Liquid boosters replace the solid ones, and The Success 2000 XLT reaches Kerbin orbit with fuel to spare. Hilchel Kerman flies on to orbit Minmus, does science and a spacewalk, and starts the long way home.
No kerbals this time. Basket builds an unmanned probe, crashes and reverts it over and over, gets it into orbit around Kerbin, then sends a second one out to orbit the Sun.
Basket XIII is the first craft of Season 2 to reach orbit, then goes on to orbit the Mun with Raysy Kerman aboard. The trip home ends in a fireball on re-entry.
Twelve short launches open Season 2 on GopherCraft's multiplayer server. Basket learns maneuver nodes, SAS and heat shields, and loses several kerbals on re-entry.
The Porcupine I sits on the Mun with Jebediah Kerman aboard. Basket collects science, then tries to fly it home. It lifts off for a few seconds and comes apart on the surface.
The Porcupine I finally leaves the pad with Jebediah Kerman aboard. It wobbles, sheds its bottom stage early, and reaches orbit with a Mun encounter set up.
Basket turns to contracts to raise money for the next Mun trip, flying three solid booster tests over Kerbin. The gear bay test pays off; the booster test keeps slipping away.
A game update brings money and contracts to the race. Basket plants a contract flag on the Mun with Anton Kerman and scrapes together science for the rest.