Welding Torch

[Artie]

Hi there.

So you're in space, docking with a station. Maybe for fuel, or maybe for crew, it doesn't matter. But then disaster strikes! Your keyboard burps, and the ship is sent crashing into the station, tearing off half of the solar panels in the process. And, well, that's it. Without power the station will become uncontrollable and drift forever, almost complete but lacking one vital part. And you watch as the thing you put hours into designing and assembling has to be abandoned to rot- ordoesit?!

My idea is simple (though difficult to implement, I imagine) - give the Kerbalnauts a welding torch. If -when- Stuff Goes Wrong, you can send up a ship with spare parts (or have them already aboard the station), and a Kerbal can install the part by welding it on. Obviously, there would have to be limitations - you couldn't (for example) install anything bigger than the largest solar panel, but you can detach them. Now, a Kerbal could carry over small fuel tanks or power cells to dead ships - just enough to dock them properly, or burn for re-entry. This would allow for proper rescue missions, as well as lessen the need to destroy ships by the Tracking Station. It also enables cargo missions and the need to judge what parts should be sent up, as well as the ability to upgrade stations over time as more parts become available or to use it for more things.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Artie

[DartBoris]

I suggest looking into KAS Mod , it allows to attach-detach some small parts (solars , ladders , batterys , fuel tubes , etc) during EVA. You can have a box with theese spare parts on station or just take them from other ship.

[Artie]

I'll check that out, thanks!

[JiWint]

Also,you can send a spare resources container to your space station,so if you break solar panel,you just take a spare one from container,and just weld it!

[Artie]

Also,you can send a spare resources container to your space station,so if you break solar panel,you just take a spare one from container,and just weld it!

I believe I included that, unless you're talking about KAS (which I doubt, looking at your sig).

[SaturnV]

Sounds great, I also like to see a remove function that kerbonaut can remove broken attached parts (or good ones included too) to balance the vehicle, reduce useless weight, chang lift center, etc.

[stargazer1235]

Sounds like a cool idea, my bet is that the Devs have already taught of this and will bring it in when EVA gets another update. Maybe around the same time that we get payload farrings and stuff.

[sumghai]

Sounds great, I also like to see a remove function that kerbonaut can remove broken attached parts (or good ones included too) to balance the vehicle, reduce useless weight, chang lift center, etc.

Again, KAS allows Kerbals to also "grab" parts off existing vessels.

I recently decided to ditch ISA MapSat in favour of transitioning to damny's new SCANSat, so I scheduled a crewed servicing mission to rendezvous with my satellite. Before I loaded the game, I configured KAS to recongnize the MapSat dish as "grabbable", so that when I went back into the game, Sigdorf Kerman literally yanked the MapSat dish off the sat, carried it onto his back and then attached it my SDHI SMS-based orbital ferry. I then deorbited my ferry, jettisoned the crew to safety and watched as the service module with the MapSat dish attached to it burned up on re-entry thanks to NathanKell's DRE Continued.