MetricKerbalist

But as I recall, you could get the Mun Rover to translate without using thrust. You could just use the HNIKJL keys. How is that possible?

The translation issue continues to confuse me. In the real world a reaction world cannot cause translation, can it? In the real world you need to thrust some kind of engine to get translation, right? In KSP, where I have not done much work with rovers, I recall that you can translate the vehicle by the HNIIKJL keys. But isn't that completely fictional? Please, anyone jump in.

Hi @Rhomphaia, Thank you. You answered my questions thoroughly and clearly. I am so glad that I raised my original question. I learned a tremendous amount about physics form the instructive answers that you and the others have given me. KSP is so educational -- especially when I have knowledgeable and helpful KSP colleagues like all of you to answer my questions. Stanley

Hi @jimmymcgoochie, And then, please, what would logging the performance do for me? Stanley

That's the problem. I can't run Task Manager. None of the keys nor the mouse is responsive. I honestly doubt that I am running out of RAM. I have 32 gibibytes of RAM on my computer. When I am in the game, it runs beautifully and responsively.

Hi everyone, As I say, that video was very instructive and I watched another one in the links that also taught me a lot. For the first time I understand the meaning of the term moment of inertia -- it is the amount of mass and where the mass is spread out. So, please, I am going to follow up with these questions: True, you don't have to do an engine burn to change the spacecraft's attitude while it is in orbit. I get that now. But you do have to change the orientation of the flywheel (if that is the correct word to use), and changing the orientation of the flywheel requires some kind of fuel, maybe using battery power. Is that correct? When I see the engine throttle moving around on its gimbal, and when I see the fins changing their orientation, none of that causes the spacecraft to change its attitude in the vacuum of orbit. Correct? The flywheel's changing its orientation -- that is what causes the spacecraft to change its attitude. Right? But the flywheel is mechanically connected to the engine gimbal and to the fins. If as an experiment you were to cut that mechanical connection, you could still change the spacecraft's attitude by changing the flywheel's orientation. And now you wouldn't see the engine moving on its gimbal and you wouldn't see the fins changing their direction. Is all of this correct? Thank you for listening to my questions, and thank you for your instructive answers up to now. Stanley

Thank you, @Reactordrone. That video was highly instructive.

Hi KSP colleagues, I downloaded Kerbal Space Program from Steam, and I have version 1.12.0.3140 (WindowsPlay x64). I do not have any mods installed. The game loads quickly and runs fine. Sometimes, however, if I click the wrong thing, it will lock up. For example, I pressed "persistent" to load a flight. KSP then froze and it locked up my computer. I could not exit the game and I could not get my computer to unfreeze. My mouse froze and so did my keyboard. Naturally, I tried Ctrl-Alt-Delete, but to no avail. Finally, I just resorted to turning off my computer with an on-off switch -- obviously, not a good way to turn off one's computer. Here is my question, please: In the future, if the game ever freezes again, is there some way of exiting the game? That would be alright. However, I don't like having to just turn off my computer. Thank you for your consideration. Stanley

Hi everyone, Thank you all for your help. I guess that I am making some progress. I will work on a few things. I appreciate your assistance. Stanley

I got this far. But the spacecraft still will not sit correctly on the launch pad.

Hi everyone, I am trying to figure out how to get Kerbals in my craft. I am playing in Sandbox Mode. In the top left, in blue, I clicked on the icon that says "crew." I got two columns -- one says MK1 Command Pod, and it has one empty seat. The right column says "available crew," and then the column is blank. Then I made my way to the Astronaut Complex. On the left column I have a nine "applicants." On the right column it says "Active Kerbals: 4," and below that I have three columns reading the following: "Available [0]"; "Assigned [4]"; "Lost [0 missing]." Then, below that, everything is blank. I really don't know what to do. Stanley Hi @Geonovast, Thank you. But under my available crew, it is blank. Stanley OK. Hold on a moment, please.

Hi @bewing and @rhomphaia, Well, maybe that's it -- I don't have Kerbals in my spacecraft. But then, could you or someone else please tell me how I put them in the craft. Thank you. Stanley

Hi KSP colleagues, I started a new game in KSP. No matter what rocket I attempt to fly -- including stock rockets that have flown fine for me before -- I get this message: "Warning: No Control! This vessel has no remote-controlled or manned command modules. It won't be controllable." If I attempt to launch the rocket, it will just sit on the launching pad. Could someone please tell me what is causing this. Thank you for your consideration. Stanley

Hi KSP colleagues, I thank all of you for your thought-provoking, informative comments. I think that I am catching on. I believe that the gist of what you are saying is that the reaction wheels could control the rocket's attitude even when the rocket is in orbit. Is this a reasonable synopsis of the discussion? Stanley

First, I would like to thank everyone for their answers. I will ponder everything carefully, Now, regarding the comment that @jimmymcgoochiemade which I am quoting. Here I get confused between using the W, A, S, and D keys and the H, N, I, K, J, and L keys. Are both of those sets RCS controls? So actually, if you or someone else, could kindly expand on that remark, I would appreciate it. Thank you. Stanley

Hi KSP colleagues, I am orbiting Kerbin with a KerbalX stock rocket. But I have seen the phenomenon that I am about to describe with other rockets. I am not using RCS, but I press one of the vector buttons (I think that's the correct term -- you know the buttons to make the rocket move prograde, retrograde, normal, etc.). Also, I may press the W, A, S, or D keys, which causes the fins to change their orientation. If you are in a vacuum, however, then the fin direction should not affect the rocket's attitude if you are not firing an engine, isn't that correct? So I would please like to confirm that the following statement is correct: In the real world the attitude of an oribiting rocket would not change unless you fired an engine. Thank you. Stanley

Thank you, @bewing.

Thanks, @FleshJeb.

Thank you, @Geonovast. Most informative.

Thank you, @Geonovast. Actually, while we are on the subject, what is the re-root tool, please?

Hi KSP colleagues, I understand well enough how to use the move and rotate tools. I don't yet understand the place and re-root tools, but that is not my question here. Could someone please tell me how I turn off these tools. Once one gets lit up, I cannot figure out how to disengage them. Thank you. Stanley

Hi @modus, Good. Let me study the KSP wiki page about CommNet. I was hoping to be led into some avenue that would explain this in some detail. Thank you. Stanley

Not to misinterpret the point of my question, please. I am not criticizing this wonderful KSP game. I just wanted to make sure that I understood the situation.

But wait a moment. Right, the white spots are the poles. However, is Duna's North Pole on top or on the bottom? If the North Pole is on the top -- and I think it is, although I not an expert in Duna -- then the orbital direction is incorrect.

Hi @Geonovast, Here's a screenshot. I am mousing over the image of Duna, but my cursor does not show in the picture. If you mouse over, then Duna starts rotating -- but in the wrong direction, I think. Stanley