Explore / Survey / Outpost Contracts - Looking for Advice

[gamerscircle]

Hi all -

I am pretty new to KSP, having a ton of fun though. I am starting to get some contracts where both my understanding and imagination are failing me.

1.) The contracts where I have to do to certain sites on the Mun, walking would take too long, but I do have the means to make a rover. [not sure how to haul it up and deploy it effectively] If there another way of doing these types? I support a couple of fly bys, but I am about the worse pilot there is.

2.) I have another contract that setup a Muna Outpost that will support nine kerbals. Suggestions? Doing a 5 kerbals was done, but for nine that makes for a rather tall landing craft and again I don't have the piloting skills. I have searched around and see "modular" outposts.

a.) Will that work?

b.) I am not quite at the tech level for what is needed.

I would appreciate suggestions.

thanks,

Andy

[Kelderek]

1. I don't usually do survey contracts, but for low gravity bodies it may be best to just do short hops where you fly from one spot to another. Be sure to bring enough fuel to cover those short flights. Otherwise just make a rover. To launch a rover you just need to pay attention to the center of mass and make sure your rocket stays balanced. Use a fairing to cover it.

2. For outpost contracts you should remember a few things:

a. you do not need to actually bring any kerbals, you just need space for them.

b. you don't need to bring the outpost back home if you don't want to, so you can design it knowing that it may not need to launch off the planet or moon.

c. tall landers work fine if you can find a flat landing area, otherwise you may wish to build wider.

d. if you're new to KSP, then trying a modular design where you connect separate modules on the surface can be fairly difficult until you get better at precision piloting and landing.

[Champ]

1/ I suppose you are talking about survey contracts. For those, i would use suborbital hops if i had to do it (i never take those survey contracts)

2/ Mun outpost for Nine kerbal ? Many ways to do it. Remember you don't have to have it manned, you dont have to come back to kerbin, nothing. Just put a ship with enough room for 9 guys. Send it unmanned, that way if you fail you lose nobody.

a/ Yes, modular outpost would work. You should assemble in orbit, not on mun's land because assembling on the ground is so difficult, but that means you would still have to land a bigger ship.

b/ If you have the tech for a 5-kerbal outpost, i think you can do it with a 9-kerbal outpost. The only problem you could have is to lift that "big" (not that big) ship in orbit. If it is your problem, then again : assemble in orbit.

[Goomblah]

Regarding contracts to visit certain sites, I would avoid accepting them in the first place. Unless the contract is for a very low-gravity moon like Minmus, Gilly, or Pol, where hopping a lander from place to place consumes only a small amount of fuel, they generally aren't worth the time and effort to drive a rover or send a larger hopper. If all the sites are fairly close to one another, with rover-friendly terrain in between, rovers can work. The Mun has enough gravity that rovers can drive well, but not so much that hopping is completely impractical. A hybrid approach may work well - land at one site, drop off a rover and drive it to another nearby one, then hop to a distant site.

For surface outposts and space station contracts, the Hitchhiker module is your friend (and later the Mk3 passenger bay). If you don't have that unlocked, a 9-capsule stack will be rather impractical. You can also have two sets of landing gear on your outpost lander - one set on the "bottom" for the initial landing, and another on the "side". After landing vertically, tip the whole thing over onto the second set of landing gear. Then you will have a much more stable, flatter setup.

[gamerscircle]

Hey All!

Thank you for the quick replies and suggestions.

Survey Missions:

The reason why I have taken the survey, is that right now; they are the only ones that are giving any science. The current survey is on the Mun and since I am about the worst pilot there is. I suppose I can just do baby hops and if I run out of fuel, I can land a rescue mission. [been there, done that]

Modular Bases:

Yes! I have seen a couple of images and a couple of videos, but my tech isn't high enough aka, this is why I am taking any contracts that gives me science. [including errands to the local food mart]

Space Assembly:

Okay, now that sound fun and dangerous all at the same time. I have a nice patch of flat land on the light side of the Mun where I think I could do that. I get the concept, make several trips with all the stuff, detach/separate in orbit and then bring it all down.

Speaking of Assembly, is there a guide/tutorial on how do use the merge feature? I know that I have to do something in regards to the "root" , but I am either not clicking on the correct pieces or I don't understand it completely.

[Superfluous J]

Survey Missions:

The reason why I have taken the survey, is that right now; they are the only ones that are giving any science. The current survey is on the Mun and since I am about the worst pilot there is. I suppose I can just do baby hops and if I run out of fuel, I can land a rescue mission. [been there, done that]

You should use the survey mission hopping strategy. No doubt. Not to complete the contract. Not to get the science. For practice. Do them until you you don't feel the need to qualify your piloting skills.

Speaking of Assembly, is there a guide/tutorial on how do use the merge feature? I know that I have to do something in regards to the "root" , but I am either not clicking on the correct pieces or I don't understand it completely.

My current usage of the "merge" feature is not not use it. Instead, I suggest you learn sub-assemblies and use that.