Peace Star Stations

[rockbloodystar]

I've been filling the Space Station Picture thread with sutff that may be more sutiable here. The full stations will appear there, but the updates and reconfgurations will appear here as some kind of chronicle.

I use Mechjeb, Docking Struts, Surface Lights and sometimes Kethane; everything else is stock.

Here is the initial construction:

With 8 seat escape pod attached

And a fuel depot:

Here are some expansions, and the first crew:

Building and testing crew out, first work crew in:

Further developments to skylab (which has morphed into a transport hub with a lab on the end)

MonoProp store added:

Third Crew arrival:

Second crew sent out to Mun:

Mun Hub in similar design:

Next stop Minums (which probably means re adding kethane)!!

Edited November 23, 2014 by rockbloodystar
URL and Image links did no work first time.

[rockbloodystar]

Today's missions were:

Send a premilinary party to Minmus:

Then the tricky one. I sent up a part without docking struts, so there were some maneuvers to remove the part and rebuilt the station. The link between the huge fuel tanks and the monoprop was not reinforce with docking struts, so first the monoprop had to be removed and then the fuel removed and sent crashing down to kerbin.

THe monoprop was being shunted around by the escape capsule, which was not designed for this function, so the RCS was nowhere near the CoM, meaing that redocing the monoprop took much longer than anticipated.

Here is the current configuration of SkyLab, awating new fuel stores with correct docking struts:

[rockbloodystar]

New fuel stores delivered:

Current Configuration

[rockbloodystar]

Some major structural extensions to allow for more flexible crew transfers.

An extra hub was attached:

Then extended:

Final configuration:

Unfortunately, docking now takes 25 minutes thanks to crippling lag and frem rate - totally worth it!

[rockbloodystar]

Minmus station started

[rockbloodystar]

The Minmus Refinery had its tanks and converter unit attached today:

Progress continues.

[Zylark]

If you make your stations utilitarian and minimalist, framerate do not become a problem. My stations got no struts on them, all connections are by Docking Port Sr. Only conceit to aesthetics is putting some lights on it. Not many, but enough to know from far away what end is what. Orange lights at the utility end (fuel tanks, power storage and generation and so on), white lights at the crew accessible end (habitats, docking-hubs, science modules and such). Mind you these lights do not illuminate much (it's the omni-lights from some mod I can't remember the name of - they don't reach more than a couple of meters), saving plenty of frames on the game not having to calculate a plethora of shadows and such. But they can be seen from far away, which is all I need.

[rockbloodystar]

So a new install and new station system.

The aim is to have permanently manned bases in orbit around every body and on the surface of most, (not Eve, not Laythe, maybe not Tylo)

Here is the trip to and from Moho using the hub system:

Moho base established:

Orbital Station with refuelling tanks, and Moho lander/lifter docked.

Transfer Tug, carries four crew from MKO to MMO, bringing replacement crew.

Crew exchange on surface.

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CRew Transfer and departure for return to Kerbin.

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Kerbin return, Aerobrake, dock to Kerbin Station and transfer to Kerbin Lander.

.

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Now to set up the Eve and Gilly hubs.

[Mister Dilsby]

I agree, those aesthetics are worth a little lag. Loving the look of those lights and the openness of the space defined by the struts.

[rockbloodystar]

I have placed 12 probes equally spaced, using the geometry of the icosahedron on the surface of Minmus. No two probes are on the same latitude or longitude.

[rockbloodystar]

Gilly Orbiter, with lander attached at one end and a four man 5km/s delta-v crew transport attached to the other:

Aerobraking around Eve to bring Permanent Gilly Base:

Flag planted at Gilly Base:

Happend upon a Munar Eclips at Kerbin Transporter Hub.