[0.19.1] Orbital Propellant Depot Olympus II

[Drunkrobot]

Nice work! If I am not mistaken, some of the parts that Claira will be adding is a series of engine cluster adapters, that can turn one rockomax attachment point into two, three or four LV-sized points. This could also be fitted with docking ports and act the same as your heavy ports.

[Sunsparc]

Is there a way to better balance Zeus so that translating does not turn the vessel? That's my only problem with Zeus, the other vessels perform wonderfully.

[Temstar]

Is there a way to better balance Zeus so that translating does not turn the vessel? That's my only problem with Zeus, the other vessels perform wonderfully.

Just keep ASAS on while docking.

[3_bit]

Isn't this more like a fine example of an interplanetary Space Station?

[Sunsparc]

Just keep ASAS on while docking.

That burns a lot of RCS though.

[Tada]

well, it does, but once you get handle of it and turn ASAS permanently in right moment...

[Temstar]

That burns a lot of RCS though.

People say that but I never find that to be much of a problem, certainly not for Zeus since it's got a 2.5m RCS tank.

[TheWanderer]

whats the space plane you have docked? it looks interesting

[Temstar]

whats the space plane you have docked? it looks interesting

That's a SSTO I knocked up:

http://www./download.php?7kiz9v9iahexw1g

[Conarr]

I "borrowed" parts of this design, specifically the quad docking adapters. I couldn't make it work without enabling parts clipping and I didn't want to do that. By dissecting yours I was able to recreate it (three times over about an hour, which was plenty to prove to myself I could do it). Without using the debug menu. Bonus!

So I refitted my Station Fuel Depot with quad docking adapters on both ends and fired it up to my Station Core – also refitted on one side with your adapters. Notice I don’t have your cool flare for naming my bits and pieces. Station Fuel Deport, Station Core – blech!

Using radial couplers on the sides of the orange tank, where you have the single docking ports on the small fuel tanks, I put two of the quad-docking port thingies. If you mash them down hard enough they mount almost flush to the sides of the orange tank. Add a couple zip ties on the sides and they make a very strong connection. And I needed a strong connection node for my Kethane Mining rig, Drop Tanks and Mobile Ground HQ’s. Again with the creative naming.

So no instead of a giant wonky wobbly sausage in LKO that I can’t move because of the debris field that follows, I have a well-organized Interplanetary Ship. Thanks for the quad port adapters. I am ready for Duna!

[Bigred2989]

Bump because this could use an update. No pictures but I've started to do so by replacing the docking arrays with the new large clamps.

[Temstar]

I haven't tested myself, but I hear the quad is still more stable than a senior docking port. The price is higher part count of course.

Quads is a bit harder to dock but I find that its ability to snap the docking angles to 4 different fixed possible orientations to be pretty useful. With a single docking port you're never going to get a perfect alignment of things like ladders and solar panel orientations were as with quad you know you're pixel perfect once you have all four ports hard docked.

Quad is also useful once in a while when you want to use it as a single normal docking port:

So I say senior docking port doesn't make quad obsolete, it's a matter of engineering choice.

[KerbMav]

ASAS, probe cores, command modules, docking ports, solar panels - whats the difference to a space station?

Meaning, why does it not shake itself and wobble to death?

Back to topic: Very nice designs, master!