Illumia national Space Program. [Picture Heavy]

[Illumia-Star]

“The Illumia Space Program is the combined efforts of many major corperations on Kerlunia, a southern island continent on Kerbin. It is a pinnacle of space engineering, and a beacon into the future. Of course the world of warp-drives and time travel is far off from the primitive SRB we have now, but we can hopeâ€â€right?â€Â

-Gene Kerman, I.S.P’s Flight Director.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my mission blog! I've been meaning to do this for a while, but just haven't found the time to sit down and start the blog. You'll have to excuse any spelling/grammar/punctuation, because I’m not the most literate person ever (Not because English is a second language, mostly because I just have real trouble with them!).

This program will follow the I.S.P’s progress from launching command-pods strapped to SRB’s to huge motherships that will take crews of fifteen to the likes of Duna and Jool.

Hope you all enjoy. Just a few things to note beforehand:

1.My pc isn’t the best, so don’t expect eye-candy screenshots. I’ll try my best to make them look pretty for you though!

2.I am using mods, but nothing gamebreaking. Mainly things like Kerbal Alarm Clock, Eviromental Visual Enhancements and Better Navball. But I also have a few part packs like B-9 Aerospace and KW-rocketry!

3.If you enjoy or like my blog/mission reports, please feel free to rep! (That’s the star button if you didn’t know!). But you don’t have to!

4.Feel free to leave criticism, reminders, advice and/or suggestions for missions.

Mission 1 complete: Tricube 1 in a 350,000 orbit around Kerbin, equtorial.

Mission 2: To be started.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Illumia-Star

[Illumia-Star]

Bob: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I think you know why we’re here today.â€Â

Jebediah: “Whoo!â€Â

Bob: “Yes, thank you Jeb..Now. Today marks the start of a new era of space exploration, and this time we’re being a bit more serious about it. No more Solid Rocket Boosters strung together with tape-â€Â

Bill: “Well, it was space-tape. Space-Tape fixes everything.â€Â

Bob: “As true as that is Bill, it just isn’t up to the safety standards we expect from a Space Program! Now. Our first mission as a program will be to put something in LKO. A communication satellite I assume, or something of the sort, and to develop a stage capable of getting light loads into orbit. To answer one of these, we’ve developed the Tri-Cube. And to answer the other, we have the Aurora light Lifter Stage.

The launch is scheduled for tomorrow morning. I very much hope you can all attend.â€Â

The Tri-Cube 1, a small Com-Sat design for LKO communications.

The Tri-Cube inside the fairing of the Aurora lifter stage.

With the new rocket rolled out to the pad, everything was set for the launch of the ISP Tri-Cube 1. But, moments from hitting the spacebar, I realize my error in the staging! If I’d continued I would’ve decoupled my SRBS! Phew! Thankfully Gene hit in some commands to rearrange the sequencing and the countdown begun. The engines spooled up, and then the clamps holding them down were released. The first of, hopefully, many successes were away into the infinite blue!

Gene: “Tri-Cube 1 has cleared the five thousand meter mark. We’re safely underway onto space, good job everyone. Take five. Hey, Erlock?â€Â

Erlock: *Looks over from the computer-control system* “Yes sir?â€Â

Gene: “We DID use proper strutting on this, right?â€Â

Erlock: “Errr…â€Â

Tri-Cube 1: "I can see my house from here!..Y'know, if I had a house that is."

After a realization from Mission Control that our rocket had no proper strutting, we had to take it careful with the gravity turn. Wobbling was a problem, but thankfully we could jettison the Solid fuel boosters with no problem. The liquid engine throttled up to full power, from where it was at 50% to conserve fuel, and boost us further into space. They splashed down somewhere in the ocean, ready to be used again.

The fairings are ditched, and the first stage drops away.

Billy-Bobile: “Hey, Samden..Yo’ reckon we could strap some Kerbals onto that rocket? Y’know, go places..â€Â

Samden: *Sighs* “That’s the point, Billy. But we need communications first or else we can’t do anything.â€Â

Billy-Boblie: “Soo..We’re not making giant fireworks?â€Â

Samden: “No, Billy. No fireworks. That’d be bad if we were to, as you say, strap Kerbals onto that rocket. (How did you get hired again?..)â€Â

Whilst Samden, scientific director and second in command of the R&D center, and Billy-Boblie, head engineer of the VAB, discussed on the ground the logistics of strapping Kerbals to a rocket, said rocket was reaching Apoapsis and getting ready to circularize. I ended up putting this thing in a 350,00 AP by 346,000 PA orbit. Pretty good circularization skills, if I do say so myself!

Beauty-shot of Kerbin, with the probe fully deployed and the booster ready to burn retrograde to return home.

Gene: “Are you sure this will work Wernher?â€Â

Wernher Von Kerman: “Abosovutely! My designs are flawless!â€Â

Gene: “Well, hope you’re right. Begin Smart-deorbit in T-15.â€Â

Erlock: “Commencing burn in T-15 seconds!â€Â

The Smart Deorbit was a probe core on the booster stage, really. I like to keep things tidy, so this was the most effective way to return our booster stage to Kerbin. Not much to say but it made some pretty lights on the way down!

"Nyyyooom!"

Billy-Bobile's reaction to watching the re-entry of the booster stage.

Missions to come in the Tri-Cube program:

Tri-Cube 2-Polar orbit.

Tri-Cube 3-Geosychronous orbit over KSC.

Tri-Cube 4-Orbit around Mun.

Tri-Cube 5-Orbit around Minmus.

Tri-Cube 6 (Last)-First object to leave Kerbin’s SOI.