An idea for spent stages

[Temido2222]

Now with comm networks being added, I had an idea for spent upper stages. Slap a relay antenna or the high gain antenna on your upper stage along with a probe core and some solar panels. This would fill up Kerbin's orbit with cheap comm relays. Deorbit any extras with any left over fuel.

[wibou7]

This... This is brillant! All those useless debris can actually serve a purpose.

Have some reps @Temido2222

[septemberWaves]

I actually had this idea for the transfer stages for interplanetary communications vessels, but it's also an excellent idea just for spent stages in general.

[NSEP]

Thats an awesome idea! I used to land some of my stages on the Mun, because they had so much fuel lef!

[_stilgar_]

On 9/24/2016 at 9:57 PM, Temido2222 said:

Slap a relay antenna or the high gain antenna on your upper stage along with a probe core and some solar panels.

Actually, you don't need that. Right now in the 1.2 prerelease, relay antenna is enough. It is implied that the controlling computer for the antenna is integrated in the relay and it need no power because... it would be too hard to implement

[mrclucks]

It would be really easy to implement a power consumption rate for the relays.  It can be assumed that controllers would operate on standby untill it picked up an active signal on its frequencies.  Then would retransmit, and go back into standby.  

In a more realistic model, the standby mode would operate on less than 1ec/min and then 10 or more /second( depending on the amount of power it was using to transmit) while it's retransmitting.  For simplicity sake, I would have them operate at 2-5 ec/min at all times since most of the time it will be on standby.  1 sun tracking panel is probably good enough for this, even if it is out by eloo

[Pecan]

Don't forget to stick a scientific instrument on one too - instant win for "collect science from space around ..." contracts in career.

[Guest]

Genius...

[Temido2222]

On 9/25/2016 at 9:06 AM, eloquentJane said:

I actually had this idea for the transfer stages for interplanetary communications vessels, but it's also an excellent idea just for spent stages in general.

Interplanetary would require a large satellite. Spam the body's orbit with cheap cube sats and maybe one high gain antena

[RocketSquid]

I typically de-orbit and land my LVs, but I'm more than willing to put an unnecessarily powerful antenna on a probe and use it as a relay once it's got the science I sent it for.

[KerikBalm]

With the DSN active, there's really no need to spam relay sats in LKO.

The only real use for this is for stages that get discarded in Mun/Minmus orbit.

There is something advantage to Relays that orbit beyond mun/minmus orbit, but the HG-5 is no good for that. You need at least an RA-2 to connect to a direct antenna/HG-5 relay around Mun from ... lets say 1/3 of an orbit ahead.

You cant leave it as a mun crosser, so you'll need to kick the PE up, which means reserve fuel, reaction wheels/RCS, power...

Now its not a cheap relay sat addittion, is it?

Even without the DSN, HG-5 relays wont get to Mun, Youll need heavier and more expensive RA-2s for that.

In the end, theres realyy not much point

 

[DerekL1963]

17 minutes ago, KerikBalm said:

With the DSN active, there's really no need to spam relay sats in LKO.

That depends on your occlusion settings.
 

18 minutes ago, KerikBalm said:

You cant leave it as a mun crosser, so you'll need to kick the PE up, which means reserve fuel, reaction wheels/RCS, power...

That depends on whether or no you're willing to accept that you're going to lose a bird now and again - since these are spent stages, and presumably there are more than a few of them, that might not be a problem.  (And you can also avoid the Mun by changing your orbital inclination.)