KSS Anduril: Circumnavigating Mun By Land [Elcano Challenge]

[Aghanim]

Well I've been browsing challenges forum until I found this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/113778-The-Elcano-Challenge-Ground-based-circumnavigation . Mods are allowed, and the rules are not that bad, so I use this:

4 DT Vista engine balanced with TCA for hovering and going to other planets, a magnetic nozzle for superefficient thrust, and 8 Modular Girder Segment XL with 2 KF screw drive each, backed with a single 3.75m fusion reactor and dual 2.5m fusion reactor all running in Helium-3 mode to supply power to all DT Vista engines. Of course, all of that is overkill for rover, but I'll promise I will not use the engines in this challenge.

It also have an elevator because the vehicle is too high above ground and ladders won't reach it, and I'm planning to put a small rover inside it. And I'm planning to land a small scout airplane on top of the rover, if I can.

Now here is the table of contents:

1. Part -1: Disaster testing and management
   
2. Part -0.5: The eagles does solve every problem, right?
   

Edited March 30, 2015 by Aghanim

[Aghanim]

Part -1: Disaster Testing and Management

Before going to the Mun, I strongly feel that this giant rover needs to be tested for every possible scenario as best as possible to be able to create preventative strategies and fixing strategies (that kinda sounds like management BS)

Fall damage simulation

First, I started the engine without TCA for several seconds and let it fall, to simulate engine failure and jumping across craters and dunes in Mun. Here is the pictures of KSS Anduril flying unbalanced:

and then it crashes to the runway, destroying it

but most of the drive shafts are still operational

So KSS Anduril passes fall damage test nicely. Fortunately, this kind of accident rarely happens unless one of the Kerbals are going EVA at landing phase and DT Vista radiation protection system kicks in, disabling all engines. And neither do dune jumps can fly this thing high enough to make this happen. But still, that drive shafts are the weakest part of the rover.

Missing drive shaft simulation

So I've installed TAC Self Destruct with unofficial Blast Radius enhancement in its thread. Then I attach all drive shafts with X-1100 Self Destruct with staging disabled and Blast Radius set to 0 so it will only destroy the drive shaft. Then, I destroy forward and backward drive shafts

then I destroy more drive shafts until this happens:

So that is the maximum amount of drive shafts destroyed before the entire vehicle is unstable and it starts to explode. If there is a solution so that the thing will brake at drive shaft destruction automatically the whole vehicle could be saved.

Fixing broken drive shaft

To fix broken drive shaft, let me introduce you to a small rover named KSS Hobbit-1x

I've designed this so it will fit nicely in the elevator. This rover have a piston connected to a hinge so a kerbal could go to the top and the piston will extend, so then the kerbal could attach new Modular Girder Segment XL. Then he will go down and attach 2 KF Screw Drive to it.

Then, I've inserted the KSS Hobbit-1x to the elevator and bring it up:

Then I tasked Bob to bring the screw drives to the rover

Then I misclicked take instead of store in the KAS container, with disastrous results:

Which uncovers a design flaw, which is that the docking ports doesn't dock. So, I make some modifications to the elevator. By replacing the docking port with Advanced Grabbing Unit, alignment is unnecessary.

Unfortunately, apparently Advanced Grabbing Unit and KSS Hobbit-1x tickled the Kraken and the whole world explodes:

After reading the wiki entry for AGU, I could avoid this problem.

So, to practice for drive shaft destruction, first I self destruct one of the drive shaft

then I deploy KSS Hobbit-1x filled with screw drives and Modular Girder Segment

then he attaches the Modular Girder Segment to the KSS Anduril

With nice and operational result

Now Kerbal Space Administration is satisfied with all the necessary disaster simulations and training and Jeb and his crew are given greenlight to do Mun circumnavigation.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Aghanim

[Fengist]

And I thought my circumnavigation vehicles were overkill. I stand humbled.

[Jean Deaux]

And I thought my circumnavigation vehicles were overkill. I stand humbled.

I was thinking the exact same thing....

[Aghanim]

Part -0.5: The Eagles does solves every problem, right?

Before actually doing circumnavigation, first the Kerbals needs to know what will happen there. It will be very sad to have them travel for several months and find they go too much south, and encounter some sort of Kraken bait that will make the entire rover explodes. So, I introduce you to another new vehicle, the KSS Sting:

Bonus points for someone that knows my naming scheme

The small spaceplane contain a small hangar from Hangar Mod that contains a small stock ion satellite with SCANsat SAR and multispectral sensor. So, following the optimal altitude for the sensors, first I launched the satellite into space:

to find out that my spaceplane doesn't have enough delta V to do munar orbital injection burn and return to Kerbin. No problem though, I'll just burn to free return trajectory, and eject the satellite

then I use MechJeb's maneuver planner and maneuver node editor to create a really nice series of maneuvers that will increase inclination, do orbital injection burn, decrease apoapsis, circularize and change inclination so that the satellite will be in optimum height for scanning

Then a single click of execute all nodes will do the rest for me. Unfortunately, I started the scanners before the burn, and now my satellite is out of power, so I quickload.

Then KSS Sting have its closest encounter with the Mun, then he reenters Kerbin

then when he do final approach, the wings stall and he crashes to the land

But everyone knows that Jeb is a BadS and he will walk from that disaster unscathed. Meanwhile a geologist in KSC are happy to have a Munar topological map for his birthday

and he will analyze that to determine best landing spot and best route for the rover.

[Fengist]

Since you're using Scansat, make sure to put a BTDT scanner on the rover. Makes pulling up the map a lot easier and it tracks your movement.

[dbmorpher]

Nice, you're using LOTR weapon names for you vehicles. May I suggest Aeglos next as a possible refueling vessel?