The process of rover design

[cephalo]

I'm having a little trouble attaching docking ports to each other in the VAB. A docking port seems like the most obvious way to drop a rover from a lander, but I haven't really been able to just stick them together face to face.

Also, I would ideally design a rover by itself and test drive it around the space center to make sure it can be can climbed into and out of etc. How best do I attach a pre-existing rover to a pre-existing lander? Do I make the rover as a pre-assembly with the docking port as the root? Have had a few time consuming failures when using pre-assembled parts. I don't want to design the perfect rover and then not be able to attach it to anything.

Another issue is that I don't have a great deal of structural tech yet. When I use things like the 'Modular Girder Segment' or the 'Cubic Octagonal Strut' Will everything I put on there stick to them with a strong connection? Can I use odd angles and such to create ground clearance so my rover doesn't bottom out on bumpy terrain?

Edited May 26, 2015 by cephalo

[capi3101]

I would suggest building a rover in the SPH (generally the SPH makes it easier to put tires on evenly), saving it as a sub-assembly with whatever bit you want to attach to the delivery vehicle as the root, then build the delivery vehicle in the VAB and attaching the rover when it's ready to go. That's just the general order I'd go in.

A decoupler would work just as well as a docking port, BTW. The main difference is that the decoupler would give it some oomph as it separated from the delivery vehicle. If you don't want that oomph, go with the docking port. I might point out that you don't need a corresponding docking port on the rover itself to attach it to a docking port, its just that if you don't you wouldn't be able to pick up the rover and take it somewhere else if you needed to. Something to consider.

If you're not adverse to mods, I might suggest you investigate KIS/KAS. There's a neat demo video out there where somebody builds the rover on-site. True, it used the little shopping cart wheels, but it was a fully functional rover capable of hauling a Kerbal around the Mun a bit.

General rover guidelines - build it low, build it wide, include a Reaction Wheel or Stabilizer, drive it around in docking mode (that last one may not be applicable anymore; haven't designed a new rover in 1.0.x yet). Encase the critical bits in parts with high impact tolerance (like Modular Girder Segments and Structural Panels).

[Pax Kerbana]

1) Build your rover any way you want, keep in mind where you are going to attach the docking port on the top (you are going to drop it, right?).

2) Attach docking port so that the ring side (side without the yellow black stripe) is facing up, the top is perfectly flat, and directly (or pretty close) over the center of gravity.

3) Save.

4) Select another docking port. Using W,A,S,D,E,Q, orient it so that the ring face it attached to the top of the other port (ring to ring).

5) Using the root tab of the teakables (blue one), change to root part to the new docking port, the last one you added. This may flop your craft around but don't worry.

6) Open up the "advanced" tab at the top of the part category bar, then click on "sub-assemblies"

7) Select the docking port that is directly attached to the rover (not the one you made the root part) using the regular cursor.

8) Drop the selection (it should be your entire rover) into the box at the bottom of the sub-assembly tab.

9) Name and save your rover as a sub-assembly.

10) Click "create new" without saving.

11) Design your lander/descent module with docking port facing down.

12) Use the sub-assembly tab to load your rover.

13) Using the same W,A,S,D,Q,E keys, orient it so that the docking port is facing up, node up, and attach to lander.

It's hard to design a good combo, good luck. Also this post took MUCH longer than I thought it would!!

[cephalo]

Thanks for the great tips. I can solve a lot of problems with this info.

[Laie]

The most important stuff has been said already, just one minor tidbit: you only need two docking ports if you ever want to connect them again. A single docking port can be used like a decoupler. However, a real decoupler would hammer your rover into the ground, possibly wrecking it. Docking-port-as-a-decoupler is painless and also safe from staging accidents.

[eonmoon]

if you have trouble getting the docking ports to attach right in the VAB, remember you can hold the mod key( alt for us windows users) to attach node to node also very useful if attaching something in a cluttered area

[cephalo]

if you have trouble getting the docking ports to attach right in the VAB, remember you can hold the mod key( alt for us windows users) to attach node to node also very useful if attaching something in a cluttered area

Did not know that! In fact, there's a lot of stuff you can do in the VAB/SPH that I have no clue about. Is there a comprehensive guide to ALL the tricks you can do in the VAB? Every little tip like that I learn is game changing for me.

[-Velocity-]

As always, I have to ask the question- why do you want to make your rover and lander/ascent vehicle a separate vessel? Unless you're exploring Eve (or now that they've nerfed rocket engine ISP and added a better aero model, Tylo and Laythe), it's much easier to make them the same vessel. I've never quite understood why so many people are so fixated on making rovers that are not capable of spaceflight (maybe for realism's sake?). Why not just avoid the whole question and make your rover a lander? It's very easy to do on low gravity worlds. In fact, even on bodies with as high of gravity as Duna, you can make successful "everything ships"- vessels with rover wheels, all science instruments, mobile science lab, big solar panels, a large crew complement, ISRU mining, refining, and scanning, even interplanetary transfer. Because now that we have ISRU, it is quite easy to combine all functions into a single vessel, as long as it's a low gravity world you're visiting (i.e., NOT Eve, Kerbin, Tylo, or Laythe).

Edited May 26, 2015 by |Velocity|

[kurja]

A single docking port can be used like a decoupler. However, a real decoupler would hammer your rover into the ground, possibly wrecking it. Docking-port-as-a-decoupler is painless and also safe from staging accidents.

Right click a decoupler / separator in sph/vab and tweak the separation force. Cheaper and lighter =)

[Daveroski]

Right click a decoupler / separator in sph/vab and tweak the separation force. Cheaper and lighter =)

About time someone said something. I was beginning to think I was doing something odd.