What is the one thing that you have learned while playing KSP?

[michaelphoenix22]

Me.... I have learned it is always, ALWAYS a good idea when setting up a rendezvous to retract all of the gigantor solar arrays from the target station. No matter what i seem to be able to smack into them and ruin a beautiful station.

[Levelord]

I learnt that going straight up isn't the way to achieve orbit.

[chrischambers]

to never give up, and try and try again

[GreenDragon]

Struts are your friend.

[rodion_herrera]

Struts are your friend.

Beat me to it. Was gonna say... MOAR STRUTS!

[KevinW42]

I learned about the Oberth effect. In Orbiter I would always get into a circular solar orbit before transferring to another planet.

[ecat]

Landing in the dark is easier and safer than trying to keep your eyes shut.

Precision landings are hard to get right. If you try to land near an existing structure it's all to likely that you will crash into it by mistake, much safer to aim directly at any existing structure as the chance of scoring a direct hit nears the impossible.

Symmetry is an essential feature. Having two, three or more copies of essential parts avoids the disaster that could result when a hard landing snaps one of them off.

[Momentosis]

The more struts I have, the less my rockets randomly break and explode.

[johnnyhandsome]

A greater respect and understanding of just how hard it is to send people into space.

[RatBeer]

Ive learned far more than one thing

[MDBenson]

Gravity's a bitch

[katateochi]

Ive learned far more than one thing

I 2nd that! This "game" has taught me loads. If I had to name just one, it would be how to transfer a ship to another planet, now I grumble at vids that show incorrect IP burns.

[Kerolyov]

Hohmann transfer, knew very little of this before as had previously only learnt about orbital trajectories of unpowered bodies (asteroids, planets etc)

[Richy teh space man]

I'll 3rd the it's taught me more then just one thing. I've learned a lot from playing this game, even though I know it's not a 100% accurate recreation of space flight.

[Karriz]

Orbital mechanics. There was a time when I had quite big misconceptions on why things go around.

[bonyetty]

Kerbal Space Program is a black hole of real life time. Not that thats a bad thing.

[Sapphire]

I learnt that going straight up isn't the way to achieve orbit.

I thought this too.

[Execute13]

I thought this too.

Hm. I learned that with a good rocket, you can actually get into orbit by going straight up. You're already going sideways at about 190 m/s, and once you're high enough, that's enough for orbit.

[entaran]

This game made me read into orbital mechanics. KSP is a simplified version but it certainly "works". Orbiter is just way too hardcore, it's not a game, it's a sim.

Also, I absolutely love to pull into a non-atmospheric body, skimming the surface (ie: 3-4km up on the mun) between ridges and try to pull a lander at the HEIGHT of the oberth effect into a perfect landing right on where my periapsis was.

[Procyon]

If something is going to go wrong it is most likely to happen at about 10k m or so.

[Xeldrak]

To dock with the station ahead - you have to burn away from it.

[Mercy]

I learned that I must KEEP THURST ON 50% WHEN FLY,WNEN TAKE OFF KEEP THURST ON 50% and always hawe fun.

[joppiesaus]

How orbitting stuff works.

[Guest]

That even the biggest, most complicated rocket can explode faster than you can hit the abort switch.

Oh, and that Isaac Newton bloke was pretty clever.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Jack Wolfe

[Echostatic]

If you want to go somewhere, you have to thrust in a completely different direction than expected.