KSP Weekly: The Eagle Has Landed

[SQUAD]

Welcome to KSP Weekly! On this day, in 1969, Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon’s surface during the legendary Apollo 11 mission, and so fulfilled a national goal proposed in 1961 by U.S. President John F. Kennedy. This mission effectively ended the Space Race and remains unparalleled as one of, if not the greatest achievement ever accomplished by humankind.

Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16 at 13:32 UTC and was the fifth manned mission of NASA’s Apollo program. The Apollo spacecraft had three parts: a command module (CM) with a cabin for the three astronauts, and the only part that returned to Earth; a service module (SM), which supported the command module with propulsion, electrical power, oxygen, and water; and a lunar module (LM) that had two stages – a descent stage for landing on the Moon, and an ascent stage to place the astronauts back into lunar orbit.

After being sent to the Moon by the Saturn V’s third stage, the astronauts separated the spacecraft from it and traveled for three days until they entered into lunar orbit. On July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module Eagle separated from the Command Module Columbia. Pilot Michael Collins, alone aboard the command module, inspected Eagle as it pirouetted before him to ensure the craft was not damaged. As the descent began, Armstrong and Aldrin found that they were passing landmarks on the surface four seconds early and reported that they were “long”; they would land miles west of their target point.

Five minutes into the descent burn, and 1,800 m above the surface of the Moon, the LM navigation and guidance computer distracted the crew with the first of several unexpected “1202” and “1201” program alarms. The program alarms indicated “executive overflows”, meaning the guidance computer could not complete all of its tasks in real time and had to postpone some of them. After analyzing the situation, the Mission Control Center at Houston greenlit the descent.

When Armstrong again looked outside, he saw that the computer’s landing target was in a boulder-strewn area just north and east of a 300-meter diameter crater (later determined to be West crater, named for its location in the western part of the originally planned landing ellipse). Armstrong took semi-automatic control and, with Aldrin calling out altitude and velocity data, landed at 20:17:40 UTC on Sunday July 20 with about 25 seconds of fuel left. Charles Duke, CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) during the landing phase, acknowledged their landing by saying “We copy you down, Eagle.”

The astronauts used Eagle’s upper stage to lift off from the lunar surface and rejoin Collins in the command module on July 21, at 23:41 UTC. They jettisoned the module before they performed the maneuvers that blasted them out of lunar orbit on a trajectory back to Earth. They returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 after more than eight days in space.

The landing was broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience. Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and described the event as “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

[Development news start here]

Yesterday we released the second patch of KSP Enhanced Edition on both PS4 and Xbox One! Within this patch many bug fixes and improvements were packed, as well as a few quality-of-life features. Click here to see the full release notes.

On the PC development front, this week we continued polishing and preparing the final details for the upcoming 1.4.5 patch. If you have been following our weekly updates you’ll know that this minor patch contains several bug fixes related to the in-game implementation of Steam Workshop, plus other bug fixes for the base game and the Making History Expansion.  

If you are wondering if we’ve only been doing maintenance and support work lately, you’d be wrong, but you’ll need to be patient, we’ll reveal more details after 1.4.5 is out.

By the way, with the intention of providing more guidance for new players regarding the Making History Expansion, and the Mission Builder in particular, we started a new section in the KSP Wiki. We included the foundations to create a Manual, but we want to encourage the community to participate in the enrichment of this section, so feel free to add any content you believe that needs to be expanded upon.

Remember that you can also share and download missions on Curse, KerbalX, the KSP Forum and the KSP Steam Workshop.

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:

• Apollo 11 Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_11/
  
• Dunbar, B. (2015, February 19). July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html
  
• Loff, S. (2015, April 17). Apollo 11 Mission Overview. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html
  

[Vanamonde]

There was a time when I could walk out into my backyard, look up at the moon and think, "There are people there right now, walking around." 

[Just Jim]

One of my greatest memories was sitting on the living room floor with my grandfather watching all of that happen... Thank you, Squad!!! 

[Redneck]

Those were very good days back then...human kind needs more days like this one. A way to bring the whole world together like this did 40 years ago. I am not sure if going to mars is it though

edit: I personally think if we took the money that was going into getting to mars and putting that into R&D of a new type of propulsion human kind would be better served. Lets get out of this solar system. Mars is cool and stuff but we need a "Earth like" planet IMO. We got tons of helium 3 at saturn or even the moon cant we start with that instead of mars?

https://www.explainingthefuture.com/helium3.html

Edited July 20, 2018 by Redneck

[StrandedonEarth]

I wish I could remember that time. I was yet to be a twinkle in dad’s eye for the first landing, and still in diapers the last time men were on the Moon. 

Definitely curious as to what those Squaddies have been up to besides squashing bugs...

[AngrybobH]

29 minutes ago, SQUAD said:

greatest achievement ever accomplished by humankind

It is in my mind. I wans't alive (-5 years old) then but it must have been something. The story of landing a man on the moon still excites me today even though I have heard it at least a million times.

[Just Jim]

8 minutes ago, AngrybobH said:

It is in my mind. I wans't alive (-5 years old) then but it must have been something. The story of landing a man on the moon still excites me today even though I have heard it at least a million times.

For the record I was 7 when it happened, so it's also one of my earliest memories...

[Tyko]

Great update! Thanks!

Barring any major crisis will 1.4.5 be the final 1.4.x iteration or is Squad already planning additional releases? I realize this might be a sensitive topic, if so sorry. Just be good to know if modders will be able to do a "final" 1.4 compatible update and take a break for a while.

[KerbMav]

I get the feeling I am not that far up in regards to age around here than I thought.

[Sirad]

My Girl is Born at the 21.07.1969...

 

[StarStreak2109]

Maybe I'm reading to much into this, but I can't care less about steam integration... Hope the bug fixes for the base game get no. 1 priority.

[Enceos]

23 minutes ago, StarStreak2109 said:

Maybe I'm reading to much into this, but I can't care less about steam integration... Hope the bug fixes for the base game get no. 1 priority.

KSP is 7 years in development, I've been following it and developed my patience as a result.

Edited July 20, 2018 by Enceos

[MOARdV]

3 hours ago, KerbMav said:

I get the feeling I am not that far up in regards to age around here than I thought.

I was about -5 weeks old when Armstrong walked on the moon (my mother maybe wishes I was a little bit older ).  I suspect one appeal of this game is because it reminds many of us 'old people' of a very optimistic time when humanity could do the impossible when we decided to work together to do it.  We do not see enough reminders of what is possible these days.

[Tyko]

1 hour ago, MOARdV said:

I was about -5 weeks old when Armstrong walked on the moon (my mother maybe wishes I was a little bit older ).  I suspect one appeal of this game is because it reminds many of us 'old people' of a very optimistic time when humanity could do the impossible when we decided to work together to do it.  We do not see enough reminders of what is possible these days.

it was a time of amazing advancement but we didn't really decide to work together. The 50's and 60's space advancements were born out of the cold war and a race to prove technological dominance to the world. A fair part of the financing and resources for space equipment came out of development of ICBMs. It's definitely a "swords to plowshares" story, but not really a Kumbaya moment for the world .While men were walking on the moon school children were practicing "duck and cover"  

Edited July 20, 2018 by Tyko

[Just Jim]

2 hours ago, Tyko said:

it was a time of amazing advancement but we didn't really decide to work together. The 50's and 60's space advancements were born out of the cold war and a race to prove technological dominance to the world. A fair part of the financing and resources for space equipment came out of development of ICBMs. It's definitely a "swords to plowshares" story, but not really a Kumbaya moment for the world .While men were walking on the moon school children were practicing "duck and cover"  

Unfortunately, I agree... I remember doing "Duck and Cover" drills when I was in 2nd grade... at around the same time frame at the Moon landing. Those scared the hell out of me (pardon my language)

I am much more impressed with now... 

7 hours ago, Redneck said:

Those were very good days back then...human kind needs more days like this one. A way to bring the whole world together like this did 40 years ago.

Exactly... Here we are, from literally all over the world, all getting along just fine, and reminiscing about 40 years ago...

The world may still be pretty screwed up... But this... this is inspiring!!! 

Edited July 21, 2018 by Just Jim

[HvP]

The Apollo program is without doubt one of the great wonders of the world - of TWO worlds. It was uplifting in so many ways.

3 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Those were very good days back then.

But also let's not forget that it was no golden age, either. Dr. King and Robert Kennedy were killed just the year before, the cold war was raging, protests against the Vietnam War were at their most frenzied, and the Klan were still conducting domestic terrorist bombings. I'm perfectly willing to hold up the American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts as examples of the kind of heroes this world needs right now. Candles in the dark, if you will. But I'm under no delusion that I would be better off living back then than now. But I digress.

If anyone here hasn't seen it I would HIGHLY recommend the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" by Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. I'm sure many of you here know it, but no fan of the Apollo program should miss it.

Edited July 21, 2018 by HvP

[StarStreak2109]

8 hours ago, Enceos said:

KSP is 7 years in development, I've been following it and developed my patience as a result.

Oh I'm patient, boi....

I'm just fed up with week after week of senseless "dev notes" and the quality of the game being compromised by lousy QA and jury rigged new "features" that add nothing to the game play (ie. Steam integration).

[Enceos]

30 minutes ago, StarStreak2109 said:

boi....

Yeah, talking about age... many of us here have grand-kids and white hair. I don't take offence because I'm hiding behind an avatar. But being a little more considerate wouldn't hurt.

Edited July 21, 2018 by Enceos

[LegendaryAce]

I apologize for interrupting the reminiscence, but am I the only one here excited that the console version got an update?

I don't mean to take away from the Apollo landing, as I think that was the greatest achievement mankind has ever accomplished, but I was -26 to be fair! So I don't have fond memories like many other people here do it seems.

[RealKerbal3x]

Despite the first manned lunar landing being long before my time, it still ranks as humanity's greatest achievement in my mind.

4 hours ago, LegendaryAce said:

I don't mean to take away from the Apollo landing, as I think that was the greatest achievement mankind has ever accomplished, but I was -26 to be fair! So I don't have fond memories like many other people here do it seems.

Hmm, I was something like -30 

Looking forward to 1.4.5. I hope this'll be the definitive, stable 1.4.x release.

Edited July 21, 2018 by RealKerbal3x

[klgraham1013]

1 hour ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Looking forward to 1.4.5. I hope this'll be the definitive, stable 1.4.x release.

What they said.  Please.  With a cherry on top.

[Superfluous J]

21 hours ago, Vanamonde said:

There was a time when I could walk out into my backyard, look up at the moon and think, "There are people there right now, walking around." 

Technically I could have too, but it'd have been a pretty impressive feat.

[Apollo13]

I was 17 years old at that time.  I truly believed we'd have a lunar colony in ten years.  Still waiting...

[klesh]

13 hours ago, StarStreak2109 said:

...and jury rigged new "features" that add nothing to the game play (ie. Steam integration).

 

What about the Steam integration seems jury rigged to you?

[KerrMü]

This is one of the few times when I envy some people for having a few years more on the clock than me . I am still getting goosebumps when I hear " Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The eagle has landed." I wish I had seen it live. 

[Development comment starts here]

Hey Squad,

I´m very curious about that revelation you mentioned. So push 1.4.5 out the door quick. I think I read something about some updated parts. I´m looking forward to that.  And  bugfixes are always welcome. I hope development goes swiftly without too many complications.

Just one little thougt: If it´s a new DLC/update, please don´t let it take a full year again.