Duxwing

Wow, such cynicism, and much of it inaccurate. 1) The design could not be seized by governments and kept from the public. It, not to mention years of supporting research, would have been uploaded immediately and downloaded widely before any government could react. Even with the Five Eyes scouring the fiber optic cables weeks later, determined builders would merely ask daring design-holders for a CD. As the old saying goes: The Internet is forever. 2) It would not quickly change our economy. Without cheap and safe space access, gear for mining distant worlds, and enormous void-worthy habitats for our miners, our warp drive would be a very good way of moving things that don't exist to places we won't live to do things we can't do. But it would be quite the motivation. 3) Finding peaceful aliens is worth the risk of meeting wrathful ones. I find it strange I must tell a forum of (pretend) rocket scientists to just think of the potential while asking them what could possibly go wrong. --- Indeed, creating a warp drive would be so great a deed that whoever first saw it might, echoing Homer, say that the will of man was done. Going to other stars, walking on other planets, and meeting other species would be overwhelmingly awesome and amazing. Just imagining it brings me to my knees and tears of joy to my eyes. -Duxwing

I have noticed this issue in stock, modded, large, and small games. Rather than impede piloting or building, it breaks our willing suspension of disbelief by frequently reminding us that Kerbal Space Program is only a game. Panning around one's orbiting craft, be holding its beauty and that of the planet below, is hard when the game catches every few seconds. -Duxwing

I agree! Extenuating circumstances notwithstanding, kids smart-enough to overcome parental controls are smart-enough not to need them. Besides, preventing their accessing the Internet is unfeasible: -All computers must be surveilled and inspected lest the kid should tamper with either his own or, to affect it, another. -External Wi-Fi connections must be either secured, blocked, or jammed lest the kid should bypass security. -The kid may not any web service permitting any attachments -The kid may not access any website linking to an uncontrolled connection, or any other such site, and so on -The kid may not simply access the forbidden content somewhere so insecure as a friend's house. -The kid's belongings must be inspected for data storage devices, wherein elsewhere-gotten data may be stashed -The kid may have only a 'dumb' phone lest he should use its cellular data connection -The two previous requirements apply to whoever may eventually help the kid; e.g., friends, guests, and workers Essentially, the kid would have to be homeschooled, confined to his room, deprived of all but trivially-connected devices, and speak to his friends through a fine grate. You know what? Forget extenuating circumstances: any parent implementing such measures should either admit error or commit their child to another's care. The 'cure' is worse than the disease. -Duxwing

It works better the other way, where the acronym almost spells 'stack,' the word for a vertical group of serial stages. -Duxwing

It just doesn't feel right. -Duxwing

Strong, friendly AI. -Duxwing

Thanks! -Duxwing

Dear Modders, Could anyone make the stock angled nosecone into a radial decoupler like those of popular parts packs? -Duxwing

Gonna need sunglasses! -Duxwing

Oh, OK. You consider the KSP a nearly-insolvent agency borrowing on its own credit. -Duxwing

:_( Oh my gosh. *hugs* -Duxwing

The thirty-percent interest rate seems unrealistic because even payday loans, the quickest and riskiest kind, charge only six percent more. Whereas the Kerbal Space Program is presumably a federal government agency, which would float treasury bonds rather than take loans, which in turn would be upon the sovereign's "full faith and credit," which finally would reduce the interest rate almost one-hundred-fold (1). Also, even if the sovereign were nearly-insolvent or agency borrowing on its own credit, the yield would be three to ten times less (2, 3). The mod therefore bizarrely implies that Kerbal Space Program debt is only slightly better than unsecured personal debt to people of dubious solvency. 1.) http://www.bankrate.com/rates/interest-rates/1-year-treasury-rate.aspx 2.) http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GGGB10YR:IND 3.) http://www.fmsbonds.com/Market_Yields/index.asp -Duxwing

@OP I agree. It's sad and frustrating to see people write that we never will explore space, safely handle nuclear technology, etc. The posts are not even well-sourced or well-put but rather smug put-downs of mankind and the figurative 'men-in-the-arena'. I suspect, like another poster has mentioned, that the people delivering these grim proclamations fear unconsciously confuse the fear, perhaps by trauma conditioned, of their hopes dashed for the jitters one naturally feels about anything significantly uncertain. These posters I distinguish from working scientists and engineers applying their expertise to predictions or implementations of space travel without condemning the whole enterprise or hastily generalizing its impossibility from judgments beyond their expertise: wanting space travel does not justify any one method over another. -Duxwing

I like the new engine format: every engine is useful. One must now choose among the powerful-but-thirsty chemical engines, light-but-weak probe ones, and efficient-but-difficult exotic ones. The chemical engines enable landing on medium and heavy planets; probe ones, cheap and light transfers of small payloads; and exotic ones, careful trainsfer of large payloads. Moreover, every engine has become useful because each is built for but one task. -Duxwing

I support making kerbals fragile and reducing their EVA pack dV to 100m/s. RCS landers have a purpose! -Duxwing

I would consider it quarter-staging. Dropping a tank-and-engine assembly from under another such assembly is staging; firing three assemblies and dropping two radial ones is half-staging; dropping a tank off an assembly would be quarter staging. -Duxwing

Or just a modular girder segment with clipped-in probe core, 0.625m reaction wheels, and radial batteries; four lawn chairs, fixed solar panels, heatshield, and a nose-mounted parachute. Less than a ton. -Duxwing

Not very high: Watts = Joules / Second, Watts = 10^6 Therefore, 10^6 W = 10^6 J/s Flow = 500L/s, 1L Water = 1kg Water Therefore, flow = 500kg/s Therefore, energy per kilogram per second = 10^6 J / 500 = 200 J Kinetic energy = ½ * mass * velocity^2, Kinetic energy = 200 J, mass = 500kg Therefore, 200J = ½ * 500kg * v^2 Therefore, v = (200J * 2 / 500kg)^1/2 = 0.4m/s h = h0 + v0ÃŽâ€t + ½ a(ÃŽâ€t)2, h0 = 0, v0= 0.4m/s, ÃŽâ€t=0.04s, a = 10m/s/s Therefore, h = 0m + 0.4m/s * 0.04s + ½ 10m/s/s(0.04s)2 = 0.024m Moving a half-ton of water every second requires lots of energy. -Duxwing

Ohhhh... :-( Here's a big, warm *hug*. It's OK to be upset: someone for whom you've cared deeply has spurned, betrayed, and insulted you. -Duxwing

If for each mental state exists only one brain state, then claims of differing qualia can be experimentally tested by comparing brain states. -Duxwing

You had me until the pop-up ads. And Max said it mightn't be done. -Duxwing

Sincere -The will of man is done. -And thus we clamber from our cradle, rising boldly to the dawn. -We exceed what we once worshipped. -I stand for man on this new world, a flag in one hand, and soon another's in mine. Funny -(cellphone to ear) "Can you hear me now?" -I think I took a wrong turn at Albequerque. -So, where is everyone? -Forward! Forward into Dawn! -For Narnia! -Duxwing

I almost never use RCS because docking with main engines is easy: rendezvous, approach at high and then low velocity, stop, align docking ports, and dock at low velocity. RCS nevertheless eases docking and enables it for large payloads. -Duxwing

Wow. Just... wow. Beautiful IVAs and finally, a one-seater IVA that lets you see backward! -Duxwing

The power of deontology: my absolute responsibility for my crews' lives motivates me to extreme deeds. The ease of attachment: I almost love my Kerbals. The speed of the mind: the above power and ease can hasten my mind beyond its normal limits. Reflection: KSP is so unbound by real life pressures as to clearly reflect everything about me. Patience: I have played for two years but launched only one manned interplanetary mission. -Duxwing