Vall
| Vall | ||
| Vall as seen from orbit. | ||
| Moon of Jool | ||
| Orbital Characteristics | ||
| Semi-major axis | 43,152,000 m [Note 1] | |
| Apoapsis | 43,152,000 m [Note 1] | |
| Periapsis | 43,152,000 m [Note 1] | |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0 | |
| Orbital inclination | 0 ° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 0 ° | |
| Longitude of the ascending node | 0 ° | |
| Mean anomaly | 0.9 rad (at 0s UT) | |
| Sidereal orbital period | 105,962.1 s | |
| 4 d 5 h 26 m 2.1 s | ||
| Synodic orbital period | 106,069.5 s | |
| Orbital velocity | 2,558.8 m/s | |
| Longest time eclipsed | 4,706 s | |
| Physical Characteristics | ||
| Equatorial radius | 300,000 m | |
| Equatorial circumference | 1,884,955.5921539 m | |
| Surface area | 1.1309734×1012 m2 | |
| Mass | 3.1087655×1021 kg | |
| Standard gravitational parameter | 2.0748150×1011 m3/s2 | |
| Density | 27 487.522 kg/m3 | |
| Surface gravity | 2.31 m/s2 (0.235 g) | |
| Escape velocity | 1,176.0994840963 m/s | |
| Sidereal rotation period | 105 962.09 s | |
| 4 d 5 h 26 m 2.1 s | ||
| Sidereal rotational velocity | 17.789 m/s | |
| Synchronous orbit | Outside sphere of influence | |
| Sphere of influence | 2 406 401.4 m [Note 1] | |
| Atmospheric Characteristics | ||
| Atmosphere present | No | |
| Scientific multiplier | ||
| Surface | 12 | |
| Splashed | N/A | |
| Near space | 9 | |
| Outer space | 8 | |
| Recovery | 8 | |
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Vall is the second of the five natural satellites of Jool. Like the other large Joolian moons, Laythe and Tylo (of which Vall is the smallest), Vall is tidally locked to its parent. Synchronous orbits around Vall are not possible, as they would lie outside of its SOI, at a radius of 3,893,254 meters.
Vall occupies a comparable orbital position to Jupiter's moon, Europa. Also like Europa, it is remarkably crater-free. However, it has considerably greater surface relief, suggesting different internal structures or processes. Vall may be subject to less tidal heating, but still enough for the ice to have some plasticity and for small-scale cryovolcanism.
Though the bodies have topical similarities, landing on Vall and returning is significantly more challenging than a landing on the Mün, due to the former's higher gravity, more uneven terrain, and distance from Kerbin.
According to former developer NovaSilisko, Vall was planned to be made more like Eeloo, with cracks in the ice and a more chaotic surface than in 0.20.2.[1]
In-game Description
KSP 1:
| “ | Vall was one of the last Moons of Jool to be discovered. Frustrated scientists kept attempting to wipe it off the lenses of their telescopes. Eventually after a rash of returned telescopes, Advanced Optics Co. finally decided to just tell them it was an actual object in the sky. | ” |
KSP 2:
| “ | Vall, "The Frozen Wonderland," is the second moon orbiting Jool. The icy surface covers a liquid water ocean, which occasionally bubbles out of its many cryovolcanoes. Tidally locked to its parent planet, Vall's Jool-facing side is slightly warmed by radiation as it orbits. If you've wondered why some of the ice mountains can skewer your vessels and others seem smoother, now you know! | ” |
Topography
Vall has an icy surface dominated by hilly lowland areas separated by mountain ridges and which ranges in elevation from 0 to 7976 m. There are almost no completely level areas, making it hard to find good landing spots.
Vall has some circular mountain ridges which could be remnants of impact craters, but they are heavily eroded, hinting that Vall has some geological activity, presumably in the form of cryovolcanism.
The surface color ranges between white and light blue. When terrain scatters are activated, large boulders with contrast-rich black and white surface patterns can be found on the surface.
Biomes
Vall has 9 biomes. It has mostly large Lowlands broken up by Midlands and Highlands with some high Mountains in between. There are four distinct Basins and Poles available as well.
Biome list
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Reference Frames
| Time warp | Minimum Altitude |
|---|---|
| 1× | Any |
| 5× | 24,500 m |
| 10× | 24,500 m |
| 50× | 24,500 m |
| 100× | 40,000 m |
| 1,000× | 60,000 m |
| 10,000× | 80,000 m |
| 100,000× | 100,000 m |
KSP2
Surface Research Locations
Surface research locations include:
- Highlands
- Lowlands
- Mountains
- Well
Maps
Biomes

Visual map
Gallery
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A small user-created probe in low orbit around Vall. Jool and Laythe have risen in the background.
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A crew of Kerbonauts enjoying the view over Vall's landscape.
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One of the rocks which can be found on Vall.
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A topographic map of Vall made with the ISA MapSat plugin.
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A bump map in approximate natural colors.
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The surface of Vall with Jool, Laythe and Tylo in the background. Bop is also barely visible on this picture - it is rising on the bottom left corner of the picture.
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A topographic height map of Vall made with the ISA MapSat plugin
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Picture of Vall visible from Laythe
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A small probe in a high orbit over Vall
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A crew of kerbonauts, a lander, and a rover on the surface of Vall.
Trivia
- According to the Tracking Station information on Vall, it was one of the last moons of Jool to be discovered. This was because the Kerbal astronomers mistook the icy moon for a smudge. After multiple failed attempts to get rid of the "smudge", they figured out it was, in fact, a moon.
- If N-body simulation were used in the game, Vall would be slingshotted out of the Joolian system within a few days, due to the gravitational influences of nearby Laythe and Tylo, this implies that the spheres of influence are actual laws of physics in the KSP universe, not just for ease of processing.
- One of the game loading screen phrases says "Sending Val to Vall" which refers to Valentina Kerman as Val.
- Vall was possibly named after Vaal, a self aware computer from Star Trek.
- The "Advanced Optics Co." Does not actually exist as a manufacturer in-game.
Changes
- Texture revamp
- Added biomes
- Added biomes
- Initial Release
Notes
- ↑ Post in the forum by NovaSilisko

