Project Odyssey: adventures getting home from an alternate dimension

[Felbourn]

Having completed the construction of a massive space station over Kerbin by following blueprints discovered near a spacial anomaly on Minmus, a wormhole called "The Gateway" was opened. Now, eight brave Kerbanauts have found themselves stranded in an alternate dimension and desperately want to find a way home. Follow their progress in this epic story of exploration and adventure.

Want to know what has happened so far?

Current Project

Click for YouTube playlist

Project Odyssey is the sequel to Project Gateway.

Previous Project

Click for YouTube playlist

Don't worry if you don't have enough time to watch Gateway first. The short version is:

Bob was experimenting with a potential new energy source and there was an explosion that destabilized the universe. Kesla Kerman created a science instrument to detect the anomalies that had been created. The Kerbanauts got to exploring the anomalies and found blueprints for something called an Eye Ess Ess that had come from another dimension. They did their best to recreate a similar space station in the hope of understanding the anomalies better, even against opposition to its construction. Once the station was complete, the final module called the Omega-13 was docked and... well the rest picks up in Project Odyssey!

MODs, CRAFT files, Etc

Everything is available in my git repo.

Begin with the "install" file for the installation instructions.

Cast

Kranz Kerman

Mission Director

Bob Kerman

Assistant Mission Director

Jebediah Kerman

Chief Pilot

Bill Kerman

Logistics Officer

Joseph Kerman

Head of R&D

Kesla Kerman

Chief Scientist

Valentina Kerman

Mission Director

Neil Kerman

Medical Officer

Svetlana Kerman

Mission Pilot

Hadfield Kerman

Mission Pilot

Segei Kerman

Mission Director, alternate universe

Image TBD

Komalak Kerman

Raptor I Captain, alternate universe

Image TBD

Music

Intro - Take A Chance

"Good" Universe - Five Armies

"Evil" Universe - Devastation and Revenge

VAB - How It Begins

Outro - Easy Lemon

Edited February 27, 2015 by Felbourn

[Geschosskopf]

Very nice stuff as usual. Projects, tips, videography, the works.

[Geschosskopf]

Egad. My comment above was on watching the last few episodes of Gateway. This Odyssey project of yours is amazing from the technical POV of creating your own set of parts on the fly. I don't recall anybody ever doing that before, and I of course have no idea at all how to do any of it. I'm in awe.

[larkvi]

Really enjoying the series, especially since I am learning a lot from the look behind the curtains. I have been trimming my parts folder and it has improved loading time.

I'd love to have the cfg that made the radiators work if you can add it to your post. Also looking forward to the craft files. (I can't get welding working at all on my setup, sadly.)

[Felbourn]

The next episode, coming Monday, will talk about how I am releasing my custom game files.

Following my work is not a simple task, but if you're dedicated then you should be able to eventually get these working.

I'm "releasing" this early as a gift for anyone who follows the forums.

*LINK REMOVED*

It's all in git now, linked in the OP.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Felbourn
gave link a name

[Felbourn]

If you already downloaded the ZIP above, I just added more config files to it in GameData that are required to make my parts work.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Felbourn

[larkvi]

Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree, and I can certainly wait until Monday for the video, but I assume that changing E:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common to the appropriate corresponding directory (/Users/myUserName/Library/Application\ Support/Steam/SteamApps/common/) and then changing all instances of '\' to '/' will be sufficient in order to recompile this using Mono to work on my mac?

In any event, I am going to be picking and choosing some of the changes for one of my other installs, so I might just install parts and changes piecemeal.

[Felbourn]

You'll need all the appropriate source directories with the appropriate mods in them, but yes renaming the directories in the source should work.

[Felbourn]

The elite scientists of Project Gateway had gathered for a staff meeting to discuss the threat posed by the spacial anomalies surrounding Kerbin. The problem was spreading, with spacial and temporal anomalies popping up all across the solar system at an increasing rate. An anomaly opened inside the sun, destabilizing it and sending a massive shock wave toward Kerbin.

Kranz Kerman, Mission Director, calls into the staff meeting to get advise from Joseph Kerman, Lead Engineer, who was running the meeting. Kranz wants to know if the Omega-13, currently docked to the KSS above Kerbin, should be activate and if it will prevent the destruction of Kerbin. Joseph shouts back that it should be activated immediately!

Kranz suddenly finds himself falling out of the air with no idea how he got there.

He lands on the top of the VAB. He can see all across the base from there, and he can't see any Kerbals anywhere. There should be hundreds.

He makes his way to the ground and heads to his office.

He still sees no one on his way there, but intends to make sure the base really is empty by activating the security monitors.

Nothing can be seen on any of the cameras.

He's not alone. Seven other Kerbals fell out of the air just like him.

They land in scattered locations, sometimes alone and sometimes near a friend.

Some of them make their way to Kranz's office where they try to decide what to do next.

Kranz wants everyone to gather in the lecture hall.

Joseph explains that a spacial anomaly opened around the entire base, bringing the base and the eight of them through to another dimension, and possibly even a different time in history. They are alone, with no way to get home to their own dimension.

Kranz wants to know if they really are alone and orders the base be searched.

No one is found, so they reconvene back in the lecture hall a couple hours later. Joseph says their only chance is to get the second half of the Omega-13 artifact from Duna in this dimension. He might be able to use it to create a bridge back to their own world, allowing everyone to get home. Kranz bolsters everyone's morale and declares that they "will make it home!"

They have nothing in orbit, and no staff to help build or launch rockets. They are basically starting from scratch, so a new RemoteTech2 Tracking & Data Relay Satellite called TDRS-C is commissioned.

Watch as the saga begins

Edited April 29, 2014 by Felbourn
story added

[Felbourn]

The new TDRS-C class satellite was ready for testing but they had no launchers. The Kerbal crew set to work making a new cryogenic second stage.

A new part was welded together using UbioWelder with mostly LLL and NearFuture parts. They call it the Minotaur.

Then a new 1.25m core stage was welded together and test. A lot.

Finally it was ready, after much testing, and much failing, so Kranz Kerman gave the order for launch!

They gave it a KTO trajectory. The Minotaur second stage boosted it into a true KSO above Mission Control.

The Minotaur then boosted itself into a Graveyard Orbit with the tiny bit of delta-V it had remaining. Meanwhile, the TDRS-C began deployment.

It extended communications arms.

It opened communications dishes.

It linked itself up with Mission Control and all systems were green!

Back on Alterno Kerbin, the crew gathered outside the Base Housing to celebrate.

Watch as the saga continues

Edited April 30, 2014 by Felbourn
story added

[Felbourn]

It takes two satellites at KSO to provide 99.9% complete RemoteTech coverage.

A second TDRS-C is launched.

TDRS-C2 gets placed almost opposite Alterno Kerbin, but still visible to TDRS-C1.

Some of the leaders gather later in the day to discuss Bill's interest in having redundant backups to everything, including wanting to launch a third otherwise unnecessary TDRS.

In the middle of the discussion, a distress call comes through.

Kranz opens a channel on his big screen, and it's Hadfield! Where'd he come from!?

Hadfield reports that he's in orbit around Mun and has no life support. The crew on the ground has no way to reach him, and even if they did it would never be in time. Hadfield is doomed.

The entire team gathers around Alterno Kerbin's Memorial to say "good night" to Hadfield, lost in space far away.

One day the crew will launch a team to collect his body. Tonight they just take a moment of silence.

Kranz gathers everyone to discuss what just happened.

Joseph explains that wormholes, spacial anomalies, and temporal anomalies are popping up everywhere all the time. They had no way to predict that Hadfield would not have come through with everyone else. He had been trapped in time for a while before coming through. It could happen again. Kranz wants to know how they can predict and stop these from happening. Kesla will work on it.

Watch the saga continue

Edited April 30, 2014 by Felbourn
story

[Felbourn]

Kranz met with Valentina at her request to discuss a troubling situation. On real Kerbin there are hundreds of Kerbals helping keep the program moving forward. Here, there's only the eight of them, and the fuel they had on base. They need a new fuel source.

Valentina gives Kranz a tour of the storage facility to show the remaining fuel levels and explain that they might run out.

However, Kesla has detected a possible fuel source that may exist only in this dimension, or might have simply never been discovered before. He calls it Kethane.

In the research bunker, Kesla and Valentina are giving a demonstration of the new scanner to the leaders.

Such a scanner is then assembled on Kranz's orders.

It gets launched into a low polar orbit.

Meanwhile, a backup TDRS satellite is launched, forming a triangle of communications around Alterno Kerbin.

Watch the saga continue

Edited May 3, 2014 by Felbourn
story

[Felbourn]

I am going to go back and add story to these video links as a history of the show for those who don't have time to watch it all, or who need a reminder of what has happened so far.

[Felbourn]

Week 2 added.

[Felbourn]

Week 3 added.

[Felbourn]

Week 4 added.

[Cubeolus]

Hey Bob,

first of all: Nice Work on your KSS!

I´m tryin to rebuild a certain part of your Station, you named it "GR-2 Heat Radiator". I was able to get rid of the textures so they do look more like the "ISS TCP`s". I also managed to make it non sun tracking (which is a huge thing for me cuz I´m not that familiar with the simplest code editing). Small changes in size is also no problem anymore. Right now I´m stuck with the "waste heat reduction function", I can´t get it to work...

Inside the VAB it tells my that the customized part is able of reducing waste heat, but when I place my station module on the launchpad, I can´t extend my custimized part. I guess I messed up the .CFG file, so my question is, would you be so kind in sharing the code of your Thermal Control Panel?

Would be greatly appreciated.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Cubeolus

[Felbourn]

Hey Bob,

first of all: Nice Work on your KSS!

I´m tryin to rebuild a certain part of your Station, you named it "GR-2 Heat Radiator". I was able to get rid of the textures so they do look more like the "ISS TCP`s". I also managed to make it non sun tracking (which is a huge thing for me cuz I´m not that familiar with the simplest code editing). Small changes in size is also no problem anymore. Right now I´m stuck with the "waste heat reduction function", I can´t get it to work...

Inside the VAB it tells my that the customized part is able of reducing waste heat, but when I place my station module on the launchpad, I can´t extend my custimized part. I guess I messed up the .CFG file, so my question is, would you be so kind in sharing the code of your Thermal Control Panel?

Would be greatly appreciated.

In Project Odyssey I am having problems right now with WasteHeat as well. Maybe 0.23.5 has broken that part of Interstellar. I was actually trying to write my own plugin for WasteHeat so I could stop using Interstellar entirely. I have not gotten very far with it though. Once I get the problem figured out or replaced, I will make a note of that here, and in the show.

[Zephram Kerman]

Just a note to let you know I'm enjoying your whole program. It's obviously a lot of work; I don't know where you find the energy to select a parts pack, balance all the parts' values, tweak them to work together beautifully, and document the whole thing in a series of videos and slide shows. Have you seen any sunlight this week?

[Felbourn]

Craft files in first post updated for May 5th video release

[Felbourn]

If we're going to get to Duna then we need to get to orbit, so Kranz has ordered a new Hydra II capsule and launcher be crafted.

The first launch goes well.

Jeb, Valentina, and Neil are testing the flight capabilities. They are going for one orbit around Mun and then returning.

There is a near miss as the decoupled lower stage is boosted into an orbit that will cause it to return to Kerbin and be destroyed. Lesson learned!

They reach Mun without incident.

They have a free return trajectory that takes them back to Kerbin.

Slight problem on the reentry... they were unexpectedly too high! The service module is decoupled before totally recharging the capsule's batteries, so there is a risk of running out of electricity and life support.

However, all three make it home safely. The next test will be a long duration flight of many orbits around Kerbin to test the life support systems.

Jeb, Valentina, and Neil once again head for the Hydra II.

Jeb crosses the gantry to board the capsule as it sits atop a Chimera launcher and Centaur second stage.

Everyone is ready to head into orbit.

So once again they launch, and settle in to some Kerbal games as the Kit Kats and juice boxes are cracked open to beign their long stay.

Watch the saga continue

Edited May 6, 2014 by Felbourn

[Pondafarr]

Love this series. I think converting to an Odyssey install is a bit much for me, I will definitely keep an eye on this for welding and concepts help

[Glaivas]

The Hydra II craft file have some missing resources. Looking in the craft file and i found that maybe the missing part is Felbourn HydraTrunk.

[Felbourn]

The Hydra II craft file have some missing resources. Looking in the craft file and i found that maybe the missing part is Felbourn HydraTrunk.

Thanks for finding that problem. Try the ZIP now and let me know if it has any other issues?

[Glaivas]

Thanks for the quick fix but the .craft is still invalid.

I used the validator utility of the KSP Mod Admin to find that the missing parts are RCS has show on the picture below:

I hope this is helpful.