Mun Base Help

[ThriftyNifty]

I have just recently become a huge fanatic in this game and ive really started to nail how it all works (which was a great thing to add to my resume) And im working on a Mun base, Something that could easily have things added, Rovers, Fuel Deposits Etc with a colony of kerbals on board

But i cant get down a design, a way of connecting all of the components together, a way of landing all the pieces and a way of actually getting them to the mun

I hope some experienced User could help me out because i cant find these things anywhere

[stupid_chris]

You have two choices:

1. You sent your whole base in one go. You design your base in the VAB, then you create a skycrane above it that can land it on the moon and finally you make a launcher capable of getting it into orbit. this is doable, I sent 100t bases to the Mun and Minmus this way.

2. You build a modular base. Start by building your whole base in the VAB, connecting the different pieces with dockingports and you all put them on wheels. Then you save your whole thing, and ditch out everything excepted for the part you want to send. This will probably kill your current root part, so take a probe core and build a skycrane from it and attach the module you want to send under it. Build a launcher under, send your thing to the moon. Once you got it landed, go back to the VAB, take your whole base again and keep another part that was attached to the first part and repeat the process. Then you send it to the moon and roll it all the way to your first module and connect them together. Then you just repeat until you have your whole base on the moon. Subassembly load can be extremely useful here for the launcher/skycrane.

Now boths have their stenghts and weaknesses. The first method requires to build a very strong launcher, which can be hard. Landing a large base can also be tricky. The second is very very long, but requires less trouble with the launcher and landings. Those are the most commonly used ways I guessed, idk if anyone does it eitherway but it's how I usually operate.

Good luck! ^^

[ThriftyNifty]

I see my issue here.....I have no idea about skycranes. Both your scenarios include them and i have never researched these lol

I was trying your second option, but wheels on a Module wasnt working.

With the first idea i wanted this base to be open to extensions, plus i what about center of gravity etc?

[jordanjay29]

A skycrane doesn't have to be as fancy as Curiosity's (if you are familiar with the newest Mars rover's landing mechanism), it's just basically a wraparound rocket to land the base evenly and then detach and take off back into orbit (or sent on a crash trajectory).

Here's one that I made for a rover, to give you a clue.

[stupid_chris]

I see my issue here.....I have no idea about skycranes. Both your scenarios include them and i have never researched these lol

I was trying your second option, but wheels on a Module wasnt working.

With the first idea i wanted this base to be open to extensions, plus i what about center of gravity etc?

Skycranes are really simple. Just put a decoupler on the top of your module, a fuel tank, radial engines, and you got a basic skycrane. And why isn't the module part working? IF the problem is the height, just adjust the wheels in the VAB so they are all on the same level and the docking should be fine. Just find a way to make everything standardized and you should be fine. And else if you want extensions with the first idea, you could simply land separate modules next to the first one.