[0.25] Lionhead Aerospace Inc. - Icarus v0.4 updated

[Yogui87]

First of all, thank you for your compliments.

The Rover\'s speed is quite low (about 13 m/s) but it is incredibly stabil. Even a tight turn at top speed won\'t make it topple over. And it\'s survivability is quite high. I bumped into the landingstrip at top speed and only a side solarpanel exploded. (I had to do it three more times before i finally got the complete rover to explode). The onboard camera is a nice addition,a pity it isn\'t placed on the 'head' of the rover.

My rover is slow and very stable because it\'s a robot and I want it to behave like one. Can you imagine your rover topple over at its first turn on Minmus after a long journey and a risky landing?? --> Oh, NOOOOO! Wtf???

If you want to increase its speed you can tweek the .cfg file.

The survivability is variable: wheels are almost undestructible while solar panels are very weak.

I\'ve some troubles to place the onboard cam in the 'head', but I\'ll try to fix it in a future patch.

I will say beta testing was a little trick but the beta was pretty nice especially driving on the mun but it was a pain to get it off the lander.

That\'s why I want to make a landing nacelle for the rover. The easiest (but a little cheaty) way to send the rover to the Mun is to modify the persistent file in the save folder.

[Sbowyer28]

Yogui to do it I had to tip my lander I have video

[jamieadd]

How do you actually land it?

[Kreuzung]

What do you mean by 'cheaty', Kreuzung? The Rover is a robot, not a manned research vessel. Besides, everyone can choose to use the Mechjeb functions or not.

I don\'t know what this rover weights, but I think that a MechJeb should at least weight more than an ASAS system. That\'s why I usually change pods that should be unmanned but aren\'t actually unmanned to satellite relay pods.

[TheCardinal]

I don\'t know what this rover weights, but I think that a MechJeb should at least weight more than an ASAS system. That\'s why I usually change pods that should be unmanned but aren\'t actually unmanned to satellite relay pods.

That\'s probably a matter of opinion (personally i don\'t agree).

The ASAS unit has to correct the flightpath of a (usually) large rocket, so the unit has to have gyroscopes of a considerate weight (and a robust support frame). The ASAS unit weighs 0.8. The MechJebs don\'t need the heavy gyroscopes and should therefor be lighter than the ASAS unit. (which is and isn\'t true depending on the pod).

The complete rover weighs 0.96, while the rover 'pod' (i.e. the central solarpanel) weighs 0.4. Considering the weight of the ringtype Mechjeb (0.2 and 0.5) i find the weight of the SolarPanel perfect to change it to a MechJeb. (But as i said before, it\'s a matter of opinion)

[Yogui87]

The atmospheric re-entry nacelle for the Prometheus Solar Rover is almost finished. Tell me your feelings about it.

The airbags are just 'parachutes' so it can\'t absorb damages. I need to add colliders to the nacelle\'s doors in order to make easier to leave the nacelle with the rover. And yes I used MechJeb because for now the nacelle is unbalanced and hit the launch tower with manual control.

My inspiration:

I\'ll think about a nacelle for non-atmospheric planets like Mun and Minmus. If you have any ideas...

[Kreuzung]

I\'ll think about a nacelle for non-atmospheric planets like Mun and Minmus. If you have any ideas...

Just make them so that you can burn retro a bit over the surface, drop descent stage, then fall and keep it upright.

And set pod\'s module to [tt]MuMechVariablePod [/tt]and add [tt]crewCapacity = 0[/tt], makes it like normal pod but without crew.

[Shadoworgon]

I\'ll think about a nacelle for non-atmospheric planets like Mun and Minmus. If you have any ideas...

One thing you could try out is the thing the Mars Science Lab is going to make, and if you ask me its very Kerbal 8)

[Kreuzung]

Skycrane, nice idea, I\'d drop mine then since it\'s more an easy way to fail ;D

[jolee1868]

nice mod! definately going to download and try when i get home tonight

[Alizter]

The rover is probably the best eye candy I have seen in KSP. Congratulations great job!

[TheCardinal]

I\'ve made some droptests using the pontoons (http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=4873.msg221523#msg221523 as a make-do protection for an ASAS unit. Due to the difficulty to fit them properly on the apropriate skids i couldnt give the unit a really good protection. However, dropped from a height of slightly more than 20 FL-T500 fuel tanks the ASA unit survived, provided the unit + pontoons didn\'t tumble.

My conclusion is that airbags are feasible. Ergo the landingsystem of the NASA martian rovers as a whole is feasible as well.

[sochmer]

i am afraid only of one thing, it can be fitted into the Jordancox2 Intrepid 500? http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=3684.0

[MaverickSawyer]

The atmospheric re-entry nacelle for the Prometheus Solar Rover is almost finished. Tell me your feelings about it.

The airbags are just 'parachutes' so it can\'t absorb damages. I need to add colliders to the nacelle\'s doors in order to make easier to leave the nacelle with the rover. And yes I used MechJeb because for now the nacelle is unbalanced and hit the launch tower with manual control.

My inspiration:

I\'ll think about a nacelle for non-atmospheric planets like Mun and Minmus. If you have any ideas...

Dude, that\'s BAWSS! So gonna DL that once it\'s available!

[Yogui87]

i am afraid only of one thing, it can be fitted into the Jordancox2 Intrepid 500? http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=3684.0

For now, rover can be contained in a 3m diameter cylinder and nacelle can be contained in a 4/5m cylinder. I expect reducing by half the dimension of both in a future patch to feet well with existing parts.

[sochmer]

For now, rover can be contained in a 3m diameter cylinder and nacelle can be contained in a 4/5m cylinder. I expect reducing by half the dimension of both in a future patch to feet well with existing parts.

Great to hear that! thanks ;D

[GabrielG.A.B.Fonseca]

Are you sure that you\'re a beginner? Because this is a masterpiece!

[XSP-Xenon Space Programm]

Can\'t await the airbags ;D

and if you are an beginner, I can\'t await until you are pro

[steve000]

^^ what he said.

[Kuldan]

Yeah, if you can get the Arm to work with the camera plugin (and make it moveable, so you can actually look around with the mast) and give the antennae something to do this will enable great science missions on Murs and beyond.. keep at it

P.S. Skycrane would be awesome. for now I deploy it with the cuttlefish..

[maxsil]

That rover looks amazing!

One tiiiny feature request though:

Can you make the wheels fold 'in' to make it more compact and more awesome ? (i like animated things)

Also: for non-atmospheric entry, can\'t you just use that awesome looking pylon you have, but stick an engine under it and attach a cusion to it[the engine], then simply add some matching RCS thrusters to the rover itself to lift it of the decoupler (or perhaps some sort of light, disposable, 10-something second liquid booster to avoid abuse of the thrusters in other crafts)?

[Inquisition]

Looks great cant wait to try it out.

[Yogui87]

That rover looks amazing!

One tiiiny feature request though:

Can you make the wheels fold 'in' to make it more compact and more awesome ? (i like animated things)

Thank you. I was thinking about foldable wheels (i like animated parts too), it add me work but I think I\'ll make it in a future patch.

For the non-atmospheric entry, I like the sky-crane idea. In other hand, I think about adding 3 liquid boosters at the 3 corners if the nacelle and switch nacelle from strut part to a fuel tank part, but this will force do not use airbags because of collision with boosters.

[Rocketscienist]

An idea:

The Solar panels produce energy which the rover needs to drive!

[Kreuzung]

First is possible, second not I think. However, if I think further, it could be with a new part module... if Yogui87 is interested, I\'d make one ;D