by reusable space plane.

[Taki117]

After the Antimatter collector was confirmed working correctly Milzon and crew clamored into a new rocket that had been put on the pad. It was based off of the Successful Duna Design, with a lander that was much smaller and specifically designed for Dres. Milzon was the first across the gangway, followed by everyone else.

Once they were across the hatch was shut and the gangway retracted as mission control started the final countdown. Everyone in the pod was very excited.

Once the countdown reached zero Burburry ignited the engines and released the launch clamps, the rocket rising slowly into the air. Philford initiated the pitch and roll program once they had cleared the tower that would put them on the proper heading and facilitate a clean booster separation.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned and the rest of the rocket continued on it's journey.

Once the main lifter had burnt out it was jettisoned to fall back to Kerbin while the interplanetary transfer stage was ignited to push them out to Dres.

Several days later they approached the grey rock, Milzon and Burburry made their way into the lander After the Circularization burn they undocked and headed for the surface.

Once the de-orbit burn had been completed the transfer stage was jettisoned to smash into the surface while the lander would perform its landing.

When the Trio had begun their final descent Burburry fired up the engine and Milzon lowered the landing legs. Philford had picked a nice flat spot to land on, making Burburry's job easier. They touched down without an issue.

Milzon was the first out, with Burburry shortly behind. They planted the flag, and took some samples, before making their way back into the lander. "Dres is a sad and lonely space potato" Milzon remarked once they were safely inside.

Once the mothership was in the correct location Burburry throttled the engine and lifted off the surface. Milzon then folded away the landing legs and prepared for docking.

Once docked they waited in orbit until it was time to depart. Then they fired up their engines (Including the ones on the command pod to provide more delta-V) and made their way back to Kerbin.

Once they were close enough to Kerbin the ship was readied for Reentry. Once the hit the ticker atmosphere flames began to lick at the edges of the heat shield, becoming a full inferno by the time they hit the upper atmosphere.

Unfortunately the aerobreaking altitude was miscalculated, causing the entire ship to deorbit in a single pass. Instead of being jettisoned in space the ship had to be jettisoned immediately to prevent crew loss.

At this point it was too late to activate the landing engines, so the emergency landing system was deployed and the crew touched down safely.

[Taki117]

With the scientific advances of the Dres Mission the Kerbal scientists unlocked the secrets of Fusion power. With this new-found technology they could send smaller ships to the most distant of planets. Immediately they got to work on a fully reusable design, one that would catapult them to the stars! Soon it had been completed and set on the launch pad. This is a momentous occasion as the target for this ship is the far distant Eeloo. The crew boarded the command pod, which would serve as their lander and return vehicle. The drive section of the ship would remain in space to be reused. When everyone was stapped in the service crew retracted the gangway and began the countdown.

"Mission Control, this is Milzon, we are all strapped in and ready for launch." crackled Milzons voice over his headset. Most of the kerbals were nervous, they had never been on anything nuclear powered before. Sure the Duna and Dres Missions used a nuclear engine, but they weren't powered by nuclear reactors. "Good luck and Jool Speed." came the reply from mission control as the rocket, now free from it's Kerbly bonds clawed its way into the air.

With a jolt the boosters burnt out, momentarily halting their acceleration. The Construction crew had failed to follow the plans exactly and as such had forgotten to put seprotrons on the boosters, causing some concern as they fell away from the rocket. Burburry fired up the main engine to get the ship clear of the boosters before aerodynamic forces caused them to impact the rocket. Fortunately there was no damage as the boosters fell harmlessly away.

Macdun heaved a sigh of relief as the crew passed through the thickest atmosphere. With the reactors providing power they were beginning to overheat, so the ventral and dorsal radiators had to be deployed so that the reactors could continue to operate.

At this point they were on course for their desired apoapsis. The Main lifter didn't have enough fuel to support orbital insertion so it was discarded and the orbital insertion stage ignited to push them into a circular orbit. Things were going well so far. Once orbit had been achieved the orbital insertion stage was jettisoned to be deorbited by the onboard computer while final system checks were made in preparation for planetary transfer.

A voice crackled over Burburrys headset. "Mission Control to Burburry, Telemetry looks good, you are go for burn." it said. Burburry smiled and roused the crew, telling them to strap in and hold on. Smiling like a madman he shoved the throttle to its stops as the engines roared to life, first as a quiet whisper, then a full fledged inferno that shot the ship further than any other ship had been before.

Nearly a year later, after many games of "Are we there yet", Eeloo finally came into view. Burburry spun the ship around and started up the main reactor. After Philford finished planning the burn and checking his numbers Burburry pushed the throttle forwards, the ship slowing into a circular orbit.

With the main drive section in a stable orbit it was time for the command lander to make it's descent to the surface. After all of the reactors had been shut down Macdun undocked from the drive section and moved the pod out of the way before performing the deorbit burn that would put them over Rofens target landing zone.

When they had crossed into the dayside of Eeloo Rofen deployed the solar panels while Burburry performed the braking burn to slow them to a safe velocity. After they had touched down the ladder was lowered and the hatch opened to allow everyone to have a walk on the surface, their first taste of gravity since they had departed.

Because of the short jaunt on the surface it didn't take long for the main drive section to come around into the proper position. Burburry fired up the engines and put them on the proper course before Rofen took over and docked them to the drive section.

After they had docked it was time for the crew to return to Kerbin. It would be another long journey, but they were ready for it. Macdun started up the reactors and Milzon plotted the course. Burburry fired up the engines at the appropriate time and the ship shot off into the inky blackness once more.

Nearly another year past before Kerbin was once again in view. As they passed the point of no return Rofen retracted the radiators and Milzon deployed the inflatable heat shield. Beyond this point they couldn't make any course corrections. The ship slammed into the upper atmosphere as the crew was rocked from the rapid deceleration.

Once clear of the atmosphere Burburry raised the periapsis and the circularized the orbit at 100km to ease the docking procedure of the next mission that would be performed using this drive section. Milzon shut down the reactors before Macdun undocked the command lander and performed the deorbit burn that would bring them home.

As they entered the upper atmosphere the heat shield was jettisoned to save weight, it would be the only part of the craft that wouldn't be reused. Shortly after that flames engulfed the pod as it continued its descent.

Milzon had been crunching numbers during the descent and determined that they had enough fuel left to perform a powered landing. Tapping Burburry on the shoulder Milzon showed him his calculations. With a nod Burburry smiled and waited for the exact moment he needed to fire up the engines for a safe landing.

[Taki117]

With the return of the Eeloo Express Kerbal scientists are at the verge of yet another breakthrough. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough science at Eeloo to give them the data they needed. Minmus, on the other hand, had one region that still hadn't been explored, and with recent advances in scientific technology it had been all but forgotten. Now it was time to go back. An aging spacecraft was pulled out of mothballs and readied for launch. It had been sitting abandoned in a corner since there really wasn't any use for it in the age of re-usability. Soon it was ready and before the airing was put in place and it rolled out onto the launch pad the crew boarded the pod.

Ferby and Nelgan eagerly awaited the countdown, and nearly blew out all the ear drums of mission control when the rocket finally ignited its main engine and released the launch clamps. It clawed its way into the air, fighting for every inch.

A jolt rocked the ship as the first stage burnt out and the second stage was lit off. "Alright guys, Stand-by, we are switching from Abort Mode Once Charlie to Mode Two, stand-by for LES and Fairing Separation." came Mission control over the comm. "Standing-by. LES jettison confirmed, now in Abort mode Two. All systems Green." Ferby replied, the shaking of the rocket and his owns nerves making him hard to understand. When the fairings were clear the solar panels were deployed to provide power to the lander.

Nelgan keyed the comm as he watched the second stage fuel indicator. "Stand-by for stage separation in three, two, one." another jolt rocked the ship as the second stage engine burnt out and was jettisoned and the third stage ignited to put the crew into a stable orbit while they made final checks to proceed to Minmus.

"Rise and shine! It's time to head to Minmus!" came a voice over the crews headset. Nelgan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the instrument panel. He nodded at the burn calculation displayed he nudged Ferby and Philford awake as he prepared for their transfer burn. "Initiating burn in three, two, one!" Ferby said before shoving the thtottle to its stops and holding on as the ship accelerated.

Two days later Minmus finally came into view. The crew were awake as they fell slowly towards the moon, readying for the orbital insertion burn. Since Minmus has such low gravity Ferby calculated that they had enough delta-V to be able to use the transfer stage as a de-orbit engine. Once they were in a stable orbit Philford began going over the landing data as Ferby and Nelgan made final adjustments and calculations. After everything was in place they performed their de-orbit burn, using the last of the fuel in the transfer stage and jettisoning it.

As they continued to fall Philford lowered the landing legs and activated the landing and return engine. Ferby fired it up and gave them a soft landing in a previously unexplored region of Minmus.

Once their scientific survey was complete Ferby fired up the return engine and retracted the landing gear. Since the crew hadn't spent a large amount of time on the surface it would be a direct return burn, without going into orbit first. Ferby continued the burn until their projected periapsis was well within the atmosphere.

Another two days passed as the ship neared the atmosphere. Once it was clear that they didn't need to make any more adjustments they jettisoned the service module and strapped in for reentry. Once they had hit the thick atmosphere the compressed air began to heat and ablate the heatshield. When the capsule hit an altitude of 3km the parachutes deployed to slow the craft to a sedate speed before fully deploying for landing. At this point the heat shield was jettisoned as well.

[Taki117]

With the return of the Minmus crew it was decided that it was time to collect what antimatter had been harvested from the stars. First the Anti-matter containment truck would be placed next to the hanger to receive the anti-matter and keep it stored until it was needed, where it would be driven to the appropriate location.

The Endeavor, with a few modifications and a very specialized payload, was rolled onto the runway. Ferby and Nelgan made a few last minute checks on the reactor. The engines were fired up and the brakes released, causing the ship to roll down the runway.

"Here we go, Nominal Takeoff speed. Nothings happening." Ferby said as he pulled back on the stick. "Give it a little more" Nelgan replied as he checked their speed again. "That extra weight in the cargo bay is what's holding us down. Try it now." he continued before leaning back in his seat. Ferby once again pulled back on the stick, this time the nose rising into the air. Once they were clear of the runway Nelgan Retracted the Landing gear.

"Alright, here we go! Prepare for switch over." Ferby said as the air began to superheat around the aircraft. Nelgan hit the button to close all the intakes, shut down the jet engines, and ignited the rocket engines. Ferby pitched the plane up to compensate for the reduced thrust as they rose ever higher.

Once they were safely in space and approaching their target Ferby deployed the heat radiators to provide cooling to the reactor. Nelgan took over flight control as they moved closer to the antimatter farm. "Stand by for docking, five meters." Nelgan called out before the docking magnets took over and pulled them into dock.

After a few minutes Nelgan smiled. "Anti-matter transfer complete, we got a full tank. Preparing to undock. Aaaannnnd we're clear." Nelgan uttered as he began to close the docking port while Ferby reactivated the engines. With the deorbit burn complete all that was left was to hang on for the ride. They slammed into the upper atmosphere and almost immediately the flames of reentry began to lick at the ship.

"We've just lost the radiators!" Ferby yelled out as an explosion rocked the vessel. "Confirmed, waste heat is building." Nelgan replied as he frantically checked the console. "We should be able to make it down, but if we don't land soon there won't be any of us left, and bailing out won't help." he continued as they descended further into the atmosphere.

The Endeavor touched down without issue and the truck rolled over to begin immediately transferring the anti-matter to a more secure container. With the transfer complete the rover was parked next to the space plane hanger for further use while the Endeavor was recovered for a repair and refit.

[MarvinKitFox]

Oh dear...Umm...Here we go!

B9, AIES, NovaPunch, RemoteTech2, LLL Lite, FAR, DRE, TAC-LS, FASA, KSP Interstellar, Scansat, Home Grown Rocket Parts, Editor Extensions, Procedural Fairings, ALCOR Pod, Near Future Propulsion (For the Solar Panels), KOSMOS (Fuel line and solar panels only!), Fustek station expansion, MechJeb, Clouds & City Lights, Active Texture Management (Experimental aggressive), Procedural Fairings Re-texture, Enhanced Navball, Navyfish's Docking Port Alignment Indicator, RPM (With MFDs), Chatter, Crew Manifest, TAC Fuel Balancer, Deep Space Mission Pack, KER, Fscience Science Transfer, Kerbal Attachment System, Kerbal Construction Time, Kerbal Joint reinforcement, Apllo-like Command Module, Wolf Aerospace LES pack, Kethane, Space Shuttle Main engines, Infernal Robotics, Final Frontier, Realchute, RCS Build Aid, RCS Sounds, PandaJager Labs, EVA Chutes, Tweakable Everything, Tweakable Wheels, MEchjeb and Remote Tech for All, Scansat for all, Remote Tech for LL and AIES, AIES Tech Tree, Hotrockets, Action Group Manager, S2 Crew Tank IVA, B9 .23 update (with Alternate SABREs), Wayland Corp Rover Wheels (And body), Stack Inline Lights and Dockbrite Docking ports, Achievements, Crowed Sourced Science Defs, 6s service compartment system and expansion.

I think that's all of them, I probably missed one or two, and you don't even need all of them (You could probably get away with just B9, AIES, and NovaPunch) but I like them. I was seriously tempted to try RSS and KIDS, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

wow... are you running your KSP on a Cray supercomputer?

just

.

.

.

wow!

[Taki117]

wow... are you running your KSP on a Cray supercomputer?

just

.

.

.

wow!

Nope. I'm running a Samsung Chronos series 7 laptop with a 2.3GHz i7 processor and 8GB of ram. Also, this entire series is done in .23.5 so it's 32 bit. There's a lot of parts that I completely got rid of. (FASA for one) like all the Tanks from all the mods that add them because I got procedural parts (Which is not on the list) and I deleted some as I didn't need them anymore (Like the 6s service compartments) I also got rid of lots of parts from LLL and Near Future, The key though is Active Texture Reduction with Texture Reduction Packs where available. I also deleted all of the stock parts (And textures) unless a mod had a dependancy on them (Like Interstellar and the RT-10 textures)

[MisterFister]

What are Fscience Transfer and KIDS about?

[Taki117]

What are Fscience Transfer and KIDS about?

FScience is a method of transferring science while not on EVA, basically takes the tedium out of collecting science. KIDS is Kerbal Isp Difficulty Scaler which changes the Isp of your engines to make the game harder/more realistic.

[Taki117]

With a Moho window fast approaching it was time for the crew to board the command pod that had been place don top of a rocket just powerful enough to get them into orbit to meet up with the drive section of the Eeloo Express ship. Milzon was the first across, followed by the rest of the crew. Once they were all aboard and strapped in the gangway was retracted.

Burburry hit the launch button while Rofen hit the play button on his kPod and began singing along. "They say the Joker is a wanted man. He makes his way all across the land. See him sifting through the sand. So I'll tell you all the story of the Joker and the Thief and the Night." he sang as the rocket shot skywards.

"Will you stop that!" Macdun yelled as the ship silenced for a moment before main lifter was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage ignited to put them in an orbit close to the drive section. Once they were close enough the orbital insertion stage was jettisoned and de-orbited while the command pod docked with the drive section.

Rofen suited up and slipped out of the airlock to affix the struts that would hold them in place during acceleration. He had to work quickly as the maneuver was fast approaching. He also activated the fission reactors to provide initial startup power to the fusion reactor.

Making his way to the hatch in the living area he slid comfortably into one of the two jump seats. he keyed his headset as he removed his helmet. "Rofen to Burburry, I'm secure, ready for burn." he said. "Roger that, stand by for burn." came the reply, followed by the gentle push of acceleration as Burburry activated the engines and shoved the throttle to full. Soon they were well on their way to Moho.

After a period of only a few months Moho came into view and Macdun prepared the ship for the breaking burn that would put them into a low, circular orbit. "Here we go, braking on my mark. Three...two...one...Mark" he said before shoving the throttles to their stops and watching as their orbital velocity began to slow.

"All crew members report to the command pod." came the announcement over the intercom. After a few minutes Milzon undocked the command pod and with a few puffs of the Reacton Control System moved it away from the drive section. "Stand by for deorbit burn." he said as he activated the landers engines and then shoved the throttle to full.

After the Deorbit burn was complete Burburry took over piloting and performed their braking burn and set them down gently on the surface. "Alright, everybody out!" he yelled after he had deployed the ladder and opened the hatch.

When the crew had finished taking samples and seeing who could slide across the surface the furthest (Philford won) they all piled back into the command pod and burburry lifted them off the surface once the drive section was in the proper location to permit a liftoff to rendezvous, where the command pod was successfully docked.

It was only a matter of weeks before the transfer from Moho to Kerbin opened up. "Hold onto your hats!" Burburry said as he activated the fusion reactor and the engines, shoving the throttle to full. The ship slowly accelerated and soon the crew were headed home.

Another month or so in space and the blue ball of Kerbin was visible. Milzon retracted the radiators and inflated the heat shield in preparation for reentry. "Alright everybody, strap in and hold on!" Milzon said as they slammed into the upper atmosphere.

Once they were clear of the atmosphere on the other side Burburry spun the ship around as Milzon deflated the heat shield. Burburry performed a burn that put them into a stable orbit. After they had circularized the crew moved into the command pod. "You guys ready to return home?" Milzon asked as he undocked the command pod and performed a de-orbit burn.

"Hold on tight!" Burburry screamed as they hit the upper atmosphere. This time the reentry was much more violent than before. The inflatable heat shield was jettisoned to reduce reentry weight and the command pod was in freefall. Soon flames began to form on the outside of the pod.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the capsule. "We've lost one of our engines! Activating emergency backup system." he said as they continued to descend. The parachutes opened and they touched down safely.

[Taki117]

With the REst of the Solar System explored it was time to go to Jool and it's moons. Long had this giant planet been observed and studied, but it had only ever been explored once, and not in great detail. This time a single spacecraft would explore all 5 of the moons of Jool and return safely back to Kerbin. Kerbol crested over the ocean as the main transit craft was rolled onto the launch pad. It would be launched without a crew so that it's onboard anti-matter collector could pull enough antimatter for the trip to Jool.

"Liftoff! We have liftoff!" one of the controllers shouted as the engines roared to life and the launch clamps fell away. After the craft had cleared the tower it began to roll to facilitate booster separation, pitching over once it had completed the maneuver.

The rocket continued to shoot skywards, moving ever faster. The boosters were jettisoned once they had burnt out and the main lifter stage ignited to push the craft out of the atmosphere.

With the main lifter giving the final push to atmospheric escape it was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage fired up to push the Apoapsis out to 400km, where the Anti-matter flux was strong enough to be useful, but not far enough away that it would be difficult to rendezvous with. Once the ship was clear of the atmosphere the heat radiators were deployed to provide additional cooling. After circularizing at the proper altitude the orbital insertion stage was jettisoned and deorbited.

[Taki117]

With the launch window fast approaching it was time to send the four man crew to the Interplanetary ship. The Capsule was the same one that had been used for both the Moho and Eeloo missions, but with some major modifications. First off the inflatable heat shield had been replaced with a docking ring and air intake nosecone. The engines Were replaced with Dual mode engines capable of switching from internal monopropellant, to an air-breathing mode. It had also been fitted with all the science instruments that it would need for the journey. Upon it's completeion it was rolled out onto the launch pad, crew already in their seats.

"Standing by, pressure is good, Cabin vents closed, Guidance is internal." Burburry said as he checked the various gauges and switches inside the command pod. There was still some time before the flight, so final checks ere being made. "Roger Flight, we are holding at 9 minutes. All systems go." Came the reply as the crew sat aback with a moment to breathe. "T minus 2 minutes. Main engine gimbal test complete." AT this time Burburry, Rofen, Macdun, and Philford closed and locked their visors. "T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, Main engine start, 4, 3, 2, 1. Liftoff!" Came the muffled calls through the command pod and the crews helmets from the crowed announcement system.

The main lifter stage bore the crew up into the thinnest atmosphere, where it finally burned out. There was a thud and a sudden jolt as the constant push of the engines ceased. Philford Jettisoned the stage, then waited a moment for it to fall away before igniting the orbital insertion engine that would carry them into an orbital rendezvous with the interplanetary vessel. They were once again pushed back into their seats as the second stage engine fired up to push them into orbit.

After they had cleared the atmosphere Macdun deployed the solar panels to provide enough power to the command pod to execute the rendezvous.

"Control this is Rofen, we are making final preparations to dock." Rofen said as he opened the nosecone to reveal the docking port, and once they had gotten closer he jettisoned the orbital insertion stage to be de-orbited by the onboard computer at a later time. He then aligned the docking port on the command pod with the docking port on the space craft before closing in to dock.

"Control, this is Philford, we are safely aboard and beginning reactor start up. All systems green. Beginning burn." He intoned into his headset. He waited a moment for the reply and smiled when it came. "Roger that. Good luck and Joolspeed." came the voice before Philford slammed the throttle to full and watched as the engines roared to life, pushing them towards the stars.

After nearly a year in space The Great God Jool was in view.

[Taki117]

"Alright, everybody hold on it's gonna get a little hot." Rofen said as the crew moved into the jump seats in the living quarters in preparation for aerobreaking around the great gas giant Jool. "Radiators in. and here we go!" he shouted as the rear of the spacecraft slammed into the Joolian atmosphere travelling well over the posted speed limit. The atmosphere began to compress around them, finally becoming a superheated fireball that engulfed the ship. Macdun and Burburry held on tight as the ship rocked and jostled due to the deceleration while Rofen and Philford continuously monitored engine and radiator temperature, as well as their apoapsis.

A burn was needed to stabilize the orbit, which resulted in a Laythe Encounter. "Alright, here we go. First stop, Laythe!" Philford shouted over the intercom. "You guys might want to just hang out back there, we're gonna be coming in a little hot." he continued as he deployed the radiators so that the reactors didn't shut down. Once they were in Laythe's Sphere of Influence a small burn was performed to allow for aerobreaking around the planet. "One more time!" Philford shouted as the craft plunged into the atmosphere.

Macdun and Rofen moved into the lander while Burburry slipped into the cockpit. "Alright, here we go!" Macdun said as he undocked, their trajectory still suborbital. After they had cleared the ship Rofen closed the nosecone to protect it from reentry. Doon enough they were falling though the atmosphere, the superheated air providing a nice glow as they got closer and closer to the surface. "Stand by for parachute deployment." Rofen said as he armed the chutes. There was a jerk as they unfurled, but the capsule touched down gently, if a little wet.

While Macdun and Rofen were performing their experiments on the surface Burburry and Philford circularized the orbit around Laythe so that they could dock with the spacecraft without too much trouble. Almost as soon as they had finished that the radio crackled to life. "Alright, we're ready for pick up. Stand by for incoming." Rofen said before switching the engines to mixed fuel operation. When the mother ship was in the proper position Rofen pushed the throttle to it's stops and rose slowly into the air.

"Airs gettin thin." Macdun uttered before the engines switched over to using only internal fuel. Once they had cleared the atmosphere Macdun deployed the solar panels while Burburry and Rofen oriented the Docking port to face the lander. Docking was uneventful, and once they were settled Philford smiled. "Next stop, Vall!" he yelled as he shoved the throttle forward and pushed them to their next target.

[Taki117]

"And we're here." Philford said as he brought the ship into a high orbit over the surface of Vall. Rofen and Macdun made the final preparations for their departure as they drew closer. Once Philford had circularized the orbit Macdun undocked and moved clear of the ship before performing his deorbit burn.

Suddenly the lander cabin was filled with noise and lights. "Proximity Warning, Low Altitude. Proximity Warning, Low Altitude!" the automated alarm blared as Rofen looked over their instruments. Macdun fired up the engines in an attempt to avoid hitting the side of the mountain. When they had cleared the top both Macdun and Rofen heaved a sigh as they continued towards their planned landing zone.

They landed safely and took a moment to stretch their legs, gather some samples, and pose for a picture before running the scientific experiments attached tot he pod and lifting off once the mothership had come over the horizon. "Two down, 3 to go." Macdun said as they lifted gently off of the surface.

Once they had docked with the mother ship A course was set for Tylo. A landing would not be performed because of the intense gravity of the moon. The lander simply didn't have enough fuel to make a landing and return. Instead a close approach was performed. "And if you look out the top of the spacecraft, you will see the wonderful Tylo above us." Burburry said as they continued on their journey, using Tylo's gravity to slingshot them into a properly aligned orbit for a Bop encounter.

[Taki117]

With the Tylo close flyby complete a small course adjustment was made to send the ship and crew to Bop. A short circularization burn later and the lander crew were plummeting towards the surface. Since both Bop and Pol had such low gravity it was surmised that there was enough fuel to carry the intrepid explores down and back up again with the remaining monopropellant. A nice flat spot had been selected as the landing zone, however since it was at the base of a very steep mountain, one mistake would mean an end to the science gathering mission.

Landing was uneventful as the pair touched down safely, getting out and collecting surface samples for return to Kerbin. After they had finished with their scientific endeavor they lifted off of the surface.

The ship then made it's way to the final stop on it's journey, Pol. Since it has such low gravity Macdun limited the thrust on the landers engines to as low as possible, and they still had issues. Once the ship was in orbit the crew undocked and made their way to the surface. They spotted a clearing between the odd geological formations and set the lander down, it didn't take much to get them back up again.

Just outside Pol's Sphere of influence the crew waited for the transfer window. When the time was right Philford shoved the throttles to their stops and the ship began to accelerate back towards the inner solar system. After another long year in space the ship finally arrived home. Aerobreaking, while violent, was uneventful and Burburry put the ship into a 400km orbit to recharge its antimatter tanks.

"All ashore who's going ashore!" Burburry shouted over the intercom before making his way into the lander. There was just enough fuel for the deorbit burn, but not much else. As they dropped lower into the atmosphere the air heated around them, glowing a fiery orange before subsiding. When they had reached an altitude of 3km the main parachute deployed slowing them to a safe landing.

[Taki117]

Milzon looked at the rocket that had been placed on the launch pad. Towering over everything else it was, quite possibly, the largest single launch to date. It was the first ship to use new and untested technology in a very long time. The scientists had been working around the clock since the crew had gotten back from Jool on something they called a "Warp Drive" Milzon didn't know what they were talking about, only that it was supposed to send them screaming through the cosmos at speeds previously unattainable by conventional means. The main engines also required no fuel, using something called Quantum Vacuum Plasma, which would only work in space.

Heaving a sigh He closed the elevator doors after Burburry had joined him. "This is it. With this ship we can get anywhere we want in the time it takes to drive here." he said as the elevator rose skywards. Once it had reached the top the doors opened and Milzon stepped out onto the gangaway. "You'd think they would have chosen a different cockpit." he said shaking his head before making his way to the craft and sliding into his seat, with Burburry not far behind.

"It was designed for space travel, and besides, at least it has a better view than some of the other capsules." Burburry replied as he slid himself into the remaining seat and buckled the safety harness. "Control this is Arc Apollo standing by for launch. Pressures look good." he uttered into his headset, moving smoothly from switch to gauge and back again across the panel as he checked their systems. Milzon sighed again. "I guess so. Hard to believe this is it, what we've worked so hard for." A thud reverberated through the ship as the gangway was retracted to provide them clearance to launch.

"Control, pad is clear, standing by for launch." Milzon said into his headset as the countdown clock resumed after their two minute hold. The muffled voice of the announcer could be heard broadcasting the countdown to the crowed. "Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven...Six...Main Engine Start...Three...Two...One...LIFTOFF!" Burburry smiled with glee as the launch clampes released, shoving the pair back into their seats as the craft shot skywards, clawing for every inch of altitude as it burned off fuel.

"We've cleared the tower, beginning pitch and roll." Milzon said as he rolled the craft to a zero degree angle, and pitched over to a heading of 090. Finally his face cracked as a smile appeared, starting in the center of his face and spreading outwards. The rocket continued its ascent to the heavens, gaining speed like a madman as the fuel burned away. "Stand by for booster separation." Burburry announced as he watched the fuel gauge. After it had emptied he waited a moment before jettisoning the boosters and igniting the main lift engine.

The ship continued through the atmosphere, placing itself onto a sub-orbital trajectory. Another jolt rocked the cabin as the main engines cut out. "Stage Separation confirmed." burburry said as nother jolt rocked the ship and they were once again pushed back into their seats. The orbital insertion stage carried them to a 100km orbit, where it was jettisoned and deorbited thanks to the onboard guidance system. "Deploying radiators." Milzon announced into his headset moments before flipping the switch to deploy them. The pair then began the preparations and checks for activating the Alcubierre Drive.

First came a test of the Vacuum Plasma Drive engines. It was thought that Milzon and Burburry could leave the Warp drive charging while using the engines, however this turned out to not be the case as the engines would shut down if deprived of power, which would cause the ship to spin wildly out of control, however as soon as this was discovered the test was quickly halted. "Well, they work, we just can't do two things at once. Not enough power." Burburry said at the conclusion of the test. They continued to make checks on the Alcubierre drive as it charged.

Milzon smiled as the red charging light turned green, signaling that the drive was sufficiently charged for the speed they wished to travel, which was 1c. The pointed the ship at Jool, a trip that had taken the previous crew several years to complete, and that Milzon hoped would take them a matter of hours. "Retracting radiators." he said. This was done as a precaution since no one knew exactly what the drive would do, since they were unable to test it on Kerbin like they had every other engine used in a ship. "Stand by for jump in Three...Two...One...JUMP!" he said before activating the drive. This shot off towards the Cosmos, the occupants inside oblivious to the fact that they were moving, other than the large blue light that they seemed to be heading towards.

"Captain, we've detected a warp signature coming from a nearby system. Should we investigate?" came a voice from over the captains right shoulder. "Well then, let's pay them a visit. Helm, lay in a course, Warp 3." came the reply before she stood up and looked out the view screen. "Let's see what they are up to." she said to herself as the ship continued on its way. As they got closer the Operations officer spoke up. "We should be able to hide behind the 6th Planet. It's a Class J with enough magnetic interference that it should mask us from sensors." he said as he looked expectantly at the captain for an answer. "Do it. Helm, put us in a standard orbit around the planet." she said simply before returning to her seat.

Meanwhile the Arc Apollo continued on its journey. They approached the planet and once they had crossed the sphere of influence of the planet began correcting their orbit. "Not bad for our first jump. Half an hour to get here." Milzon commented once things had calmed down enough that they could take a breath. Suddenly Burburry pointed out the window. "What's that?!" he shouted as a very large ship loomed into view.

"Capitan, I'm detecting a ship. Unknown configuration. No weapons or shields. They are harmless." the Tactical Officer chimed in. The Captain smiled and stood once more. "Onscreen and Open a channel. This is Capitan Katheryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager, Please Respond." she said confidently and evenly. Milzon and Burburry didn't know what to do. The transmission they had just received was in their own language, but it was a voice neither of them recognized. It wasn't coming from mission control, could their be other life in the universe? Milzon keyed the communication unit and replied. "This is Milzon Kerman of the planet Kerbin. We come in peace." he uttered nervously, remembering all the old horror movies he watched as a little Kerb.

Captain Janeway smiled. "So do we. We're willing to share technology and information with you, if you're willing to have us." she replied.

And such was the first contact between Kerbals, and the race known as humans.

THE END

(A big thank you to everyone that mad this possible. Squad for the great game, The modding community for making the mods used and putting up with me, and Everyone who took a look at this, thank you.)

[Faile]

*picks up jaw from floor*

Thanks, that was awesome :D