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i know... maybe you should edit the OP and inform that installing form CKAN is not recommended. since you don't wanna talk with CKAN users every week about OPX not working.

I tested a plane mounted on a rocket in my early career save. Worked fine till landing. But we don't need to talk about that. Jeb survived, that's all I'll say.

This requirement, which I agree with, leads to an odd dichotomy for paid mods. Code-based mods have to provide a free link to the source code which means anyone can get the mod for free; you're only paying for the convenience of a compiled DLL. Artwork-only mods wouldn't have to share anything for free. Mod authors could then bundle unnecessary art file bloat into code-only mods, and add obfuscated extra code to check for those files, to prevent people from compiling the code on their own. KSP DRM. I don't have a solution just pointing out this edge-case issue. Agreed it's extremely complicated and I appreciate your donated time (without asking us to join Patreon to talk here, lol). I'm glad that you saw this thread because I created it partly based on your recent moderation of a mod that recently went paid. You deleted some posts will leaving others.

These are fair questions with very complicated answers on our end. Because it’s not specifically covered. Our current policy arises from direction issued to the moderation team a while ago, based on the no self promotion rule. The issue is obviously way more complicated than a simple “don’t talk about it” approach. We’ll figure out something here and get back to you “shortly”.

YEAR 1, DAY 59 - JEBEDIAH & BILL Deep in Aztec County lies one of the greatest pilots of all time, Jebediah Kerman, the ace from Amaccaca. He’s done it all. He was the first Kerbal to Circumnavigate Kerbin, the fastest flying Kerbal, and the highest flying Kerbal. For a long time he was the spokesman for Junkyard Aerospace Parts, which was in fact so successful for the business they renamed themselves to Jeb’s Junkyard. On this particular day when the agents (or black suits as pilots called them) arrived, Jeb was, well, being Jeb. “Hey Jeb, uh, there’s some black suits here to see you,” Bill said over the radio. “Ugh, this isn’t about the whole thing with the neighborhood, is it? I did get that family a new pet!” Jeb yelled back. “No, they’re here about some- wait, you never told me about the pet.” “There’s a reason for that…” “So, when will Jeb land?” asked one of the black suits. “It’ll probably be a few minutes. He took off around an hour ago, so he’s a few kilometers away at the moment.” Bill said. “I see,” said the black suit. “So, uh, what kind of plane is Jeb flying?” he asked. “A DE-395 Gyp.” Bill replied. “What? Those things haven’t flown since the 1930s!” “It was a gift from Jeb’s Junkyard. He said he liked vintage planes, so they gave him a vintage plane. Named it Brown Betty.” “Oh yeah, Jeb was a spokesman for them, right? What ever happened to his position there?” “Well, when you mix Jeb, a plane, and industrial equipment together, bad things follow.” “Alright Bill, clear the runway! We don’t want a repeat of the last landing!” Jeb said over the radio. I apologize for the weird suit textures, Texture Replacer had a stroke or something. “So what do you two want?” Jeb asked accusingly. “My taxes? I promise I paid them, they’re just… taking a long time!” “No Jeb, we’re here about something else.” the agent said. “I’m Jeff Kerman, and with me is Shearer Kerman.” “How many hours have you flown Jeb?” asked Shearer. “Around 2,000,” Jeb answered. “Well Jeb, we have a proposition for you. How would you-” “Yes, I think I would like to be a Kerbonaut,” Jeb interrupted. “H- How did you know?” Shearer said confused. “I’ve read the news. Everyone’s been saying I should go up first. Plus, you have the insignia, like, front and center on the car doors.” “Oh yeah… well… I mean we had a whole speech planned out, but I mean… alright, hop in.” Shearer gestured to Jeb to get into the car. “Not without Bill,” Jeb protested. “Bill? Well, I mean, we considered him, but… Jebediah, can I talk to you for a sec?” Jeff brought Jeb a little ways away from the car and plane. “Listen, I get you and Bill are friends, and we considered him, but Bill’s kind of… let’s say, not all there?” “Listen,” Jeb said. “Bill may be a little dimwitted, but he’s one of the best damn engineers you can get. I’m sure you’re gonna need engineers in space.” “Well… fine, alright.” Jeff said reluctantly. The two ended their sidebar and made their way back to the car. “Hop in,” he said to Bill. Bill excitedly ran to the car, and the four Kerbals were on their way. *** I just have to pop in and say that THE CAR AND PLANE ARE NOT MINE. I have been short on time, so I scoured KerbalX for some good prop vehicles. Here's the links to them: Plane: https://kerbalx.com/DE_Aviation/DE-395-Gyp Car: https://kerbalx.com/MicroSwitoo/Kadillac-Ceville

I updated the thread to be an Ace Combat/Project Wingman thread. AC and Project Wingman come hand in hand nowadays anyway, so I thought it'd be good to let you guys talk about Project Wingman as well.

What did we do today (as of writing this) in Kerbal Space Program? (The classic first Kerbal Space Program, that is.) Spotted something... "quite interesting", to say the least. More on that later. Before that, the day before, we learned from what happened following the previous post. And that is what will be discussed a bit below, before discussing what happened after. It seems that, as of writing this, we indeed show a lot of potential outside of modding Kerbal Space Program when it comes to playing the game proper, mods or no mods, but clearly still need to learn interplanetary and interstellar travel rocketry designs and such. Let this serve as proof of that. What you see here above is the giant fuel tank that we tried to add to our interplanetary ship being lifted into orbit. Choosing the smallest docking port possible was not the smartest design choice, but it ended up connecting. The same way that you could walk around with a huge bag of bricks slung over your shoulders, we tried to basically do that with our spaceship, not thinking about that part. Besides being able to connect to the interplanetary spaceship and provide a bunch more fuel, it did not do much but add huge amounts of weight and bend worryingly at the docking port connection. It helped at first, but that for a brief moment until something or another caused a collision, which caused this big blast that destroyed most of the payload that had been brought to the ship due to it. Thankful that the Kerbals were still even alive, we took that sort of cone thing seen in the lower picture fueled with the precious little bit of Liquid Fuel and Oxidizer that it had left and burned prograde. Then, we took that spaceship to to Duna and did this: Anyway, though... As for "what we did in Kerbal Space Program today" (as in the day that this was written on)... After that the day that the abovedescribed stuff happened, we decided to try creating a command pod using payload fairings, that of which is pictured below. That was way less chaotic and went way more according to plan than the interplanetary mission that spanned from the post before to this in terms of comparison. It flew into the air quite nicely on top of the RT-5 "Flea" Solid Fuel Booster that it was attached to, and functioned as any other command pod would, meaning this idea is indeed a keeper. Especially considering that, with this, you can design interiors that can function like KSP IVA, and can ditch the walls around the command seat inside to deploy parachutes as shown above. You see, this was around the last moment that Jeb was up there before we started spotting something that is about the silliest thing that somebody could see in Kerbal Space Program. Something that was not something that you would anticipate seeing at all unless told about it. Something quite unusual. It was this thing: If there is one thing that were not anticipating to see in Kerbal Space Program upon approaching sea level during a regular routine water landing, it is that thing right there. But there it was, staring back at us, its ginormous silliness palpable. I guess that the ocean decided that it wanted to do what the IVA camera screens in the bottom right corner in KSP do too. Regardless... talk about a "Kraken", eh? Jebediah Kerman eventually landed in the water, in a reflection of his own face. Kerbal Space Program? More like Kerbal Face Program! Like... what in the world?! Truly epic stuff. || That is what we did together in Kerbal Space Program the day that was written. We hope that you truly enjoyed the read and find our find as funny as we do.

Hi there, it's been a really long while. I'm still in school of course but I'll be out after next year. I forgot I ever even made an account on here lol. I want to talk about a few things about KSP in general and about the KSP in school stuff because it seemed like other people were inspired by what I did. KSP 2's launch.. threw me off really bad, super super bad like I don't even want to play any of the games anymore bad. At the time I wrote this thread, it would've even been several years since I started playing KSP at all. Now, it is 2024. It's been almost a decade since I've started playing the game, I'm glad it's been a wonderful part of my life and it made me interested in technology, astronomy and even more fields that I thought I would never invest time in. I should probably talk about the whole "games in school" thing at all, first off: they know. Your school's IT department (if competent enough) usually has systems that go off if they have it configured right. Last week as soon as we got back into school, some student tried installing games onto the network; unfortunately, it was malware. He got out of school suspension immediately and had all of his technology access taken away. Usually, when you sign in you agree to a contract called the "Access Usage Policy" stating that you agree to their rules and bla bla bla. Second off, I don't recommend playing games in school, I know that sounds really lame but for any student who ever or will check this thread in the future, don't. You'll get easily distracted and fall down a slope where work piles on because you're too busy goofing off. That's what happened to me and I crawled out of it lol. Study hall is fine, I wouldn't care but just be really really careful of what games you install and when you play it. I forgot if I ever said this in the thread but, the FABLED laptop is dead and forever will be. (Taken away by administration because it was "due for replacement"). TL;DR not a good idea to play ksp in school but you can if you really want to

Ill fix it. I must of left it in when I did he last update. The mods still a work in progress so thanks for the feedback. Sure when you get back lets talk.

mine was back on the 5th but i dropped out that week due to one of my presents. nothing i can talk about here.

A lot of kerbalnauts are familiar with the Ace Combat games, and a lot more know about War Thunder. However, very few know about a hidden gem from the early days of air combat gaming. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (Image source: Steam) Just like @TwoCalories's Ace Combat Thread, I decided to make one for Blazing Angels players to talk about their experiences with that game. How well did you fare in the campaign, favorite plane/s and missions, did you ever make it past the Norwegian fjords, playing with family, et cetera. For those who don't know or forgot, Blazing Angels follows the story of American pilots who partake in various iconic battles throughout the Second World War. Some of those battles include but are not limited to: the Battle of Britain, Desert Rats, Pearl Harbor, Midway, D-Day, and then you eventually end in Berlin. The player is an unnamed captain of a squadron of four composed of Tom the "shield," Joe the mechanic, and Frank the hunter; by the way, the captain talks. You can command your wingmen to stay with you, attack enemies, or protect you from incoming threats. The dialogue among the characters is great, and although the music can get repetitive sometimes it still feels appropriate for the situation. I will admit the graphics are mediocre, especially compared to Ace Combat 7, but I'll give Ubisoft a break considering it was released for the Wii in 2007; that was the version I got for Christmas two years later. The cutscenes and "old man captain" narrations before each level were very insightful since I would know more about what I was getting myself into, just like the mission briefings in AC7 only with way less advanced graphics (e.g. model vehicles and/or army guys moving on a blue and red map with the occasional explosion) - just like mission commanders using models on a map in the 1940s. After each mission was completed, I would get treated to another old man captain narration describing the aftermath. If I did well enough, I would get an "Ace" medal - and hear my dad quoting Chicken Little if he was nearby. As for the gameplay itself, although I enjoyed it a lot - and my years of playing it served me well when playing some levels in AC7 last year (despite it being on a PS5) - I was a bit disappointed that I had to do everything. Seriously, a lot of those levels had British/American air and/or ground forces with me besides my wingmen, and all they did was sit there and be green damsels in distress instead of actually blowing up enemies like they're supposed to. I can help take out the carrier decks of the main Japanese fleet, for example, but what was the point of me and the boys protecting the bombers from the Zekes if all they're going to do is fly around and expect me to sink everything? What about you all? What were you experiences with this game - or its lesser-known sequel, Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII?

Chapter 3 This is Walter Kerman reporting on the great day when we finally blow, er blast, er launch a Kerbal off the ground in a rocket. On arrival at the launch pad we were surprised to find that the rocket in front of us was essentially the same rocket as the test of the Flea booster, simply flipped over and a small parachute added to the top. This rocket is the first model of the Halifax rocket, the Halifax class A. The Halifax family of rockets are planned for flight up to low orbit over Kerbin. A new rocket family will be designed once we begin to move beyond low Kerbin orbit. When asked about the lack of landing gear or larger parachutes we received the following quote from Gene Kerman. "Additional parachutes and landing gear would increase the weight of the rocket which would require more fuel to reach the target altitude. As the Mk1 Command Pod has no life support, we are also testing how well our space suit works in the upper atmosphere, before later flights reach into the vacuum of space. Bob has assured us that the rocket engines have sufficient strength to handle touchdown under the parachute on this flight." Gene was further asked what the primary mission objective was for this first launch. “To get it out of sight,”* responded Gene. It is most fortunate this project is being led by the greatest engineering minds of our time. The rocket was named by Jebediah, the Freedom Three.** Freedom was chosen as this is the first step to free Kerbals from the bounds of Kerbin’s gravity, to bring us out to space. The official word is Three was chosen to honor the first three Kerbalnauts, Jebediah, Bill and Bob, though some have noted the command pod is the third one to be produced by the Kerlington Model Rockets and Paper Products Inc. As the countdown reached ten minutes to launch our crew moved to set up coverage of the pad for this historic launch. However before our cameras were set up to capture this moment, the rocket roared off of the pad and disappeared from view. Once our cameras were finally set up we were able to record the aftermath of the flight returning to Kerbin. In conversations with Bob afterward he revealed that the calculations used to determine the strength of the rocket engine used data from engine tests. In these tests the forces were spread across the entire bell of the nozzle. During the launch the force of the booster overcame the command pod’s reactor wheels to a small extent, resulting in an unexpected landing arc. When the force of touchdown was concentrated on one edge of the nozzle, the engine collapsed and detonated the remaining unburnt firework powder in the booster. Fortunately the command pod was strong enough to withstand the explosion. The goo container also survived, giving researchers interesting data about the goo's use as an explosion absorbing material. The mission produced new World Firsts records in top speed of a rocket (over 250m/s), highest altitude of a rocket (over 7,000m), and safe return to the surface of a launched rocket and crew. The launch also completed a contract for World Firsts to launch the first Kerbal piloted rocket. 7.7 units of science were gathered to be analyzed by our scientists, including data on how the goo jiggles and wobbles while flying. Our inside sources tell us that the next launch will be delayed for some time while Jebediah’s researchers ponder safely returning the command pod without risk of booster explosions. Bill discussed thoughts on the goo’s reaction to the explosions to help with designing a larger booster, with the capability to reach into space. Until next time, this was a Walter Kerman report. *Quote from a NASA (NACA?) project manager. https://www.planetary.org/articles/20180412-funpost-funny-thing **Based on the first Mercury rocket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_3 Jebediah Chronicles - Day 15 Gene recommended each astronaut record their thoughts after each mission to help think over how the mission went, how the space program could improve, and how the astronaut could improve. Seems like a good idea given how the aircraft flight testing program went, the number of Kerbals we’ve lost over time. Hopefully these logs never get out as it would shatter my image of a cocky test pilot. The first flight was a success, at least that is how Gene is recording it. The rocket met all of its goals and we brought back a good amount of science. Yet the unplanned failure of the booster on landing, the parachute just didn’t slow the rocket down enough for a safe landing. We were lucky the pod held up to the explosions. I was lucky. And the testing of the booster on the pad could have pancaked the command pod. Did Bill really think this test method was a good idea? I need to talk with Bill and Bob about how to safely land after a launch. Some way for the parachutes to slow the descent more, maybe drop off the weight we don’t need for the landing. Also need to come up with a test stand that lets us perform tests in a safer manner. Especially as Bill comes up with ways to make larger boosters. Not sure how I could improve myself after this mission, I had very little control over anything as the rocket just went up and back down. Best I can do for now is to keep up the confident front for the sake of the program. - Jeb.

(I'm late as hell, I know) Awesome to see one of my favorite threads reborn! Something I love about Beyond, which it has over my threads, are how alive the characters and space program feel. I've attempted to do this as well with dialog and such, but I think I've done a really bad job (I will talk a little more about this in my next DIRECT post including that going forward I will attempt keep it just about the architecture as I feel I am the best at that), compared to how well you've done it! I also love the idea of the format of each post evolving to have the appropriate theme for the time period, that's awesome! Godspeed, Beyond!

What are good hard science fiction books? That talk about reusable rocketry and artificial gravity and near future propulsion. Pls no political thrillers or religious thrillers I watched battle star and enjoyed the expanse. I want some books to check out on kindle bonus points if they got audio books.

That legacy being a dead IP and (as of writing this) the 39th worst reviewed game on Steam of all time. I'm not bringing this up to discuss review bombing or to make anyone feel bad about what KSP2 means to them. Everyone has the right to love or hate this game. But, as time allows us to look back we can see that the overall legacy of KSP2 for most people (outside of our tiny circle of die-hard fans) is shaping up to be a cautionary tale for consumers. KSP is now known to most not as a fun space sim game but rather as a symbol of poor practices in the modern gaming industry. The damage this IP has received from KSP2's development (and the recent lack thereof) can only be harmful. How bad? Time will continue to tell the further we go. But even at the peak of its success KSP was still an indie-level game meant for a niche audience. Add on the "baggage" of KSP2's current reputation, reviews, and the product itself... I just don't see a way any company or player community can redeem KSP2. Blame the publisher, the dev team, the fans - it doesn't matter to me. What does matter is that as the dust has now settled it is clear to see that KSP2 was an overall failure that has greatly hurt the franchise's chances of further existing in the future. Looking at the larger impact this game has had in the world of video games, KSP2's legacy is one that I strongly resent. (thx for coming to my TED Talk rant)

Chapter 2 This is Walter Kerman with an in-depth look into the testing involved and development of the first piloted Kerbal rocket. Welcome to the Kerbal Space Center, the facility developed by Jebediah Kerman as the first facility on Kerbin dedicated to spaceflight. You will travel alongside us as we are provided unprecedented access to this new facility. “You!” exclaimed a Kerbal moving quickly toward us. “You are Walter Kerman, the journalist!” Um, yes I am, and you are? “Hello Walter, I am Walt!” What can we do for you Walt? “It's about what I can do for you Walter!” Walt grabbed my hand and dropped a handful of dust into it. “What is this?” Dust? “Exactly!” beamed Walt. “Nearly everything we know about how Kerbin was formed can be found in rocks in dust. There is limitless science in that handful of dust! “The KSC will be launching Kerbals higher and further than ever. They will be performing science observations and measurements and bringing back samples from their travels. “Just think, dust and rocks from the Mun and Minmus! Everything we have learned from Kerbin we can learn and more from rockets launched from the KSC! “People need to be told! Exciting times are here and people can participate by following the space program and encouraging companies to provide contracts to help the KSC launch rockets higher and further!” Um yes, thank you Walt. “Thank you Walter!” Walt rushed off as quickly as he arrived. Our team scoured the KSC personnel records as I talked with Walt. It seems he is the head of public relations for the KSC. He certainly is enthusiastic about his job. Next we visit the Vehicle Assembly Building, known as the VAB, is where our rockets will be assembled, and then rolled out to the launch pad. Ah! Here we have Bill Kerman working hard on the command pod that will protect our Kerbalnauts while traveling through space. Bill is our expert engineer, who will be taking the scientists’ ideas and turning them into real equipment for the space program that the ground crew will then assemble into rockets. Bill! What can you tell us about the work you are doing here! “Hi Walt!” exclaimed Bill in a high squeaky voice. It’s Walter, I am not your public relations officer. “I’m working on the Mk1 Command Pod,” Bill’s voice continued to be very high and squeaky. “The pod uses reaction control wheels to control its orientation during flight.” He pointed up at the top of the Command Pod. “A Mk16 Parachute slows the pod’s descent enough at sea level to ensure no damage to the equipment aboard the pod. The only issue we’ve had so far is the little cone shape refuses to maintain air pressure, so the pilot will need to wear a space suit while outside of the atmosphere.” Thank you Bill, that was very informative. Um… why is your voice so strange? “We have a small helium leak,”* squeaked Bill. “It's fine, completely harmless to the pilot.” Alright then, ah we have Wernher von Kerman nearby. Wernher developed the original rocket designs and has been working on bigger and better rockets for the future of the space program. Wernher! What can you tell us about your latest rocket design? “It will free Kerbals from their remaining chains,” Wernher said without looking up from his schematics. “the chains of gravity which still tie us to this planet. It will open to us the gates of heaven."** Hmm, not quite what I meant, but an interesting statement to contemplate. The ground crew is working hard at setting up the manufacturing lines for rockets. The lead of the ground crew tells me they have enough personnel and space to produce one small rocket every two weeks. Wernher has theorized about the design of large and extra large sizes, which would currently take four weeks and eight weeks to construct respectively. The ground crew has proposed two vehicle assembly building upgrades that can each double the speed at which rockets are constructed. We should move on to the science lab. Here we have Bob Kerman developing the future technology that will allow Kerbals to travel deeper into space. Let us listen to one of our great scientific minds at work. “Report communications quality,” Bob said to the electronics laid out before him. “<skirt> he <snikt> ve <crackle>,” emanated from a speaker. “Oh for Kerbol’s sake,” Bob adjusted a few knobs. “Can you hear me now?” “<crackle> wha <snikt> ing <skirt>,” the sounds from the speaker seemed even worse than before. “To Moho with this,” grumbled Bob, putting his head in his hands. I am told that radio communications will not be important to the missions until a rocket reaches orbit. I am sure Bob will soon work out the issues he is encountering. The program is already making notable strides in science, with experiments on a Mystery Goo and Kerbalnauts practicing scientific reports on the ground already producing 3.4 units of science. Bob has informed me this science data is already being applied to better rocket technology. Next we will visit mission control where they are preparing for operation of the many rockets that will be traveling to the various bodies in the Kerbol system. Gene! What is the latest in preparations for all of the space flights you will be organizing! “No time to talk now,” Gene held his microphone away as he spoke. “All of the computer stations in the command center came with Windows installed! We have to get Kubuntu running on all these stations before we can properly track spaceflights.” Too much is happening in the command center right now. I am told Jeb is at the launch pad running a test of our first rocket engine. This should be very exciting to observe! Here we see the test stand for the RT-5 Solid Fuel Booster. This booster is nicknamed the “Flea” for its small size. The booster was found discarded after a fireworks show, packed with extra fireworks explosives, and adapted to mate with a Mk1 Command Pod. This configuration provides enough thrust to blast a single Kerbal into the upper atmosphere. First, however, the booster needs to be tested to ensure it will safely launch our Kerbalnaut. Jebediah has determined the best method is to test the booster inverted to avoid accidentally launching the rocket into the air, as one of the competing space programs had occur in a recent test.*** The Mk1 Command Pod is attached for full control of the booster, as well as a test of the structural integrity of the pod. Jebediah is very confident the pod will not be squashed like a pancake during the test. We would love to provide you a live interview with Jebediah as preparations continue before igniting the booster, however all communications have been hard wired to the pod, with the Kerbal Space Center providing video only data from the pod. We are told this is to perform testing without worrying about EMI effects. However our directional microphones picked up Gene Kerman muttering something about keeping Jebediah from saying something dumb while hyped up for igniting a booster. And we have ignition of the booster! You can really feel the roar of the booster in your chest as it burns like an oversized bottle rocket! The test seems to be progressing well as Jebediah looks very pleased. Wait, Jebediah is exiting the rocket. He seems to be deploying something on the ground as the test completes and echoes of the booster’s roar continue bouncing off the distant mountains. IV Ah, it seems Jebediah has found a way to communicate despite the radio lock out from KSC. It seems our Kerbalnauts are as excited as we are about the space program moving forward. With the completion of the booster test, my understanding is in two weeks time the first complete rocket will finish assembly on the launch pad and be ready to lift Jeb into the upper atmosphere. Until next time, this was a Walter Kerman report. * Not sure how things can keep getting worse for Boeing products. I hope this little reference does not turn tragic. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-considers-keeping-boeing-astronauts-space-station-february-rcna165587 ** Quote from Wernher von Braun. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/283265.Wernher_von_Braun# *** Accidental launch of Chinese rocket from test stand. https://www.space.com/space-pioneer-tianlong-3-rocket-accidental-launch IV Mangled Alan Shepard quote. https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/alan-shepard-freedom-7

Moved to mod talk. Have you tried asking in the mod thread?

Maybe I should talk about Nate's Mün Landing and that it has been a hoax. It was only a recording made in some VFX studios... You think it would get me some steam forum points?

It's one of my favorite books in spite of a few things, at least one of which breaks the forum rules to talk about. In addition to the Ansible, there's that pesky antigravity device that was well hidden through most of the book and then dropped in our laps as a megaweapon. However aside from those few things (which are fine. If you don't bend the rules a bit it's not SCIENCE fiction, it's just regular old fiction) the story is frighteningly believable. The 2nd book, Ender's Shadow, is just as good. I heard bad things about the rest so skipped them. The movie was ... fine I guess but it missed out on a lot that I thought was important - including ACTUALLY SHOWING US THE F'IN GAMES I mean that's what I wanted to see I'd happily watch JUST the game for 2 hours and we get like 5 minutes and montage. Grumble grumble grumble. To this day, whenever I'm about to do something difficult, I pause and think to myself, "The enemy's gate is down."

Trouble with landing on Australia's north coast is that you need to overfly Australia to get there, because it will be coming from the south. Pacific Islands would be safer in that regard, but maybe they're not ready to count on a de-orbit burn to accurately bring it down, just yet? Didn't they originally talk about bringing it down NE of Barking Sands on Kauai, but scrubbed that plan because it would require Starship to first be orbital and the de-orbit it?

Side effect: diabetes Superpower: be able to talk to women

I listened in on the last one and was highly disappointed. I will be on a plane during this one, so I am hoping someone else out here is able to summarize all the bullet points they didn't talk about.

@JadeOfMaar This all looks very promising. I've also been thinking about harvesting since I'm a little bit unsatisfied with my current approach of having a few drill types for whole sets of resources but still having them be harvested individually. The idea of sifting useful resources from regolith mixtures has been on my mind for a while, we should talk more about this. I'm interested to see how your converters end up since I think we have quite different approaches there (I just posted some thoughts about chemical converters over in my thread).

The satellite is equipped with a software defined radiometer. At the risk of overexplaining, software defined radio technology replaces what would be physical components with code. It samples the incoming radio signal a bajillion times per second, and computers are so good these days that stuff like filters, modulators, demodulators, attenuators, and a bunch of other stuff, can be emulated via software. You don't need to go out and buy (and have space for) those components, you just drag them into the flowchart. You can also do this at the same time as stuff which would typically already be done in code, in the same interface. Doing math on the data, bit stuffing, printing it to a live spectrum plot, etc. This is traditionally used for amateur radio (and indeed our ground station setup does use software defined radio for some of it) but our mission wants to see if this same technology can be used to make a low cost radiometer. How exactly it works is beyond me, the instrument is the product of the thesis of the professor running the satellite team. While I didn't have to make it, I did have to fix it and modify it and get it to talk nicely with the satellite's main computer, and calibrate it, and figure out how to power the 9 Watt instrument from a power supply that was not designed to power something that power hungry and... If all goes well we should be able to point it at Earth and see how much moisture is in the soil in any given (large) area. The satellite is capable of taking a 10 minute measurement at 1 sample per second every 2 ground station passes, assuming the battery is filled up in that time, although we will start slower. I'm not sure how precise the data will be. I will be ecstatic if we get back data at all, moreso if we can tell apart an ocean from a desert. I'll be ecstatic if the thing even beeps at us. I forget the exact statistic, but half of all university cubesats either don't succeed or don't even get to the point where they can beep (which puts full successes much lower). And I think that number includes graduate teams, our team has been entirely undergraduate except for the professor writing the program for the experiment and doing a lot of administrative stuff. Given the seemingly endless troubles we've had, the issues that were cropping up until the last minute, and many other things, I'm not expecting much. My personal victory threshold is a single occurrence of 2 way communication.

Sorta the first. Group A "We think that everything will be fine, it's probably slightly less certain than what we currently know about Dragon." Group B "We agree, but if anything goes wrong we—us in this room—will be savaged for making the wrong decision when the signs were there to the public, and we ignored a simple contingency plan. I don't think it's the second scenario at all—I talk (usually txt, lol) to someone somewhat involved literally daily (ok, it's like 75% meme exchange ). I think the PAO (and Boeing) have botched this from the start. Minus the unforced PR errors (public now thinking something is terribly wrong), I think they come home on Starliner for sure. Should they pull the trigger on a SpaceX contingency, they would be smart to underline that they think Starliner is fine to return, but one of the points of two providers was to have just this sort of contingency option. Nominal ISS work will seamlessly continue, they will come home in 6 months on Dragon, and Starliner will return by itself for analysis. I would hope that they have actually characterized the problems so that they can simultaneously tell everyone that the added time at ISS allowed them to determine exactly what needs to be fixed on future flights, and they have already begun testing the fixes. If they have to refly the cert mission, they'd have to talk to Amazon about buying one of their Atlas Vs (they're already gonna lose money on this contract, might as well at least succeed).