KAS Floating Cities/Airships - Possible.

[Sharkman Briton]

So I experimented with KAS winches, and made a hovercraft that stayed in place by firing Wheesleys clipped together to make a TWR of over 1 while there were two KAS harpoons stuck in the ground, the results were awesome... Theoretically, we could make floating cities on Laythe as long as we have some miner thing to generate LF to fire those engines indefinately.

(I was originally going to post a massive long thing explaining three concepts in massive detail but then I got a bad gateway when I tried to post it, had to backspace and lost all of it :'( )

Anyone got any ideas or any craft that use concepts like this?

[kerbiloid]

Several months ago I have experimented with HooliganLabs balloons and KAS.

An airship (with stopped engines, so no fuel consumption) has lowered its ballast tank onto the ground on a KAS rope.

The balloon part was keepinng its position over the ballast while I was playing with other vehicles even through several game restarts - until I have taken it off.

Maybe, say, it would allow: a balloon in air - a flat platform in mid-air - an anchor tank on ground scheme.

(I.e. one KAS rope keeps the platform under the balloon, while anothe rope attaches the platform an the anchor together).

But KAS rope is limited 50 m.

As far as I know, this value can be increased, but not sure if physical range allows to keep such flying constructions in kilometers over the ground.

Edited October 27, 2015 by kerbiloid

[BlueCanary]

But KAS rope is limited 50 m.

As far as I know, this value can be increased, but not sure if physical range allows to keep such flying constructions in kilometers over the ground.

Somewhere on the BD armory thread it says that landed load distance cannot be increased beyond around 9.5km because further than that landed objects not on rails will fall through the terrain, so that might be the hard limit. Still, that's plenty high for a floating city. Also, it says that they will still crash onto the "ocean" underneath that terrain, so it might be that if your city is over water it can be as high as you like.

You could have the mining equipment on the ground with a KAS resource pipe to pump up ore/liquid fuel to the hovercraft maybe?

[Sharkman Briton]

You could have the mining equipment on the ground with a KAS resource pipe to pump up ore/liquid fuel to the hovercraft maybe?

My thoughts exactly, they would need to be on the ground anyway. On the topic of the winch length limit, it should be easy to edit the configs of it to allow it massive range, we might even be able to theoretically make a hovercraft that hovers above the atmosphere.

[Arugela]

has anyone tried electric Reaction wheels or wings on Eve or other bodies where you might be able to stop it from falling. I know infinite float was possible on Duna with sufficient lift prier to 1.0. Other things might be possible on other planets. And I'm refering to stock btw.

I think I could make stuff float at around 500 or 1k altitude on Kerbin even possibly after 1.0(I can't remember if after or before 1.0) with enough lift and possibly other features. This without any thrust at all.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Arugela

[Khobai]

part count limit is still going to be the biggest problem with a floating city. especially if you try to bring other aircraft/ships near it.

dont see any way around the part count problem other than using a welding mod