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KSP Weekly: The FELT


SQUAD

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Welcome to KSP Weekly everyone. This week we’ll talk about an unusual stellar explosion captured by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, a discovery recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The Kepler Space Telescope, famous for finding exoplanets, has also been valuable in tracking exploding stars known as supernova. Supernovae, as you might already know, are transient astronomical events that occur during the last stellar evolutionary stages of a massive star’s life, their destruction is marked by one final titanic explosion. Through creative engineering, Kepler has gained a second life in finding both exoplanets and other astrophysical phenomena. Its current observation campaign is a rare opportunity to coordinate with ground-based telescopes to look for supernovae.

This was the case when astronomer Ed Shaya was in his office looking at data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope in 2012 when he noticed something strange: The light from a galaxy had quickly brightened by 10 percent. The sudden increase in light got Shaya instantly excited, but also nervous, since it could be the sign of a computer error. The other possible explanation was the detection of a massive explosion of a star. Rather than celebrate, he thought, “Did I make a mistake? Am I doing this all wrong?”

Stellar explosions forge and distribute materials that make up the world in which we live, and also hold clues to how fast the universe is expanding. By understanding supernova, scientists can unlock mysteries that are key to what we are made of and the fate of our universe. But to get the full picture, scientists must observe many supernovae from a variety of perspectives, especially in the first moments of the explosion, something that’s really difficult, since there’s no way to know when or where a supernova might happen next.

A small group of astronomers, including Shaya, realized the Kepler telescope could offer a new technique for supernova-hunting. Launched in 2009, Kepler is best known for having discovered thousands of exoplanets. But as a telescope that stares at single patches of space for long periods of time, it can capture a vast trove of other cosmic treasures, for example the kind that change rapidly or pop in and out of view, like supernovae.

Usually when supernova events happen, there’s a very rapid increase in brightness followed by a slow fading over several weeks. But a puzzling, much more rapid rise and fall has been seen on rare occasions, an event known as a Fast-Evolving Luminous Transient, or FELT. Because they are so short lived, only a few FELTs have been observed over the past decade and multiple theories have been advanced to explain them. But now the planet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope, equipped with a powerful camera built to record subtle changes in light intensity, caught a FELT in the act, capturing in detail the enormous rise in brightness and quick fade to black. Click here to see an animation of a FELT explosion.

This data, which contains the whole light curve, helps scientists to analyze the mechanism and the properties of the blast. Because of that they could exclude alternate theories and arrive at the dense-shell model explanation. The “dense-shell model” holds that the original star ejected a thick shell of gas in a “near-death experience”, about a year before its core collapsed, triggering the supernova event. When the high-energy shock wave from the collapse ran into the surrounding gas shell, most of the kinetic energy was converted into a brilliant burst of light. The blast then quickly faded from view in about a tenth of the time needed by a typical supernova.

This wealth of data allowed scientists to disentangle the physical properties of the phantom blast, such as how much material the star expelled at the end of its life and the hypersonic speed of the explosion. Thanks to Kepler and its observations, for the first time ever, scientists were able to test FELT models to a high degree of accuracy and connect theories to observations. Maybe Kerbals could one day launch space telescopes to explore the vastness of the celestial vault.

[Development news start here]

We are back! Fully rested and ready to continue with more Kerbal development. Last week we released Update 1.4.2 and with it the first patch of Kerbal Space Program: Making History Expansion. This doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped compiling feedback, in fact it’s the opposite. We are continuing to read and compile all the feedback and bug information and we aim to provide our players with substantial patches that address issues with both the base game and the expansion. We are always looking for aspects to improve and to add to the Kerbal experience.

While we are on the topic of patches and improvements, we are working on the next patch. This next patch will include a few improvements and various bug fixes. For instance, in the base game we have tweaked the camera system to almost completely eliminate the green line that has been appearing over water surfaces. Additionally, we have fixed the issue that was causing excessive drag in fairings, some UI offset issues that were appearing in Linux, the problem that made landing legs explode sometimes when these got in contact with the ground, among several others.

On the other hand, the Making History side of the patch will correct the model scale of the size 4 fairings, as well as improving the symmetry of the textures of various structural panels. Issues such as the test orbits not being shown and spamming log when going from the Mission Builder to the Tracking Station, as well as fixing the orientation of mobile launch sites to match their placement in the GAP. There is of course a greater list of improvements and fixes to be included in this patch.

It is noteworthy that a lot of the stuff that we are currently working on comes from all the feedback and suggestions that our community is providing us with, so we want to thank you all for your help and support. Stay tuned for more information and details about this upcoming release, and more information about future content and surprises for both console and PC players.

Don’t forget that you can also share and download missions on Curse, KerbalX, and the KSP Forum.

That’s it for this week. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!

 

Happy launchings!

 

 

*Information Source:

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Thank you, Squad!!!

2 minutes ago, Avera9eJoe said:

Good to hear there's a patch coming out for the expansion! Would love to hear the fairing drag bug addressed as well?

They just said it was

10 minutes ago, SQUAD said:

Additionally, we have fixed the issue that was causing excessive drag in fairings,

 

Edited by Just Jim
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3 minutes ago, luizopiloto said:

They already do:

Nice!!!

35 minutes ago, Azimech said:

Thanks everyone! I'll write that bug report now.

What bug? It may have already been written up, in which case you could add any additional info you have, but not have to write up the whole thing.

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2 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Nice!!!

What bug? It may have already been written up, in which case you could add any additional info you have, but not have to write up the whole thing.

I do scan the list every time ;-)

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Just wondering if the patch (1.4.3?) will drop when it's ready like 1.4.2 or if there is a time frame?  I think modders would like to know as many don't seem to be bothered to recompile with the minor update last time.

 

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6 minutes ago, theJesuit said:

Just wondering if the patch (1.4.3?) will drop when it's ready like 1.4.2 or if there is a time frame?  I think modders would like to know as many don't seem to be bothered to recompile with the minor update last time.

I can't say definitively, but from experience, I know it often depends on the bugs themselves that are being addressed. Sometimes they're really easy fixes, other times they can be aggravating pains in the butt to track down and squash. So often times @SQUAD doesn't really know exactly when the patch will be ready, until it's ready. All I know for sure is they're working as fast as possible to locate, isolate, and squash these little buggers.

Edited by Just Jim
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Since i would prefer to have the new Version right now...

..take the time to get it right, this time. no rushing needed. I can wait... ...eh all others can wait i want it NOW!

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@SQUAD PLEASE take your time and quality-check the kraken out of the next release. You've changed my gaming habits dramatically since the last rush-job, ya know. I'd like to get back to it ASAP, and of the mind once more that you all actually want veteran players to stick around. I'm sure you don't want to waste your time, the same as I don't want to be annoyed by the game I choose to waste most of my free time on...

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I'm glad to see the "sometimes" exploding landing legs are being addressed. No "sometimes" for me. Take a stock Kerbal-X, remove all of the lower stages in the VAB and spawn it on the Launchpad with landing legs extended. It'll kaboom every single time for me. 

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25 minutes ago, LameLefty said:

I'm glad to see the "sometimes" exploding landing legs are being addressed. No "sometimes" for me. Take a stock Kerbal-X, remove all of the lower stages in the VAB and spawn it on the Launchpad with landing legs extended. It'll kaboom every single time for me. 

Weird as it seems, I'm rebuilding my Emiko Station game in 1.4.2, and I have't really had a problem with the legs on my last few landers. And I don't know why.

But bugs are like that. Some people get them, others don't... the tricky part is trying to figure out why.

Edited by Just Jim
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55 minutes ago, Burning Kan said:

ghostterraincolliderrocks

A what? What is ghostterraincolliderrocks?

ghost terrain collider rocks...

Rocks with colliders?

Have to admit, that would make driving much more interesting... :0.0:

But I didn't know this was a thing. Is it a bug?

 

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53 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Is it a bug?

saddly,yep

a stock one thats why iam posted here

never driver thru a Holo terrain stone without collider( ghostterraincolliderrock:sticktongue: ) -U lucky U

its realy annoying-sorry squad

but it gives a mod that fix it temporary-just if anybody have interesst

SVT:https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/143828-ksp-142-stock-visual-terrain-v214-01-april-2018/&page=35

dont forget kopernicus+module manager

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9 hours ago, SQUAD said:

This next patch will include a few improvements and various bug fixes. For instance, in the base game we have tweaked the camera system to almost completely eliminate the green line that has been appearing over water surfaces. Additionally, we have fixed the issue that was causing excessive drag in fairings, some UI offset issues that were appearing in Linux, the problem that made landing legs explode sometimes when these got in contact with the ground, among several others.

Can we please get some news on the progress of restoring input device functionality on GNU/Linux? Is this going to be fixed for the next patch or what?

 

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8 hours ago, Burning Kan said:

 

saddly,yep

a stock one thats why iam posted here

never driver thru a Holo terrain stone without collider( ghostterraincolliderrock:sticktongue: ) -U lucky U

its realy annoying-sorry squad

but it gives a mod that fix it temporary-just if anybody have interesst

SVT:https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/143828-ksp-142-stock-visual-terrain-v214-01-april-2018/&page=35

dont forget kopernicus+module manager

wait.... hold on. I'm a little confused. I read the link... and I didn't know that mod even existed!

If I'm reading it right, it adds colliders to scatter objects? WOW!!! I have to check that one out myself.

What I'm confused about is whether this is actually stock or mod related bug. Boulders normally don't have colliders, and I drive through them all the time. Can you provide a some more details, or maybe a screenshot. If this is a bug, and I can find a way to reproduce it, I'll gladly write up a bug-report for you. However, if it turn's out to be mod-related, I would recommend pm'ing @Galileo first. He's the person in charge of the mod, and a really good guy. I know if it's caused by the mod, he'll want to know and get this fixed. Just be polite, and if you can, try to include a log file and game file.

 

Edited by Just Jim
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19 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

I'm a little confused

now iam get confused  -  well done

SHORT:

stock(vanilla)without mods=NO COLLIDERS  [drive thru rocks] UGLY TERRAIN (Bähhh,gaga-[sorry lady:D])

SVT(stock visual terrain+DEPENCIES)=very nice terrain textures, rockCOLLIDERS[when deleted cfg as described] (Mhhhmmm,Ahhhh,CRASH!)

 

sidenote:it was a bug in svt but galileo fixed it fast(thx again)yes he is good guy

hope no log needed anymore)

ps i adressesd this bug a couple the last day in the forums i think @SQUAD got it ,but go on if u will and make a bug-report

 

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3 minutes ago, Burning Kan said:

now iam get confused  -  well done

SHORT:

stock(vanilla)without mods=NO COLLIDERS  [drive thru rocks] UGLY TERRAIN (Bähhh,gaga-[sorry lady:D])

SVT(stock visual terrain+DEPENCIES)=very nice terrain textures, rockCOLLIDERS[when deleted cfg as described] (Mhhhmmm,Ahhhh,CRASH!)

 

sidenote:it was a bug in svt but galileo fixed it fast(thx again)yes he is good guy

hope no log needed anymore)

ps i adressesd this bug a couple the last day in the forums i think @SQUAD got it ,but go on if u will and make a bug-report

OK.... but the bug itself is... what?

I'm sorry... it's early and I'm only half-awake... lol... I'm not sure what you're saying the bug actually is, that stock boulders have no colliders? Or did you find one with a collider?

 

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