The Armageddon Thread

[boomerdog2000]

Very first asteroid I start tracking is a class D on a collision course with Kerbin. Never rendezvoused with an asteroid before and I have a self imposed rule where if a class D or E hits Kerbin I end the save. So... the next few hours should be interesting...

[mellojoe]

My first was a class B, which was originally planned to flyby. Our initial test of a robotic capture was hugely successful. It is orbiting 9M meters, just a shade inside the orbit of the Mun, except nearly Polar. Steven Kerman and Tyler Kerman are prepping for launch to explore its surface and bring home samples.

KSC has now detected a class C and a class D asteroid, and is currently tracking them. The C is set to impact, but the D will make a harmless flyby. We will send a duplicate of our robotic mission out to the Class-C asteroid with the confidence that our system should be enough to deflect and capture the Class-C asteroid. The Class-D will probably require a rework. As there is no danger at this time, we will wait for results of the Steven & Tyler mission to determine what changes need to be made, or what opportunities there might be with an asteroid of this size. Nothing larger is on screen, and all of us here at KSC are secretly crossing our fingers that nothing larger appears any time soon. We really have our hands full with the current mission, and we don't feel fully prepared for anything larger at this time.

Edited April 3, 2014 by mellojoe

[lajoswinkler]

I'm afraid that this thread is slowly falling towards it's doom... who else had detected killer asteroid on collision course with kerbin ?

Me. Just one impact so far.

[NoPanShabuShabu]

Just in case anybody was wondering, with Deadly Reentry, the asteroid will totally explode before impact, so they're not indestructible.

[electronicfox]

Just in case anybody was wondering, with Deadly Reentry, the asteroid will totally explode before impact, so they're not indestructible.

They'll also go boom in Jools atmosphere, like the rest of a ship.

[Trann]

Steven Kerman and Tyler Kerman...

This was not overlooked. Well played.

I've yet to fire this up so I have a question or two: I understand you can go to Map view, see unidentified objects floating out there (with no trajectory or intercepts), then select them to track them. This is where you'd find if they intersect with Kerbin. Objects you don't track fade from detection (or however you might describe it) and, should I assume, no longer exist in-game?

Now, let's say you've found an object that's going to intersect with Kerbin. Let's say you decide to stop tracking it. Does it continue on its path or does it also disappear from the universe (and thus never hit Kerbin)?

[jmiki8]

I think untracked asteroids disappear upon entering Kerbin's SOI, even if they were tracked before.

[Whackjob]

I actually DVR'd Armageddon a night or two ago. It still makes my inner physicist indignant.

[Pds314]

I have a silly idea, sacrifice my Aerotitan II in orbit by throwing it at multiple km/s at an E-type asteroid.

[RogueMason]

Hey, uh, you guys remember how I said I'd build an X-71? Heh, well...

As soon as it got into orbit, I noticed an asteroid that wasn't there before. Class C, and... hold on a second...

MOTHER OF KERBIN, IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT FOR US

GET TO DA X-71!

I somehow actually managed to rendezvous with the rock. Hmm, wasn't too difficult, really. No Mun slingshots were involved in reaching this rock.

Rodbald takes a look.

At first, control was confused as to why Rodbald named the rock Lucky Punk, but the name became quite apt not long after.

"Arm the torpedoes."

Torpedo says no. Lucky Punk is now an apt name. Kerbin isn't going to be very happy with us. Yes, Kerbin, not just KSC...

I'm sorry, Kerbin, I failed you...

After the planet miraculously survived its brush with death, it quickly got its own back on the X-71.

Don't send shuttles to asteroids, kids.

[Richy teh space man]

They'll also go boom in Jools atmosphere, like the rest of a ship.

Yeah they do, I just tried it..

[cantab]

So far I've got one set to graze the atmosphere - which I'm hoping to aerocapture into Kerbin orbit, but none yet on an impact course.

Also IIRC I've got one that's on course to get a gravity assist from Kerbin out to Duna's orbit. I think I'll see if I can get that into orbit around Ike.

On which note, a question about flags on parts. If I send two ships up, with different flags on their parts, and then I dock them together, will the different flags be preserved correctly?

[TonyInTsv]

Do the asteroids have any gravity at all? Would it be possible to clump enough of them together, even clamping them together with a probe with a clamp on both ends, to make a new moon around Kerbin? maybe call it Munmus?

[Cydonian Monk]

Does anyone know the mass of your typical Class-E "Rock the size of [Hockley] Texas"? I've not been out to visit one yet and they all claim to be 150t in the persistence file....

Would love to do the math on the kinetic energy.... Unfortunately at 150 tonnes and typical KSP velocities they wouldn't really do much more than scare a chihuahua.

[L3GO]

So far I've got one set to graze the atmosphere - which I'm hoping to aerocapture into Kerbin orbit, but none yet on an impact course.

Also IIRC I've got one that's on course to get a gravity assist from Kerbin out to Duna's orbit. I think I'll see if I can get that into orbit around Ike.

On which note, a question about flags on parts. If I send two ships up, with different flags on their parts, and then I dock them together, will the different flags be preserved correctly?

The flags don't change both ships keep the same flag.

[Naten]

And don't say 'roids, that's means something else.

Meteoroids? They don't do much, why would they offend anyone? They're only entering Earth's atmosphere, they blow up really quickly. What harm can be done?

[KerbMav]

Seriously. Usually I can turn my brain off (mostly) and just enjoy the movie for what it is. But Armageddon? I came out of that one ranting about a couple of dozen problems with it. I just couldn't get past it.

The one thing I liked in that movie was the line about the spacecraft being built by the lowest bidder. What could possibly go wrong? Heh.

Watts: Back off! You don't know the components!

Lev Andropov: [annoyed] Components. American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!

Very first asteroid I start tracking is a class D on a collision course with Kerbin. Never rendezvoused with an asteroid before and I have a self imposed rule where if a class D or E hits Kerbin I end the save. So... the next few hours should be interesting...

You are one tough gamer, you know!

(Even in career?)

Do the asteroids have any gravity at all? Would it be possible to clump enough of them together, even clamping them together with a probe with a clamp on both ends, to make a new moon around Kerbin? maybe call it Munmus?

No gravity, but linking several of them up with spacebridges and pretend they are hollowed out for base construction ... very cool idea.

Edited April 4, 2014 by KerbMav

[Thiel]

Has anyone tested how the asteroids react with FAR installed?

[Riftmann]

I'm an amateur astronomer with some college courses in astronomy under my belt. (I was heading for post graduate work but several family tragedies close together ended that dream) All these are very small asteroids, even Es. These are as common as the game shows. The one that went over Russia last year was probably an E. And all it did was break a lot of windows and caused a lot of scratches from falling glass. None of these are 'Dinosaur' killers. Most won't even make it to the surface of the Earth. And in game they cause absolutely no damage. Ignore the Asteroids if you don't want to deal with them. Dres is the size of our largest asteroid in real life, and it has a stable orbit no where near earth. It would take an asteroid the size of Mount Everest to cause much damage, and even that wouldn't be an extinction level event. The worse possible outcome is some seriously large Tsunamis. Which is likely since 75% of the earth's surface is water. And E wouldn't even make ripples... It's the ones the size of Gilly and Ike we need worry about...

[KerbMav]

Has anyone tested how the asteroids react with FAR installed?

Someone claimed DRE to burn them into oblivion, I hope FAR does not stop this?