[Wayfare 365] - Skyshack space station and Munshine IB lifter!

[Wayfare]

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Awesome rockets for awesome people!

NOTICE: 'Wayfare 365' Anniversary ships have not been tested as thoroughly as our main-line craft. Although they are functional, they are nowhere near as reliable, efficient or sexy as the stuff in our main catalog. They're good fun to fly though!

Introduction

Yay us - we're 1! To celebrate one year of Wayfare Aerospace, Engineering & Kitchen Appliances, we raided the office of our Improbably Dangerous Experiments Agency (IDEA) for some designs that never quite made it to the point of release. Here's the revised Skyshack, and the Munshine IB launcher with a Munshine V CSM on top. Based roughly on the Skylab space station that splattered itself all over the Australian outback, Skyshack is a very simple space station. It has a couple of free docking ports, spacious crew accomodation, a buttload of solar arrays and really not much else. The original Skylab did a lot of very valuable SCIENCE! and featured the very first mutiny in space. The reason we never re-released the Skyshack is because it doesn't do much useful in KSP. That said, the process of moving the solar telescope from its launch position to its final configuration is pretty fun and satisfying - and this guy's been bugging us about it for a while now

Download the craft here:

(Right-click and "save as")

Skyshack Pack - Skyshack station and "Munshine IB" in one handy zip!

Action Groups

1. Toggle solar panels (on both craft).

Pictorial Mission Report

The Skyshack rides atop our Munshine VI 22-ton launcher. Sorry Halsfury, I really tried to build a Skylab-analogue that would justify a Munshine V launcher but damn - space stations are light! Still, this lightweight is almost as tall as the launcher itself because of the upper portion. Rest assured that the puny 17-ton mass of the Skyshack means the launcher flies straight and true.

Once in orbit, you may need to transfer electricity from the Skyshack battery to the launcher's control core so it has enough juice to de-orbit. This works just like a fuel transfer: ALT-right click the components in question and transfer the electricities around.

Once the Skyshack is in a good orbit, undock the solar telescope and reposition it to the dorsal docking port. That's the one that won't obstruct the crew hatches.

Hit Action Group 1 to deploy all those solar panels. The profile now matches the real thing! Well, it would it they hadn't ripped off one of the solar panel arms during launch...

Next up, it's the Munshine IB with a Munshine V CSM on top. It has plenty of fuel to make rendezvouz with the Skyshack even if you don't get an optimal launch window.

Dock it like it's hot. The CSM should have plenty of fuel left to bring the crew back for a safe de-orbit, and a new crew can be brought up by launching another Munshine IB. Way cool - you have a space station!

Edited October 12, 2013 by Wayfare

[Commander Zoom]

Very cool! I especially like the way you did the 'wings'.

[Daishi]

Aww you beat me to uploading my Skylab analogue

Looks awesome though, can't wait until 0.22 gives us a way to utilize all that solar electricity. Mmm science

[Wayfare]

Cheers folks! I'm fairly happy with how it turned out - the "nacelles" give it a bit more bulk to emulate the dimensions of the Skylab and the process of positioning the solar telescope is pretty fun. Sure, Skyshack doesn't actually do anything - though it could make a neat orbital Kerbin observatory once SCIENCE! is implemented and the station placed in an inclined orbit to cover as many different biomes as possible. And while the Munshine IB is wildly overcomplicated for a 14-ton launcher I do like the way that first stage engine cluster turned out. Plus it's just fun to release these silly things that have been gathering dust in the VAB for so long

[Requiem762]

Sweet! What is the maximum altitude the csm can hot and still make a rendezvous?