Somtaaw

Thanks for the advice. I just directly copied as much of the linked space station as I could, so I'll drop the double adaptor. Thought it was funky, but figured better to do the direct clone, maybe there was a reason. Likewise I cloned as much of somebody's Spider-class tug (angled nukes, lander body, etc). I did test the docking ring lighting, thats when I upped it from 2 to 4 lights (didn't seem like it was enough, but maybe thats cause I was looking west towards KSC and seeing all of its lights and trying to equal it. I figured the fuel hub docking rings (since they were tiny clamps) was ok. Most probes are pretty small, and it makes sense. Total docking capability is 2 large, 8 medium, and 16 tiny. Could I ask what your tug looks like, image(s) by preference; if I like it I'll clone it via image replication, over the direct .craft file. I have the drop tanks self-pilotable, so if a tug needs fuels I'd swap them out. Later I'll go and design a fuel barge, which is just going to be a tug built purely around fuel transport. And I'm not sure I'd need to double stack my tug drop tanks, when I already have the space for upto 4. In any case, I'm going to switch this thread to answered, although we can continue discussions.

Lots of advice rolling in, appreciate it. I went and "rerolled" my career, and with lessons learned on the first one, including pre-built rocket packs, the fine mechanics of orbiting, and running multiple ships on a trip instead of being a 3 year old space program without Mainsails, I now have a 20 day old with mainsails and station capability. And starting to prepare for my station again (this time with the ability to actually lift it) Went poking around at other people's stations, and instead of cluttering up forums with another "hey how does my X look" I'll just drop them in here since it's still related to my OP (I'm just not lifting that station hub anymore). Using this guy's station concept, I took it and ran with the idea. New Station base. 24 parts & 9t in total. Cupola, Science Lab, and the multi port docking clamps. 13 parts is the temporary power source and unmanned control capsule (to deorbit the temp power) http://i.imgur.com/JK4Zqej.png Power Hub: 20 parts (+2 for the probe core+seperator to fly the rocket upto the station) 3 XL solar sails, 2 Z-4k batteries, and a few RCS to help give the station basic attitude adjustment. http://i.imgur.com/qQDxTYQ.png Fuel Hub: 34 parts (+2 for above) 2 X200-32's, with a whole lotta RCS bunkerage. 16 Junior docking ports to dock probes waiting on motherships, and my tugboat drop tanks (mentioned later) http://i.imgur.com/c8iECUh.png Docking Ring: 41 parts (+2). 1 Large docking ring, and 4 normal clamps. 4 Lights are aimed at each normal clamp, 1 from each cardinal point (top/bottom, left/right). http://i.imgur.com/2kWpyb8.png Tug - 34 parts, and only 32t. Definitely thinking I would like some advice here, I'm not a big fan of just going and taking someone else's work directly (just using their .craft file anyways), but if I can look at the image and build it myself, I'll use it because at least I understand the mechanics. 4 Nuke engines, and 4 small docking clamps for the drop tanks to increase fuel bunkerage. Also heavily loaded with RCS, since it's a tug.... it should be doing a lot of maneuvering, thus the station is well equipped to handle her fueling needs. http://i.imgur.com/jre4VIe.png Drop Tank - 20 parts, boils down to being 2 FL-T200s, a medium rcs fuel tank (I did say my tug is planned to use lots of rcs), 8 rcs thrusters, and an RC-001S self-guidance (figured it was better to have each drop tank move from the fuel hub to each tug on its on, instead of trying to maneuver the tug to the tank) 4 OX-4L 1x6 solar panels and a Z-1k power these self-moving fuel tanks. Considering throwing a medium dock clamp behind the SGU so they can dock with small or medium clamps, but I'm still undecided at this time. http://imgur.com/oNPBmA3

Oh ok thanks, I looked hard at the KAC, and couldn't figure out how to get it to let me know how long I'd be sitting in orbit. I'll have to go back to poking around. Can the KAC also be set to go off when planets enter certain formations, or is strictly for Kerbal/drone operated craft? So far on my extra-Kerbin missions, as long as I'm patient enough, I can usually go direct from Kerbin 100km parking orbit to within <2mil km off target. I do that entirely off burns within Kerbin SOI, but I dont think it's entirely optimal to do such, but I've only owned the game for about a week now. That's the big thing I really need, is when I had an unmanned probe orbitting Kerbin for 90 days (90km parking orbit), until Kerbin and Eve were lined up almost perfectly. Even at 1000x timewarp, 90 days is a helluva long time, and there's zero chance at an SOI change. What I really like to do is throw lots of probes into parking orbits, and then go to map view, accelerate time and wait until planets enter alignments I want. Since I'm doing this in a few different career modes, I don't always have access to forgiving technology. So I'm throwing probes around using LV-909's or Poodle's, rather than using ion or nuke. Because those drives aren't as forgiving, I like to think it's forcing me to learn at an accelerated rate. But I also don't want to feel like I need to keep a protractor next to my monitor to hold up now and then and check planet angles, and trying to offset my maneuver node.

When I first started about a week ago, I was playing, and while following some Mission Report breakdowns and following along to really get the game, I threw an unmanned probe pack into Kerbin orbit. It was intended to travel to Eve..... and it proceed to orbit Kerbin for the next 100d before it even started to burn out of Kerbin's SOI. I spent quite a while sitting on 1000x timewarp waiting for an optimal burn window. Then during a hickup, I actually forgot to deploy my solar panels and left SAS turned on. So my probe actually entered Eve orbit while totally unpowered (facing away from the sun, so my always-on panels had 0 angle for even slight power), so I then spent another 950 days on 1000x time warp to circle the Sun (and this time deploying my panels as soon as I powered back up) waiting to re-enter Eve orbit and burn retro to exit Solar orbit and into stable Eve orbit. So what I'm looking for is just a tiny thing that examines your current orbit, and tells you how long until something happens, (ie crossing planetary body SOI). Possibly also have it setup so you can set a target, and you can see how many orbits/days it'll take before you reach closest approach (like when I went from a 300d trip to finish a one-way probe of Eve to 1100 day trip, due to probe running out of battery life) This could then be entered into the Kerbal Alarm Clock, so if one were so inclined, you could setup multiple interplanetary expeditions all at once. Missed your flyby, but still have a good orbit that eventuallyâ„¢ will give you a second chance, now you'll know how long before it happens. If I were to ask for anything else, it might be to associate the set-target feature, and get a rough icon on the map of "place maneuver node here". Again, referencing my Eve trip, I spent 90 game days with a probe just chilling on 1000x time warp, waiting to drop my maneuver node, and when Eve finally approached a rough optimal approach location, I dropped to 1x time, and then spent 30 RL minutes tweaking my maneuver node to give me as close to a perfect flyby of Eve as I could get. I'm sure this is partly available through MechJeb/Protractor, but neither gives an icon or anything. So, all things considering, being told you need a phase angle X, your node will be on prograde Y, blah blah blah, you still need to hold an actual protractor upto your screen to optimize burns. However you do have to be on the final orbit, whereas what I'm requesting will try to be pointing out "In X days node here" with a spot. After that, it's still player action to put the node there, and then start tweaking. It would better simulate how any space agency would work, where if you launch with a goal in mind (like entering orbit around say Mars), everything would be pre-calculated. So if you get to the launchpad, before launching you enter map and click target Eve. Burn into stable parking orbit, then you'll have your notification of say, "Orbit 6 days, then begin burn" Length of burn, and exact direction wouldn't be listed because that's unnecessary information, and every general burn is going to have different intentions. Flyby, versus entering orbit, versus aerobrake+land, versus slingshot. Doable? Yay or Nay? Or is there a mod that already does this, without just listing numbers?

Thanks for all the tips. I didn't even know I could send up empty, or partly empty fuel tanks to begin with. That'll save a lot of immediate weight I've always been building vaguely similar to American Shuttle launch, liquid engine base, SRB's radial mounted. It served me well launching over my career, until I started trying to launch with Rockomax components, without having access to mainsails. Might start a whole new career just to take what I've learned and not be at year 4, and only having visited Mun, Minmus, and eve. Danke,

Love this beast, a friend and I were discussing the usage of KEW's and such if KSP ever went multiplayer. He's been building almost nothing but cruise missile style, and I mentioned I'd rather have KEW's. I'm linking this to him now. The only thing I have against it, from what I've read, you've only got a few shots and then you'd have to launch a whole new satellite to re-arm. Now I'm no expert, I only just started playing KSP about 10 days ago, and still have trouble leaving Kerbin SOI to land on Mun/Minmus. But, assuming you keep the majority of the satellite, would a docking port in your firing port/muzzle work as a manner to reload? Idea would be to setup a tug, or other such craft that could rendezvous with the ODIN, precisely track around, and carefully nudge your new "clip" into the satellite mounted docking port. After that, your decouplers and thrusters would still fire properly. If setup correctly, and an appropiate tug (which could be left hanging around on the satellite's service docking port), could carry extra reloads so you can fire off your satellite's local load, and you have the reloads already there instead of waiting to orbit up another clip. Ideally you'd include the clip(s) as sub assemblies, and possibly a super tug that's designed specifically for loading said clips.

Saw title, and as a World of Tank German tank lover, appreciation, and fanboy had to come in, bump I must have one of these tanks immediately.

Been poking around, lurking the forums for the past 2 weeks after picking up KSP. Learning, watching youtube videos and reading the tutorials. Been playing through career from day one, for the added "fun" of learning while doing. My logic was by learning to do it with small modules, I'd have the basis for larger... boy was I ever wrong! When it comes to particularly small packages, I have no issues lofting. Small landers, command capsules w/ a full science suite, small- & mid-sized probes also with full suites. But when I start trying to loft anything larger, or something designed to go outside Kerbin's SOI; I start having immense problems with handling my TWR, or even just having enough fuel after hitting orbit to do anything meaningful. This is a sample of my general rocket-ships. The design changes very little if I'm using non-Rockomax components. In this particular image, I'm running: Sputnik probe core + Communotron 88-88 2x Z-1k batteries PPD-12 Station Cupola 4x Gigantor XL solar arrays FL-R1 RCS Fuel tank + 4 RCS thrusters arrayed symmetrical 2x X200-32 Fuel tanks, with 4 Docking Ports arrayed around FL-R1 RCS Fuel tank + 4 RCS thrusters arrayed symmetrical That's the core of a space station I'm planning to build. I'm doing career, so I don't have access to some of the parts I'd like to install, so this is merely a temporary station, serving as a HKO refuelling station. Planning to put this sucker up at 200-250km range. Total mass of this preliminary station is just south of 50t, and I plan on all future components to weigh in at approximately the same weight. Now for the loft package, which is where I particularly need the help. Decoupler (Temporary station, and I dont have the Rockomax docking port yet, to start a modular, upgradable station at this time) Skipper Engine Decoupler X200-32 Fuel Tanks Skipper Engine Radially mounted around the X200-32 are four (4) Rockomax X200-16's, also mounting Skipper's. Radially mounted around each X200-16, is 3 BACC SRBs. All radially mounted detachables are mounted on Hydraulic detachment manifolds. The TT-70 mounts everything too far out, and I actually never did unlock the TT-38 (and I ran out of easily obtained research). Total mass of just the lofting platform is just about bang on 175t. My RCS build aid claims that I'm pushing about 1.73 TWR with the SRBs, and 2.63 TWR after I drop the SRB's. But the ship just falls to loft higher than ~15-20km. Now one thing that may be hurting me, I don't light my liquid fuelled engines until after I disconnect the SRB's, mostly in an effort to try and be fuel economic. The SRB's usually have no issues lofting my platforms to 10-15km range, where I detach, light my liquid fuelled engine and burn to orbit.