The Pathfinder 1 probe blasts off from the space center!
In 200 days it will perform a small maneuver that should allow an intercept with Laythe!
Author: sayburstuff
Year 8, Day 90 (Pathfinder 1 Launches!)
Pathfinder 1 blasts off from the Space Center!
Carried on the new Jool-4 Rocket, a variant of the Jool series of rockets, Pathfinder will have the greatest range of any probe ever built, even exceeding the Kerbol series of solar probes!
Year 8, Day 63 (CryoLab Update!)
It’s been 100 days since Cryolab was put into orbit, and Mirphe pilots Intrepid launches to check on the crew! Bill is along for the mission to see how the lab (and crew!) have held up. 
Docking complete! Go see if our guys are OK Bill!
-Mirphe
Luly, Shepely, and Bob all thaw from their cryogenic sleep!
“Wow – feels like I just fell asleep!”
-Bob
Bill checks the crew and the Cryo equipment out…
Everybody and everything seem to check out! I think we’re good to head back to the Space Center!
-Bill
I’m in the pipe – five by five!
-Mirphe
An (almost) perfect landing! One of the dorsal airbrakes took some damage, but repairs shouldn’t be a problem. The Cryo-crew is taken directly to the medlab!
Year 8, Day 62 (Pathfinder 1 Officially Announced!)
The Pathfinder Mission is announced! After a long development period KSEA is confident that Pathfinder is ready to go!
This revolutionary deep space probe is based of the Kerbol 1 and 2 probes, and will be launched to Laythe, the closest moon of Jool.
First, a scanning probe will be launched to survey the moon for appropriate landing sites. Then, two probes will land, the first designed solely for terrestrial landings, the second a multi-purpose probe that has been designed for both aquatic and terrestrial landing.
Year 8, Day 50 (Moho Rocket Launches Pathfinder Test Payload)
After the unsatisfactory performance of the lander probe designed for Pathfinder, KSEA wanted to test the upgraded lander as soon as possible. However even with Resolute on stand-by using a Heavy Cargo Shuttle to launch such a small payload seems like a waste.
Engineers have been looking for a payload to test the new aerospike based Moho Rocket however, and this is as good a time as any!
The Aerospike rocket is a revolutionary design in rockets, or so the team that designed it claim!
The Moho Rocket blasts off!
So far so good – the aerospike engine is performing extremely well at all altitudes!
The lander ejects from its fairing and goes soaring away from the Moho Rocket!
The heat shield holds as the probe flies through the atmosphere!
The parachute deploys and the lander slowly heads down to the highlands below!
A picture perfect landing. Unfortunately, the test-send of the probe’s sensors showed that power was still insufficient!
“I think we should be able to cram a few more batteries on that thing!”
-Chrisnic
Year 8, Day 48 (Enterprise Finishes Testing Pathfinder Payloads)
Enterprise launches the last Pathfinder payload – the Mk8 Atmospheric Scanner.
Equipped with a multspectral scanner and enough deltaV to allow a wide range of deployments, the Mk8 will be the first Pathfinder probe launched to survey the surface for the two remote landers.
The scanner and probe perform perfectly, and the green light is given to include this design on Pathfinder!
Alright, time to take Enterprise home!
–Mirphe
Enterprise streaks through the clouds toward the Space Center!
Ok – got the Center on visual… Enterprise is handling a little strange today – that or it’s been a while since I’ve landed a Heavy Cargo Shuttle!!
-Mirphe
Thankfully Mirphe and Chrisnic set down safely! Enterprise is taken to prepare for it’s next launch, but not before Chrisnic and the rest of the engineering team see if there’s any mechanical explanation for the shuttles odd handling!
Year 8, Day 47 (Enterprise Tests Pathfinder Payloads)
Enterprise launches the next Pathfinder test payload, the Mk7 Atmospheric Probe – designed for landing on terrestrial targets, the lander has the typical 4 leg design of a lander, but with additional fuel for precise landings and in some cases, jumps on planet surfaces!
The burn to fall out of orbit goes well, however engineers already see a problem – power levels are fairly low, additional batteries or perhaps even a solar array might be called for! Additionally, communications systems on the craft seem insufficient – a more powerful antenna is needed!
In all the test is mostly successful, engineers start work right away on an upgraded design for the Mk7 probe!
Year 8, Day 46 (Enterprise Tests Pathfinder Payloads)
As part of the upcoming Pathfinder missions, several probe designs need real-world testing, beyond what a simple simulation can provide.
To help facilitate this, Enterprise is loaded with 3 of the new probes and heads to the launchpad! Mirphe will be piloting the shuttle, and Chrisnic will be onboard to supervise the launches!
So far so good! Launcher is away, circularizing Enterprise’s orbit!
-Mirphe
Once Enterprise is in a stable orbit, the cargo bay doors open – time to test some probes! The first launch is the Mk 6 Atmospheric Probe – designed for water landings on Laythe, Jool’s closest moon and Kerbin-look-a-like!
Probe is away! Remote systems responding… sending it for a water landing!
The probe drifts away from Enterprise until it’s time to fire the retro rockets that will take it to the surface…
Probe is on course – all systems nominal!
-Chrisnic
The parachute deploys, and the probe drifts slowly to the ocean surface!
Splashdown! The probe lands safely and the solar panels deploy – all systems seem to be working perfectly!
“I’d call that a success!”
-Mirphe
KSEA Search and Rescue heads out to recover the probe, and the Enterprise crew rests for a day before the next launch!
Year 8, Day 40 (Kerbol Two Update)
Kerbol 2 is just 4 days from its closest point with the sun, so the massive heat shield deploys!
The crafts radiators also fully deploy, and Mission Control waits as the probe speeds closer and closer to the sun!
Even with the massive heat shield and the radiators onboard the probe, things get very, very hot. KSEA isn’t sure if the craft will survive its first pass – perhaps the initial flyby was too close?
At 207k above the sun’s surface the first heat alarm goes off – nothing critical, but Kerbol Two is rapidly approaching its redline! 
Kerbol 2 finally dips below 200k, and so far heat readings are within tolerances… barely! 
Kerbol 2 makes it below 140k! The heat shield begins glowling an unsettling shade of red!
Kerbol 2 drops below 130km… The onboard thermostat reads at 440.71k – very hot!
Kerbol 2 drops below 120k! Temperature reads… 445.3k!
That’s it… it just dropped below 100k….
At 95km new heat alarms go off – the craft might be approaching its limits! Even dipping below 90km, the craft seems to be holding together!
At 80.4km communications are suddenly lost, and the craft shrieks out its last scientific data…. Kerbol 2 is gone!
While it was highly expected that Kerbol 2 would not survive it was nonetheless disappointing that the mission ended in a giant explosion. Already though plans are being drawn up for Kerbol 3, which will have even more heat shielding!
Year 7, Day 405 (New Deep Space Probe Announced)
KSEA scientists begin working on a new “next generation” deep space probe design, based on the Kerbol 2 deep space probe, tentatively called “New Frontier“.
The long distance probe will have greater range than previous probes and have the capability of launching a mission-specific payload, for example an atmospheric probe or possibly a small rover.
Kerbal States | Kerbin Space Exploration Administration 