pTrevTrevs Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) Disclaimer: I believe this to be the best place to post this thread, however, if a moderator believes that another forum would better suit the topic of this post, I ask that they move thks thread to where it is more appropriate, thank you. I first picked up Kerbal Space Program sometime in 2013, not long after the 0.20 update came out. I still remember the old white-walled VAB, from which my first rockets rolled out, most of them asparaguslike monstrosities which needed to be lashed together with dozens of struts in order to hold together. Since then, I have played the game quite frequently, and improved my skills to a point where replicating some of mankind’s greatest space flights, such as the Apollo program, feels entirely natural and routine. I have been active on these forums for the last few years, and many people have praised my creations here, from my World War II submarines to my lunar space station. While in many ways I have learned to harness and mold the game and the laws of physics which are represented within it to do my bidding, Kerbal Space Program itself has also molded and shaped me as well, and the impact it has left on my life is quite significant. When I bought this game I was in eight grade, still practically a child, with no real idea what I wanted to do with my life. Sometimes I thought I would study history, a longtime passion of mine. At other times I told myself I would join the army and become a helicopter pilot, like my father before me. Other times still, I thought I would try and become a writer, although my attention span soon proved to be much too short to produce any kind of significant written works. However, after a year or two of playing this game, experiencing the thrill of designing my own spacecraft, and then actually launching them to the stars, I knew for certain exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Spaceflight has been an interest of mine for a very long time, ever since I saw the news coverage of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers bouncing their way to the surface of Mars, or the occasional footage of a space shuttle blasting it’s way to orbit, but for most of my life it had simply been yet another interest of mine, something that I enjoyed, yet did not have enough knowledge about to fully appreciate. Really, it was just a candle, burning alongside many others, neither brighter nor dimmer than any other one. However, as I played the game more and more, I realized I wanted to learn even more about the world of spaceflight. I wanted to learn how NASA did things, so that maybe I could replicate their achievements in the game. After that, I wanted to learn about the science behind spaceflight itself, so that maybe I could start building more original designs, rather than imitations of real spacecraft. Kerbal Space Program poured gallons of rocket fuel on that candle that was my curiosity for spaceflight and helped it grow into a burning passion for the exploration of the vast world beyond our own thin atmosphere. Due to the game’s impact, I am preparing to devote my entire life to the study and exploration of space. Tomorrow, I leave home to study aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. I am fully convinced that this is the right choice for me, and I believe that without the hands-on exposure to space that Kerbal Space Program has offered me, I doubt I would have ever reached this conclusion. I am looking forward to my studies with great anticipation, and am also exhilarated at the fact that I will be living and learning just a few short miles from where the mighty Saturn V moon rocket was designed, at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Having said that, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Kerbal Space Program developers, as well as to Squad, it’s parent company, and especially to Mr Felipe Falanghe (@HarvesteR), the original creator of this remarkable game. It is because of you all that I am about to take this next step. The inspiration you have given me will stay with me forever, and I hope that I will continue to enjoy Kerbal Space Program for many more years. When it comes to the internet, I am typically a very private person. However, would like to share a photograph of myself at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. I recently took this trip as a final vacation before leaving for school, and while there I suddenly realized that the reason I was there in the first place was due to one game about a group of little green creatures with a collection of rocket parts and a launch pad. With sincere gratefulness, -Trevor P. , Aspiring Aerospace Engineer Edited July 18, 2022 by pTrevTrevs Thread of the month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubinator Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 The money shot, the most significant thing to ever be posted on this forum, will be a photo, by someone who as a kid was influenced by KSP, of a Jeb Kerman plushie floating in a spaceship, looking out the window at Earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servo Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Very well written, and a very true sentiment. I imagine a lot of us who picked up KSP while they were in grade school were heavily influenced by this wonderful game. For my own story, I am a year older than you, and grew up in the shadow of the National Air and Space museum, Udvar-Hazy, and any other musuem that I could convince my family to visit. Because of this, I never truly doubted that I was going to study aerospace engineering, but what KSP did for me was gone my passion for the aerospace design aspect. Now, I can say confidently that I want to work in conceptual mission design, and from there, I know what path to take to get me there. I am now a week away from returning to the Midwest to start classes in Aerospace engineering for real, certain in my goals and with the determination to make them reality. This is all to say that your story is likely not unique - that this wonderful game has inspired a generation of aspiring engineers to keep looking up, and reach for the stars. Perhaps in some number of years we can look back on all we've accomplished and see just how much KSP helped us along the way. -Servo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSEP Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Godspeed! I wish you good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanamonde Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Thread moved to General, since it *is* about KSP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klesh Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 28 minutes ago, Vanamonde said: Thread moved to General, since it *is* about KSP. Can you fix the image link for him so the moment isn’t killed as OP says? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tater Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 20 minutes ago, klesh said: Can you fix the image link for him so the moment isn’t killed as OP says? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snark Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 19 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said: (Unfortunately, because I’m writing this on a mobile device, I cannot seem to directly embed this image. What a way to kill the moment.) Wish... granted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Rocket Scientist Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EpicSpaceTroll139 Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Nice! I've always wanted to visit the Kennedy Space Center... haven't gotten the chance yet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiriusRocketry Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Posts like this strengthen my resolve to keep plugging on with my dream. @pTrevTrevs I only really knew you from your Curing a Burnout thread, but I loved the continuation of the thread and your great craft designs! Wishing you all the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pTrevTrevs Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Thanks to all you guys for your support, I'm posting this from my new residence in Huntsville, with the US Space and Rocket Center's Saturn V right outside my window (or it would be if there weren't a tree blocking the view). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandaman Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 HOW big is this tree then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pTrevTrevs Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share Posted August 15, 2018 18 hours ago, pandaman said: HOW big is this tree then? Oh, about five or six stories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandaman Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Somewhat imposing isn't it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimate Steve Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Glad to hear it! KSP has inspired many others as well, including me. Although I do not yet know where I am going to college, I, mostly because of KSP, have decided I want to go into aerospace as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pTrevTrevs Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 14 hours ago, pandaman said: Somewhat imposing isn't it. Indeed. Of all the rooms I could have gotten with a magnificent view of the parking lot, I got the one with a window full of leaves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dman979 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Congratulations on being September's Thread of the Month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerbinchaser Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 On 8/10/2018 at 10:31 AM, cubinator said: The money shot, the most significant thing to ever be posted on this forum, will be a photo, by someone who as a kid was influenced by KSP, of a Jeb Kerman plushie floating in a spaceship, looking out the window at Earth. I will make this happen, no matter how far I go. I have a friend at SpaceX...Maybe I could hook Jeb up with her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klapaucius Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 My late father, who was an engineer at Pratt & Whitney for many years, always insisted I learn how to write properly. Engineers who could not communicate drove him nuts. And above we have an example of a budding engineer who is also very articulate. Not too many freshmen communicate that well. Perhaps another benefit(s) of KSP and these forums are the stories and discussions that force us to write better. What a lovely post and best of luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrench Head Posted September 18, 2018 Share Posted September 18, 2018 As an old schooler LOL as in I was Born in 1966 Apollo Area, Its great to see you pushing forward! Just remember what happen to Ian Musk and his company stock price and forget Social media pics when you launch your R/L rockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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