Persistent Space Craft

[zpox357]

After playing way too much Space Engineers recently, I was wondering if anyone has any persistent/re-usable vessels floating around their save file?

You know, as in large interplanetary ships that continue to carry crew from planet to planet, never to be disposed of, but rather re-fuelling at orbital stations. How long have they survived for? Have you lost any vessels?

Here is my only modular interplanetary ship; R.S. Tundra.

It was destroyed after only one mission to Duna. Not having enough fuel to return into orbit around kerbin, I had to slam it straight into Kerbin’s atmosphere from interplanetary space in order to save the crew. So, not that successful considering it was meant to be re-usable.

But perhaps more interestingly, does anyone have any persistent shuttles and/or smaller ships? Something like NASA’s shuttle program is what I am getting at here. The way that the game deals with landed crafts sort of limits our ability to build re-usable orbiters that we could potentially become so attached to in a similar way to the five famous orbiters; Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.

Has anyone developed a way of getting round this particular mechanic?

And what’s more, does anyone have any thoughts on perhaps introducing a system allowing for persistent orbiters. A system like this would allow a player to name a specific vessel, and when recovered the whole vessel would become an attachable object in the VAB/SPH, keeping any wear/damage it sustained in flight. This damage could then be repaired by swapping old parts for new ones. When economics are introduced, a player would not have to pay for re-used vessels in the VAB, only the fuel they use and any new parts. Would you benefit from having named ships that could be used time and time again?

Your examples of crafts, stories about them and thoughts/opinions on persistent crafts as a game-play mechanic would be appreciated!

Thanks

[Raikoutrio]

I think that saving vehicles in that sense would be really cool, and i expect something like that will show up once budget is fully implemented. I once had a space craft that was designed to be reusable, but it didn't have enough fuel to get back to kerbin so it ended up being a Laythe station, despite the protests of the crew.

[Spartwo]

PTS:Murphys Law,A craft which lived up to the name was in service for over 15 years until a combination of wear+tear,fighter loss,and becoming outdated left it in need of decommissioning.

And was replaced by Journeys end.

[Hotblack Desiato]

I have a bunch of reusable shuttles on duna for transporting kerbals to and from the surface of duna. they have just enough fuel to land on duna (or other similar sized planets), get the parachutes repacked, and start back to dunas orbit. and I have small unmanned rcs-ships so I can manipulate things at stations (bring a module from one port to another port).

I'm still not sure whether to discard the savegame and restart fresh in 0.23 (with kethane and this fuel line mod) or stay with that savegame.

[RocketPilot573]

I have a ship called the UISS Horizon Comet:

It's currently assigned to my Laythe Space Station as a ship for exploring the other moons of Jool. So far it's lead a mission to Tylo where 2 Kerbals landed, explored with a rover, and then returned to Laythe with all the SCIENCE! I'm not sure what moon to go to next.

[Soda Popinski]

You should watch Scott Manley's Reusable Space Program series. He made a lifter with a docking port on the top, so he could attach various payloads using a combination of Kerbal Attachment System (KAS) and an airship mod. He would spawn fuel tanks, move the airship / tanker over, dock, suck up fuel, and transfer it back to the lifter.

He would launch, often straight up way out of the atmosphere, detach the payload with it's own rocket for attaining orbital speed and fire those, switch back to the lifter as it renters straight down, and pops the parachutes. Switch back to the "payload" and circularize, then switch back and land the lifter back at KSC.

[zpox357]

You should watch Scott Manley's Reusable Space Program series.

Oh yes, I did watch Scott's re-usable series (And was thoroughly disappointed when it ended), but I had completely forgotten about that re-usable lifter! With the help of a few mods, I guess it is possible then.

[RogueMason]

I have a few interplanetary ships in service at the moment. Definitely my favourite method of transporting Kerbals around the system, even if it can be complicated at times.

MSV Libra LBR-030-B:

The Libra class is a science vessel that has been around since 0.17, and this is the third incarnation of the ship (Libra III class science vessel), designed to carry more fuel as well as a lightweight lander. It carries 3 crew and can fly out to Duna or Eve and then back to Kerbin without refuelling. It's a design that I don't think I will be retiring from service due to its reliability.

MSV Enterprise CST-031-A:

The second Constellation class to be commissioned, the Enterprise is the largest and most advanced ship in service, despite lacking the warp drive of the first Constellation class; major design revisions saw the removal of the warp drive as well as the expansion of habitable space and fuel capacity, and as a result, the MSV Constellation CST-052 was decommissioned. The Enterprise is currently standing by for its mission. 9 crew, despite space for 12 Kerbals.

MSV Venturer VNT-050:

The Venturer has flown two missions to Duna and one mission to Dres over its operational life. It is currently uncertain as to what will become of the ship, but it will stand out as being a very good vessel that achieved everything it set out to do. It needed to refuel around Dres before returning home, but it can manage Duna and Ike with ease. 5 crew, despite the capacity for 7.

[Anton P. Nym]

I have nothing so grandiose, but I do have a small fleet of reusable nuclear cargo tugs that ferry crafts and supplies between Kerbin orbit and the Mun and Minmus.

I also have an orbital cargo tug over Kerbin I use to assemble some of my interplanetary missions. (Design stolen from a TV show, of course.)

-- Steve

[dean_k]

Yeah, that is what I've been trying to do for some time (few weeks) now.

What I've built has been mostly failures but I feel that I am getting there progressively.

[Skorpychan]

Those are the basis of my space program. Generic, reusable designs. Saves budget for my wasteful launches!

http://imgur.com/a/uc1J8#0

[smail]

This guy did a really cool reusable space plane using the kerbal attachment system

[Rainbow-Dashie]

I had a "reusable ship" once, it had a kethane refinery, and a small kethane miner/lander. so in theory, it could mine,refine,then fly off, never running out of fuel!

Until it ran out of fuel once it got to the Mun, and the lander broke apart, and the entire thing was then knocked out of orbit by a rouge satalite (and I needed that statalite!)

[_Aramchek_]

I have a fleet of persistent, refuelable planes on kerbin, complete with a large tanker and small refueling truck.

[Giggleplex777]

This was my first interplanetary return ship. It was used to sent Jeb Gilly and back in 0.18. It could have been reused, but it ended up in a polar orbit, so it was abandoned.

This interplanetary ship was used to ferry cargo and crew to and from Duna.

This ship would send Kerbals to Eeloo and back.