Use of Space Stations & Probes

[EnderSpace]

Hello I had question but I didn't find answer for it so I will ask it

Space station - what is the use of space station I know that is helpful for fuel and...... Hmm only that what I know

Probes - for what is probes I find it useless

[ratchet freak]

Space stations look cool and give a sense of satisfactino when building, they are also handy for the transmit science from orbit quests

Probe bodies are lighter than the cockpits so the ultimate payload is lighter which creates more deltaV

[Commander Jebidiah]

The only reason for probes without remote tech is to search for landing sites and then landing at it before endangering any kerbals.

[RW-1]

Science - if a science module is placed in orbit around a planet of exploration - you can renew experiments to go to multiple locations and redock, etc. Cool looking factor as well.

Probes - have to have your science instruments to really make work, but lighter to launch and send out to the other areas of the Kerbin System for points.

We do need a Kerbal version of the Gecko Experiment, without it's conclusion of course.

[Red Iron Crown]

Probes make any mission cheaper, as both the payload and the rocket to lift it are lighter. Probes are useful for parking in orbit around different bodies with a science experiment and an antenna, makes completing those "Gather science from orbit around x" contracts easy to complete.

Space stations currently don't serve much of a practical purpose, but they are cool and fun to build.

[Geschosskopf]

Hello I had question but I didn't find answer for it so I will ask it

Space station - what is the use of space station I know that is helpful for fuel and...... Hmm only that what I know

Probes - for what is probes I find it useless

Stations are pretty much only useful as fuel depots (stock or with Kethane/Karbonite) unless you have mods that let them do extra (non-stock) science, such as Station Science, Orbital Material Science, KSPI, etc.

Probes are extremely useful in large projects where you're assembling stations or ships in orbit, or sending large flotillas to invade/colonize/explore a planetary system. In career games, probes aren't good at science (even with mods) compared to crewed missions, but they're great at doing those suicidal but high-dollar part test contracts.

[cantab]

Probes can be made much, much lighter than Kerballed craft. You can make an entire launcher capable of putting a probe into LKO for less weight than a single Mk 1 Pod. Even a launch-chair-only craft can't come in quite as light as a probe.

[juanml82]

A scientific space station can be useful, specially in the early game/mid tech tree:

Instead of making half a dozen similar missions to different parts of Minmus to harvest science you do this:

Send a ship with a mobile lab and as much fuel as you can lift. Send a lander. Land in a new biome, harvest all science. Take off but, instead of returning to Kerbin, dock with the station. Get all the science from your lander into the mobile lab, reset the goo and material labs. Refuel the lander, head back to another biome, rinse and repeat. At some point, you will need to send a tanker to refuel the station. Do so, and also send a small manned capsule. While your lander is still hoping through biomes, this newly arrived capsule removes all the experiments stored in the lab and takes them back to Kerbin for a few thousand points of science.

A similar thing can be done to reset material labs and goo on interplanetary missions but, since the biomes there are far fewer, I think it's more efficient to just pack more goo and material labs.

Fine Print add contracts which ask you (and pay you) to gather karbonite or other resources from the Mun and Minmus and put them in Kerbin's orbit. That sounds like a way to finance a refueling space station in LKO, which you can later use as needed.

[Moonfrog]

probes don't yield a lot of science inside the kerbin system. But once u get a lot of the small science components, u can send them on one way trips and transmit data. Also useful for completing contracts very cheaply if your low on funds. Also good for figuring out how much delta V u may need for a mission, if u want to do it a specific way. Everytime u make a node to calculate dv needed, u can write it down, add it all up. Of course there are delta V maps, but if your not doing it exactly the way the delta V map expects u to do it. Quite good for testing.

I like to give them lots of elta V then send them to lots of planets on ongoing missions. one probe I once sent out with 16000 delta V to record gravity of jool and all its moons.

[Kasuha]

Probes are useful in career as they are cheap and easy to send anywhere and you can populate the system with them, ready to do any of "transmit or deliver science from XXX".

Stations are useful as fuel/crew depots. They allow you to launch a ship using fully recoverable lifter, refuel in Kerbin orbit, eventually refuel the lifter for return, and transfer to anywhere else with full fuel tanks and without unnecessary mass. There's not much point in sending stations around other planets but a Kerbin station can be useful.

[SRV Ron]

Probes are useful in career as they are cheap and easy to send anywhere and you can populate the system with them, ready to do any of "transmit or deliver science from XXX".

A single probe launch, example below, can inexpensively fulfill the Mun or Minmus Explore contract. Then, you place it back into orbit where it can perform additional request contracts for data at no additional cost.

[MarvinKitFox]

the REAL reason to use probes instead of Kerbals is that the Probes have no families and have not yet formed a worker's Union.

So there is no-one to complain when you shoot them off into danger, without *any* plans to bring them back.

The Kerbals have this annoying habit of complaining when being sent on suicide missions. They actually want to get BACK!? The nerve of them!

One-way missions are cheap.

Landing is expensive.

probe core == launch, and thats it.

Kerbal pilot == launch, AND land at destination AND launch again AND land back at Kerbin. How very inefficient!

On the other hand... If you have managed to prevent your Kerbals from forming a union, and you consider them a "disposable asset", then Kerbal-piloted craft can be very economical!

*They don't need any feeding! No batteries required! Even on an 8-year trip to Eeloo.

*They come pre-packaged with free science-gathering tools!

*They are self-mobile, with access to virtually infinite mobility!

*They have a greater impact-resistance than even structural girders!

* they need mass only about 150kg, when strapped into an external seat. There's nothing wrong with launching a Kerbal on a seat, having him sit out in that seat for 2 years in space, then using him as the heatshield in a Duna re-entry, is there? He can gather reports all along the way, and once you are done he can be left there, right?

[LordFerret]

I send probes loaded with science first before sending any manned mission. I use my space station(s) to build craft up in orbit, modular approach ... also good for manual docking practice!

My main station, high up over the equator (500km) and outta the way. Storage space (liquid fuel, RCS, and Xenon) and a place to dock parts and house Kerbals. The picture below shows the beginnings of parts assemblage for my Ion-powered outer system explorer - to explore the Jool system (again).

I have another station in polar orbit, around 250km, future home for the mapping mod. And I've also a third station, a small 'rest stop', in high orbit (100km) around Mun.