Kerbucks to Real Bucks

[Spacetraindriver]

Yeah. That is pretty much it. How many KB = RB. Also how are our replica/comparable rocket prices against real life prices?

Some prices I would like to compare:

Saturn V

KSP: V584,792

Real Life: (Now) $3.2 Billion (Back Then) $492 million

4000 class aka Bigboy

KSP: V680,678.0 (?!?!?!)

Real Life:$265,174 (?!?!?!?!??!?!?!)

An 225

KSP: V435,295.4 (?!?!?!!??!!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!)

Real Life: (US) $20 million (after upgrades)

As you may observe, these are the largest of their type of vehicle. Saturn V Rocket, Bigboy Steam Train, An225, Plane.

WHY GOGGLE? WHY?

Edited September 28, 2015 by Spacetraindriver

[Kerbart]

At least the 4000 class engine shows that it's economically unfeasible to build a steam engine out of rocket parts.

[John Nowak]

I'd ignore the last two for comparison prices. Locomotives don't have rubber electric wheels. The An 225 is a production model, not a one-off prototype.

So it looks like about one kerbuck = $1000 around 1970-ish.

[Shpaget]

The An 225 is a production model, not a one-off prototype.

There is only one An 225.

[John Nowak]

There is only one An 225.

Oops, my bad.

Still, I'm not convinced it's a good example to use. Does the price reflect what it would cost to build in the US, or the money Russia would accept for it?

[vger]

Kinda too bad the solar system isn't to scale. It'd be kinda cool to see just how expensive our space programs are in current U.S. dollars, to give people an idea of why it's so flipping hard for NASA to do as much as we wish they could.

[Starwhip]

I'm not sure a lot of these prices are accurate. In-game currency is way out of whack. For example, using Rhinos as the first stage engines in that Saturn-V. They're expensive, way more expensive than Mainsails, and don't produce as much thrust ASL IIRC.

[Rath]

I think that comparing the cost of the SLS first stage to the mammoth would work well.

[ChrisSpace]

The method of comparison you are using is all wrong. For example, of course a train/plane made of rocket parts would cost more, as would a differently designed Saturn V! The proper way to compare would be to use mods that add life-size replicas of spacecraft, and compare those prices. Its the only proper way.

[NuclearNut]

The method of comparison you are using is all wrong. For example, of course a train/plane made of rocket parts would cost more, as would a differently designed Saturn V! The proper way to compare would be to use mods that add life-size replicas of spacecraft, and compare those prices. Its the only proper way.

The proper way would be to determine the power output of an RTG in the game using the size of it to compare it to a RL RTG, and from there compute the cost.

According to NASA the quantity of plutonium used in a SNAP-10 RTG was 4.8 kilograms, current estimated cost per kilogram of PU-238 is around 8 million dollars a kilogram, giving us a total cost of 38.4 million dollars per RTG, which is not that much compared to the launch cost. Now if we take that cost and divide it by the cost of the PB-NUK we get around 1600 USD per kerbuck, or around 1000 USD in 1970.

[legoclone09]

In Realism Overhaul and all those realism mods, I believe it is 1 Fund is 1000 USD. At least I have heard so from some videos.

[cantab]

It's hard to compare. My thinking has long been that Kerbals use rugged, cheap, low-performance rocket parts, whereas we humans use stuff that's much more sophisticated and expensive. That's because the Kerbals have it easy on their mini planet.

[problemecium]

As a general guideline I call a Fund $10,000. So the Kidonia has so far cost about $30 billion xD