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[BigD145]

Polar Mother, why aren't you where I need you? You need to be watching over the north pole when I land a drone base. It can't do it without you.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Polar Mother is a polar satellite at around 5 million meters out from Kerbin. Its antenna can reach Duna at any orientation. Kerbal Mother is equatorial to Kerbin at around 15 million out, so it's past the Mun. Eventually Kerbin's poles will have manned command stations ala RemoteTech with major satellite arrays and living quarters. Perhaps they'll get bored and dig up The Thing.

[Imofexios]

Anyone feel like doing some multiplayer project on some of these servers
http://kerbal.wlsing.nl/

[LoSboccacc]

sure I'd love to run a refueling station at some convenient place (eve, or laythe)

[da_nang]

Plan to build robust communication network:

3-4 satellites at keosynchronous orbit, with roughly equal arc spacing.
Each satellite needs an inclination of 0º or close to it.

Each satellite must be able to connect to two other satellites.
Each satellite needs to be able to connect to mission control due to errors in orbit altitude and eccentricity.
Each satellite needs to be able to connect to at least one spacecraft in Kerbin SOI.

Interplanetary communication is optional and may be handled with a separate system or expansions.
Each satellite needs at least one docking port for expansions.

Each satellite needs enough electric charge to power all of its antennae for at least 20 minutes and 20 seconds for when it's in Kerbin's umbra and penumbra.
Each satellite needs enough electric generators of some type to power the antennae for the remainder of the orbit.

Each satellite needs at least some RCS fuel for orbit corrections.

Problems:
I'm on a new career so I don't have the best parts yet for the job. Time to make compromises and large satellites!

[forsaken1111]

I always do 6 comsats at a 55º inclination, 1588km orbit and 1 hour launch interval. That ensures that at least 2 sats are always visible from any point on kerbin and gives good basic coverage.

[LoSboccacc]

I found useful to reuse transfer stages as satellites until better things come along - you'll want to rework your network anyway once the 5M omni antenna comes along

[BigD145]

Thermoelectrics are at the end of a research branch. KAS can help retrofit those in. It won't help with most antennas unless you mod the mod. I suggest manned missions until you exhaust Kerbin and its moons of science. Work on getting the antennas and research equipment plus fuel lines.

Some stock KAS code. Shouldn't be too hard to add more parts.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

///////// linearRcs ///////
GRAB
{
stockPartName = linearRcs
evaPartPos = (0.0, 0.00, -0.21)
evaPartDir = (0,0,-1)
dropAtGroundPos = false
dropPartPos = (0.0, -0.1, -0.65)
dropPartRot = (0.0, 90.0, 0.0)
addPartMass = true
storable = true
storedSize = 4
attachOnPart = True
attachOnEva = False
attachOnStatic = False
attachSendMsgOnly = False
}

Simple manned lifter for kerbosynchronous and return the Kerbal. It can be toned down depending on your tech. The satellite body is the empty fuselage. Originally it had 16 tiny solar plates.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

4 dishes for talking to other kerbosync, Kerbal Command, plus a spare for any active craft or a polar orbiter. Big dish for talking to an outer satellite that can talk to the rest of the solar system.

[Vattic]

Often when using a maneuver node to plan a mid-course correction burn on the way to another planet the predicted path is all jittery. It makes planning for aerobraking almost impossible as the predicted altitude jumps up and down. Does anyone know the cause of this?

[LoSboccacc]

does it happen when the asas is off?

try this: asas off, timewarp 2x, off to normal physics. (it will kill any rotation left)

[Vattic]

I'll definitely try it next time it comes up. Cheers.

[Oliolli]

I dont either, but I know who does:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=volume+of+68+tons+of+iron

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=radius+of+a+7830+Liter+sphere

about a 4 foot radius ball of iron.

Except those are in short tons, and I'm pretty sure KSP uses metric.

The radius of the ball would actually be 4,1 cm larger. That's a 6 metric ton difference.

[MagmaMcFry]

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=volume+of+68+metric+tons+of+iron

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=radius+of+a+8640+Liter+sphere

There, fixed.

[Sheb]

Except of course it's not a full sphere or iron. It'd probably destroy itself during re-entry.

[Shooer]

Except of course it's not a full sphere or iron. It'd probably destroy itself during re-entry.

We ARE figuring out what DID hit the ground.

[Descan]

Are we assuming a spherical cow?