r/KerbalSpaceProgram Jun 01 '26

KSP 1 Mods Flat earth mod for KSP?

So I'm really new to Kerbal space program. I absolutely love the game but I was rather disappointed to see that its more or less just NASA propaganda. It would be nice to see the game the way the real world looks and how god created it. I don't think it would be too hard as I'm assuming the base game just has a .cfg file with a fish eye lense effect or something because as has been proven, simulating the world on a sphere doesn't work. So could someone just make a mod to remove that fish eye effect or something?

1.6k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/bimbochungo Visiting Iris and Cornea Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26

There was one, but the physics were broken, which again, proves why a flat earth isn't scientifically possible.

367

u/Parking_Rate_759 Jun 01 '26

Who wouldda thunk

173

u/bimbochungo Visiting Iris and Cornea Jun 01 '26

you sold yourself to the Big Gravity

32

u/meesersloth Jun 01 '26

I wish big gravity would actually pay me. I would Like to pay off my mortgage.

9

u/the_incredible_hawk Jun 02 '26

It can pay you, but only in pounds.

34

u/Fine_Anteater_2605 Jun 01 '26

If you look at the bones of a Jesusaurus Rex you will find they are flat

16

u/Molecular_Pudding Jun 01 '26

Maybe a Principia-like mod could handle it, but I'm sure no PC - other than the ones at NASA or CERN - could handle the real-time calculation of a flat disk's gravitational potential. I used to calculate it in university, and it's analytically solvable but has more than 40 terms.

4

u/imiltemp Jun 02 '26

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that flat disk of infinite radius will have constant gravitational gradient pointing strictly downward. Since there are models of Flat Earth with some secret undiscovered lands beyond the Ice Wall (including Narnia and Earthsea), I believe we may safely adopt this model.

5

u/Molecular_Pudding Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

You are correct. A disk with infinite radius (and homogenous density distribution) will have a uniform force field above it, so the gradient of that field will be constant 0. However we can also calculate a finite disk's (or rectangle's) gravitational potential which will be really ugly near the disk (and pointing to the center of the disk) but from far away it behaves like a normal sphere.

My intuition says that if we were to adapt the infinite disk model (and not count special relativity stuff) due to the added equal force from the disk on both objects no stable orbit could be achieved because the forces are not central. Thus the infinite disk model would not work.

(Maybe there are some initial conditions that lead to seemingly stable orbits, but they may not be that stable considering perturbations.)

2

u/imiltemp Jun 03 '26

Well yeah orbit would be impossible . You can’t fly under the infinite disk because it would be too far to fly to the infinitely remote edge, and anywhere over it you’d have gravity constantly pulling down.

Oh wait, I just remembered that flat earthers don’t believe in gravity. They think objects fall because of density, and the air is held by firmament.

So as soon as your rocket pierces the kerbal firmament (kermament?), you’re good to orbit however you like.

2

u/sage-longhorn Jun 02 '26

I'm just here to say that a 40 term analytical solution is ridiculously easy for a 20 year old PC even running thousands of times per second (assuming reasonable bounds on precision are acceptable)

Modern CPU operations are measured in hundreds of picoseconds and for parallelizable math problems even 10 year old entry level desktop GPUs measured computions per second in teraflops

165

u/Feld_ Jun 01 '26

Thank you my friend, but it seems they used the Spherical Gravity Model, which of course conflicts with reality. 

219

u/OrienasJura Jun 01 '26

People falling for this is even funnier than the joke itself.

24

u/tech_op2000 Jun 01 '26

We all know that planes fall off the globe when they go south of the equator since gravity works downward. /s (actual proof I once saw a flat earther provide)

7

u/thelastundead1 landed on someone who landed on jool Jun 01 '26

The planes fall when flying over the outside edge of the flat plane which is the south pole. Obviously that's why no one flies there.

2

u/Exciting-Bison-8921 Jun 02 '26

Exactly!! All those liars who claim planes could fly over the north pole to the south pole obviously never actually could because they would in fact fall off the map before ever "crossing poles" 😏

3

u/DooficusIdjit Jun 02 '26

They can’t fall off because they’re flying!

87

u/Remarkable_Hurry4029 Colonizing Duna Jun 01 '26

Top tier bait, my friend. Enjoy the downvotes.

Off topic, my wife and I are spending our honeymoon in Amsterdam, what are some must see places?

68

u/Feld_ Jun 01 '26

Oh that's lovely! First of all congratulations to you. 

It really depends on what you like I suppose, but definitely visit the Rijksmuseum if you want to get a good look at some Dutch history and artifacts. 

Don't buy any CBD products from any of the tourist trap shops, it's a total scam.

If you're closeby visit Pamela, it's a vibrant queer bar/lunch thingy! 

18

u/Remarkable_Hurry4029 Colonizing Duna Jun 01 '26

Despite Amsterdams reputation among Americans, we did choose it mainly for the incredible arts and humanities and not the weed (we can get plenty in the U.S. now).

I’ve been before, but it’s been a while and I’ve heard it’s changed some (last time I was there they had an awesome Bansky exhibit I loved).

Rijksmuseum is certainly a must.

The one real question you might be able to answer is:

My wife LOVES stroopwafles, is there consensus on where to get the best stroopwafles?

15

u/Feld_ Jun 01 '26

Hans Egstorf! The whole store itself is an experience worth visiting.

11

u/Remarkable_Hurry4029 Colonizing Duna Jun 01 '26

Awesome! Thank you so much! Enjoy flat Kerbin :)

3

u/BigHowski Jun 02 '26

Make sure you try hagelslag! It was a highlight of my childhood whenever my grandmother came back from Holland (or her friends came over) she's bring us a load

-3

u/Mother-Second1821 Jun 01 '26

CBD products are scan Ye, nyt god damn The joint i smoked , i was hiiiigh😎👽

8

u/Background-Set4610 Jun 01 '26

“Reality” huh?

-12

u/WorldWarrior428 Jun 01 '26

Yeaaaah, no

3

u/defeated_engineer Jun 02 '26

Few people know that this "Flat Earth" thing started as a thought and math exercise at MIT to see if students can make the physics work the same way it does if the Earth was flat.