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Ksp real world mission guide!!!!!!!!!!!!


sikatdakota

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Sorry it is so long, but this will help you make real life crafts, credits to the Kerbal Space Program wiki for the information.

KSP Key

Probe Building

Probe or Satellite stage: First you need an unmanned command module right at the top of the rocket. The Stayputnik Mk. 1 looks cool, but you can chose from the range of unmanned command modules. Below the Command Pod, you should add some Rechargeable Battery Banks. I used the Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank due to its high Electricity Composite of 500 E; Use about three of them together for 1500 units of Electricity. Use two OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels on both sides of the Battery Banks, use the symmetry option (the 'x' key) in the VAB and set it to 2.

Now you want to control your probe so add tiny parts for a light weight probe or satellite. Use two Stratus-V Roundified Monopropellant Tanks on opposite sides to the solar panels and four RV-105 RCS Thruster Blocks, two ROUND-8 Toroidal Fuel Tanks and a small Liquid Fuel Engine at the bottom of the probe; use the LV-909 Liquid Fuel Engine.

You can add some Scientific Antennas to transmit scientific data back to Kerbin. Use one Communotron 88-88 right on the top of your Stayputnik Mk.2 and four Communotron 16. Change the Symmetry Mode to 4 and place them just below the Communotron 88-88 half way down the Command Pod.

Lastly, you will need a separator (like the TR-18D Stack Separator) so put one just below your engine.

Satellite and Rocket on Launchpad

Stage One: This stage needs to be as short as possible so it doesn’t wobble about when you launch and needs to be aerodynamic to reduce drag. Attach a Rockomax Brand Adapter below the separator. Use a Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank and an Advanced S.A.S Module, Large between the Fuel tank and the Adapter.

Put a Rockomax Brand Adapter 02 at the bottom and make sure the flat end is pointed up (use W,A,S,D,Q,E to rotate the part). Finally, add a LV-N Atomic Rocket Motor and another separator below.

Stage Two: This stage will be your main launch engine. Add another Rockomax Brand Adapter and attach to it a Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank with one Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine for your centre of thrust.

Add TT-38K Radial Decouplers; eight will do. Use the symmetry mode and set to 8. Attach Rockomax BACC Solid Fuel Boosters to these decouplers. Make sure they are all programmed in the stage bar to the right of the screen when in the VAB.

Another way is to simply add a Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank below the probe/satellite and then a Rockomax "Skipper" Liquid Engine.

Make sure you save! Use a name for an example “Kerbal Orbital Probe Mk1â€Â

Don’t worry if your probe or satellite gets destroyed, damaged, or broken. Just make sure you quick-save your progress with “F5â€Â!

Besides using unmanned Command Pods for probes, you can use them for all sorts of space vessels from unmanned space stations to transporting cargo. At least you’re not killing poor Kerbalnauts when you fail!

Real Life Missions

Sputnik I

Payload stage

1x Stayputnik Mk. 1

1x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

Second stage

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (symmetric radial-mounted)

1x FL-T800 Fuel Tank

1x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

First stage

4x TT-38K Radial Decoupler

4x FL-T400 Fuel Tank

4x Aerodynamic Nose Cone

4x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

We need to add a battery bank to the payload, because the Stayputnik command module requires energy to stay operational. During the ascent the engines will generate energy, but after orbit insertion it will have to work on its own energy reserves. By itself it can store 5 units of energy which keeps it operational for just over 2 minutes. Afterwards it just becomes debris. The Z-500 adds another 500 units of energy which is enough to keep it operational for several orbits. Using the Z-100 battery packs would be more mass-effective, but unfortunately they aren't as elegant to integrate into a rocket design.

When you want your satellite to look more like the real Sputnik, you could also add four radially-mounted Communotron 16 antennas to the round part of the Stayputnik so that they face backwards in a 45° angle. But keep in mind that they don't do anything but making the mission more difficult by adding additional mass and drag to your rocket.

Note that the aerodynamic nose cones are technically just for show, because the current[outdated] version of KSP doesn't model atmospheric drag correctly. Any part you add to your rocket will make the drag worse, there is no way to reduce drag by adding more parts. Feel free to omit them when you don't care about aesthetics.

Vostok I

Payload stage

1x Mk16 Parachute

1x Command Pod Mk1

Third stage

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x FL-T400 Fuel Tank

1x LV-909 Liquid Fuel Engine

Second stage

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

1x FL-T800 Fuel Tank

1x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

First stage

4x TT-38K Radial Decoupler

4x FL-T400 Fuel Tank

4x Aerodynamic Nose Cone

4x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

Note that the monopropellant thrusters and their fuel are still on the second stage. That means they won't be available on the last stage. That's not a problem, though: the capsule itself also has some steering power which is more than enough for control of the light upper stage.

Also note that the upper stage isn't using the LV-T30 engine but the much lighter and energy-efficient LV-909. It won't be used before leaving the atmosphere, and in that phase it's much better to have less powerful but more economical thrust.

Gemini Program

Payload stage

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x S.A.S Module

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (around the top of the capsule)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

2x Mk2-R Radial-Mount Parachute

1x Mk2 Lander-can

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (around the bottom of the capsule)

Second Stage

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

2x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

1x Rockomax "Skipper" Liquid Engine

First Stage

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

3x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

1x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine

You might wonder why we use the X200-32 tanks here instead of the Jumbo-64. One reason is that the Jumbo tanks for some reason cause the rocket to be a lot less stable, so we would needs struts for stabilization. But there is also another strange effect: The Mainsail engine will overheat when running on full thrust and placed below a Jumbo tank, but when below two functionally identical X200-32 tanks it will not. I have no idea what causes this.

Luna IX

Payload stage

1x Probodobodyne QBE

5x OX-STAT Photovoltaic Panels

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

Fourth stage

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x FL-T400 Fuel Tank

1x LV-909 Liquid Fuel Engine

Third stage

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x FL-T800 Fuel Tank

1x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

Second stage

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

1x FL-T800 Fuel Tank

1x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

First stage

4x TT-38K Radial Decoupler

4x FL-T800 Fuel Tank

4x Aerodynamic Nose Cone

4x LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine

Apollo Mun Landers

Command Module

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

1x Mk1-2 Command Pod (primary command pod)

2x Mk2-R Radial-Mount Parachute

Service Module

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

1x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (make sure to place them EXACTLY on the center of mass of the command-and service module without the lander)

1x Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine

Landing Module

1x TR-2C Stack Separator

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

1x Mk2 Lander-can (secondary pod, unmanned at launch)

4x EAS-4 Strut Connector (between lander-can and fuel tank of service module. Be careful not to obstruct the hatch!)

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

1x Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank

1x Telus Mobility Enhancer (place below the mini-ladder below the door)

4x LT-2 Landing Strut

1x LV-909 Liquid Fuel Engine

Stage 3

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

2x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

4x EAS-4 Strut Connector (between upper fuel tank and fuel tank of lander)

1x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine

Stage 2

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

10x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (one stack of two in the center and four stacks of two mounted radially around it)

24x EAS-4 Strut Connector (link each of the outer tank to its two horizontal neighbors and twice to the center tank - see image)

4x Protective Rocket Nose Mk7

4x EAS-4 Strut Connector (link each nose to the lower fuel tank of stage 3)

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (place as low as possible)

5x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine

Stage 1

5x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

15x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (one stack of three in the center and four stacks mounted to the outer stacks of the stage above, not the center stage)

36x EAS-4 Strut Connector (link each of the outer tank to its two horizontal neighbors and twice to the center tank - see image)

8x Standard Canard

5x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine

There will be almost no room left for the last five engines. They will clip through the floor of the VAB. But don't worry, when you put the rocket on the launchpad, they will be above ground.

When you are finished building this, double-check the staging. Make sure the engine of the lander activates AFTER the engine of the service module.

Salyut

This one is 11 pages

Launcher

Proton-8K82K on the launchpad

Any custom-built launcher that can carry a large amount of payload into a low orbit can be used. But I recommend using the Proton-K (the SAS on the first stage is meant to toggle on and off for purposes of correcting spin only; it will cause a dangerous oscillation if SAS is left on) from the ISS tutorial (for payloads of less than 13.02 tonnes) or any of the launchers that could carry a payload of at least more than 14 tonnes. But I have a launcher that could carry a Soyuz of Progress.

R-7 Soyuz Rocket

The R-7 with a soyuz spacecraft prior to launch

The Soyuz (Russian: áþю÷, meaning "union", GRAU index 11A511) was a 1960s Soviet expendable carrier rocket designed by OKB-1 and manufactured by State Aviation Plant No. 1 in Samara, Russia. It was used to launch Soyuz spacecraft as part of the Soyuz programme, initially on unmanned test flights, followed by the first 19 manned launches of the programme.

Front to aft:

7x Cubic Octagonal Strut (stacked on top of each other)

5x Sepratron I (radial mounted on octagonal strut)

3x EAS-4 Strut Connector

1x FL-A10 Adapter

1× Soyuz or Progress spacecraft

1× TR-XL Stack Separator

1× Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

1× Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine

1× TR-XL Stack Separator

3× Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

4× Hydraulic Detachment Manifold (radial mounted on fuel tank)

4× Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (radial mounted on radial decoupler)

4× Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (stacked below the radial fuel tanks)

4× Protective Rocket Nose Mk7 (stacked on top the radial fuel tanks)

4x Delta-Deluxe Winglet(one on each radial mounted fuel tanks)

5× TVR-400L Stack Quad-Adapter (stacked below fuel tanks)

20× LV-T45 Liquid Fuel Engine (four stacked on each quad adapter)

To increase the thrust from 4 MN to 4.24 MN it is possible to replace the engines on the radial adapters with LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engines.

Soyuz personnel transport and Progress unmanned craft

Soyuz is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Space Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet manned lunar programme.

The Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station, it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is launched with the Soyuz rocket. It is currently used to supply the International Space Station, but was originally used to supply Soviet space stations for many years. There are three to four flights of the Progress spacecraft to the ISS per year. Each spacecraft remains docked until shortly before the new one, or a Soyuz (which uses the same docking ports) arrives. Then it is filled with waste, disconnected, deorbited, and destroyed in the atmosphere. Because of the different Progress variants used for ISS, NASA uses its own nomenclature where "ISS 1P" means the first Progress spacecraft to ISS.

Ship Design

Soyuz

A Soyuz capsule around Kerbin

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Mk1-2 Command Pod

1x Communotron 16 (optional and radial mounted on command pod)

1x Mk2-R Radial-Mount Parachute (radial mounted on command pod)

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank

2x OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels (radial mounted on fuel tank - port and starboard)

1x Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine

Progress

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x Communotron 16 (optional and radial mounted on adapter)

1x RC-L01 Remote Guidance Unit

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank

2x OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels (radial mounted on fuel tank - port and starboard)

1x Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine

Launch

Try your best to put it on the same orbit as the orbiting Salyut station. If you have an auto-pilot, use the "Launch to rendezvous" function. If not, try to send it with the station.

Rendezvous and Docking

Check the tutorials on rendezvous and docking if you don't know how to. The goal is to attach the front end of the Soyuz or Progress to the front/aft end of the station. You may need to switch between vessels to put them in the right directions.

First Generation-The first space stations

Salyut 1

Salyut 1 (DOS-1) was the first space station of any kind, launched by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1971. More stations followed in the Salyut programme, and heritage of that space station program is still in use on the ISS.

Ship Design

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Structural Fuselage

1x Communotron 16 (optional and radial mounted on structural fuselage)

2x OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels (radial mounted on structural fuselage - port and starboard)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

2x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

1x RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit

2x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - diagonnally)

2x OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels (radial mounted on RCS tank - port and starboard)

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Almaz

The Almaz program was a highly secretive Soviet military space station program, began in the early 1960s.

Three crewed military reconnaissance stations were launched between 1971 and 1974: Salyut 2, Salyut 3 and Salyut 5. To cover the military nature of the program the three launched Almaz stations were designated as civilian Salyut space stations. Salyut 2 failed shortly after achieving orbit, but Salyut 3 and Salyut 5 both conducted successful manned testing. Following Salyut 5, the Soviet Ministry of Defence judged in 1978 that the time consumed by station maintenance outweighed the benefits relative to automatic reconnaissance satellites.

The space stations cores were known internally as OPS, from "Orbital Piloted Station." As part of the Almaz program several spacecraft for supportive roles were developed: The VA spacecraft, the Functional Cargo Block and the TKS spacecraft, which were to be used in several combinations. The heritage of the Almaz program continues to this day with the ISS module Zarya being one example.

Ship Design

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Sr. Docking Port

2x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

1x Communotron 16 (radial mounted on HSC)

1x Communotron 88-88 (radial mounted on HSC)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit

2x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - diagonnally)

2x OX-4W 2x3 Photovoltaic Panels or Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on RCS tank - port and starboard)

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Salyut 4

Salyut 4 (DOS 4) was a Salyut space station launched on December 26, 1974 into an orbit with an apogee of 355 km, a perigee of 343 km and an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees. It was essentially a copy of the DOS 3, and unlike its ill-fated sibling it was a complete success. Three crews attempted to make stays aboard Salyut 4 (Soyuz 17 and Soyuz 18 docked; Soyuz 18a suffered a launch abort). The second stay was for 63 days duration, and an unmanned Soyuz capsule remained docked to the station for three months, proving the system's long-term durability. Salyut 4 was deorbited February 2, 1977, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on February 3.

Ship Design

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Structural Fuselage

1x Communotron 16 (optional and radial mounted on structural fuselage)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

2x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

3x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on HSC - port, starboard and zenith)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit

2x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Second generation – Long-duration inhabitation of space

In 1977 another marked step forward was made with the second generation of Salyut stations: The aim was to continuously occupy a space station with long-duration expeditions, for the first time in spaceflight.

Although Salyut 6 and Salyut 7 resembled the previous Salyut stations in overall design, several revolutionary changes were made to the stations and program for the aim of continuous occupation: The new stations featured a longer design life and a second docking port at the aft of the stations – crew exchanges and station "hand overs" were now made possible by docking two crewed Soyuz spacecraft at the same time. Furthermore, the uncrewed Progress space station resupply craft was created based on the crewed Soyuz spacecraft, to resupply crew and station with air, air regenerators, water, food, clothing, bedding, mail, propellants, pressurant, and other supplies – while the Progress docked to the station's second docking port, the crew's Soyuz spacecraft could remain docked to the station's first port. The Progress spacecraft can even deliver hardware parts for updating the onboard experiment apparatus and even permitting to perform repairs of the station if needed, furthermore extending the stations life.

The space station program had matured: Flights of both crews and cargo to a space station had become common, and the Salyut stations – first Salyut 6 from 1977 to 1981, and then Salyut 7 from 1982 to 1986 – were crewed continuously for a considerable part of the time.

Salyut 6 and 7

Salyut 6 (DOS-5) was launched on September 29, 1977. Salyut 6 was visited from 1977 until 1981 by 16 manned spacecraft, bringing five long-duration crews ("expeditions") and 11 short-term crews. The very first long-duration crew on Salyut 6 broke a record set on board Skylab, staying 96 days in orbit. The short-term crews included foreign cosmonauts from the Interkosmos programme setting several firsts: the first citizen in space of a nation other than the United States or the Soviet Union, the first black and Hispanic person in space and the first Asian person in space. The longest flight on board Salyut 6 lasted 185 days. The fourth Salyut 6 expedition deployed a 10-meter radio-telescope antenna delivered by an uncrewed cargo spacecraft.

After Salyut 6 manned operations were discontinued in 1981, a heavy unmanned spacecraft called TKS and developed using hardware left from the canceled Almaz program was docked to the station as a hardware test. Some unconfirmed reports say the station was functionally capable of even more missions and years, but combating the ever-increasing mold in living quarters was becoming impossible, and in practice caused the retirement decision. Salyut 6 was deorbited July 29, 1982.

Salyut 7 (DOS-6) was launched on April 19, 1982. DOS-6 was built as the back-up vehicle for Salyut 6 with very similar equipment and capabilities, though several more advanced features were included. The station was aloft for eight years and ten months, during which time it was visited by 10 manned spacecraft bringing six long-duration crews ("expeditions") and 4 short-term crews (including French and Indian cosmonauts in the Interkosmos programme). On 12 February 1985, during an unmanned period, contact with Salyut 7 was lost. The station had became crippled by electrical problems, all systems did shut down and the station began to drift. It was decided to put together a salvage mission, and in June 1985 the Soyuz T-13 mission, in what was in the words of author David S. F. Portree "one of the most impressive feats of in-space repairs in history," managed to bring the station online again. The Soyuz T-15 mission was the last to visit Salyut 7 in 1986, ferrying equipment from Salyut 7 to the new Mir space station; This was so far the only ferry flight between two space stations.

Aside from the many experiments and observations made on Salyut 7, the station also tested the docking and use of large modules with an orbiting space station. These modules, called "Heavy Cosmos modules", helped engineers develop technology necessary to build Mir.

Salyut 7 was finally deorbited on February 7, 1991.

Ship Design

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Structural Fuselage

1x RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit

1x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Communotron 16 (optional and radial mounted on structural fuselage)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

2x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

3x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on HSC - port, starboard and zenith)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

TKS Cosmos Space Module

The TKS spacecraft was a Soviet spacecraft conceived in the late 1960s for resupply flights to the military Almaz space station.

The spacecraft was designed for both crewed or autonomous uncrewed cargo resupply flights, but was never used operationally in its intended role – only four test missions were flown to Salyut space stations during the program. However the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) of the TKS spacecraft would later form the basis of several space station modules, including the Zarya FGB module on the International Space Station.

The TKS spacecraft consisted of two spacecraft mated together, both of which could operate independently: The VA spacecraft (known in the West as the Merkur spacecraft), which would have housed the cosmonauts during launch and reentry of an TKS spacecraft, while traveling to and from an Almaz space station.And the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) which, in order to resupply an Almaz space station, carried docking hardware, tanks and a large pressurized cargo compartment. Furthermore the FGB carried the on-orbit maneuvering engines for the TKS.

While the VA carried the reentry hardware, and only minimal life support and maneuvering systems, the FGB would have been used as the primary orbital maneuvering system and cargo storage for the TKS spacecraft.

The FGB could also be used alone as an unmanned cargo module without an VA spacecraft, which enabled the FGB design to be re-purposed as FGB space station modules later on. The VA spacecraft on the other hand was also intended to be launched as well as "Almaz APOS" mated with an Almaz-OPS space station core, instead of a FGB, as the primary orbital maneuvering system. As of August 2009,Excalibur Almaz planned to use the VA capsule as low-cost cargo return vehicles.

Ship Design

Front to aft:

2x Oscar-B Fuel Tank

1x NCS Adapter

4x Rockomax 24-77 (radial mounted on adapter - port, starboard, zenith and nadir - used for making orbital adjustments)

1x TR-18A Stack Decoupler

1x Mk1-2 Command Pod (used as the VA reentry module)

3x Mk2-R Radial-Mount Parachute (for return to Kerbin)

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (used as fuel tank for rocket engine)

2x Stratus-V Cylindrified Monopropellant Tank (diagonal zenith)

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on fuel tank - port and starboard)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Salyut's heritage – Modular space stations

After the second generation, plans for the next generation of Salyut stations called for the cores DOS-7 and DOS-8 to allow, for the first time in spaceflight, the addition of several modules to a station core and to create a modular space station. For this, the DOS modules were to be equipped with a total of four docking ports: one docking port at the aft of the station as in the second generation Salyuts, and the replacement of the front docking port with a "docking sphere" containing a front, port and starboard docking port.

While the station cores DOS-7 and DOS-8 were built and flown, they never received the Salyut designation; Instead, DOS-7 evolved into the Mir Core Module for the Mir space station that followed the Salyut programme, and DOS-8 was used as the Zvezda Service Module for the International Space Station (ISS) which followed Mir.

And the heritage from the Almaz program is present even today. While in 1976 the last space station from the Almaz programme was flown with Salyut 5, the development of the Almaz TKS spacecraft evolved into the Functional Cargo Block, becoming the first space station modules with the ISS Zarya Functional Cargo Block being in orbit still today.

Mir orbital station

Mir's configuration

DOS-7 continued to be developed during Salyut 7, becoming the Mir Core Module of the Mir space station – the first modular space station, with crewed operations from 1986 to 2000.

The station featured among others upgraded computers and solar arrays and accommodations for two cosmonauts each having their own cabin. A total of six docking ports were available on the Mir Core Module, which were used for space station modules and visiting spacecraft – the docking sphere design had been upgraded from its initial Salyut design to contain the maximum of five docking ports (front, port, starboard, zenith and nadir). And finally, the modules for the Mir space station were derived from the Functional Cargo Block design of the Almaz programme.

The name of the Mir space station – Russian: Ãœøр, literally Peace or World – was to signify the intentions of the Soviet Union to bring peace to the world; It was however during the time of the Mir space station that the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, ending what was began with the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. This dissolution had started with the Soviet "perestroika and glasnost" ("restructuring and openness") reform campaigns by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, had reached an preliminary endpoint with the revolutions of 1989 and the end of the communist Eastern Bloc (Warsaw Pact and the CoMEcon), finally to reach the Soviet Union itself in 1991.

While the Russian Federation became the successor to much of the dissolved Soviet Union and was in a position to continue the Soviet space program with the Russian Federal Space Agency, it faced severe difficulties: imports and exports had steeply declined as the economic exchange with CoMEcon nations had crumbled away, leaving the industry of the former Soviet Union in shambles. Not only did the political change in east-Europe signify an end of contributions to the space program by east-European nations (like from the east-German Carl Zeiss Jena), but parts of the Soviet space industry were located in the newly independent Ukraine, which was similarly cash-strapped as Russia and started to demand hard currency for its contributions.

It was during this time of transition and upheaval that the Shuttle–Mir Program was established between the Russian Federation and the United States in 1993. The former adversaries would now cooperate, with "Phase One" consisting of joint missions and flights of the US Space Shuttle to the Mir space station. It was a partnership with stark contrasts – the Russian needed an inflow of hard currency to keep their space program aloft; In the US it was seen as a chance to learn from the over 20 years of experience of Soviet space station operations, and jumpstart the US space station program.

It was "Phase Two" of this Shuttle-Mir Program that would lead to the International Space Station.

Mir Module Designs

Mir Core Module

The base block for the entire Mir complex, the core module, or DOS-7, provided the main living quarters for resident crews and contained environmental systems, early attitude control systems and the station's main engines. The module was based on hardware developed as part of the Salyut programme, and consisted of a stepped-cylinder main compartment and a spherical 'node' module, which served as an airlock and provided ports to which four of the station's expansion modules were berthed and to which a Soyuz or Progress spacecraft could dock. The module's aft port served as the berthing location for Kvant-1.

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Rockomax HubMax Multi-Point Connector

4x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port (on the multi-point connector)

1x RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

2x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

3x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on HSC - starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS Tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Communotron 16 (radial mounted on RCS tank - diagonally)

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

The Mission

The original launch of the Mir core module was February 20, 1986. It was launched into a Low Earth Orbit, which is 160 to 2000 km. Mir's orbit is 354 km PE x 374 km AP with a 51.6° orbital inclination. So if you want to make it good, launch the core module as usual, with a gravity turn at 10000m or 10 km. Turn towards 38.4 degrees (for the 51.6 inclination). Continue until you reach a 374 km apoapsis, then burn prograde there until you get a 354 periapsis. It is possible to do this with precise flying or an autopilot.

Kvant-1

The first expansion module to be launched, Kvant-1 consisted of two pressurised working compartments and one unpressurised experiment compartment. Scientific equipment included an X-ray telescope, an ultraviolet telescope, a wide-angle camera, high-energy X-ray experiments, an X-ray/gamma ray detector, and the Svetlana electrophoresis unit. The module also carried six gyrodynes for attitude control, in addition to life support systems including an Elektron oxygen generator and a Vozdukh carbon dioxide remover.

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x RC-L01 Remote Guidance Unit

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on RCS tank - zenith and nadir)

1x Communotron 16 (Radial mounted on RCS tank)

1x Advanced S.A.S Module, Large

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

The Mission

Kvant-1 was originally intended to be launched and docked to Salyut 7, but delays forced it to be launched to Mir instead. Kvant-1 did not have any propulsion systems of its own and to reach Mir, Kvant-1 was mated with a Functional Service Module (FSM) – carrying propulsion and electrical systems – to act as a space tug. The FSM was derived from the TKS spacecraft, which would later form the basis for the Functional Cargo Block of the Kvant-2,Kristall, Spektr, and Priroda modules.

First, build the Kvant-1 inside the VAB. Then, build the FSM below Kvant-1. The FSM design is shown below:

Front to aft:

1x Kvant-1

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank (used as fuel tank for rocket engine)

2x Stratus-V Cylindrified Monopropellant Tank (diagonal zenith)

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on fuel tank - port and starboard)

1x Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine

1x Launcher

Kvant-2

The first TKS based module, Kvant-2, was divided into three compartments; an EVA airlock, an instrument/cargo compartment (which could function as a backup airlock), and an instrument/experiment compartment. The module also carried a Soviet version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit for the Orlan space suit, referred to as Ikar, a system for regenerating water from urine, a shower, the Rodnik water storage system and six gyrodynes to augment those already located in Kvant-1. Scientific equipment included a high-resolution camera, spectrometers, X-ray sensors, the Volna 2 fluid flow experiment, and the Inkubator-2 unit, which was used for hatching and raising quail.

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS Tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on HSC - zenith and nadir)

1x Communotron 16 (radial mounted on HSC)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

2x Z-1k Rechargable Battery Bank

1x RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit

1x Aerodynamic Nose Cone

The Kvant-2 is docked starboard of core module.

Kristall

Kristall, the fourth module, consisted of two main sections. The first was largely used for materials processing (via various processing furnaces), astronomical observations, and a biotechnology experiment utilizing the Aniur electrophoresis unit. The second section was a docking compartment which featured two APAS-89 docking ports initially intended for use with the Buran programme and eventually used during the Shuttle-Mir programme. The docking compartment also contained the Priroda 5 camera used for Earth resources experiments. Kristall also carried six gyrodines for attitude control to augment those already on the station, and two collapsible solar arrays.

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Rockomax HubMax Multi-Point Connector

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port (radial mount on multi-point connector - port)

3x M-1x1 Structural Panel (radial mount on multi-point connector - starboard, zenith and nadir)

2x Z-400 Rechargable Battery (radial mount on structural panel - starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Structural Fuselage

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (Radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Kristall is docked nadir of core module.

Spektr

Spektr was the first of the three modules launched during the Shuttle-Mir programme; it served as the living quarters for American astronauts and housed NASA-sponsored experiments. The module was designed for remote observation of Earth's environment and contained atmospheric and surface research equipment. Additionally, it featured four solar arrays which generated approximately half of the station's electrical power. The module also featured a science airlock to expose experiments to the vacuum of space selectively. Spektr was rendered unusable following the collision with Progress M-34 in 1997 which damaged the module, exposing it directly to the vacuum of space.

Front to aft:

1x Protective Rocket Nose Mk7

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on nosecone - port and starboard)

1x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (radial mounted on HSC - port and starboard)

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (Radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Spektr is docked port of core module.

Docking Module

The docking module was designed to help simplify Space Shuttle dockings to Mir. Before the first shuttle docking mission (STS-71), the Kristall module had to be tediously moved to ensure sufficient clearance between Atlantis and Mir's solar arrays. With the addition of the docking module, enough clearance was provided without the need to relocate Kristall. It had two identical APAS-89 docking ports, one attached to the distal port of Kristall with the other available for shuttle docking.

Front to aft:

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x S.A.S Module or Advanced S.A.S Module

1x FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tank

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (Radial mounted on RCS tank - port, starboard, zenith and nadir)

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

The docking module is docked nadir of Kristall. The docking module was launched by the Space Shuttle.

Priroda

The seventh and final Mir module, Priroda's primary purpose was to conduct Earth resource experiments through remote sensing and to develop and verify remote sensing methods. The module's experiments were provided by twelve different nations, and covered microwave, visible, near infrared, and infrared spectral regions using both passive and active sounding methods. The module possessed both pressurised and unpressurised segments, and featured a large, externally mounted synthetic aperture radar dish.

Front to aft:

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

1x Communotron 88-88 (radial mounted on RCS tank - starboard - used as the Travers antenna)

1x Communotron 16

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (radial mounted on RCS tank - mounted diagonally)

1x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Priroda is docked zenith of core module.

ISS Station

Payload

Add whatever you want; the current maximum launched is 13.02 tons (Zarya)

Third Stage

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port OR a decoupler/separator for the payload

1x MechJeb 1m Pod OR any pod you will use

1x Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank

8x Z-400 Rechargable Battery (if you use an unmanned pod)

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

8x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

1x Rockomax "Poodle" Liquid Engine

Second Stage

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

1x Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank

3x Delta-Deluxe Winglet

3x Rockomax Mark 55 Radial Mount Liquid Engine

1x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine

First Stage

1x Rockomax Brand Decoupler

7x Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank (1 in middle + 6 symmetric radial NO DECOUPLERS)

7x Rockomax "Mainsail" Liquid Engine

6x S.A.S Module (only on the exterior 6 tanks)

6x Mk16-XL Parachute

12x AV-R8 Winglet (not in actual rocket but is necessary for stability)

12x EAS-4 Strut Connector (connect to next stage for stability and between the tanks)

STS - Space Shuttle Working on it

This is the American launcher. I'm trying to make a replica that is flyable and dockable. Unfortunately, it used a mechanical arm to dock modules, a thing we don't have.

Zarya - 1A/R

Zarya (Dawn in Russian) or FGB (Functional Cargo Block) was the first module of the ISS. FGB Zarya initially provided flight control as well as electricity and fuel supplies. Now, it is mostly used for storage. It is the connection between the Russian and American side of the station.

Ship Design

Zarya before launch

Statistics

Mass (full) 13.02 t

ÃŽâ€v (vacuum) 1 081 m/s

Front to aft (1st-level bullets indicate the body; 2nd-level indicates radially-mounted parts):

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x Rockomax HubMax Multi-Point Connector

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port (nadir on HubMax)

3x M-1x1 Structural Panel (zenith, port and starboard on HubMax)

2x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (port and starboard on the 1x1 panels)

2x Z-400 Rechargable Battery (zenith on 1x1 panels)

1x MechJeb 1m Pod OR S.A.S Module (if you don't have MechJeb, put a manned pod on the launcher)

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

4x Z-400 Rechargable Battery

4x EAS-4 Strut Connector

1x Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank

2x Gigantor XL Solar Array (port and starboard)

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block (put diagonnaly so it doesn't touch the arrays)

1x Communotron 88-88 (zenith so it doesn't get in the way of docking)

1x Communotron 16 (nadir)

1x FL-R1 RCS Fuel Tank

1x Advanced S.A.S Module, Large

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

2x Rockomax 24-77 (zenith and nadir)

1x S.A.S Module

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter

8x EAS-4 Strut Connector (connect to A.S.A.S.)

4x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

The Mission

The original Zarya launch happened on November 20, 1998. I can't find the original orbital information The module was placed on a Low Earth Orbit, which usually corresponds to 160 to 2000 km. The current ISS orbit is 402 km PE × 424 km AP with a 51.6° orbital inclination. So, if you want to make it good, launch as usual, with a gravity turn starting at 10 km. Turn towards 38.4 degrees (the 51.6 inclination). Continue until you reach 424 km apoapsis, then burn there to get 402 km periapsis. I'll have to test myself if it's possible with the current Proton-K design It is possible to achieve this orbit with precise flying or an autopilot. It leaves 60% of 3rd-stage fuel and a full on-station tank.

When you have the stable orbit, open the solar panels and the antennas. Move the station to orient it the good way (the one radial docking port facing the Earth; the HubMax towards your prograde vector). Transfer any fuel or electricity (if you are in the dark zone) then either undock the third stage or keep it until the Zvezda mission.

There you go, the ISS begins to exist!

Unity - 1A

Unity as seen in VAB

Statistics

Mass (full) 3.79 t

Unity, also known as Node 1, is the first American-only module on the ISS. It is basically a connector between many parts of the station. It was delivered with two PMA (Pressurized Mating Adapters), one that is permanently placed between Zarya and Unity, and the second has moved many times since its installation.

Ship Design

I can't really simulate the PMA's, because they aren't straight but a bit tilted. Here's what I did:

NOTE: : I made a little mistake, because the PMAs are supposed to be moveable. Check lower for info.

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

1x S.A.S Module

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

2x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port for moveable PMAs

1x PPD-10 Hitchhiker Storage Container

8x RV-105 RCS Thruster Block

4x BZ-52 Radial Attachment Point

4x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port (on the BZ-52's;)

2x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port for moveable PMAs

1x Rockomax Brand Adapter 02

1x S.A.S Module

1x Clamp-O-Tron Docking Port

Mission Phases

The original launch happened 2 weeks after deployment of Zarya, on December 4, 1998.

Launch

For my launch, I had to use the Proton-K launcher, because there isn't any solid fuel boosters as powerful as was used by the Space Shuttle. It had two boosters, each at 12.5 MN while the Rockomax booster has only 300 kN (2.4%).

Try your best to put it on the same orbit as Zarya. If you have an auto-pilot, use the "Launch to rendezvous" function. If not, try to send it with Zarya at a 45 degree LPA. Once again, the orbit is 424 km AP × 402 km PE.

Rendez-vous

Check the tutorials on rendezvous and docking if you don't know how to. The goal is to attach one of the PMA ends (front or aft, they're symmetrical) to the Hubmax (front end). You may need to switch between vessels to put them in the right diretions.

They connected!

On the actual mission, there were 3 EVA's to connect cables between the modules, and once to enter the ISS. As of 0.19.1, you can only do that last point. If you brought any Kerbonauts, put them in EVA and let them enter the Hitchhiker. After some time, get them back on what's left of your launcher.

Landing on Kerbin

I didn't use a manned pod, so I just dropped the launcher with as less fuel left as possible. Instead, try to return the Kerbonauts on the last stage of your Unity launcher. You can pump the fuel from the Zarya launcher if it's still docked; you'll also need the aft docking port of Zarya for the next mission.

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This should probably go in Tutorials, but I like it.

Hah, I was going to say the same thing. And maybe add some pictures of the assembled craft? You could probably also specify stock (at least I think it was all stock).

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