Where to put a Mun base and how to hop around with a rover.

[teatime]

So I have made one manned landing on the Mun and set down a couple of probes. I would now like to put down a base and a mobile processing lab. Do you have a suggestion for a location?

I would also like to perform short hops around the moon with a lander and take a rover with me. Any suggestion on how to get the rover reattached to the lander?

Edited June 29, 2015 by teatime

[KerikBalm]

That large crater near/on the equator with a canyon running out the east side of it.

put your base near the "mouth" of the canyon.

There are many biomes nearby

[Sharpy]

Don't make a separate rover and lander. Just use the hopping lander - possibly with the lab attached to it. The utility of a rover is marginal anyway. Not fast enough to get anywhere far, not stable enough not to tip over in that gravity if you start going fast.

I don't have much to say about the Mun, but I made a very neat Minmus hopping laboratory. There's the lab, a cargo bay with all the "bigger science" (materials bay), a command module "can", and two fuel tanks on two ends, everything forming a long tube. Then, on each end there's a ring of landing struts, and an engine. Plus enough Vernor engines to be able to set it upright.

The hop starts with firing one engine, ends with firing the other. The lab normally operates while lying on a side (on the extended legs), it can roll around (on the two rings of legs on two ends), and only rises one end to start the flight. Thanks to the two engines there's no frantic reversing of direction mid-flight, just lock SAS to whichever direction you're going and run the engine on one end to accelerate, on the other to stop.

[KerikBalm]

its makes no sense to take a lab now that scientists can reset mat and goo experiments

[Space.exe]

I would make a rover/lab mix. That way you can land it in one go. You can also move if necessary and i wouldn't be picky where i land just chose somewhere flat! As for the hopping i would add a 3.5M stubby fuel tank and out a engine on the middle between the rover wheels and just fire and go/land when necessary!

50th post!!!!!

[Snark]

Note that, as KerikBalm pointed out, a lot of the utility of a science lab is reduced, as long as you put a scientist in your lander.

Bear in mind that the Mun eats up a lot of dV, even with suborbital hops. Your lander won't be able to do a lot of hopping before it runs dry.

One strategy that can work is to have your base be a refueling station (give it drills and an ISRU), so that your hopper can repeatedly return to base for refueling. Bear in mind that docking things on the surface is miserably frustrating/inconvenient/difficult in the stock game. If you want to dock things on the surface, I strongly recommend the mod Kerbal Attachment System, which gives you an easy way to do this: just land your lander within a couple of dozen meters of your refueling station, then a kerbal goes EVA to hook up a pipe between the two and you can transfer fuel (or do whatever else you could do with docked ships).

Another option would be to consider Minmus instead of the Mun. It needs a lot less dV, and a reasonably well-designed lander can do a lot of suborbital hops before running out of fuel.

[ajburges]

My plan is to integrate my lab base with a drill and ISRU. That way it only needs to have fuel capacity for takeoff/landing.

Rovers are good for visiting survey sites once you are landed within 50 km of the site. They tend to be a poor method to visit different biomes unless they double as a lander. With that guidance, build your rovers to meet contracts, not do science. Skip the materials bay and goo can.

If the IVA view wasn't axially aligned, I would try to cram a MPL on the Humblebee inspired Duna rocket plane I'm designing.

[Sharpy]

BTW, if you put your lab on wheels, get a good engineer. The wheels WILL need repairs.

[Senormeens]

its makes no sense to take a lab now that scientists can reset mat and goo experiments

The Lab can be used to process data that has already been used, so say your on Mun and you get a crew report (Which usually can be sent back for 100% value w/o having to actually bring it back) you send the first one back, then get another and put that in the MPL, plus a bunch more repeated experiments and you get more science from it.

The MPL allows you to use data that is otherwise worthless to get more science.

[linuxgurugamer]

Don't make a separate rover and lander. Just use the hopping lander - possibly with the lab attached to it. The utility of a rover is marginal anyway. Not fast enough to get anywhere far, not stable enough not to tip over in that gravity if you start going fast.

I don't have much to say about the Mun, but I made a very neat Minmus hopping laboratory. There's the lab, a cargo bay with all the "bigger science" (materials bay), a command module "can", and two fuel tanks on two ends, everything forming a long tube. Then, on each end there's a ring of landing struts, and an engine. Plus enough Vernor engines to be able to set it upright.

The hop starts with firing one engine, ends with firing the other. The lab normally operates while lying on a side (on the extended legs), it can roll around (on the two rings of legs on two ends), and only rises one end to start the flight. Thanks to the two engines there's no frantic reversing of direction mid-flight, just lock SAS to whichever direction you're going and run the engine on one end to accelerate, on the other to stop.

I like this idea, will have to try it out

[juanml82]

Don't bother with separate landers and a rovers. Make a single ship that works as both!

Now, these are 0.90, so they do require some tweaking, but you get the idea. Also, try to land near the border between biomes, so you can drive to the next biome. And save very often while driving on the ground. You will tip over. Also, have an engineer on board, as you will break wheels. And a scientist, to reset experiments.

[teatime]

Thanks for your help.

I think I shall move on to Minmus and try hopping a science lab around. I may return to the moon latter just to have a Mun base.

I already had a rover in Mun orbit before I posted this question. I landed it and the flipped it in under 5 minutes. I thought I had a good wheel base spread and it was tip over resistant, but sadly not.

[A_name]

its makes no sense to take a lab now that scientists can reset mat and goo experiments

Except for the bonus science you get by processing experiments on-site in the lab.

[cephalo]

'Hopping' around on the Mun is a bit expensive in my opinion. Minmus can be hopped and cleared of science in one mission but that's a lot harder on the Mun.

[Nich]

Ya no point of landing an MPL on the Mun unless it is for a contract. build a separate lander and leave the MPL and refuel in orbit. It will hit 500 data with 1 trip to the surface.

[Broda]

Ya no point of landing an MPL on the Mun unless it is for a contract. build a separate lander and leave the MPL and refuel in orbit. It will hit 500 data with 1 trip to the surface.

This. Probably the most efficient way to go about it.

If you have enough $$ and this is not a priority mission for you, you can also build a lander with ore drilling and refining equipment. Then you can hop around as you please, and do other projects while the tanks are filling up. Though I suggest you take it to Minmus first and hop onto the Mun from there.

I tried fiddling around with different types of wheels but dropped that idea since wheels break a lot as was already mentioned, but also the painstakingly long driving times from biome to biome.

[Falkenherz]

Some thoughts on rover design are in my latest blog entry. I decided for this model, it has about 2600m/s dV and all science experiments aboard. Pilot via Octo, put a scientist in the cockpit.

On the blowing wheels issue: Use landing gear wheels in the front; they are indestructible and will cushion most hard blows while going fast.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Falkenherz

[Sharpy]

Don't bother with separate landers and a rovers. Make a single ship that works as both!

http://i57.tinypic.com/23rtwns.jpg.

Why are these wheels upside down?