Kosmic Debris

Thank you - this is really beautiful work and a perfect fit for what I was looking to create!

Man, can I identify with that. Some of the creative stuff here is absolutely amazing - not just the insane rockets, but some of the beautiful creations. I find myself all about big missions...and failing at them ;-)

Yep, completely agree - very different deal.

Because this one is not discussing resources or game design...simply use of a mod.

This is pretty much my approach; after a lot of design thought I noted two conditions that aren't often discussed. First, the Kethane tanks are empty...so however they get to the surface they need to be landed with regular fuel/oxidizer. Second, a deposit (apparently) does run out, requiring a move of the drilling operation. I haven't done enough to see how long it takes, but that struck me as another reason to have a mobile drilling rig. So my lander is basically a 16K Kethane tank with 4 standard engines, 2 drills, a small Kethane generator for power, a small converter and a scanner. I scan, land, drill (using the generator for power) and refuel using the convertor. Then I have my main conversion plant in low Minmus orbit, and I have nuk-u-lar tugs that move the refined fuel back to my fuel station at 130K around Kerbin. Given that I have a dead-reliable HLV that launches a full orange tank into LKO, I'm questioning the overall approach to some extent. I can basically launch-and-forget...or I can operate the Kethane operation which is frankly a ton of work. From a "realism" perspective the Kethane in-situ fuel generation operation makes sense, but the effort required to get fuel via that vs. just launching it (admittedly wastefully) from Kerbin makes it somewhat questionable long-term.

Yep, this was really the right decision when I realized that the higher orbit would leave insufficient delta-v for a reentry orbit.

Yeah, I've seen some of those designs. I thought I could also create something that would very gently soft dock and give it a push...it wouldn't take much to push it below 69k, probably just 10 m/s or so. I expect it would tumble, but it might get me there.

I get the dichotomy - but in a real world, I think the guy that was told to weld the light to the hatch would have gone "wait a minute". Everyone has to kind of set their own realism bar - I try to build realistic rockets (no Rockets of Doom, cheat parts, etc.) and run a realistic program...but in a Kerbal Universe, sometimes Kerbal Problems call for Kerbal Solutions.

I try to play realistically and be a Good Space Citizen, avoiding space debris. I use a standard HLV stack to loft my stuff into an 80K LKO, using seperatrons to put the final stage (two orange tanks and a mainsail) into a reentry orbit. I recently did a launch to a 130k orbit, and didn't think about the need for either more seperatrons or control so that I could use residual fuel to deorbit. So now I have junk in a 79x130 orbit. Is there a foolproof way to destroy that debris? I definitely don't want to just crash something into it and leave more, smaller junk Thanks!

I thought about both of these. There is a docking port on top and I could just do a little parachute thingie...but I try to be at least somewhat realistic in my space program, and the pod doesn't have a heat shield. If it was anyone other than Jeb...I would probably leave them on duty "forever"; but c'mon...it's JEB! ;-) Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll carefully open the persistence file and then try KAS. I had looked at KAS a while ago but it was kinda out of date...looks like it's back being worked on again. THANKS!

I made a stupid mistake in my space station core and placed a light on the hatch to the PPD-12 Cupola Module capsule. Jeb is now trapped. Are there any options here to get Jeb out?

I haven't tried this yet, but I love the idea - thank you!

Thanks for the question and response - interesting reading It seems more than well within reach even with current capabilities, even on a single launch with a heavy ELV.

A couple of thoughts, just one guy's take. There's a couple of balances being struck here. First, a healthy mod community is going to be (and is already) a very important aspect for the success of the game. Exactly where that line should be, i.e. what should be in the product and what should be left for a mod is a difficult design decision with real economic and community impact. It's not an easy choice, and of course it will change over time...but as the game is in pre-release have a little patience for it to sort out and respect that it's a difficult, complex decision. Personally, I think a good compromise would be a very rudimentary flight computer like the Apollo-era DSKY - you have to know what you want to do, but the computer could execute it. The maneuver nodes are a good graphical approach to this, but I'd like to see something a bit richer. And, as you note, MechJeb is there and will always improve for something more full-featured. Second, it's supposed to be a game - and that balance between game and simulator has always been a dangerous one. Microsoft Flight Simulator died to some extent because it was too much of a simulator...and Microsoft Flight died because it was too much of a game. It would be easy for the designers to fail one way or the other...so in this pre-release phase they're trying things out again. Patience and feedback are the way to handle this, as you're doing. The Kerbaled spaceflight thing is kind of a pet peeve of mine; I personally feel that KSP is heading too much in the direction of being an educational tool and focusing on science...while I believe the real value (in the real world) is learning to live and work in space. The fact that there is nothing useful to do in KSP other than "science" irks me as it mirrors real life - I'm all for science in space and the very real and practical benefits...but I believe strongly there's useful work to be done as we reach out to other planets. Big, bold goals are missing in KSP...as they are in our real-life space programs. I'm thankful for the community members that come up with and execute on big projects - it's inspiring. The public roadmap thing I get completely. I don't think anyone's confused that this is a commercial project - so the need to a) protect features until release and avoid making and breaking commitments is key. I learned the hard way that a very cool feature that takes a ton of time to come up with and implement...can be copied in a week or less if it leaks early. It sucks. So in a nutshell - all valid concerns and it's good to get them out and discussed.

+1 - I got a tour of SpaceX last week and saw them up-close and personal. Amazing engineering (using fuel as hydraulic fluid, etc.) and production - 40/month!