HAL9000-2001

+1 on the orion XT8, that's what I use.

Starrider - Foreigner Wheel in the sky - Journey Space station No. 5 - Montrose Rocket Man - Elton John

I Started with the demo, orbited in less the 2 hours, and landed on the mun in about 10. That was back in the day when we used fins as landing legs. I did watch a fair share of YouTube before I started though.

I think that this is a setback, but not a deathnail. The main reason for the production of the sterling rtg was to help extend the life of current pu238 stockpiles. The DOE recently signed a deal with NASA to restart production at the Oak Ridge national laboratory. It is true that with current funding projections there will only be enough for a major mission every decade, but it is important to note that there is no money being allocated for these missions. I believe (hope) with the next election cycle we may be able to increase planetary science funding by a reasonable amount, 25-50%+, and will be able to step up pu production with accordance to the missions proposed. The sterling rtg was only a postponement for the actions that have just been taking, rendering it nolonger (completely) necessary Just my 2 cents Hal9000

1. Cancel all SLS variants except for the super heavy lifter. 2. Reopen the development of Nerva thermal nuclear rocket engines. 3. Triple the current planetary science budget (if possible) and obtain a remote sample return from mars. 4. Launch the Webb space telescope asap and start development of a space based visible telescope at least 15m to replace hubbles capabilities. 5. Use our newly developed atomic engines along with the SLS to land a drilling probe on Europa. 6. Wait for Chinese to land on the moon and the start of a new space race so that congress will fund the development of a manned mars mission using the SLS heavy and Nerva engines to show china who's boss. 7. Distribute a free copy of ksp to everyone in America so that the newly interested public will make sure NASA is never under funded again. P.s. Fund the development of a space elevator! Hal9000

I live less then an hour away and didn't get tickets!!! Can't tell you how much I regret it. Hal9000

Even though it is only a few kilos the mission will also include sending a manned orbiter to mars (sorry I forgot to mention that), and it also represents a significant step in humans exploration of the solar system. I didn't mean to imply it was a trial run for a manned mission, but a test of accent technology and orbital docking On a body other then the earth or our moon. I just am not so excited with a manned mission to an astroid , even though the ion powered part is awasome, as humans will not escape the earth moon system. Hope this cleared things up Hal9000

Impressive, even though it's most likely over optimistic it good to see some unified plans coming from the NASA industrial complex. I must say the mission I'm most excited for in the forcible future is a sample return from the Martian surface because it domonstates the hardware needed to return a manned craft from the surface... With all the money going into the SLS let's hope NASA isn't afraid to stretch it's legs once she and the MPCV finally get off the ground. Hal9000

Hi guys, I was wondering if I could get a soviet style flag but instead of a hammer and sickle make it a slide rule and telescope, if anyone still remembers what a slide rule is . Thanks.

Given your situation, short of buying a apocromatic refractor which are easily $500+, I think you made a great choice, I've always been happy with my celestron products. I'd also recommend checking out the forum on cloudynights.com... It's filled with people much more expirencd with astronomy then I will ever be and those guys can answer any question. Just one warning, once you see the rings of Saturn and storms on Jupiter for the first time, you'll never be content with looking at pictures on the Internet. Good luck and happy observing, Hal9000

Delta v= Effective exhaust velocity*ln(Initial mass/final mass) As for the e.e.v. Of ksp engines, you'ld need to multiply ISP by accelaeation due to gravitation on the surface of kerbin in meters per sec... The same as earth in think, 9.8 meters per second per second. It's complicated, but I hope it helped.

Hi khrissetti, it's good to see other ksp players interesting in exploring space for real, even if we do it from the ground. As far as a beginner telescope I recommend getting yourself a decent pair of binoculars to start, check out models made by celestron. Once you are comfortable with finding stars,constelations, and nebulas at low power. The minimum scope I would recommend, and the one I own, is an 8 inch dobsonian reflecting telescope made by Orion telescopes. It's a great scope for a little over 300 American dollars. Don't by anything less or you will just have to a better and bigger telescope in the future. P.s. Buy the book nightwatch by Terence Dickinson, it's what got me into astronomy. I'm happy to answer any other questions... Hal9000