VaporTrail

Only problems I've had with off-center control modules has been docking... and forgetting to set the docking port as the control point. Mechjeb occasionally sets the mechjeb module as the control point on launch deployment without being obvious. and on a large diameter rocket the offset from the docking port is enough to completely ruin even an automatic docking, much less a manual one.

Is there any way to set the Sun as a target? Reason: I'm building a massive solar collector set for a microwave power station (Mechjeb, Remotetech, Interstellar) and I want an easy way to keep the attitude of the station oriented radial to the sun, regardless off it's orbit. So, is there a way?

I use a set of six microsats as my first low orbit network, and a set of three keosync dished sats as my high orbit network for the Kerbin planetary system. Note, I use MechJeb, but it is possible to set up these orbits without using the autopilot options, it just takes more manual control. My Microsat mission design: (this has changed since then... but premise is still valid). Modified Microsat: It uses the cubic octagonal truss to connect the microsat to the docking ports, and the Mechjeb unit is placed so it goes along for the ride, so I've got all the MechJeb data for an accurate final orbit, and the autopilot if I want. Since the mass of the MechJeb unit is so small, and the truss is physics-less, the design works without flipping out (literally). You've just got to be sure to decouple from the docking port, rather than the sat. Basically you get your insertion package into your final desired orbit. (Technically not necessary, more on that later). - I usually use a 202.5km x 202.5km, 0deg inclination orbit as my basis, or as close as I can get. This is a 40min (2,400sec) orbit of Kerbin. This ensures contact with the 800km (not the listed 8,000 km) antenna capability of the Microsat. ((Radius of Kerbin + ASL) * 3.14159 <= 800km) - Then I lower my periapsis until my orbital period is 33 m 20s. (2,400 sec - (2,400 sec/6) = 2,000 sec = 33m 20s) You could do the same by raising your apoapsis by the same amount, but since you're returning the Kerbal to Kerbin doing so just wastes fuel. -Then I warp through orbits (checking at 120 seconds before apoapsis) until: -- Commlink with KSC is established. -- KSC is ahead of me in my orbit. -Then I begin deployment of the sats. Checklist: -- Deployment package attitude to prograde and stable. -- Deployed sat antenna. -- Activated sat engine. -- Barbecue Deployment package (slow rotation about longitudinal axis). -- Manually decouple (docking port) activated sat. (Wait till the right time, you want the vector imparted by the spin to be in the same orbital plane as the delivery package). -- Switch to sat -- Deploy Panels -- Circularize orbit (@ apoapsis), making sure orbital period finishes at 40m 0s, and inclination is 0 degrees. -- Switch back to delivery package and prepare next sat. -- Warp through an orbit and restart checklist. After all sats are deployed, return deployment package to Kerbin and prepare to send High orbit Sats. The high orbit sats need at least one dish on the delivery package, and dipole antennae on both the sats and the delivery package. The folding dish (the only one I've felt the need to use, so far) should have enough range to pick up the low orbit sats from keo-sync, and the dipoles prevent annoying loss of contact during deployment. Deployment of the geosync sats is pretty much the same, except the phasing number (6 in the case of the low orbit sats) is 3. Formula: Desired orbital period +/- (desired orbital period / phasing number) = insertion orbital period. Now about that bit about not needing to get into your final orbit. If you know your insertion orbit, you can set that orbit up direct from launch, and save a decent amount of deltaV from not having to circularize after launch. Most of the time though, it's not mission crippling if you circularize first. My current network (and plans for the rest of the Kerbin, Mun, Minmus system) involve a total of six microsat relays and three geosync relays in kerbin orbit, and six microsat relays each in Munar and Minmal high polar orbit. That's total Kerbin planetary system link, space and surface to surface, in twenty-one sats and approx 4 launches. Kerbin Low orbit through microsat relays out to about 1000 km. High orbit through Geosync sats (1000 km to interplanetary) with specific dish assignment for missions not going to Mun or Minmus. Munar orbit/surface Through Geosync sats -> Munar Polar relays. Minmal orbit/surface Through Geosync sats -> Minmal Polar relays. Interplanetary is going to be interesting. Thinking about putting two comms stations in high Kerbin Polar orbit. Use the really big fixed dishes on stuff really far away, and the big auto-track dishes for anything they can reach... but that's for later.

Well... now I've got to rebuild my sat network... maybe. Built my major comsats with radial ports so I could refuel and de-orbit them if I ever felt the need. Well, the boosters I was using needed a rework anyway, wasting way too much fuel hauling too much stuff up and a new KAS is as good as an excuse as you can get. Every time I'm about to try to build a moon base, something gets updated, or I find another Plugin I like.

Here's a thought toward making procedurally generated systems: Make the procedure mimic current theories of system formation... Start with semirandom system mass... (this is going to be an absolutely huge number in terms of tons, but small when rendered in solar masses). Put some variable amount in the system primary (upwards of 99%, depending on spectral class of the system in question). The primary's mass will dictate the Primary SOI. The leftover mass is what is available for planet formation. Generate the ecliptic. Basically take a radial from the primary's Roche limit, to the edge of it's SoI. Rings that would form Roche tidal breakup about a star actually get blown outward into the system. Generate a semi-random number (bounded high/low) of semi-random points on that radius and call them planetary orbits. Plot a weighted bell curve over the radius, and assign planetary masses based on where the planetary orbits are positioned relative to the bell curve. Calculate the SoI's of the planets based on the mass assignments. If two SoI's overlap, then either the two affected bodies become one (high probability) one gets gravity assisted into a high inclination orbit (moderate probability and requires a recheck of SoI overlaps...) or become a dual planet system orbiting a common center of mass (low probability). There exists the possibility for asteroid belt formation here, but that's gonna get complicated in a hurry. Now you've got the mass for each planetary system (Kerbin, Mun, and Minmus would be an example of a planetary system) and their orbital radii. You do a similar operation to the primary system generation, but on the planetary scale for each planetary system... SoI's of moons overlapping result in single moons, or paired moons orbiting about a common center of mass, or possibly even having a moon ejected from the planetary system to become a rogue moonlet. Dual planet systems are unlikely to have moons. Won't say it's impossible... but I'd like to see the orbits on that. Once you've got the orbits for each body in a planetary system set, and the orbits for the planetary systems themselves set, then you just have to generate the eccentricity of the orbits. The amount of play between SoI's are your limits for eccentricity and elliptical orbits. As long as the SoI's don't get too close, the eccentricity will be fine. Now, inclinations... are any of the moons, planetary systems, etc highly inclined? Semi-random assignment with a heavily weighted probability toward non-inclined orbits would work here. Now just some random starting points along the orbits (random number between 0.00 and 359.99) and the system is set at Y0 D0 H0 M0 S0. From there determining atmosphere, surfacing and texturing the objects is pretty much all that's left... and part of that is determining the liquid H20 zone of the system primary.

The thing about Stretchy Tanks is that they're expensive compared to the regular tanks. A single Stretchy Tank (KI-1000) is 2.5 times the cost of a regular TL800. Until you're using 2.5x the fuel capacity of a TL800, the KI1000 costs quite a bit more. The end-all option, the KI-9000, which can be stretched in both radial and length dimensions, has a cost of 10,000. But, we don't pay attention to this because we have absolutely no limits on part availability or budget constraints. The entire Kerbal race exists to service the space program, and the entire net global product of Kerbin is dedicated to it. Budget tracking and limited part availability is what would make procedural tanks work with the standard mass produced parts. My personal thought on the Stretchy Tanks is they should cost even more than they do now (even though it's not doing anything). A TL-800 holds 800 units of propellant and costs 1600 Kr. (Kredits? ) An "un-stretched" KI-1000 holds 300 and costs 4000. That gives us a cost to propellant ratio of 1:2 for the TL-800, and 1:13.333 for the basic KI-1000. I want the cost of a Stretchy tank to reflect exactly how big I made it... For example, if I expanded the KI-1000 to 800 units (which would put it at a 1:5 propellant to Kr. ratio currently, two and a half times that of the TL-800) I think it should cost about 10,667Kr (the same 1:~13.333, units:Kr.). An economy system would make you choose what you built with a lot more carefully.

Warriorbulb: Something like this as a concept? Stars are a bit faint, but they're there... Much bigger and they'll be "too" big IMO. Just trying to help out a bit with the low hanging fruit.

Is it possible this is the problem? As far as I know, the docking ports don't magnetize until you turn docking mode on... or is that a mistake on my part?

I did something very similar. Basically instead of putting another adapter below the nukes, I simply strapped a LV45 to a decoupler and put them directly below the nuke. I just jettison the LV45s just before I finalize my circularization for low orbit, letting them reenter, and finish orbital insertion on the nukes.