The Duna Surveyor launches! The satellite will stay in Kerbin Orbit until an appropriate window opens!
Author: sayburstuff
Year 4, Day 230 (Guardian Project Announced!)
KSEA releases plans for the Guardian Project – a mission to detect asteroids near Kerbin that pose a potential threat to Kerbin!
Construction begins on the Guardian Spacecraft, using the basics of the Frontier Probe design. The sattelite will be launched on a Sarnus V Heavy Rocket.
Year 4, Day 226 (Frontier 1 Sarnus Fly-By!)
The Frontier 1 space probe, launched just over a year ago on a high speed course to Sarnus, finally arrives at the distant world! The probe was launched as a test platform for long-range probes, and has succeeded with flying colors! 
Interesting data on Sarnus is recovered, and engineers promise future missions will yield even more results. For now, simply getting a probe this far into space is a major accomplishment for the space program!
Year 4, Day 223
Things are busy at the VAB! Resolute and Enterprise are both being refurbished for their next missions, and the Crew Shuttles Endeavor and Adventure are both being outfitted with the second generation launchers! (Intrepid is currently docked at the Kerbin Space Station – it will be outfitted with a new launcher once it returns!)
Meanwhile, construction has begun on the Duna Surveyor… based off the Mun and Minmus Surveyors, this advanced probe will scan the surface of Duna for future missions!
It’s now just days until Frontier 1 reaches the influence of Sarnus – Kerbin’s longest range probe has worked well so far… although scientists note that the signal strength is only at 70 percent. Hopefully this won’t result in any lost scientific data!
Year 4, Day 217 (Enterprise’s First Mission!)
The Heavy Cargo Shuttle Enterprise blasts off from Cape Kerman!
The launcher disconnects, then guides itself back to the surface. Meanwhile, the Orbital Assist Vehicle (OAV) fires, taking the shuttle to its desired 80k orbit!
The OAV disconnects… and Edan pilots the craft to a rendezvous with the Unity Space Station!
Mission Control – Enterprise is ready to begin installation maneuvers!
-Edan
Uh oh. There’s a small problem! Looks like the Habitat Module wasn’t equipped with a communications device. What a disaster! But… there might be hope.
“I’ll head up there and fix it! Installing an antenna on that thing can’t be too hard!”
-Gilian
KSEA decides to green light the mission – in fact, this will allow testing of a new cargo module for the Crew Shuttle program! The small module will allow a small cargo payload to be carried behind the shuttle, and once emptied will still allow crew to move through the module! It should also solve the problem of where to put solar panels on the crew shuttles. Endeavor is rolled out, and has some antennas put on it that can easily be detached in orbit. No one’s ever tried something quite like this! Rookie engineer Gillian says she’s practiced just this kind of thing underwater, and assures it can’t be that much more difficult in orbit!
Endeavor blasts off, just a few hours after the Enterprise. Val and Gilian take Endeavor into a high orbit….
“Looks like the engine exhaust isn’t heating up the payload beyond what it’s rated for… this might work! ”
-Val
“Alright Edan – I’m pretty close – I see the Unity Station Module… moving in to let Gilian do her work!”
-Val
Endeavor gets very close to the dead-in-space module!
First Gilian connects the antenna… then the solar array!
“Well – that was easy! Heading back to Endeavor!”
-Gilian
Everyone at the Space Center is impressed! Once Module’s onboard systems are powered up, the module moves in to dock with Unity Space Station…
Almost there… 
Connection established! Hopefully the next launch is less dramatic!
Endeavor sets down! Gilian and Val get some well deserved rest!
Next, Enterprise heads down!
Not a perfect first mission for Enterprise, but everything went well in the end! Enterprise tested several new design features of the Heavy Cargo Shuttle – and after the successful flight, similar upgrades will be undertaken on Resolute – including outfitting it with the new Launcher!
Y ear 4, Day 211 (Unity Space Station Core Launched!)
The Unity Space Station core blasts off, carried by the mighty Sarnus V Ultra Heavy Launcher – the most powerful orbital lift vehicle KSEA has available!
The launch goes perfectly… and Unity Space Station sits in its 100k orbit, waiting for the Heavy Cargo Shuttles to deliver its expansions! The construction mission will be Enterprise‘s first mission!
Year 4, Day 203 (Harmony Station First Landing)
Mission Planners determine that the first landing site for the Harmony Science team will be at the Greater Flats, at a site designated HSS LS01. Due to the very low gravity of Minmus, there are several additional biomes the team will check out, marked A through D. (Officially they are catalogued as HSS-LS01-A, etc.
This will be the first mission that makes use of the new telemetry data gathered by the Minmus Surveyor probe, that has been carefully mapping the surface of Minmus for future exploration!
Samner and Robart board the Automated Lander, and head down!
The lander sets the crew down perfectly at HSSLS01-A, the Greater Flats. This is the first time a mission has been conducted entirely by a science team – some of the pilots look a bit nervous about this!
Next, on to HSSLS01-B, a hill on the Lowlands of Minmus!
“This is a pretty precarious landing site! I don’t think we should plant a flag… just in case! We’ll gather all the science data though!”
-Samner
Thankfully, the lander sets down nicely… while the team conducts SCIENCE! The mission needs to stay on a timetable… communications with Kerbin are necessary, due to the remote systems on the lander!
Next, on to HSSLS01-C – the Midlands! This landing goes much better… however not much science is gathered. Hopefully site “D” will have better luck! This time, a more precise landing along the Slopes of Minmus will provide some interesting data. Probably another tricky landing though!
Unfortunately, the last landing site doesn’t yield much more data. However, interesting research was conducted on the Great Flats, the Lowlands, the Slopes, the Midlands, some of it already known, but nonetheless valuable to Kerbin!
As the lander reaches orbit in the first leg of its rendevouse with Harmony Space Station, the crew gets a good look at the region they were just exploring.
“Wow – will you look at that!”
-Robart
The lander docks with Harmony Space Station! However, a small problem has become clear… the station is not equipped to handle refueling of the RCS thrusters that make docking possible! A mission will have to be done soon to resupply the station… and Unity Space Station’s design has already been changed, swapping out two Life Support bays for RCS fuel. This will reduce the amount of time crews can inhabit the station, however it is doubtful a crew would be left without supplies for over a year!
Year 4, Day 202 (Unity Space Station Announced!)
KSEA excitedly announces the next Space Station – Unity Space Station, set for a launch to Mun later this year!
Much like the Harmony Space Station, Unity will allow a small science crew to live for a long period in Munar orbit, conducting multiple Mun landings.
Engineers believe that the symmetrical design of the station will help deal with the problems Harmony had during its delivery to Minmus orbit.
KSEA’s most powerful launcher, a Sarnus V Ultra Heavy will take the station core into orbit, and the station’s last stage will take it into orbit with Mun.
Two Heavy Cargo Shuttle launches will construct the station in Kerbin orbit, delivering the two Habitat Modules! Construction Unity will be the Enterprise‘s first mission!
Year 4, Day 200 (Shuttle Enterprise Announced!)
KSEA announces the development of a new cargo shuttle, the Enterprise!
With multiple missions complete, Shuttle Resolute has proven itself a reliable space vehicle. The orbital construction of thr Harmony Space Station, despite some of the problems, also showed the promise of a reusable orbiter!
However, a KSEA cost study of the Heavy Cargo launches showed that it was not always more efficient than traditional rocket launches.
Enterprise will launch using an updated launch vehcile that consists of two parts – a modified launcher, and a new second stage orbital vehicle, the Orbital Assist Vehicle (OAV).
With enhanced focus on recoverability, this new launcher should make the Heavy Cargo Shuttles the most cost efficient vehicles for orbital launches!
The launcher wont be the only exciting innovation though! Enterprise itself has an improved array of solar panels and a modified docking port which increases cargo bay capacity by 20 percent!
Enterprise also has a new lighting system that engineers say will make the shuttle look “Super Cool”!
The new Cargo Shuttle will carry one of the two modules for the upcoming Mun Space Station, tentatively named “Unity Space Station!”
Year 4, Day 200 (Space Taxi Delivery)
Resolute blasts off! Val pilots the launch, carrying the new Space Taxis into orbit!
Mission Control, this is Resolute – orbit achieved!
The first and second Space Taxis seperate…
The Space Taxi taxis toward the station…
…and docks!
Resolute come in a little hot… and overshoots the runway!
Thankfully, Val spins Resolute around and is ale to set her down!
Success! This launch was also part of a cost study for the Heavy Cargo Shuttle – the report will be out soon!
Kerbal States | Kerbin Space Exploration Administration 