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Completed: Elcano II: Minmus Surface Circumnavigation


Hotaru

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This is my second entry to the Elcano challenge; the first was a circumnavigation of the Mun back in May. Same career save, same mod configuration, same type of rover, still in 1.0.2.


A lot has happened in the four years since Shannon Kerman circumnavigated the Mun in the Michael Palin Mark II rover. A new class of medium cargo shuttle entered service, several interplanetary missions have been launched (Shannon herself has been to Gilly and back as commander of the Constant expedition), and permanent surface stations have been established at Ardan Base on the Mun and Coalwood Base on Minmus.

With the Mark II rover well-proven by the Palin project, the engineers at KSC proposed sending one to Coalwood during that base's development; it could be used to circumnavigate Minmus, collecting science data to be processed by the lab at Coalwood and filling in many of the remaining gaps in data on Minmus, not to mention proving the rover in a very-low-gravity environment. Since the cost of the mission was relatively low, and the potential for science and funding returns high, the mission was approved.



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No complicated plan is needed to get the new rover to Minmus this time: it's delivered by cargo shuttle Belatrix, along with its driver, Erithis Kerman, to Bass II Station in Minmus orbit.



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The Mark II has about 400 m/s of delta-v; on the Mun this required a complicated dropship operation to put it on the surface, but on Minmus it is perfectly capable of landing all on its own. Erithis takes it down to the surface...




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...where it will remain parked for the next few weeks at Coalwood Base as Erithis joins the base's regular crew.


The actual expedition is already underway; I will report the first stage once it is complete.

Edited by Hotaru
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A few weeks since landing and the rover (now named Eric Idle) is ready for departure. Erithis starts it up and, after a few small difficulties getting started, sets out.




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Idle has no difficulty climbing the steep hills, and steering proves to be more effective than the engineers at KSC had anticipated, even at speed.



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Unsurprisingly, on rough terrain Idle spends as much time off the ground as on it, but in the light gravity, this is not a serious problem; the rover's suspension is more than enough to handle the frequent jumps.


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Slopes also prove to be easier to manage than on the Mun. The first few kilometers Erithis drives manually; after about 10 km she engages the autopilot.



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After a few minutes of climbing, Idle reaches the lowland plateau between the Lesser and Great Flats of Minmus, which it crosses at 90 km/h without trouble.



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The descent from the plateau to the Great Flats is tricky. Idle actually runs out of battery near the end and Erithis has to use the fuel cell to keep the reaction wheels running.



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Although the rover takes several kilometers to coast to a stop even with full braking, Erithis and the engineers are encouraged that it was able to stop itself without much difficulty (and without resorting to rocket power) even on a shallow downhill grade. Erithis gets out and plants the flag at Base 1. The first stage, of 90 kilometers, was completed in a little over an hour.
Edited by Hotaru
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The following morning, after Idle's batteries have recharged, Erithis sets out across the Great Flats.




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It's not the most exciting driving...



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...but on the other hand the rover is very efficient on such perfectly level ground; in fact at 83 km/h with the sun right overhead, the solar panels are able to keep up with its power consumption, and its batteries remain fully charged all the way across the Flats.



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Eventually, the Flats end and Idle climbs back up to another plateau.



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The descent on the other side of the plateau is slightly steeper than anticipated...



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...but by taking the slopes carefully, Erithis once again coaxes Idle safely down without having to resort to rocket power.



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Once at the bottom, Erithis stops for the night and plants the flag at Base 2 after a mostly-uneventful 73-kilometer stage.
Edited by Hotaru
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[quote name='damerell']Watch out for the 1km cliff that killed Valentina...

Based on your coordinates at the time of that accident (if I'm reading them right, I'm not brilliant with latitude and longitude) I will encounter that same cliff near the end of my trip: it's a few kilometers west of Coalwood Base, which is very close to the equator on the westernmost edge of the Lesser Flats.

I have a clever plan for that eventuality: Idle has dual 24-77 landing rockets with about 400 m/s of delta-v, the same rockets it used to land on Minmus in the first place. If it goes off a cliff, it can use those to make a soft landing--in fact it can even lift off, stop itself, and land again at leisure if it gets going too fast on a steep downhill grade. I'm hoping to avoid this, though, as I'd like to complete the trip on traction power alone.

Edited by Hotaru
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Once Idle's batteries are charged again, Erithis starts the third stage.




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Sunrise on the third day.



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The crossing of the Greater Flats is, unsurprisingly, uneventful.



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Near the easternmost edge of the Flats, Erithis stops at the marker of the first landing on Minmus set by Valentina six years previously.





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The batteries are still fully charged after the crossing of the Flats, so Erithis plants the flag to mark Base 3 and sets off again.




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Because so little power was used during the day, Idle is able to run into the night even after climbing up to the midland plains.




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After two stages totaling 103 kilometers, Erithis parks for the night and plants the flag at Base 4.
Edited by Hotaru
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Mission complete.





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The trip of about 400 kilometers and six stages was completed in six Kerbin days' time.


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Idle performed well, being able to complete the trip under traction power without using its rockets, and successfully demonstrating the ability of the Mark II to operate in a very-low-gravity environment. It also collected a large amount of scientific data to be analyzed at the Coalwood lab in coming weeks.

Erithis will now rejoin the regular crew at Coalwood until the next crew rotation. Idle will remain at Coalwood for the time being, but as it has sufficient delta-v to return to orbit under its own power, it will most likely eventually be moved to another planet for continued service.




I like Minmus: nice and small. Small enough that the trip was over before it got too tedious (unlike, say, the Mun). While I don't have any immediate plans for a third Elcano run, I imagine I will do another at some point in the future, possibly over winter vacation. Whether in this save or not, I don't know; I like the Mark II rover but it might be fun to try something a bit more ambitious.

Once again, Idle and Erithis wait out the night and set out the following morning once the rover's batteries have recharged.





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The fifth leg covers fairly boring highland terrain, and is completed without much difficulty.



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Erithis disengages the rover's auto-throttle to allow it to coast down a shallow grade for fifteen kilometers before bringing it to a stop at the end of the leg.



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She then establishes Base 5 and yet again waits for morning.



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The next morning, Erithis and Idle set out on the final leg of the trip.



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After a mostly uneventful stage, Idle descends a notch in the dangerous cliff Damerell mentioned; the descent is tricky but shallow enough that Erithis is able to keep the rover's speed under control.



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Finally, Coalwood Base comes back into sight.


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Erithis parks the rover, plants a final flag to mark the end point of the trip, and returns to Coalwood Base.
Edited by Hotaru
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