Kerbal Space Program's first expansion is Making History

A mission editor is coming Kerbal Space Program [official site] as part of a paid expansion pack, developers Squad have announced. 'Making History' is its name, and recreating history is its game. The expansion will come with a set of missions inspired by real-world historical jaunts from the early days of spaceflights, along with tools to create your own missions or download missions other players have made. A little more purpose for the spaceship-building sandbox does sound good.

Squad haven't shown anything of the tools yet but do explain:

"Mission Builder is an exciting new feature that puts the process of creating and editing missions in your hands. We wanted to give you the tools to get the sense of being part of a space program's Mission Design Division by tailoring your own missions and narratives in a friendly and intuitive interface. Once created, you will be able to easily share your missions with the wider community."

Missions will be scored on a number of metrics, so players can compete to be the best spacemen. Squad are packing in missions of their own creation, of course:

"You will have the opportunity to re-live historical missions from humankind's own space history, all with that unique Kerbal Space Program twist! The pack will include a new set of parts and a new astronaut suit for your brave heroes. Imagine walking in the boots of the astronauts who witnessed the majesty of outer space for the first time or landed on other celestial bodies as the first of their kind."

The expansion will also add historical spaceship parts inspired by classic US and Soviet hardware, and a feature that sounds like it probably should be in the base game - personal parachutes for individual spacemen.

No word yet on when the expansion will launch or how much it'll cost. Squad have confirmed that, as promised, this expansion will be free to people who bought KSP by the end of April 2013.