How do you put your bases together?

[Fearless Son]

So a topic I keep coming back to in my mind is surface bases.  

There is little practical use for them besides contract fulfillment, but the idea of building a long-term stationary extra-planetary surface habitat is fun, a good challenge to set oneself on.  Most of the designs I have seen are modular, built up of several attachable pieces, and many surface base contracts require docking ports for I assume this reason.  However, the real gordian knot of this challenge for me has always been how to attach all those modules together on the same surface outpost in a practical way.  I have done a few experiments at KSC with modular designs, all of which were semi-successful, but none of which I have been able to economically and reproducible implement on actual missions instead of in elaborate practical prototypes sitting just off the runway.  If it is not the putting together on the ground then it is the practical transport of the various modules to another orbit in a cost-effective manner and repeatedly landing them close enough to the same site to be practical.  The stock game is a little limited in options when it comes to a lot of this.

I am not so much asking, "How do I do this?" as wanting to see examples from other people.  What are your preferred methods of designing, launching, landing, and assembling surface bases?  I want to see how the community does it, hear stories about what other people found practical and what they found difficult.  

Come share your experience and let us commiserate our failures, celebrate our successes, and teach those of us lurking.  

[septemberWaves]

I don't know about you, but generally I put bases together using docking ports.

On a more serious note, I tend to use skycranes of some form to lower base modules to the surface (though there are more interesting methods for some places, like Eve). I'll make a type of skycrane that can deliver a certain payload to the surface of a particular celestial body, and build base modules to fit. Usually I'll also send a rover that can dock to the base modules and move them into position.

[RoboRay]

There's a really great mod for helping dock base modules together...  http://spacedock.info/mod/838/Flexible Docking

It gives you docking ports on extendable flexible tubes, so when the docking ports on the ends get close to another docking port, the magnetic attraction pulls them together even if the tubes have to bend and realign.

That's the test rig...  Here's how I delivered the modules:  http://imgur.com/a/tcyOU

They are unfortunately buried way down in this multi-mod thread, so they can be hard to find on the forums here: 

 

Edited December 16, 2016 by RoboRay

[SelectHalfling0]

I use a rover that can drive under and dock underneath base modules. This can then transport the modules to the main structure and attach them. When the landing legs are deployed, the base module is raised far enough up that the rover can drive out from under it. I also use this rover for evacuations (it can take the habitation module away from the base).

[Racescort666]

How do you insert albums from imgur? Did they get rid of that feature on the forums?

Anyway, the last base that I did was assembled in orbit and brought down as one big unit. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to mount each of the components so it could be easily assembled in orbit. To be fair, this base was on Bop so TWR wasn't really a huge concern but I was a bit worried about balance so there was some balancing that happened in the VAB. 

The finished product:

Lots of assembly:

The whole album for those that are interested: http://imgur.com/a/8Gpny

[tater]

 

 

[Magzimum]

As shown below, you can take a regular girder. Then put on some wheels. Make sure to turn on angle snap (toggle by pressing C) as well as mirror symmetry (toggle by pressing R). Then radially attach one Mk1 tank to the top of the girder. And put the docking port on the end of the tank (structural fuselage works as well I think, but the Mk1 Crew Cabin unfortunately fails to attach radially). If you do this on two different rovers, the two docking ports will be at exactly the same height above the surface. They will always dock as long as the ground is flat. It works really well on Minmus. I was able to dock large rovers frequently with no problems at all.

(Original thread with this picture is found here)

The only major downside is that your base will look like a giant rover with all the wheels. But maybe you can use smaller wheels than I did (the ones in the picture above were designed to move around).

[katateochi]

What @tater said; KIS & KAS are my preferred way of joining bases together (although I'm now going to have to check out that flexible docking port mod).  The KAS fuel lines are great for joining things together, but (while you can transfer crew) it only looks like it's good for resource transfers. With mod setups using infernal robotics is another solution I like to enable base sections to have adjustable height legs or having a variable height construction rover that can move sections into place.  

But when playing pure stock it can get a bit frustrating; what was tested and worked in one place may not work elsewhere due to gravity or slight variations in terrain.  I sometimes use landing gears underneath a module that needs to be docked as that at least enables you to raise the joining module. You just have to park so the ports are inline (but not level) and then lower the gears and as the module raises up it should dock. But it's not ideal and can sometimes cause issues where the wheels cause the base to get bounced off the ground.

The simple solution is to use the claw so you can dock at any height. but I kinda feel that's a cop-out and I also don't really like how it looks as a base component (bulky and doesn't really look like crew or resources could be moved across it). (we really need more moving parts in the stock game!)

[Sharpy]

For smaller pieces, KIS and KAS.

For larger pieces, on low-gravity bodies? Docking ports and RCS.

Two great planetary base mods: Pathfinder, and Stock Planetary Base Sysyems have 'linkable corridors' as well, to form connections between segments.

That's how I built the 250m tower:

 

 

[Frank_G]

With patience and a lot of swearing...

One of my old Laythe bases, built completely out of Constellation style landers - it was a total pain to land them that precise, but it can be done (after a series of reloads)...

...and a münar base complex - docked in small parts by the 8 wheeled vehicles you see there...

All bases and vehicles are stock parts only.

[KerikBalm]

15 hours ago, Fearless Son said:

...  a good challenge to set oneself on.  Most of the designs I have seen are modular, built up of several attachable pieces, and many surface base contracts require docking ports for I assume this reason.  However, the real gordian knot of this challenge for me has always been how to attach all those modules together on the same surface outpost in a practical way.  I have done a few experiments at KSC with modular designs, all of which were semi-successful, but none of which I have been able to economically and reproducible implement on actual missions instead of in elaborate practical prototypes sitting just off the runway.  If it is not the putting together on the ground then it is the practical transport of the various modules to another orbit in a cost-effective manner and repeatedly landing them close enough to the same site to be practical.  ...

I am not so much asking, "How do I do this?" as wanting to see examples from other people. 

I've posted these designs a lot, but they seem relevant every time the topic of surface bases comes up...

So to address some of your comments: Yup, I do it with docking ports. I think Claws would work better now - the kraken summoning bugs seem to be gone, and its 1 part per connection instead of 2... but docking ports look better than metal claws presumably tearing into whatever part they attach to

Next... the one-of a kind prototypes and the practical transport: To avoid the one-off prototype idea, I came up with a standard system to be used with a standard transport: the Mk3 cargobay.

My goal was that every module could roll on and off a mk3 cargoramp, and attach to a 1.25m docking port attached at the node (not a surface attach that could be anywhere one the surface). 1.05 and the part autostrutting was a biig boon to this design, as before that I needed 2 docking connections to keep it from clipping through after docking, and for extra safety I had to have the docking bay open underneath, which made driving in the bay difficult.

Old problems:

Spoiler

Clipping through the bottom:

If it undocked in this clipping state, explosions ensued, so I had to have the bay open downwards, and open the doors before release:

The solution was a 2nd top mounted docking port... driving it in just right was difficult - particularly without a flat bottom to drive on... placing it just right on different modules was difficult

I'm not sure if that counted as a connection, or it was the "magnetism" keeping it from clipping through... but at least it wasn't clipping through the bottom, it was a real pain to get this one prototype module to work though.

Since 1.1, those problems have gone away, but the wheel blocked problem meant I couldn't use those semi clipped "rugged" wheels, I had to use the smallest wheels to fit in the mk3 bay with a 2.5m payload, and not have wheel blocked problems (this went away in 1.2, so I could get away with lower part-counts now)

So.... with a common cargobay decided on, I set out to make transport variants for different destinations

Mun/Lowish gravity airless bodies:

Spoiler

^Its got VTOL engines, but its a bit hard to use them for landing, so I come in on the twin poodles and set it down on those two prongs back there, then do a burst of the vtol engines to cushion the landing as the nose falls down.

Dummy payload testing... the goal was >40 tons from orbit to the surface and back on one fuel load

 

Then, the Duna variant... since wings help, but airbreathers don't work (I wonder if this would work on Tekto)

Spoiler

VTOL engines engaged.... I'd also like braking/stabilizing chutes, but I wanted it to be able to do autonomous missions without an engineer repacking chutes in between)

And the dummy payload test, same requirements as mun... this particular variant didn't have enough TWR on just its horizontal engines.... so I sacrificed some Isp and added some mass to get the skipper and nuke version above.

And, the one that works on Laythe, Kerbin, and my modded world Rald

Spoiler

Seen here with another suborbital variant I was developing, using panthers, and intended to be capable of water landings.... also one of the base modules:

A slightly modified version on Rald...

 Ok, so those are the transports... what about what they transport?

Pre-1.2 I designed this... I'd like change it post 1.2 to have fewer, but bigger wheels, and a relay antenna instead.

Initial testing on the nice flat runway, was promising, and such bodes well for the flats of minmus:

Munbase construction... 2 modules deployed... you can see the lander in the distance, it was a short drive:

I landed closer the 3rd time

I have airplane wheels actiongrouped ot raise and lower the front/back ot help get the connections, its best to leave them extended once its all docked up, to help prevent clipping the ground and explosions when its loaded in the future.

I think the base looks nice, its got a fuel truck with a claw that can refuel landed vessels (or drive up into the cargobay of the mk3 stransport and dock up), its got a mining module (only 2 large drills, I could make another module with more drills, but no convertor), its got a science and hab space module to do research/level up crew (nice perk of 1.2)

Moving modules on the surface is easy, loading them in orbit is a challenge.... I didn't want to send 3 dropships for 3 modules after all:

The surface loading, that's easy in comparison. Retract gear on the transport so it lays relatively flat, and the loading door has a shallow angle, and just drive up and connect:

Do be careful though... here you can see a radiator nub that from an extendable radiator I lost while loading/unloading... the design of this module could be optimized a bit more, or I could be more careful:

So, the 3 modules are pretty standard, I would just remove the solar from places beyond dres, add more RTGs/fuel cells. For laythe I use modded fuel cells that take LF and intake Air, hence the two small intakes on this design- attached to the 2 oscar tanks next to the stack of 2.5m batteries (the solar is rather pointless though).

Spoiler

So yea, this is one way to do it:

The simple 3 module base I made has 2 free claw ends, and 2 free 1.25m docking ports on the center piece, so you can add 2.5m modules to taste for more drills, more hab space, or more fuel storage.

The fuel truck was able to refill the spaceplane on the right with the claw, I didn't bother to try direct 1.25m toi shielded 1.25m docking... anyway, everything in this picture was done in career, stock, and is fully fueled:

[Slam_Jones]

My most recent version of base-building relied heavily on mods.  Using EPL (Extraplanetary Launchpads) I was able to build a workshop that could land on a planet, dig up resources, and build additional vessels/modules in place.  This is the workshop that I landed on Duna:

Using it, I can build additional modules and crafts as needed:

Eventually, I wanted to expand from there and build other bases on Duna.  SO I built an electric propeller plane with a small workshop on board.  After a few iterations, I ended up with a Multi-rotor VTOL ship, which could fly itself to nearby areas to build additional outposts.

Since it was heavy (and contained Kerbals) I also built a small UAV for finding flat areas that would be appropriate for building upon.

When it comes to linking the modules together, I would typically use KAS/KIS to attach the connector pipes between them, as seen here:

http://imgur.com/G8HVxDx[/img]

Lastly, utilizing the Civilian Population mod (not sure if still supported), I was able to build cities in place.  I would design the cities at KSC, and "launch" them on the launchpad to make sure they hold together.  When going to build them on planet, I often had to build several (often progressively larger) parts tanks so that the city could be built as one piece.  It was a bit time-consuming, but with timewarp it was relatively easy.

 

[NSEP]

The A.R.M grabber could be usefull for base building, although i havent tried it yet. It might not be as beatiful, but waay easier.

[Waxing_Kibbous]

The Kerbal Space Command channel on youtube has a Mun and Mars series on this that are very informative.

[Wallace]

I once made a big mun base from hitchhikers that were to be assembled in a rectangle and connected with the jumbo docking ports.  I launched the 4 sides, with little flat rovers on the underside to roll them into position, got them to the mun, then realised I hadn't tested assembling the thing. 

So I did a test run with a duplicate on the runway and even on the flat runway is was almost impossible to join it up with the jumbo docking ports. 

I didn't want to abandon the mission. so I assembled the whole base in orbit, (docking two L shaped pieces together so that two ports at 90 degree angles both dock at once is pretty tricky) then I detached the landers that were supposed to take the base down and stacked them on one end of the base, with 2 of the tugs that had brought the parts to mun orbit on the other end and landed the whole base on it's end.  and let it just fall down into place.  luckily it had chunky landing legs that took the impact. 

Not made the mistake of using jumbo docking ports for a base since then, I usually just make a train shaped base with regular docking ports now. 

Edited December 19, 2016 by Wallace
spellings :O