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NASA Launches Moonbase Alpha
Several readers have sent word that today NASA launched Moonbase Alpha, an online game with single- and multi-player capability that "allows participants to step into the role of an exploration team member in a futuristic 3-D lunar settlement." The game is available now through Steam for free. Moonbase Alpha was built as a precursor to an upcoming NASA MMO called Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond, and they hope it will be "a proof of concept to show how NASA content can be combined with a cutting-edge game engine to inspire, engage and educate students about agency technologies, job opportunities and the future of space exploration."
Sopssa is a fucking worthless troll. Remember it moderators.
Peace out!
I honestly loathe the idea that life is being measured in "content."
"Be prepared, son. That's my motto. Be prepared." --Joe Hallenbeck
Free Space!
Starting this Thanksgiving I am going to build a complete space launch platform called FUNN (for FUNN's Uniquely Not NASA), and give it away free for anyone who can use it. Contributions of time, money, programs and equipment are greatly needed.
To begin with FUNN will be a rocket plus all the utilities needed to support cargo and interplanetary travel. After this we will add capabilities for manned transportation. We hope to supply everything useful, including technical documents and blueprints.
FUNN will be able to handle the payloads used by NASA, the ESA, etc. but will not be identical to them. We will make all improvements that are convenient, based on our experience with other launch systems. In particular, we plan to have multi-staged vehicles, advanced telemetry control, and other features.
Who Am I?
I am Chester J. Pooner, inventor of the much-imitated GETTHERE rocket system, now at the Advanced Space Systems Laboratory at San Seriffe University. I have worked on engines, fuel systems, and crew habitation modules. In addition, I have also implemented one launch escape system.
Why Must I Build FUNN?
I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a rocket design I must share it with other people who like it. I cannot in good conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement.
So that I can continue to use rockets without violating my principles, I have decided to put together a sufficient body of free designs so that I will be able to get along without any rockets that are not free.
How You Can Contribute
I am asking aerospace manufacturers for donations of machines and money. I'm asking individuals for donations of designs and work.
One aerospace manufacturer has already offered to provide a concept. But we could use more. One consequence you can expect if you donate machines is that FUNN will run on them at an early date. The machine had better be able to operate in a residential area, and not require sophisticated cooling or power.
Individual engineers can contribute by writing a compatible duplicate of some launch utility and giving it to me. For most projects, such part-time distributed work would be very hard to coordinate; the independently-written parts would not work together. But for the particular task of replacing a part, this problem is absent. Most interface specifications are fixed by NASA compatibility. If each contribution works with the rest of ATLAS, etc., it will probably work with the rest of FUNN.
If I get donations of money, I may be able to hire a few people full or part time. The salary won't be high, but I'm looking for people for whom knowing they are helping humanity is as important as money. I view this as a way of enabling dedicated people to devote their full energies to working on FUNN by sparing them the need to make a living in another way.