When constructing stations in space.....

[Hudsonkm]

Quick question.

Say I have a station hub in orbit and I want to fly up a pressurized crew tube to connect the two. Do I still need docking ports on the objects in order to connect them in space? Or are docking ports simply for docking ships and other non station components? Same goes for a fuel tank... Do I need a docking port on the end I want to connect to the station itself if assembling outside the VAB and in orbit?

Also, if I do need them, and taking a hub for example again, does both the hub and the object I want to connect to it need a docking port, or just one of them?

[Retread]

Sadly, there is no such thing as on-orbit construction in the stock version of the game, so the only way to join two ships together is by using docking ports. And yes, both ships need a docking port, and they both need to be the same size.

[Temeter]

How would you connect modules without docking ports?

[ArchGaden]

How would you connect modules without docking ports?

Grabbers. They're like universal docking ports!

[RuBisCO]

Well there is KAS/KIS mods for actually on site construction.

Edited May 29, 2015 by RuBisCO

[KerikBalm]

Normally, you need a docking port (of the same size) on both parts you want to connect

The alternative is the "advanced grabbing unit", but beware using too many of them - I hear it is kraken bait (Plus I don't like the idea of repeatedly puncturing my vessel, as it looks like the grabber should do when it latches on).

[Temeter]

Grabbers. They're like universal docking ports!

Of course, I was asking logically. Grabbers don't support OCD, tho.

[Goodson]

You just have to plan it out. Remember, you can use the big docking ports too.

Take a look at my latest station.

The bulk of it came up in two launches. One had the station hub in the middle. The other connected to the hub. They were controlled by the landercans. The two ships on either side are the escape capsules. They brought up their own docking tubes and will leave them when they leave. The third double-length docking tube came up on the fifth launch. The idea with it is to allow me to dock larger vessels in the future.

If you look up and down the main body, there are two large docking rings. That will let me switch out larger components later if I need them. The basic idea is that this is a refueling station.

[Hudsonkm]

Thank you all!

[problemecium]

Next time please ask for help in the Help forum.

By the way, it is possible to join stuff to the end of a docking port in the VAB, and it will stay together in flight, but unless there is a second port, you won't be able to reconnect them after you "decouple node".