Orbital station contract

[Warzouz]

I filled a contract to send a space station into LKO. Done

Now, I get another one with

- Build new station (antenna, dock, power)

- Must support 11 kerbals

- must have Lab

- must have 4000 liquid fuel

- must have 1000 monoprop

50k in advance, 130k on completion

I have 2 questions :

- How is it worth it ? 180k funds for such a mass in orbit ?

- Can I make a very small "new station" part and dock it to my existing station to get the existing lab and 7 crew seats ?

[Callmedave]

On its own it might not be worth it. But try to plan ahead. Could this also be a refuelling depot? Can you use the lab to convert data to science points? Can it be an outpost for stranded herbals?

I think you could break even achieving this contract, but it will help with future missions.

[Warzouz]

Hmmm, until you have a asteroid in orbit to mine, I don't see the need of a refueling space station around Kerbin. The price of sending tanks to the station will be the same as sending this fuel at it's destination. Plus you'll need to dock, add some RCS stuff...

I tested to dock a "station" to another station. It works until you dock. You loose the "build new station" item. I don't see the point of building another station from scratch...

Upgrading station could have been fun.

[RidingTheFlow]

Hmmm, until you have a asteroid in orbit to mine, I don't see the need of a refueling space station around Kerbin.

Not necessary. You can dump spare fuel from returning missions (if some end with too much spare dV).

Though technically you don't really need fuel tanks on the station, all you need is well-designed docking hub.

[Warzouz]

On the Save file there is as "launchID" parameter in the contract section.

This number has to be smaller or equal to any part of you ship.

For example :

- You build a mission to anywhere, a return ship is due to come back

- You take the space station is mission

- you partially build it

- You return ship dock top the partial space station

- you finish the station

You don't succeed the mission until you undock the return ship.

[KSK]

Just thinking aloud here.

To support eleven kerbals you'll need three Hitchhiker modules. Then you'll need a lab, a Rockomax X200-16 and an FLT-400 (or equivalent tankage) for the liquid fuel and four of the FL-R25 monoprop tanks. Plus power and structural parts but there's too many combinations of those for a rough calculation.

Total cost for all that (assuming the Wiki is up to date): 3,200 + 850 + 3,200 + 4,000 +12,000 = 23,250 funds.

Total mass = 7.5 + 3.5 + 4.6 + 11.25 = 26.85 tons.

Lets round that up to 30 tons and 30,000 funds.

Probably easier to do that in two launches to keep the payload sizes manageable. Should be possible to put together two 15 ton launchers for well under 150,000 funds. I would think it would be possible to make quite a decent profit, although I doubt it'll be the quickest or easiest funds you've made.

[Warzouz]

The only use of a station around kerbin is to get some kind of emergency rally point.

but space stations are really useful around OTHER bodies. I sent some kind of refueling station around minmus (basically a tank with docking...) I managed to strip munmus science for a 4500 points in one mission...

And if you want ton convert your "Creat new space station" in "upgrade you space station", simply edit you save file and change the launchID parameter on your Contract. Set it to 1

				PARAM
				{
					...
					launchID = 1

[psyper]

I tend to see the stations and bases as investments - you might make a loss on the initial contract but take some science equipment and an antenna with you and if you ever need science from around kerbal you already have the infrastructure there to for-fill that contract. I tend to get those contracts turn up every now and then - accept them - switch to the station - perform them - get the contract and go back to see what else I have. Same with a base on mun or duna - you'll always get those contracts to plant a flag on mun or perform a crew report on duna - you already have the base there so its just a matter of popping out a kerbal to do whats needed.

[Warzouz]

Just thinking aloud here.

To support eleven kerbals you'll need three Hitchhiker modules. Then you'll need a lab, a Rockomax X200-16 and an FLT-400 (or equivalent tankage) for the liquid fuel and four of the FL-R25 monoprop tanks. Plus power and structural parts but there's too many combinations of those for a rough calculation.

Total cost for all that (assuming the Wiki is up to date): 3,200 + 850 + 3,200 + 4,000 +12,000 = 23,250 funds.

Total mass = 7.5 + 3.5 + 4.6 + 11.25 = 26.85 tons.

Lets round that up to 30 tons and 30,000 funds.

Probably easier to do that in two launches to keep the payload sizes manageable. Should be possible to put together two 15 ton launchers for well under 150,000 funds. I would think it would be possible to make quite a decent profit, although I doubt it'll be the quickest or easiest funds you've made.

Well 4000 Liquid fuel (not oxydizer) is 3 X200-32, 54T of fuel + crew accommodations.

For now, my launcher is able to send to orbit 22T for 88k funds. I would have to get 4 launches.

I could work better on reusability...

[KSK]

Nuts - that's what you get for being in a hurry. Mistook cost for capacity.

Yeah, this is starting to look less useful.

[Warzouz]

OK, I managed to play with main stage recovering...

I can send 22T payload to LKO for a 87k funds (not including payload). but I can recover the mammoth stage for 56k funds (66k max at KSC). 1k to 1.4k funds / ton to 75km LKO.

I think I could increase that, because it's the main stage that orbit the whole rocket. I can deorbit it as close as I want. Strange thing, the main stage resisted very well reentry. It didn't turn in flame. I lost control every time (one time it when upfront, one time backward...).

I think it could be better if the pusher stage would do the orbiting, but I wouldn't control where the main stage would go down, that you reduce the return value of the stage.

Apart from the main stage, only 2 very tall solid fuel boosters. The rocket is very steady (bigger rocket are easier to fly, it seems).