I am obsessed with service bays. (Many Pictures)

[itstimaifool]

(Sorry the pictures are so big. I don't know how to make them smaller)

I didn't really play much of KSP 0.90, so cargo bays are pretty much new to me, so maybe I'm overreacting. But the new service bays are by far my favorite part, mostly for aesthetic reasons. Where before I would have this monstrosity:

I can now tuck it all away inside a service bay!

(I went a bit overkill with the science because I like to recover it rather than transmit it.)

Check out this awesome science/control module on my research station!

Need to rescue a Kerbal from orbit, but only have one-Kerbal pods? No problemo, just stick a probe core inside a service bay!

One of my little annoyances with KSP has been all of the tiny parts you have to just kind of slap onto the outside of the rocket. But now you can tuck all of that away into a service bay! I love it!

What kind of stuff do you use service bays for?

Edited May 5, 2015 by itstimaifool
Begging for help with the images

[worir4]

I use them to hide kerbals inside. Like those 0g plane rides. Also i use them for the rescue missions and for my shuttle.

Also your pictures don't seem to be working.

[itstimaifool]

Also your pictures don't seem to be working.

Uh oh. They work for me, but they are from Dropbox, so there might be some permission issue.

I tried using Imgur, but the site just refuses to load for me.

EDIT: Ah yes, I signed out of dropbox and now they don't work. I'm currently trying to fix it.

Edited May 5, 2015 by itstimaifool

[adinfinitum]

Dropbox should have a way to make the files public, then the pictures will show up.

[Robotengineer]

Try this [noparse][/noparse].

[Kerr_]

Service bays are the bomb.

If fairings didnt weigh so much I'd build my internals inside those.

I always used to put a 'Modular Girder Segment" in-between two parts, then stack them with my batteries/goo/etc.

[itstimaifool]

Dropbox should have a way to make the files public, then the pictures will show up.

I had thought I made them public, but I guess I messed up somewhere along the way.

Try this [noparse][/noparse].

That's exactly what I did. If I had not done that, then the pictures would have shown up as the little "missing picture" icon like they did.

Anyway, got it all sort of sorted out. I'm using a free trial of imageshack, so the pictures will disappear in 30 days, but nonetheless, let's get this thread back on track, shall we?

[r4pt0r]

the mystical nature of wheels continues to defy my space program, but you have any luck fitting a rover in there? thats something I want to try

[timandy1]

the mystical nature of wheels continues to defy my space program, but you have any luck fitting a rover in there? thats something I want to try

You can fit a rover in the 2.5m one, I did it once.

[worir4]

the mystical nature of wheels continues to defy my space program, but you have any luck fitting a rover in there? thats something I want to try

Makes me wish that the rover wheels could fold up.

[delder92663]

the mystical nature of wheels continues to defy my space program, but you have any luck fitting a rover in there? thats something I want to try

There is a 2.5 meter bay or use tweakscale.

[itstimaifool]

the mystical nature of wheels continues to defy my space program, but you have any luck fitting a rover in there? thats something I want to try

Oh my god, how did I not think of this?! I'm going to try this ASAP!

[Frozen_Heart]

I'm absolutely loving Service bays. With them and fairings my rockets look so smooth.

[SelectHalfling0]

Nice designs! I like them too, and my primary satellite design is a single bay with everything it needs inside.

[SkyRender]

Service bays are great before you have access to the 1.25m probe core. Especially with the new aerodynamics, it helps to have a uniform rocket. Even without part clipping, you can get quite a bit inside those things...

[Geschosskopf]

I use the service bays extensively. However...

WARNING: If you make a habit of putting probe cores inside the service bays, DO NOT hang the probe core from the ceiling. Always put the probe core on the floor of the bay. Attaching the core to the ceiling of the bay will result in your rocket shaking itself to pieces :/

[SmashingKirby148]

I totally agree with you. Although I only have used them to stow away science, I can easily make them have more uses.

[FlipNascar]

They work well as a tidy container for a jet engine and an intake for VTOLs... Plus the doors opening gives it some extra oooooohh factor.

[Dizzle]

WARNING: If you make a habit of putting probe cores inside the service bays, DO NOT hang the probe core from the ceiling. Always put the probe core on the floor of the bay. Attaching the core to the ceiling of the bay will result in your rocket shaking itself to pieces :/

Is this a thing? My asteroid redirect vehicle was experiencing a lot of phantom torque, and I thought it was because of the monoprop tanks clipping with the service bay. If the ceiling thing is a known bug, it's more likely because of that.

[zarakon]

I've also been using them to add probe cores to command pods. It's great not just for the rescue contracts, but for allowing me to send a scientist on a mission while also having SAS

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

The clipping is strong with this one, but i like your designs

[adinfinitum]

I use the service bays extensively. However...

WARNING: If you make a habit of putting probe cores inside the service bays, DO NOT hang the probe core from the ceiling. Always put the probe core on the floor of the bay. Attaching the core to the ceiling of the bay will result in your rocket shaking itself to pieces :/

Does this only happen with probe cores, or can it happen with the 0.625m reaction wheel as well? I generally attach those to the ceiling, and the probe core on the floor, and sometimes I get that shaking to pieces thing. Opening up the service bay doors always stops it though.

[dryer_lint]

Yeah, service bays are awesome! A great way to shield probe cores and antennas.

[Roflcopterkklol]

I use them to abuse the physics, Stack parts inside a service bay and they become massless and dragless, you can put thousands of m/s of delta v in there and it not effect craft performance haha

[AbacusWizard]

I've been using the small service bays to store probe cores, small SAS wheels, science instruments, batteries, and antennas. It keeps the fragile parts out of the wind during launch and makes the landers look so much tidier.