Planet Ideas And Names For The Future Of Kerbal Space Program

[Spanier]

I'd love to see Novas suggestion ingame, as I think the Joolian moons are too small and Jool itself too light

By the way, I', currently testing the Kerbol system in Universe Sandbox with realistic dimensions (radii increased by ~10.6, densities decreased by ~10.6, orbital periods increased by ~3.6). The Rotation of the objects themselves are coherent with their RL counterparts (Eve rotating slowly backwards).

Right now I have everything from Moho to the Mun, but I'll leave Minmus until the very end, cause I have no idea how to stabilize it.

Incidentally Gilly is quite unstable with it's high eccentrity. With a orbital period of ~15 days and inclination of 12°, it's eccentrity goes from initially 0.55 up to 0.70 and back, and the inclination goes down to ~10° and stays their. In some calculations, Gilly got kicked out into a Moho crossing orbit, or slowly got cirularized with an orbital period of just 3 days (I think it might have crashed, if I've run the simulation even longer).

Another thing that astonishes me are the densities of Moho and Gilly, they are really low, Gilly would have evaporated so close to the Sun and Moho is too light to have been formed so close to the sun (Moho: 3.7 g/cm³, Mercury: 5.4 g/cm³)

Edited December 6, 2013 by Spanier

[horndgmium]

I have to agree that adding more stuff to our system would somewhat devalue what we already have. That said, I think diversifying the stuff we already have. To me the most annoying part of the solar system is that it's... flat. Space is 3D, not 2D, and I'd certainly like to have a sphere to play around in rather than a piece of paper.

[DJEN]

I have to agree that adding more stuff to our system would somewhat devalue what we already have. That said, I think diversifying the stuff we already have. To me the most annoying part of the solar system is that it's... flat. Space is 3D, not 2D, and I'd certainly like to have a sphere to play around in rather than a piece of paper.

Well, our system formed in an accretion disc.

Assuming that the Kerbal system was formed in the same way as ours, the Kerbal system being 2D makes sense.

Also, you seem to underestimate the amount of Delta vee used in plane change manuveres. Our current planets are already hard to reach, you know. I agree on the Mun issue though.

[DJEN]

I must say NO to destroyed planets / moons. Seriously ppl this stuff is ugly.

-snip of stupid-

Also, I kinda like how or Kerbol System is as today. Adding more and more planets to the System can lower the value of the indivual bodies in Kerbol. I tend to like more the idea of somewhat little Solar Systems, with a variety of features each. In fact, I would already save GP2 for other Star Sytem, while tweaking what is already present here. Since Kerbin and his moons serves as a tutorials. Then is fair to think the entire Kerbol System as a tutorial also for other Stars Exploration.

Where you would find somewhat unexpected stuff. If you put almost eveything in Kerbol System, there's little incentive to travel all the way there just to see another bunch of spheres. :/ BUT a ringed Gas Giant that it cannot be found in Kerbol... well that's something else!. I suppose the main reason to travel further and further, is because in some other planets there's exotique materials that need to be collected, or the placement offers unique chances to discover new Solar Systems, make science that cannot be made anywhere. etc. Idk you guys, but is pretty apparent to me that more planets is not equal to make KSP better. Adding variety and a buch of stuff to do and discover, forcing you to move here and there is the main factor that drives KSP (Imho at least).

I'd like GP2 to be in the Kerbal system, though.

And a Neptune/Uranus analogue after that.

The Ex-Neptunian dwarf planets may have analogues, but I think we'll be okey with a Quaoar.

Just for funs, a brown dwarf with planets would be nice, too.

As with the broken planet stuff, it's very unrealistic. I agree.

[cziken20]

What about a planet completely cold, grey, bad, volcanic laying somewhere between dres and duna, it would be called something ike Greegoo or some other with "goo" that will have an awesome pretty big, atmospheric moon, that has oxygen, grass is growing, seas are deep, and mountains are high, the moon would be called Goodor (yeah a bit changed name of Endor), that is habitable (but not really), Kerbals can breathe etc?

[KASASpace]

Maybe a "hot-Jupiter" really close to the sun, closer than Moho, or maybe change Moho's orbit a bit and put the gas-giant closer. And how about a gas-giant with a storm that cause drag in almost all directions, except down, so if you go in, you probably won't come out. Maybe on Jool.

[horndgmium]

Well, our system formed in an accretion disc.

Assuming that the Kerbal system was formed in the same way as ours, the Kerbal system being 2D makes sense.

Also, you seem to underestimate the amount of Delta vee used in plane change manuveres. Our current planets are already hard to reach, you know. I agree on the Mun issue though.

Yeah that would take a lot of dV. That would be awful to get to but it'd also give advanced players something new to brag about!

And I just looked up why ours is flat (even though the Kerbol system isn't really a replica of ours... kind of), and essentially it comes from spinning during formation. I was thinking more along the lines of gravitational capture (which would be way more 3D), so I suppose 2D really does make more sense because of the way solar systems form.

Addon: also our planets REALLY need to have more moons. Jupiter has 63, Neptune 18, Uranus 21, Mars even has 2.

Edited December 11, 2013 by horndgmium

[Holo]

Addon: also our planets REALLY need to have more moons. Jupiter has 63, Neptune 18, Uranus 21, Mars even has 2.

This times a thousand. A bunch of Gilly sized bodies orbiting gas planets would be fun. Since they don't even need names (some of the real moons of Jupiter have catchy titles like S/2000 J 11), they could be procedurally generated. It would also add new challenges, since some of the bodies have inclined or even retrograde orbits.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Holo

[mvronsky]

That would be cool.

You could possibly have to observe them first to target them or see your altitude, or you could just do it on the fly with no measurements. I find landing on low gravity planets ridiculously fun...

[mvronsky]

This times a thousand. A bunch of Gilly sized bodies orbiting gas planets would be fun. Since they don't even need names (some of the real moons of Jupiter have catchy titles like S/2000 J 11), they could be procedurally generated. It would also add new challenges, since some of the bodies have inclined or even retrograde orbits.

That would be cool.

You could possibly have to observe them first to target them or see your altitude, or you could just do it on the fly with no measurements. I find landing on low gravity planets ridiculously fun...

[Daisai]

A small planet with a very very eliptic orbit that gets close to Moho on the pe. orbit and as far as Eeloo on the ap.

With a high degree inclination to prevent it from messing with other planets their orbit.

This would make it very challenging to land on it with only a very small window of when this is possible.

Also a planet with rings ofc, which would be cool ones we got asteroids that are in this ring we need to avoid.

[TimMartland]

Some general concepts for changes and addition that are drifting around my head (not to say this is the way they'll be though, we've all gotta generally agree what to implement and this is just my take! Plus discovery mechanics and hence the rest of the system won't happen for many updates)

Jool: Actually the second-smallest gas giant, with unusually large moons. All other gas giants would have objects smaller than or comparable to Moho.

- Laythe: Very volcanic because of its proximity and the tidal forces from the other moons. Still oceans of water, but now with actual active volcanos with lava lakes (that destroy things)

- Vall: Never liked the design of vall too much. I'd like to make it a bit more like eeloo, with large cracks in the ice and a more chaotic surface.

- Tylo: Never liked this either, also needs to be redone. Perhaps turned into a highly-contrasting body like Iapetus.

- More tiny moons: Just a bunch of small moonlets, at least 20. Probably would be nameable by the player or given designations (ex. J-17 for the 17th moon of Jool discovered)

Gas planet 2: ~50% larger than Jool, with rings. Early version shown on a stream a while ago.

- Eeloo: Relocated to orbit GP2, now with large geysers that can knock your ship around (prototyped several weeks ago, they function quite well)

- Daphy: Unusually smooth and round ball of fluff. An asteroid which has accumulated material from the rings, practically no gravity.

- Potatus: Small moon with relatively high inclination relative to GP2's equator. Composed of ices surrounding a highly dense core. Very rapid rotation (21 minutes) causes it to be stretched into an oblate spheroid (prototyped a while ago, the physics actually work and are really cool)

- Fonso: Largest moon, ~300 km radius. Very mountainous, with a thick atmosphere that only extends partway up the mountains (as in, the mountain peaks are in vacuum, while the proper surface is at two atmospheres)

- Tiny moons: Same case as Jool

Gas planet 3: Perhaps not an actual gas planet, could be a 2000km rocky planet with a thick atmosphere (have fun landing under 6g and 30 atmospheres of pressure)

- Moon with rings? Would have to be diffuse rings as well as recent, fully-formed rings wouldn't last long in that position.

Gas planet 4: Who knows.

Beyond: Who knows x2

You heard Nova, Squad! Get to work!!

[RocketscientistV]

I think a planet with an atmosphere, tidally locked to kerbol, orbiting between Duna and Eve that has strong convectional currents would be great, with mountains poking into space, if weather could be made on this, space gliders grazing the peaks.

[Why No Resources]

Can't wait for the second gas giant

[Rockomaxjeb66]

I'd like a large moon orbiting Dres with cryovolcanism and a large inaccessable sub-surface ocean. Called Flutfus.

I'd also like to see a gas giant with a complicated ring system. NO more habitable planets. It just ruins the uniqueness of Kerbin and Laythe.

[cziken20]

Wtah about a planet that is super dense has huge gravity, but is small, and has a moon LARGER than itself? Thr planet can be named Dufer or Dufus or Duhan anything on Du-. That's it.

[WhiteWeasel]

Planets:

Marin:

Small rocky planet 280 km

Atmosphere: yes .15 atm O₂ yes, Height 50 km (the unusual size to density is the planets main quirk)

Lies in between kerbin and duna, a little closer to duna. low eccentricity, 8 degree incline. No moons.

Marins surface is tan much like laythe with blue-purple skies and blue-green seas. The seas cover about 40% of the planet and are mostly even in distribution.

Eileen:

Gas Giant, dark red, 1200 km

Very extreme axial tilt (besides the color, is the Uranus analogue) has (edit) two large moons >150 km and 3 small captured asteroids moons, one of which is in a retrograde orbit. All moons are steeply inclined because of axial tilt. Smallest of the gas giants.

??? more stuff later

Moons:

Mike:

Orbits duna, asteroidal, 24 km

Is on a sub synchronous orbit around duna, (between Ike and duna, also main quirk)

Orbit some what eccentric, very inclined 15 degrees.

Brown in color and fairly rounded.

Edited December 23, 2013 by WhiteWeasel

[Coupon]

I think there should be another moon of eve named "Wall-e" because eve and wall-e are both robots in that movie.

[vexx32]

Merged new suggestion thread into this nice big ol' megathread. Continue.

[Commissioner Tadpole]

I think there should be another moon of eve named "Wall-e" because eve and wall-e are both robots in that movie.

This might not work out. It could result in a lawsuit against SQUAD, and we don't want that.

[Deadpangod3]

This might not work out. It could result in a lawsuit against SQUAD, and we don't want that.

We can rename him wall-k or something.

[Coupon]

or wall-y sounds the same

[Coupon]

Actually, they should add another moon to eve named "Wally". Make sure you have permission from pixar first though. Or rename Gilly to Wally or even Gill-E

Edited December 19, 2013 by Coupon

[Sylandro]

Tilming

Diameter - 18,860 mi

Tracking Station data - " Tilming always has been a wonder to kerbalkind, how did tilming get it's extreme axial tilt? Tilming's discoverer, the eponymous Tilming Kerman, had a insane theory about the eponymous planet. 'The deep space kraken attacked it!' Tilming Kerman said infront of a crowd of enthusiastic scientists. Tilming Kerman was later moved to a mental hospital, despite being a famous astronomer and astophysicist."

Percii (Moon of Tilming)

Diameter - 450 mi

Tracking Station data - "This moon has enough mountains to give Pol a run for it's money, and it's faint enough to cause more eye strain than Gilly. And i'm only talking about the minorities of Percii."

Rupa ( Moon of Tilming )

Diameter - 135 mi

Tracking Station data - "This moon's name loosely translates into 'light red' into the kerbal language. But the name translation, is, err.. Extremely off, Rupa is a deep red, deep enough to be redder than Duna."

Bol (Moon of Tilming)

Diameter - 35 mi

Tracking Station data - "No, it's not Bop with it's p swapped with a l. Or Pol with it's p swapped with a b. Apparently, Bol is named after the eponymous god in the kerbal religion bolism."

Torkulus (Moon of Tilming)

Diameter - 1,610 mi

Tracking Station data - "When Torkulus was first discovered, the naive astronomer who discovered it, thought Torkulus was a 'Second Kerbin', but a couple of weeks after when Torkulus was discovered, the 'seas' turned out to be relatively flat areas of dried basaltic magma. Bummer."

Etnaso (Moon of Tilming)

Diameter - 945 mi

Tracking Station data - " ' Nobody really has information about Etnaso, accept that it looks really sweet. ' Said one kerbal astronomer, which turned out to be a cousin of Tilming Kerman."

Khan (Moon of Tilming)

Diameter - 2,810 mi

Tracking Station data - "The outermost moon of Tilming, and has a ridiculous gravitational pull. Kerbal doomsday theorists contend that one day, Khan, Eve and Tylo may spontaneously combine and crash into Kerbin."

[stellarator]

i have an suggestion... Not exactly for a planet. I think that could appears very cool a semi-destroyed Jaeger (Pcific rim) (or some class of mecha/robot) on the North Pole of laythe or any other moon...