Kerbal Space Program

[jztemple2]

The Optional Steam Transfer for KSP is now available. According to the write-up, this is a one way, can't be undone action. Makes me think I'll hold off on making any decision right now.

[ColdSteel]

The Optional Steam Transfer for KSP is now available. According to the write-up, this is a one way, can't be undone action. Makes me think I'll hold off on making any decision right now.

According to the forums, the Steam version can't be run offline directly from the exe (doing so starts Steam) so I'm leaning towards getting the dev version instead.

[AWS260]

Dunfred Kerman becomes the first kerbonaut to land on Duna and return safely to Kerbin!

Here's the launch vehicle. Kind of ugly, but she gets the job done.



Arriving at Duna. Dunfred used an aerobraking pass through the upper atmosphere to dump the excess velocity from his interplanetary trip.



Drogue chutes deployed (a whole mess of regular chutes would deploy shortly thereafter). Duna's atmosphere is thin, so pack plenty of parachutes!



Dunfred poses happily in front his spacecraft, Laika 1. Seriously, look how happy he is!



After a long trip home, he lands safe and sound in the waters of Kerbin. Hope you like swimming, Dunfred!

[jztemple2]

Dunfred Kerman becomes the first kerbonaut to land on Duna and return safely to Kerbin!

Awesome achievement with that rather ungainly looking vehicle!

Did you use Mechjeb or ORDA or one of the other plugin tools?

[AWS260]

No mods/tools, just vanilla KSP.

[Apollo]

No mods/tools, just vanilla KSP.

That's an absolutely insane design..I'm impressed!

I have just finished a space station with two huge fuel tanks for refueling my future rockets in Kerbin orbit, then sending them on to other planets. I don't think I could field anything capable of getting beyond Duna otherwise.

This game is scratching a gaming itch that nothing I've ever played before could reach.

[AWS260]

That's an absolutely insane design

An earlier version looked a bit nicer. I had originally hoped to use the nuclear engines as "landing legs," but they're too fragile, so I had to add the vertical trusses with real landing legs attached.

I also tried designing a version that used smaller fuel tanks and engines for the initial launch stage, but it just didn't have enough oomph to reach orbit. So I ended up with the garbage cans you see here.

[ColdSteel]

Looks like Dunfred pulled a Gus Grissom there in that last photo. That capsule is goin' DOWN.

[Unagi]

No mods/tools, just vanilla KSP.

Major, Major Applause here.

I tip my hat to you, you are an inspiration !!

[AWS260]

How do you send five astronauts who can't stand each other on the same mission?

Separate capsules!



I call this vessel the Hydra, and it's the first time I've used a mod with KSP. Because the stock game only populates one capsule per spacecraft, I used the Crew Manifest mod to add crew to the additional capsules.

These brave but socially maladjusted Kerbonauts arrived at Eve...



...popped their individual parachutes...



... and regrouped on the surface, looking none-too-thrilled to be stranded together on an alien planet.

[jztemple2]

People on the fence about ordering KSP might want to take a look at this article:

Expansions, DLC and the future of KSP

The statement, in part (my bolding):

We’ve been following closely the ongoing debate about Expansion Packs and DLC on KSP, and after Felipe’s previous explanation about the things that sparked the discussion, we’ve noticed that there are still a few areas that were left pending and that require an explanation:

Above all, is the admittedly quite grey area concerning what constitutes an update or an expansion to KSP and most importantly, what our promise of “all future updates for free” actually means.

We realize there is more than one way to interpret that. Regardless of whether ‘updates’ implies ‘expansions’ or not, it’s quite obvious now that we need to rephrase that statement so everyone knows exactly what they’re getting when they purchase the game.

However, it became clear to us that many might have already taken that statement to mean something else than we did when they bought the game, and so had a different notion of what it was they were getting with their initial purchase.

So given that this was a point of confusion, and that we believe that no matter what, a promise is a promise, we are including Expansions in what you can expect to get for free if you have already bought the game. Also, for those considering purchasing the game, we will maintain this promise for all purchases made until the end of this month (April, 2013).

[Archinerd]

Thanks! Time to buy.

[raydude]

Aaaaaaaaand IN!

[Doomboy]

I have only one question... Do I have to control the vehicles myself, or do the little guys do a good job of it themselves?

I discovered long ago, that I am not up to piloting things in space using Newtonian physics.

Iit looks like a lot of fun. Not so much if I have to take control of vehicles.

[Tokek]

I have only one question... Do I have to control the vehicles myself, or do the little guys do a good job of it themselves?

I discovered long ago, that I am not up to piloting things in space using Newtonian physics.

Iit looks like a lot of fun. Not so much if I have to take control of vehicles.

You control the vehicles yourself, the little guys are just along for the ride. However, there are add-on modules that will do the piloting and docking for you (mechjeb, ORDA) and all you have to do is install the modules as part of your spacecraft when you design it.

You can have total control of your spacecraft from liftoff to landing or you can leave it all to modules that will do all those for you and you just have to watch the show.

[jztemple2]

I have only one question... Do I have to control the vehicles myself, or do the little guys do a good job of it themselves?

I discovered long ago, that I am not up to piloting things in space using Newtonian physics.

Iit looks like a lot of fun. Not so much if I have to take control of vehicles.

You control the vehicles yourself, the little guys are just along for the ride. However, there are add-on modules that will do the piloting and docking for you (mechjeb, ORDA) and all you have to do is install the modules as part of your spacecraft when you design it.

You can have total control of your spacecraft from liftoff to landing or you can leave it all to modules that will do all those for you and you just have to watch the show.

Be aware that the add-ons like Mechjeb and ORDA are fan provided and may not always be updated to reflect the latest KSP release. I know that the guy who originally provided ORDA has dropped it and someone else is tinkering with it. I'm really hoping that the developers make these two add-ons (and hopefully others) official and continued to support them and integrate them into the game.

[AWS260]

I have only one question... Do I have to control the vehicles myself, or do the little guys do a good job of it themselves?

I discovered long ago, that I am not up to piloting things in space using Newtonian physics.

Iit looks like a lot of fun. Not so much if I have to take control of vehicles.

You may find that you enjoy it. It's nothing like the piloting I've seen in space combat games with Newtonian physics -- instead, you're dealing with orbital mechanics. You're pretty much always in orbit around something, so the challenge is figuring out how to alter that orbit to get where you want to go.

I suggest trying trying the tutorials in the demo -- they do a good job of walking you through basic concepts.

[Daehawk]

This guy has some great vids on this game. this episode 12 and the next one 13 are worth watching. He takes a whole space station with detatchable rovers and everything to Jool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjU8DXhhyEM" target="_blank

[Tokek]

I never quite figured out how to do a fuel transfer between docked modules. With the KSP forum down, it's kind of hard to search. Does anyone know what key combo and steps I need to transfer fuels between docked modules?

[Stefan Stirzaker]

Click on fuel tank one then hold alt and click on fuel tank two. A in and out button will appear on each tank allowing you to transfer. Enjoy

[Tokek]

Click on fuel tank one then hold alt and click on fuel tank two. A in and out button will appear on each tank allowing you to transfer. Enjoy

Thank you!!

[Daehawk]

What am I missing by just playing the demo and not buying the game? Is there enough to it to build cool rockets to test over and over? I am not worried about making large stations to orbit or go to other planets or moons.

[AWS260]

What am I missing by just playing the demo and not buying the game? Is there enough to it to build cool rockets to test over and over? I am not worried about making large stations to orbit or go to other planets or moons.

You're missing out on some additional rocket parts, including bigger engines and fuel tanks, as well as the rest of the solar system.

I think the demo is fantastic and good for many hours of enjoyment. If you're having fun with it, keep at it. If you have a hankering to see more of the solar system, consider the full game.

[Hrdina]

After one of my usual launch attempts, Phoenix VIII (with Jeb, Bill, and Bob) made orbit, but had a 97° inclination. Phoenix X went up later (with Adnie, Lubrett, and Kenny) did much better, ending up at about 90. So, I decided to practice a rescue mission. Phoenix X changed planes, matched orbits, and managed to dock with the Phoenix VIII.

I transferred all the liquid fuel into Phoenix X and had it change planes to match up with our new station, LKO Station I, which is a slightly-modified version of the stock station that comes with the game. The docked ships were in a slightly more eccentric orbit, so I just let them cruise around the planet until they met the station at periapsis, about 30 km apart.

The ships got within 100 meters of the station, then killed their relative velocities, undocked from each other, and docked with the station in turn. The first was easy, since it docked with the axial port that was pointed north. The second was a real pain, though, since the port was off-axis and rotated with the station. Jeb eventually got lucky and docked.





So for now I have 8 Kerbals on-orbit together. I haven't yet decided who gets to rotate home, and who stays on the station until the next ship arrives.

[msduncan]

So I started a fresh game with the intentions to simulating the order of how I would run a space program if I started from scratch. So far, I've accomplished the following:

1. Put a dummy satellite in orbit
2. Put a satellite in orbit that took science readings for a brief period before running out of power
3. Put a satellite in orbit that deployed solar panels and has science equipment on board for constant on demand measurements.
4. Put a satellite in orbit that has a camera attached to take photos of the planet from orbit (plus the solar panels for power). Photos below (click to enlarge):





5. Put a satellite in orbit around Mun with science equipment, a camera, and solar panels. I returned some nice close up imagery of the Mun from that probe. See below(click to enlarge):





Next Steps:

A. I plan to test land a probe with a camera on earth to make sure the camera works well on the surface (and the lander lands safely)
B. I will then send a probe to the Mun surface with a camera to give us a look at the surface
C. I will then either send a probe to orbit Minmus (followed up by a prob landing), or I will mount a manned orbit of earth and then a manned exploration of the Mun.

All of this has (so far) been done without any mechjeb or autopilot mods. I did mod in some equipment pieces like the camera though. FLY SAFE!

[msduncan]

For some reason, I now seem to struggle with two major show stoppers in upper stages:

1. Out of control spin
2. Uncontrollable when I try a burn (can't keep it on the target)

Not sure why I'm suddenly having trouble with these... I've wasted the better part of a Sunday with design after design suffering from these two things (or both).

[Apollo]

For some reason, I now seem to struggle with two major show stoppers in upper stages:

1. Out of control spin
2. Uncontrollable when I try a burn (can't keep it on the target)

Not sure why I'm suddenly having trouble with these... I've wasted the better part of a Sunday with design after design suffering from these two things (or both).

Make sure you are using both ASAS and SAS modules. You only need one ASAS but the benefits of the SAS modules stack, so use multiple ones if necessary.

[Daehawk]

Are you using totally new designs or are you copying your old ones?

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Ok, I just bought this off of Steam, and I'm trying to install MechJeb. I've installed the game on my Mac and there are none of the folders that are required on my system. There's just the app itself. Could someone help?

[AWS260]

Maybe this?

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Thanks, that did it.

[msduncan]

My probe made it to the Mun last night and then disaster struck. I ran out of energy before placing myself into an orbit to prepare for unmanned landing. The probe thus missed capture and zipped off into an irregular orbit around Kerbin, eventually spinning off into an orbit around the sun midway between Eve and Kerbin. At some point the orbit around the sun positioned my craft so that the solar panels were getting light and everything came back online.

I decided to try to salvage this probe and poisition it for intercept of Eve. I was careful this time around to make sure the solar panels stayed in the light by periodically doing a readjustment of which direction the craft was facing.

In the end, I managed a flyby of Eve and managed to take some nice close imagery of the planet with my cameras. I didn't have enough fuel to place myself into orbit around the planet, but it was a classic flyby scenario.

I'll post some photos when I get home this afternoon of what I captured.

[AWS260]

That's a pretty awesome Plan B.

[Cortilian]

I wonder if this game is somewhat like Dwarf Fortress. Is it more fun reading about other people playing it?

[Isgrimnur]

IRL, NASA sets orbiting probes so that if they lose control, the satellite won't crash into the planet to contaminate the surface. Orbiting probes have less stringent decontamination procedures than the landers.

[raydude]

IRL, NASA sets orbiting probes so that if they lose control, the satellite won't crash into the planet to contaminate the surface. Orbiting probes have less stringent decontamination procedures than the landers.

What do they do when the probes run out of fuel?

[msduncan]

IRL, NASA sets orbiting probes so that if they lose control, the satellite won't crash into the planet to contaminate the surface. Orbiting probes have less stringent decontamination procedures than the landers.

In this case, my probe was supposed to be a lander to perform science on the surface. I already have an orbital probe around Mun.

When we missed our landing opportunity on Mun we had to repurpose the vehicle.

[Isgrimnur]

IRL, NASA sets orbiting probes so that if they lose control, the satellite won't crash into the planet to contaminate the surface. Orbiting probes have less stringent decontamination procedures than the landers.

What do they do when the probes run out of fuel?

(Note that MRO does not need to move to a higher orbit for planetary protection, as analysis has shown that the bioburden surviving the orbiter’s burn-up in the event of an uncontrolled atmospheric entry meets the required limit.)

[raydude]

IRL, NASA sets orbiting probes so that if they lose control, the satellite won't crash into the planet to contaminate the surface. Orbiting probes have less stringent decontamination procedures than the landers.

What do they do when the probes run out of fuel?

(Note that MRO does not need to move to a higher orbit for planetary protection, as analysis has shown that the bioburden surviving the orbiter’s burn-up in the event of an uncontrolled atmospheric entry meets the required limit.)

Ah okay. You made it sound like NASA parks orbiting probes such that they never crash onto the planet. From experience I know that NASA sometimes turns the last part of an orbiter's mission into a "lets crash into the planet" phase.

[Isgrimnur]

They plan for orbital insertions that will burn up when they de-orbit or decay. The idea is that they make course layouts so that, prior to insertion, there won't be a loss of control that results in a direct planetary surface impact.