Saberus

I was waiting on a reply from Brody, but it seems he's gone missing. Capt. Sierra, if you are ready, you are go for the docking arms.

The port issue was corrected. Capt. Sierra, I can check with Brody and The Error if they'll let you hop in ahead of them for docking arms. If not, and the structure lags too much, I will step in with a set of docking arms with port conversion robots.

Impressive work, Captain Sierra and SkyRender! chrischambers is up next!

A proper cycler isn't exactly possible in KSP as far as I know, but the final station will give 2-3 more launch windows that can be shot for maybe. It would also be a place to allow refueling, rest for the crew, and a chance to upload data come the new update.

Very nice piece of work, JUDUFU. It's just a touch over the current limit still, but you might have a chance with the Armstrong station Wolfy will be hosting soon. Welcome to the forums, BTW.

Nice work, Wolfy, I'll get the seismometers warmed up so we can get some data about Minmus' core. And yes, there will be a second station, and some persistence file shenanigans to put them both in the same universe! Next up is Capt. Sierra!

Yeah, go ahead and do that. Do what you will with them.

Nice design! 9 parts over is fine.

Done. Stay tuned.

We've got a few tugs on the list already, but I can add you to the list if you like. All the starting ports are Sr., but the fuel depot added some standard CoT ports, and other modules have yet to go on that might add more standard and possible Jr. ports.

Brody never responded, so I'm moving on. M. Wolfy, your turn, I am curious to see what the AMMES will look like!

Thanks! Just checking.

Good to see you again! The 72 hours was so that folks with weaker PCs had time to complete, but I forgot to account for pilot patience. I'll drop the part limit to 50 to help you all out. Octagon, the custom fairings are nice, but just confirming the final product is stock? Next on the list is Brody, I'll send a PM.

You added four new ports, and demand is higher than I originally expected. So I made room for overflow, based on the new ports you added to the structure.

I'll add you to the list

comms is not needed unless this station will have a .22 science module, and the AMMES will have a communitron, also if you want to build a communication module (which in my opinion is no use having a entire module dedicated to communication) then you'll have to wait until the guy doing the power array is finished, which is after sierra, which is after me, which is after octagon guy... If SkyRender can add a comms array I'm all for it. It may only be aesthetic now, but we may need some high gain antennae in the future, and given the final orbit, it won't hurt if someone wants to design a small, self sufficient comms relay so that the station can maintain line of sight for when it ends up on the other side of Kerbol from either Eve or Kerbin.

Anyone want to step in with docking arms? If there are no takers I have some designs in my head for some probe/RCS controlled adapters that can shuffle around. If necessary I'll take a turn before you to put a few of them up.

You're on the list!

You can use your system, the modularity is always handy for a fuel depot. You can start now, too! use the link in M. Wolfy's success post: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=82262106228371219220 I'll add you to the list, after Octagon. You're up after Brody, then!

Awesome, want to join the list?

Sure thing, just post again when you're ready to take a turn! I look forward to seeing what you can come up with. Just reply when you're ready to start.

Phenomenal work, M.Wolfy! And fast! If you want to take another spot later, please let me know!

Welcome aboard! You have first go, M.Wolfy. Your 72 hours begins now, good luck! The ports you provide for future expansion can be of any size.

Note: Mods, if this isn't the right place for this, by all means give it a kick to the appropriate board. Greetings, fellow builders. I wish to propose a collaborative challenge turn-based project to build out a waystation for use in future challenges. (If completed) I'd like for you to meet Aldrin, the core of this future waystation: http://imgur.com/a/XHGhj You can view all images at full size here. I'm using slightly smaller ones here, for the sake of our low-bandwidth friends. "Hello, I am the Alpha Link Director of the Regional Interplanetary Node, or ALDRIN. I will be the main computer system controlling the future interplanetary colony. It is a pleasure to meet you." Thank you, Aldrin. Please, tell the audience a bit about yourself. "Here are the vital statistics of my construction, to better assist you in designing nodes to dock with me:" Power generation and storage: 8 x Gigantor XL solar panels as a primary power source 8 x PB-NUK RTG units as a secondary power source 2 x Z-4K battery units "With these systems, I can produce enough power for several nodes, and still have enough for myself." Guidance and control: 8 x P-A 7 linear RCS ports 4 x RV-105 4-way RCS ports 16 x Inline reaction wheels 1500L total capacity RCS fuel "I may be big, but I am nimble." Docking: 10 x Clamp-o-tron Sr ports 8 x round spot lights. "All docks are easily accessed with standard 2.5m docking collars, or via adapters." Total mass: 23.32T 85 parts. Yes, Aldrin is a big boy, but he's relatively light on parts, so he shouldn't create too much lag. Now, you seem pretty out there, Aldrin. Wouldn't it have been easier to be a bit closer to Kerbin? "The engineers saw fit to place me in a near kerbostationary orbit. I do not understand this logic, as an orbital distance of 300 km would have been more ideal, and less taxing on designing lifters for new nodes. I have mentioned this, but the lead engineer rebutted with a mumbled reply regarding reduced delta-vee and stress to get to the final destination. Perhaps he did not like the flaw in his logic being pointed out in front of the team." Ah, yes, bruised ego... it happens. So, once we get everything designed, flown up to you, and connected, what's next? "Once the required and supplementary nodes are docked fully, I will be deployed into Solar orbit between Eve and Kerbin as a waypoint for future missions to the inner solar system." Alright! Ladies and gents, Aldrin needs your help to get ready for his permanent mission. We're going to need the following additional nodes: Habitation nodes - Ideally there should be space for ten permanent scientist-kerbonauts, and enough room for visiting kerbonauts to have a place to stretch their legs when they visit. Power nodes - Aldrin has plenty of power to start, but ultimately there will be a need for at least one auxillary solar farm and power storage. Fuel pods - Flights to and from the inner solar system would benefit greatly from having a chance to top-off before progressing, so having 5 near-full Jumbo 64 tanks would be nice, and more would be better. And don't forget the RCS and Xenon! Docking arms - Some ships just don't have room for the large docking clamps, and some just don't feel safe to pilot too close to the station. Arms with multiple ports are always a good thing. Maneuvering - Aldrin can spin on a dime or become rock solid at the drop of a hat, but once everything is connected, having all the maneuvering power in one spot is going to make the whole station wobble like mad, so we need something to help keep the whole station steady and let us perform simple station keeping. Something else? - maybe you have an idea that's not here? Lab spaces, comms arrays, probes, tugs, and meteoroid defenses have their uses. So, the challenge part of this is getting out to Aldrin, and docking. Some might call it cake, others hopeless. Rules: 1) Each player's contribution needs to be reasonable with parts, so that lag is kept down as much as we can. Try to keep it under 50 parts per node. 2) For each docking port your node uses, provide another docking port, so we don't run out. These can be of any size. 3) A turn is 72 hours. When your turn is up, the save must be zipped and uploaded so the next player can access the current file. 4) If you destroy/damage the station during your turn, you may revert. 5) If you cannot dock your node before your turn is up, you must provide the save from before your attempt. You may request to be moved to the bottom of the list and try again. 6) You may not change Aldrin's orbit. The only exception will be for whoever takes the challenge to move the completed station out to between Kerbin and Eve orbit. As there are ten ports to start, the initial list will be for ten slots. If you wish to participate, post what you intend to design and send up. And of course, pictures! Show off your design in the VAB (or SPH, if that's your bag), and show off the connected part, and anything else you feel like sharing from your attempt! In the interest of fairness, please keep your nodes stock only. Sign-ups: 1) M.Wolfy - Hab modules. Total station part count 127. 2) Octagon - Fuel pods/expandable depot. Total station part count 265. 3) M. Wolfy - AMMES tug/escape pod. Total station part count 365. 4) Captain Sierra - Guppy Orbiter tug/shuttle/escape pod. 5) SkyRender - Comms array 6) chrischambers - xoknight's MMU (Manned maneuvering units) 7) Captain Sierra - Docking arms 8) The Error - Rescue ship 9) Briansun1 - ion fighter/PDV (Proximity Defense Vehicle) 10) Cadenza - Probe bay 11) Brody Peffley - Power Node. The starting save-file is here, complete with the craft file for the core being used. http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=37022382975641382517

The idea all reminds me of when I first learned about Laika, the first dog in space. Even though I learned so long after the fact, her story simply broke my heart. I'd like to think that this game won't go in that direction, the Kerbals lack anything resembling safety compliance, so they likewise might have no issue sending themselves to test these alien conditions...