Season 3 is a single-player game in Science mode. The last stream ended with Science 20, a rocket built around a Mobile Processing Lab, too top-heavy to reach orbit. This one starts by rebuilding it "more like a dart," which takes three tries and one fireball. A new scientist, Milner Kerman, then flies the lab into orbit twice, and the stream ends with Science 25 circling Kerbin, Milner aboard and the batteries empty.
A dart with more rockets
The fix for the top-heavy rocket is more of everything. Rows of extra boosters go around the base, nose cones go on top, then fins, and a long session of staging follows: "Yeah, decoupling is a tricky business." The result is saved as Science 21, a 338-part rocket in seven stages, with Luty Kerman, Scientist, in the Mk1 Command Pod.
On the pad at night, the engines light and the rocket does not move. "Too much weight." The plan is to burn off fuel until it can lift, but the base of the rocket bursts into flame instead, still sitting on the pad.
Luty does not show up on a crew list again this stream. The next version, Science 22, has fins and one stage fewer, and it goes up empty: "let's not kill anybody else." It takes a while to leave the ground and then wobbles through the climb. "It's almost like SAS isn't even on." Once it is clear of the pad, the engines are cut and Science 22 is left to come down on its own while the game goes back to the Space Center.
The Astronaut Complex has a scientist on its list of applicants, and Milner Kerman, Scientist, is enlisted.
Science on the launch pad
The next idea is to earn science without flying. Science 23 gets thermometers, goo canisters and a barometer, and Jebediah Kerman sits in the pod on the pad. The experiments run, but the lab will not take the data. "Interesting. Why can't I store that?" The Mission Summary for Science 23 lists four experiments from the launch pad for +8.3 science, and the total reads 69.
Milner goes to orbit
The extra thermometers come off, and Milner flies Science 24 alone with a slow gravity turn. It reaches orbit, and the materials bay and thermometer work in space near Kerbin. Then the lab hits a snag. Milner moves into it, but nobody is left in the pod, and the experiments will not run. "I guess I need two people."
A burn brings the orbit down, everything but the capsule is dropped, and the commentary worries about the missing heat shield: "I didn't add a heat shield I hope this thing comes with one."
It holds. The parachutes open low over the ocean and the capsule splashes down. The Mission Summary for Science 24 lists a crew report from Kerbin's water, the materials study near Kerbin and "Recovery of a vessel returned from Kerbin orbit," for +1.2 science and a total of 70.
A robot in the pilot's seat
A test on the pad with Jebediah in the pod and Milner in the lab gets the lab working: a materials study can now be processed there, at five science per data. The commentary wonders whether the lab has been toned down since the update.
Science 25 swaps the pilot for a probe core, "a robot," with radial parachutes, and Milner rides in the lab. It climbs to orbit, and the experiments there do pay. "All right, good, so they haven't completely nerfed it." Two problems turn up. There is no antenna ("I forgot to put an antenna on this thing"), and research drains the batteries fast.
The lab stops at 0.068 science with the power gone. The commentary sums it up: "I need an antenna, that we can pilot the ship with a drone, and then have a guy in here to work on the science and we need solar panels."
Where it ends
The research tree shows the Electrics node at 90 science, and the counter reads 70.4. "We need 20 more science." The Tracking Station lists Science 25 orbiting Kerbin, with Science 16 still up there too. The stream ends with Science 25 in orbit and Milner Kerman aboard, the batteries flat. The plan for next time is more science for solar panels and maybe a flyby of the Mun.
