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

[frizzank]

I would call them optional stock. Not a mod since it is a part of the base game when you install it.

[Taki117]

I would call them optional stock. Not a mod since it is a part of the base game when you install it.

*GASP* Frizzank look at my mission report! *FAINTS* but in all seriousness I have everything I need to capture an asteroid without using them, but I like the 3.75m parts which really fill a section I'm lacking in. (Novapunch has them as you know, but there's only 2 of them. More options would be nice) On a side note The poll is tied (As of this posting)

[Orionkermin]

I chose the middle option. Mostly because it would be much more difficult (not impossible) for you without the klaw. I'm sure modders will make one soon enough though.

If you're using novapunch already why not use only the 3.75m parts from another pack like KW or AIES? (Does AIES have that size?) Unless memory wise Squad's NASA parts take up less memory. In any case I'm sure that the paythrough will stay entertaining.

[Taki117]

I chose the middle option. Mostly because it would be much more difficult (not impossible) for you without the klaw. I'm sure modders will make one soon enough though.

If you're using novapunch already why not use only the 3.75m parts from another pack like KW or AIES? (Does AIES have that size?) Unless memory wise Squad's NASA parts take up less memory. In any case I'm sure that the paythrough will stay entertaining.

Near as I can tell AIES does not have 3.75m parts, I might just use the KW 3.75m engines, also I have KAS, which comes with an anchor that can be attached to a winch and fired at the asteroid then I "should" be able to tow it around and/or make a more solid connection with the fuel pipe.

I think I'll give the poll another couple of days so that MechJeb gets updated.

[Taki117]

So with the advent of asteroids new challenges have arisen for our intrepid Kerbals. Several asteroids have been spotted just outside Kerbins sphere of influence, and one in particular has been selected for capture and further study. It is a Class 'D' asteroid that will be passing within 816Mm (816,000km) of Kerbin in approximately 12 days. Scientists and engineers are scrambling to develop a rocket capable of capturing such a behemoth for further study. The crew are preparing, their training furious as they day draws ever closer. There is one flaw: it is unknown whether or not the asteroid capture plan will work since there is no way to test it on Kerbin. It's first use will be in 12 days, when the crew of the Intrepid face off against their mightiest foe yet!

Will our hero's be successful in capturing an asteroid? Will they be able to put it in a stable enough orbit? Tune in Next time as our hero's try to conquer giant hunks of rock!

[Taki117]

one sleepy afternoon one of the technicians monitoring the telescope readout noticed something odd. A short while later he had plotted it's course and found that it would pass within the 1Mm limit for asteroids. He immediately called mission control. "We've got a class D asteroid incoming, 13 days. Think we can capture it?" he asked in a panicked voice. "No reason why we can't." came the cool reply as the information came up on screen.

A short time later the engineers and construction crew were hard at work, rolling out the first rocket specifically designed to capture and asteroid, unfortunately none of it's asteroid capturing apparatus's had been tested so it was unknown if the mission would succeed, especially on an asteroid this size.

"Alright boys, this is probably the most important mission ever, Let's not screw it up." Milzon said into his headset as Macdun and Rofen made the final preparations before launch. Once the countdown had completed Macdun fired up the engines and the rocket climbed slowly into the sky.

The Ship began it's roll and then dropped the liquid boosters once they had been expended. It would then pitch over to match planes with the asteroids projected course.

Once in orbit final course corrections were made. The two of them then jettisoned their final booster stage and settled in for a long wait for the asteroid to pass by the planet Kerbin.

[Taki117]

Sorry for the lapse, I was having an odd bug with the .23 update. I think I found the issue and as such here we go!

Roddan and Burburry sat on the tarmac and prepped the Endeavor for takeoff. Not only was this the first SpacePlane ever built, but it was also carrying the first Satellite ever built. Burburry fired up the engines and waited for them to spool up before releasing the brakes and shooting them, and their payload, down the runway.

Once they had gotten up to takeoff speed for the payload Roddan pulled gently back on the stick to ease the nose off the runway and into the air, followed shortly by the rest of the plane.

Once they were clear of the runway Burburry raised the landing gear and adjusted the fuel flow to keep the center of mass in the same location as they climbed ever higher.

As the atmosphere thinned Burburry got ready to switch to Rocket mode. This would shut down the jet engines, close the air intakes, and fire up the rocket engines. Once the atmosphere prevented proper jet operation he flipped the switch and felt the push of acceleration as they began their final push into space.

Once they were clear of the atmosphere Roddan heaved a sigh of relief as he cut the throttle and opened the forward solar panels as they drifted towards a 75km apoapsis.

Once they had circularized their orbit Burburry opened the cargo bay, exposing their payload to the vacuum of space. He also deployed the dorsal solar panels to ensure that the communication satellite had power throughout the operation.

"Alright control, satellite is ready for departure. Upon initial release we will take control to clear it from the Endeavor then it's all on you. We will remain in orbit to act as a relay station." Roddan said into his mic as Burburry shuffled his way into the back of the cabin to take control of the satellite. Burburry smiled as he took control of the small communication satellite. "REady for undock in 3...2...1...undock and clear!" he said as he released the docking clamps and gave the satellite a couple of puffs of RCS to get it clear of the cargo bay and tail fins.

Once it was clear the antenna and dishes were activated, the small thrusters fired up, and the satellite boosted into Kerbo-synchronous orbit, where it would provide constant communication to the citizens below.

[Taki117]

With their mission complete it was time for Roddan and Burburry to return to Kerbin. They closed the cargo bay of the Endeavor and performed their de-orbit burn.

As they neared the atmosphere Roddan re-oriented the aircraft for reentry, pitching the nose to 45 degrees and a heading of 090 to bring them right over the Kerbal space center.

As they entered the thicker atmosphere the nose of the aircraft pitched down. This was unexpected by the crew, but not a cause for concern. It would be accounted for in later flights. Burburry kept an eye on temperature while Roddan kept the aircraft on course.

At an altitude of 30km the flames of reentry began to lick at the retracted solar panels and the leading edge of the wings, as well as the lights and dorsal docking port.

Undaunted the crew continued their descent, safe inside their capsule as the flames continued to build, reaching their peak at 20km, where the engulfed the entire aircraft.

Soon enough the west coast of the convenient could be seen and Burburry readied the eject sequence. This was the first time an aircraft had been flown to space and back (Or at all for that matter) and so it had been fitted with an eject system in the event things went wrong on reentry.

As they passed over the mountain range at just under 15km Roddan noticed that there was lots of cloud cover over the KSC and that final adjustments would have to be made below the 3km ceiling, meaning that as they were dropping Roddan would be making corrections, and bleeding off much needed horizontal velocity.

With the final adjustments complete Roddan leveled off and began his final approach. Should anything go wrong they could wave off to the abandoned airfield on the island, or they could eject and allow the plane to crash while they parachuted to safety.

They touched down safely, if a little fast, and Burburry hit the brakes intermittently to slow them down before finally applying them fully to bring them to a stop. They then taxied to the space plane hanger where they would be refueled, given a new payload, and sent up again.

[Taki117]

With the first satellite in orbit it was decided to hire two new pilots who would be directly responsible for aircraft operations. Ferby and Nelgan sat on the runway preparing for liftoff. Inside their cargo bay was the same type of satellite that the previous crew had put up. With one satellite in orbit already the second one would be a much simpler operation. Nelgan fired up the engines and smiled as they began rolling down the runway, picking up speed.

Once they had hit take off speed Ferby pulled back on the stick lifting the nose into the air while Nelgan raised the landing gear. So far the flight was going smoothly.

As the atmosphere thinned Ferby began pulling the nose up as Nelgan shut down the jet engines and fired up the rocket engines to push them into orbit.

At MECO Nelgan deployed the solar panels while Ferby set up their cicularization maneuver.

After their cicularization Ferby opened up the cargo bay as Nelgan moved to the satellite control station in preparation for deployment. He then opened the dorsal solar panels and activated the omnidirectional antenna as well as verified up-link to mission control.

"We are go for deployment." Nelgan said into his headset as Ferby watched through the cargo bay window. "Undocked. Firing RCS" he continued as he watched his panel, executing the necessary motions as the satellite slid gently out of the cargo bay.

Once it was clear Mission Control took over and extended the rest of the solar panels as well as activated the other antenna on board. They then fired up the on board engines to push the satellite into the proper orbit in the correct orientation.

Their mission complete Nelgan and Ferby swapped places (So that Nelgan was now going to be piloting the Endeavor) and Ferby closed the cargo bay doors in preparation for their return to Kerbin.

Nelgan performed a flawless retro burn and then reoriented the Endeavor for reentry. Once Kerbol had dropped below the horizon he retracted the solar panels and and waited.

At 30km, after their pitch down maneuver Ferby noticed that the flames of reentry had begun to lick at the edges of the spacecraft. They steadily grew in intensity until about 20km when they fully engulfed the Endeavor

Once they had cleared the hot plasma Nelgan took stock of their position and noted that while they were going to be coming in lower than desired their aircraft had enough of a glide ratio to be able to make it to the runway at the Kerbal Space Center without having to use their engines. Slowly they descended, passing just over the top of the mountains west of the Kerbal Space Center.

They continued their glide until they were approximately 5km from the end of the runway, at which point Ferby lowered the landing gear and prepared for an emergency eject, as well as prepping the drag chute for deployment.

The drag chute deployed far sooner than it should have and began slowing them down. Nelgan compensated by bringing the nose up, but he was afraid that if he brought it up too far that they would overshoot the end of the runway. Their altitude continued to plummet, until eventually they touched down gently, at which point Ferby hit the brakes as slowed the Endeavor to a stop just shy of the end of the runway.

[Taki117]

Ferby and Nelgan race down the runway once more, the last communications satellite tucked safely away in the cargo bay. The liftoff has become almost routine, with Nelgan pulling back on the stick and lifting them into the air once they had come up to speed.

Ferby once again raised the landing gear once they had cleared the runway then settled in for the ascent to orbit.

Once The jet engines could no longer provide adequate thrust Ferby fired up the rocket engines as Nelgan pitched up ever so slightly to push them into the proper orbit.

Once they had cleared the atmosphere Nelgan extended the solar panels and performed the circularization burn.

Once the Endeavor had come around to the day side Nelgan opened the cargo bay doors and Ferby moved into position to control the satellite or the first part of it's journey.

"Deploying solar panels, deploying satellite. Clear!" Ferby announced as he went through the procedure to launch the satellite.

At this point mission control took over and placed it in the proper orbit, providing complete coverage of the Kerbin System.

With their mission complete Ferby slid into the pilot seat while Nelgan slipped into the co-pilot chair. He then closed the cargo bay doors and prepped the ship for reentry.

Ferby performed a short retro burn to put them on the proper heading to land back at the Kerbal Space Center. Once they had hit the atmosphere he retracted the forward solar panels to prevent them from becoming damaged upon reentry.

As they dropped through the atmosphere the reentry heating began to engulf the Endeavor fortunately they were still on course to land at the runway of the Kerbal Space Center.

They once again passed a mere kilometer above the mountains to the west of the Kerbal space center, but thanks to the amazing glide slope (And some really good pilot by Ferby) They were able to glide to the edge of the runway.

"I've lost visual, I can't see anything in this soup." Ferby said into his headset as he held the stick steady, the Endeavor passing through the cloud layer. He couldn't make any course corrections because not only would that make him hopelessly lost, but it would also bleed off far too much speed to allow for a safe landing.

Soon enough he had dropped down out of the clouds and could just make out the runway as he pitched up to maintain altitude. "I see you Control, you have no idea what a sight it is." he said as Nelgan lowered the landing gear in preparation for landing.

Once they were low enough Nelgan deployed the drag chute to assist in slowing the Endeavor to a stop while Ferby applied the brakes once they were safely on the ground. Once again they stopped just short of the end of the runway.

Thanks to the complete recover-ability of the Endeavor the launching of the entire communication network took no more than 3 Earth Days.

[Taki117]

Klaxons blared in the control room causing the Kerbal on watch to drop his coffee and fall out of his chair. After silencing the alarm from the floor he pulled himself up and pushed his glasses further onto his face so he could see what all the commotion was. His eyes grew wide as he saw that their target asteroid had entered Kerbins Sphere of Influence. Immediately he picked up the phone and called Milzon. "It's time." he said before hanging up.

Shortly thereafter Mission Control was a flurry of activity. With everyone manning their consoles Milzon donned his trademark white vest as he keyed the mic. "Rofen, Macdun. You guys still alive up there?" he said as he waited for a reply. Soon the comms crackled to life and a soft moan could be heard. "What do you want?" came the voice on the other end. "We've detected an asteroid making a close approach It's a Class D so you might have some trouble moving it." Milzon replied. "We're working on a course now." He continued as he pointed to the Navigation console. The two Kerbals seated there began typing furiously. "Roger that control, we'll prep for the burn up here and concur." Macdun replied as Rofen slid into the co-pilot seat.

3 days later it was time to execute the burn. Rofen fired up the engines as Macdun kept an eye on the Asteroid. This initial burn would put them on an intercept with the asteroid to be captured.

"Control this is Milzon, We're on an intercept. Wish us luck." Milzon radioed as the Asteroid drew ever closer to their ship. A small course correction was needed to get them close enough for fine maneuvering, this was taken care of by the on board auto-pilot program.

As the Asteroid drew closer the autopilot, which had been programmed to match velocities, began it's burn when the asteroid was 30km away. The asteroid shot past them before they could slow down, stopping approximately 1km away.

Once they had approached the asteroid Macdun flipped the ship around and began to back it slowly up to the asteroid. At this point Rofen began putting on his EVA suit and jetpack.

"Alright Rofen, time to rope us a 'roid!" Macdun said over the comms as Rofen exited the capsule and moved to the dorsal section to retrieve the winch connector port. He then moved to the rear of the spacecraft and attached it to the asteroid, followed by the winch connector. He also primed the emergency disconnect to quickly decouple the winch in the event the asteroid got out of control. This was done with both winches before returning to the capsule. He also took the opportunity to grab a sample for return.

"Connections complete, let's put some distance between us so that we don't crash." Rofen said once he was safely back inside. "Good idea." Macdun replied and waited for Rofen to slid into the copilot seat and release the brakes on the winches before he moved slowly away, the winches paying out line to a distance of about 20 ft.

Once they were far enough away Rofen locked the brakes once more, ensuring that there was a small amount of slack so that both lines would take up tension at the same time. "Mission Control this is Macdun, we are connected to the asteroid and preparing to perform our braking burn." he said and waited for the reply. "Go for burn, just don't giver her too much gas." came the reply from mission control. Macdun smiled as he eased the throttle open, applying just enough thrust to move the ship forward.

Rofen kept an eye on their orbit and noted that they were slowing down. "Looking good here, maintain throttle." he said as he switched his screen to show a more detailed picture of his orbit. A short time later Milzon nearly dropped his headset. "CAPTURED!" Rofen yelled at the top of his lungs into the mic of his comm headset. They had slowed down the class D asteroid enough to prevent it from exiting Kerbins Sphere of Influence again.

"We're losing it!" Macdun shouted as the ship began osculating wildly. Rofen immediately pulled in the solar panels to prevent them from getting damaged Macdun continued to fight to try and get them under control to little use. "I can't stop it emergency decouple!" he shouted and almost immediately thereafter Rofen hit the button and the winch ends popped free, the ship slowly accelerated from the now out of control asteroid as Rofen began reeling the cable in so that it didn't get tangled in space.

Heaving a sigh of relief Rofen took a look at the final orbit. "798k by 35274k, it's inside Minmus orbit and the inclination isn't going to affect the Comms network. I'd call that a success." he radioed to mission control. Milzon nodded at Mission Control and smiled. "Nice job boys, go ahead and come on back, we'll send up a crew shuttle to get you guys home." he said as everyone in mission control was giving each other high-fives at their success. Now they could study it at leisure. Macdun smiled at the news and plotted the burns required to get home. The Original ship design did not call for it to return, so it was not fitted with parachutes.

[Taki117]

With the asteroid safely redirected focus turned back to Exploring the Kerbin system. While the Asteroid had been being redirected the construction crew was hard at work on a new Munar rocket. IT was designed to get them to the Mun, and Back.

Burburry walked across the walkway first, followed a short time later by Roddan. They both slid into the capsule and shut the hatch, ready for lift off.

Safely aboard the walkway was retracted to allow a clear path for the rockets ascent.

Burburry and Roddan held on to the controls as the countdown continued. At zero the engines were ignited and the rocket shot skyward.

Roddan began the gravity turn, but almost immediately lost control. "Control, we have a problem." Burburry radioed as Roddan tried to fight his way back to vertical. It was a loosing battle.

"I can't hold it!" Roddan shouted as the rocket continued to careen wildly. "Abort! Abort! Abort!" came the shouts from mission control over their headsets. Burburry hit the large red Abort button causing the capsule to separate from the rest of the rocket and the Launce Escape system to fire, pulling the capsule clear of the now out of control rocket.

Once the LES had burnt out it was jettisoned and the parachutes deployed to bring them safely back to Kerbin.

Edited April 20, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

We last left our Asteroid Wrangling hero's in an equatorial orbit around Kerbin. At an altitude of about 200km Rofen and Macdun had plenty of snacks, but Macdun was getting tired of losing at chess. Fortunately a rescue operation had been in the works to test out the capabilities of the new passenger Single Stage to Orbit craft that would be used to ferry crew to an eventual space station. Ferby and Nelgan would get to fly this one as well. They sat on the runway and prepped for takeoff.

Ferby fired up the engines as Nelgan released the brakes, shooting them down the runway.

Once the duo had reached takeoff velocity Nelgan gently pulled back on the yolk and lifted the nose into the air, followed shortly by the rest of the craft, at which point Ferby raised the landing gear and brought up their orbital information.

They climbed ever higher, Ferby keeping an eye on intake air, altitude, and speed, while Nelgan focused on keeping the Discovery on course and headed skywards. Once they started loosing acceleration from the jet engines Ferby hit the mode selector switch to transition from atmospheric to space flight.

Once safely in orbit it was time to make their way to their destination. Nelgan plotted the course and had the auto-pilot execute it. This would put them on a rendezvous with Macdun and Rofen.

As they drew nearer Ferby took manual control of the Reacton Control System to align the two spacecraft less than 10 meters apart.

Once they were in position Rofen donned his EVA suit and grabbed the sample that he had taken from the asteroid. He then exited the airlock and made his way over to the Discovery where he deposited his sample in the science storage container located in the Cockpit before taking a seat in the crew cabin.

In order to not leave any space debris, and since the 'Roid Wrangler didn't have a docking port for reuse it was decided that Macdun would set the throttle to a very low setting and proceed to bail out in space. Macdun donned his EVA suit and opened the hatch. He also removed his harness in preparation for bailing out. He then gently nudged the throttle forward just enough to cause the 'Roid Wrangler to drift forward. He then shot himself out of the hatch before the two ships got too far apart.

Once He was safely aboard the Discovery Ferby performed a deorbit burn and then re-oriented the spacecraft for reentry.

As they descended through the atmosphere the surface of the aircraft began to heat up and plasma engulfed the aircraft as it descended through the atmosphere.

At an altitude of 15km they passed over the mountains to the west of the Kerbal Space Center, flames still covering the majority of the aircraft. Ferby was worried that they wouldn't be able to land safely.

Nelgan lined up the Discovery as best he could and put it on target for landing. At this point Ferby lowered the landing gear and placed his hand over the eject button. For the passenger liner all seats had such a system installed to ensure maximum survival.

The landing was going smoothly, until the flare maneuver and glide down. The Flare, while it did slow them down, had the added effect of causing them to gain altitude, resulting in the Discovery gliding past the end of the runway. Nelgan pulled up hard, the Drag chute trailing behind them as Ferby throttled up the engines to maximum. It was too little to late and the crew was forced to bail out as the aircraft went into a stall over the ocean.

Fortunately all crew were recovered safely.

[Taki117]

With the aborted launch and the crash of the Discovery further manned space flight has been halted for the time being. However, Unmanned flights are still a go and soon enough there was another rocket on the pad prepped for launch.

"Alright people, let's get this right. 5...4...3...2...1...Hit it!" Milzon said as he watched the rocket climb into the sky and execute it's roll program.

The rocket continued to climb, gaining altitude ever faster as Milzon continued to watch the telemetry. Once the boosters had been exhausted they were dropped as the rocket pushed ever higher.

At the edge of the atmosphere the main lifter stage was burnt out it was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage ignighted.

Once the craft was clear of the atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned to reveal the core of a new space station that was to be constructed.

Once the station core had reached the appropriate orbital altitude the orbital insertion stage is jettisoned and the retrorockets fired to de-orbit the debris.

[Taki117]

"Alright, now that the core is up let's send up some power." Milzon said as he put his headset on a few days after the station core had gone up. The controllers sat at their stations and watched the telemetry.

"3...2...1...Liftoff!" Milzon shouted as the countdown finished and he watched the rocket climb skywards.

"So far so good." he muttered as the boosters were jettisoned. Soon after the parachutes on the boosters deployed to allow them to be recovered.

(You can just see them on either side of the pad)

Once the main lifter stage has burned out it was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage fired up to push the payload into orbit.

Once it had cleared the atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned to reveal the payload as it ascended towards the space station core.

Once in a stable orbit with an intercept for the station the orbital insertion stage is jettisoned and it's retro rockets fired to push it back onto a sub-orbital trajectory to burn up in the atmosphere. The Solar panels are also deployed, and then the solar sail quickly retracted to avoid breaking anything.

As the power module approaches the station core final alignment is completed and then the RCS tug jettisoned so that the large solar panels could dock under the magnetic force of the docking ports.

Once they had docked successfully the large solar panels were deployed, a process that took far longer than expected.

A second identical mission was launched a couple of days later to add an exact copy to the other end of the station.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Taki117

[Taki117]

With both solar arrays in place it was discovered that they were too close to the core of the station. It was decided that two girder segments filled with life support supplies would be added to the station to lengthen the distance between the station core and the solar arrays. 3 days after the last launch the first of two girder segments that would be added to the station sits on the pad.

Once the launch counter had reached zero the solid rocket boosters were ignited and the rocket rose slowly into the air.

Once it was clear of the tower the ship began its pitch and roll program, rolling to place it so that the Solid Rocket Boosters would separate cleanly without damage. It then began to slowly pitch over as it climbed ever higher.

Once the Solid Rocket Boosters had burned out they were jettisoned and the main lifter stage ignited to push the ship through the thicker atmosphere.

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

Once the desired apapsis had been achieved the orbital insertion stage was jettisoned as was the fairing and the solar panels deployed.

It then performed a burn that would put on the proper rendezvous orbit with the station core.

[Taki117]

With the intercept complete the orbital maneuvering system was jettisoned and deorbited the truss slowly made it's way to the station. While this was happening the solar array was retracted and undocked from the station, it's also moved a safe distance away from the station to facilitate the addition of the truss.

With final alignment complete the station truss was set into free drift, using its inertia to drift to within magnetic range, and then being pulled in to final dock. You can see the retracted solar array just above the truss.

Once the truss had been docked the tug moved to the other end of the station to prepare for the next truss segment. A docking port had been installed between the array panels in the event another set had to be installed. It would now be used to facilitate truss installation.

With the tug in place the Solar Array into position on the end of the newly installed truss. Once final alignment had been completed it too was allowed to drift into place.

Once it was successfully docked the solar array was deployed to continue to provide power to the station.

[Taki117]

With the first truss installed The second was loaded onto the pad. The launch was almost exactly like the first.

Once the countdown had reached zero the main engines were ignited and the rocket lifted slowly into the air.

Once it had cleared the tower it began it's pitch and roll program.

Once the solid rocket boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned and the main lifter stage ignited to push the rocket higher and faster.

Once the main lifter had burnt out the orbital insertion stage ignited and the rocket continued to pitch over.

Once clear of the atmosphere the orbital insertion stage and fairings were jettisoned.

Once the orbital maneuvering engine had been jettisoned preparations and final alignment complete everything looked good.

Once the truss had been docked to the station and the tug moved the solar array was placed into proper position.

After that was complete the tug moved to dock with the other tug and both were deorbited as a single unit.

[Taki117]

With the addition of the second truss it was decided to attempt to add the next module with the Endeavor The cause of the Discovery accident was determined to be pilot error while the aborted launch was due to poor aerodynamic design and insufficient control authority. With the crew undergoing additional training on visual landing Ferby and Nelgan were back in the pilot seat with the first official module for the station in the cargo bay.

Ferby fired up the engines, pushing the aircraft down the runway. The night takeoff would not be an issue since once they got up to speed they could correct their orbital inclination in flight.

Once the Endeavor reached take off speed Ferby gently pulled back on the yolk to raise the nose into the air. He then maintained the climb rate until the landing gear were fully retracted.

Once the gear were fully retracted Ferby pulled the nose up to gain as much altitude as possible as fast as possible before levelling out to gain horizontal speed.

Immediately prior to switching over to orbital insertion mode the ship was engulfed in super heated plasma. Once the thrust from the jet engines had begun losing thrust Nelgan hit the switch to swap from atmospheric flight to space flight.

Once clear of the atmosphere the forward solar arrays were deployed and the transfer to the station planned.

As the Endeavor drew closer the cargo bay doors were opened exposing the tug to the vacuum of space.

The Endeavor used it's RCS system to place itself at a safe distance of 50m from the station. Nelgan made his way into the tug and prepared for decouple so that he could move the tug and dock with the station. The tug would be instrumental in placing the modules in their appropriate locations. The tug was then decoupled and the force caused it to fly free of the cargo bay as expected. The docking would be done entirely IVA.

After the rough alignment was complete Nelgan began the docking procedure.

After a successful dock Nelgan stepped out of the tug and made his way back to the Endeavor giving only the shortest thrusts to move him towards the hatch to the cockpit.

Once Nelgan was safely aboard the Endeavor performed its deorbit burn to put it onto the proper trajectory to land at the Kerbal Space Center Runway.

Once the ship hit an altitude of 60km the forward solar arrays were retracted to prevent them from becoming damaged during reentry. The aircraft then pitched down as the atmosphere thickened.

Once final alignment was complete Ferby hovered his hand over the eject button as he thumbed the switch to lower the landing gear.

"Comin' in a little hot, alignment looks good, watch your descent rate." a voice said over the headset. "Roger that, we're good." Ferby said as he continued to hold his hand over the eject button. Once they touched down the drag chute deployed and the Endeavor slowed to a stop well before the end of the runway.

The Endeavor then taxied back to the space plane hanger to be refurbished and fitted with another payload for transport to the station.

[Taki117]

While the Tug was being placed onto the space station construction had begun on a new rocket that would take its crew to the Mun. It would also serve as a test for the lander that would be used on the eventual manned mission to Duna. Once the crew had returned the rocket was placed on the pad.

"Alright, here we go." Milzon said as he finished the countdown. He then hit the button to launch the rocket skywards.

Once the solid rocket boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned and then the rocket began it's pitch and roll program. to put it onto a proper intercept for the Mun.

Once the main lifter had burnt out it was jettisoned to fall back to Kerbin. Once the ship had cleared the atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned and the orbit circularized.

Macdun, Rofen and Milzon made the final preparations to head to the Mun. Once they were completed Milzon fired up the transfer stage and began their burn for the Mun.

Once in orbit around the Mun Macdun picked out an acceptable landing zone and then Mizlon made the preparations to land. Once they were passing over the designated spot Milzon performed their de-orbit burn to bring them down to their designated landing zone.

Once the de-orbit burn had been completed the transfer stage was jettisoned and the landing gear and landing light deployed Milzon then waited for the right moment to perform a suicide burn.

Soon enough the lander touched down safely on the surface of the Mun and Rofen got out ot plant a flag and take a surface sample for return.

Once Rofen had boarded the cabin again Milzon lifted off from the surface and plotted the course back home.

Unfortunately upon arrival the initial aerobrake had burned off the landing gear, fortunately it was determined that this would not be an issue when aerobraking through Duna's atmosphere.

Once it reached the thicker atmosphere the command pod flipped as the higher drag part slowed down faster. The chutes were then deployed which righted the lander and brought it to a safe landing.

[Taki117]

Once the capsule had been recovered and refurbished the docking and science modules were nearing completion. Once they were finished it was loaded onto the launch pad.

Once the station was in position the engines were ignited and the rocket slowly lifted off of the pad.

Once it was clear of the pad it executed its pitch and roll program to put it on the proper heading to intercept the station in orbit.

With the boosters exhausted they are jettiosned and the main lifter ignited. With the auto-pilot in control the rocket continues its ascent.

Once the main lifter had burnt out it was jettisoned and the orbital insertion stage activated. Due to the auto-pilot this stage would be jettisoned in orbit, resulting in an unusual method of disposal, which resulted in the loss of a solar panel. Once in orbit the fairing was also jettisoned.

Once the module was in range of the station the orbital maneuvering stage was jettisoned and the module made its way to dock. After docking the specialized tug was de-orbited to free up the docking port.

[Taki117]

With the Docking Module in place it was time for the Green House, which would provide food, water, and breathable air to the entire station. This would also test the docking port and finalize a procedure for adding modules to the station. Ferby and Nelgan would once again be piloting the Endeavor to accomplish the mission.

The Endeavor Lifted off gently into the air once it had reached takeoff speed. Once it was clear of the runway Ferby raised the landing gear as Nelgan raised the nose to the proper pitch for ascent to orbit.

Once in orbit and after Rendezvous had been completed Ferby moved the Endeavor closer to the docking port so that they could dock with the station. Ferby also opened the cargo bay doors to facilitate cargo transport.

Once Docked with the station Nelgan made his way to the tug and undocked to prepare for the release of the module. Once the cargo had been released Nelgan let it float free of the station before maneuvering the tug into place and capturing it for docking.

Once the mission had been completed Ferby used the newly installed Instrument landing system to bring them to a less than ideal landing. Since neither had been trained on the new system no additional unmanned launches would be needed, however they were scheduled for additional training.

[Taki117]

Once their training was complete Nelgan and Ferby were once again aboard the newly repaired Endeavor and sitting on the runway with a Laboratory module that would provide Kerbal tourists with something to do while staying at the Hotel California.

Ferby lifted the nose while Nelgan raised the landing gear, everything was looking good for this flight.

Once the jet engines could no longer provide thrust Nelgan switched the craft over to space operation mode and then leaned back as the rockets kicked in.

After a very uneventful rendezvous Ferby guided the Endeavor in to dock with the space station. Then the cargo was jettisoned and picked up by Nelgan in the Tug before it was docked to the main truss.

Once again they headed home, the flight going really smoothly as they entered the atmosphere.

The new ILS was useful as they passed through heavy cloud cover just to the west of the Kerbal Space Center as they made their final approach and successful landing.

[Taki117]

(This post goes out to Orionkermin, Thanks for all the parts!)

With the new space station nearing completion it was decided that an emergency escape system should be attached to the station to allow the occupants to return to Kerbin quickly in the event of a catastrophe. Construction began on two of these units to hold a total of 6 kerbals. In a dire emergency two more could be shoved into the service compartment, however this is not their intended use. With the completion of the first rescue vehicle it was rolled onto the pad and prepared for launch.

Milzon counted down as the station moved ever closer to target position. This would be a launch to rendezvous. Once the station was in the proper position the engines ignited and the rocket rose slowly into the air.

Once the boosters had burnt out they were jettisoned and their parachutes activated. Unfortuneately due to the high dynamic pressure the upper tank separated from the lower tank. Since neither piece impacted the rocket the mission continued as planned.

Once it was high enough in the atmosphere the fairings were jettisoned and the forward solar panels deployed. Once the desired apoapsis had been reached the main lifter was jettisoned, the Daikon emergency escape system would handle the circularization and docking. Once clear of the fairing the rear solar panels were also deployed.

(Moho and Eve are both visible in this picture, Eve is the one closest to Kerbol)

Once the Diakon was lined up its engine was shut down and the cover closed to prevent any accidental use which could cause damage to the station. The Daikon is also sent into free drift mode at this time to facilitate docking.

[Taki117]

With Both Diakon Emergency Escape Capsules docked with the main truss it was time for the final module to be taken up and put onto the station. It was loaded onto the Endeavor while Ferby and Nelgan donned their flight suits. Once everything was in place Nelgan and Ferby rolled the aircraft out onto the tarmac and fired up the engines.

As the pair traveled down the runway Ferby leaned back in his seat as Nelgan pulled back on the yolk to bring the nose up while Ferby retracted the landing gear once they were clear of the runway.

They climbed ever higher, levelling out once the passed an altitude of 10km. Once they had begun to lose thrust on the jets Ferby activated the mode selector switch to switch them from atmospheric flight to space flight. They were both pushed back in their seats as the rocket engines fired up.

Once they were safely in orbit Nelgan opened the forward solar arrays and the cargo bay to reveal the last piece of the station. The observation module.

Once the Endeavor had docked it released its payload as Nelgan made his way into the station tug. Once Nelgan undocked he captured the Observation Module. He then moved it into proper position, however due to its necessary orientation, then undocked and quickly moved out of the way, letting the module drift into place.

Nelgan then docked the station tug to a spare port then made his way back to the Endeavor then they undocked and began their descent back to Kerbin with Ferby at the helm.

Once they were 5km from the end of the runway Nelgan lowered the landing gear as Ferby made the final adjustments and armed the drag chute.

Once they touched down the drag chute deployed to assist the brakes in slowing the Endeavor to a stop.

Once they had made it back to the hanger they found Milzon standing on top of a stage that had been erected in the middle of the hanger, with the Discovery parked behind it. "Alright, with the completion of the space station we will be sending tourists into space, each group of 4 tourists will speed two weeks on board the space station. While there they will get to experience life in space, and perform several experiments before returning to Kerbin. Think of it as an advanced space camp!" he said into the microphone. "Now then, who wants to be first?" he asked and almost immediately every hand went up. Milzon smiled and nodded before drawing names from a hat.

"The first Kerbal Space Tourists are going to be...Dudfred! Halvey! Jedwell! and Lulas! Welcome aboard, we will start your, pardon the term, crash course in space flight immediately."