Everything Seems Impossible… Until You Do It

The learning curve for Kerbal Space Program is really steep. It reminds me of when I first tried to learn to play guitar. Learning those first three chords, so I could play just the simplest of songs, seemed to take forever. It seemed impossible, but I kept at it until one day I did it. With a little more practice playing those three chords became something I could do without thinking about it. The next few chords were even harder. When I got to the F chord I almost gave up. Yep, impossible I thought, and then I did it. Amazing!

Learning Kerbal Space Program is the same way. Sure there are those short tutorials included that seem easy enough, but then when I fired up in sandbox mode, building a rocket was suddenly really confusing. Eventually, I sent my first creation to the launch pad, only to have it disintegrate moments after hitting the space bar. More building led naturally to more explosions. It felt like a success when I finally made it to tumbling out of control. If you are learning the game, you understand.

I did not give up. Once I started designing better balanced craft and started to fly with some control, I quickly learned about Delta-V or more precisely the lack thereof. Almost reaching space doesn’t quite count except as another milestone. A few additional boosters later and I reached orbit. It was nowhere near circular but it was orbit.

You get the idea. Everyday is new growth. When things go horribly wrong I use it as an opportunity to learn new skills in design and planning. My humble beginnings with this game have given me a whole new respect for the work of real space travel. It seems impossible until someone does it.