WHAT IF: If asteroids can impact the planets on KSP

[TheJoolian]

Yeah, this can be a strange topic, but what if SQUAD add realistic impacts to the planets on Kerbol System? So, asteroid impacts in Kerbin will just make the game more like a "almost impossible challenge." That's my opinion, what's yours?

[Flavio hc16]

it might be a nice idea as one of the last mission in stock career ksp, deep impact style:

"there is an asteroid in colllision course with kerbin, you have 1 year of time before impact and you have to change the trajectory of the asteroid enought that it won't impact kerbin"

[Mikenike]

Would be fun, but kinda easy. All you need to do is simply throw a Saturn 5 at it, at full speed, it will move it quite well, or you can dock it to that, and do it that way.

[fourfa]

This is already true in stock (sort of).  Planet-crossing asteroids spawn continuously.  They frequently impact planets - or rather, they would, if you switched to the asteroid and watched it impact.  Otherwise, physics won't be calculated and the asteroid and planet will happily pass thru the same simulated space with no interaction.  Furthermore, if you do ride the thing down it won't be as dramatic as one would hope.  It won't burn up, it won't break up in the atmosphere, it won't make a massive crater, it won't launch molten ejecta.  It won't do very much at all, really.  It might just poof at the surface.  It might actually bounce off the ground.  It's possible that it will float on water.

One of the last tutorial missions is an asteroid redirect - is that redirect an impactor, or just bring a passing rock into orbit? Can't recall.  Anyway this dates to around 2014.

So I think what we should be talking about is the realistic impact part.  More interesting atmospheric entry behavior, permanently deformable terrain, ejecta that have mass and can cause damage (think about the physics rate with a thousand new asteroid-like craft flying in atmo at the same time lol), climate change over days months and years scale...

Someone will likely be along shortly to explain why none of this is possible in stock KSP 1.x.  Perhaps we can hold out hope for KSP 2.x.

Edited February 13, 2020 by fourfa

[Pds314]

This already happens randomly, just without the damage to facilities unless it hits one directly. It would be nice to have asteroids explode on impacts hard enough to break them.

[Kernel Kraken]

I bet if Squad modelled a number of events and impact craters, they could set them to happen randomly over time as spawn an asteroid event that will leave a small crater. Not sure how it would work, but it seems possible. Like random encounters in the Fallout games, pre- programmed asteroids.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Kernel Kraken
Confused game developers

[Guest]

On 2/13/2020 at 5:18 AM, Mikenike said:

Would be fun, but kinda easy. All you need to do is simply throw a Saturn 5 at it, at full speed, it will move it quite well, or you can dock it to that, and do it that way.

A Saturn rocket collision probably wouldn’t do anything to a extinction level asteroid. Maybe not even nukes without a lot of advanced warning.

Edited February 27, 2020 by Guest

[Incarnation of Chaos]

I mean you could hack together a "Realistic" asteroid impact event; using some simple procedural logic that tunes a scatterer profile depending on the size of the asteroid to simulate the debris/lack of light. As for actually making craters and the like? Not happening in real-time; due to how KSP handles planets and terrain.

You could also apply different modifiers based on which profile has been activated; for instance if a dinosaur killer smacked into the surface then hiring new kerbals should become expensive due to limited food and the breakdown of society, rocket parts couldn't be recovered too far from the KSC, and launching new rockets would cost more or even become impossible due to lack of parts.

A smaller asteroid may not cause a complete breakdown, so the cost to recover parts would just increase (You'd get less for recovery) instead of being restricted so heavily.

The primary issue is making it happen often enough to force you to consider it a realistic threat; while not so often that it becomes annoying.

29 minutes ago, Dale Christopher said:

A Saturn rocket collision probably wouldn’t do anything to a extinction level asteroid. Maybe not even nukes without a lot of advanced warning.

Your only hope would be some kind of tug that would dock to the asteroid; using electric propulsion that also had onboard ISRU, and a decade or more of leadtime. This is assuming current technology ofc.

[kerbiloid]

The prevention of an asteroid impact gives mixed feelings.

1. On one hand, we have saved the planet. Kinda, huzzah.

2. On the other hand, we have left without the greatest show.

If impacts were realistic, would anybody save the planet? Or vice versa we would make a cover bombardment?

[Kernel Kraken]

3 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

The prevention of an asteroid impact gives mixed feelings.

1. On one hand, we have saved the planet. Kinda, huzzah.

2. On the other hand, we have left without the greatest show.

If impacts were realistic, would anybody save the planet? Or vice versa we would make a cover bombardment?

If I was running a legit career game with consequences for impacts I certainly wouldn't let it impact due to pesky things like the aforementioned difficulty launching rockets. In sandbox? Heck naw! That would look so cool and it's sandbox.

[kerbiloid]

A firestormy world.

Maybe Kerbin should be a less peaceful place where nothing but boredom brings you to space.

Including but not limited with the asteroids from time to time falling from the skies like bolides with fiery tails and thunders, exploding, making the sky black-red for several days, and burnt kilometer-sized spots (maybe craters, but at least the spots) on ground, fading out for months.
Sirens-schmirens, ask the dwellers of Tornado Alley for details.

So, you need to build an counter-asteroid defense.

And volcanos. So you must develop Kerbal geology to predict and evacuate your bases.

[Mikenike]

On 2/26/2020 at 10:57 PM, Dale Christopher said:

A Saturn rocket collision probably wouldn’t do anything to a extinction level asteroid. Maybe not even nukes without a lot of advanced warning.

What would a nuke do? Doesn’t it need some sort of atmosphere? Does anyone remember that a Saturn 5 explosion would have destroyed everything inside of 3 miles?

[Kernel Kraken]

1 hour ago, kerbiloid said:

Ask the dwellers of Tornado Alley for details.

Given the Kerbals' technology (especially in the early game) is based on the early space race, I doubt they would have those new- fangled electronic sirens we have everywhere now. Imagine: you are designing something or other in the VAB. After a few hours of calming Kevin MacLeod music, you hear this cutting through the silence: (skip to about 1:00)

https://youtu.be/shqg4a-Ols8

That would terrify players into reacting fast.

[kerbiloid]

Near-Kerbin  volcanic orbital rocks.

From time to time volcanoes erupt and throw generated rocks around.
Some of them in orbits.

So, you have to clean the orbit after eruptions before they can hit something orbital.

Muncanoes and Duncanoes also throw the rocks, some of them become travelling asteroids, some of them are flying to the Kerbin to be intercepted.

Large asteroid impacts also cause secondary lesser asteroids, like the volcanoes do.

Edited February 28, 2020 by kerbiloid

[Curveball Anders]

I've got seismographs on several surfaces.

I haven't rammed an asteroid into any of them, yet.

But I do have a plan...

 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Mikenike said:

What would a nuke do? Doesn’t it need some sort of atmosphere? Does anyone remember that a Saturn 5 explosion would have destroyed everything inside of 3 miles?

You can do lots of things with nukes!  But anyway in regards to the Saturn, it’s just math. Take a 50km ball of rock then work out the mass. Then workout how much deltaV it would take to alter it’s velocity by even a small amount. (Not even addressing how you get a fully fuelled Saturn rocket there. You’d probably have to figure some way of making it single stage and refuelling it in orbit before sending it off.)

Edited February 28, 2020 by Guest

[Mikenike]

On 2/28/2020 at 3:58 PM, Dale Christopher said:

You can do lots of things with nukes!  But anyway in regards to the Saturn, it’s just math. Take a 50km ball of rock then work out the mass. Then workout how much deltaV it would take to alter it’s velocity by even a small amount. (Not even addressing how you get a fully fuelled Saturn rocket there. You’d probably have to figure some way of making it single stage and refuelling it in orbit before sending it off.)

I was thinking of attaching the Saturn 5 to four others, and doing it that way. You dock to the asteroid, and fire off the F1s and when out of fuel, detach and repeat, also, you could use the remainder of the launch vehicle to assist in moving it. As for nukes, what is a couple of non stock nukes gonna do for an Xbox/PlayStation player? If you look at @Just Jim’s famous Emilio Station Saga, he moved an asteroid into a circular orbit with a rhino and a couple of the big fuel tanks. 

[Just Jim]

7 hours ago, Mikenike said:

If you look at @Just Jim’s famous Emilio Station Saga, he moved an asteroid into a circular orbit with a rhino and a couple of the big fuel tanks. 

Hi... Yup. In the very first Emiko chapter I hauled a monster class-E into a fairly circular orbit. Granted it was a little more elaborate than I probably needed, but it worked surprisingly well. The biggest thing to remember with large asteroids is you're dealing with a lot of mass, so turning and maneuvering will be very slow. And set up your ship with a drill, ore tank, and IRSU unit, so you can use the asteroid itself to refuel your craft... With a really big asteroid you may need to refuel several times, so try and plan appropriately.

Good luck!  

[Dirkidirk]

On 2/28/2020 at 9:23 AM, Mikenike said:

What would a nuke do? Doesn’t it need some sort of atmosphere?

well then orion wouldn't work. besides, if the nuke directly contacts the asteroid, then all of that explode would push the stroid or something.

On 2/28/2020 at 9:23 AM, Mikenike said:

Does anyone remember that a Saturn 5 explosion would have destroyed everything inside of 3 miles?

wouldn't that need an atmosphere too?

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Dirkidirk
sounding "douchey"

[Mikenike]

14 hours ago, Dirkidirk said:

wouldn't that need an atmosphere too, you know, for the flames?

Why do you use your vast knowledge against my stupid idea, why not say it wouldn’t work. Fine, I’ll put a giant dome around it. Ya happy now?

15 hours ago, Just Jim said:

I hauled a monster class-E

About how big was this MONSTER E-class asteroid?

On 2/28/2020 at 7:50 AM, kerbiloid said:

And volcanos. So you must develop Kerbal geology to predict and evacuate your bases.

Why do that, when I can make an underwater habitat, and have my Kerbs explore their own ocean depths? I get the idea, and I like it.

[Just Jim]

13 minutes ago, Mikenike said:

About how big was this MONSTER E-class asteroid?

Just over 4000 ton... 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Just Jim

[Mikenike]

How big around? @Just Jim

Edited March 3, 2020 by Mikenike
Cause

[Just Jim]

5 minutes ago, Mikenike said:

How big around? @Just Jim

I used two kerbals on EVA, and best guess is about 100 meters diameter or so

The hardest part with one that big isn't pushing it so much as turning and spinning it into position... I added custom built "RCS pods" just to try and wrangle it onto position... These are also what ate the most fuel

Edited March 3, 2020 by Just Jim

[Mikenike]

On 2/21/2020 at 6:44 AM, Pds314 said:

This already happens randomly, just without the damage to facilities unless it hits one directly. It would be nice to have asteroids explode on impacts hard enough to break them.

We need it to do this!

[Ronno7]

Once I grab a big-sized asteroid, I know what I'm doing..