Laythe Kosmodrome

[Guest]

Presenting the Laythe Kosmodrome -- a full-featured space centre producing fuel and supporting exploration of the entire Jolian system, especially Laythe itself, naturally. All craft are also available on KerbalX, at https://kerbalx.com/hangars/29774. 

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Pelican: ro-ro medium cargo/utility SSTO (with Ostrich ISRU unit)

The Pelican with the Ostrich ISRU and JUNO MIDGE scout form the core of the Laythe Kosmodrome. It is a roll-on/roll-off cargo/utility craft for medium-weight wide-load cargo. It is capable of lofting the Kosmodrome Kore to Kerbin orbit under its own power, although needs refueling and additional drop tanks to get all the way there. Its main mission is to deliver Kosmodrome modules down to the Laythian surface from orbit.

It can deliver all of the Kosmodrome modules to the Laythian surface and loft significant quantities of fuel to orbital modules. It relies on a RTG for electrical power and has a probe core for autonomous operation, primarily to make loading/unloading operations easier if operated by a single crew member.

Cargo is loaded and unloaded by rolling on and off with the landing gear retracted, the plane resting on its belly. Cargo modules attach to a docking port at the back of the forward fuselage; all the Kosmodrome modules (except the Laythabout) have one at the standard position.

The Pelican is so easy to fly even an engineer can do it, but has the aerodynamic efficiency of a feather pillow -- it will not fly far with minimal fuel, so you do need to know how to make accurate re-entries to make use of it off-Kerbin.

The Ostrich ISRU unit has two drills for better effectiveness in ore-poor areas. It has sufficient internal power and cooling to work autonomously indefinitely, and two Rockomax X200-8s for storage of fuel output. 

Notes: 

The version in the images and the craft files is the one that has been extensively tested and serves in the field on Laythe. A newer version, Pelican-B, is in development, which includes a number of refinements -- design improvements as well as more advanced technology. These improvements include:

• Wingtip ailerons are a combination of Elevon 2 and Elevon 3. These are better at taking the high thermal load of the wingtips, and allow for finer tuning of the craft's handling.  
• Engine pods redesigned with TVR-400L stack quad-adapter for slightly better aerodynamics and lower part count. The Mk2 rocket fuel fuselages have been replaced with liquid fuel versions for a more sensible propellant mix.

When operated by a skilled engineer, the Ostrich's internal power supply cannot keep up with the increased current draw: in this situation, it requires assistance from the Massive-Kerguson space tractor (see below). Fuelling operations are also much more convenient if the tractor and Surface Tanker 64 are available. 

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JUNO MIDGE: unicycle ultra-light short-range scout/prospector

The majestic JUNO MIDGE is a surveyor built for Laythe, but it is excellent at any short-range scouting/recon missions which require rough bush landings in difficult terrain. It is equipped with a surface scanner for ore scouting, and was crucial to the success of the Kosmodrome by finding an ideal location for it in a shallow valley by a lake.

Its unique feature is the Brikoleur-patented unicycle landing gear. It relies on reaction wheels for stabilisation and control. For landing and take-off, use action group 1 to set control to the upward-pointing node, and set SAS to Surface/Radial Out. This forces the craft upright on its single landing gear; however, the roll and yaw controls are reversed and of course the nabvall poitns up.

When flying normally switch control to the command seat with action 2, and retract the flaps with action 3. 

For landing, reverse the sequence. Recommended touchdown velocity on Kerbin is around 35 m/s fully fueled. Note the steep glide angle and apply throttle to compensate if necessary. 

The JUNO MIDGE docks to the port on the flatbed of the Pelican for longer-range transport and storage. Roll up to it, brake, retract landing gear, and wiggle. Easy!

Operating range is about 100 km or so. More efficient variants are possible by eliminating the control seat and snapping the fuselage together, as this eliminates most of the drag in the design.

The JUNO MIDGE is capable of surviving Kerbin re-entry from orbit. Just in case you wanted to do that, for some reason.

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Massive-Kerguson: heavy space tractor and power generator

The Massive-Kerguson space tractor serves three roles on the Kosmodrome. 

The first is simple traction power: it is needed to manoeuvre the fully loaded surface tanker onto and off the Pelican and around the Kosmodrome generally.

The second is supplementary power for the ISRU unit. While the ISRU is capable of running indefinitely with its internal fuel cell array when under autonomous operation, a skilled engineer raises its efficiency to the point that the array's power output is insufficient. The three arrays on the Massive-Kerguson fill this deficit.

Finally, since the Laythabout does not have a Kosmodrome-standard docking port, the Massive-Kerguson's Klaw is able to refuel it from the Surface Tanker.

The Massive-Kerguson is designed for traction power over all. Steering is all differential, which means it handles... like a tractor. A smaller variant with one pair of ruggedised rover wheels has been tested and is much easier to handle, but it lacks the pulling power required to handle the fully-fuelled Surface Tanker 64 over inclined surfaces, so ultimately that design was not selected for deployment to Laythe.  

The Kosmodrome reports that production quotas have been exceeded by over 300% since the Massive-Kerguson was delivered. Great job Massive-Kerguson and the Kosmodrome Kerbals!

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Surface Tanker 64: fuel drum on wheels

The Surface Tanker 64 is an extremely basic tanker, with a wheel in each corner, Kosmodrome-spec docking ports at standard height at each and, and minimal autonomous control. It is not capable of rolling onto the Pelican under its own power when fully loaded; this requires assistance from the Massive-Kerguson space tractor. When operating autonomously, it is not recommended to fill it over half its structural capacity.

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Lakeside Mansions with Kitty Kitty Bang Bang: Command post, habitat, and utility/science rover

Lakeside Mansions is the command and control post of the Laythe Kosmodrome. It stands on landing gear, which should be retracted when placing it, and is moved by towing with the handy supplied rover seating four: the Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. Both are RTG-powered. 

The relay antenna is sufficient to reach high-power relays in the Jolian system to provide a link home, and in case of black-outs, two pilots are able to use the command pod's remote-control feature to manage the entire Kosmodrome from the comfort of their command seats.

When towing, the landing gear nearest the Kitty Kitty Bang Bang should be retracted, and it is safest to do so also when decoupling from the Pelican for long-range transport. Since it is currently the only Kosmodrome module with significant crew capacity, it is also rolled onto the Pelican for hauling to orbit and back when performing crew rotations.

Kitty Kitty Bang Bang is a fast utility/exploration rover. It is used to tow the command post to place it where required and roll it on and off the Pelican, as well as for short-distance surface exploration of Laythe, to provide illumination at night, and to conveniently transport Kosmodrome staff around the base.

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Laythabout: long-distance explorer jet

If the rest of the Kosmodrome is strictly business, the Laythabout is a grand tourer. It is fast, efficient, and elegant, capable of long-range cruises exploring the Jolian moon, performing science experiments and scouting for points of interest.

Its sole docking port is a shielded in-line Mk 2, which means it is intended primarily for in-orbit refueling. However, the Massive-Kerguson tractor is able to fuel it from the Surface Tanker at the Kosmodrome.

Other than that, it's a fairly standard light spaceplane really.

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Guest

[Guest]

The Laythabout is on a grand tour of the place. View from the North Pole: