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[BigD145]

No, I've had it happen in a stable orbit. I've also had it happen when landed.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Much to Jebediah's delight (side note: "Jebediah's Delight" is a great name for a band, and as of the time this report was finished a few interns began a band of that name), we research general rocketry. Also to his delight, we decide to take the Mk III into space. For...data. Right. One key-binding later, we launch.


<sub>Some kerbonaut in a precarious situation.

Mystery goo continues to fall into the environment. Interns are advised not to try and catch droplets on their tongues like snowflakes.

Eh. Probably nothing.

Goodbye solid fuel. Hello liquid fuel.

A photograph of a flying kerbonaut which has been known to induce nausea at close range. The photo is pretty creepy, too.

Gravity turns are an important part of any flight. Assuming you want to get to space.

There are two camps at the KSSP: Those who think that taking pretty pictures is the best, if not the only, benefit to space travel, and those who think that while other things are more important, the pictures are still really pretty.

Strange symbols were noticed floating above the rocket. Their meaning is unclear.</sub>

We take a couple of goo observations and crew reports on the way up. We reach 40 kilometers, exceeding the Mark Three's previous record, and realize that fuel is starting to grow short. Fifty klicks are reached. We get up to about 65 before our fuel runs out. The command pod is released, in hopes of just a little more thrust...and we slide into space. Real space.


_{Jebediah Kerman recorded lovely music upon exceeding 70,000 kilometers. The meaning of this is unknown.}

We reach an impressive peak of over half a million meters, making some believe that achieving orbit is possible in the Mark Three.


_{I'm out of practice, okay?}

And Jeb attempts EVA only to fall away. Crap. How the hell do you EVA without losing the kerbal?


_{Space is pretty, but it gets kinda dull to do the same things twice because you screwed up.}

We fly into space, this time not screwing up.


<sub>This has little relevance to the previous sentence, I just thought that that mountain looked cool. Oh, and we're in space. Successfully.

Jebediah is seriously creepy when he's happy.

Come on, almost there...</sub>

At T-10 seconds to apoapsis, Jebediah...mistakes the "Staging" button for the "Throttle" button.


_{Damn muscle memory...}

We fall back to Kerbin, having achieved an altitude of nearly 100,000 meters. General consensus is that this is a very big number.


<sub>"If the number is so big, why does it make me feel so small?" --Jebediah Kerman (attributed--Jeb denies ever having said such.)

"WHEEE!" --Jebediah Kerman

"If I hit that island there, would it explode?" --Jebediah Kerman

"Hey, I turned the command pod upside down! Wanna see that again?" --Jebediah Kerman

"Cool, I'm on fire!" --Jebediah Kerman

"Cool, my parachute's on fire too!" --Jebediah Kerman
Actually, we're starting to doubt that attributed quote now. Poetry isn't really Jeb's strong suit.

Neither are looks.

Still, he's brave, he's a damn good pilot, and he owns a junkyard. What more could you ask for?</sub>

At eight minutes from liftoff on the dot, Jebediah splashes down in the ocean. Science is recovered.


_{1. I sent back all but one of the crew reports by radio. 2. I didn't, technically, purchase Advanced Rocketry until after the flight. On that note...}

We have a new technology available!


_{Another pamphlet. You guys are saving them, right? Our graphic design guys sure aren't.}

We can research Survivability or get six more Science and get one of the other three available technologies. It wouldn't hurt to get some plans for the future, too. Mountains? Orbit? Orbital mountains?

Oh, and kerbals float. So he could have gotten us even more science.

Oh, NOW you tell me that! (My only previous experience with kerbals and water was Jeb hitting the water at a significant velocity.)

As for tech, we need the chutes one. It leads to solar power, more science and landing gear.

Try voting before I start the update next time. Should I count this as your tech vote for tomorrow's update?

Sometimes Kerbals will not grab the pod when they exit.

Any idea how to make it not happen?

Only when it is going too fast.

Define "too fast".

[WillowLuman]

Once the parachute opens and the craft is drifting gently down, that should be slow enough. Also, Kerbals usually don't fall off in Space, and if you're in Space proper, you can jetpack back to the ship.

[Aseaheru]

Too fast is still under acceleration.

And yes, that vote is for tomorrow.

[BigD145]

Kerbals get very excited when exiting capsules and forget to grab the handholds, even when the craft is going 0m/s relative to the body their have landed on. Perhaps an update of the universe will help in the future.

More science instruments are needed! The faster you get those the less repetition you'll be doing going to past locations. You also won't have power problems with all those scientific instruments.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Once the parachute opens and the craft is drifting gently down, that should be slow enough. Also, Kerbals usually don't fall off in Space, and if you're in Space proper, you can jetpack back to the ship.

I suck with jetpacks. And he was drifting away fast somehow.
It should have been space-proper.

More science instruments are needed! The faster you get those the less repetition you'll be doing going to past locations. You also won't have power problems with all those scientific instruments.

Which technology gives us more science, praytell?

[Aseaheru]

Survivalbility leads direct to more science.

[BigD145]

Oh right. There's an idea. Make a hovercraft with a deck to get midair observations outside the capsule with a kerbal.

The bottom line on the tech tree, but not the rover stuff, is batteries and solar and science instruments.

[Twi]

Survivability. Little engine + landing gear+ parachutes= go hover around and get ye biomes.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Jebediah rejects the idea of hovercraft, bit Bob volunteers to pilot one in his stead.

I'm not sure how to do that, but I imagine that I can find instructions.


P.S. What does everyone think about my updating schedule?

[Aklyon]

If you push enough on-screen buttons in enough screens, eventually you'll find the astronaut menu and the pilot one.

[GreatWyrmGold]

If you push enough on-screen buttons in enough screens, eventually you'll find the astronaut menu and the pilot one.

[Twi]

It's one  of the tabs in teh building screens, IIRC.

[BigD145]

The blue buttons in the middle left at the top of the screen in VAB.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Oh, that menu.

And?