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Hi, everyone. We'd appreciate it if you could take a few moments to fill out a quick survey for us. It's about the impact that Kerbal Space Program has made in various aspects of your lives. Your compiled results will help us publicly reinforce the game's intended messages of positivity, creativity and intelligence among the community throughout our time at SXSW. Thanks!

Collaboration kicks off at SXSW Gaming with first reveal during a live panel on show floor The Planet Kerbin has a new partner in the exploration of its solar system. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has joined forces with Kerbal Space Program to create Kerbal Space Program: Asteroid Redirect Mission, a special update that adds realistic NASA rocket parts and missions to the award-winning indie space agency sim game. The mission shares the same name as the three-part mission which started in 2013 and is currently projected to be completed in 2022 with a manned mission onto an orbiting asteroid beyond the Moon. Kerbal Space Program and NASA will share the stage at SXSW Gaming on Saturday at 12:30 in the Palmer Events Center in Austin, Tex. The panel will offer the first look at the in-game mission as well as discuss the process of taking a real mission that is still highly conceptual and assembling it in Kerbal Space Program. “Kerbal Space Program is about giving gamers the chance to dream big, even if they’re not astrophysicists. This relationship with NASA, the very beacon of big dreams and imagination, is going to give players a real opportunity to learn about the universe we’re living in,†Kerbal Space Program lead developer Felipe Falanghe said. “The Asteroid Redirect Mission is going to be one of the rewarding and challenging accomplishments in all of gaming. We can’t wait to see our current and future players take on this mission and perhaps, teach NASA a few tricks along the way.†The mission mirrors NASA’s real operation in many ways. Namely, players will tackle the same three steps as NASA: Identify: Detect, target, distinguish and select the asteroids that you want to move Redirect: Build a rocket ship and set course to intercept the moving asteroid, then position your ship to redirect the asteroid’s trajectory Research: Send your Kerbals on EVA (extravehicular activity) around the asteroids to conduct experiments on the object and gather valuable scientific data as it (and you) hurtle through deep space “The collaboration with Kerbal Space Program can help drive interest by future explorers in next-generation technology development and deep space exploration, said Bob Jacobs, deputy associate administrator for Communications at NASA. “Having an element of the experience based in the reality of NASA’s exploration initiatives empower players to manage their own space program while getting valuable insight into the reality of studying asteroids as a next step in getting to Mars.†Nearly a dozen new parts, including the game’s biggest fuel tanks, will help players tackle what is the most ambitious NASA mission to date. Another new part is the robotic grappling device, which players will use to snare the rock and redirect it into orbit around the Mun, Kerbin or other planets. This new device can also grab things other than asteroids, making it one of the most versatile parts added to the game. These new parts will not only help the Asteroid Redirect Mission but will also offer both new and old players the chance to experiment more in the game’s open sandbox mode.

We're thrilled to announce our participation in several key events at this weekend's SXSW Gaming expo in Austin, TX. First and foremost will be a panel taking place on Saturday afternoon where Squad developers and members of NASA will get together to talk about Kerbal Space Program: Asteroid Redirect Mission. The much anticipated free content pack is based on a long term, real life NASA project which aims to save the planet by learning how to redirect asteroids away from it. More info on the panel and details on the free Asteroid Redirect Mission will be revealed this week. We're also excited to announce our participation in the SXSW LANfest, sponsored by Intel. They'll be hosting a Kerbal Space Program tournament on Saturday evening that will have competitors scrambling into the stars, as they will have to conduct several missions on the spot - no prep time allowed. Play for fun, great prizes and the chance to show your skills off to members of Squad, live and in person. More details on the Kerbal Space Program tournament at LANfest can be found here: http://intel.ly/1gLnfV5. For anyone who can't make it to SXSW, we'll keep you up to date news on the latest happenings. For those of you who will be down there, don't be afraid to say hello. We'd love to see as many of you as we can.

BigSushi.fm recently had the chance to speak with HarvesteR, C7Studios and Calisker about the past, present and future of Kerbal Space Program. You may find some tidbits about the Asteroid Redirect Mission mixed in there, too Listen at the link. LINK: http://bit.ly/1dFGP2R

Hey, everyone! It's once again time to rally up the troops. We need your help to win a major prize at the upcoming Game Developers Choice Awards. We have been named as one of the nominees for the Game Developers Choice Audience Award - an award arguably more prestigious than any other, because the winner is chosen by YOU! That is why we need YOUR help. We know that we have the best community in all the universe and winning this award will only be a testament to the heights we've all risen to together. A vote for KSP is a vote for all of us. You have until March 1st, so make it count! Click HERE to vote.