Start your own space program......

[Anodizer]

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/

Addicted to this cartoon rocket game for the last month or so....  Build rockets, launch them, watch them explode...or attain orbit, or land on the "Mun"... 
Any rocket/sim enthusiasts will like this...  Lots of super cool mods available....  Their is a demo version and the full version that was just released..  They are pretty much the same
except the full version will have more updates and features in the near future..

We came, for all Kerbal kind......................... ......

[curry1]

I played this a few months ago and donated money as I am sure my investment will pay off.

[Anodizer]

I played this a few months ago and donated money as I am sure my investment will pay off.

You should go download your full-version copy then...  It came out a few days ago.... 

[GNucks]

Absolutely love this game. I started off just trying to make a rocket that could escape the atmosphere. Then I made it my goal to achieve a sustainable orbit. Doing that required putting some real thought into the rocket design and learning how to fly it and coming up with procedures to follow. Then I decided to shoot for the Mun (Kerbin's moon). This required a whole new rocket again, and learning how to set an orbit that intercept's the Mun's. I thought you just point your nose at it and go, that is not so.

Now that orbiting the Mun and returning safely is becoming almost routine for me, it's time to land. I'm gonna' need to make a new rocket again 

[curry1]

You should go download your full-version copy then...  It came out a few days ago.... 

I surely will.  Thanks for bringing it up I didn't get an email or anything.

[Bodhi]

Fun, but I can't figure how to get the rocket to move up in the vab.  By the time I add my third module, it goes into the floor and I can not see to add anymore.  Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong?

[curry1]

Yeah Bodhi click on the crew capsule and drag it up.  Use mouse wheel to go up and down.

[expat]

Downloading now

[fullmetalbullet]

Is it just the moon you can go too, or can you goto other planets? i would love that if you could.

[GNucks]

The game is still in development, but the goal is to have a space program that you have to manage. Prices for different components has already been shown in-game but they don't mean anything yet. More planets seems like it'll be a no-brainer but they're not that far yet.

Here are the planned features for the game: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/~kerbalsp/wiki/index.php?title=Planned_features

Abort Sequence for emergencies.
EVA's
Docking
Internal camera views
Crew Tasks: Have the crew take charge of the ship
Astronaut Complex: Hire and train kerbonauts
Research and Development: Discover and improve parts (from tech tree)
Part recover
Runway to land on or launch from
Spaceplane hangar: A secondary VAB that allows horizontal (belly-down) construction
Mission Control Room: Creat flight plans on missions and challenges
Observatory: Discover new celestial bodies to vist
Exploded View: A schematic visualization of the ship, allowing for greater control over ship functionality.
Tweakables: Context menu when right-clicking a part
Stack extensions: Fairings and solid-booster fuel plugs
Side-mounts: Drop-tanks and cargo pods
Spacecraft Stats: Total weight, Loaded fuel (per stage), Thrust (per stage)
Wind/Turbulence conditions
Reentry heat
Possibility of reentry heat weakening structural connections
Clouds, weather
Static particles (cloudlets)
Long-duration smoke trails
Fuel-dependent larger explosions
Asteroids
Other moons and planets
Matching launchpad scenery in flight
Cities and other geographic points of reference
Space Center Facilities can be destroyed by crash-landing onto them, and fixing then will cost
More and better sound effects
KSP Soundtrack
OSC Data Interface for connectivity with external applications
More complete SDK and documentation
Normal map support for part textures
More modding opportunities than just parts

[Jayhawk]

I would like to thank you for finding yet another way for me to procrastinate.

Once I got the hang of it all, I decided to set a goal of going to the moon.  So of course, I started naming my rockets Apollo 1...Apollo 2... etc.  I worked on goals like getting a successful earth orbit, then getting to circle the moon, then I started trying to actually land.

Ironically, Apollo 11 was my first successful landing on the moon.  This game is a blast.