How to get more kerbal applicants?

[FreeThinker]

For my planetary space program, I'm building a big spacestation. Building the space station is not the problem. The problem is how to find more Kerbal to fill it with. How can I get more (non stupid) Kerbals to apply for kerbonaut?

[Zylark]

Not sure how the applicants are generated, but it seems to me to be a function of crew capacity in service (how many Kerbals all your active craft can hold). From a certain minimum up to a given maximum of available applicants. If my little hypothesis is correct, then send up your station empty, let a little time pass and then go see if new recruits are available.

[Wanderfound]

Hire all of the available ones, leave the astronaut building, go back in, hire some more. The list repopulates.

[worir4]

Kill the ones you have....

[Tex_NL]

You can also use Crew Manifest. It allowes you to hire Kerbals from the launchpad and create/change Kerbal stats.

[RexKramer]

If you launch a vessel, it will be minimally crewed wether you have Kerbals or not. So, you could launch multiple vessels, then not recover them until you have the required crew.

[Raptor9]

Kill the ones you have....

LOL, only on Kerbin would that tactic work. On planets with inhabitants of common sense, not so much.

[FreeThinker]

Kill the ones you have....

It's true I have to get rid of the stupid once, one method is sacrifice them to the Kraken (and juice them into Kethane)

At least this way they serve some higher purpose

[Smurfalot]

I always used the Kethane Juicer to kill off the stupid ones. I do not use Kethane anymore...need a replacement for that function.

[rcp27]

I find the most efficient way to get new Kerbals is to do rescue-from-orbit contracts. Not only do you get more Kerbals in your space program, you get money for doing it too.

[Pax Kerbana]

You must be playing sandbox.

If you were playing career you would be looking for ways NOT to hire them.

[Smurfalot]

You must be playing sandbox.

If you were playing career you would be looking for ways NOT to hire them.

I wonder if you can selectively kill them off by toggling permadeath and arranging for an "Accident". I have never played with permadeath, can anyone tell me if that would work?

[Snark]

I find the most efficient way to get new Kerbals is to do rescue-from-orbit contracts. Not only do you get more Kerbals in your space program, you get money for doing it too.

^^^ This. Plus the added bonus that they immediately get promoted to level 1 as soon as they arrive at KSC, since they were in orbit.