Kerbal Cargo Bay

[silvereagle2061]

Is it just me or does it seem that the cargo bay that comes stock with KSP has no real function? I can't put anything in there that I can launch into space because of the shape of the bottom floor. Anything I try to attach sticks halfway out the other side. Any ideas?http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Cargo_bay

[Bloody_looser]

For Kraken's sake, what are you sticking into it? A Jumbo tank?

Cargo bay can hold lots of stuff.

[GigaG]

Here's what I think - the top to bottom diameter is designed to hold a 1.25 radius fuel tank or so. The sides can be used for room for science sensors, etc... The wiki gives the fuel tank size equivalent. It certainly is for smaller probes. Hopefully 0.90 will include a Mk3 cargo bay.

[MoreUmpf]

If you attach the cargo bay to another one of these Mk2 parts you can attach parts to the middle point between cargo bay and Mk2 part. And if the your cargo doesn't exceed the 1.25m mark you wont be able to see it from the outside.

Besides that please only use special text colors in your forum posts if you want to highlight something...

[silvereagle2061]

How did you post your screen capture? As for my colored font, it wasn't written into the instructions that I can only use colored font for highlighting

[MoreUmpf]

How did you post your screen capture? As for my colored font, it wasn't written into the instructions that I can only use colored font for highlighting

As for the colored font it isn't really a rule but it would much easier to read if you would just write as you just did.

If you want to post any pictures(e.g. screenshots) you can upload them to image hosts and put the link in post between .

A popular image host on this forum is imgur(it's free).

[CalculusWarrior]

Hopefully 0.90 will include a Mk3 cargo bay.

Cargo bays have been confirmed to be in 0.90.

[RocketPilot573]

The stock cargo bays are indeed useless, you can only launch probes, which are also useless. However .90 with the huge cargo bays and Fine Print this should be better.

[silvereagle2061]

This was my design but it doesn't seem to be very conventional. http://imgur.com/edit

[silvereagle2061]

So that would work with V25 then?

[cantab]

The stock cargo bays are indeed useless, you can only launch probes, which are also useless. However .90 with the huge cargo bays and Fine Print this should be better.

1, probes are excellent. 2, the cargo bays can easily hold a Kerballed craft.

[kujuman]

I'll use the smallest cargo bay to hold bits of my spacecraft that I think are ugly to just attach. Solar panels, batteries, life support containers, extra monoprop, large antenna, science equipment, etc. So even if I don't have a "payload" bay, I will always attach an equipment bay to spaceplanes.

[BudgetHedgehog]

I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but holding the Mod key down while attaching will disallow surface attachment and only attach things via the attach nodes. That will stop the 'things sticking halfway through the bay' problem. As for their usefulness, they're really only designed for probes or small service compartments. Send an ion probe to Moho from it, or stick in batteries, RTGs, life support, SAS and a few science thingies, whack it on a spaceplane and send it to take to Laythe. It's pretty useful for FAR players where putting something at the front or on the side/top of a plane would be less than ideal (like a part you're going to test, or science sensors etc.

[King Arthur]

I actually agree with the OP. While I like the Mk2 parts, carrying any practical payload in the cargo bay is a test in masochism as you literally cannot fit anything larger than a 1.25m fuel tank, which limits practical payloads to 0.625m small satellites and probes and you can launch those easily enough atop a simple and cheap 1.25m launcher stack.

The Mk3 cargo bays will likely solve the problem of hauling up ships, station modules, and other goodies, but the Mk2 cargo bays truly are too small to be really practical for hauling cargo.

[Guest]

They're useful for 1.25m probes, too, as long as you keep them slim. Also, you can use them as an "equipment bay" to hide misc. parts that would normally go on the surface (and look ugly there).

[r4pt0r]

Im most excited to be able to put a probe in a cargo bay, in a cargo bay. xzibit would be proud.

[silvereagle2061]

I tried that file but its nothing workable.

[TokiTech]

Large MK2 cargo bay is lightweight can fit alot EAS-1 seats for transportation, or just launch probes for science. I personally have an SSTO loaded with 4.5t FL-T800 tank for no practical reasons lol.

For OP's problem attaching parts, you just hold ALT key while drag the part to the attach point.

[kujuman]

. While I like the Mk2 parts, carrying any practical payload in the cargo bay is a test in masochism as you literally cannot fit anything larger than a 1.25m fuel tank, which limits practical payloads to 0.625m small satellites and probes and you can launch those easily enough atop a simple and cheap 1.25m stack.

This is a symptom of spaceplanes in general. Anything you can launch in one is probably better launched on a regular rocket. When we get the larger bays people will then ask why use them, since they can be better launched on a stack (this doesn't hold for specialty delicate payloads, where a bay provides much better opportunity for supporting it). Almost like the real world tradeoffs

[Wanderfound]

The stock cargo bays are indeed useless, you can only launch probes, which are also useless. However .90 with the huge cargo bays and Fine Print this should be better.

Only probes...

...and rovers...

...and drop tanks...

...and landers...

...and interplanetary boosters...

Yeah, useless.

[klgraham1013]

I think the post above displays why I think you're wrong.

I also use RemoteTech. So there's that.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

Monev44's take on what fits in a cargobay.

[NecroBones]

If mods are acceptable, there are options out there.

[Aragosnat]

Yeah. Just depends on what you are trying to put in there and how you arrange and what you are attaching to it. Here is a simple example on how to avoid things sticking out as well as what can fit in the tiny bay:

Remember you can mix and match sizes. Also Struts are your friends. But, at least 0.90 will give us bigger bays to put bigger crafts in.

[drewscriver]

I agree - the current cargo bays are constraining, and tricky to use, but I view it more as a challenge.

For example, fitting in

.

Or deploying:

out of:

Try as I might, though, I haven't figured out how to make a rover with an integrated materials study bay that can still fit in one of the bays, though. My best attempt went rather poorly...