Mitchz95

Could it have been caused by Pluto's gravity? I know the two are tidally locked now, but they weren't always.

TAC Self-Destruct and Kerbal Attachment System have parts that let you do this.

Dres would be interesting. Hardly anybody goes there, and it's so isolated from the rest of the solar system that getting supplies there would be a hassle. And the asteroid moons provide a steady source of ore.

VASE and ELF look cool. It's been a while since NASA went to Venus, and the possibility of searching for life at Enceladus is exciting. When would these missions be ready to launch? Obviously it depends on the launch windows, but how long to finish R&D and construction?

That's pretty much all there is to know about it. "Ablator" is just the amount of protective shielding you have left in that shield. Once it runs out, the shield doesn't protect you anymore. As I understand it, Reputation just affects how "prestigious" the contracts you're offered are. High Reputation will offer you missions to other planets, low Reputation will limit them to missions within Kerbin's sphere of influence. It's not that important of a resource, I usually just turn it all into science or funds. There are a lot of guides on this subforum that can answer this question way better than I can.

I'm tentatively planning to do an RSS playthrough in science mode. Should be interesting. Failing that, science mode in normal KSP with a few different star systems to visit.

This, to me, is the whole problem. I have little doubt that if NASA were allowed to ditch SLS and Orion early on, and didn't have to worry about the ISS, we could have been on Mars by 2020. Even with the existing budget.

I could have guessed that from the shape.

I just use an ISRU base on the asteroids orbiting Dres to refuel.

That's an interesting take on it, and I have to admit it makes a sort of sense. Still not sure it's the right way to go about doing it, though. I wonder if the lunar space station might have artificial gravity? Something like Zubrin's "counterweight on a tether" mechanism would be an interesting long-term experiment.

Exactly how inclined are these slopes?

Any ship that can get to the Mun and back can get to Minmus and back. Lots of science over there.

That looks like the same stream, thanks.

My computer won't connect to the NASA TV stream. Is there another place to watch it? If not, I'm counting on you guys to keep this thread updated!

Thank you guys, those are great.

Hi, could someone make a Kerbalized version of the United Nations flag? ^ Like that, but with the Kerbin continents.

I use a lot of mods, so probably not. But that's fine, I was planning to start a new game anyway.

Looks like water to me! (Would water on Mars be blue or red?)

Right now the NASA livestream is just a Q/A session. Not even showing the eclipse.

NASA did put some lego figures on their Juno probe, so a Kerbal on Mars doesn't sound unreasonable.

Unfortunately, no. Eclipse shadows are something that have been requested for a while but haven't happened yet. Hopefully someone will create a mod for it soon.

A lander would be awesome, but it would be pretty delta-v heavy. You'd need a lot of gravity assists to make it happen.

Forgive my ignorance, but what's SEP?

I could see the first mission using the Venus assist and a short Mars surface stay, and the second mission being a direct-to-Mars trip with a long duration stay. The obvious downside to the former is that you'd hardly have any time for science on Mars. But the possibility of studying two planets in one mission is enticing, and would be a great "return to flight" moment for NASA as a whole. If we did the Venus assist, how long would the trip to Mars take?

I've completed manned missions to everywhere but Moho and Tylo. I have yet to recover anything I've landed on Eve (though that's a goal I plan to achieve in my current game ).