Things I Never Knew

[Brotoro]

Occasionally I find out new things about KSP that I never noticed before. Here's a thread for any things you've come across.

#1

I was always under the impression that the planets in KSP had no axial tilts (so I thought that their axes were oriented perpendicular to their orbital planes, which is what it means for a planet to have no axial tilt in real life). BUT, it turns out that all of the planets in KSP have their equators aligned with the "Milky Way" feature on the skybox... So any planet that has an inclined orbit also has an axial tilt of that same value. Thank you to SpaceSphereOfDeath for pointing out this fact I've missed all this time.

I think this discovery must have freaked out the kerbal astronomers.

[MockKnizzle]

This changes everything!

I actually had no idea... excellent find!

[Supernovy]

I think this still gives them zero tilt with respect to the ecliptic, right? They're just tilted compared to their individual orbital planes.

[Brotoro]

I think this still gives them zero tilt with respect to the ecliptic, right? They're just tilted compared to their individual orbital planes.

The ecliptic (in our solar system) is just the apparent annual path the Sun follows around the sky, which matches plane of the Earth's orbit (of course). So if by "ecliptic" you refer here to the plane of Kerbin's orbit, then yes. All the planets in KSP have their equators aligned with the plane of Kerbin's orbit.

[maltesh]

True, but axial tilt is measured relative to the perpendicular to the planet's orbital plane for all the Solar System's planets. So if one were measuring the Kerbal planets in the same manner, all would be considered to have an axial tilt.

Edit: As was already mentioned in the original post, I now see.

Edited October 2, 2013 by maltesh
minor clarification.

[Blue]

I did not know that temperatures did not vary night to day. I guess I never cared to find out either...

I also didn't know what would happen if you tried to explore underwater. Thanks, Scott Manley's Eve or Bust series!

[Specialist290]

It took me forever to learn that you could actually drag maneuver nodes around the orbit to change where they'd execute. I had always assumed they were fixed.

[leax256]

I never knew the water does not affect the thermometer when under it, no mater how deep you go.

[wbcundiff]

For me, the alt-key-left-click to copy discovery revolutionized the VAB.

[samstarman5]

I have a feeling that the hands of Squad are going to change that down the road. But they will wait until the game gets too easy for us. They like to throw in the new challenges at timed intervals.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Another thing about that axial tilt, what would of happened on the old Moho, I believe it would be the same, just tidally locked.

I'll check later

[Bekiekutmoar]

I once found out when approaching Jool during a long and crucial mission that F9 is certainly not the quicksave-button.

[loknar]

I found out that Alt-F4 does quit the game quickly but not save the game. (feel free to give tips I hate the very slow quitting process: wait for Space center, wait for menu, wait for desktop)

[Gurrz]

just found out that space resets rotation in the VAB

[maltesh]

Another thing about that axial tilt, what would of happened on the old Moho, I believe it would be the same, just tidally locked.

I'll check later

Watching the analemma of the sun in 0.17 Moho was kind of nifty.

Back on topic: I found out that time passes on the Space Center screen, when one night, I left the game on the space center screen and came back in the morning to discover that a spacecraft I'd been planning to take to Minmus had missed its capture burn and had escaped the moon's sphere of influence.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Another thing about that axial tilt, what would of happened on the old Moho, I believe it would be the same, just tidally locked.

I'll check later

It does btw, and the sun liberation is very easy to see

[MilkToast]

It took me forever to learn that you could actually drag maneuver nodes around the orbit to change where they'd execute. I had always assumed they were fixed.

THEY'RE NOT FIXED?

<hurriedly boots KSP to confirm this>

[Zorrm]

THEY'RE NOT FIXED?

That is correct Sir!

[astropapi1]

Discovering part clipping was a blessing. It's not about the "cheating", it's about being able to stick engines with symmetry without fighting the game. It makes building stuff much easier.

[rodion]

I didn't realize until a few weeks ago that on the map screen, if you click the little apo/peri tabs, the numbers will stay on the screen after you move the cursor away, so you can fine-tune maneuvers without having to move back and forth between the numbers and the maneuver planning controls.

[Patupi]

I didn't realize until a few weeks ago that on the map screen, if you click the little apo/peri tabs, the numbers will stay on the screen after you move the cursor away, so you can fine-tune maneuvers without having to move back and forth between the numbers and the maneuver planning controls.

Gah! I knew they stayed up if you focus on a world, but I didn't know that one! @^#%$*&! etc.

[Superfluous J]

I recently learned that if you accidentally pass your apoapsis when trying to make orbit after launch, you can tilt your nose up a little to bring it back in front of you.

So simple, so obvious when I think about it, but it never dawned on me until I saw someone do it on YouTube.

[Deadpangod3]

I discovered you can make Kerbals look to their left or right while on a ladder by holding shift and pressing a or d respectively

They bounce up and down the ladders though, bug I think...

[Wjolcz]

I did not know that temperatures did not vary night to day. I guess I never cared to find out either...

They actually fixed thermometers in 0.22 update. Before that it was altitude dependent.

[Xetalim]

I did not know you have to thrust sidewards to get into orbit.

Until i discovered i had to.