I've become the US Space Program I think.

[Merinsan]

Sorry to be on topic but I have started putting service stations in orbit around every planet, might do every moon as well if I get bored. They have 300kn of nuclear thrust, 7 orange tanks of fuel, about 6000 mono, space for about 20 kerbals and about 20 docking ports (with lights, 800 power/sec, fuel balancer, kethane mapper, isa mapper, mechjeb 2). I plan on docking any lander/base ships there, draining any spare fuel into the station and then putting down the lander/base which then can redock with the service station to refuel or kerbals can catch a lift on the cruise liner that will do tours of the Kerbolar system going from service station to service station and then shuttle back to KSC. A rockomax x200-32 gives about 1300Dv for the station and a 1 minute burn gives about 110Dv with the 300Kn of thrust. For such a large thing it moves very gracefully. I put the large heavy fuel mass in the middle so the ends spin around that, don`t even need to use RSC to turn. Currently I am doing a burn to Duna for the first station.

Now to build about 10 of them and a space pleasure cruise liner.

I'm doing a similar thing. I didn't bother with a station around Jool, but I got one around Laythe. My stations are capable of holding way more fuel than the computer can handle. The ideal design would be 16 orange tanks and 36000 litres of monoprop. The core has a total of 38 docking ports, but only room for 6 Kerbals (it's a fuel depot). I still have to put one around Eeloo and most moons.

I'm also planning for good bases everywhere. I've come up with a nice modular design that works well and deployed it on the Mun and Minmus. I plan to deploy it on other planets too - the initial colonies on Laythe, Duna and Eve will be obsoleted. The one on the Mun has a capacity for 32 Kerbals so far. Also, I'm planning a return ship for Eve, which I expect to take a while to achieve.

[SmallChange]

Hey Moon Goddess

I'm kind of in the exact same place as you, and I;ve found it's because I prefer the design part of the game as opposed to the missions. My room mate is the opposite, not really caring about the rocket as long as it will get his colony to Jool etc.

I've found I've added PLENTY of hours of play by getting into and messing around with space planes. It's a whole different kettle of fish, with all new design problems.

[Shiftyeyesshady]

I've been trying to perfect my Universal Tug Idea for a craft. The idea is to have a reusable craft that never returns from orbit. It's job is merely to tow payloads anywhere in the system. It carries generic payloads that I call "Pills" directly behind it and is powered by a pair of Nukes, efficiency over speed and all that. It's really making me wish there was a larger stock docking port though, and that they were more stable.

Right now if I have several pills attached in a row, the thing wobbles terribly.

[Payload]

Use Quantum struts. It works for me. Just never allow a Quantum Strut to attach to the Small Cubic Strut or the Small Octagonal Strut. You actually should never use those two parts unless you absolutely have to. They are kind of buggy in general.

[The Jedi Master]

If it makes you feel better, I'm starting to get a little NASA-ish, too.

[leax256]

By Jool, I've never built anything anywhere near that big. 7 orange tanks? I'm happy when I can get 1 orange tank in orbit with fuel still in it.

Though the idea of a Kethane mapper on a station in orbit is not something I had thought off, I tend to put it on a probe so that I can put it on high inclination and a station on 0 inclination. Doesn't matter I've crashed both the mining rigs I've sent to Mun, I tend to over build them.

I may heve used mods but I was able to get 13500 fuel units into orbit...around the mün