Why is it...

[Jas1126]

Why is it that people are constantly bringing up rocket science on this forum when talking about the game? It makes little sense..

Putting already calibrated and completed sections together will never equate to "Rocket Science". Not by a long shot. Most of this community hasn't even the slightest clue what they would do if they had to start from scratch.

From raw materials and equations of all sorts to a rocket <- That is rocket science. It's like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and saying it's chemistry..

I'm not claiming to be any such scientist but just had to get that off my chest.

[Superfluous J]

I actually don't notice this a lot, except to make the odd joke here and there hooking into the already-ingrained-into-our-culture line about how "this ain't rocket science."

I personally use the term Orbital Mechanics when talking about this game far more often that Rocket Science. It can be just as hard though it doesn't roll off the tongue the same. Strings of 2-syllable words are more preferable to the ear than a 3-syllable word followed by a 2-syllable word. Just ask the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[pebble_garden]

I recall an early KSP promo video with a command pod upon which is scrawled "How hard is rocket science anyway?" or something to that effect. It's meant to suggest the Kerbals' cheerful enthusiasm/naivete as regards space exploration, which frames their mishaps in more comedic light.

So I think it's legitimate, if not technically accurate, to use the term "rocket science" in the sense of "solving tricky gameplay problems in order to play KSP well". Certainly the devs had no problem with the casual use of the term.

[Red Iron Crown]

I think you're using an overly restrictive definition of rocket science. Certainly KSP is much simpler than real world rocket science, but there's enough meat on the bone for it to be called rocket science. I would say someone who has figured out KSP knows more real rocket science than 99% of the general population. Though anyone calling themselves a rocket scientist because they've gotten good at KSP is fairly delusional.

Sort of like someone messing around with a kid's chemistry set is doing chemistry, but is likely not a chemist.

[Seret]

Why is it that...some users post vague thread titles as blatant click bait?