I want to see your Asteroid Tugs!

[spikeyhat09]

I didn't see a thread for this already, and i didnt think it belonged in the ARM/0.23.5 megathread (of course, feel free to move it if you think its too similar) so here it goes

im interested to see your asteroid tug/contraption designs!

here's mine

[Geschosskopf]

Well, here's my 1st one.

Despite lugging all the science parts out to the roid (which all turned out to be about useless), it had plenty of fuel to drag a Size C from out beyond Minmus to a tight orbit around Mun.

But it lacked enough RCS fuel to go further with it. So, totally redesigning it to remove the science and add lots more RCS fuel.

[Jean Deaux]

My first play with Asteroid docking in deep space...

Like you I brought along the totally useless science packages. Oh well, don't know until you try.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Jean Deaux

[Rakaydos]

I had an asteroid spawn with a 83,500km apoapse. Does that count?

[SkyRender]

It's nothing special as far as asteroid tugs go, but this is the one I sent up to capture a Class D asteroid. It proved itself more than up to the task: even with a far-from-efficient arrival vector, it still had enough fuel to put the asteroid into a near-perfect 4.3mil KM equatorial orbit, starting from what looked to be more like a 9.5mil KM 45-degree hyperbolic trajectory. I call the asteroid Minmun now, and Jeb and Bill have claimed it in the name of Kerbin.

[Guest]

I fear I may have succumbed to the Standard Template Model Asteroid Tug as well. This thing started in orbit with another half-orange grey tank + Skipper to finish circularization and do the initial plane change. I found a nice class C asteroid with a 2,000km periapsis and mostly circularized it.

Also, lifters are ridiculously easy to build and fly amazingly well. So glad that KJR functionality made it into the game, my computer is very happy. Thank you, ferram4, for all the assistance you gave the devs.

[Dortmunder]

Is it possible to "dock" asteroids together, and make some asteroid colony base-thing?

[Jouni]

I basically took my standard transfer stage/fuel tanker template and added more fuel and engines. Then I intercepted the first big enough asteroid passing near Kerbin (it happened to be class C) and started hauling it to an equatorial 160 km orbit to be used as a space station core.

The rocket behaved badly during ascent, as the decoupler/docking port connection wasn't rigid enough for a 94.5-tonne payload. Perhaps I should add some struts there.

[SkyRender]

Is it possible to "dock" asteroids together, and make some asteroid colony base-thing?

Of course! You just need a craft with a claw on either end, and the patience to match the orbits of two different asteroids. It's just as easy as docking a pair of 300-tonne space ships with their center of mass extremely forward of their center of thrust.

Of course, you COULD just link together two tiny asteroids, if you were feeling unambitious...

[MeticulousMitch]

Here are 2 of my tugs. The one on the bottom managed to get the class C asteroid into a 100x100km equatorial orbit. I deorbited it with the craft on top - a tug which masses 600 tonnes in orbit, and is probably capable of capturing class E asteroids. It also has 35 LV-N engines.

[Scotius]

Aww. No Whackjob entry yet? I was sure he will be one of first to show his mind-boggling abomination of asteroid tug

[magnemoe]

http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/jltsiren/ksp/asteroid_interceptor_4.jpeg

I basically took my standard transfer stage/fuel tanker template and added more fuel and engines. Then I intercepted the first big enough asteroid passing near Kerbin (it happened to be class C) and started hauling it to an equatorial 160 km orbit to be used as a space station core.

http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/jltsiren/ksp/asteroid_interceptor_3.jpeg

The rocket behaved badly during ascent, as the decoupler/docking port connection wasn't rigid enough for a 94.5-tonne payload. Perhaps I should add some struts there.

Look a bit like mine, I found I could put 12 LV-N around a 3.75 meter tank and use as engine part, I also think of an large docking port i back to connect with more fuel tanks.

[Streetwind]

Aww. No Whackjob entry yet? I was sure he will be one of first to show his mind-boggling abomination of asteroid tug

Whackjob's aging computer melted itself under one of his creations a while ago. You'll have to wait until he finishes building a new one (a computer, that is).

Edited April 2, 2014 by Streetwind

[Kasuha]

All except MeticulousMitch's one seem to be too small to me, at least for class E asteroids. I'm definitely going to build something more whackjobian if I find time today. Three claws and plenty of fuel in the first place, maybe even sideways engines instead of RCS to adjust heading.

[The Silent Majority]

Whackjob's aging computer melted itself under one of his creations a while ago. You'll have to wait until he finishes building a new one (a computer, that is).

According to him, it should be done this week though

[lammatt]

No RCS, No Solar Panel, No Battery, No, nuclerthermo generator

(didnt mean to, but forgot anyways)

<iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="http://imgur.com/a/XZby2/embed"></iframe>

[Luxmaster-CZ]

My first captured asteroid. Had just enough fuel to catch up with it, sieze it and circularize orbit. I dont remember its size class, but it weights 33 tons (tug is 18 tons)

[mellojoe]

First attempt here:

B-class, now in orbit around Kerbin just inside the Mun orbit. I have PLENTY of fuel left in my mover-craft to push this wherever I want. Currently, I decided to stop where I am, just inside the Mun's orbit, although it is nearly a polar orbit. This was an unmanned vessel in order to capture and divert the asteroid.

Uses docking ports fore and aft in order to be able to flip upsidedown and switch from push to pull very quickly. My concern was with heavier C, D, and even E class asteroids, getting them to rotate would be part of the challenge. Being able to easily flip my craft around (I think) should make maneuvering the bigger ones easier.

Edited April 2, 2014 by mellojoe

[blspblackdeath]

I don't need no fancy-shmanzy new rocket parts for capturing asteroids.

I do it the good old way, with the good old parts. 3.5m parts pfffft... :-P

http://imgur.com/a/FWGY7#0

<iframe class="imgur-album" width="100%" height="550" frameborder="0" src="http://imgur.com/a/FWGY7/embed"></iframe>

Edited April 2, 2014 by blspblackdeath

[CalculusWarrior]

I don't need no fancy-shmanzy new rocket parts for capturing asteroids.

I do it the good old way, with the good old parts. 3.5m parts pfffft... :-P

Now that is an impressive achievement! Well done! Ahh, I can feel the nostalgia, looking back at those old rocket parts...

I emulated NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission, so no nukes for me! Rather, I used ion engines and the smallest asteroid I could get my hands on:

I put it in orbit around the Mun, then sent kerbals to explore it!

[Yarrula]

Nukes to get me there, Ions to get me home. Worked great on this Class C.

[Vanamonde]

This exchange of ships has been moved to the ship exchange. Please continue.

[iDan122]

Yarrula that is a very cool tug!

[frizzank]

I forgot you could change the light colors. thanks for reminding me....

[jmiki8]

My first asteroid tug, a pretty basic one for pretty basic space-rocks.

It's just a lightweight pod, a Claw, a Rockomax-16 tank, a nuke, and 4 parachutes. (however, the orbital insertion was made with a jumbo64-mainsail combo)

Managed to land this A-class asteroid near KSC. Next mission: Type-E

Edited April 2, 2014 by jmiki8