Kerbal Space Program Part 01

Kerbal Space Program is a 2015 space flight simulation video game developed by Mexican studio Squad for Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. In the game, players direct the space program of a species of green humanoid aliens known as Kerbals. The game features a pseudorealistic orbital physics engine, allowing for various real-life orbital maneuvers such as Hohmann transfer orbits and orbital rendezvous. The first public version was released digitally on Squad's Kerbal Space Program storefront on 24 June 2011, and joined Steam's early access program on 20 March 2013.[1] The game was released out of beta on 27 April 2015. Kerbal Space Program has support for user-created mods that add new features, such as interstellar travel, improved physics, new parts, and multiplayer. Popular mods have received support and inclusion in the game by Squad.[2] The game has garnered commendation from spaceflight industry figures such as NASA,[3][4] ESA,[5] science communicator Scott Manley, former ULA CEO Tory Bruno,[6] SpaceX CEO Elon Musk,[7][8] and Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck.[9] In May 2017, Squad announced that the game had been purchased by video game company Take-Two Interactive, who would help support Squad in keeping the console versions up-to-date alongside the personal computer versions. An Enhanced Edition was released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in January 2018, and for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in September 2021 by Private Division, a publishing subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive.[10][11] Two expansions for the game have been released as downloadable content: Making History in March 2018 and Breaking Ground in May 2019. A sequel, Kerbal Space Program 2, was released in early access on 24 February 2023,[12] although the developer has since shut down and no substantive updates have been released since June 2024.[13][14] Three game modes are available: sandbox, science, and career. Sandbox mode imposes no limitations, with unlimited parts available for any player-directed project. Many players have used Sandbox mode to implement replicas of historical real-life vehicles, as well as create impractically large or complex spacecraft.[19] Science mode presents a limited selection of parts at the beginning of the game. Players must travel to and perform experiments at various sites around Kerbin, outer space, and on other celestial bodies to gain 'science', which can be used to unlock additional parts. This mode was designed to ease new players into the game and prevent them from getting overwhelmed.[20] Career mode expands upon science mode's progession by adding funds, reputation, and contracts. Parts and fuel must be purchased with funds. Completing contracts on time will pay out funds and increase reputation, while unsatisfactory outcomes (such as missing deadlines or killing astronauts) result in penalties to funding and reputation. Greater reputation results in more difficult and prestigious contracts.[21][22] Players must spend funds to purchase parts and upgrade buildings to unlock new features such as larger rocket build size and improved tracking. Physics While the game's physics engine is not a perfect simulation of reality, it has been praised for its largely accurate orbital mechanics;[23] all objects in the game except the celestial bodies are simulated using Newtonian dynamics. Rocket thrust (and torque) is applied to a vehicle's frame based on the placement of engines, and joints between parts have limited strength – too much force will break a vehicle apart. The stock, unmodded game simulates orbits using patched conic approximation instead of a full n-body simulation; thus, it does not support Lagrange points, perturbations, Lissajous orbits, halo orbits or tidal forces. The in-game astronauts, Kerbals, are physically simulated. Forceful collisions with objects or terrain will cause Kerbals to tumble until they can regain their balance, and sufficiently forceful impacts will let to the Kerbals' death. Some celestial bodies have atmospheres of varying heights and densities, affecting the impact of drag on wings and parachutes. The simulations are accurate enough that real-world techniques such as aerobraking are viable methods of navigating the solar system. Flight through an atmosphere at excessive speeds results in aerodynamic heating; high enough temperatures will cause components to fail or explode, necessitating the use of heat shields or more careful flight profiles. In-game atmospheres thin out into space but have finite heights, unlike real atmospheres.