KevinTMC's Kerbal Station (2 parts, launch instructions included)

[KevinTMC]

I finally got round to putting up my first proper space station around Kerbin...imaginatively named Kerbal Station. Includes necessary control components, supplies of all types of fuel, habitation (i.e. hitchhiker) module, observation module, and science module.

Kerbal Station Core: 32.130Mg, 122 parts payload; 462.572Mg, 346 parts total

Launch profile is simple. Liftoff at full throttle.

Maintain full throttle. Drop first set of SRBs, second set of SRBs, and side-mounted tanks as soon as they empty.

The craft will usually wind up pitching about 10 degrees towards the south; resist the temptation to manually nudge it back towards straight-up flight...it's too easy to separate the stack in these early stages.

As soon as the central, Mainsail stage is activated, throttle back as far as needed (around 3 ticks) to keep the engine from exploding, and immediately begin gravity turn by pitching over to 45 degrees. (The command pod has been rotated for easier crew transfer in orbit, so be aware that the navball may be rotated 180 degrees from what you'd expect.) Most of the involuntary inclination can be corrected for at this time. When apokerb crosses 100km, pitch further down to 10 degrees.

When the Mainsail stage runs out, stage promptly (it may take a few seconds before it lets you), return to full throttle, and keep holding pitch at 10 degrees above horizon. Stop burning when your orbit starts to circularize.

Following these instructions myself just now, I wound up with an orbit of 150km by 120km, with an inclination of just under 3 degrees; 233 units of fuel were left in the X200-32 tank. (That was almost twice as much fuel as I needed to polish off the orbit, circularizing at 150km with 0 degrees inclination. The command pod came home with 76 units still in the tank, and the RCS fuel would have gone untouched if I hadn't burned a unit or two to pull away from the space station. Maybe I should trade some of those radial RCS tanks for a few fins on the lower stages?)

Second part to follow in next post...

[KevinTMC]

Kerbal Station Module: 44.109Mg, 112 parts payload; 495.100Mg, 421 parts total

Launch profile is basically the same as for the station core.

Instead of pitching, however, this craft will spin. There will be a particularly fierce bit of spin right after the Mainsail stage is activated; wait for ASAS/SAS to stop it before attempting to start the gravity turn.

Following these instructions just now, I wound up with an orbit of 165km by 100km, with less than half a degree of inclination; the Jumbo-64 tank was down to 738 units. After rendezvous and docking, it should be possible to transfer enough fuel to leave the Jumbo-64 more than half full at the end of the mission.

Here's a picture of the two pieces docked together (any visible differences are due to this being a slightly different, earlier revision of the station; I was too lazy to go through rendezvous and docking again after removing Kerbal Engineer and Telemachus and refining the craft for upload):

[KevinTMC]

Craft files are available here:

Kerbal Station Core (Stock)

Kerbal Station Module (Stock)

Action groups are the same for both craft:

Abort) Abort Mode 1: Decouple all but return stage; activate engine on return stage and separatrons; shutdown all other engines

1) Toggle solar panels, antennas, scientific instruments

2) Toggle Illuminator Mk1s

3) Toggle Illuminator Mk2s

4) Toggle RCS (on space station payload only)

0) Abort Mode 2: Shutdown engine on return stage and decouple from command pod; deploy chutes

[Frostie2002]

This is awesome dude! I've always wanted a simple but working station just like this one so thanks. One question, what is the part count after assembled in orbit?

[KevinTMC]

This is awesome dude! I've always wanted a simple but working station just like this one so thanks. One question, what is the part count after assembled in orbit?

Great! I hope it's a good starter space station for you. Rendezvous and docking is the tricky part; you may want to make liberal use of quicksaves.

Let me know if anything seems amiss with the craft files. I don't think there's anything too weird about them, but I'm new to sharing these things.

The station should wind up being 234 parts in total.

Edited June 27, 2013 by KevinTMC

[Kerbol Prime]

Nice and simple, I like it.

[SDIR]

Very nice. Is there any possibility you will release some expansion packs for this space station such as a vehicle docking station with multiple sizes of ports, or a refueling connection?

[Frostie2002]

Great! I hope it's a good starter space station for you. Rendezvous and docking is the tricky part; you may want to make liberal use of quicksaves.

Let me know if anything seems amiss with the craft files. I don't think there's anything too weird about them, but I'm new to sharing these things.

The station should wind up being 234 parts in total.

Woah, thats a pretty small part count, Ima put it in space now.

[Frostie2002]

Very nice. Is there any possibility you will release some expansion packs for this space station such as a vehicle docking station with multiple sizes of ports, or a refueling connection?

Yeah! Maybe I could make one and post it and Kevin could put it in the OP?

[KevinTMC]

Very nice. Is there any possibility you will release some expansion packs for this space station such as a vehicle docking station with multiple sizes of ports, or a refueling connection?

I've been thinking about what I might add--since I did leave docking ports available on all prongs of the station except the cupola/observation deck one. Have had some trouble, though, coming up with things the station might actually need.

Yeah! Maybe I could make one and post it and Kevin could put it in the OP?

I'd certainly be interested to see what you come up with.

[Chef]

Fails every time. Idk what i'm doing wrong but it just fails. Cant even get it past the first layer of the atmosphere. I do as your instructions say, "Liftoff at full throttle." I don't turn on SAS/RCS because it breaks the thing mid air. I don't alter it's course at all because as you mentioned "resist the temptation to manually nudge it back towards straight-up flight...it's too easy to separate the stack in these early stages." "As soon as the central, Mainsail stage is activated" I have no idea what this means either xD

Basically this is what I do.

1. Full throttle.

2. Hit Space, launch.

3. Rocket spins and leans over a bit, dunno if it's 10 degrees or south. Hit space, ditch first set of rockets.

4. Watch craft spin back towards straight up, then over facing the ground. *Facepalm.*

I've done the following 4 steps about 10 times now. I get the same results. Any attempt in steering the craft results in losing total control or it snapping apart.

Any advice is appreciated.

P.s. this thing looks dope, kudos on the work, and thanks for the upload!

[KevinTMC]

Fails every time. Idk what i'm doing wrong but it just fails. Cant even get it past the first layer of the atmosphere.

Glad you like the design...I'm sorry it hasn't been working for you! Maybe it's this:

I don't turn on SAS/RCS because it breaks the thing mid air.

SAS should be on; RCS should be off. Have you tried it that way? If you've got both these on, I would indeed expect the hyperactive overcorrecting RCS to tear the stack apart. When I launch it with only SAS on, at full throttle (and of course no time acceleration), it stays together and chugs more or less straight upwards.

As soon as the central, Mainsail stage is activated" I have no idea what this means either xD

I'm referring to the stage where you've finally dropped all laterally-mounted stages (first set of SRBs; second set of SRBs; side-mounted tanks with Skipper engines) and you're running on just the single Mainsail engine. At that point it becomes possible to--carefully--steer, hence the gravity turn.