just wanted to show off my minmus mining base

[psyper]

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[Commissioner Tadpole]

Wow. Looks complicated(though that may be due to the fact that I'm not a Kethane expert).

Great job!

[SpacedCowboy]

That looks pretty sweet. Looks like you've pretty much covered all the bases. (no pun intended) I was wondering, don't you have to have a drilling rig? You are running the kethane mod right? I've always kind have been a "no mods" guy, however as of late I've been considering the kethane mod. It sounds like it could add a fun element to the game, plus help my interplanetary missions (seeing I don't have any) Could I bother you for just a thumbnail sketch on what the kethane mod is all about? You know, a few pros and cons, recommendations etc. I know I could just go watch a video, but I'd like to hear it from some one who's currently involved with it. Thanks, and if you don't respond I'll just go watch that video!

[zaky133]

This should be in the Spacecraft Exchange section, but awesome job anyway

[kinnison]

With the llow gravity for minmus, i really don't see a need to have a permanent surface base. I got a miner/refinery that lands at about 40tons dry, and can take off with 3 full red tanks, and two full kethene tanks with "wet" mass of 228tons a TWR of over 2.3 with just four Nerva engines

But keep working on it. it is always fund to create things and have a project you take pride in

[psyper]

@SpacedCowboy - I'm at work at the moment so can't do screenshots but I'll do a close-up of the miner that you see in some of the photos in my first post but I'd love to do a how-to on kethane. Its quite complicated until you actually create a miner that works and then its like - well that was pretty simple. I've been working on a more complicated version as the author of the mod has created an API which enables you to customise the resources needed and how they convert in to different materials!!

@kinnison - I wanted to do a permanent settlement for my kerbals - I have over 10 kerbals in space and not a single one has returned home (although I can construct a ship which can bring them back from LKO and they have vessels which can bring them to LKO from their various locations) - in my story arc kerbals always believed they belong in space to when they leave kerbin they pretty much know they are never going back - even if its to spend the rest of their lives in LKO or travelling to and from minmus with fuel!! I might do a 'where are my kerbals now' post later!! So all in all the base would be there even without the kethane mod. I'm planning a Duna base once the transfer window comes up and also have plans for a settlement on Lathe when I build up some more experience.

[WhiteKnuckle]

I've always kind have been a "no mods" guy, however as of late I've been considering the kethane mod. It sounds like it could add a fun element to the game, plus help my interplanetary missions (seeing I don't have any) Could I bother you for just a thumbnail sketch on what the kethane mod is all about? You know, a few pros and cons, recommendations etc.

Kethane is the only mod I'm running at the moment, if nothing else it's fun because it gives you something to do once you start traveling to other planets.

The breakdown is pretty simple. You have sensors to detect kethan deposits, drills to mine the kethane, storage tanks to hold it, and then a converter than can turn it into any of the basic fuel types.

My first manned mission to Duna used a lander that detached from my interplanetary engine stage, parachuted down onto a deposit, mined and converted the kethane to fill up it's fuel tanks. Then I took off using that fuel, docked with my interplanetary stage, transferred the fuel over, ditched the lander and flew home.

It was probably a lot more work doing it that way rather than just taking extra fuel in place of all the mining equipment... but it was cooler too.

[psyper]

You'll need a satellite which has one or more detectors on it - the more detectors you have the less likely it is to skip an area of the ground when you timewarp. You bring it in to an orbit - if you're only interested in deposits around the equator bring it in to there if not try and get a polar orbit so you cover all the ground without having to change your inclination - only works for non tidally locked objects! Once you scanned a location with a lot of kethane (it will cover several hexigons but they all count as one deposit) you need to land a miner.

This is mine:

It has from bottom to top - two radially mounted drills on either side of a kethane tank, a kethane converter, a fuel tank and an rcs tank, and large solar arrays with a large battery - this thing takes a lot of energy so don't land when its dark (I'm getting a solar/battery array built for this complex soon).

The hoeses you see are part of the KAS mod - I use that one quite a lot as it enables me to add extra parts to the base!

[psyper]

duplicate!

[SpacedCowboy]

Hey , thanks for the info so far, and hope you can do that "How to" thing! I'm sure besides me, there are many others that would appreciate it. For now I have one quick stupid question, (Actually, I've got a lot.) How does one go about getting that mod? I thought it was in the "Space Port", went there and didn't see it. Maybe I missed it? Just like I missed seeing those drills on your rig! (too many ginger ales)

[SpacedCowboy]

Thanks for the quick descript., and the pep talk. Your'e right, it was "cooler"! Hey, I asked psyper how to get that mod, but just in case he can't get to it, I'm asking you too. Thanks again

[psyper]

Kethane isn't in the spaceport - I personally hate using it as its very 'busy' and hard to find anything on there.

Best place I go to is the mods and plugins library post here on the forum:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55401-Community-Mods-and-Plugins-Library

Just download the mod and if memory serves me right it has a gamedata folder in the zip and you just copy and paste the contents of that in to the gamedata folder on your game folder, fire up ksp and you should see little green tiles on kerbin in the menu screen.

I really need to do a youtube series along the line of scott manleys one - i was asked on reddit on a how-to to land at the same spot when i do my docking with the mining base!!

[psyper]

Added two new additions to the mining operations:

I built a garage with a solar panel roof! Has a winch with a docking port connected to it - just roll up a rover and then drop down the docking port and connect then dock. volia I can recharge and refuel the rover.

And a solar array! Seen these in a few Mars missions IRL so I thought I'd add it in just for cosmetics. It hides a large amount of batteries which is the real reason its here so I can fully power my Kethane operations without sunlight.

[N8.8]

Looks amazing, good job!

[Landge]

Nice base. Love the shed idea! I'm new to using Kethane Pack myself. Played mostly stock though I've tried MapSat and ScanSat. I may look into downloading KAS as an option.

Here's what I came up with... Overview of my base...

My K2 Rig comes with a 2 seat rover that can redock if needed by raising a few of the rig's landing legs for covered parking

Since I used part clipping to get the Hitchhiker module attached, intended as an Operations Control Room of sorts, I self imposed a 2 Kerbal occupancy limit.

A smaller robotic K1 rig is in the background. Both rigs can return to orbit and dock to bring fuel to orbiting craft.

Fuel Truck w/ VTOL capabilities to provide ground based refueling.

And semi-permanent housing, also VTOL capable, as living quarters for the field crew...

[FuzzyLlama]

SpacedCowboy, the thread that the modders keep updated (with links to their Spaceport page and their other mirror) is at: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/23979-Kethane-Pack-0-8-4-Find-it-mine-it-burn-it!-Now-w-Toolbar-Critical-bug-fixed

[SpacedCowboy]

Okay, a thousand thanks! I got the kethane pack and it's up and running. So right now I'm in the 'slack-jawed and drooling' phase. Looking at your little installation here makes me feel like a caveman looking at a wheel and wondering what to do with it! How in the hell did you get the garage and solar array there!? Dude, you really need to make that video! Needless to say, I am impressed.

[mellojoe]

Great thread! Congrats on the Minmus base. Looks great. I, too, have just started with the Kethane mod. I love the idea and the doors that it can open. I've been running test missions, but I just landed my first large drilling rig on the Mun last night. And just like you, I found the KAS mod to be brilliant addition as well. It makes it feel more like a real fuelling station, with hoses and all that. Plus, docking things already on the ground is a pain in the butt. I've done it before on some other missions and I'm just kind of tired of it. All the inconsistency of suspension and terrain and nothing ever lines up properly. KAS is a great addition.

I'm doing very basic stuff on mine. Drilling rig on the Mun. And then for now a shuttle with a converter in order to land, refuel, and return. Next step will be putting a larger station in orbit as a refueling station. Eventually we'll use this to make a single ship capable of travelling to distant worlds, scout resources, land, refuel, and continue on the journey.

[psyper]

@Landge: your mining rig is awesome. I especially like the fuel truck with the docking port crane thing - pretty cool invention without the KAS attachments.

@mellojoe: I'm planning to build another mining base on ike for my duna operations and hopefully on one of the easy moons of Jol for Laythe operations - the fuel is going to be a lifesaver in Laythe's atmosphere/gravity well if I can source it locally instead of sending it from kerbin!

Before using KAS I used docking ports angled at 45 degrees which meant that they would dock no matter what slight angle or height difference the two rovers were - they just bumped up against each other and the docks would connect. Then I found KAS and forgot all about it!

[mellojoe]

Before using KAS I used docking ports angled at 45 degrees which meant that they would dock no matter what slight angle or height difference the two rovers were - they just bumped up against each other and the docks would connect.

This ... this is a game changer. WOW! What a brilliant idea!

*leaves work early to test new rover idea*

[Landge]

@psyper: How could you do this to me! 45 degrees!?! Such a simple solution! Now I must scrap and replace EVERY mining rig and support craft to incorporate your brilliant idea! Jeeze thanks alot! Just kidding of course! I'm always upgrading ships and rotating crews whenever I can.

I'm scanning Ike right now, preparing a large mining operation on Ike like the one I have on Mun. I already have a robotic rig on Duna with an orbital unmanned Fuel Tanker. But... I forgot that chutes can't be repacked unmanned. DOH! Clearly not thinking this through.

After a long wait my first Kerbal expedition to Duna managed an EVA to repack the chutes in Duna orbit so the mining rig can land again...

My Duna Expedition ship, Kokopelli, is in the distance, silhouetted by the Sun.

Here' a better view of Kokopelli in orbit...

I think taking mining operations to Ike so this sort of thing won't happen again.

[psyper]

ah yes - I don't want to take credit for it as I did saw the 45 degree trick used on a youtube video - however i have gone through hundreds of hours of those so unsure of which author did it!!

I'm looking forward to Ike - the launch window is coming up in a couple of days and I'm not sure if I should send just a scout party or the whole fleet. Tempted to do the whole fleet considering I now have a pretty much standard and refined version of my mining operation already up and running on minmus!

I have since my last post turned the garage/shed 90 degrees so that I can drive in one way and drive out the other side - like a drive thru (just needs a mcdonalds next to it now!). I've also got rid of the whole docking port connected to the winch idea as it does tend to have trouble decoupling - imagine a docking port on a string flying up through the solar panels and falling back down and magnetising back on to the port I just undocked it from!! all before I could move the buggy out the way. I've unattached the docking port and removed it via the mission control (couldve docked with it and flung it across the moon so it crashed but was too much hassle). Now I just got a radial connector port from KAS. I need to eva out the drivers cabin to dock it but the winch is set so its at buggy level and the dock is just outside the cabin so I eva - pickup and then dock the winch and we are good to go for a recharge and refuel

Edited February 5, 2014 by psyper

[Landge]

After about 4 frustrating hours over a 2 day period, trying to get the fuel truck to dock with another ship, fiddling with alignments in the SPH and field testing, I decide to give KAS a try. Absolutely love it! I've converted my fuel truck to a fuel & utility truck. Little did I know you can store misc parts in the containers! Now I can have spare solar panels to replace all the broken ones on my rovers.

[KerbMav]

Apart from the impressive designs and clever use of parts - I am always telling myself "they used mechjeb for sure, noone can land so close to another structure ... or they at least took several tries themselves ...

Waiting for my tanker, and should I be able to land it safely, I will post a shot here too.

[Landge]

Apart from the impressive designs and clever use of parts - I am always telling myself "they used mechjeb for sure, noone can land so close to another structure ... or they at least took several tries themselves ...

Waiting for my tanker, and should I be able to land it safely, I will post a shot here too.

I never used or needed MechJeb. My landers have an overly amount of fuel at their disposal. Having made more manual landings than I can count (most harder than others ). I can usually land a km or 2 from my target. Then make a short hop or 2 until I get within 100m.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Landge