mangekyou-sama

zero G beer pong? anyone?

except that rig would eat up the craft's electricity XD

In line with magnemoe's suggestion, I tried simulating a scenario where the Earth drifts from the solar system and into inter-stellar space and eventually finding its way into a neighboring system. The idea seems good, having Earth find a new home and all but there were problems. In this experiment I simulated Earth's approach to the Kepler-62 system in an inclined angle. Naturally, the Earth stays frozen in interstellar space. I was hoping the Earth would then have a highly eccentric orbit around the star at best. But that's not how physics works does it? As the Earth gets pulled to the star, it just slingshots out of the system again. So with these observations I have a few questions again. So if the Earth drifts out of the solar system, won't it be able to find a new home star again? What can possibly slow a planet down to avoid slingshot-ing out again?

Lately I've been playing with Universe Sandbox 2 for my simulations (featured in my other thread). For pure exploration on the other hand, I use SpaceEngine. Universe Sandbox 2 has pretty much everything I need, except maybe improved collision graphics and proper daylight simulation (I deleted the sun once but there's still illumination as if it was still there). Then again, it's still in alpha so I expect those changes in the future.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this what the Constellation program was about?

We've got some sort of seed vault somewhere right? If that fails... Kim Kardashian's got her eggs frozen too! lol

Can any other body aside from a star do that? Such a body would have to be more massive than the sun. And if does exist, how would it end up passing by the solar system?

Maybe I could do a simulation of that. What could pull it off its orbit though?

Hey guys! I've updated the OP again and added a new scenario. From a really hot one, to something really cold. Once again I'm very eager to read your thoughts on Scenario 2

A shame we won't be alive to see it

WOW. Now that's a simulation! I've updated the OP with screenshots and I think it matches the video you linked, albeit at a much larger scale.

I guess that opens yet another question in my mind. Let's say people evacuated somewhere before the impact, say the Moon. Would the shock wave (if that can even travel through vacuum) affect the Moon substantially? Or if not, knock all man-made stuff out of orbit at least?

I started this thread with the aim to get feedback from the community regarding the chances of survival and inhabiting and repopulating the Earth after an asteroid impact. Due to a really educational insights people have posted here, I've expanded the thread to include other doomsday scenarios as well. *All scenarios are simulated in Universe Sandbox 2.* The asteroid in question was Ceres. I was trying to get a good feel on how it would look like if a Ceres-sized object impacted Earth. Year 0, here we see Earth and a nice view of the Pacific ocean. Surface temperature sitting at a nice 14.8C And here's Ceres, with a radius of 476km No idea why it turned blue, anyway, it's getting really close to Earth, casting its shadow on SE Asia Impact. At this moment, temperature shot up to 590C and is still increasing Full impact, surface temp at 801C Days after the impact, the whole planet is engulfed in seemingly really hot matter (molten rock maybe?) Year 2 and a half, surface temp 439C. And you can see the remains of America. There is evidence of a shift in Earth's axial tilt. Year 3 and a half, surface temp 382C. Here are the remnants of the Indian ocean, SEA and Antarctica. Year 7, first signs of water appear in different parts: Gulf of Mexico, small parts of the Atlantic, impact crater. Again, notice the position of America Year 8, water has fully covered all the major bodies again. There is evidence of clouds and weather systems again although surface temp is still at 134C Year 9, surface temp has dropped down to 31C. Massive icing has occurred on some continent though in this screenshot I can't really tell Year 10, still massive icing which I found to be seasonal (it recedes midyear) which might be due to the change in the Earth's tilt. Surface temp has dropped back to normal. Year 10, from another angle we see the remains of America which is heavily flooded Year 10, remains of Africa and Europe (game depicts city lights on the dark side of Europe, so I guess there's people again? lol) Here are my questions regarding the first scenario... 1. What caused the sudden high temperatures that dried up the bodies of water? 2. What are the chances of a Ceres-like object impacting Earth? 3. Can an asteroid impact that big cause a shift in the Earth's axial tilt? 4. Given that it took 10 years (in the game) for surface temperatures to go back to normal, was the simulation necessarily accurate? 5. Will Earth, or any othet planet, be habitable after an asteroid impact (taking radiation in consideration)? This scenario aims to simulate what happens if one day, the sun just vanishes (well maybe it's not very realistic, as a star's collapse usually comes with novae, and our Sun is not that old yet to collapse) from the system. First of all, here's a shot of the solar system we know. The game depicts the orbits of the different bodies around the sun... ...then suddenly, the sun just vanishes (I deleted it lol) We take a look at earth. Somehow, the simulation has become erroneous since it still simulates daylight (which is not possible since there is no Sun). 5 days after the Sun goes out, surface temperature sits at 14.1C With no parent star to hold the planets in orbit, each body drifts away from orbit 13 days after sun-out, surface temp drops further to 10C. Ice begins to form in the northern landmasses 105 days after sun-out, surface temp has dropped to -0.0203C and still dropping. Land masses in the northern hemisphere are now covered in ice. Even the once scorching hot Sahara is now beginning to be covered in ice 144 days after sun-out, surface temp @ -3.47C, the whole of Africa is now covered in ice 235 days after sun-out, with the temperature @ -10.6C, bodies of water now begin to freeze from the north, creating an expanding ice cap that will soon cover the northern hemisphere and within months, the world. More than a year after sun-out, surface temp @ -26C, the northern hemisphere is now completely frozen A few weeks more, with surface temp @ -29, the rest of the Atlantic and Pacific ocean freezes In less than 2 years after sun-out, with surface temp @ -36C and still dropping, the world becomes a frozen wasteland as it drifts further into space. I ran the simulation further and after quite some time (hundreds of years), Earth temp stopped dropping at about -139C. Here are my questions regarding the experiment: 1. What are the chances that the Sun will suddenly stop giving out energy needed to heat the system? 2. Would it be possible to survive such a scenario by living deep underground and let the Earth's own heat do the work? 3. Can the Earth produce its own heat without gravity from the Sun? 4. Is adaptation totally out of the question? Because well, adaptation against extreme hypothermia and eternal darkness doesn't exactly happen in just a year. I'm looking forward to reading your inputs!

[A]dmiral Puppeh go add me up! Playing Dota 2, Insurgency, CS GO

So after I've seen its title in a post somewhere here, I gave SpaceEngine a try and boy was it fantastic! Anyway, I was looking for cool planets in the Magellanic cloud and by chance I tumbled upon a little asteroid. I was moving the camera around taking in the scenery and boy I was in for a shock. It's arguably one of the most terrifying screenshots I've made... It's one of the few moments in a game that I felt genuine terror and awe. It was as if that planet was about to swallow me whole! This is a screenshot of that same asteroid from afar... And here's a screenshot of that asteroid from the planet itself... And here are my other screenshots so far. I'll be sure to add more

The Karnival Challenge "Because Kerbals need entertainment too!" So here's the idea. I've seen lots of people building bases, laboratories, kethane refineries, mining complexes, etc. And I thought, why not a carnival?! Doing science experiments, watching the kethane drills, checking on the refineries, cleaning science laboratories... these routines can drive any kerbal crazy for long stretches of time (especially those guys on Eve). Therefore they need a place or facility to just have plain fun! This is not really a contest but merely a challenge on creativity. Can you build the next Disneyland in the Kerbal universe? MECHANICS: It's pretty simple, build a carnival (or theme park, or fairground, whatever you want to call it) on any celestial body. (Think a carnival on Laythe will have appeal to the locals, go ahead!) Your carnival must have at least 3 different rides. The more the better! (You can stick with the traditional ferriswheel, or you can build something that's totally whack) Use any mods to your liking (I have my reservations on using HyperEdit, but if you think sending all those components one by one to the destination is too tedious, no one's stopping you) Things to consider: Safety - how safe are your kerbals from explosions this time? How sure are you that that girder won't fly off once the ride is at full power? Visual Appeal - does your carnival look just as boring as your space station? Put some spice into it! Kerbpaint is your friend! Accessibility - your carnival should accommodate any mode of transportation, whether they arrive by rocket or by spaceplane Uniqueness - carnivals on the ground are sooo yesterday, orbital carnivals are the bomb! Creativity - take advantage of the place! Reverse bungee on Minmus anyone? Get posting and goodluck! If you have any questions or suggestions do let me know.

After 9 flights, I had to terminate my Minerva Munar Excursion Program as its success rating was too low - not to mention 7 deaths that went along with it. Research and funding will now be redirected to the planned Juno Program (Minmus) and the upcoming Ares Mission (Duna).

Tested my new design that mimics the LM+CSM style of Apollo for my Minerva Program. Minerva IV - Some structural failure caused the rocket to break apart. The crew (I) panicked and forgot to deploy chutes after using the LES. All 3 kerbonauts dead. Minerva V - Got safely to orbit and did the transfer burn. The fairing failed to open, thus I can't turn around and dock with the LM. Had to abandon mission. Now waiting for apoapsis retroburn to get home. Minerva VI - Orbit, transfer and docking successful. Landed on the Mun with severe fuel constraints. Not really sure if it can still rendezvous with the CSM. Might have to send an unmanned rescue vessel to get the guy back home.

I'll have to revise the OP. I guess I really meant 'COST' of your space program and not its worth as Wafflestoo pointed out. If you want to appraise your space programs (based on its location, scientific value...oh and did I mention life insurance for your Kerbals?) then please do so. One more thing is that IMO, ships that are in the VAB that lie 'unbuilt' still count towards the total costs. Suborbital testing, failures (provided you dont revert).

***I mainly got the idea from that "Biggest Financial Loss" thread by Bigulp. If I am breaking any rule, please do let me know*** Here's the idea. If some rival mega-kompany was to acquire your space program assets (probes, rovers...well, basically everything you've built EXCEPT for the KSC buildings), how much funds would that company have to spend? Let me start (this is still sort of incomplete): My Skyhawk series of launch vehicles costs roughly 200-350k each. The latest version of which is the Skyhawk VI-C (it's third iteration). Therefore, the series itself costs roughly Funds2.7M and that excludes multiple launches per mission. My Minerva program for example makes use of the Skyhawk VI-A which costs roughly Funds330,000 per launch. Minerva is now on its 4th regular mission to the Mun which means so far, my Minerva program costs Funds1.32M. Another example would be my Diana geo-mapping probes. The probe and launch vehicle costs roughly Funds80,000 per launch. I have 3 of those probes sent up which then costs a total of Funds240,000. So using these incomplete values (I haven't taken a full inventory of my space program assets YET), my space program costs Funds4.26M. And that makes me curious, how much does your space program cost?

Here's my newly formed company!

Through the years we've seen games stand the test of time. Some of them are decades old yet they carry with them some sort of distinction, like when someone says Zelda and it always rings a bell. We've seen games like Counter-Strike, DoTA and many more games that have gained significant following for many years - something that has led to new versions/remakes (e.g. CS: Source, CS: GO, DoTA 2). I'm not comparing genres here. KSP is way too different from CS and DoTA. I just want to know your opinion on whether KSP has the 'material' to stay alive for many more years to come. What are the chances that future generations will like the game (and possibly improve it, maybe even remake it! *no offense Squad*) and won't just let it fade into obscurity? I'm very eager to read your thoughts on this one so post away!

I don't mean to sound like a derp but the links on the first page dont seem to be working. I need that Space Station pack. Is it included in the whole package?

Not really sure what's the point in making this post but eh, it's your opinion. Although it's kinda flawed.

It's gotta be my Skyhawk VI-B Launch Vehicle. It's got a massive 5M lifter stage supported by 2 2.75M boosters. Haven't tested it thoroughly yet. But with luck, it can send my lander to Duna pretty soon. *will post pics later*