space stations around other planetary bodies

[Stilgar2300]

When you put a space station around anything other then kerbin how do you go about it. I just put a Münar station in orbit by building it in lko then moving it. Is it easier to build it in orbit of the target body?

[Captain Sierra]

Depends. Larger stations, yes. Space stations are typically not meant for transit. I always assemble in target orbit. Within the Kerbin system, it's super easy to get the pieces there. Now, going to places like Lathe, you'd best just ship it pieces. All in all, it's typically easier to build on site rather than ship the station to the planet due to the instabilities of trying to move a space station.

There is a special case where the space station is designed as an interplanetary ship and gets reconfigured into a space station. In this case (which i have only ever done once, and it isn't easy, though very rewarding), you want to do LKO assembly.

[Seret]

Yep, I reckon it's much easier to send them from Kerbin orbit out to the destination, then dock them together there. I'd use a space tug for this. A single tug with a pair of LV-Ns should be able to move all your station parts anywhere in the system and dock them together pretty efficiently. I always have at least one of my Space Tractor tugs in orbit for this kind of work. They get worked to death, and have paid off the cost of lifting their heavy LV-Ns out of Kerbin's gravity well many times over.

Any largish station that's built to be moved in one piece would also have to be quite long and spindly, which means it would suck at rotating to be docked with. I'd rather build a station that's optimised for docking than for transit between planets.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Seret

[FlamedSteak]

Yep I always build at the target. You're limiting yourself building in LKO as you have to consider how you're going to move it.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Build at the target. Space stations aren't usally the most structaly sound.

[Epthelyn]

If it's a small station it's much easier to build in LKO and then provide some method of propulsion to push it to wherever it needs to be. That way you save time on multiple interplanetary transfers (you could send them all in one window, but that's more complicated than sending a single vessel) for each part.

If it's a larger station you're probably going to want to build it where it will be, even if that means having to get a dozen pieces of space station out to wherever. Large space stations are rarely capable of remaining perfectly stable when not moving (unless you have quantum struts, or that mod which makes part joints stiffer). Additionally, if you build a massive station in LKO you will no doubt suffer from some loss of framerate, so it'll take longer to do the transfer burn to your destination once all the pieces are combined.

In general, build at the destination, even if just for the sake of having a different planetary backdrop to your construction site

[Scotius]

Yep, I reckon it's much easier to send them from Kerbin orbit out to the destination, then dock them together there. I'd use a space tug for this. A single tug with a pair of LV-Ns should be able to move all your station parts anywhere in the system and dock them together pretty efficiently. I always have at least one of my Space Tractor tugs in orbit for this kind of work. They get worked to death, and have paid off the cost of lifting their heavy LV-Ns out of Kerbin's gravity well many times over.

Any largish station that's built to be moved in one piece would also have to be quite long and spindly, which means it would suck at rotating to be docked with. I'd rather build a station that's optimised for docking than for transit between planets.

Yup. I used the same method building my Science Space Station around Moho. Three Interplanetary Transport Vessels hauling parts of the station over three consecutive transfer windows. And then the horror\russian roulette of "Do i have enough fuel to get captured into orbit or not?" x 3 I made it...only to discover assembled station to be a crippling lagfest of epic proportions. Luckily one of tugs was still around, so i've unplugged one of modules, and carried it into different orbit.

Here it is, with a ITV still attached. (Parts are from KSP Interstellar mod):

[Themohawkninja]

Minmus stations are quite easy due to the low orbital velocity, which allows for very low dV maneuvers to have great effect.

That being said, you still have to add on the extra dV on the rocket just to get to the other body in the first place.

[gazn1]

Usually if I have a fairly small space station I just fly it from kerbin orbit to mun or minmus but anything larger I assemble around the desired planets orbit.

Atm I am constructing a large space plane around the orbit of kerbin at around 2,500km I would say its around 500ft long and is sturdy and does not wobbly one bit and looks like something out of battlestar Galactica but has taken me ages like 10 hours to get all pieces up there.

[Motokid600]

[quote=Scotius;889049

http://i.imgur.com/mc25d5V.png

[SkyRender]

Usually my stations are built from multiple launches no matter where they're set up.

This particular one around Duna was built from the various functional parts of 6 launches sent up to Duna for a full-scale mission.

[Motokid600]

Why so many batteries? Atleast they look like batteries..

[Stilgar2300]

So here it it, Munar Expedtion 1

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=nz2feh" target="_blank"><img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/nz2feh.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

I sent it in three separate launches and docked them in munar orbit. Now i just have to build a kethane extractor and refinery.

[lucusloc]

Those habitation/Cygnus looking modules on the back.. Ksp interstellar?

yes, the look like KSP I science modules.

[Scotius]

yes, the look like KSP I science modules.

Yessir 8 of them, plus 10 AI Cores. Third segment of the station would raise number of laboratories to 12. Unfortunately with all segments assembled lag was unbearable. I've disconnected that part, and towed it into lower orbit.

[SDEngineer]

My usual orbital station is semi-modular, but generally assembled in Kerbin orbit at around 850km and then flown intact to the desired planet using a very high dV tug.

Typically, it's a core 70t station (1 orange fuel tank, a large RCS tank, 3 hitchhiker modules, 1 cupola, arms for smaller docking ports/solar panels, and additional large docking ports for later expansion and fuel storage). Generally add 2 additional orange fuel tanks in orbit to two of those docking ports, giving a total station mass of about 150t. Once there, I dock my heavy interplanetary tug (1.5 orange tanks of fuel + 8 NERVA engines in a skycrane format) to the top of the station, which brings the mass up to about 240t.

The interplanetary tug gives nearly 4000 dV without touching the fuel in the station, which from an 850km assembly orbit around Kerbin is enough to get it most places (Duna, Eve, Moho, etc). Haven't found anywhere that tug couldn't get that core station yet, although I've yet to put stations into orbit around the Joolian moons, but clearly, given the 3 orange tanks of fuel on the station, it should be able to be put anywhere given use of the station fuel. As most of the station is a single piece (except for the two side orange tanks), and the tug is in a skycrane "pull" configuration, it's actually pretty stable to fly to other planets without much wobble at all. Generally I ditch the tug into the planet when it's done, but if you really want to reuse it, it'd be very easy to return it to Kerbin orbit after placing the station.

[ComradeGoat]

I build them in LKO, sticking the components on the end of a tug with a bunch of NERVAs, held together with clamp-o-tron seniors, stick a couple of small RCS tugs with ASAS modules at strategic points for stability, and reassemble it at the other end.

[spikeyhat09]

i built a mun station by just sending up the core and then attaching modules like a normal kerbin station, and for my joolian station i constructed in orbit and sent it all at once

[Brotoro]

I sent the core of my Laythe station (basic habitat/control modules, with a little fuel storage and LOTS of docking ports) on its own transfer tug. The Laythe crew arrived and attached their interplanetary transfer ship to the station. It has continued to grow over time as other tugs have left tanks attached and dropped off any excess fuel, and various rescue vehicles have arrived that need to be stored in orbit. It got pretty laggy, so now some orbital assets are stored in separate orbits.

It's mostly a fuel depot for spaceplanes or SSTO rockets that come up from the surface.

[bsalis]

I just use single piece stations. Much easier, and more robust.

[SkyRender]

Why so many batteries? Atleast they look like batteries..

Actually, those are life support containers. I sent that station up during the time when TAS Life Support only held 6 hours' worth of life support per "day" listed on the containers. Ergo I had to add 4 times more containers than I would have otherwise.

[Umlüx]

i built my jool station in kerbin orbit and shipped it fully assembled.

with the kerbal attachment system, you can strut everything together in space with an eva kerbal. this way, even complex builds hold together.

the only thing was... i forgot a probe core on the transfer stage, now my debris free savefile is contaminated

[bigdad84]

I have built Mun and Duna stations in LKO and then shipped them out. I tend to design my station in the SPH and figure out where the CoM will be when it's fully constructed and attach a tug to make it stable. I think Duna/Mun/Minmus/Eve are the only planets I would ship stations fully built to. Other than that modules would be shipped separately.

[katateochi]

The stations that I've built around other planets have usually been shipped out as a large single craft, but they where "flat-packed" and then assembled into the station configuration on arrival. In some cases I've assembled several modules in flat-pack form in LKO and then done the transfer as a single craft which was more balanced for travel than a station would be. Once I get them to the target planet I use an RCS tug to move the bits into position to form the station.

[ZingidyZongxxx]

I don't really see the point in building a space station around Kerbin anyway, now that I think about it. I've built plenty of them, but I've never really had a use for them other than looking cool.

Space stations around other planets allow you to refuel when there is actually a need of refueling. In Kerbin orbit, it usually easier to just launch another ship or a temporary refueling ship.