[Idea] Space elevators (HEAR ME OUT ON THIS)

[mivanit]

Yes, I know space elevators are not possible within the realm of game physics, but that doesn't mean we can't have something that acts like a space elevator.

At the very least, it would be possible to have a station with infinite "Rocketparts" (see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59545-1-0-4-Extraplanetary-Launchpads-v5-2-90-exp-beware-of-dragons) resource. To expand upon this idea, it would be comparatively simple to rig up a small mod that adds a "carbon nanotubing" or "cable" resource that is expensive and requires some absolutely ridiculous amount of science to unlock in the first place, and then to get unlimited rocketparts you would put up a station in the correct orbit, possibly requiring a captured asteroid as a counterweight, upon which you could refill your rocketparts and build/launch whatever ship you please. Although I'm not quite sure how to script this as I've never made a serious plugin for KSP, I'm certain I could do everything except the final piece of scripting for bringing rocketparts into orbit through your "elevator." Although I'm currently rather busy with college applications, I will definitely start work on this after my apps are due (Nov 1st) if there is any interest in this sort of mod at all.

[TheAnswerIsIsaacNewton]

I think the easiest way to implement this would be make the part (probably three actually, small/med/large) simply generate the resource over time, at no cost (or maybe ElectricCharge based on size).

The part would require the following conditions to activate:

1. Attached to space station with mass of X (varies depending on size of part...large might require a small asteroid to make up sufficient mass)
   
2. Keostationary orbit over KSC (check for planet/altitude/lat/long).
   
   1. 
      
   2. Possibly some sort of unsafe/risky/safe display depending on how close to requirements
      
      
   3. Part takes X days to become fully active once activated
      
      
      Once fully active, part constantly generates whatever resources at rate dependent on size.
      When vessel is selected and/or physics is activated, part will check for activation conditions...if part is active and conditions are not met (station has been moved, etc), part explodes.
      Would be nice to have some way to access Astronaut Complex for med/large version, and simple transfer of Kerbals form ground to station.

[sashan]

I guess it won't be very difficult to procedurally spawn a few kilometers of elevator in a needed place when the vessel is close to it. As the vessel moves just despawn the ones that are far away and spawn new ones. For beginning, simply make them indestructible. As for end piece and such - use special parts that are fixed in relation to physicless elevator, like stock launch clamps.

[Tex_NL]

As unrealistic as a space elevator is both in game as in real life you might actually be able to do it. And perhaps it's easier than you might think: Kerbin-Side.

Kerbin-Side can add additional launch facilities. Not sure if it's actually possible but what if you place a new 'launch facility' 2868.74 km above the equator? Add a time delay between clicking launch from the VAB/SPH and actually spawning the new craft on the 'launchpad' to simulate the climb and you're pretty much finished.

[davidy12]

Yeah... This is never going to work.

[Thahat]

As unrealistic as a space elevator is both in game as in real life you might actually be able to do it. And perhaps it's easier than you might think: Kerbin-Side.

Kerbin-Side can add additional launch facilities. Not sure if it's actually possible but what if you place a new 'launch facility' 2868.74 km above the equator? Add a time delay between clicking launch from the VAB/SPH and actually spawning the new craft on the 'launchpad' to simulate the climb and you're pretty much finished.

this, also im guessin someone could write a plugin that could render a sort of cable (thats not actually there) (kinda like the shooting mods)

would get around the entire physics limit problem.

[FungusForge]

The ESLD Jump beacons require a certain amount of EC to start up, and when they start up they consume it instantly. I could very well see something similar being possible with a "CarbonNano-Tube" resource (clearly stored in big drums for simplicity). Adding another resource stored in the same big drums for simplicity's sake called "GroundPower" for running things like Freight Elevators for receiving and selling resources, and Personnel Elevators for summoning kerbals from the Astronaut Complex. Having an Elevator Control Center could function for both "launching" the cable, as well as locking the station in perfect k-stat if its within acceptable parameters (similar parameters to what would be acceptable for a contract). This way part-wise the mod would be lightweight, only needing 7 parts (Elevator Control Center, Freight and Personnel Elevator Docks, 2 2.5m CarbonNano-Tube drums, and 2 3.75m CarbonNano-tube drums).

[Gaalidas]

I always figured with a combination of KerbinSide, some custom coding, and the merger of an autopilot and a physics-less craft-mover, one could definitely make something like this possible. One wouldn't necessarily have to put the launchpad at the end of the elevator, however. The launchpad would actually be on the planet surface at the bottom of the elevator. Upon launching to that pad, however, you would not get the normal initialization into physics because, and this is where the plugin would have to come in, the craft would be "attached" to the elevator and then, using a slow acceleration/deceleration method, be "moved" outside of the normal physics system (aka, in a similar manner as BahamutoD has done in his vessel mover mod) vertically along the path of the cable, which itself can be made up of a series of cable sections placed separately using Kerbal Konstructs so that visibility range can be maintained (assuming that range is based on 3D proximity, and not a 2D horizontal proximity in relation to the planetary surface, which I'm unsure of at this moment). Upon reaching the end of the cable, and thus the station at the end, a space for the craft to settle into would need to be available, upon which the craft would sit, in a similar way as EPL vessels are attached when they are finished being built, awaiting launch. The vessel would then be brought into the physics simulation.

This would allow for the elevator to have a cable, of a sort, which could be collided with (a real danger in space elevators) and the craft would have to move, in real time, up the cable. No messing around with instantly moving the entire craft to the launch transform of the pad at such a great height, and no need to mess around with procedural generation of cable lengths that follow the vessel or anything like that.

An alternative idea to the launch-to-elevator would be for there to be a dedicated craft with a large docking port/grabber, or perhaps an animated static structure with movable colliders, that a craft could be "attached" to which would then "tow" the craft up to the top. This would also make it easy to create a return-trip from the top of the elevator to the surface, and make it more visually appealing considering you could make the elevator actually look like it's attached to the cable in some fashion.

Either way, this would take some time, and a fair bit of coding and combining code snippets from multiple separate mods, to get to the point where a proof of concept could be generated. I don't see this as impossible though.

I would love to see the look on someone's face after launching their rocket in the standard way, only to miscalculate the position of the cable and slice their shiny new rocket in half.