I want to put a Space Station in orbit around the mun(preferably without LKO assembly).

[DalisClock]

So after finally getting a mission to duna off and running(it only took months of playing off and on), I've decided to refocus on the mun and mimus, considering it's gonna take a long time for my duna voyage to get there. I've already gone ahead put a satellite in munar orbit with a bunch of scansat equipment to give me landing site data and for my next step, I want to put an outpost in orbit to use as a stopover and refueling point to prep for the next step(and hopefully do the same for interplanetary missions).

So, after some messing around in the VAB I put this together.

There's always the option of just spiltting it in half and doing assembly in LKO before sending it off to the mun as well, but If I can get it up in one piece, I'd like to do that.

Any suggestions?

Edited September 7, 2015 by DalisClock
Question Ansewered

[FlyingPete]

You're going to need to bring refuelling tankers to the station eventually. What I would do is launch the 'core' station with power, crew quarters etc and side-mounted docking ports. Then, when you launch the first couple of fuel tankers to the station and dock them to it, leave the fuel tanks behind.

[Clipperride]

It depends which mode you are playing and how much money you have to spend.

If its science mode then I'd certainly think Modular and assemble it in Munar orbit. If you have the Senior ports, so much the better, but any will do for refueling. Even just a core of an empty orange fuel tank with a probe core, batteries, solar array and docking ports. I use 3 pairs of ports, with the middle set rotated. You can add crew quarters, lab, comms as needed. Just remember to keep the part count down if you suffer lag. If space becomes an issue you can always add another multiport section.

One beauty is, you can build a generic launcher and keep reusing it as a subassembly. Another is, with each delivery of a new module you can dump any excess fuel at the station and then get rid of the delivery vechile.

[DalisClock]

It depends which mode you are playing and how much money you have to spend.

If its science mode then I'd certainly think Modular and assemble it in Munar orbit. If you have the Senior ports, so much the better, but any will do for refueling. Even just a core of an empty orange fuel tank with a probe core, batteries, solar array and docking ports. I use 3 pairs of ports, with the middle set rotated. You can add crew quarters, lab, comms as needed. Just remember to keep the part count down if you suffer lag. If space becomes an issue you can always add another multiport section.

One beauty is, you can build a generic launcher and keep reusing it as a subassembly. Another is, with each delivery of a new module you can dump any excess fuel at the station and then get rid of the delivery vechile.

I'm playing on sandbox, because science was getting on my nerves the last time I played it and I'm waiting until career is more or less done(no major rebalancing) to start playing career.

So I've pretty much got unlimited resources to play with here.

I'm not opposed to doing modules and doing an orbital aseembly, I just kind of like the idea of small, self sufficient refueling outposts that I can launch and drop them into orbit around any planet/moon.

Though in retrospect, I could probably drop the cargo module and save on some weight. The fuel tank is harder because I need to figure out how big of a fuel tank I want to keep on hand at any given outpost to allow ships going to from a planet to gas up. I probably need to start figuring out how much fuel converts to dV and visa versa for a given area(though different engines makes that trickier).

Edited September 5, 2015 by DalisClock
spelling

[Requia]

Do you need the fuel tank to be full when you get there, or will you be hauling some ore up? a Kerbodyne 7200 drained of all oxidizer + 4 LVNs will get you an extra ~95 tons of payload to play with, launching 115t stock isn't too hard iirc.

[Clipperride]

IMO putting a station together at either the Mun or Minmus is good practice. If you want to do it in a single launch, you'll have to make it reasonably compact. Although, with the large areo cover you can launch some odd shaped things as long as you keep an eye on the CoM. For really uneven loads (eg a Mun rover launched vertically) I've been know to add some decouplers and Modular girders on the opposite side to balance the weight. You can ditch them on landing. But I digress..... Adding a Senior port at either end makes it easily expandable if you need more fuel.

One other tip if you find lining up to dock a pain. You can always equip your ships with the Klaw which cuts out some of the work.

[cantab]

Try a design along the lines of the Delta IV Heavy, it's a good way to launch a heavy payload without an excessively tall rocket. I recently put a 40-ton station in Mun orbit using a rocket like that, with the core and boosters each having three Skippers since I hadn't unlocked Mainsails, and an upper stage with a Poodle.

The other thing to know is that SAS responds to the movement of the controlling part. You can click any command pod, probe core, or docking port and choose "control from here" and that not only sets the navball orientation but also where SAS responds from. For a tall rocket it's helpful to place a probe core somewhere nice and stable close to the engines, for example on the core stage of a Delta IV Heavy style design, and control from it. That way if the payload at the top starts to wobble a bit while the bulk of the rocket is flying straight the SAS won't make the wobble worse.

[StormKat]

A picture is worth a thousand words. How many is a craft file worth?

Take a look at this station configuration and see if it doesn't help you with your design.

http://kerbalx.com/StormKat/SK-All-in-one-Mk2-Flight

[Requia]

Oh, I just realized the problem is with the launch system, not the orbital end.

Start with a mammoth and 2 or 3 14400s, then add liquid fuelled boosters in asparagus configuration.

[Korizan]

Yes this is a picture of a Station that was built in orbit BUT look at the launchers as options for launching your own station as it appear a lot smaller then this one.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Sharpy]

Remember instead of launching separate fuel modules it's often beneficial to include the tanks in the current station, slap some engines on them and use them as the launch stage - then refuel using resources at the destination, say, with a separate ore-runner.

[DalisClock]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I refined the station and went with a shorter, more spread out launch vehicle. It remained pretty stable during ascent and made it to orbit without issue and had more then enough fuel to put the station into orbit around the mun.

My only issue was some wobbling just below the lower set of docking ports. I used a separator between the station and the transfer stage(and also because there was a docking port between the transfer stage and the fuel tank above it). I'm still trying to figure out how to fix that problem.

I haven't played with the mining tools yet, though I suspect that's my next step after getting a working space plane(Well, I have a space plane that can take off from a runway, fly for a few minutes before it runs out of fuel and then land it on a flat surface. I just need to design a booster system to get it into space). I plan to set up mining colony of sorts where I can dig up ore, refine it on the mun so I can ease my dV requirements for visiting landers and ship any excess to orbit.

A bit of hard work ahead of me there.

[Warzouz]

I'm working on a Exploration Space Station that allow multiple science trip tro target bodies.

The station, in its small tank variant, weights 65 tons and can go to the Mun, Minmus, Eve, Gilly Duna Ike without transfer stage. I've prototypes of this station around every planets.

More here (but I must rewrite the whole stuff...) : http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/132464

Jool station passing by Tylo / Station orbiting Vall.

Moho station firing at LKO / Moho station in orbit (with Plume mod).

[tbarcello]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I refined the station and went with a shorter, more spread out launch vehicle. It remained pretty stable during ascent and made it to orbit without issue and had more then enough fuel to put the station into orbit around the mun.

My only issue was some wobbling just below the lower set of docking ports. I used a separator between the station and the transfer stage(and also because there was a docking port between the transfer stage and the fuel tank above it). I'm still trying to figure out how to fix that problem.

Here are photos with the transfer stage attached during transit and after the station was placed in a stable orbit around the mun and the transfer stage was jettisoned.

- - - Updated - - -

I haven't played with the mining tools yet, though I suspect that's my next step after getting a working space plane(Well, I have a space plane that can take off from a runway, fly for a few minutes before it runs out of fuel and then land it on a flat surface. I just need to design a booster system to get it into space). I plan to set up mining colony of sorts where I can dig up ore, refine it on the mun so I can ease my dV requirements for visiting landers and ship any excess to orbit.

A bit of hard work ahead of me there.

I suggest struts to reenforce against wobbling. I had a same problem.

In an upcoming episode of my Let's Play KSP series I was launching ss.

Please check it out as it might help, but your eyes only, not released yet https://youtu.be/lR58l1xawvI

4:48 is when it's shown.

And it's better lo launch SS dry and bring fuel later from kerbin or ore refinery.

[Harry Rhodan]

http://i.imgur.com/Smr9Dub.png

I'll admit that it's partly my OCD that is forcing me to tell you this but I've seen this in your previous threads as well: If you press c or click on the little circle next to the symmetry mode thingy in the VAB you can enable angle snap which will make radial attachments rotate in 15° increments around the main body. That way you don't have to eyeball most of your radial stuff and can attach things symmetrically in a row or place your boosters straight on the decouplers.

And another thing: KSP follows a tree structure which means you can't attach those boosters to two decouplers at the same time like you tried there. You should keep those in the middle and replace the lower ones by struts.