Overview:

Drawing inspiration from games like Kerbal Space Program and Spaceflight Simulator, players face the task of constructing rockets in Minecraft. Details such as a bi-propellant fuel supply, engine thrust and efficiency, and delta-v budgeting are taken into account as game mechanics. First set up electric machines for hydrogen and oxygen production, then construct a spacecraft capable of travel to Earth orbit or beyond. Celestial objects rendered from a working model of the solar system set a dramatic backdrop for exploration and adventure.

Possible Destinations (1.2.0):

The Moon

Earth's nearest neighbor. Low gravity and underground water ice make for a convenient place to launch fuel costly expeditions into the solar system.

Mars

A cold desert planet with weirdly familiar terrain. Could some amount of its former water and biology have persisted through the ages?

Helpful Hints:

- Rocket controllers will use a recursive algorithm to find blocks that should be counted as part of the vehicle. Common terrain blocks are excluded.

- Ensure that your ship has enough delta-v (the potential to change velocity) to get to where you intend and then return. Unless of course refueling there is an option.

- Oxygen and hydrogen tank multi-block structures consist of a closed empty volume with a single control block and a minimum of one inlet and one outlet valve in the walls.

- The ideal ratio of oxygen tank to hydrogen tank volume is 1:1, unless you require transporting a large amount of oxygen for habitats.

- Make sure to vent any residual contents before opening an oxygen or hydrogen tank structure (they explode)!

- While solar panels can produce essentially unlimited energy from sunlight, watch out for power draw, distance from the sun, and long durations of time with no sunlight.

- Space suit armor has a maneuvering jet feature activated by sneaking in case you start floating away from a structure while in orbit. Be warned that the maneuvering jets use your oxygen supply.

- Space suit armor can also be dyed different colors to fit whatever aesthetic you want.

- Oxygen tank items can be used to refill a space suit's internal oxygen tanks.

- Use tree taps to obtain rubber sap from rubber trees found in forests and swamps.

- It is recommended that you experiment with ship and habitat designs in creative mode before attempting anything in survival mode.

- Use the /timesteps command to change the speed of celestial motion.

Notes:

- While a variety of adventure and exploration relevant content has yet to be added in early versions, it should be in the near future.

- Although the solar system is simulated, launch windows are not taken into consideration to avoid unnecessary wait times and complex planning for non-experienced players. Delta-v calculations assume a near perfect Hohmann transfer at any given moment.

- The mass of rockets is calculated assuming a density of 100kg per cubic meter for most blocks and the energy unit "kJ" is arbitrarily defined. Once again for reasons of simplicity and the inherent absence of sophisticated physics in Minecraft.

Credits:

- This mod uses one Java library Extremely Simple Storage by Darkhax. The library is packaged with the distributed JAR files.

- While the textures and source code have been made from scratch, there is still some content in reference to the Moon Mod by sutr90 (probably the first space themed mod made for beta 1.7.3). The aesthetic of early space themed mods is certainly a source of inspiration.

Starflight Innovation