High immersion, IVA only, heavily modded play-through.

[ZeroGravitas]

In this series we will be exploring space in as immersive a way as possible. Missions will have briefings with clear objectives, design documents and post-flight summaries. They will all be flown in IVA or using Probe Command Room, with mods such as TAC life support, RemoteTech 2 to ensure a sufficient challenge. I am using Ackander's Vertical Tech Tree, which I have modded to make higher tech nodes much harder to reach, this is because I am using a wide variety of science mods which give more opportunities to gain science. I do not want the tech tree finished until we have explored a large amount of the solar system.

If this sounds interesting to you, please watch the first episode where I talk about my aims for the play-through and the personal rules I will be using (including construction times for craft and contractual obligations for kerbals). The first episode also includes my first launch, the Aristarchus 1, and will give you a flavour of how future missions will be carried out. If you enjoy it, have some advice or have tried playing KSP in a similar way then please leave a comment below. I hope that most people will be able to either learn something from some of my episodes or at least get some ideas for making their kerbal experience as immersive as possible.

One final thing, I am using KSP 0.23.5 and not 0.24. This is because not all the mods I want to use have been updated, however once that happens I will transfer across if possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIOL8OSHHAk

Edit: If anyone is interested, here are my briefing, design spec, summary and crew rota. (saved as .PDF)

01 Briefing and design specs:

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprYk1CS0FkQmVEcUk/edit?usp=sharing

01 Summary and rota:

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprS01GS2F2NTlwYXc/edit?usp=sharing

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Edit 2 - Useful documents:

Mod List:

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprR1YzbERjaFhuWEU/edit?usp=sharing

Rule Set:

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprUzZyZTlNR2hjS1U/edit?usp=sharing

Edited July 26, 2014 by ZeroGravitas
Added documents

[ZeroGravitas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxOanDoiENw

In episode 2, Bill flies the Aristarchus to take a crew report over the ocean and a 3rd mission is planned to collect science from the upper atmosphere.

02 Briefing and design specs:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprcl94NWwxeU9OVU0/edit?usp=sharing

02 Summary and rota:
http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprWkJMUmtIVFZOWVE/edit?usp=sharing

03 Briefing and design specs:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprYWJDU2FKWm1ESXc/edit?usp=sharing


Coming next week: High altitude flight with the final phase of the Aristarchus program as well as the design and first test of the Hyparchus 2 stage rocket.

[ZeroGravitas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trkQ1SMN4yI

This installment sees the Zero Gravitas space program visit the high atmosphere twice, once on the final flight of the Aristarchus program and then on the test flight of the newly developed 2 stage Hyparchus.

03 Summary and rota:
http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprM0V0cDFzREdubms/edit?usp=sharing


04 Briefing and design:
http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprNVkzTnBqSHFjT0E/edit?usp=sharing


04 Summary and rota:
http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprZm1ZTVR0S3pFVFE/edit?usp=sharing


Next episode the Hyparchus will be fully fueled in an attempt to leave the atmosphere!

[ZeroGravitas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbPEj8PkUTs

We manage to leave the atmosphere and conduct our first research in space!

Briefing and design
http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprcV80bFFtWVFlQ0U/edit?usp=sharing

Summary and rota
http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQpra0N6MjRLVGhSTEU/edit?usp=sharing


Coming up in episode 5 will be a whole new craft, testing a newly unlocked technology, flown by the heroic Jeb Kerman.


I'm really enjoying the challenges of flying IVA only and the slow progression of this modified vertical tech tree. If you've got any queries or suggestions then please feel free to leave them here or in the YouTube comments section.
One final point for anyone struggling to get such a large modlist to work, I found that forcing the game to run in OpenGL eliminated my low-memory crashes and stuttering.

Until next time, ZeroGravitas out.

[ZeroGravitas]

Eratosthenes 1.1 - liquid fuel engine test.

Jebediah flies to space to test the 48-7S rocket. This new vessel also uses fuel venting valves, assorted cameras and a magnetometer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pXlB2tFH2w

Briefing and design

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprV2wtWWZzY1luQXc/edit?usp=sharing

Summary and rota

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprYW1zTVc0S25CSDg/edit?usp=sharing

The lessons our engineers and designers are learning about these liquid fueled rockets are leading to much excited discussion regarding the possibility of reaching a stable orbit in the very near future...

[ZeroGravitas]

Episode 6 is up!

This time watch as Bill becomes the first Kerbal to orbit the planet!

After the successful concept test of the Eratosthenes program last episode a modified craft is designed, built and launched.

This vehicle has proven that science and technology are capable of defeating the old dogma that 'what goes up, must come down'...

... though luckily for Bob, there is plenty of fuel left to de-orbit and return home!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nXv1eC_viE&index=6&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL

Briefing and design

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprNnpXbHdrTFpqVlk/edit?usp=sharing

Summary and rota

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprWG92b21yS0Z6alU/edit?usp=sharing

Next episode I am hoping to do something a little different, the accountants at the KSC do not approve of us dumping half of our liquid fuel and oxidizer and so have demanded that we don't waste so much.

Before the next flight we will need to work out how far our fuel can take us. Bring a calculator!

[ZeroGravitas]

A very different episode for you this time, we spend the time in the orbital mechanics division (OMD), analyzing the flight of the Eratosthenes 2 and calculating an orbit for it's next flight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBeBPWrY9-s&feature=youtu.be

Let me know if you'd like to see more of this kind of thing or if it's better to keep calculations behind the scenes and just focus on vehicle designs and flights. I expect another OMD episode will come when we are planning a Munar flyby, to discuss orbital periods, transfers and phase angles.

Next episode we will test our calculations and hopefully conduct science at 1000 km above the surface!

Thanks for watching.

ZeroGravitas

[ZeroGravitas]

The Eratosthenes 2.1 reaches an orbit which takes it high above Kerbin where many pretty pictures are taken. Things get a little sketchy on re-entry...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nLsbSqe2dE&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL&index=8

Briefing and design

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprcGNKcUYyRFVudGs/edit?usp=sharing

Summary and rota

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprNmFBZlROVU5CUFU/edit?usp=sharing

[ZeroGravitas]

Sorry for the delay between episodes, real life sometimes gets in the way of Kerballing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLEBNK0Us3E&feature=youtu.be

Our first network of communication satellites, the Ptolemy constellation, is put into orbit. This episode also shows our first look at the awesome Probe Command Room mod which provides 'IVA' type functionality to unmanned craft.

Because we are using RemoteTech communication relays are an essential infrastructure. These first satellites only have a very limited range but should allow us to control any craft in low orbit around Kerbin. The satellites also have antennae onboard designed to detect and analyse signals from other sources, and as such these satellites also give us lots of science from these readings carried out in LKO.

Our scientists have been talking avidly about modifications to our astronauts' flight suits, tune in next time to find out what they have been working on...

[ZeroGravitas]

A slight aside to our 'faster-stronger-further' mission progress, we test our new flight suits!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzGChK7maMg

These give our astronauts the ability to leave their pods and do science while floating in the black...

N.B.

- I have also installed a new mod, allowing first person EVA, which is amazing!

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/73799-0-23-FirstPersonEVA?p=1202145&viewfull=1#post1202145

[ZeroGravitas]

Hi KSP fans, again sorry for the delay with uploading these; real life holidays get in the way of gaming... I also need to apologize for the quality of these episodes, especially the sound. I rushed this set of episodes, between packing, planning things with gf etc and did not check my settings, therefore there are times when music/engine noise are too loud to hear what I'm babbling on about (possibly no great loss...). If this is going to be a huge problem for your viewing pleasure then please skip ahead to episode 16, when I will try to be better. Unfortunately I haven't got backups of my old saves, and so cannot go back to redo these ones.

Anyway, these next missions are all probes to the Mun, first a flyby and return, then orbiters and finally landers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlIDkB99aXg&index=11&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL

Craft File:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprTXRfZGFFQmpjT2M/edit?usp=sharing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEvjaOZanEU&index=12&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptmIdDINom8&index=13&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL

Craft File:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprdzNidTRvTFhLSmc/edit?usp=sharing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZiN9BOjb0&index=14&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL

Craft File:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprZXNDTXp4QXJaMkU/edit?usp=sharing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yje5XfLfH8&index=15&list=PL_eXlzK6jd-f228H57xN021USsbJIyPGL

Craft File:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprY2hzR1FIMUZDSEE/edit

[ZeroGravitas]

We begin the process of creating a new satellite communications relay constellation, this time planning to put them in kerbostationary orbit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42coFVfF-XI

Briefing:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprVUpLMXl1MVVqLWs/edit?usp=sharing

Design:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprY1JlLXluMzRkaFk/edit?usp=sharing

Craft File:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprcW5ad0lNU1VpMlE/edit?usp=sharing

(Note: see my mod list if you want this to work - for things like radiators, cameras etc - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4LWS6nNBQprR1YzbERjaFhuWEU/edit?usp=sharing )

Hope you're enjoying this series and thanks to those who have subscribed. I'm not sure how much fun these early episodes are to watch but I'm having a lot of fun playing this way. It seems crazy to think that we're on episode 16, half way through our 3rd year, no Kerbal has gone further than LKO and we haven't even sent a probe to Minmus! Slow progression is what I wanted and it's certainly what we're getting... when I think of how much further there is to go, so many places to visit, so much science to do!

Edited August 25, 2014 by ZeroGravitas

[ZeroGravitas]

Work continues on our second generation CommSat network...

Don't worry though, it'll be finished by next episode so you won't have to watch 3 more identical launches!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBDF9e2EnXo