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Building A Station

KASA Space

By KASA Space
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KASA Space

KASA Space

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Hey there, everyone!

I'm building a space station around Kerbin in Sandbox. I was wondering what I should install.

I've planned a Kethane module for reuseable rockets (I just need to learn the converters and stuff)

I've also thought about a camera module on one of my launches.

Anyone have any ideas?

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KASA Space

KASA Space

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What are you looking for in a space station? A refueling stop? Something to expand the science part of the game? Your wildest sci-fi shipyard fantasy? A rendezvous point for reusable interplanetary vehicles? Something to look gigantic and impressive?

Yeah, that. The last one: big and impressive. :D

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Starman4308

Starman4308

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Yeah, that. The last one: big and impressive. :D

It might help to use KW Rocketry or some other part pack to build giant boosters to get your giant space station into space. Possibly Modular Rocket Systems, which I think might have a 3.75m docking port.

Other than that, you might want to look into mods which add lighting, and various station part packs listed in the mod library. I think KSP Interstellar also has cool-looking stuff.

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Kamuchi

Kamuchi

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RetroFuture, Karbonite, EditorExtentions, MechJeb for docking tutorial/help, StockDragFix or FAR, SelectRoot saved my arse several times with changing command module/cockpit mid build.

For stations: FusTek, Station Parts Expansion, GoodSpeed construction for parts, Crew Manifest for easy transfer, Near Future Electrical&Solar for solar panels/batts, Near Future construction for parts

TWEAKSCALE so you can use multiple parts in different sized to keep a uniform look or make it look closer to what you had in mind.

Using the small girder with clipping enabled, you can "sink" parts into other parts, doing so with tweakscale gives you immense more control to how far it clips.

There are tons of mods out there you can use even if they aren`t labeld for station construction :P

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cantab

cantab

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Near Future has some giant solar panels, and also a set of ~2.5m trusses.

In stock, the Shuttle SRBs are the longest single part, so I used them as beams to build a big station while keeping the part count down.

Edited by cantab
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Spatzimaus

Spatzimaus

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Hey there, everyone!

I'm building a space station around Kerbin in Sandbox. I was wondering what I should install.

The typical answer is "everything you can think of", especially if you're going for something big and impressive. The problem is part count; if the sum of your station's parts and those of whatever you're trying to dock with it is above a certain amount (depends on your computer), it'll slow everything down badly. More on that later.

I've planned a Kethane module for reuseable rockets (I just need to learn the converters and stuff)

A Kethane module is only useful if you have a way of getting raw Kethane to the station. Generally, that's a bad idea, because converters turn ~5 units of Kethane into 1 unit of fuel. It's much more efficient to have the converter (which doesn't require much mass) on the vessel doing the drilling, to haul refined fuel up into orbit, instead of moving raw Kethane around. So if your station is just going to orbit around a body, there's no point in putting a converter on it.

In fact, if you're going to do this, there's no point in having the space station in the first place, fuel-wise. Just put extra docking ports on the drilling/refining lander, and let passing ships dock with THAT instead. I've got a 400-ton mobile refinery that does exactly this; it lands, drills, refines until its tanks are full, then returns to orbit to act as a fuel station.

Anyone have any ideas?

> Download "big part" mods, like KW Rocketry, and use them where possible. Instead of three or four 3.75m tanks, you can use a single 5m tank to have the same capacity at a lower part count (and less chance of random physics issues causing your station to fall apart).

> Even if you're planning the station to be manned most of the time (necessary if you put a science lab on it), put a probe core of some type on board to allow you to do things (turn on/off lights, keep SAS going) when no one is on board. This is true for all vessels, really. Also, put an RTG on board to ensure the probe core always has power.

> Put some high-efficiency engines (LV-Ns, in stock) on it. This'll let you change the station's orbit as necessary.

> Lifeboats. Have some way for the crew to leave if necessary, without relying on a rendezvous with another vessel; if you're orbiting a body with atmosphere (Kerbin, Laythe, Eve, Duna) then all you need is something with a little RCS and a few parachutes, but for airless bodies you'll want something a bit more complex.

> There's a temptation to put a ton of solar panels on it, because real-life stations do that. But KSP doesn't have many things that require electricity, so there's really no point in going overboard on this.

Beyond that, you can pretty much put whatever you want on it. Just keep the part count manageable, like I said before.

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KASA Space

KASA Space

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--snip--

Thank you so much for the in-depth response!

I have a picture of the station right now, and it's not that great. I am going to install Near Future Technologies to add those panels, and stuff.

ZVGuR1I.png

I am going to add a better habitation module soon (like that ring someone suggested earlier), and a better solar truss.

If anyone else has any ideas, I'd really appreciate them!

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schoff123

schoff123

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Check out KOSMOC (aka Kosmos) for some great Soviet inspiration! This pack has the massive ISS panels and great MIR parts.

Link: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/99168-KOSMOS-11-10-2014-for-KSP-0-25

Also take a look into Tantares for good stock-alike soviet parts like Salyut and Soyuz.

Link: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/81537-0-25-Tantares-Stockalike-Soyuz-and-TKS-12-2-Crew-1-25m-Pod-Art-Pass%21

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