Mun Space Station?

[Sanic]

Is a Munlab a feasible idea? If it is, what should I include on it?

Edited September 30, 2015 by Sanic

[Batmanpuncher]

It is if you want to completely suck the Mun dry of science so if you keep lots of fuel on the station (or ISRU system) and a lander then you can go down to a biome, fly up and dock transfer science and refuel. Then undock the land and go down again. On the station you would want a lab and a ISRU if that's the way you want to go. So yes with some work you might be able to do something with a Mun station but doing it somewhere like Dres of Moho might be better.

[cantab]

In Science Mode it's very, very useful, you can get a thousand or more bonus science out of one. In Career it's also useful but your research may be slower thanks to low level scientists.

As for what I put on mine:

Mobile Processing Lab, the whole reason for the station.

Command pod. The lab isn't a command module, a pod will let a Kerbal control it. Don't rely on just a probe core or you'll have problems if the batteries run out

Solar panels. The lab is quite power hungry. Eight extending panels or a couple of Gigantors will run it. If you only have OX-STATs you'll have to spam them.

An antenna, and a fast one at that. Transmitting the science can take some time.

Batteries. The science transmission will use up quite a bit of Ec and you don't want to run out. 1000-2000 units should suffice.

Fuel, to refill the operating spacecraft.

Engines, so the station can conduct orbital manoeuvres as desired. Use a cluster so you can balance out thrust.

Docking ports, of course.

All this can be a single monolithic station, like Salyut or Skylab. There's no need to do a module station like Mir or the ISS unless you particularly want to.

I then paired it with two types of spacecraft. A single stage Mun lander with lots of science gear would be fuelled up from the station, undock, land, and return to the station with the science. Orbiters took crew between Kerbin and the station, as well as returning the science results to Kerbin after they have been processed by the lab. In career you should probably add probe cores to both so that non-pilot Kerbals can go out and get experience.

I recommend a 30-40 degree inclination for the station, high enough to cover many biomes but low enough to not cause issues for transfers. If you're less experienced with orbital rendezvous an equatorial orbit is a viable alternative.

Edited September 27, 2015 by cantab