What's an ideal Space Station Design in orbit around Kerbin?

[Destroyer713]

I've never really built a proper space station in KSP, so I honestly don't know what I should be putting on it and what would be unnecessary, particularly since I want to avoid having too many parts and suffering FPS drops whenever I use the thing. Any chance you guys could give me tips?

I know for certain that I want to have this space station serve as a sort of hub for all missions. I plan on having a SSTO Spaceplane transport Kerbals to and from the station, and have a couple other ships docked there to perform whatever other missions I need done, refueling in-between their missions.

As for what to put on the Space Station, I'm not entirely certain. I'll probably want fuel tanks, monopropellant tanks, and solar panels just to replenish resources for spacecraft. I'll probably also want a Cupola Module and some sort of communication device simply for aesthetics. I'll also probably want some Hitchhiker Storage Containers just to store Kerbals. Beyond that I'm rather lost as to what I want to stick on the station. Do I want a Mobile Processing Lab on it? Would I want some Nuke engines in order to perform orbital corrections? Would I want RCS Thrusters and SAS Parts? Anything else I would want on the station?

Then there's the matter of how high of an orbit to put the station. I'm guessing I'll want to stick it slightly above 120km just so I can use 100x Time Warp, but would I want to stick it up even higher? On one hand, a higher orbit would mean I'd need less DeltaV to get spacecrafts to anywhere but Kerbin, but it would also mean I'd need more DeltaV to get Kerbals to and from Kerbin. What do you guys think about this?

And as a final question, what do you guys tend to do with lighting on your space stations? No lighting? Enough to let you just see docking ports when on the dark side of Kerbin? Or so much the thing is lit up like a bonfire?

I really do appreciate any advice you guys are able to give me.

[Sampa]

I've never really built a proper space station in KSP, so I honestly don't know what I should be putting on it and what would be unnecessary, particularly since I want to avoid having too many parts and suffering FPS drops whenever I use the thing. Any chance you guys could give me tips?

I know for certain that I want to have this space station serve as a sort of hub for all missions. I plan on having a SSTO Spaceplane transport Kerbals to and from the station, and have a couple other ships docked there to perform whatever other missions I need done, refueling in-between their missions.

As for what to put on the Space Station, I'm not entirely certain. I'll probably want fuel tanks, monopropellant tanks, and solar panels just to replenish resources for spacecraft. I'll probably also want a Cupola Module and some sort of communication device simply for aesthetics. I'll also probably want some Hitchhiker Storage Containers just to store Kerbals. Beyond that I'm rather lost as to what I want to stick on the station. Do I want a Mobile Processing Lab on it? Would I want some Nuke engines in order to perform orbital corrections? Would I want RCS Thrusters and SAS Parts? Anything else I would want on the station?

Then there's the matter of how high of an orbit to put the station. I'm guessing I'll want to stick it slightly above 120km just so I can use 100x Time Warp, but would I want to stick it up even higher? On one hand, a higher orbit would mean I'd need less DeltaV to get spacecrafts to anywhere but Kerbin, but it would also mean I'd need more DeltaV to get Kerbals to and from Kerbin. What do you guys think about this?

And as a final question, what do you guys tend to do with lighting on your space stations? No lighting? Enough to let you just see docking ports when on the dark side of Kerbin? Or so much the thing is lit up like a bonfire?

I really do appreciate any advice you guys are able to give me.

I usually stick my stations a little lower, at 90 km. Next, you need to plan out docking ports. Not only do you need enough to handle the crew ships and interplanetary motherships, but you also need to plan out how you want to replenish station's necessary resources. Depending on size of ships for refueling refueling, that means several orange or sls 3.75m tanks. As far as lights go, i do not like the white lights; too bright. Instead, i have changed the color to red to make looking at the station easier. Also, i have place a set of 4 lights on each side of each new module. Finally, decide on was orbit type you want. Equitorial is relatively easy to get to, but you have to constantly deal with nighttime periods and eclipses. On the other hand, you can angle the orbit in such a way that your time on the sunlight side is side is maximized and have relatively brief periods in the nighttime side. Hope this helps, and good luck.

[Scarecrow88]

There is no such thing as an ideal station as each will vary depending on what's required of it. You have already figured that you will need docking ports, fuel and RCS on yours to replenish ships and allow transfer of crew. I also tend to put solar panels on mine to keep the batterie charged and enough habitation modules for any crew planned to stay over. Communications is a good aesthetic, and makes sense. I also tend to include enough escape pods for the maximum number of crew the station can hold. These might just be a small capsule that will stay in orbit to be rescued, or can include engines and parachute for de-orbit burn and return to Kerbin.

[FlyingPete]

In my old save, I built a station starting with a central core- basically a few structural fuselage parts with large docking ports at right angles. You can then bring up whatever modules you want. I'd bring up fuel tanks (which you can then refill when they become empty) crew quarters to hold Kerbonauts while they're waiting for the next Mun bus, solar power and lots of docking ports and you've got a basic station.

Site the solar arrays away from any docking ports that you want to use to avoid accidental destruction. It's also quite useful to have a little RCS-powered tug you can use during station assembly and for docking heavy fuel tankers. If you use more than one type of docking port, having a couple of port adapters (I use the thinner 'dustbin lid' connector with a medium and large port either side) adds flexibility.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

As a working hub it’s not very efficient.

I tried it, I had this lovely science fiction painting in my mind, with my space station, and a wide variety of interplanetary tugs and landers, all arriving, and leaving, and working.

In practice, it didn’t quite work that way. After using up the initial supplies, resupplying the space station was very problematic. Trying to send a huge tanker up to it, the tanker would consume huge amounts of fuel in orbital maneuvering and docking. Similarly, but to a lesser extent, thirsty interplanetary tugs would arrive in orbit, and run out of fuel and/or monoprop before docking.

So I started using smaller “fuel ferries †to carry fuel from the space station to a larger ship. That is only a little better.

In the end, I developed something the halfway between a fuel station, and a fuel ferry, I call the Fuel Tender, think of it as a single-use fuel station. It goes up, refuels as many ships as it can, and is then deorbited then recovered (it as parachutes).

That said, I also have a very large orbital habitat currently in orbit..

It actually rotates for gravity!

Edited February 15, 2015 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[Starhawk]

Do I want a Mobile Processing Lab on it?

I've never found a use for a mobile processing lab in Kerbin orbit. I've only ever found the lab useful when brought to the orbit of a body I'm studying.

Would I want some Nuke engines in order to perform orbital corrections?

My choice is usually just to have one or two fairly heavy tugs docked at the station, and use these if it needs any orbital adjustments.

Would I want RCS Thrusters and SAS Parts?

I generally don't, but you certainly could. The tugs I dock usually have SAS and RCS.

Anything else I would want on the station?

Extra docking ports can be good.

Then there's the matter of how high of an orbit to put the station. I'm guessing I'll want to stick it slightly above 120km just so I can use 100x Time Warp, but would I want to stick it up even higher?

The determining factor for me is ease of access. Specifically, I like an orbit above 120 for time warping and for timely rendezvous from 75 x 75 orbit. I wouldn't go much higher, though.

And as a final question, what do you guys tend to do with lighting on your space stations? No lighting? Enough to let you just see docking ports when on the dark side of Kerbin? Or so much the thing is lit up like a bonfire?

Do you want to see when you dock? is the first question that comes to mind. The second is about aesthetics. What looks good to you? More lights blazing does increase the battery requirement, of course.

I really do appreciate any advice you guys are able to give me.

Glad to be of service.

Happy landings!

[Pecan]

Chapter 7 of the exploring tutorial in my signature.

Note especially that you'll need much, much less monopropellant than people expect, the large tank could do for an entire space program, let alone refuelling a few trips.

As you'll have gathered, there's no such thing as 'ideal' because so much is up to what you want to do with it. Science parts and a lab can help with 'science from space' contracts and more, but you haven't told us whether you're in sandbox, science or career mode.