Circumnavigation of the Mun

[RocketPilot573]

Hey everyone! I was going to test this new rover I made before I mass produce it and send it to all the planets, but then I saw the Elcano Challenge. After not very much thought it was decided that circumnavigating the Mun is the most efficient way to test drive it. This mission will probably take a while... Let's get started!

Part 1

-KSC-

A 400,000 fund rocket takes flight! One booster is missing due to budget constraints (this is my career mode).

Dumping the booster...

Confetti

Stage sep! The core stage will return to KSC later, flowed by the upper stage.

-Somewhere in LKO-

In the giant orbital spaceship hangarâ„¢, a nuclear tug is dispatched, along with a small crewed lander.

-Later-

The two ships rendezvous, followed by me messing around docking things together, transferring fuel around, etc.

The nuclear tug boosts the rover with it's skycrane to a Mun encounter.

Next up the crew lander/ship flys off to Minmus. Wait why Minmus?! Ah yes, you see, this mission requires a skilled Kerbal to drive the rover, but unfortunately KSC is all out of Kerbals... One which is already in space must be chosen. After careful examination and much discussion, it was decided that Bill Kerman was to accompany the rover, for he has elaborate training in the Art of Repairing Wheelsâ„¢. Bill's current assignment is to drive a fuel tanker, delivering massive amounts of LF from the minmus refinery to LKO. At present he is enroute to Minmus, but not if I can help it!

That looks about right... ._.

-Over the Mun-

-Minmus Orbit-

I mange to catch up to Bill just as he was about to deorbit to the base, now I need to convince him to participate in this new mission.

Ok Bill is on board, back to the Mun!

Bill suddenly notices that the ship has 300 m/s delta-v left... uh...

-Later, back in Mun orbit-

Hey Bill, you're a bit short on fuel, in fact you have none left! Just bail out, I'll reclaim this ship later.

Now that wasn't so hard was it?

Don't mind the radiation... it will be fine.

Landed... Now decouple the skycrane! The crane is very low on fuel and has to limp back to the nuclear tug in orbit. This crane (if refueled) can land anywhere on the Mun, where the rover may then redock to either refuel for just leave the Mun.

So now a look at the rover. I don't have any special name for it yet, but I will decide on something soon. This rover was designed for all airless (including Duna) bodys, and as I said before this is the test run. I am aiming for convenience (speed) and reliability (I get grumpy if I have to quickload every 2 minutes). It consists of 6 rover wheels, which alone can speed the rover up to around ~25 m/s. There are 2 Ion thrusters for turbo boost, which can be used for accelerating the rover up to very high speeds and/or for getting up a steep hill. All of this is powered by one of those fancy new solar cell parts. For speeds over 60 m/s (which probably wont happen on this trip) and high impact resistance 4 aircraft rated landing gears are on board (also 1.0 made rover wheel's brakes almost nonexistent, so this rover cannot stop without the stronger landing gear brakes).

The start... And the end...

The rover is also equipped with the ore sensor thingy. This handy piece of equipment spits out the current Biome the rover is in, the coordinates, and the ore concentration.

I have left Mechjeb off the rover to make this more hands on.

Jumping is very common...

In my opinion, the Mun is by far the hardest place to rove, because it has those nasty (but neat looking) procedural craters. It can be very disastrous (for obvious reasons) to drive off of a 50 to 1000 meter cliff wall (everything gets kinda smeared all over the surface like a swatted fly). I ended up spending a half hour just figuring out the safest way to drive. I settled on speeding up to 20 m/s using the rover wheels (to save fuel) and then boosting the vehicle up to 30-40 m/s with the Ions (and deploying the landing gears). Due to low gravity and very little wheel friction, once up to speed the rover does not stop, and thus needs no further ion/wheel power. That means I may not even have to refuel!

And this is what I meant by those "nasty craters." Normally when driving a rover you can just drive in a mostly straight direction for hundreds of kilometers, but doing that here means certain death... The course must be carefully plotted to drive around these craters. The course depicted in this image is only about 50 kilometers.

Progress so far. (displayed path may not be accurate, that is just what I vaguely remember)

To Be Continued...

Edited May 17, 2015 by RocketPilot573

[Sutternalt]

Mmmm, the Mun is such a delicious place to rove. I'm a little jealous.

[RocketPilot573]

Part 2

[spoiler=]

-Somewhere on the Mun-

At this point Bill is cruising along at 40 m/s, with warp x2. Making great time!

The rover is strong enough to survive running over a bumpy part of the terrain.

Woa! On my phone one second and the next the rover is flying off a cliff! Apparently texting while driving is a bad thing... I blame Bill.

Coming out of the crater... Backflip time!

Approaching a rather large ditch.

Yes, Bill, you have to go down there.

Alright, just go VERY, VERY slowly... No- NO!

Smashing onto the ground at 20 m/s, do the brakes work? *brake grinding noises, rover speeds up*

Apparently not! Thought I said in the last chapter that we wouldn't go this fast. Oh hey, new biome! There's nearly no ore in this place...

The rover sustaining critical damages to the wheels, and tumbling wildly while I try to keep it from exploding. All the while Bill flooring the brakes.

Several kilometer later the rover finally comes to a stop, allowing Bill to fix the wheels. Why are we in this crater again?

Ah yes... The first stop on this grand journey! The anomaly appears to be a Monolith very similar to the one at KSC, but some dust from previous impacts seems to have buried it.

Progress!

To Be Continued...

Edited May 25, 2015 by RocketPilot573

[RocketPilot573]

Part 3

[spoiler=]

Next up is a 400 km stretch to the eastern Mun arch! Getting out of the Monolith crater a bit slow...

The fuel is starting to burn down, at this rate the refueling will be required somewhere around 200 km from the finish (rover has no backup solar panels).

Going into a very flat basin, for once no craters in the way!

Bill, what did I tell you about driving too fast.

I mean really... You're probably going to die.

Yet Bill and the rover somehow survives a +10g impact, I expected a quickload.

At 100 km from the arch a marker appears in front of the rover, ah, that's a flag that I planted at the arch a while back... Which happens to be a very good thing since it's getting dark.

Err, those headlights really suck. I have a bad feeling about this.

Surprise! Random wrinkle in the terrain.

I can't see.

Finally! Just a few km to go, smooth sailing ahead.

Wh- Where did the ground go?

Annnnd quickload! That's what I get for not installing flood lights.

Finally... Here... Still following that marker!

Err sorry. Ran it over...

Shutting down the fuel cell for the night.

Flying up the arch!

I don't even.

Progress report! An entire one third of the way around the Mun!!!

Edited May 25, 2015 by RocketPilot573

[Mister Spock]

LoL! Awesome.

[Sutternalt]

I have to appreciate the ions now. They apparently are decent at accelerating things on wheels.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Sutternalt

[RocketPilot573]

Part 4

[spoiler=]

After a long night Bill is now properly rested, lets continue the road trip!

The really dangerous craterâ„¢ is now visible do to the sun being in the sky.

Maximum power!

Leaping out of the crater.

The terrain up ahead is a little dull... Finally a break from having to path around cliffs!

Highland Craters... I thought this was a flat area.

Interesting Valley.

This giant hole in the ground is in my way... Go around it? I ain't got no time for dat!

Climbing the wall on the opposite side... Notice the navball (Note for those designing their own rovers: this climb is outright not possible without Ion engines, they really do help on low gravity bodies).

Backflip!

Progress Report! The rover is very nearly halfway around the Mun.

In other news, the LF+O Fuel levels are sitting around 40%, the xenon fuel is at 65%. Due to the lack of solar backup there will be a refueling mission in the future. The main issue is oxidizer... That lander I used to pick up Bill from Minmus used up all the extra oxidizer I brought for this mission, there is no more in Mun orbit. I could get more oxidizer from the Minmus base, but that Tanker is also out of it (it needs BOTH LF+O for the Vernors, which is needed to dock to the base). I think there may be some sitting around in one of my space stations...

Edited May 25, 2015 by RocketPilot573

[Geschosskopf]

Quite a tale!

[RocketPilot573]

Part 5 (I put the chapters in spoilers to clean up the thread)

[spoiler=]

In part 5, Bill continues his road trip 'round the Mun!

I finally bothered to name the rover... "Scorpion."

This is a pretty long stretch of the trip, getting dark again.

Whoops! Must always pay attention when driving on the Mun.

Ah yes, the... International dateline is it called? Skipping to the other side of the map.

Urgent request from KSC! We need you to... Send us a report from the Mun's surface.

Gonna have to stop for the night.

On to the next day! That's quite the canyon!

Using the Ions to power out of the ditch.

Minor issues with the wheel.

The rover is heading into a very dangerous looking highlands area.

Hey! A little star thing on the horizon! Oh, it's Minmus.

What's this? Could it be?

Another arch!

Jumping through the gate! If only Jeb where here to see...

Planting a flag on the 180 meter high rock formation.

Progress! The end is nigh.

-Meanwhile in Kerbin Orbit-

[One Wheeled Panda]

I really like that depot of yours! I'd like to know some details about it.

Good luck on the final stretches!

[RocketPilot573]

I really like that depot of yours! I'd like to know some details about it.

Good luck on the final stretches!

It's actually more of a parking garage than a gas station, the fuel stored is elsewhere. Here is an album that I posted on the subreddit a couple weeks ago.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Starwhip]

Looks good, keep going!

[Xannari Ferrows]

It's actually more of a parking garage than a gas station, the fuel stored is elsewhere. Here is an album that I posted on the subreddit a couple weeks ago.

http://imgur.com/a/xAA5B

That craft is a true work of art! Better than anything I've ever conjured up. In fact, that's even better than my Laythe ore mining operations... 6 phases, and all for Liquid Hydrogen.

[RocketPilot573]

Part 6

[spoiler=]

-Somewhere on █████████-

Nearly done with the circumnavigation now! Now lets get roving! Wait a minute-

Something doesn't seem quite right... Maybe I left the parking brakes on?

I think it has something to do with the Mun. I'm getting some weird readings on the Negative Gravioli Detector. Is that... Positive Graviolis?!

Hmm...

Might as well go and check it out.

-On the Mun, Bill has fallen asleep while driving-

Bill! BILL! WAKE UP!

He's trying to tell KSC about some sort of dream, but who cares. Taking a nap while driving is not recommended.

Going into some interesting terrain again. The other side of the Mun was much flatter.

Lot's of hills.

Jeez that's a huge crater.

Climbing out.

Progress so far. Sorry I only made it 100 km this chapter, I was a bit busy.

Edited May 29, 2015 by RocketPilot573

[Squiggsy]

haha wow what happened to the Mun 0.o, that is madness, and that's some nice progress you're making! nearly there now, good stuff!

[Starwhip]

You've got some combination of trans-dimensional interference and rupturing of space and time. Hurry, before the Kraken eats you whole!

[Xannari Ferrows]

Just some turbulence. Nothing to fear. I mean, it's regular, right? ...Right??

[Geschosskopf]

I think it has something to do with the Mun. I'm getting some weird readings on the Negative Gravioli Detector. Is that... Positive Graviolis?!

http://i.imgur.com/zgAVmS6.png

That takes the cake. What kind of meds fo you have Bill on?

[Overland]

I think youve found the lair of the kraken itself

Edited June 5, 2015 by Overland

[RocketPilot573]

Part 7

[spoiler=]

Getting nearer and nearer to the finish line!

Going through a flat, straight stretch of land (in between craters). Maximum speed!

Driving at typical highway speeds.

At the end of the straightaway is this crater, I don't generally like going through these because I have to slow down and inch off the crater edge at no more than 10 m/s, or else the rover will fly hundreds of meters into the air and crash.

Using momentum plus the magical ion engines to climb this cliff.

Also can't come out of the crater too fast for the same reason, this was only going 15 m/s.

Looking at the current fuel levels, I might be able to make it without refueling... But only if I save fuel by stopping less for quicksaving. Just a reminder, I don't hold down W or set trim or anything, as due to lack of atmosphere I only occasionally use the Ions and rover wheels to accelerate to 35-40 m/s. Once up to speed it coasts for several kilometers.

Sunset again, this should be the last night though. In case I do need refueling, the shipment of Oxidizer is currently on it's way to the Mun. It will arrive by dawn.

Progress! I am eagerly awaiting the moment when the flag's maker appears on screen (at 100 km). I estimate that I'm 130 km from the finish, but first I must trek though the "Farside Crater." This is the first and only massive crater I will drive through, since going around would take too long plus require more fuel.

[Geschosskopf]

Good luck on the final leg

[Ferdoni]

Seriously, how long does it take to drive like 100 km? I tried roving a bit and i just gave up after an evening full of moving jsut 30 m/s and crashing every 10m. In the end I didn't even rove at all...

[Geschosskopf]

Seriously, how long does it take to drive like 100 km? I tried roving a bit and i just gave up after an evening full of moving jsut 30 m/s and crashing every 10m. In the end I didn't even rove at all...

The time varies considerably with both the rover's design and the terrain, both of which determine the rover's top speed. Assuming your design can handle 40m/s indefinitely over reasonably good terrain, that means 2500 seconds per 100km, which is 42 minutes. Each step of physical warp reduces this, so 22 minutes at 2x, 14 minutes at 3x, and 10.5 minutes at 4x.

The trick, therefore is to design a rover that's stable enough and strong enough to handle all the routine jumps and bumps you'll get on "reasonably flat ground" at 40m/s. It also helps to use one of the several methods that let you keep moving without having to hold down a key all that time.

[RocketPilot573]

Seriously, how long does it take to drive like 100 km? I tried roving a bit and i just gave up after an evening full of moving jsut 30 m/s and crashing every 10m. In the end I didn't even rove at all...

PSA:

A very common mistake is using this wheel:

The wheel has been seriously bugged ever since it was added. Once I tried driving a rover using them off the runway. The wheel randomly snapped for no reason, blew up the runway (???), threw the rover 100 meters into the air, and then the game crashed. Never use that part.

Edited June 1, 2015 by RocketPilot573

[Geschosskopf]

PSA:The wheel has been seriously bugged ever since it was added. Once I tried driving a rover using them off the runway. The wheel randomly snapped for no reason, blew up the runway (???), threw the rover 100 meters into the air, and then the game crashed. Never use that part.

What does PSA mean?

Anyway, I've never had such problems with the "Ruggedized" wheels. The main issues I've had are it's low ground clearance and the power of its brakes, which means I always remove the front wheels from the default brakes action group. Otherwise, I prefer it to the long-handled, babypoop-colored ones as being rather tougher, having better traction, and using a bit less power.

But if you're interested in high speed for long distances, you can't beat the Small Gear Bay. It's the most durable wheel of any reasonably small size, can be made to steer, and its ability to retract means you can simply your ladder arrangement or even do without ladders entirely. The only downside is that it has no drive, which means you need a separate means of propulsion (or a custom ModuleManager patch to apply a motor to it). A separate propulsion system is good in that you don't have to hold a key down to keep it moving, but OTOH you consume fuel of some sort, which can limit range.