Do you even Spacestation?

[LarryWallwart]

I have over 130 hours in the game, but still haven't taken the time to rendezvous, so I'm pretty limited when it comes to space stations. .

with Mechjeb, rendezvous is simple. match orbit plane, warp to close point, match velocity, target tar+, accelerate, match velocity, tar+, accelerate.....

[acrain116]

I usually send up several small parts just to avoid the lag of launching giant launch systems. I'm currently working on putting together a large hexagonal station with refueler stations on every leg. It floats around near Minmus' orbit for interplanetary refueling. Still in the middle of construction because it takes forever :/

[jedensuscg]

My first station was just a single lift affair and was meant as a refuel point for future missions. It was launched with just enough fuel in the storage tanks to decrease the TWR to achieve stable orbit.

It was also my first attempt at docking. It was made with early career components, hence why it looks to spartan (no unfolding solar panels) and was made with a combination of stock, KW rocketry, Procedural Fairings and KAS components.

The Alaska Orbital Refuel Station in VAB sans fairings. Note the high Delta-v is because the fuel in the storage tanks are being calculated, but I wanted to get into 100k orbit with as much as that as possible, so save on fueling missions.

Docked with the Kodiak Replenishment Vehicle

[lucusloc]

I kinda stopped building stations when I could not get them as large as I wanted. It gets old after spending 30 min after rendezvous to actually dock the part because of lag, only to relies that the next part will be impossible to dock because of the lag. Maybe KSP Interstellar will give me reason to build small stations again, but anything less than 3 docked parts I consider a satellite, not a station.

[merendel]

I tend not to make long duration stations asside from the ocasional fuel depot. I'll sometimes make a LKO fuel depot consisting of a dozen orange tanks or so (normaly launched in pairs) so I can refule interplanitary bound ships if needed. these are normaly unmaned stations however as theres no point in sending up a crew.

I do make heavy use of assembling larger vessles in orbit but I dont really count that as station building. Normaly I'll send up the drive core of the ship as one launch. the mission specific payload(s) get sent up and docked on, and then as many launches as needed to send up the required fuel for the mission. the drive core tends to stay the same from mission to mission as I designed it to be modular enough that I can hang quite a few orange tanks off it without too much difficulty.

[SkyHook]

with Mechjeb, rendezvous is simple. match orbit plane, warp to close point, match velocity, target tar+, accelerate, match velocity, tar+, accelerate.....

So, you are new here I am guessing? People HATE mechjeb. Mentioning it will most likely derail the thread. Like right now. Although i recommend watching what it does so that one could copy it to get the gist of it.

[zeppelinmage]

I've built one station so far. I pre-assembled the whole thing in the VAB, then broke it up into modules for orbital docking. Took 8 launches to get it all up there.

It doesn't really have any sort of set "purpose", other than a proof-of-concept/ability. It does have a Science lab and a refueling boom though, so it can be used for those purposes.

Only mods I use are KER and Alarm clock... which don't really help in this case. I used to have Lazor installed, but after early docking successes, I realized I really didn't need it, so out it went.

[Armchair Rocket Scientist]

My station-building technique is as follows: use relatively small modules (the one I'm building right now has components ranging from <1 ton airlocks to the heavier habitation and service modules at 8 tons), with minimal part count (the station is only at 156 parts, with about 20 of those being the crew transport docked there, and it's already lagging). Each module is launched to a few hundred meters from the station by its carrier rocket, then performs the final docking with a disposable RCS-powered tug, which later deorbits and burns up in Kerbin's atmosphere.

[regex]

I do even spacestation but, like a few others here, I think they're pretty useless. I usually build a small one as a fuel depot when I start a new game, though.

[Ravenchant]

Normally I think about what the purpose would be first, then... pretty much build the general layout in the VAB and send it up piece by piece, yes. Though the procedure does vary, since I've only built three so far There's a small disposable maneuvering tug attached on each launch, better than putting RCS and probe cores on each module.

The downside with this approach is that there need to be at least 2 ports on each module, one for attachment and the other for the tug. There has been more than one occasion when I forgot this and had to practice impromptu "reverse docking"... meaning: rotate the payload so the tug sits between it and the station, line up very carefully at about 10-20m, begin closing in, then undock your payload, get the hell out of the gap before the tug is crushed between the two ports and hope that they manage to get close enough for magnets to pull them together.

It's quite scary to watch

[relin]

KSP has become a station simulator for me. I enjoy the challenge of designing general-purpose modules and building them like enormous LEGO creations I used to build when I was a kid. They're currently useless unless you either RP or use some challenge mods, but I still have fun making them.

My latest station, a true fuel depot in LKO. Took me 11 separate launches:

[Jouni]

I build my stations from standardized components. Here is one I built at work when I had a lot of 30-minute experiments to run and could not concentrate on anything useful during them.

The core has solar panels, batteries, some fuel, four large docking ports for modules, and a normal docking port some distance away for hazardous things. The modules are a habitation module, a science module, a docking hub for small spaceplanes, and a standard tanker. Most of the modules were launched with a small disposable tug for the final approach and docking. Launching the docking hub was a bit silly, as the payload was taller than the launch stage.

In the "hazardous things" docking port, I have a medium-to-large adapter (delivered by the tanker), a long distance transfer module, and a partially succesful experiment with R.A.P.I.E.R. engines that flies like a brick.

[AlamoVampire]

Well, these pics are my current station from various angles

[Brotoro]

I have built space stations. The main use I've found for them is as refueling stations. I also use them for attaching things I need to keep in orbit (such as rescue ships around other moons/planets), just so there are fewer ships wandering around in orbit -- so I have lots of docking ports. I avoid the common "lots of solar panels" design because a couple RTGs serve my power needs of my stations just fine.

[Pecan]

So, you are new here I am guessing? People HATE mechjeb...

Not me. I'm testing, tweaking and improving a set of launch vehicles which means 20 - 30 launches per day real time. MechJeb flies the same path meaning I can (read a book and) verify the effect of the changes without worrying about my flying being inconsistent. [Granted, a particular gravity turn might not suit all payload mass/TWR launches, but if that's what I'm optimising then at least I know MJ will fly what I tell it to]. Agreed that you're 'better' if you can do it yourself but like the thread on doing all the maths by hand; there's no point in doing the grind as long as you know how it works.

But then I'm new here too. And wouldn't trust a pilot/plane that didn't trust the autopilot in real life.

[Demon_82]

I do space stations in every single savegame I start. Even the simple "I will test some weird contraptions here, away from the serious save" ends up with a space station. Most of them for no purpose other than making them, altough sometimes i stick a tank of fuel or two, just in case. It gives me something to do in LKO rotating the crew and sending service modules for IonCross life support... I have no respawn option, and I already have too many Kerbal deaths on me xD

[Tomo2k]

In .23 they do finally have a stock purpose - the Lab module.

I suspect that in the future there will be other modules that are worth putting in orbit around a moon or planet to gain more SCIENCE!! with fewer missions.

My most ambitious station had a fundamental flaw unfortunately - turns out you simply cannot dock more than 3 docking ports simultaneously.

Which made this guy impossible to finish properly:

Since then I've mostly assembled stations around Kerbin before sending them to live around other planets as fuel bowsers, science stations etc.

[Genolution]

I just launched the first piece of my fuel depot. I'll launch the other half tomarrow.

[SkyHook]

Not me. I'm testing, tweaking and improving a set of launch vehicles which means 20 - 30 launches per day real time. MechJeb flies the same path meaning I can (read a book and) verify the effect of the changes without worrying about my flying being inconsistent. [Granted, a particular gravity turn might not suit all payload mass/TWR launches, but if that's what I'm optimising then at least I know MJ will fly what I tell it to]. Agreed that you're 'better' if you can do it yourself but like the thread on doing all the maths by hand; there's no point in doing the grind as long as you know how it works.

But then I'm new here too. And wouldn't trust a pilot/plane that didn't trust the autopilot in real life.

Could not have said it better myself. I cannot tell you how many times I have exited the atmosphere and I enjoy watching it almost as much as I do flying it. Besides, my craft only become more fickle and require exacting flight. I am a builder and there is nothing like when a plan comes together! That said, mechjeb shouldn't be a substitute for lack of skillset. That leads to lithobraking and being lost in space

[rdude71]

DELETE ME

Edited December 15, 2021 by rdude71

[AlamoVampire]

I both use and LOVE and RELY HEAVILY on mechjeb. it is a valued asset to my game play experience, as it provides valuable information and will babysit long burns for me, OR, if I leave this game alone during the night, will perform any and all maneuver nodes for me while I sleep, so long as that fine beast called the Kraken allows safe passage lol.

[Tripzter]

Yes, I space station (fully stock, no mechjeb)

Edited January 22, 2014 by Tripzter

[TNM]

Since the update (0.23) i do space stations again, the performance is better. I do them only with my "realism-save" to see how difficult it is to maintain your expanding space empire, meaning ressources are involved. They get buld "modular", also a challenge as you don't "overbuild" stuff (time consuming).

The challenge is not just the space station, its more the maintenance and planning involved for infrastructure in space, thats the part that also interests me in RL. Now, if we only had a "degradation mod" )

Edited January 22, 2014 by TNM

[Umlüx]

maintainance is something i'd like to get into with too. maybe some sort of life support mod so i have to fly some resupply missions. or changing station personal every x weeks/months.

[AlamoVampire]

Yes, I space station (fully stock, no mechjeb)

<picture snip for space>

does not matter if you used mechjeb or not, I personally find it invaluable, with out it, the below would NOT be possible, as it is well, unruly during powered ascent:

My newest station the Kerbal Orbital Science Complex. It is a work in progress, so here are its post launch stats:

Has 2 science labs

22 docking ports <clamp-o-tron>

4 HH-125-C Insulated Fuel tanks

16 Gigantor XL Solar Arrays

4 OX-4L 1x6 Photovoltaic Panels

12 FL-R25 RCS Fuel Tanks each with 100 units RCS Fuel for 1200 Units RCS Fuel total

4 Communotron 16 Antennas

4 Comms DTS-M1 Antennas

On orbit Part Count: 171

Current On Orbit Weight: 41.87 Tons

Currently in a 45 Degree Inclination in a 302KMx293KM Orbit

16030 Electrical Charge at full charge

4608 Liquid Fuel at Full

5632 Oxidizer at Full

On the Pad

During initial Ascent into Orbit

Jettison of Explosive Bolt/Strut system, prior to Orbital Operations Motors and tanks being jettisoned

Watching the Explosive Bolts/Strut system and Orbital Operations Motors and tanks drift away

Medium Range Overview of the Kerbal Orbital Science Complex

A Closer Overview of the Kerbal Orbital Science Complex