Is Spaceflight Inherently Aggressive?

[Jonfliesgoats]

We know Kerbals spend vast fortunes on space flight and they are not shy about sacrificing Kerbals in the pursuit of a wider presence in their solar system.  Whar would motivate these guys?   Are they hungry for conquest?  Are they idealists?  What motivates the Kerbal pursuit of knowledge?

[EliasDanger]

Spaaaaace!

That's as far as I imagine their motivation goes in Stock.

 

[Vanamonde]

Sheer enthusiasm. 

[ZooNamedGames]

Space is awesome, awesome enough to lose a few along the way (even we did!). Isn't just the sheer awesomeness of space enough?

[adsii1970]

The challenge to be better than Jebediah has been the encouragement for many of those now deceased or floating in space Kerbals...

[GoSlash27]

Any organism that actively seeks to expand it's environs is inherently aggressive. I'm okay with that.

Best,
-Slashy

[Jonfliesgoats]

Deleted by me.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Jonfliesgoats
Redundant post

[Scotius]

1 hour ago, Jonfliesgoats said:

We know Kerbals spend vast fortunes on space flight and they are not shy about sacrificing Kerbals in the pursuit of a wider presence in their solar system.  Whar would motivate these guys?   Are they hungry for conquest?  Are they idealists?  What motivates the Kerbal pursuit of knowledge?

Maybe your Kerbals Mine are peaceful explorers and scientists. And no one gets sacrificed in my space program.

[Andem]

Oh, my kerbals are varied... Some of them see it as the obvious next place to explore, some of the see value in it, and others see it as the perfect way to be above the next guy.

[Wallygator]

No. Space flight is not aggressive. It's the politics. 

If you are looking for a kerbal backstory, then you might consider changing the title of the original post. 

Hi ever in my opinion, the backstory is really anyone's guess. Which means we can each have our own. 

My backstory is that they are virtual entities created to obey me, give me a bit of mental respite and provide light entertainment whilst they undertake their quest. (IOW something to enjoy while my spouse watches yet another episode of a bridal wear show in yet another city. ARGH! SPACEBAR NOW!)

[Sharpy]

Looking at the state of Kerbin (all these craters), they just don't want to let this happen ever again. Their ultimate goal is to develop asteroid deflection technology capable of deflecting asteroids the size of Moho.

But that's a couple centuries ahead. Currently they need to understand the space mechanics better, so they explore and learn.

The will to conquer space was born of need, not of greed.

 

Also, they just love spaceflight and exploration.

Just look at that face.

[eddiew]

Agree with @Sharpy - kerbals are clearly happier in microgravity than anywhere else (4th panel below). Given that they look a bit aquatic, it probably makes them feel more at home than being on land at 1g.

 

[XB-70A]

Kerbals dream about long stays in space to grow up in lower gravity condition.

[Red Iron Crown]

They look to the stars and dream of walking among them.

[hawk_za]

one word

curiosity

[Mikki]

Kerbal curiosity. 

[Gaarst]

Boredom. Kerbin is boring, so they go look somewhere else.

[Andem]

8 minutes ago, Gaarst said:

Boredom. Kerbin is boring, so they go look somewhere else.

I beg to differ... Kerbin is extremely interesting if you actually wait a second and look at it.

[Aegolius13]

Since the kerbals have not yet invented anything productive to do with a surface base (and have not invented wheels that actually work right), I can assume they would have little interest in conquering inhabited worlds.

[Gaarst]

1 hour ago, Andem said:

I beg to differ... Kerbin is extremely interesting if you actually wait a second and look at it.

That is, from space of course.

[FlyingPete]

"Many years ago, great Kerbrit explorer George Kerman, who was to die on Mt. Whoopstooshort, was asked why he wanted to climb it. He said, 'because it is there.' Well space is there, and we're going to climb it." - John Fitzgerald Kerman, during his "We choose to go to the Mun" speech

Edited September 15, 2016 by FlyingPete

[wumpus]

Is mountain climbing inherently aggressive (it certainly was for early mountaineers.  They planned campaigns to 'conquer' the mountain.  More recent ones aren't so aggressive).  How about drag racing (a sport mainly concerned with delta-v)?  It certainly tends to be, but I'm sure plenty are more concerned with the time on their slip and the adrenalin rush and not at all in the car beside them (Jeb would love it).

I'd say not.  The shear *cost* of spaceflight on Earth simply puts it out the range of all but a few, and of the few the ones with the most interest (mostly in ICBMs) are military.

[purpleivan]

1. Greed - Kerbonauts get the best snacks
2. LUST - Love of Untested Speed Technology
3. Powerrrrrr - Self explanatory
4. Curiosity - What happens when I light this? Can I sit on top of it? What was that load bang? Will I survive the fall?... Repeat until survivability of fall = 0, then remove from roster (for a time)
5. The unseen hand of the insidious Space Industrial complex - er.... I mean... it's just good business
6. A desire to meet their maker (see number 4)

Edited September 15, 2016 by purpleivan

[TheSaint]

Curiosity. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Personally, I like to think that Kerbals are more-or-less human in their thinking. Yeah, it's bad science fiction, but it helps me relate to them better. Maybe a little more reckless, but not suicidally so. Maybe if we were a little less focused on being ultra-safe and a little more focused on actually accomplishing our goals we'd be a little further along our way as well. 

[MDZhB]

Kerbals are exploring their star system in order to harness its resources, necessary for their advancement and entrance into the galactic and intergalactic community. KSP's sequel will show Kerbals far in the future, with FTL travel, super-intelligent AI, reality altering abilities, and the other general requirements to be a serious space-faring race. They will most likely be heavily concerned with R&D, rather than trade or warfare. "Why", you ask?

Because Kerbalkind wants to take over the universe through superior technology. That's why. That's why we see such little emphasis on military testing/planning, because they won't need it. They'll just write everyone out of existence from the cosmic book of reality using physics cancelling technology before anyone else knows what's going on, because that's how they roll. Kerbals are the only ones that deserve to exist, because they take the universe itself and force it to bend to their will.