Year 14: Some Launches and a Munbase

and Other Ways to Lose Funds

Again we have some empty time without much happening. Time to do some launches! Although in retrospect this ate up a lot of money we should have been saving in order to expand the R&D facility.

First let's launch another Jeb rescue attempt!

We got to orbit but could not get a low-deltaV encounter. We might have to wait a few hundred days in orbit and try again.

The Duna window is opening! Let's see if we can *finally* get that IkeStationZebra expansion contract.

Looking good, but now a year of waiting until it gets there. You'll notice I am using mostly unmanned ships as I can't afford to hire any more Kerbals.

We unwisely took a contract to build a Munbase. Let's send a scoutship to scope out locations.

Nice Corbin maneuver there, automated probe. To be fair we were landing in a pretty hilly region and I was concentrating on the overhead view.

Wait, why are we suddenly losing power? Wow look, an eclipse. The cosmic ballet, etc.

It's a shame you can't get some sort of science bonus for watching things like this. Maybe because this happens all the time due to the Mun's 0° inclination.

We actually managed to get that lander to take off from its side and explore a bit more, returning a surprisingly large amount of science.

Enough scoping, time for action!

The contract calls for room for 10, a science lab, and two scientists! We only had one (recently rescued Kacy) so we had to spend $$$ to recruit Kacy's Hawaiian/Norse twin sister Leaukiki.

Heading for the Mun!

I should have checked the thrust/weight ratios better, this landing engine was just barely big enough.

And we made it! Not shown is the hour we spent trying (and failing) to get those rovers to detach :( The clamp-o-trons somehow didn't mesh right in the VAB. Even resorted to quicksave editing, but that alarmingly made the entire solar system disappear so I guess we are stuck with decorative rovers on the walls.

While the Science twins started churning out lots of research, Herely took a walk around the neighborhood. We landed right near the Armstong Memorial:

Fun times. I think we're going to have to fast-forward soon just because we are more or less out of funds until some missions get places, and it seems like it's a losing proposition trying to make money on local travel.

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