Space Network - Long-term Space Program [Part 3] (pic-heavy)

[Nik333]

I have started to play KSP again. I always play it for two weeks intensively and then I take few months long break.

As 1.0 started, I have left all my old saves behind (as I always do when new version comes out), aiming for creating new save with everything 1.0 compatible, considering mining of resources, aerodynamics. Perhaps I will keep it for next versions. I started this save before I decided to post it here so some launches can lack needed documentation.

In this main post, you will find current state of long-term stations, bases, engines (tugs) and all things that are not just one use. You will find here summary of my space program, including all launches and trivial missions (eg. refueling space stations, bringing new crews).

Current info

(Last update: 15-08-10 18:25 UTC)

KSS I

Short for Kerbin Space Station. It serves as refueling and kerbal station.

Modules connected

Volta - xenon fuel, solar arrays, batteries, ion-engine.

As ion engine is mostly unused, it is considered exchanging this module with something more useful. Change is not scheduled.

Pascal - habitat module, can hold 8 kerbals at once, 2 standard ports

Since first crew arrived, this module is to be permanently inhabited. Ports are generally unused.

Newton - main tank (Jumbo-64) - LF: 2684/2880

Two senior ports used for fuel transfer. Newton is refueled as required.

Two standart ports. One reserved for MSS Shuttle

Reach - adapter, secondary fuel storage, antennas and dishes - LF: 0/1080

Three standart ports, generally unused.

Three junior ports: K1 and K5 pods docked.

Status

Kerbin - equatorial 150km

Current crew

Bill, Jervis

Up-to-date-screenshot

MSS I

Short for Mun Space Station. It serves as a link with planned Mun Space Base.

Modules connected

Main - habitat module, can hold 5 kerbals at once, 4 junior ports, 2 standard ports.

This module has most of what MSS needs for its basic functionality.

Ports not currently in use, 1 reserved for MSS Shuttle and future MSB Landers.

Fuel master - ISRU converter, main fuel reserve - LF: 125/1440

ISRU converter later found obsolete for future MSB needs.

Fueling provided by bottom senior port initially intended only for future extensions.

Status

Mun - equatorial 100km

Current crew

Planned

Up-to-date-screenshot

Transfer

Reusable engines and other vessels for traveling. Basic info and current status.

Engine A - 3x LV-T45 - 720 LF capacity

Destroyed on purpose

Engine B1 - 1x LV-T45 - 1080 LF capacity

New model designed to replace old Engine A.

Rendezvousing with MSS - Mun eccentric 100km

Engine B2 - 1x LV-T45 - 1080 LF capacity

Matches Engine B1. Codename EC.

Carrying MSB Drill - Kerbin equatorial 150km

MSS Shuttle - 2 pilots and 4 passengers capacity

Used for carrying kerbals to Mun and back.

Carrying 4 kerbals (Cameny, Sulie | Beaxie, Tanmy) - Mun equatorial ~100km

Liftoff history

Name - Launcher used - yy-mm-dd - report

--------------------------------------------------

KSS I - Volt - Sky I - 15-06-13 - Report

KSS I - Pascal - Sky II - 15-06-14 - Above

KSS I - Reach - Sky I - 15-06-15 - Above

KSS I - Newton - Sky II - 15-06-16 - Above

K1 - Pod (Jervin, Cameny, Bill) - Sky I - 15-06-16 - Report

K2 - Refuel - Sky XL - 15-06-16 - Above

MSS I - Main - Sky II - 15-08-02 - Above

MSS I - Engine A - Sky II - 15-08-02 - Above

MSS I - Shuttle (Sulie, Tanmy) - Custom - 15-08-03 - Report

MSS I - Fuel master - Sky II - 15-08-03 - Soon

K3 - Refuel - Sky XL - 15-08-03

MSB I - Fuel truck - Sky II - 15-08-05

K4 - Refuel - Sky XL - 15-08-05

MSS I - Engine B1 - Sky C. - 15-08-05

MSB I - Ore truck - Sky II - 15-08-05

K5 - Pod (Beaxie) - Sky I - 15-08-05

MSS I - Engine B2 - Sky C. - 15-08-05

Mun Orbital Scanner - Custom - 15-08-06

MSB I - Bus - Sky C. - 15-08-06

MSS I - One-use engine - Sky III - 15-08-06

MSB I - Drill - Sky II - 15-08-06

Transfer history

Name - yy-mm-dd - note - report

---------------------

EA1 - MSS I Main - 15-08-03 - Report

EA1 - Return - 15-08-03 - Refuel at KSS I - Above

EA2 - Fuel master - 15-08-03

EA2 - Return - 15-08-03 - Refuel at KSS I

EA3 - Fuel trucks - 15-08-05

EB1 - Ore trucks - 15-08-05

MS1 - Cameny, Sulie; Beaxie, Tanmy - 15-08-05

Mun Orbital Scanner - 15-08-06

EO1 - Bus - 15-08-06

EC1 - Drill - 15-08-06

Sheduled events

MS1 - Shuttle - Docking with MSS I

Mun Orbital Scanner - Arrival to Mun, setting up Polar orbit

MSB I - Drill - Burn for Mun transfer

MSB I - Launches - Habitat unit, Refinery, Kerbal lander, Fuel lander

Note

Actual reports will be added later, it's ton of launches, transfers and unsorted images, nonenglish video reports exclusive... It will take some time.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Nik333
Added links to new report

[Nik333]

Part 1

Here my Space Program begins. Sometimes I play science mode, but I am really out of career mode. I started to play KSP, because I wanted to build my own ship and take it anywhere! But career mode? That's just a limit here, limit there, low budget here, you can't EVA there... And so I am stick again with my most played Sandbox mode. I am that kind of person.

I began with building Kerbal Space Station I (KSS for short) first. Original plan was to send 3 modules - Propulsor, Habitat unit and Reach.

Propulsor was supposed to, well, give propulsion to ship. But as mass of completed KSS can exceed 70 tons with ease, this module is obsolete. But I skip to much.

To lift Propulsor into space, I made a lifter (launch rocket) called Sky I. Sky I can carry to space little over 5 tons, making it ideal for smaller payloads. In center, you can see Jumbo tank with Mainsail engine and liquid boosters with LV-T45 engines. Documentation those days was very (very) poor and thus, this is only actual image of propulsor launching. And also with "Aerodynamics Forces Overlay: Enabled" overlay.

This is complete Propulsor module, setting future position for KSS. You can also see reason of this thing still being part of KSS. It has some batteries, rcs tank, solar arrays. Xenon can be maybe used in future for some probes I will send to space and KSS don't even need propulsion after all. Usually, center of mass is moved to sides because of additional docked things, so it is inusable.

And here is the start of Habitat module. It uses Sky II lifter, which has more fuel in second stage, giving lift to most of my rockets between 5 and 9 tons. Sky II found generally more use in my program, as I sometimes have problem fitting into 9 tons limit. Sky I is used mostly for launches of Kerbaled pods.

And here is a picture of Propulsor and Habitat module docked. Hab has two Hitchhiker module, providing comfortable place for Kerbals to spend their days here. RCS tanks are meant to dock it with propulsor. I should have found another solution, which would let me to reduce parts count after succesful docking. Whatever.

Next module was Reach launched using Sky I. It was first intended as communication center (it has antennas!), but found huge usage as docking for kerbaled pods. I don't have a single image of it launching. Shame.

Fourth, originally unplanned module is Newton, launched by Sky II. It started as an empty tank and tank is what it is. Again, no image of launch, but atleast images of docking. KSS in a distance.

It was inserted between already docked Reach and Hab. First, Reach was undocked and docked into Newton.

And here is a complete station. After every permanent module was docked, I have given all proper names. Propulsor is now Volt (electricity), Habitat module is now Pascal (pressurized atmosphere inside) and Newton is still Newton (explosions, action and reaction, you know). Reach is named after my friend, which I asked what should I launch to KSS and he said comms.

Next time: K1 kerbaled pod launch, K2 refuel and MSS Main module

[Nik333]

Part 2

As KSS was already in orbit, ready for usage, I decided for first set of "trivial missions". After that was bringing first part of MSS to orbit of Kerbin. Tranfer to Mun will be shown in another report.

Trivial is what I call missions, which have to be done repeatedly without finite number. I consider these KSS crew exchange (kerbaled pods), KSS refuel, MSS shuttle transfers and in future operation of Mun landers. This first set consisted of first kerbaled pod and refuel.

Kerbaled pods are really simple mod made by me. They are basically these small pods you see on tip with increased mass, RCS capacity and crew capacity for 3 kerbals. Don't ask me how they fit inside. They are launched using Sky I, which is currently only purpose of Sky I.

This was the very first KSS trivial mission and so, it was named K1. Kerbals onboard are Jervis, Cameny and Bill.

Docking I made was video only and pod was in shadow of KSS. Video slightly increased darkness so I have edited it to make picture watchable.

And then came trivial refueling mission: K2. It brings full 32-tank (half the Jumbo) and is launched using Sky XL, used currently only for refuel. This lifter was however going to be used so often it got its very own name.

And here it is docking to KSS. Nothing much to say here, even through it was a little bit harder with that heavy fuel, it was without bigger problems.

And then it returned to atmosphere in order to not increase anyway-going-to-be-high amount of debris.

MSS I - Main module

Time came for Main module to get into space. Armed with 1 senior for extension, 2 normal ports for everything and 4 juniors because why not?

First started module itself. It was carried by Sky II, because hitchhiker pods are for some reason really heavy. On top is a cupola module for observing of space and Mun.

I have docked it to KSS by side port, so I won't have to do two rendezvous with engine (to refuel at station and then with Main module). Some of Stage 2 fuel was left, so Newton got a little refuel.

And here goes Engine A. It wasn't called Engine A back then, but it was renamed after releasing of EngineB1 and EngineB2.

When I started this save, I had a lot of problems with starts. You know. Aerodynamics. But I already mastered it so only one in five starts goes upside-down. This was one of four.

Nearly there...

At this point, KSS became laggy. Part counts was near to 200, FPS were near to 10, which was awful, but whatever. Here is overview of KSS with MSS Main with engine filled with fuel, ready to depart.

Next time: Arrival of MSS Main to its right place, start of MSS Shuttle and return of the Engine A.

[Nik333]

Part 3

First of all, I would like some feedback, to see whether I do reports just for myself or I do it for some who like them! I also promise that later missions will be more interesting.

It was time to take MSS Main to its equatorial orbit around Mun. You will also see launch of MSS Shuttle, used in future to carry Kerbals to MSS.

Engine refueled from Newton module and both parts (Engine and Main module) undocked.

I didn't took any pictures of maneuvering. It was too boring. This is MSS already in 100 km orbit.

Engine undocked and returned to Kerbin. As this was my first aerobraking in 1.0, I was more careful with it than needed. I don't know how dangerous might reentry heat be, so I just done it slowly (I think 10 times braking).

Then I done rendezvous and docking to refuel Engine from Newton.

Next thing to do was a launch of Shuttle. It used custom lifter - two liquid boosters and Shuttle's own propulsion - to get into orbit. It had 2 kerbals onboard for piloting of said ship: Sulie and Tanmy.

Next image is already docked. Docking port is not on top or bottom of Shuttle. That makes docking little bit harder, but I liked the challenge. After all, I can dock almost everything without any autopilots. Docking is fun.

Next time: MSS Fuel master and trivial KSS refuel