Project Getsuei Dodai

[Pyromaniac605]

Built in 2074 by New Horizons Aerospace (A branch of EHA) Getsuei Dodai (Moon Base) is one of the largest operational moonbases and one of the few that have runways.

So here is my plan so far, I plan on having the base a real treat to walk around, I hope to have some details on the inside to give a bit more like it is a base that people live and work in.

As you can see the base consists of one large central hub (Dome shaped) with four smaller domes out to the sides, one Hangar for craft to shelter after landing and to prepare for takeoff, one garage filled with vehicles for the people to use to explore the surface, one area for preparing vehicles for takeoff and landing and one for taking crews to and from their vehicles on the Launch/Landing pads.

The central hub will contain the crew quarters, the mess hall, a science lab, a communications room and a recreation room/gym.

Now while you all complain about a moonbase with runways, I'll go start meshing this thing.

Darren

 

[Pyromaniac605]

This picture (attached) shows one of the four quarters which will make up the central hub. Inside each corner I will model the walls with doors to get into the halllway and the respective equipment for a Crew Quarters, a Mess Hall (Canteen), a Rec room and a science lab.

:tiphat:

Darren

 

[jinglesassy]

Just please tell me why you would want runways on the moon when you would need retro rockets to stop? Also a capsule would maneuver the same as the space shuttle on approach to a runway so wouldn't it make so much more sense for pads instead?

 

[Pyromaniac605]

Not every vessel in Orbiter has hover engines. :facepalm:

Darren

 

[IgnoreThisBarrel]

If they're on the moon they should have hover engines. Or at least be constantly be pointing up.

 

[jedidia]

A runway landing on the moon might be a hell of a challenge, though...

 

[orbitingpluto]

The runway isn't that bad of an idea. Landing pads are too small for the bigger ships- widen the runway and chop it into sections and now you have a dedicated Arrow/XR5 support area. Not really a runway, but landing on the moon that way seems too crazy to me.

Dust is a problem though. Look into giving most of the base's traffic areas some sort of asphalt or concrete treatment. Besides what it does to people, it is most likely going to cause a lot of wear on the equipment. You could get away with surface hardening chemicals for most of the surface areas but anywhere craft takes off from should get some heavy duty treatment.

You might what to add some parking space out side of the hangers. Not all craft are going to really need a pressurized environment. A terminal thing with gates like on airports could serve as a on loading/unloading area for the passenger/cargo support ships.

Speaking of cargo and support ships, did you see the Local Space Transport stuff by Greg Burch? Nice stuff for moon bases.

 

[Pyromaniac605]

Yeah I've seen its a shame the graphics aren't too good, other than that they are fantastic add-ons.

Darren

Edit: I may have dedicated large craft landing pads, but I'm still sticking with the runways.

 

[jinglesassy]

May be a bit interesting trying to maneuver a XR5 onto a lunar runway with no atmosphere to slow your descent only your rcs engines.

 

[Pyromaniac605]

I always thought there should be gear brakes in Orbiter. Every flight sim has them I would have thought it'd be useful for landing anywhere with no atmosphere.

Darren

 

[Wishbone]

Press , and . while on the ground. These are the WHEELBRAKES.

 

[Pyromaniac605]

:facepalm: Thanks, I think that is the only feature I've wanted and had the whole time and never noticed.

Darren

 

[Jarvitä]

What about arresting gear? With a long enough runway, it's as efficient a way to lose the last few hundred m/s of excess velocity as it gets.

 

[Moach]

What about arresting gear? With a long enough runway, it's as efficient a way to lose the last few hundred m/s of excess velocity as it gets.

like an aircraft carrier! that's actually a pretty clever idea :thumbup:

 

[Pyromaniac605]

I'd add that into my base if I could, but I have almost no programming capacity.
I'm sure someone will pick it up and make it though.

Darren

 

[lindemherz]

I always thought there should be gear brakes in Orbiter. Every flight sim has them I would have thought it'd be useful for landing anywhere with no atmosphere.

Darren

Problem is that they aren't that useful anywhere with not a lot of gravity.

Try to land on Mars in X-Plane. Without retrorockets, at the speeds you need to stay afloat in that planet, nothing less than the toughest arresting gear in the Solar System (or some lithobraking when you run out of runway) will stop anything.

 

[Izack]

Okay, I added a copy of Habana to Brighton Beach and made a landing there. It's really not that hard; just use the hover thrusters to modulate vertical speed, and pitch up to slow down - also with hover thrusters. Here's a final approach scenario (includes runway.)

 

[JonnyBGoode]

That's a good idea, have arresting cables on the runway. I'm in favor of a runway myself, as it's rather hard, especially in some craft, to maneuver to a stop on a pad.

 

[Coolhand]

You could have a very large, ramped runway, one which curves up over distance making a steeper hill, you get more traction on the runway as it curves and are slowed due to gravity, you could also use the ramp to get space borne without using hovers.

tougher to do, i know, but thats something i'd intended for a mars base.

If you built it big enough, and it would have to be huuuuuuuge... of course and made it so its some sort EM repulsor system you could arguably slow down objects at orbital speed.. skimming in low at orbital speeds, then riding the ramp to slow down, and what a ride that would be

 

[orbitingpluto]

So long as we are proposing odd ways to slow down incoming planes...

Rope Runway

Somebody could even use the Tram lines from Brighton Beach as the rope carriers.

I still think landing pads are the way to go, but you could have the lights on your base read "Go stick your head in a pig" and I couldn't stop you.