Modular Surface Base. Your home away from home.

[Ranger]

I seem to be having some trouble with launching the Comm module. The rest launch fine, and in fact, I have modified the launcher to use as my main launcher for some interplanetary probes. I am using MechJeb to assist in my launches. But just before the first separation when trying to launch the Comm section, it appears to loose control. It appears what happens is it gets a bit top heavy. Maybe I need to start the Gravity Turn later?

[Yalin Hawk]

I'm having the same issues Ranger. Things get real squirrely once the gravity turn starts. It's a combination of the comm antenna acting like a pendulum and all of that weight sitting on the docking port between rover - module. I'd just add some struts to try and stiffen things up.

[Rune]

I seem to be having some trouble with launching the Comm module. The rest launch fine, and in fact, I have modified the launcher to use as my main launcher for some interplanetary probes. I am using MechJeb to assist in my launches. But just before the first separation when trying to launch the Comm section, it appears to loose control. It appears what happens is it gets a bit top heavy. Maybe I need to start the Gravity Turn later?

Well, as I think I said, not my best launcher. Things get quite squirrelly with the first stage, which is why I throttle down a notch as I get over 100 m/s and I don't start the gravity turn until the first stage runs out (at a nice ~10km altitude). After that, things get much more reasonable, though it still wants to roll quite a bit. Make sure you switch controls to the probe! I wouldn't know about mechjeb, since I don't use it, but more struts won't hurt. I haven't been able to substantially increase the rigidity of that docking port connection, though, and I added quite a few compared with the first version (hence the ugly I-Beam cross, nowadays I would do it with small cubic struts). Call it a challenge, I guess... but I just test-flew it to space (again) just to check it's still doable ;P

Edited August 14, 2013 by Rune

[Ranger]

Well, I did try adjusting the flight profile a bit after I made my post, putting off the GT until 10 KM instead of the default 5, and lengthening out the slope, so it does not tip quite so far. I was able to get it past the first booster, but it did loose a bit of control at one point, and either that, or the longer slope made it so that I ran out of boost a bit too soon, and it put me on the nuke at about 50 KM, when it still did not have enough thrust to get me to orbit.

Will go back and look at it again when I get home. If nothing else, I will try it manually (gulp!)

[Rune]

Well, I did try adjusting the flight profile a bit after I made my post, putting off the GT until 10 KM instead of the default 5, and lengthening out the slope, so it does not tip quite so far. I was able to get it past the first booster, but it did loose a bit of control at one point, and either that, or the longer slope made it so that I ran out of boost a bit too soon, and it put me on the nuke at about 50 KM, when it still did not have enough thrust to get me to orbit.

Will go back and look at it again when I get home. If nothing else, I will try it manually (gulp!)

Well, that's the second issue with the booster at work. See, T/W is right on the verge of what will get you to orbit (a common problem with most of my designs, I like to cut things close). I would advise to take your gravity turn real slow, and to never go fully prograde, especially when the nuke starts. In fact, with the nuke I would take a 45º heading. But if you do things right, the second stage will leave you at ~2,000m/s and with an apoapsis of around 70kms, so you should be able to make it. I would say that to make mechjeb understand that you would have to pick a high final orbit but... Good luck on your likely manual try! Take into account you should never go below 20º-30º heading, and you should stick at 45º for a good while after starting the gravity turn, and you will be fine. Yeah, expect lots of steering losses, too.

That, or replace the nuke with a poodle engine for a much reduced in-space delta-v and a much, MUCH easier ride to orbit. Re-strut afterwards, of course.

Rune. Don't be afraid to take the stick! What's the worst that could happen?

[Yalin Hawk]

Rune, as promised, I put up a new post in my Interplanetary Ship thread using .crafts for my own lightly modified versions of your base modules. All credit is yours, and redirected to this thread so people can see your awesome base setup.

Here's a link to my thread so you can check out how your base is getting used.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/43888-IPV-Osiris

[Rune]

Rune, as promised, I put up a new post in my Interplanetary Ship thread using .crafts for my own lightly modified versions of your base modules. All credit is yours, and redirected to this thread so people can see your awesome base setup.

Here's a link to my thread so you can check out how your base is getting used.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/43888-IPV-Osiris

Glad you did! It looks great, and seeing my stuff in a place I haven't put it yet gives me a big grin. It works in Layhte! Just one tiny thing: you Hab module is the shuttle! Which I doubt can lift off from Laythe and make orbit, BTW. But hey, if you want to call it a hab, feel free

Also, I am launching my own base to the Joolian system once I finally make it to the launch window, just using the nuclear stages you took out of the launcher. I will tell you how that goes, because I am not 100% sure I have the delta-v in there to make it, and if I don't, I'll have to design a carrier or something like you did.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Rune

[Yalin Hawk]

I actually didn't modify the shuttle design at all, so if anyone wants that they should just come here for it. My screenies do show the shuttle serving command module duties on Laythe, but later on a hab module did arrive. Must've missed that.

[iDan122]

Your pack is really flawed and I lost 2 hours modifying it and here is why:

1. The Hab launcher is complete sh*t.

2. The rover works until it has power, then it just dies and the seats don't work how you think. Kerbals just ride the rover, they can't control it.

3. The Hab is incredibly hard to land. It is also unbalanced.

Haven't tested the fuel and shuttle but I do hope they won't be even more flawed.

[Rune]

I actually didn't modify the shuttle design at all, so if anyone wants that they should just come here for it. My screenies do show the shuttle serving command module duties on Laythe, but later on a hab module did arrive. Must've missed that.

I missed that on the screenshots, but now that you point it out, I see it's there, just difficult to see. Good job anyhow!

Your pack is really flawed and I lost 2 hours modifying it and here is why:

1. The Hab launcher is complete sh*t.

2. The rover works until it has power, then it just dies and the seats don't work how you think. Kerbals just ride the rover, they can't control it.

3. The Hab is incredibly hard to land. It is also unbalanced.

Haven't tested the fuel and shuttle but I do hope they won't be even more flawed.

Ok, let me address your points:

1. I must tell you that I already warn people that it is not an easy one on the OP. And repeteadly throughout the thread. I believe I end the OP with "not for the faint of heart" pr something like that. Mechjeb can't handle it, as some people have already commented on this thread, but a decent pilot can bring it up no problem. I know, because I have done it a bunch of times. I have already launched three complete bases (that's fifteen launches with the different versions of that "complete sh*t), and that is after I had finished the development and testing phase, that is, with the files that are posted here.

2. The rover has RTG's. If you managed to deplete those, then congratulations, and please tell me how. As to controlling from the seats, obviously you need a kerbal on them, and obviously you need to right click on them and "control from here". If you don't want to, that is why the probe core is there pointing the other way, so you can choose which way is forward.

3. The hab is sufficiently balanced that I can fly it. The center of thrust goes directly through the center of mass, the tanks drain symmetrically, and all that. But if you think I am some short of piloting god, I would refer you to Yalin, which seemed to have no problems dropping one on Laythe. If you still have problems, you could land them already docked to the Comm module in a symmetrical fashion.

So yeah, other than that, the next time you want to qualify something of mine with such adjectives, please don't. It doesn't make you look any wiser, exactly.

Rune. You would think I have an obligation or something, by some comments.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Rune

[iDan122]

1. I don't use mechjeb and I am a good 3-year trained pilot.

2. What are rtg's? Btw I am not that stupid and I put a Kerbal in a seat and clicked control from here and that didn't work.

3. I was landing on the Mun which is really hardcore. When I activate the engines the Hab starts to slightly roll right.

Btw when I press G then only 2 of the landing gears on the rover open.

I will have to send a 3rd rover where I will remove them since they are of no use and only ended up in my two parts docked in a strange way.

I hate your rovers so badly I somehow attached one to my lander, took of with it and dropped it to its demise since it was of no use.

Rune, please make things better next time, I expected more from you

[Rune]

1. I don't use mechjeb and I am a good 3-year trained pilot.

2. What are rtg's? Btw I am not that stupid and I put a Kerbal in a seat and clicked control from here and that didn't work.

3. I was landing on the Mun which is really hardcore. When I activate the engines the Hab starts to slightly roll right.

Btw when I press G then only 2 of the landing gears on the rover open.

I will have to send a 3rd rover where I will remove them since they are of no use and only ended up in my two parts docked in a strange way.

I hate your rovers so badly I somehow attached one to my lander, took of with it and dropped it to its demise since it was of no use.

Rune, please make things better next time, I expected more from you

See the munar base on the OP? Guess what I docked it together it with. Twice. And I landed not one or two hab modules on the Mun, but four overall, because I was testing. I had a much easier time than with, say, the fuel modules, which are much heavier and don't have two cupolas for extra torque. What can I say? I can do it, you should too. Or perhaps I am a better pilot than I give myself credit for (I doubt that very, very much, I have a very healthy ego). I think I actually managed a landing within twenty meters of my target, And I know for a fact I moved one after landing using the engines because I didn't feel like driving the rover for half a kilometer and back. Oh, and none of the landing gear should work when you press G, they are in action group six so you can deploy them without deploying at the same time the landing gear of the module on top. I'm half tempted to make new screenies showing you how I move the base around to a different configuration and the change in control form the seat to the probe, but you know what? I have no obligation. And the more you try to make me feel like I have one, I think the less I will listen. Perhaps if you feel this way you should build your own base and use that, and this is not the craft for you. I guess sorry about that.

Actually, scratch that. You * me enough (I just didn't know what verb to put in there) that I lost a couple minutes driving away the rover from the base, then redocking it. I spent more time flying the kerbal than driving the rover. With control from the probe:

I'm pointing away form the base docking port I have selected. With control form the occupied seat:

I'm pointing towards it, a full 4 seconds later, so I doubt I had time to cheat the pic. Note the 180º change in heading. Big surprise there. Now, I just won't fly another hab just so I can prove to you that you must be doing something wrong. Mostly, because I don't have the time and you don't have the manners.

RTG stands for Radioisotopic Thermal Generator, BTW. A handy nuclear power source that works day and night for decades in real life (i.e: the Curiosity rover), and forever in KSP. You know, the gray cylinder with fins under the utility tab.

Rune. If you hate it, one wonders why you use it. I mean, it's not like either of us is paying the other to do this or something.

Edited August 23, 2013 by Rune

[rottielover]

quick note to say thanks! Have been using these (even with FAR installed), and while the launches were a bit hair raising, I did get all modules in orbit, and I even modified a couple to use on Eve (I know right)....

[iDan122]

I removed the landing gear and now I am decently happy with what I have. I finally docked the Hab and power module correctly(the comm module) thanks to my new rover with solar panels, more Rcs pods and no landing gear. Now everything is a piece of cake. The former rover didn't have any rtg's so screw that, I put the most reliable things in the world-solar panels. Now my 2 rovers sit parked near the base with their backup solar panels deployed. Will post pics soon.

[Rune]

... while the launches were a bit hair raising...

You are welcome! And you can say that again. But I'm calling that a feature, it sure makes for a fun time.

... I even modified a couple to use on Eve (I know right)....

Show some pics! I have yet to see them there, but I'm glad there are no problems landing it. Now only Duna is left to test them in! Probably the most difficult landing, any takers?

Rune. Needs to play more. Since the last post, the clock on my save has moved an "astonishing" 6 hours. Will I get to the Jool launch window in this version?

[iDan122]

My MunBase so far:

My two rovers parked together(the bad one transports crew, the second one moves modules.

A shuttle I made to deliver a rover.

I used it to deliver the rover, then I attached that bad rover to it, took off and dropped it,

docked to my MunStation:

I refueled, a ship with kerbals came, I docked it to the underside of the shuttle and left only the capsule with 2 kerbals and then delivered them down:

Even though this horrid shuttle has 10 units of electric charge, it came in quite handy.

[Rune]

To all those that weren't happy with the way of transporting the modules: try this.

It's way more complicated, uses much more fuel, and look like a gazillion times better.

Rune. I'm calling that more kerbal.

[iDan122]

To all those that weren't happy with the way of transporting the modules: try this.

It's way more complicated, uses much more fuel, and look like a gazillion times better.

Rune. I'm calling that more kerbal.

I want dis plz.

[Rune]

I want dis plz.

Then head over to R-SUV! (link in my sig). Or, you know, the one in the post you quoted...

Rune. Watch out for that hidden blue!

[Blacktiger07]

How do you manage to undock your rover? im clicking at the coupler but once its decoupled, I cant move it. even if I sit in the rover, i move the base object

[Rune]

How do you manage to undock your rover? im clicking at the coupler but once its decoupled, I cant move it. even if I sit in the rover, i move the base object

That's a bit tricky. See, when you have two docked ports, you can only undock one of them, and as luck would have it, in this design it is the one on the rover. Turns out that one is almost completely covered by the trusses, so you have to really fight the camera a bit until you can select that docking port and get the "undock" option on the contextual menu. No need to get the kerbal seated to use it, BTW.

Rune. But version 2.0 is undergoing trials right now, and the new rover is much more awesomer.

[Dakitess]

Looks like I have competition in Modular Base installation

Nice thread, with beautiful crafts ! I like the global organisation.

[Blacktiger07]

Ok I managed to undock from the comm module. but getting underneath the hab (didnt test the others yet) is quite impossible. I think I have a good solution for that. Build the biggest wheels sideways to the modules, but add a decoupler between module and wheel. so you can drive them around the moon and when everything is in position, you just decouple the wheels and we lived happily togheter for the rest of our lives