SpaceX collaboration

[R_Skoklater]

I really look forward to see a SpaceX / KerbalSpaceProgram collaboration as SpaceX is doing so many innovations and they inspire people a lot.

SpaceX is doing those reusable rockets that lowers the cost of the launches , their Starlink missions and internet speed, Dragon ISS resupply missions and starship.

I really would like to see a KSP mission collab with SpaceX where space stations with any crew has to get supplies often like food and water to survive and where Space stations are up-gradable via EVA like installing new equipment and repairing damaged equipment.

Would you guys want to see those too ?

[catloaf]

Yes but no. A SpaceX collaboration would be really awsome, but having space stations need supplies (stock life support) is not a good idea.) Having SpaceX themed missions to a station are of course welcome.

Here are my ideas for a potential SpaceX collab (and other non SpaceX things I would like to see in 1.11)

• Merlin 1d and Merlin 1d vacuum analogs: The former being pretty much just a small engine designed to be clustered. And the latter being another 2.5 meter vacuum engine, similar to the poodle.
• Grid fins: Deployable find for going backwards.
• Crew Dragon command pod: 5 seat command pod with integrated rcs and heat shield.
• Crew Dragon trunk: fancy service bay with storage for b.g. science. Built in rcs and monoprop storage.
• Crew Dragon variant for big parachute.
• SpaceX themed decals.
• Falcon 9 theme for 2.5 meter tanks.
• Big Falcon 9 landing legs. People have wanted these for years.
• (Don't tell people) Easter egg on Duna: landed starship, crashed tesla roadster.
• Make Feb. 13 official ksp oppy day, with a custom loading screen.
• Improve stock atmosphere shader.
• Add stock FMRS (but only if it's not worse than the mod) or better yet, officially integrate the mod rather than doing it yourself but worse.
• Revamps for Vall and (start music) Tylo (PLEASE, I BEG YOU SQUAD.)
• Make Soviet m.h. command pods actually useful by adding reaction wheels, and moving fairing way earlier in the tech tree.
• Something to upset Blue Origin.

I think that people would love this update (I would) and I'm sure doing a collaborative would be  pretty easy because Elon Musk loves the game.

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by catloaf

[Miguelsgamingch]

I Would be fun.

But There are SpaceX Mods There.

[RealKerbal3x]

34 minutes ago, miguelsgamingch said:

I Would be fun.

But There are SpaceX Mods There.

There were ESA mods a long time before the official ESA collaboration. That didn't stop SQUAD from making ESA-themed stuff in 1.10.

I would assume the same would go for a SpaceX collaboration, or any other collaboration for that matter.

[Miguelsgamingch]

2 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

There were ESA mods a long time before the official ESA collaboration. That didn't stop SQUAD from making ESA-themed stuff in 1.10.

I would assume the same would go for a SpaceX collaboration, or any other collaboration for that matter.

I Dont think spacex will collaborate with ksp

[Bej Kerman]

Why not wait for KSP 2, then do the collab?

[James M]

9 hours ago, miguelsgamingch said:

I Dont think spacex will collaborate with ksp

Even with Elon being a fan of the game? Honestly there'd be almost no reason for them not to.

[catloaf]

9 hours ago, Bej Kerman said:

Why not wait for KSP 2, then do the collab?

Why would they want to do that? They have at least a year to add a few posts and skins. I expect we will get 2 or 3 more updates before ksp2. So even if 1.11 is too late in development for it to be made a SpaceX update, I don't see why they couldn't make 1.12 or 1.13 that.

Edited July 30, 2020 by catloaf

[Miguelsgamingch]

I Never Trust KSP Collaborating with SpaceX.

Dont Ask Me, Ask Elon Lol, on his twitter.

[Lewie]

Elon Musk plays ksp. You never know...

This would be an amazing update! But....

seeing as spacex is really busy at the time, doing a collab with some video game is probably the least of their worry's. Especially with the ongoing development of starship.

speaking of starship....

could the silver faring variant be hinting to a spacex collab? Maybe, maybe not....only time will tell....

I hope so! This truly would d be an amazing update.

and good idea with the Mh soviet pod reaction wheels...I love the style of them, but the absence of reaction wheels can really be a pain in the butt...

 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Lewie

[jimmymcgoochie]

What would be added to KSP with a SpaceX tie-in? A fancy looking landing leg, a deployable gridded fin and that’s about it. Actually doing reusable boosters like SpaceX do is incredibly difficult within the confines of stock KSP as it requires simultaneous control of the first stage core, extra boosters for the Falcon Heavy and the second stage at the same time. Actively landing and reusing rockets isn’t necessary in KSP and recovering the dropped stages can be done various ways with different mods, so it’s hard to see what the average KSP player would get out of a SpaceX tie-in.

I would expect to see more work with NASA, ESA, JAXA, ROSCOSMOS etc. as there are a huge range of real space missions that could be replicated (I’d like to see some improved rover parts based on Curiosity etc.) instead.

And life support is definitely out as a stock feature- it’s better to have it as an opt-in system, using a mod of whatever complexity you want to use, from the simple Snacks! to full-blown life support simulation, instead of adding something that will be too complex for some players but too simplistic for others and which the mod makers will then have to overwrite or work around. Space station supply missions have been going on since long before SpaceX ever came on the scene and they're far from the only ones doing it now.

[SOXBLOX]

See, I don't like this. NASA and ESA collabs are fine; they're national agencies. But SpaceX is a private company, and SpaceX stuff is the IP of SpaceX. There could be legal problems with this sort of thing. I would like to see plain textures for fuel tanks and bigger landing legs, as well as clusterable engines and a bigger command pod, but I don't want duplicates of SpaceX stuff. No SpaceX advertisements in my game, thank you.

[Tweedler]

Even if it wasn't a SpaceX collab, a focused reusability parts update would be rad!

Maybe even a stock version of the Trajectories mod to go along with this would be perfect!

[Serenity]

On 8/6/2020 at 6:51 PM, jimmymcgoochie said:

What would be added to KSP with a SpaceX tie-in? A fancy looking landing leg, a deployable gridded fin and that’s about it. Actually doing reusable boosters like SpaceX do is incredibly difficult within the confines of stock KSP as it requires simultaneous control of the first stage core, extra boosters for the Falcon Heavy and the second stage at the same time. Actively landing and reusing rockets isn’t necessary in KSP and recovering the dropped stages can be done various ways with different mods, so it’s hard to see what the average KSP player would get out of a SpaceX tie-in.

Its not that hard for doing one booster if you do not focus on how much delta V is wasted,

you can put a second stage in orbit and have time to switch to the rocket at 60-70k altitude VERY easily and control the descend.

The landing is a bit tricky yes but again, with some extra wasteful burns to zero horizontal speed(and unrealistic) you can land it...most times....even with some relatively easy precision, 

close to runway etc.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Boyster

[catloaf]

15 hours ago, Boyster said:

Its not that hard for doing one booster if you do not focus on how much delta V is wasted,

you can put a second stage in orbit and have time to switch to the rocket at 60-70k altitude VERY easily and control the descend.

The landing is a bit tricky yes but again, with some extra wasteful burns to zero horizontal speed(and unrealistic) you can land it...most times....even with some relatively easy precision, 

close to runway etc.

But that's the point. In stock reusability is cool but not practical unless you use an ssto. Plus you have to go into a higher orbit to be able to circularize before the booster gets too deep in the atmosphere. When put up against rocket ssto's dropped boosters don't have a very compelling argument. Of course a way stock dropped boosters can work is to land on the peninsula east of the ksc. However big landing legs are long overdue, and a landing pad east of the ksc would be icing on the cake. However, I think that doing a collab with spacex is a risky decision for squad, so maybe they shouldn't. 

[Serenity]

5 hours ago, catloaf said:

But that's the point. In stock reusability is cool but not practical unless you use an ssto. Plus you have to go into a higher orbit to be able to circularize before the booster gets too deep in the atmosphere. When put up against rocket ssto's dropped boosters don't have a very compelling argument. Of course a way stock dropped boosters can work is to land on the peninsula east of the ksc. However big landing legs are long overdue, and a landing pad east of the ksc would be icing on the cake. However, I think that doing a collab with spacex is a risky decision for squad, so maybe they shouldn't. 

Yeah but cool things are fun, plus 80-90k i is doable and you can do a burn back with booster to land in KSC.

After releasing the second stage/payload, you can increase booster altitude to 100-120k and then switch to payload to make a lower orbit, it gives you more time that way.

Big landing legs as you said ARE LONG OVERDUE, thats true...you can land on engines if its a big rocket though....bit tough...very risky, i use Kerbal Reusablity Expansion Mod for the legs.

Why everyone thinks Spacex is a risky decision?

If we get a cool new update with cool new parts and missions why we wouldn't be happy that one of our favorite games gets more goodies?

I see it like playing a racing game as a Ferrari fan, and a new update comes with goodies and some Mercedes and i am like noooooooooo.

Well not the best analogy but hopefully it makes some sense.

Edited August 10, 2020 by Boyster

[catloaf]

9 hours ago, Boyster said:

Yeah but cool things are fun, plus 80-90k i is doable and you can do a burn back with booster to land in KSC.

After releasing the second stage/payload, you can increase booster altitude to 100-120k and then switch to payload to make a lower orbit, it gives you more time that way.

Big landing legs as you said ARE LONG OVERDUE, thats true...you can land on engines if its a big rocket though....bit tough...very risky, i use Kerbal Reusablity Expansion Mod for the legs.

Why everyone thinks Spacex is a risky decision?

If we get a cool new update with cool new parts and missions why we wouldn't be happy that one of our favorite games gets more goodies?

I see it like playing a racing game as a Ferrari fan, and a new update comes with goodies and some Mercedes and i am like noooooooooo.

Well not the best analogy but hopefully it makes some sense.

The reason is Elin Musk is a controversial figure, so it's safer to stick to government agencies. And adding rocket parts gives less opportunity for missions than adding spacecraft parts. I really think a pereverance collab would be cool. Maybe stock bon voyage would make people use rovers. Actually adding cassini parts would be cool and you know, if you add cassini parts it just might be a good idea to add gp2. Right?

[SOXBLOX]

I want to see a New Horizons release along the lines of the ESA collab. A Juno equivalent would be awesome as well, and would be a great excuse for more solar panels. A SpaceX collab, though, just isn't worth it to me.

[James M]

5 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

I want to see a New Horizons release along the lines of the ESA collab. A Juno equivalent would be awesome as well, and would be a great excuse for more solar panels. A SpaceX collab, though, just isn't worth it to me.

I find landing boosters more fun than timewarping past planets and pressing buttons to collect "science" before rinsing and repeating. To each their own I suppose.

[kspnerd122]

How about probes galore, a ton of probes(Cassini, Juno, Gallileo, New horizons, Voyager, Spirit and oppy parts, as well as wheels to go with them(MUST INCLUDE PROPPER AIRBAG, LONG OVERDUE) Curiosity parts(including skycrane part for breaking ground owners) Exomars parts(orbiter and upcoming rover)

I feel like this update would be satisfactory to most of the players.

you could throw reusability in as a plus.

[James M]

1 hour ago, kspnerd122 said:

How about probes galore, a ton of probes(Cassini, Juno, Gallileo, New horizons, Voyager, Spirit and oppy parts, as well as wheels to go with them(MUST INCLUDE PROPPER AIRBAG, LONG OVERDUE) Curiosity parts(including skycrane part for breaking ground owners) Exomars parts(orbiter and upcoming rover)

I feel like this update would be satisfactory to most of the players.

you could throw reusability in as a plus.

Maybe but I feel like there's so much stuff you could do to improve reusability in the game, that the subject kinda deserves it's own update. 

[kspnerd122]

Reusability is already doable, in my beyond home career game, all of my medium rockets are partly reusable, and also, NO PARACHUTES were used.

Probes on the other hand, not many people can make a great looking probe, why not make it easier, also, they could add GP2 for cassini maybe it could have 4 moons, 1 like enceladus, 1 like titan the others being a small ball of rock and an asteroid(like gilly or bop)

that would certainly be a worthwhile update.

either probes or a planetary update(dres and eeloo get moons, maybe give duna a small moon to go along with ike.)

Either a bunch of moons, or make 1 gas planet and give it a few moons, but make it further out than eeloo.

this would certainly make players happy

[Lewie]

39 minutes ago, kspnerd122 said:

Reusability is already doable, in my beyond home career game, all of my medium rockets are partly reusable, and also, NO PARACHUTES were used.

Probes on the other hand, not many people can make a great looking probe, why not make it easier, also, they could add GP2 for cassini maybe it could have 4 moons, 1 like enceladus, 1 like titan the others being a small ball of rock and an asteroid(like gilly or bop)

that would certainly be a worthwhile update.

either probes or a planetary update(dres and eeloo get moons, maybe give duna a small moon to go along with ike.)

Either a bunch of moons, or make 1 gas planet and give it a few moons, but make it further out than eeloo.

this would certainly make players happy

As it’s already been said, a spacex collab (as awesome as it is!) may not be on ksp’s radar. Elon Musk definitely can be somewhat of a controversial figure. But who knows, maybe there will be a collab...we do have the silver fairing or starship, after all....

as for planets, Squad is done with creating new planets. From here on out, it’s really Just celestial body revamps as far as moons/planets go. Don’t get me wrong, it would be great to have a new planet/moons, but the kerbol system is ‘done’ essentially

Edited August 13, 2020 by Lewie

[kspnerd122]

Still, give us planet creator so we could make the planets ourselves(not kopernicus, just a planetary editor, that is easier to use than kopernicus)

I make mods, and kopernicus is hard ish to use.