Long-term: New Kerbin structure - Observatories?

[BrotherBunsen]

I've been enjoying the aspects of the KSC that were added in the last update, and it makes me wish there were more to do on the ground, such as it is.

One thing that I wish we had, which the Tracking Center hints at, would be an astrological/meteorological observatory. This might not do much right now, but could prove to be a very useful structure in the campaign for mission planning, site location, exploration of the system, tracking of weather/cloud cover/launch conditions if weather is added in future updates.

It would be fun to check on Münar landing sites and topography in a telescopic 1st person view, along with flight tracking, sure, but there would be a lot of other creative ways to utilize such a facility. There are a lot of options out there for ways to utilize such a facility if one were interested, including rough estimation of astral body sizes, gravitational fields, composition, distance, rotation speeds, etc.. Radio and optical options for observatories both offer interesting opportunities to limit the information available to players prior to probes/manned exploration in the campaign.

Like I said, this is a long term wish for me - especially because I realize it's not terribly useful in the sandbox mode where the solar system is your oyster from program day 1. However, if it's useful for the campaign, I think it could be a really positive addition. Combining it and the features of the tracking center together would be helpful to avoid overwhelming players with facilities and functions.

This also brings about the possibility of orbital or deep space telescopes as parts for future updates, as well. It would be fun to launch and service a Hubble-style mission eventually, yes?

I did a cursory search on this topic before suggesting it, and saw that a couple of people had mentioned the possibility, but not really gone into details. So I thought it might be an interesting topic of discussion - if there were an observatory/multiple observatories around Kerbin, what would you like to do with them? Or would you not want them at all? Too complicated? Too cool?

Also, first post, yada yada yada. Howdy, y'all.

[Stelith61]

Something similar is planned for the discovery mechanic when it comes out.

Eventually you will have to 'discover' new planets and things, and you wouldn't know much about it until you sent something there.

Also, there are telescope mods. Ordan or something.

[Beeman]

Yeah, they're already planning on implementing some kind of observatory that you use to /discover/ planets. Hopefully they add stock orbital telescopes and such as well.

We'll probably see the observatory in the next couple patches somewhere 'cause they're kinda focusing on career mode for the time being, I think.

[palker]

Flying around those impressive Kerbin mountains i though that there should be observatories on top of them.

[Synapse]

How do you discover planets lol? Scan the skies?

[stupid_chris]

How do you discover planets lol? Scan the skies?

That's pretty much how we first discovered planets, no?

[Mr. Scruffy]

...and are still doing so, i might add.

[Synapse]

Yes but it wouldn't make for very interesting gameplay - it took thousands of years to develop telescopes and discover the planets. Also it's a space program game, not a Johannes Kepler simulator.

By the time anything called a "space program" was in operation all of the major nearby celestial bodies were discovered, sized and their orbits mapped.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Synapse

[Synapse]

To put this into perspective the first liquid fuel engine was fired in 1926, Neptune was discovered in 1846.

[stupid_chris]

We also discovered a new moon to said Neptune a few weeks ago. Observatories are an important part of a space program, because if you haven't found anything in the sky, you have nowhere to go really.

Anyway, as far as I know, observatories/telescopes are planned, or are at least being considered. However I don't believe they will play a major role in the game, probably just "discovering" other stars and stuff that you can't necessarily visit, or play a bigger role in the case other star systems were to be added.

[Kimberly]

Still, a telescope would be cool thing to have at the space center, or to launch into orbit--even if it's not functional. And if we get asteroids and similar small bodies, we could use them to detect those--detection of such objects is ongoing.

[Skyrunner27]

Maybe once career mode is implemented you could allot a fund to the observatory and then they come back and say they discovered something.

[chaos_forge]

Apart from letting us discover new planets, telescopes could also provide funding/PR and maybe even help attract scientists to speed up your tech tree progress

[jaked122]

I really just want this to allow us to really discover Kerbin; I mean, what do we really know about Kerbin?

Not much, other than the fact it has grass, no animals, and a bunch of green skinned idiots who wear space suits all the time.

Also most of its physical characteristics, but what do those matter when you don't understand it on a spiritual level?

[Chrisd857]

We also discovered a new moon to said Neptune a few weeks ago. Observatories are an important part of a space program, because if you haven't found anything in the sky, you have nowhere to go really.

I would be amused if I got to Jool (or some future gas giant) and almost collided with a previously unknown moon, say, the size of Gilly.

[Stelith61]

I would be amused if I got to Jool (or some future gas giant) and almost collided with a previously unknown moon, say, the size of Gilly.

Imagine if NASA accidentally hit an undiscovered moon with Voyager 1 on its Jupiter flyby.

[innovine]

You could introduce this with Career mode... when you finally manage to put an orbital telescope into place, it then starts discovering small asteroids and comets, which you could then target and fly to to investigate. I'm sure some of these could be made very attractive, and work as a natural stepping stone in career (think NASA's current ideas on capturing an asteroid for research/mining)

[Harguinxx]

A telelescope would be interesting, but I vote for an orbital one rather than an exra faciliry, so... yes, one of your fist missions would be to put a satellite in obit in order to discover things about the solar system... I have to say though that mün, Duna, and Venus (at least) should been discovered from the begging, after all, they can be seen with the naked eye.

[Beeman]

We're going to have an observatory, the developers have talked about it before.

That said, I agree that there should be at least one orbital telescope...or perhaps telescope parts to assemble our own. Hex shaped reflectors, for example, that make it easier to spot distant things(like solar systems and small objects) if you use a lot of them on a really big telescope. Or something. Maybe having a small, medium and large prebuilt orbital telescope based on real-world equivalents would be better >_>

Either way, can't wait 'till they get this up and running in career mode

[innovine]

Either way, can't wait 'till they get this up and running in career mode

It would be awesome to discover some new asteroid or comet or small moon, and get to name it!

[Turvok]

I see some comments about an orbital telescope. Why not just add a couple parts that you can build a telescope that give science based on time or something. And give different results if the satellite is in geosynchronous orbit etc.