adsii1970

Heh, no doubt!

I have that one, too. But on vinyl. Good album. Did you ever have They Nylon Curtain?

That ages me. The very first album I bought was on vinyl. An actual album. Here's a picture of the cover: And my favorite song on that album from all those years ago? (Don't laugh, @Just Jim!) I heard it on SiriusXM yesterday and had to pull out the CDs. I can already see many on the forum cringing already...

Eve 3, Y004 "The slow passage of time, adrift in space." MISSION DAY +21.75 Chapter 86 Now that I'm back in my quarters and Karloff has this watch, it's an excellent time to catch up on the activities of today and yesterday. I know the Committee on Aeronautics and Spaceflight insists that what began as my journal is now the official mission log whenever a vessel under my command is on a mission. Gene reminded me in the last data packet that my journals needed to be more frequent rather than having large gaps between entries. Anything more of a personal nature is required to indicate that it was my "personal log" and not part of the official mission log. I wonder if there is other life in the universe, and if that other intelligent life -- if they have to deal with what we call loodons -- Kermen who make up rules to force others to follow those stupid rules! Our Grand Committee is full of loodons. And unfortunately, Gene and the rest of us in the space program must obey their every rule. Yesterday was relatively quiet. There were a few minor course corrections we had to make. Although Prime Consul Katrine's orders caught everyone off guard, I'm glad our mission has been extended for the sake of our engineering team. The schematics Dr. Angelo provided in the cargo pod specifically for Commander Karloff contained plans for the complete rewiring schematic for the command pod. In the command crew briefing at what would have been late evening KSC time yesterday, Karloff mumbled something like, "Wow, the command deck is supposed to have more lighting?" and with that, touched his communications pad and sent a message for Ensign Triy and Lieutenant Obion meet him on the command deck after the briefing was over. For the next three hours, I watched as nearly every panel and station was ripped apart, new wiring and new interfaces were installed, and sparks would sometimes shoot up from wherever they were working. A few times, Karloff would let out a loud shriek of pain, followed by an unnerving and wicked laugh. But once all the panels and stations were reassembled, Commander Karloff looked at me and said, "Sir, now the moment of truth. Want me to turn on the lights?" And quoting the old texts from the stories of our ancestorial King Tut-Un Jeb-Ahn of legend, I shouted, "May the light of Kerbol shine upon us!" Karloff's smile stretched across his face as he reached down on the primary steerage panel, pressed the internal lights button, and -- a spark shot out! "Now, that's not supposed to happen -- " But before he could finish his sentence, the lights of the command deck flickered from their usual dim glow and began to grow brighter. "Uh, commander," I asked, in a concerned tone. "Our center screen isn't --" "Yes, sir!" Karloff interjected rather excitedly. "Dr. Angelo has new software and hardware I need to install. It will be offline for another thirty minutes. I've already rewired everything under the deck panels that needed to be rewired. Everything that needs to be upgraded now is within the ship's computer or on the screen itself." "Well, commander," I added, "then I suggest you get busy. "Lieutenant Hildi's watch begins in two hours -- " "She'll be done by then, sir." He explained. "According to Dr. Angelo's schematics and instructions, I'll be done in thirty minutes. I don't see any potential problems at this point." And true to his word and the estimate provided by Dr. Angelo, the remaining work was completed in a little less than thirty minutes. The center screen now had features we had asked about in our first after-mission report but was never implemented. We could display the content from any of the screens of the various bridge stations, the external cameras, the ship's trajectory, and communications directly on the center screen. The screen has even more potential, but Karloff said those features would have to be installed once we returned to the Zebulan Kerbin for our major refit. Once Commander Karloff and his merry band of space mechanics were done with the bridge upgrades, off they went to work on computer interfaces within the engineering section. These upgrades were software upgrades with the understanding they would rebalance the engines to conserve our onboard fuel supply. The actual engine upgrades would happen once we return from this mission. Dr. Angelo and Dr. Wernher had included a list of things the next refit would consist of, and at the top of the list was an all-new drive system for the Excursion. The current drive system is highly inefficient, and without a mid-point refueling, we would never have been able to return to Minmus as we are now. We were barely able to return to Kerbin as it was. There will be changes to the superstructure of the ship, too. The slanted docking ports will be removed because we rarely use them. Although it was believed that having docking ports at various angles would allow this ship to be more versatile, it has proven to be more of a design flaw. Other changes will be made, too, such as removing the "podded wings," as we call them, the extensions that hold crew quarters away from the command deck hull. Initially, the Excursion began as a modular design, but those "podded wings" were hard-welded into place over the first few refits. Yesterday's data packet contained information about the shuttle, Jala Kerman. The last time we heard anything about the shuttle was when communication had been lost during the previous minor anomaly when contact was lost as the shuttle began its deorbit burn. Last night's data packet contained information about what happened to the shuttle, where she landed, and her newest mission. It turns out that the shuttle Jala Kerman made an emergency landing at Tulum station without the aid of anything other than radio communications and guidance. Jala Kerman returned to space yesterday afternoon with the first crew of engineers and scientists in preparation for our return in eleven days. This crew, selected by Dr. Angelo and Dr. Wernher, will be doing the bulk of the work on the refit of the Excursion. Yesterday's launch was perfect; as the countdown could be heard on the loudspeakers at the KSC launchpad, everyone aboard the Excursion's small conference room was as excited as I was. I know many Kermen already see shuttle launches as routine, but I do not think I will ever consider any launch that way. "Mission Control, this is Jala Kerman," this was the first time I could hear the shuttle commander's voice above the chatter of my crew. "Request 'go' for roll." "Hey, Captain," Hildi asked, "where's the beep?" She was right! Unlike the previous shuttle launches we had been sent in our data pack, this one didn't contain any beeps. It was then it hit me -- the audio was obvious. The file's audio part was more static-free than we had ever heard. "Well, Ensign," Karloff began, "if you bothered to read all the data packet the Captain shared, you would have read that Dr. Angelo's team has been trying to improve communications between the KSC, the tracking stations, and spacecraft. This is part of the new communications systems." I'll admit, it's a lot of improvement in a week. According to the data packet, this most recent communication upgrade, the same one that the Excursion had installed on our last refit, is referred to as "Phase Two" communications. The shuttles have been retrofitted for now, and all stations and the Excursion have it, in addition to the KSC and New Kerbin City's communications center. Our next refit will see "Phase Three" communications, where we will have direct live video communications, albeit initially limited to just the KSC available. Everything already has this ability, but it is limited to audio-only. There is limited live video capacity, but only in low Kerbin orbit. This upgrade will make it possible throughout Kerbin's sphere of influence and possibly beyond. With the roll complete, the Jala Kerman continued her journey into space. The information in the data packet shows that the shuttle is rapidly becoming too limited in its ability to meet the needs of the space program. When Dr. Wernher initially designed it, his vision was it would be servicing stations in Kerbin's orbit. But Gene saw an opportunity to use it for much more than that. He saw it as a freight platform from the KSC into low Kerbin orbit. We watched and listened as she continued her burn into low Kerbin orbit. Then she reached the second significant milestone of her trip - the four solid rocket boosters were jettisoned and fell back to the surface. Although the chase craft and cameras were focused on the Jala Kerman, we all had watched launches before. Soon, the solid rocket boosters' parachutes would deploy, land in the water near the KSC, and be recovered and sent off for refurbishment. Now, the shuttle and the external fuel tank would continue its journey. The separation happened without any significant issues. We watched as the shuttle rolled away from the now-discarded external fuel tank, shifted its orbit, and prepared for the next part of its mission, the rendezvous, and docking with the Zebulan Kerman. As the following mission report filled the screen, we watched as the crew of the Discovery IV continued their mission to determine the status of the Mün Arch Station. The decision was made early in the station's development to leave a crew landing craft in orbit of the Mün. Unlike the video and audio from the Jala Kerman mission, this one was still full of beeps. But as Karloff pointed out, one-time-use space capsules would not be retrofitted. Only newly constructed capsules would feature the new system. "Discovery IV, this is KSC Control, [BEEP]." It was easy to tell it was Bobak. "We read you. Retraction of solar panels complete. We have received your telemetry. You may proceed with docking with the crew landing vehicle [BEEP]." "Roger, KSC Control." It was the voice of Lieutenant Commander Orvin. "We are now picking up the CLV on our radar. However, we are not receiving any data from its flight computer." "Roger, Discovery IV, [BEEP]." Bobak's voice still sounded confident. "You'll encounter it over the horizon." We watched as the Discovery IV crossed over the terminator, and as Kerbol's light was again visible on the surface of the Mün, the CLV was now in sight. We watched as the two craft came closer together and eventually docked. We listened as Bobak gave the new set of instructions to the crew. They were to land at the Mün Arch Station, see what repairs the station needs, and return to Kerbin. Our mission continues. We did the first of three major maneuver burns earlier this morning on our return to Minmus. I admit the improved lighting on the command deck does make it easier to see what's happening. The improvement to the central screen is quite impressive. Sure, Karloff was able to rig a system where we could see the ship's trajectory on the screen before this update. Dr. Angelo never knew that -- but this new upgrade improves the quality of the display. One of the things about all the space adventure shows we get in the data packets is unless you're orbiting a planet, there's no concept of horizontal alignment. I had a pretty good laugh in the last data packet. One of the Committee on Aeronautics and Space Exploration members became upset at how often the command deck recordings show us flying not with a horizontal orientation of Kerbin. As I relayed the situation to Gene earlier this afternoon, he replied, "What do you expect from a Kerman who has never left the ground!" As we began our burn, I started thinking of all the changes the next refit would bring to this ship. The current configuration has developed from observations of what worked and didn't. The existing command deck is nearly three times the size of the original command deck. We've learned that spaceships must have some form of symmetry along their axis, or the unequal mass distribution causes severe issues. I've also seen my crew expand in size. I now have a crew of five; when we leave orbit next time, we will have a crew of eight. From what Gene has said, the decision to increase the crew's size is based on the need expressed by Karloff for more engineering staff and Hildi's request for an additional person to create a medical team. "Captain," Lieutenant Obion said, "we are coming up on the maneuver node in fifteen minutes." Obion had spent much of today following Karloff around and assisting with updates. Instead of asking to change the rotation schedule, he kept his assigned shift on the command deck. This is another reason for the increased crew size. Longer missions require more crew. With the burn behind us, the next maneuver node will be in another two days. That one will place us on a course to intercept Minmus in four days, nearly a day and a half ahead of schedule. From what the information in the data stick said, Dr. Angelo, Dr. Wernher, and Dr. Haywood are already discussing the next generation of propulsion systems that will be installed beyond our upcoming refit. Gene has claimed these new propulsion systems are nothing more than a hypothetical discussion, but to me, they are fascinating. Dr. Angelo believes that one day, we will be able to travel to Minmus in a matter of hours rather than days and Duna in a matter of days rather than years -- "Captain," I recognized the voice of Triy anywhere. "We have a data packet coming in marked sensitive, restricted delivery." "Route it here, ensign," I said. Suddenly that feeling of uneasiness hit me. These should be the operational orders the Prime Consul mentioned two days ago. The familiar sound of the magnetic locks securing my cabin door could be heard, followed by the familiar glow of blue lights indicating the room was secure. Maxbas was still at the port side botany lab, working on a project involving some growth pods she was sent in the last cargo pod. Although her clearance was the same as Karloff's, I still had to be careful with what information I released to the crew -- including her. As I entered the authentication code, I could not believe the specifics of the orders: These were not just to "go back and see if you can find the alien craft" orders. These were "go back and scan, attempt contact; if no contact, dock and board" orders. Our last encounter wasn't so great. We bumped into the alien craft. This time, we are going to be doing something different. For now, I think I will keep these orders from the crew. The problem I must deal with is how to downplay this mission's dangers without having the crew disregard the risk. Some of the younger members of the crew are already uneasy about returning to Minmus. Maxbas is one of them. If I am not careful in presenting the mission orders to them, I could lose the support of the crew. If the crew does not support this mission, mistakes will be made. This is one mission we don't have much room for mistakes.

Nah, but maybe @AlamoVampire is out and about somewhere.

N 56

Several posts have been removed from this thread. As a reminder, the forum guidelines, which we all must agree to as we create a user account to access this forum state: Forum guideline 2.2d: Insults and threats, stalking, bullying or any other behavior construed to be of a potentially rude, slanderous, accusatory, combative or otherwise harassing nature to/of another person; Forum guideline 2.2n: Flamebaiting, trolling or any other messages made for the purpose of stirring up and otherwise getting a rise from users; Just as a reminder, the OP of the post is about the user interface of KSP2, and by extension, it's comparison to KSP1 and other related games and real world examples can be used. It is okay to discuss the merits of your preference and to discuss why you disagree with other's opinions. It is not acceptable to be disrespectful, to troll, or belittle others who have an opinion you disagree with.

Is someone who better not go to a place that serves frog legs.

Don't be. The forum is here to help you get the most out of the KSP experience! It's full of helpful players.

Amazed Kerbalnaut

If something is important to you in the forum, always save a bookmark in your browser. That's what I do. I have an entire folder within my bookmarks called "KSP Mod OP bookmarks," one called "interesting threads," and another called "Forum games." The forum software is rather stupid at times. There are a lot of times when we, as moderators, have to move stuff around to keep the flow of the forum/threads/subjects where they go. Otherwise, chaos would reign supreme. Disorder and chaos are never good!

That is as a moderation post, not a “it’s playtime post” and the opening sentence states it quite clearly.

Hey, folks, as much as I enjoy tinkering in this thread, it's time for me to put on my moderator's hat... The object of this thread is to "guess who will reply next," for as long as I've participated in this thread, there have been some who have pinged and some who have not pinged who they think will be the next forum member to reply. That's fine. Have fun if you only ping ONE FORUM MEMBER in your post. However, it is not okay to embed the game OP thread, other threads, or any other links into your post. Please keep your posts ON THE TOPIC OF THE THREAD.

Bland.

This already exists; It can be done using action groups 1 through 0 (yes, you can have ten different things "automated" using action groups). You'll have to set them up in the VAB. Since the original KSP, I pretty much have specific keys I use for different things. That way, I never worry about accidentally deploying anything too soon. Trial and error is always the best teacher!

Banned for claiming it's a new page when it's not...

Start my own spaceflight company and call it "SpaceTruckers." If you could choose what your ideal gaming PC would be, what would it be?

To cheat in college classes and stand in complete shock when their professor nails them to the wall! Why do Lego bricks now come in pastel colors?

N 0

Is it a naut or a "did-go?" Anyway, see you around here and there. 9/10.

If you look, the forum software requires that all embedded image files end in an extension that indicates its an image file (bmp, jpg, and png are the most common). I have found the easiest way to make sure Imgur does this is to do the old right-click and copy image link from the dropdown menu. The Imgur "get image link" has been borked for a while now.

Asteroid base building is a challenge and is what I am doing now in a stock game.