Adding things to orbiting/landed ships

[funkcanna]

Hi, so I went to minmus but ran out of electricity (didn't install solar panels - oops). The mainsail engine seemed to restore my electricity in flight but I couldn't land with it.

My question is can I fly another ship to minmus and add batteries and solar panels to it, or will I have to just rescue Jeb from the surface?

Edited March 5, 2015 by funkcanna

[Melkor X]

Hi, so I went to minmus but ran out of electricity (didn't install solar panels - oops). The mainsail engine seemed to restore my electricity in flight but I couldn't land with it.

My question is can I fly another ship to minmus and add batteries and solar panels to it, or will I have to just rescue Jeb from the surface?

If you have Kerbal Attachment System, you can send another ship with containers loaded with solar panels and have a kerbal attach them during EVA. Otherwise, you could use the claw to grab your disabled ship with a rescue ship and try to bring it back.

[funkcanna]

Ok thanks, ill install Kerbal Attachment System!

[mdkendall]

Most of the larger engines include alternators, so running them will indeed recharge whatever batteries you have.

If you can run the engine, even just briefly and at low power, it may give you enough power to do what you need.

You cannot move parts between ships in stock KSP. Kerbal Attachment System (KAS) is a popular mod that gives you this ability.

If you have a docking port on the stranded ship you could dock something to it. You can transfer resources between docked ships by right-clicking. It is typically used for fuel transfers but works for electricity too.

[RainDreamer]

Or a claw. The Advance Grabbing Unit can actually perform non-cooperative docking, so you can just fly some solarbot over there and have them hook up with your craft if you want to do it in stock. Just make sure that they are balanced and in symmetry, or you will have a difficult time flying.

[Kryxal]

Of course, difficult doesn't mean impossible ... I messed up a Mun takeoff once by trying too hard to put all my delta-v towards sideways motion and didn't QUITE clear the crater wall. The design started life as a two-engine craft and still had one left, and I managed to return using that one engine (and a LOT of work by SAS).