Big space stations

[SpaceshipFood]

How can you get giant space stations into orbit without splitting it into parts or using hack gravity?

[Callmedave]

There is a method (that i have not tried) of getting a smaller vessel into orbit, saving it. getting your new station to the launch pad, then messing around with the save files to put the station into the position of the vessel in orbit.

or

MOAR STRUTS! MOAR ROCKETS!

[Deadpangod3]

The simple answer is:

MOAR BOOSTERS!!

[SpaceshipFood]

The main problem is that the space station likes to kill itself (tip over and explode as if it was a bomb or something xD)

[Tw1]

How can you get giant space stations into orbit without splitting it into parts or using hack gravity?

Basically, you can't without cheating. But how big are we talking here? If you have the patience, the computer power, and the time to test each stage, you could build a truly massive rocket.

I've seen claims of about 400tons.

I struggled to get a 120 ton thing up there myself. So hard to control, so many struts, so many fuel lines.

If it's tipping over at launch, maybe it's just too heavy for the rocket?

[erendrake]

give you gave us some pictures we would be able to help more

[GROOV3ST3R]

I think it would be more sensible for you to just make large, streamlined sections and connect them with triple docking ports and quantum struts in orbit. Any other approach is just asking for trouble, docking was implemented fora reason you know

[SpaceshipFood]

But I'm bad at docking :/ I have a hard enough time getting into orbit xD

[Tw1]

Practice makes perfect!

(Or drives you crazy.)

[Gniuz]

But I'm bad at docking :/ I have a hard enough time getting into orbit xD

use mechJeb its better than cheating (even tho some would class it as cheating)

G.

[lyndonguitar]

its hard though to build a station in one go, note that you have to put it all, the big station and that means a very big rocket too, in the VAB Editor, and might not have enough space for it.

Right now I am building a very big station in orbit bit by bit, It would take a long time for it to be finished but I'm being very patient about it, doing missions inbetween, etc, etc

Here is my station under construction, two panels are retracted because I just docked a new component, I will deploy them again once the tug(the 3crew command module on the left side) is out

Edited May 9, 2013 by lyndonguitar

[SecondGuessing]

But I'm bad at docking :/ I have a hard enough time getting into orbit xD

Everyone is bad at docking before they start. Check out Scott Manley's docking tutorial and clear an afternoon in your schedule, it'll come eventually.

Edit: ^ What a swatstika-like station you have there.

Edited May 9, 2013 by SecondGuessing

[SpaceshipFood]

and clear an afternoon in your schedule, it'll come eventually.

Im out of school for the summer I'm on the computer all day long

[Spatzimaus]

Basically, you can't without cheating.

So, because YOU can't do it, it must be cheating? Really mature.

The answer, as Deadpangod3 stated, is MOAR BOOSTERS!!!, combined with MOAR STRUTS!!!. You create a large asparagus stack of rockets, and then use struts to hold the payload on top regardless of its shape. This can be done purely with stock parts; before the wipe, there were shots of people making truly ridiculous lifts using dozens of Mainsails on orange tanks. But, if your station has a high part count, it's MUCH easier if you use mods, most notably KW Rocketry; its 3.75m tanks and engines greatly reduce the number of parts you need to get a given capability, without being any more efficient mass-wise.

Here's my own 300-ton station being lifted on my medium-sized booster stack. (My largest stack can lift 500+ tons, but that'd just be silly for a station.) I've used this to lift four stations into Kerbin orbit; it's capable of a 200km orbit, while still having enough fuel to de-orbit the final stack.

That's 13 3.75m stacks. The outer 12 use the Griffon XX engines from KW, the inner one uses the engine from the Jool V mod. (I liked how it looked better.) There were a lot of struts connecting the outer stacks to the station, to keep it stable during the Max Q period, but at the point pictured there was no longer much stress, so it was okay to separate them.

As long as your station is going to be symmetrical, this method works just fine. Or at least, it will work fine until they add a better aerodynamics model, where all of those cross-struts will add much more drag, but that's nothing a few fairings or nose cones can't fix.

[Flixxbeatz]

How can you get giant space stations into orbit without splitting it into parts or using hack gravity?

By having a powerful computer.

Don't ask me why - it's common sense.

[Blackstar]

You create a large asparagus stack of rockets, and then use struts to hold the payload on top regardless of its shape.

I like to build a flat platform out of 2x2 panels at the top of my rocket, then put irregular shaped payloads on top of that (keeping the center of mass balanced) and use struts to hold it in in place. It has the added bonus of giving you lots of convenient places to attach struts from the lower part of the rocket, too, to increase structural integrity. I've even been known to hang drop tanks from the bottom of some of the outer panels if I need more fuel.

Completely un-aerodynamic and would fail horribly in real life, but works great in KSP.

[Xiphos]

use mechJeb its better than cheating (even tho some would class it as cheating)

G.

How can you cheat at a game you play only by yourself?

SpaceshipFood: Check out some videos on docking on youtube. I even made a tutorial (link in my sig) and if you're still having problems there are plenty of mods to help you out. I think hyper edit being the one you'd need although I've never used it, I think you can put a ship anywhere you want. I will say this though, if you tough it out and practice (since you're off school all summer) there is nothing quite like seeing the station you built piece by piece flying above kerbin.

[joppiesaus]

You have 2 choises:

1. Practise docking

2. MOAR ROCKETS!

[Tw1]

So, because YOU can't do it, it must be cheating? Really mature.

Hey mate, please take what I wrote as a whole. It was only eight sentences.

It also depends on what your impression of big is. 200tons? 500tons? 1000tons?

I did go on to describe how you could do exactly what you demonstrated, and build an amazing, gargantuan rocket.

I've only got up to 100 tons so far, because my computer starts to choke at beyond that level.

(Rockets don't work when they're greyed out, and the words "not responding" stay forever at the top of the window.)

BTW, could we see your 500ton lifter? It must be huge!

Edited May 9, 2013 by Tw1

[Plur303]

I took this station up in 1 launch. I even had a probe body on those engine in the last picture. They had enough fuel to burn retrograde for a few seconds and de-orbit so that I didn't put any debris in space. It has 4 ion engines for adjusting orbits.

Also, notice my sweet launch pad lighting system.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Plur303

[leax256]

use mechJeb its better than cheating (even tho some would class it as cheating)

G.

I use mech jeb to help dock, especcially on my livestreams, Do you think it would be fun to watch someone fail at docking for 2 hours for only one part...and there is 10 more?

[Gniuz]

How can you cheat at a game you play only by yourself?

Good question dude. You cheat yourself by using an extra set of rules not initially in the game is the best way I could sum it up I suppose. Like playing solitare and shifting some cards when you get at a dead end your only cheating yourself.

I see mechJeb as an aid anyway.

G.

[lyndonguitar]

Mechjeb is not a cheat, You still need to have a decent rocket and design for it to work and you also need a basic understanding of the game

[Van Disaster]

Docking is a fairly fundamental skill for the game I would wonder what you're going to do with a station without being able to dock with it.

Anyway you can use Hyperedit to put anything in orbit, providing it doesn't collapse on the launchpad. A slightly less hacky way would be to use the Orbital Construction mod which does the same thing, only requires you to "fuel" a construction yard in orbit first so you still have to do launches. That won't help if you can't dock to fuel it, mind.

[SpaceshipFood]

I have hyper edit installed, but im not exactly sure how to use it, so it has been just sitting there in the folder, taking up space...