Time Bounds

[Shna_na]

Do you care about mission length in KSP? Obviously, that's a very broad question. Let's break it down:

• What are your views on mission length for unmanned/probe missions? Should they last forever, or have a certain lifespan?
  
  • Is this determined by the conditions of its environment (eg: in space, in an atmosphere, under high gravitational forces, etc.)?
    

  [*]What are your views on mission length for kerbals?

  • How often should a crew rotation be completed for long-term manned projects such as stations and bases?
    
  • How long can a manned mission go on for before it gets ridiculous?
    

  [*]Do you remove debris?

  • If so, after what period of time do you remove them?
    
  • Do you remove them from the tracking station or with another craft, designed for the purpose?
    

  [*]Is there a maximum time for unmanned missions on Kerbin's surface?

  • Is this the same for Kerbin orbit?
    
  • What about for orbit around Kerbin's moons?
    

  [*]Is there a maximum time for manned missions on Kerbin's surface?

  • Is this the same for Kerbin orbit?
    
  • What about for orbit around Kerbin's moons?
    

I have a lot of questions regarding how players treat time as a factor in the game. Please, share your stories or views on long period missions in the game. Remember that people have a right to an opinion, please refrain from attacking them for it.

[Sof]

Probe missions go on for as long as they were designed. Once they've collected the science I wanted them too, I just abandon them on what ever trajectory they were on.

Mission length for Kerbals is determined by the maximum amount of life-support they have thanks to TAC life-support mod.

I don't remove debris

No

I haven't really bothered exploring Kerbin more than just random landing sites from other missions and "hey, while I'm here" science experiments.

[dryer_lint]

1) I'm currently using the demo, so I can't make unmanned probes. Aww. But anyway, I'd be fine with leaving them forever.

2) Leave them in space! It saves money!

3) I've been trying to blow up debris. Does anyone have a good missile I can borrow?

4) The demo limits you to three flights, so I either deorbit them or just end them sooner or later.

5) Same as 4.

[Remkeau]

Probes can last me many years, but like Sof said, they just become abandoned. (real life probes like the Voyager spacecrafts launched in 1977 still work!)

I want to do crew rotations, but I'm a bit lazy. So the same crew has been in my LKO station for 7 earth years.

Debris is an extra challenge not to slam into, so it stays.

Kerbin is less densely populated than the Mun or Duna in my game so I can't say anything about that.

[merendel]

Probes last indefinitely, They normaly become depreciated over time due to finishing their primary mission and eventualy not haveing sufficent fuel remaining to do anything else. Realisticly they would eventualy break down but that is not simulated at this time and they were all but abandoned after runing out of fuel anyway so I dont worry about it.

I run TAC life support so crewed duration is limited by avalible supplies. I'm not going to worry about any mental issues for the kerbals at this time. Frankly they already should be riding the short bus considering they alowed themselves to be straped into some of the craft I've launched and longterm isolation cant make them any worse.

I generaly leave debris in orbit if it gets there at all. Most of my designs minimize debris causeing the majority of spent stages to deorbit on their own. Orbital debris I want to get rid of needs a ship sent out to it (normaly an EL recycler ship). Debris that is landed on kerbin I do nuke from the tracking center just because I'd asume that someone would have eventually salvaged that stuff. I'll also sometimes nuke debrise that should have been destroyed on its own but for whatever reason didn't. AKA parts that survived that impacter probe and managed to achieve orbit or a spent stage that is orbiting in an atmosphere but not low enough to auto delete.

I generaly dont bother sending missions out on kerbin's surface that are more longterm than go get science from that biome over there, or launch this craft and make sure it does not explode prematurely, so your last 2 questions dont really apply for my playstyle

[regex]

Do you care about mission length in KSP

It's always in the back of my mind, but not really.

What are your views on mission length for unmanned/probe missions? Should they last forever, or have a certain lifespan?

I try to limit unmanned flights to Eve landers and orbital tugs because unmanned craft are much easier to launch and carry far less risk. Both have short lifespans because once the mission is complete, the craft is useless.

What are your views on mission length for kerbals

If I cared about mission length for Kerbals I'd install a life support mod, which I've done in the past but don't bother with nowadays. The simple fact of the matter is that life support mods make life support meaningless after you install a few recyclers (seriously, why even bother?) so I don't play with them when I do have life support. Another problem with life support mods is that they either have too many resources (I'd prefer just a meta "life support" resource) or they don't make things terribly user-friendly (I'd like the resource display to be in 24 hour units). I suppose I'll end up having to program my own to be happy with it.

Anyway, that's why I don't care about mission length.

Do you remove debris?

I don't have persistent debris enabled.

[Magnet_man16]

I still struggle to orbit stuff in the first place. Spent 5 hours+ trying per session...

[Thomas988]

I don't care about a mission's length. As long as I spend the course of the mission productively, I don't see a problem with long-term time-warping.

No length limit for Kerbals, just bring 'em back home and everyone will be happy.

I haven't played KSP long enough to tell.

I don't think there's a limit.

Well, I should delete debris, but I've been forgetting lately.

Usually as soon as possible.

Tracking station.

I don't see a reason to have a manned mission on Kerbin's surface at all, to be honest.

For Kerbin orbit, I'll keep my Kerbals in space as long as I want to.

Like Kerbin orbit, as long as I feel like.

[Dkmdlb]

To comment on debris - I've decided I'll be a litterbug until I have a collision, and then I'll go back to being very clean with my debris, making sure nothing is left in orbit, etc. I've been doing this now for about 4 months and haven't had a collision yet.

Also, in defense of leaving debris, I once landed on Mun, at a spot near the terminator line, and saw that there as something a few km from where I landed. I roved over there, and found the the battered remnants of the descent stage of one of my previous missions that I had forgotten about long ago. It was surprisingly eery with the low light, long shadows, and complete solitude. It was a great experience coming up over the hill and seeing this old wreck coming into the beams of the lights.

[cantab]

Probes last until they run out of fuel. Well, they still work after that, but there ceases being much point doing anything with them. Of course they might die quicker from lack of electricity.

The game doesn't implement life support, so I'm happy to have my Kerbals go on long missions. That said, I won't deliberately waste time with them. For an unmanned probe I enjoy a nice gravity assist, but for a manned mission I'd rather do a direct transfer. For my space station, it tends to be a waiting facility for Kerbals to then go on proper missions, especially with ships that I don't think are safe to launch manned so need to stop at the station for a crew up. So far I haven't accumulated enough game time in my .23.5 save to think anyone's been there too long.

I remove debris because I'm concerned about game performance. I did have it outright turned off, but put it back on after the debris cleanup ate my Mun lander's descent stage that I wanted to keep. I design most of my lifters to deorbit their upper stages under their own control, but if I don't do that I just terminate it in the tracking station.

I've not done any serious missions on Kerbin in .23.5.

[mellojoe]

I put a pair of Kerbals in orbit around Eeloo. I haven't been back.

[NASAFanboy]

I put a pair of Kerbals in orbit around Eeloo. I haven't been back.

And you smile? That's pretty cold hearted of you. Think of their families! Think of the lawsuits and life insurance!

[Taki117]

They last as long as they can, I have a nuclear powered probe ready to launch destined for Eve that will last years, doesn't mean I'm going to do anything else with it once it lands, but it will still be going for a long time.

For Kerbals It's as long as life support lasts or the mission is complete. Space Station Crew Rotation happens every 14 earth days. (They are tourists after all)

I do not remove debris, but I try not to leave any in orbit. If it goes up it comes down. (The only debris I currently have is the lower stage of my Apollo style Munar lander)

Not sure what you mean here...I usually just go until the mission is complete.

[mellojoe]

And you smile? That's pretty cold hearted of you. Think of their families! Think of the lawsuits and life insurance!

I guess I should have gone with this face instead: o.O

Probably more appropriate, eh?