Jonboy

I've gone everywhere ... but coming back is another story. I should really go conquer Eve.

10 to 15 years is still very optimistic, IMO.

They haven't actually shaken any of my ships apart, but they did launch me out of the Kerbal system at incredible velocity when I clipped something the wrong way in there. And some of my landers that used them started uncontrollably shaking like Jell-O until I opened and closed the bay. The things are Kraken summoners if you clip the parts wrong

Exactly what I opened the thread to say.

Well, the original reply attacked the character of OP, so it definitely was ad hominem. Not an argument I want to get into, however.

Ad hominems are a great way to get your point across.

That clickbait title tho. But seriously, I'm glad you're enjoying the game. Have fun.

This thread is supposed to be about whether math was invented or discovered. You've changed it to one about what unit system we should use to communicate with aliens. May I politely suggest that you start your own thread if you want to talk about this? That way if people want to continue the original discussion in this thread, they can.

No, they're not. They're constants, which are numbers. A function is a mathematical expression involving one or more variables. Your statement that you want to "stay away from numbers" makes no sense, because there is no mathematics without them. Either way, what means do you have of knowing which constants the aliens will use to develop their unit systems? You can't know for sure, so you're just picking the ones you think they are most likely to use - in other words you're just guessing. Why bother? Once aliens are advanced enough to communicate with us, it can be assumed that they will be intelligent enough to decode our unit system.

Well, it was built into the pyramids. Good enough for me, I guess. /s

Why not? We can convert between all kinds of different units. It's the most basic mathematical manipulation in high school physics. You're saying that aliens couldn't convert between their units and ours?

Kerbal Engineer, Kerbal Alarm Clock, Docking Port Alignment Indicator. Keep it simple, my game runs fast, and I don't feel the need for parts mods. Part of the challenge is making cool stuff with stock parts. (I have used tons of mods in the past, though.)

Yes, but you may want to leave your seatbelt fastened, in the event you encounter some minor turbulence.

Liquid fuel.

Yup. As cool as manned spaceflight is, it's foolish to think we will solve the looming problems at home (which are significant) by traipsing around the solar system planting flags. Especially right now, when such programs would be hugely expensive. Space exploration is important, because it furthers our knowledge of the universe and gives us insight into Earth's past. That knowledge can help us learn to live intentionally and sustainably on our home planet. But space exploration should be done as efficiently and cheaply as possible. Right now, that means robotic probes. In the future, spaceflight might become cheap enough that manned missions are an efficient use of resources, but that day may be far off. Edit: Don't get me wrong, I still think Space X is cool.

Bear in mind that the entire reason Schrödinger created his famous thought experiment was to demonstrate that the whole idea of quantum superposition was ludicrous when applied to macroscopic phenomena. Beyond that word of caution, I'm really not sure how to respond, because I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Edit: thanks K^2, my understanding of quantum mechanics is very rudimentary.

Very cool, thanks for bringing this to my attention. The experiment is a 1/100th scale prototype that will create O2 using CO2 in Mars' atmosphere via solid oxide electrolysis. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Oxygen_ISRU_Experiment

Ascension E-1 (Manned Eve Flyby) With the completion of Ascension 18 and the first extended stay on the Mun, public approval of the Kerbal Space Program was at an all time high. Additionally, an important date was looming: a transfer window that would allow a spacecraft to swing by Eve, using a gravity assist to return back to Kerbin using minimal fuel. There would be neither the time or the funds to accomplish this mission using elaborate new hardware. Instead, the mission would be accomplished using the reliable Sarnus V booster and the battle-tested Command and Service Module. However, the CSM used in the Ascension missions up to this point could not support life for more than a week or two. Wernher von Kerman and his team of engineers focused all of their resources on creating a cheap and effective plan for Kerbals to visit another planet for the first time. The Plan (For more info on this particular AAP Venus flyby plan, check out this blog post.) The current capabilities of the Sarnus V rocket allowed only the CSM, a small payload under the intermediate fairing, and the partially spent third stage of the booster to be carried into orbit. Assembly of a multi-part spacecraft in LKO would require additional Sarnus V launches and development of that craft, causing development and mission costs to skyrocket. Instead, the boys at KSC developed an ingenious (some would say crazy) plan to utilize the third stage of the rocket as a habitat for the long flight to and from Eve. The concept (known as a "wet workshop") had originally been studied when the Ascension mission profiles were first developed years ago, as a way to cheaply create a scientific space station in LKO. The third stage would be modified so that after launch, any remaining fuel could be vented into the vacuum of space. Next, a breathable atmosphere would be pumped in, and kerbanauts would outfit the roomy inside of the booster with cloth walls, using prebuilt attachment points to secure bulkier equipment and "lots of velcro" for the rest. For the mission to Eve, the MEM will be replaced with an Environmental Support Module, containing all of the life support for the mission as well as the furnishings for the wet workshop. After launch, the standard transposition and docking would allow the CSM, ESM, and wet workshop to be joined into a roomy interplanetary spacecraft, all with one Sarnus V launch. The Mission A crew of three kerbanauts was selected for the Eve mission, with two veteran astronauts and one planetary scientist. Milus Kerman was the pilot and mission commander for Ascension 8, the first manned flyby of the Mun, and would reprise these roles for Ascension E-1. Patdock Kerman was the engineer on Ascension 7, which was the first manned flight of the Command and Service Module. Franree Kerman has never flown in space, but is an experienced planetary scientist who jumped at the chance to be the first to observe the purple planet up close. The crew was launched with the CSM and ESM on a single Sarnus V, six days before the launch window. Once in LKO, the transposition and docking of the CSM to the ESM was performed, and the Kerbals began checking the ESM for damage ... and snacks. Extensive checks of all systems were performed multiple times; if something went wrong on a mission to the Mun, the astronauts could normally return within ours. If a problem happened on the way to Eve, they would not be able to make it back for months. With all systems go and the launch window imminent, the Ascension E-1 spacecraft was oriented for the burn that would eject them from Kerbin's SOI. The burn fully depleted the third stage booster, changing the ship's velocity by 1,454 m/s. Mission control estimated that any further burns to correct the ship's course (which would be performed using the service engine on the CSM) would take less that 400 m/s delta V. Compared to a more blunt approach, which involves burning for Eve, inserting into Eve's orbit, waiting for a transfer window, and burning back to Kerbin, the advantages of a timed flyby are obvious. A traditional Eve orbit mission would take approximately 4,500 m/s of delta V, as opposed to the chosen timed flyby, which takes a mere 1,850 m/s of delta V. Milus: Ascension to KSC, how do you read? KSC: You're coming in loud and clear, Ascension. Milus: 6 hours have elapsed since we vented the third stage tanks and repressurized with the breathable atmosphere. Permission to enter the third stage habitat? KSC: Permission granted. Franree: Phew! It smells like rocket fuel in here. Patdock: Don't worry, Franree, you'll get used to it ... sometime in the next six months hopefully. Here, help me velcro my sound system to the wall. The Kerbals set in for the long haul: 60 days until their encounter with Eve. In the mean time, they stayed busy, mainly by perfoming experiments studying interplanetary space, though they also played a lot of Risk. As they finally entered Eve's SOI, KSC relayed experiments to them at a blistering pace. They would only have a few hours to study the surface of Eve up close, and the planetary scientists back home wanted them to make the most of it. As they approached their closest distance to the planet at a velocity of over 4,000 m/s, Franree described the surface to the millions watching on TV back home. Franree: It's unlike anything I've ever seen. A purple planet. Amazing. Patdock: Look at the craters on the surface. They're very large. Some of the seas seem to be formed from craters as well. Franree: Yes. Note the absence of small craters, though, the kind you would see on the Mun. Milus: How do you account for that? Franree: Well, most of these large impacts are probably left over from the initial formation of the planet, when bombardments like that were more common. At that time, Eve probably had no atmosphere to help protect from impacts. Now, with the thick atmosphere, most small metoers burn up before they can cause craters. KSC: Let's get back to the experiments, shall we, Ascension? Only 1,329 left to go. As Eve receded into the distance, the Kerbals were partly relieved that their workload was lessened, but also saddened that their time at Eve was so short. The rest of the mission was uneventful, aside from a short burn halfway between Eve and Kerbin that placed them on a perfect trajectory to reenter their home world's atmosphere. Finally, the blue globe appeared as a distant light in the window. With only hours to reentry, the wet workshop and EMS were discarded, and the crew prepared for the reentry checklist. Finally, the service module was ditched, and the beefed up ablative shields on the Command Module began to glow white-hot as the pod slammed into the atmosphere at over 4,000 m/s. The Kerbals safely descended under parachutes after over 120 days in space, the next step in the Kerbal exploration of space complete. While the first interplanetary flight proved the reliability of the CSM over long flights and the viability of the wet workshop concept, the boys at KSC realized that a short fly-by could only provide so much data about a planet, especially about its surface. For the next mission they wanted something more substantial, and they had Duna in their sights. It will be a challenge, but hopefully the successful Eve mission will cause even more funding and support to pour into the Ascension Applications Program. Scoring With the completion of the Eve flyby project parameters, this adds 20 points to my Apollo Applications Program score. My running total is outlined below: - Previous Apollo Program Goals: +90 points - Munar Base: no points for initial APP project - MOLAB: +20 points - Eve Flyby: +20 points Apollo Applications Program Total: 130 points Previous & Future Ascension Program Reports: Normal Apollo Program - Mun Base and Molab - Duna Flyby & Landing

You should be able to focus on the ship at any point in the target body's SOI and return the tourists home. That would constitute a flyby as far as the game is concerned. Of that doesn't work, you're observing some weird behavior.

ISRU like what you just described, along with reusable rockets a la Space X, are the two technologies that would truly open the floodgates to manned exploration of the solar system. If Musk is successful, we may be very close to figuring out reusable rockets. ISRU, on the other hand, is much talked about, but nobody has tried it or seems to be close. Let's hope cheap rockets provide incentive to start working on practical ISRU in the near future.

Yeah, this is why some kind of simple radiator part should have been included with 1.0.

Eh, if any mod should really be made stock, it's KER. KAC is a close second, but it's really a convenience. Anyways, both of these are easy enough to install, so I don't really see the problem.

First thing I noticed: you're starting your gravity turn WAY too late. The old ascent strategy of boosting straight up to 10,000m and then pitching over is null and void with the new aero. Start your gravity turn at about 1,000m, or when your velocity is in the 50 to 100 m/s range. Just pitch over 5 or 10 degrees and continue pitching slowly, staying as close as possible to your prograde marker as possible. Do not pitch over too much or you will start to tumble. Aim for 500 to 600 m/s when you hit 45 degrees on the navball. At that point you should be well above 20,000m, where the atmosphere is very thin, and you can safely pitch over father from your prograde marker to pick up horizontal velocity. Also adding control surfaces near the bottom of your rocket or some reaction wheels near the top can help you stick to that prograde mark. Let us know if that helps.

Very thorough explanation. This is definitely useful information. Personally I haven't even come close to overheating nukes on my normal low-TWR interplanetary burns. The longest burn times for most of my craft are in the 7-10 minute range and I always split these into two burns: one to boost apoapsis up past the Mum, and another to escape velocity once you come back to peroapsis. This way each burn is only 4 or 5 minutes long. With those burn times I haven't even come close to overheating, even with no heat sinks or radiators. So the supposed "nerf" hasn't affected my operations at all.

Well, some folks like to ask for advice from others before entering a new community. Every community is different, and each has different standards and vibes. But the real intention was to open a dialogue on what others want to see from the community, especially in light of the recent fuss about 1.0x, not to gather advice on how to make people like me.