Base Construction

Note - This page needs a lot of information added

There are several strategies for base building. The most common mistake is trying to start with a base that has everything. MKS is deigned to allow bases to grow over time, adding additional functions over time.

NOTE: this section assumes you are using USI-LS The first consideration for any base is the need for Life Support. By default, your crew can survive/work for 30 6-hour days without any 'Supplies'. For stays longer than that, you will need to bring additional 'Supplies'. Some early ground base components (such as many of the Karibou rover parts) contain their own supply storage, but others will require external parts for supply storage (minipacks, kontainers, or the Ranger ISM are good choices for early setups). For longer stays, adding one or more recyclers can reduce your crew's supply consumption rate, which means fewer 'Supplies' are needed. For even longer stays, it may be worth bringing 'Fertilizer' and a part capable of agroponics (such as USI-LS's Nom-O-Matics) to convert waste 'Mulch' and a small amount of 'Fertilizer' back into useable 'Supplies'. It is important to evaluate your mission requirements when considering life support. If you plan on having a kerbal spend less than two months on the ground, then bringing a large vessel with life support recyclers and converters is likely unnecessary, and just bringing enough supplies for the mission will be more economical. On the other hand, the cost (both in terms of funds and vessel mass) of 'Supplies' and supply storage become very high when you need to support multiple kerbals for an extended period of time. Reducing a kerbal's consumption rate by half or more means you don't need to bring as many supplies. In the same way, since agroponics uses mostly 'Mulch' and only a small amount of 'Fertilizer', a small investment in 'Fertilizer' storage and a converter can make a small number of supplies last even longer.

The next consideration is habitation time. Adding larger stock crew parts or cupolas can increase the time, but the Ranger Habitation module adds a great deal of habitation time, with the downside of needing a large amount of MaterialKits. Another option is to make a larger orbiting station with enough hab time. When the kerbal starts needing to stretch their legs, they can use the lander to return back to the station, which will extend their hab time. See Functions (Habitation) for more information.

Finally, if the base is intended to become self sufficient, you'll need to develop several supply chains. Each one has an underlying required resource, such as Substrate or Dirt, so you'll want to find a location with a good amount of these resources.