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Say you're a SpaceX launch engineer.

You have a mission design meeting where you'll talk about different mission scenarios.

The meeting is in a few hours.

Would you run a quick simulation in KSP to get a quick rough baseline idea of what might happen in various launch scenarios?

"Might need more fuel if we do this, might be able to lift more cargo if we do that."

Would you share your KSP simulations at the meeting to strengthen your case?

Are there photos of SpaceX engineers doing this :/

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    $\begingroup$ Congratulations. Welcome aboard. We have missions to design. Did you bring simulations to show? $\endgroup$
    – user39728
    Commented Mar 21, 2021 at 4:19
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    $\begingroup$ KSP? Seriously? $\endgroup$
    – David Hammen
    Commented Mar 21, 2021 at 12:48
  • $\begingroup$ "Pick up your check on the way out, and good luck in your future endeavors." $\endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Commented Mar 22, 2021 at 19:25
  • $\begingroup$ Wait, we're getting paid? $\endgroup$
    – user39728
    Commented Mar 22, 2021 at 21:32
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    $\begingroup$ I'd be absolutely unsurprised if SpaceX was actually doing the first-draft of their maneuvers in KSP. They have a very strong propensity for "quick&dirty" prototyping, and KSP will take 5 hours to eliminate faulty ideas that would take 2 weeks of work with professional simulation software to arrive at the conclusion "That has no chance to work." In other words, "If it can't be done in KSP, it can't be done in real life." Obviously after promising results in KSP it would receive proper attention in professional simulation software. $\endgroup$
    – SF.
    Commented Apr 2, 2021 at 20:24

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No doubt many SpaceX employees have dabbled with the Kerbal Space program including Elon, but I very much doubt that it is used for any serious calculations at SpaceX. I’m confident that they have a suit of in house simulation programs available for all astronautical engineering and celestial mechanics type questions for anything more than a back of an envelope check. Here is one example: https://spacenews.com/spacex-teams-with-microsoft-for-space-development-agency-contract/

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  • $\begingroup$ So there's a chance they'll share KSP sketches of how they imagine a mission might go? :D $\endgroup$
    – user39728
    Commented Mar 21, 2021 at 14:25
  • $\begingroup$ You never know :o) $\endgroup$
    – Slarty
    Commented Mar 21, 2021 at 14:50

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