MaxwellsDemon

I'm not really interested in it "paying" for itself. It's an additional possible activity you can do in the game that people have talked about doing in space for real. (Where's the "payback" in many of the far-out craft designs people come up with? It's in fun, not Funds.)

In my last campaign, I decommissioned all of them after their purpose was fulfilled. I was under the impression that having them around was causing a performance hit on my machine (which appears to be mostly, if not totally, inaccurate to my current understanding). This time around, I'm only decommissioning those that run out (or very close to out) of maneuvering propellant, since those just attract satellite-move contracts that can't be fulfilled.

Epic thread. NSFW due to uncontrollable snickering and snorting.

Thanks for your input, all!

"Hit Z before triggering launch." I'd be embarrassed to admit how many times I've sat there wondering why my rocket is still sitting on the pad despite the noise and smoke, before I've realized that the throttle was still at 40% or so.

I regularly save my campaign games as "Y02D222save", for saving on the date Year 2, Day 222... then I have an indicator how far back it is in in-game time if I need to restore to an earlier state.

Year 2, Day 222... The masts for the KSS solar arrays are in place, and the launchers for them are designed... but funding is starting to run low, so there will be a pause in the station's construction until the bank account is replenished! On the interplanetary front, the Hathor 1 and 2 probes are about to encounter Eve, and the Sekhmet 1 and 2 probes were launched into a parking orbit ahead of their upcoming Moho transfer window.

Well, for one, there's the possibility of setting up an automated refuelling station on, say, Duna, so you don't have to lug the propellant for the return journey along (a la some of the "Mars Direct" proposals). It gives you additional options that you wouldn't have without any ability to utilize local resources.

Horus 20 came home from Minmus, another supply ship was sent to Station Alpha, and the masts for the Science Power Platform and the main solar truss were added to the KSS, along with the cupola assembly. And yours truly fell asleep last night dreaming Kerbal dreams, not at all unpleasant.

The first rule of the Kraken is not to talk about the Kraken.

Okay... I think I've got the hang of the VAB and the launch pad. (That's far from saying I've mastered it, of course, but I've got a reasonable skill level in it...) Time for me to pay attention to that big long strip of asphalt at KSC... Having been a Microsoft Flight Simulator pilot, I'm not completely starting from scratch here; but this is a different system with different controls, etc., so I want to start slow/basic. The aircraft tutorials I've been able to locate on the forum are mostly about designing and constructing them; I'm looking for a good ground school, as it were, and pointers to a reliable, stable, slow trainer aircraft (preferably stock). In particular, I want to train my landings, since that's the toughest thing about flying... What are the recommendations?

Horus 19 returned home from the Mun successfully, the orbital tug docked at the KSS, and its engineer-pilot added some reinforcing struts to the structure while waiting for the next module to come up. And I attempted to put together a vehicle to bring up the truss assemblies but developed a severe case of rocketflipitis, so I took a break.

I think it's worth it because it opens up options that wouldn't be there otherwise; and anything that presents more options invites more creativity.

Launched Horus 19 to the Mun in pursuit of an anomaly contract, and the Isis 19 lander managed to come down almost on top of the anomaly (a monolith) on the first try! Kudos to Juliame Kerman, the pilot... The team is waiting for daylight before beginning their explorations. In the meantime, another supply capsule was sent on its way to Space Station Alpha and is being held in a parking orbit while the old one is jettisoned. Communications contact was lost (i.e., a game crash) before anything more had been accomplished, but we'll pick it back up again soon.

Most likely. However, I'm encouraged that they don't ALL blow, so I think if I repair the ones that do, I can make it. (If not, back to the drawing board.)

Mid-day update: got the KSS Harmony-analogue module started in the build queue, as well as the orbital construction tug (which will be vital during the truss construction); also realized I need to have an engineer standing by to repair wheels once I "launch" the transporter for the jet fuel tanks, since most of them blow upon start of physics...

I launched the analogues for Zarya, Unity, and Destiny for the KSS space station (I departed from IRL sequence and launched Zvezda before Zarya; it just made things a little easier from my standpoint) and they have successfully linked up. I also redesigned the main solar truss and a 'transport' capsule to shuttle Kerbals to and from KSS (a Mk 1-3 atop a Mk 2 lander can, which is the lowest-profile arrangement I can think of to transport five Kerbals*). Next step is to launch the Harmony analogue, and then begin on the trusswork; I haven't quite figured out the best way to get the truss segments on orbit quite yet. * On a 2.5m diameter, that is.

The first module ("Akhet") of the ISS-inspired KSS space station was placed in a 100 km equatorial orbit without incident, and I swapped out the resupply modules at the older Skylab/Salyut-inspired Station Alpha. I was interested to see that the empty resupply module made it all the way to the surface intact when deorbited, only being destroyed upon impact, which suggests a parachute could be of use. Still trying to take on contracts to replenish funds, but no very lucrative ones are appearing at the moment...

This is interesting. I'd seen "magic boulder is back" hoaxes and misunderstandings enough times, that I didn't believe it this time either!

I don't understand the controversy over the resizing. It was clearly too small before (and half-buried, to boot), and it's most likely there as a clue to say, "Hey, there might be some odd things here and there-- keep an eye open." I know that I most likely wouldn't have noticed it in its too-small incarnation if someone hadn't told me about it.

I did a little bit of a redesign on my upcoming Eeloo probes, replacing the conventional drive with an ion engine and then testing to make sure I was generating/storing enough electricity to support it, and completed placing flags to the west of KSC to represent the Nominal Energy Point and the north and south guidance cylinders for flying approaches to the KSC runway. Dandy. Now, if I could only actually learn to land without parachutes...

Designed a jet refuelling station-- which was pretty easy-- and then the "groundcrane" rover to take it to where it needs to be installed-- which was unexpectedly difficult, due to the odd behavior of wheels when there are more than eight or so of them (necessary because of the weight of the fuel tanks). Once I researched the appropriate technology, I redesigned my interplanetary probe with RTGs in place of solar panels to take advantage of an upcoming Eeloo launch window. Also took on a few contracts to rebuild the space program's finances after placing orders for major components of the projected KSS space station.

I do think of them as highly-evolved frog people. It would explain a lot besides their appearance!

It took more iterations than expected to come up with a good booster for it (my existing designs were for payloads rather heavier or lighter, evidently), but I eventually managed to put the finishing touches on a small version of the resupply pod, and put three in the (KCT) build queue. Looking forward to the weekend when I'll have more time to do some serious launching and building instead of designing and planning!

Good questions, to which I don't have a quick answer. I guess what I was wishing for was the old Microsoft Flight Simulator "Fuel Box" somewhere on the tarmac.