What did you do in KSP1 today?

[PT]

Continuing from last time...

Hawking's Garden was placed on Minmus. While reverse-skycrane delivery was tested successfully, trails suggest that moon-hopping requires significantly more attitude control than classic skycrane cargo would.

One quick space icecream taste later Jumper combined again for trip to Mun, where it not awaits in orbit for laboratory to make space for Munar data.

Despite quick and inefficient burns, enough time passed for Baguette to burn for Moho and Astarte III to start doing Eve SOI science and contracts.

It is now idling around most annoying rock in KSP Gilly, waiting for scientist to churn through some data before doing some warpless moon hopping.

On the way out of Eve SOI, a simple probe will be dropped into atmosphere to test its braking properties before spare moon lander takes some crew for quick taste test of wisps of purple gas. If it won't not end up being needed as a spare, that is.

With 70 days until Baguette enters Moho SOI, I am now back to hangar. Struggling to make cryogenic LH2 tanks look cool...

[Royale37]

Continuing from last time. . .

Today in KSP I did two minor missions: Manned flyby of Duna for extra science and 3rd landing on the Mun also for extra science.

I also started the New Possibilities Space Station in an orbit around Kerbin at about 80Km. Today I launched the core, fuel tanks, hydroponics module, hab module, snacks containers, and SSTO docking port. 

Here's the station so far:

After launching the station core, I also launched the tug.

Here's the process:

The assembly consisted of three separate launches. Each one cost me about 45,000 funds. 

Rendezvous-ing?:

The tug grabs the modules:

Docking:

I repeated this painful process 3 or 4 times until the station looked like this:

Once the I send up the final modules (science and solar arrays) I will crew it and fill the big tank with fuel.  Now I have to do a ton of contracts to regain the funds wasted on this heap of junk  really cool space station.

Edited August 28 by Royale37
spelling errors

[Royale37]

Forgot to put this in the above post, but...

Landed the boosters from the above post near the KSC to earn back some funds.

Sorry for the double post!

[ColdJ]

I think my Unimog 404 has come out reasonable today.

[JeDoesStuff]

I made a Jool Aircraft Carrier!

[Krazy1]

Tips for @Qwotty about building ships that change from vertical to horizontal thrust (like VTOL rovers). Others may benefit...

 

Spoiler

Yes you need a reaction wheel, but the CoM is not aligned on the thrust axis of the xenon engine. The fuel tanks should be symmetric on the thrust axis too, or the torque will be high with full or empty tanks.

 

19 hours ago, Qwotty said:

If the engine had been placed to face  instead of the sideways direction that it was in the prevented it from staying in place to burn at  points, things would have worked out.

Use a probe core to change the "control point"

 

Also at Jool you need HUGE solar panels for a xenon engine. The solar power is <4% of that at Kerbin. https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Electric_charge#Solar_panels (I actually used LFO and fuel cells for a Jool xenon probe. It's probably easier to use nuclear engines at Jool.)

 

And finally I would add an antenna that can reach Jool-Kerbin like the Communotron 88-88.

 

I designed a similar ship and tried to improve all these things, and made it sort of a tutorial...

 

https://imgur.com/a/AbIXRxI

 

Hope it helps.

 

[Qwotty]

3 hours ago, Krazy1 said:

Tips for @Qwotty about building ships that change from vertical to horizontal thrust (like VTOL rovers). Others may benefit...

 

  Hide contents

Yes you need a reaction wheel, but the CoM is not aligned on the thrust axis of the xenon engine. The fuel tanks should be symmetric on the thrust axis too, or the torque will be high with full or empty tanks.

 

Use a probe core to change the "control point"

 

Also at Jool you need HUGE solar panels for a xenon engine. The solar power is <4% of that at Kerbin. https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Electric_charge#Solar_panels (I actually used LFO and fuel cells for a Jool xenon probe. It's probably easier to use nuclear engines at Jool.)

 

And finally I would add an antenna that can reach Jool-Kerbin like the Communotron 88-88.

 

I designed a similar ship and tried to improve all these things, and made it sort of a tutorial...

 

https://imgur.com/a/AbIXRxI

 

Hope it helps.

 

Thank you for the appreciated tips. The probe core tip shall help a lot. Big ups for that assistance.

[Scarecrow71]

So I'm doing a playthrough in career with the Stock-alike Space Station Parts redux mod.  And I have that mod installed because I'm tired of having to manually craft a round-ish space station ring.  Anyhow, I've got 187 science points, and I'm looking at the tech tree and I say to myself "Hot dog, I can get Heavier Rocketry and finally get access to the Skipper and Bobcat engines".  And then I promptly click on and approve purchasing Precision Propulsion.  What more Kerbal thing can you possibly do in R&D?  Now I have to go collect another 160 science points to get the module I really wanted.  Sigh.

[PT]

Continuing from last time...

Two new vessels joined Kerbal Space Fleet to meet contractual requirements, some science was done, and a rover was tested.

In preparation for Duna mission, a self-propelled version of Hawking's Garden  was tested. During testing a mourning for death of KSP development was held.

and a proof of liquid water was found

Jumper jumped around Mun, and lots of suffering later Hawking's Garden module was dropped close enough to interesting rock for scanner arm to reach it.
And then Bob had to call Corrick to remount it few times before it finally had no collision with rest of science module, or rock, or ground, or Kerbonaut.
Once all the annoying things were accomplished... I learned that scanner arm is same as Kerbal just picking a rock with their greedy gloved fingers. Ugh.

Forager was build to operate in Kerbin SOI as a garbage truck.
Featuring giant cargo bay filled with a sextet of abductor pods to safely deliver back to surface whatever our clientele requests. To simplify design, and part count, Forager is responsible for entering suborbital trajectory as its abductor pods are just a claw behind inflatable heatshield with basic attitude control.
Four external docking ports currently hold a quartet of 4-Kerb descent pods, and one heavy duty slot for large cargo at the rear allows for limited hauling duty.
While built with repurposement and long duty in mind, it is not fit for interplanetary missions. Conveniently high TWR does not come for free.

On test cruise Forager picked up two volunteers for next interplanetary mission. As contracted debris recovery had space for both of them, there was no need to expend crewed pod (tho new members have not shared that view point). During debris pickup, a contracted space station was dropped from rear cargo slot.

In meantime, a terrifying discovery was made. Dres exploration contract had only 6 years of duration, with just 5 left on a clock.
As such, a stopgap design with greatly limited scope due to funding problems had to be launched on suboptimal trajectory.
In order to afford new ship, previously deployed Tinkerer science module was picked up from LKO. Until smaller LH2 tanks are emptied, Tinkerer reactor is necessary to keep the cooling going. Crew was scavenged from Astarte I and II, and a just-in-case engineering drone was borrowed as well.

Featuring:
- Pair of upgraded Hawking's Garden modules in orbital and rover version.
- Kerbed skycrane for rover delivery, and to complete "return to Kerbin from..." contracts. To simplify design it has no deorbiting capabilities, instead abductor pod will be used upon return.
- Newest and strongest yet relay satellite, tho only one could be afforded at the time of launch.
- Fourth edition of All-Seeing-Eye spysat, with build in magsat and limited survey functions.

And now back to scrounging for money in Kerbin SOI....

[Kimera Industries]

2 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

And then I promptly click on and approve purchasing Precision Propulsion.  What more Kerbal thing can you possibly do in R&D?  Now I have to go collect another 160 science points to get the module I really wanted.  Sigh.

I can't remember how many times I've gone "Yup, I'll get this tech for sure" and then promptly research an entirely different branch of the tree.  

[dave1904]

[Kimera Industries]

15 minutes ago, dave1904 said:

What are you using for the cockpit? It looks cool.

[Royale37]

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.

[dave1904]

7 hours ago, Kimera Industries said:

What are you using for the cockpit? It looks cool.

I have a really nice Iva from a different mod too i believe. Cant remember what exactly. Will look into it if you need it. 

 

 

[N_Danger]

After taking a break I booted up the game and saw I was ready for a rover mission to Duna

Several rovers were tested with variable results. 

Spoiler

From the test report:

Needs moar power. Cannot jump the Admin pool

From the test report:

Adequate.  With practice, landing upside down can be reduced to 50% of the time.

Accepted into service.

 Sending the rover to Duna had a hic up or 2

But we go it off the ground and on the way to Duna

And technically I did land the rover on Duna. I think all the criticism about it being unable to move is a bit unfair.

 

[purpleivan]

It's been a while, but with the end of KSP2 development and the knock on effect on the forum (which I found out about a couple months after the fact) I was in the mood to do something I'd not done in a while... fire up KSP.

It's been a couple of years since I flew anything, so I thought I'd start simple, just a quick jaunt to orbit for Val, mainly to remind myself of the construction and flight controls.

Nothing fancy, just a 1 seater vehicle doing a quick trip to orbit and back, but as they say, it's the little things that count.

This also prompted me to renew all my mods, as I was a few versions out of date with my KSP install. Thanks to CKAN (plus manual install of a few older mods) my install of 1.12.5 is now looking the way I remembered things. Just need to do a few tweaks to the settings of TUFX to get the post processing stuff looking how I like.

[N_Danger]

Ok this time I am sending a rover to Duna that will work after landing. For real this time.

Spoiler

Second stage ignition

Fairing Separation

 

Kick stage finishes up the injection burn

 

The vehicle is in cruse mode after solar panel deployment

Arrival at Duna. Hi Ike!

EDL

Spoiler

Transfer stage separation.

 

Entry

Chute deployed

Heat shield separation and wheel deploy.

Engine ignition

Rover touches down at 3 ms and  decouples  from the sky crane, which flies off automatically  by virtue of the loss of mass.

actually flies pretty well with the drogue chute attached.

 

The rover visits the remains of the sky crane and plans are made for it's journey to the next biome

And we get about halfway there today

[bobcook]

Haven't played in a really long time, but was inspired by the SSTO built by the VAOS dude on YT. His channel has great content and I really like his sense of humor. I've not built a lot of spaceplanes and none of them are very successful, but this one worked really well. I follow his design reasonably closely, so credit goes to him.

Spoiler

As they say, any landing you can walk away from... or in this case, swim away from...

[stephensmat]

It took several attempts, but I managed to work the Global Construction Mod enough to build a small base on Minmus.

 

 

[miklkit]

13 hours ago, bobcook said:

Haven't played in a really long time, but was inspired by the SSTO built by the VAOS dude on YT. His channel has great content and I really like his sense of humor. I've not built a lot of spaceplanes and none of them are very successful, but this one worked really well. I follow his design reasonably closely, so credit goes to him.

  Hide contents

As they say, any landing you can walk away from... or in this case, swim away from...

Yes I too learned a lot from VAOS, and spaceplanes are fun.

[Qwotty]

What did we do in KSP1 today, you ask? Well... you ever have a day in KSP that feels like the day? The day that this was written was one of those KSP1 days. 

This post is definitely not a short post with only a few sentences per picture this time either. While brevity can be powerful, long writing often offers a richness and depth that can be immensely rewarding to write and equally as impressive to read in world called Planet Earth where short-form content is increasingly more prevalent. It represents the culmination of countless hours of dedication and revision on the work. And every additional detail added in adds to the overall richness on a more profound level, which allows readers to immerse themselves more deeply.
And the choice has been made degree wise that our major will be English, so consider what you are reading here some practice for that, that of which we hope brings as much enjoyment to read as it did to write and isn't too TL;DR or TMI. "The more, the merrier." you know?

The day that this was written was another epic day spent adventuring through outer space with love. This time was special though, and more than worth writing about. 
It was worthy of writing about the said Mexican space game while drinking Mexican soda truly indeed.

The foremost objective was to take interstellar travel parts from parts mods created by @linuxgurugamer (that of which creates great mods that heavily populate our CKAN KSP mod list) to stars created by the "Infinite Discoveries" addon program made by @Sushut. But it seems that Alcubierre drives are a Kraken Magnet over here for us, and thusly may not be something that can trusted for travelling beyond the Kerbol System, unless spontaneous and unpredictable complete destruction of the spaceship is a wanted attribute. And try getting something like parsecs out from there without something like warp drives. That is what we have to do due to warp drives always causing the spaceship to blow up... and it is enough to make us want to make our own mods to fill in the technological gap caused by the glitching and/or whatnot. Even joyous journeying to the "Kcalbeloh System" by @Jason Kerman is like watching snails trek vast distances very slowly without them, but things like mods not being able to be installed correctly due to different game versions and such have made things so. But no worries. Mods can be made and .cfg files can be edited so that there is still fun adventuring to be had to build for. Generating planets and then editing their orbits seems is its own type of fun awesomely anyway anywho. And the best part of it all is that the mission that got this ship as far as it did before it was claimed by the same Kraken that seems to claim every other Kerbal or ship made by them that uses these personally infamous warp drives infected with the Kraken Kurse. Pretty much literally every part of the spaceship and its mission had gone nominally besides that. 


And in addition to that, the day that this was written, which is the same day that all of this stuff documented had happened, was the day that 210 space-themed stickers were shipped for delivery — meaning that the day that this was written was their arrival day — along with 1755 smaller holographic heart and star stickers. You know, like the gold star stickers that teachers put on your paper after grading it if you did A+-level work or something like that.
I love that the posts that we see from all of the others on here are that high-grade. You all deserve some holographic heart and star stickers for that. Golden star stickers, if you want. 

In total, that is 1965 stickers. 
And 1965 happens to be the year that Edward Higgins White II did the first American spacewalk pictured below to pay tribute, which is a feeling that of which we are sure that all of the readers have felt upon doing their first EVA with a Kerbonaut in KSP. 

We figured that it would be worth speaking about given the impressive numbers and high amount of relevancy. A lot of why this post is so long and has so many words is because the writing helped pass the time required to make the stickers arrive.
Worth the wait indeed and gave quite a hit of hype to see finally sat in front of the doorstep like so:


Talk about enhancing playing Kerbal Space Program with some decoration, you know?
We are sure that that will remind us of this. As in these forums, and our writings on them.

Here is the interstellar payload spaceship that we made in KSP1 the day that this was written that had went awry to the point of causing Kerbal destruction (), and the rest of the rocketship that surrounded it. The shiny reflective white metal was intentionally chosen to fit with and match the white stock parts. The thing had gained quite the sci-fi aesthetic to it by the time that it was done being built and hence thus bore little if any resemblance to the rest of the craft which had concealed it. 




The strutting on this rocket was a pleasure to do and helped immensely during the mission to prevent wobbling, and instead had a satisfying sturdiness to it where wobbling would not fly. Pun intended. 
It provided the rocketship more precision to control all of its thrust power with gracefully and MechJeb was able to handle launch and orbital burning procedures because of its inelastic-ish lack of wobble.

After the escape burn shown in the second KSP GIF below, the spaceship was easily able to reach Jool.
And without using too much delta-v too due to it being a good launch window time, as well as other factors.
Its gravity well worked perfectly for a gravity assist slingshot burn all the way over out to Plock.


In essence, this ship was so efficient and well-designed, that it was able to do the equivalent of slingshotting from Jupiter to get to Pluto. 
With plenty of sightseeing too to boot no less, even though most of the mission was flown with a payload fairing on that blocked the windows.
But who needs windows when trailblazing through the final frontier?
Not these specific Kerbals.
They were still able to make do regardless anyway.



All of the fun gravity assist travel was evocative of the Cassini–Huygens spacecraft trajectory that took place from 1997 to 2004 in terms of how it felt during gameplay and what it looked like on the map view and whatnot. Quite similar and as impressive indeed.
In fact, as far as space travel with stock parts goes, as of this being written, this was the most far-reaching and successful mission yet, although there will obviously be another mission after this that will be even more epic and fruitful, seeing as this is the proof in the pudding right here.

The 77-part payload spaceship launched on the launch vehicle part of the rocket weighing 34.520 tons yet still being able to make it out as far as it did without providing any propulsion in and of itself was something that created a lot of optimism and rocket design inspiration.
To that into perspective, other things that weigh around that much are a Boeing 737, a bulldozer, a cattle truck, a large passenger bus, and — last but not least — a medium-sized yacht. But not like the yacht from the Maritime Pack by @Fengist, that of which is 1.53 tons. 
34.52 tons = 76103.57 pounds, which is a simply stupendous amount of weight to be able to take out so far, and more than seventy-five-thousand pounds of weight is more than ample for a spacecraft designed to refuel indefinitely and maintain operations in the void pockets of outer space. That type of weight-to-distance ratio provides ample capacity for incorporating all necessary components. The term "weight-to-distance ratio" may not be standard in the realm of aerospace engineering, but it is a fitting and effective way to describe the relationship between the mass of a payload and the distance it can be transported. It simplifies the discussion of how payload weight impacts the distance a spacecraft can travel, which is crucial for understanding and appreciating advancements in rocket design and mission planning.

The biggest and key difference between Thrust-to-Weight Ratio (TWR) and Weight-to-Distance Ratio (WTDR) is their focus and application.
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio (TWR) measures the thrust produced by a rocket engine compared to the rocket’s weight. It indicates how effectively a rocket can overcome gravity and is critical for launch performance and acceleration. A higher TWR means a rocket can lift off more easily and accelerate faster. Weight-to-Distance Ratio (WTDR), while not a standard term, conceptually relates the mass of the spacecraft to the distance it can travel. It reflects how efficiently a spacecraft can carry its payload over a given distance, considering its propulsion and delta-v. A lower WTDR suggests a spacecraft can travel farther with a given mass of propellant. TWR focuses on launch and acceleration capability, while WTDR addresses payload efficiency and travel distance.

For those interested in calculating their WTD ratio who are smart enough to, here is the instructions:


Additionally, relating the "weight-to-distance ratio" (WTD) to the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation helps clarify how this concept aligns with established principles in spaceflight.
It is a four-step process, that of which abbreviates to the acronym "CDCI":

Calculate the delta-v by using the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, which involves the initial mass (including propellant), final mass (after propellant is used), specific impulse of the rocket engine, and the acceleration due to gravity.
Determine the delta-v value, representing how much the spacecraft's velocity changes as it expends its propellant.
Calculate the Weight-to-Distance Ratio (WTD) by dividing the initial mass of the spacecraft (including all propellant) by the delta-v value obtained.
Interpret the WTD to understand how efficiently the spacecraft can transport its payload over a given distance.

Things such as CDCI and WTD are quite useful for assisting with calculating how to do the more nuanced and involved orbital moves, like slingshotting to a slingshot and then yet another slingshot, that of which is a well-established technique in orbital mechanics that has been used by NASA and other space agencies for decades after it was suggested by Aleksandr Ignatyevich Shargei (a.k.a. Yuri Kondratyuk) in his paper "To Those Who Will Be Reading in Order to Build" ("Тем, кто будет читать, чтобы строить") back in the twentieth century. That technique is what Pioneer 10 and Mariner 10 used to get so far out. And it makes it possible for spaceships to do fun KSP1 orbit ballet stuff like this:

It felt like such an epic accomplishment to have reached Plock. And how a KSP player playing with stock parts would too. It re-interested us in keeping the space travels close to Kerbol.
And until the whole ITK (Interstellar Travel Kraken) that keeps eating our KSP spaceships every time that we go to start really truly trusting in our warp drives gets dealt with, that is how it must be.
No ifs, ands, or buts. Interstellar travel is a perfectly ambitious goal for both rocketship design and mod part creation in the meantime anyway regardless... and look at what we can do besides that stuff!! 

The latter lower picture showing the gravity assist done using Karen here is something that perfectly encapsulates the scope of this mission: we went far and had lots of fun.

Back in the day, it seemed like landing on Mun was hard enough, and interplanetary missions like this were something that was out of the realm of reach in terms of knowhow and skill.
But then we started to become prodigious. There’s something poetic about that.

We always loved how, much like the Reflective Visors visual addon, Kerbal Space Program mirrors the nuance and boom-potential of real-world missions like those to the outer planets or even beyond our solar system. 
What makes the achievements in that game as shown above truly impressive is the perseverance and ingenuity that were required to achieve them after countless failed attempts, reloaded quicksaves, and hours spent tweaking rocket designs and flight plans.
The process is as much about learning from each misstep as it is about the final successful journey. It’s not just about strapping more fuel tanks onto a rocket; it’s about precision.
In the end, reaching Plock from Jool is serves as proof of the patience, problem-solving skills, and deep understanding of space travel, both in the game and outside of it, that it took to get there.
And to think that that speaks nothing of the modding that we also have planned after we figure out how to stop getting these .mu models to not show up correctly, as in not at all. 
That is something that we still have a keen eye on, as KSP1 modding has now been demystified enough as of writing this to the point of it being all too fun to try and make function correctly.

Aside from that, it is starting to feel like we are not bluffing when we say that we are getting towards what true advanced cognoscente-level Kerbal Space Program mastery looks like. 
Kerbal Space Program players who know what we are talking about know that the game is infinitely deeper and fuller of novelty and as well as technological depth than just "building rockets"; you can design intricate spacecraft, ranging all the way from asteroid miners to space shuttles, capable of handling multiple mission profiles with designs include advanced features like modular payloads, automated systems, and redundant controls.

It is something significant to be able to say that you were able to land Jeb on Mun, but it is a whole other thing on a whole other level to be able to save that you have mastered the art of things like orbital insertion, performing gravity assists and perfectly timed burns in Kerbal Space Program. An inspirational way to look at it is "Enough failures will teach you how to maximize mission success."

Our ability to do interplanetary missions with a deep understanding of celestial mechanics came from study as well as trial and error.
When you start to get that talented, you start to be able to push the boundaries of what is possible in KSP, inside of the VAB and outside. 
And not only that, but you can you share that with the community through the type of contributions that help shape the new KSP players into KSP veterans, like creating guides that help others understand and master the advanced aspects of the game and its mods, whatever they may those may be.

And a key element of such mastery is what this thread is all about: maintaining detailed reports of missions in the form of post-mission analyses that include things like information about design choices, fuel usage, and orbital maneuvers.
The skills start to show especially in how you adapt designs or strategies in real-time based on new challenges or unanticipated issues, you know what we mean? Which even adapts to our situation with wanting to make custom parts through modding for interstellar travel.

It would be fair to say that the voyage across vast amounts of space starting from Kerbin that used to Jool to end up all the way at Plock, the outermost celestial body, is, as of writing this, our best latest masterclass in KSP1 space travel. 
That being because it shows that all of this practice and studying has paid off and that this is only the beginning of doing things as legendary as creating a whole ore-based economy culture out in space for other Kerbal pirates to shoot at and steal from.
That type of thing is a beautiful reminder of how, when you see things like your Kerbals touching down on a distant planet, you’re not just seeing pixels; you’re seeing the culmination of effort, learning, and imagination.
It’s a moment that carries weight, sparks emotion, and creates memories. It is something that sticks with you as much as other achievements.



The second latter photo is the last photo taken before the Warp Drive Kraken ate up the spaceship like Kerbals eat up snacks they bring with them on their long space missions as cargo.
Rest in peace to all of the Kerbals on board who perished as a result.

The interstellar ship that we designed may not have been able to make it to the stars like originally intended, but it had made it quite far before it was claimed by the same Kraken as similar ships before during their Alcubierre drive engine burns.
It most certainly seems now to us that we have "made it" to the realm where the KSP players with lots of knowhow who build spaceships like this and do the same type of playstyle roam, and that now we are far beyond the basics by now.

And that brings us to something that we wanted to shoutout the day that this was written, which is our own unique approach to Kerbal Space Program and its specific gameplay aspect comes from our combined perspectives.

As a cis and trans pair sharing the same body, as has been stated before previously in our profile signature at the bottom of our posts, we find that our different viewpoints lead to innovative strategies that might be different from what others typically use. 
Our gameplay style is shaped by our duality and thusly we bring a diverse set of perspectives to the table, which influences our approach to missions and design in unique ways, and our contributions to the community in the form of writing and furthermore moreover plans for contributions through mods are a direct result of those same shared experiences. 
"What you see is what we make", you know? We learned that sharing what we thought were "trivial details" can humanize interactions and, if anything, create connections.
It feels as though, as long as we’re following the forum guidelines, nobody can or should stop us from sharing our Kerbal Space Program stories and how "our story" relates to those stories. 
The guidelines are in place to ensure respectful and constructive conversations, but they’re not meant to stifle voices. 
Seeing transgender people posting on this forum about it with a sense of safety and well-deserved dignity helped motivate us forward. Or shall we say prograde?

For those interested in reading more about that, a whole lot of words have been enclosed in spoiler text below.
Otherwise feel free to read on without clicking on that. 

Spoiler

We figured that it is far from disrupting the community or promoting inappropriate content to discuss something so wholesome as it relates to what we did in Kerbal Space Program the day of writing this, and totally within our rights as long as we stay within the rules.
And let us all not forget that freedom of speech is a fundamental principle that allows us to share like that, even if they differ from the norm on the forum. 
You see, in this way, by being authentic and open like this, we are not just following the guidelines—we’re also celebrating the freedom to be ourselves and contribute in our own way.

We get it—our style might stick out from the usual posts that you see around here. But honestly, so what?
We’re bringing our unique voice to the table, and that means sometimes we’re gonna sound a bit different from the usual crowd. But guess what? That’s perfectly fine! We’re bringing fresh things to read and such that is worth sharing regardless.
The openness and acceptance we’ve seen in the community have shown us that there’s a space for everyone, and that includes us. If other people can proudly be themselves and share their experiences, it only makes sense that we can do the same.

The guidelines are here to keep things respectful and relevant, and as long as we’re sticking to those, we’ve got every right to share our perspectives and playstyles. If we’re staying within the rules and contributing positively to the discussion, then our unique style and approach are totally valid.

The genius of what we’re doing is that isn’t about (and intentionally overtly avoids) oversharing, and that it is about showing how KSP is more than "just a game" — it’s a powerful way for two people to bond.
We’re not here to spill every detail of our lives, but rather to highlight the greatest details about how this game creates meaningful connections between us.

You think avoiding the truth is gonna make our contributions more “normal” or “acceptable”? Nah, it just makes us less authentic. We’re not here to fit into some cookie-cutter mold of what a KSP player should be or how they should post. We’re here to share our unique approach, our experiences, and our victories. Hiding our reality would be like trying to build a rocket without the proper blueprints — it's a recipe for disaster.

If we don’t talk about how our combined cis and trans experiences shape our gameplay, we’re not just missing out on some important context; we’re actively ignoring a huge part of what makes our contributions special and basically saying “Hey, KSP peeps, we’re gonna keep this part of ourselves hidden." out of shyness, and that is not the vibe we’re going for. 

Let’s consider the following argument: it’s technically impossible to avoid mentioning our unique perspective as a cis person and a trans person sharing the same body when discussing our gameplay in Kerbal Space Program. The reason is that our combined experiences inherently shape how we interact with the game, and here’s why: our gameplay is directly influenced by our shared identity. Every strategy, every mission, every discussion we have is colored by the fact that we are navigating the game with two perspectives in one body. To discuss our gameplay effectively, we must acknowledge how these perspectives affect our approach and insights. If we were to try to avoid mentioning this aspect of our experience, we’d be faced with an absurd situation. Imagine discussing our gameplay while completely ignoring the fact that one of us is cis and the other is trans. It would be like trying to explain the mechanics of a complex machine while pretending that a crucial part doesn’t exist. The discussion would be incomplete and lack crucial context. To illustrate, let’s assume we only focused on gameplay strategies without addressing our unique perspective. This approach would result in an incomplete discussion. Our insights, challenges, and strategies are fundamentally shaped by our combined experiences. Omitting this fact would be akin to discussing a novel without acknowledging its author’s background or influences. It would distort the full picture of our contributions and understanding. Our experiences are an integral part of our gameplay. To ignore them would be to disregard a core aspect of how we engage with the game. Just as a detailed analysis of a book requires understanding the author’s context, discussing our gameplay requires acknowledging the unique dynamics of our shared identity. Thus, mentioning our unique perspective is not merely a choice but a necessity to provide a complete and accurate account of our gameplay experience. It’s an inherent and unavoidable part of the narrative, and addressing it ensures that our contributions are fully understood and appreciated. In essence, after enough time, it inevitably becomes technically impossible to avoid talking about. 

At first, we worried that mentioning how our unique blend of experiences shapes our gameplay might seem trivial or irrelevant, but we have come to realize that these details are not something that have to be repressed or redacted and can offer fresh perspectives and insights.
And even the smallest details can serve as inspiration for creativity and problem-solving. What might seem like a minor observation or experience could lead to innovative ideas or solutions, enriching the discussions and interactions within a community.
Which goes to show that, in that way, KSP is a perfect example of how a shared activity can bring people closer together. It’s not just about building rockets or landing on distant planets; it’s about the teamwork, the problem-solving, and the shared excitement of accomplishing something together. That’s the essence of what we are trying to convey here.

KSP isn’t "just a game" for us; it’s a central part of our journey together. It’s where we connect, collaborate, and create memories. Talking about how KSP influences our relationship isn’t just relevant; it’s crucial because it shows how this game has become a key element of our shared life.

By discussing how KSP helps us bond, we’re illustrating how a game can be more than just entertainment. It’s a way for us to come together, to support each other, and to celebrate our successes and learn from our failures. KSP is where we share moments of triumph and challenges, making it a fundamental part of our relationship. When we talk about our relationship in the context of KSP, it’s like giving a behind-the-scenes look at who’s creating the mods and shaping the experience. Again, to repeat, it is not about "oversharing"; it’s about providing context and fostering a connection with the community.

Just as knowing who grows the food can give you a greater appreciation for what’s on your plate, understanding the people behind the mods adds depth to the experience. If we were to publish mods, it would be a reflection of us—our creativity, our teamwork, and our shared passion for the game. By sharing a bit about who we are and how KSP fits into our lives, we’re offering a glimpse into the heart of our work. We want people to know who is behind the scenes and who is putting their energy & time into creating something that enhances the KSP experience.
It’s about transparency and connection. When you know the story behind the mods, it adds a personal touch that enriches the experience. It’s not just about the mods themselves; it’s also about the people who make them and the shared love for the game that drives us.

So, in a way, talking about our relationship and how KSP fits into it is just a way of saying something like “Here’s who we are, and here’s what fuels our passion for creating and sharing in this community.”
It’s about letting the community see the people behind the mods, fostering a deeper connection and appreciation for what we contribute to the KSP universe.

So yes, at the end of the day, our conversations about our relationship in the context of KSP and vice versa are ironically enough absolutely on-topic in a roundabout type of way. They show how this game isn’t just a backdrop but a significant piece of the puzzle that connects us. It is proof of how KSP has become a part of our story and hence a cornerstone that holds a special place in our lives. It’s about demonstrating how KSP can be a powerful force in bringing people closer together, making our experiences not just relevant but also meaningful within the context of the game. And that’s something that any KSP community member can appreciate and relate to.

If you really think about it, the Kerbals are like our space babies, and we’re the Kerbal daddy and mommy guiding them, protecting them, and helping them grow.
Every mission we plan... every rocket we design... it’s all about making sure our little green guys and gals are safe and successful... and we love it. 

It seems we set our sights on the stars, only to start gravitating back to the familiar celestial bodies of the Kerbol System.
This cosmic U-turn was sparked by the sheer efficiency of using Jool's mighty gravitational pull as a slingshot, propelling us from Kerbin to Plock with surprising ease. 
We hope that this post brought you positive feelings and that achieve something amazing too, perhaps even as a result of reading this. 
Much love and best wishes. 

 

Edited September 2 by Qwotty

[N_Danger]

Finished up the Rover trip to the highlands.

Ike set.

Drove through a bit of dust

And arrival at the highlands 90 km later

[RoninFrog]

Made a manned rover that fits in a 1.25m cargo bay:

Also wrote a Mun tutorial for some reason.

[Blasty McBlastblast]

today i discovered something new (for me) in the VAB:  if you shift-click a floating sub assembly, you will break that sub assembly into parts!  this is super handy for merging existing craft when you no longer have easy access to the root part.

[GluttonyReaper]

15 hours ago, Blasty McBlastblast said:

today i discovered something new (for me) in the VAB:  if you shift-click a floating sub assembly, you will break that sub assembly into parts!  this is super handy for merging existing craft when you no longer have easy access to the root part.

Fun fact - you can also use the re-root tool on those floating sub-assemblies if you decide, for whatever reason, you want to attach in a different way. Good, eh?