More MKS help

[killer_Foxy]

I have the MKS mod and if you use it you know that to deploy stuff you need material kits and i want to send a space station to duna orbit and i have a gravity ring and it uses ALOT of material kit so is there a way so i dont need it or do i need to launch it with it pre deployed

[andylaugel]

Short Version: You don't want to launch with the ring deployed--it has a ton of drag. A better solution is to achieve LKO and then deploy the ring. You could either carry the material kits with you, or launch them separately and have it rendevous with your space station in LKO.

Long Version:
Well, I've done some experimenting and learned a few things. Every time you retract the Tundra Habitation Ring, your spacecraft loses 46 tons--the 46,000 material kits needed to inflate it. The spent material kits to inflate it are just lost--ejected into space or something. You don't get them back, even if you have a container that can store that many material kits.

I also did some experimenting to test the ring's drag. I designed a ship with a ring and the capacity to carry everything needed to deploy it. The mission profile was simple--burn straight up. On its first launch, with no material kits aboard and the ring deployed, it achieved a maximum altitude of 7,970 meters. On the second launch, 2.6t heavier with more material kits it needed to inflate but with the ring retracted, it achieved an altitude of 15,490 meters--almost double.

You can either launch it with the material kits for an easy deployment--but more difficult launch, or you can launch a separate mission with the material kits and have it rendevous with your Duna space station. Once you're out of the atmosphere, it won't matter if it is deployed or not.

[killer_Foxy]

thanks, i will most likely end up rendevousing the material kit with the station beacuse putting the station and 46000 material kit will be hard, my laptop isnt the best so i try not to have alot of parts

[Astronaut]

you can inflate it during flight, people have done it. just to cover the basics, her:(are you even using usi life support? if not, might still be useful ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8taV-2yxBnY and an example of a habitation ring inflating: happens at 0:47, you might want to watch the whole video anyways https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-rJE2Ydk9M and a usi base: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1dcajrRWDY

[killer_Foxy]

i dont have life support i just like llook of ring

[Astronaut]

all right. :)

[killer_Foxy]

also i saw vid of guy deploying ring and it looks old the ring looks different

[Astronaut]

the vids don't focus spaceifically on life support, it might be good to watch all three particular the third one, it shows how th inflate the ring

[killer_Foxy]

i know how to inflate it it just uses alot of material kit

[Astronaut]

yes. i know

[killer_Foxy]

i just wanted to know if i could disable it so i dont need to use material kit

[Astronaut]

no, not possible as far as i know
unless you edi tthe configs

[killer_Foxy]

dont wont to do that, i must painfully send upp 45000 material kit

[killer_Foxy]

oh well i have a booster that can get 2,000,000+ tons into orbit so what ever