Enough Solar Panels?

[Zosma Procyon]

This is my latest mobile base design, which I'm preparing for deployment to at least one of the Joolian moons, probably Tylo but maybe Vall too. Do you think it has enough solar panels?

Here it is with the panels retracted.

And here it is with all the panels deployed.

[Pand5461]

Four things you never have too much of in KSP:

• Boosters
• Struts
• Delta-V
• Solar panels

[Rune]

3 hours ago, Zosma Procyon said:

This is my latest mobile base design, which I'm preparing for deployment to at least one of the Joolian moons, probably Tylo but maybe Vall too. Do you think it has enough solar panels?

 

Here it is with the panels retracted.

 

And here it is with all the panels deployed.

Solar panels ain't worth their mass for the Joolian moons. Especially if you have big drills and the big ISRU converter, which can power themselves through fuel cells and still produce excess LFO to create a large power reserve/refuel other stuff, in any ore concentration. Plus, you get to operate at night, and it is MUCH cheaper than RTGs.

 

Rune. Yeah it breaks thermodynamics. But reaction wheels are still more unrealistic.

[Pand5461]

32 minutes ago, Rune said:

Yeah it breaks thermodynamics

Not necessarily. Imagine that ore is just "frozen clunks" of LF and OX, so you spend a little energy to sort LF clunks from OX and melt them. Then you can mix and burn them to get energetical profit.

[Zosma Procyon]

11 hours ago, Rune said:

Solar panels ain't worth their mass for the Joolian moons. Especially if you have big drills and the big ISRU converter, which can power themselves through fuel cells and still produce excess LFO to create a large power reserve/refuel other stuff, in any ore concentration. Plus, you get to operate at night, and it is MUCH cheaper than RTGs.

 

Rune. Yeah it breaks thermodynamics. But reaction wheels are still more unrealistic.

I have a pair of the big fuel cells. Tests show they provide more than enough juice to power the base at full speed. I also have 8 NUKs.

[eagle92lightning]

On 12/10/2017 at 4:11 AM, Pand5461 said:

Four things you never have too much of in KSP:

• Boosters
• Struts
• Delta-V
• Solar panels

I could argue. My first probe attempt had WAY TOO MANY BOOSTERS.

 

Then again it was designed to go to Eve...

Edited December 11, 2017 by eagle92lightning
Realization.

[Pand5461]

2 hours ago, eagle92lightning said:

TOO MANY BOOSTERS