What is the KSP game actually teach about spaceflight and orbital mechanics, and its limitations?

[Sarika_A]

It's all about pedagogy. Not only did our apps offer knowledge, they did so in a fun way. This is not about making the knowledge available, it's about making it desirable. With our apps, the kids not only learned (exactly the same content as they would've with books), but they actually wanted to!

That made all the difference.

Sure, maybe knowledge is enough of a motivation for you to learn about something, and thus you don't actually need this kind of software, but for many kids they need just a little bit more to get interested into learning, doing exercises, ...

Let me explain with some real life KSP examples:

• KSP can be used as a simulator.

  Got an interesting idea about creating an orbital refueling station around the moon? Try it out and see the difference!

  Want to try fuel saving by using a gravitational assist? Go ahead.

  Will more boosters suffice to double your payload? Not even close.

  Sure you could take a sheet of paper and do the computations, but seeing it live on your screen, with the rocket and station you build and put in orbit yourself is a whole different thing.

• It's a driving force to make you research things you wouldn't have searched otherwise.

  How to calculate if my ship has enough fuel to reach Saturn?
  => Learn about ISPs, rocket equation, ...

  What is the optimal trajectory to go to orbit?
  => Learn about gravity drag, atmospheric drag, ...

  This game builds up your interest in space. This is why they got a partnership with NASA and built a part of the game around it.

• It allows you to experience things

  Some of the concepts of orbital mechanics are hard.

  Sure you can read 10 times about why you need to decelerate in orbit to overtake another spaceship.

  Sure you can learn that rendezvous is not aiming for where the other spaceship is, but where it will be.

• It makes you ponder engineering challenges

  Did I forget the ladder?

  Are 3 landing legs better than 4?

  Is my CG (center of gravity) too high? Is it aligned with my vector of thrust?

  Should my aerodynamic surfaces go on the top or bottom?

  Should I put this booster further apart to facilitate separation, or will the induced stability issues, pilot induced oscillation destroy/slow down my rocket?

KSP lets you experience all this, making it much easier to understand and internalise rather than just reading about it.

Let me conclude with a quote from a NASA engineer, about the failed rendezvous of Gemini 4:

There is a good explanation for what went wrong with rendezvous. The crew, like everyone else at MSC, "just didn't understand or reason out the orbital mechanics involved[...].

Yes that's right. Kids playing KSP now have a better understanding of orbital mechanics than NASA engineers and astronauts from 1965.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I'm not sure I understand what exactly this is, or who it's aimed at?

A bit of context would be helpful. Lol.

[wumpus]

The simulator is pretty deceptive, especially due to build in navigation aids and third person view.  Also since KSP has manual control (without guidance help from NASA computers, not even 1960s mainframes) it tends to have extremely forgiving controls and delta-v budgets.  I'd recommend Orbital for a better simulator (KSP was originally conceived as a simplified (and probably 2d) Orbital).  But yes, it doesn't take long before KSP players have a better grasp of orbital mechanics than any NASA astronaut of 1965 (except  Dr. Buzz Aldrin).

Here are a list of things needed to unlearn before/while playing with realism overhaul: https://github.com/KSP-RO/RealismOverhaul/wiki/False-KSP-Lessons
Orbiter webpage: http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/download.html

And of course, Scott Manley goes into great detail about this:

Can KSP teach rocket science?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogC6ds81gek&index=9&list=PLYu7z3I8tdEknQK8KQqHA5sc0wbvj2q7z&t=0s

 

KSP doesn't teach nozzles (and gets it backwards):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5l3CHWoHSI&index=8&list=PLYu7z3I8tdEknQK8KQqHA5sc0wbvj2q7z&t=0s

KSP doesn't teach rocket ignition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=capiUBVd7EU&index=6&list=PLYu7z3I8tdEknQK8KQqHA5sc0wbvj2q7z&t=0s

KSP doesn't teach plumbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QXZ2RzN_Oo&index=4&list=PLYu7z3I8tdEknQK8KQqHA5sc0wbvj2q7z&t=0s

KSP doesn't teach ion thrust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb_U_CbQ5sc&index=2&list=PLYu7z3I8tdEknQK8KQqHA5sc0wbvj2q7z&t=0s