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[WIP] The Martian Ares Rover

-ctn-

By -ctn-
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-ctn-

-ctn-

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Hey everyone!

I'm assuming a lot of people have seen The Martian this weekend...

After restarting three times and working on this for like... five hours straight, I've finally got something I can post. I haven't added any command pods to the game yet, so this will be a learning experience.

I haven't decided if I'm 100% happy with it. The windows look good but the shapes with the hatches kind of look off. I also didn't want to do a super hi-poly model, and keep the KSP type style a little bit.

Let me know what you guys think!

EDIT: Check out the release here!

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-ctn-

-ctn-

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Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to take a break for the day and just keep studying the photos. There's some angles I don't agree with. Also, I'm trying to work out exactly how to make it useable in KSP, as far as attachment nodes, ect. I don't like to blow up part lists so I think it may just be the cockpit and maybe a wheel retexture for the nice swirly gold wheels.

As for size, the wheels shown above are the stock "TR-2L Ruggedized Wheels" which stand about 1m tall, or as tall as a Kerbal.

I didn't want it to be too huge, it's kinda already difficult to land rovers in KSP, let alone big manned ones. Maybe if you have KIS, all you need is the cockpit and some KIS containers you can assemble one on site.

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_Augustus_

_Augustus_

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Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to take a break for the day and just keep studying the photos. There's some angles I don't agree with. Also, I'm trying to work out exactly how to make it useable in KSP, as far as attachment nodes, ect. I don't like to blow up part lists so I think it may just be the cockpit and maybe a wheel retexture for the nice swirly gold wheels.

As for size, the wheels shown above are the stock "TR-2L Ruggedized Wheels" which stand about 1m tall, or as tall as a Kerbal.

I didn't want it to be too huge, it's kinda already difficult to land rovers in KSP, let alone big manned ones. Maybe if you have KIS, all you need is the cockpit and some KIS containers you can assemble one on site.

If it fits in a 5m aeroshell it should be okay.
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Sgt.Shutesie

Sgt.Shutesie

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This is great! I have a mod to look forward to for Hermes, one for all the SLS and STS type rockets, one for the Chinese rocket that I cant remember the name of, and now for the Rover.

Question, are you going to add parts that would be similar to that of the book? Or are you basing the whole of it off the movie. Ex: A large pressurized cabin that extends the length of the rover vs a cockpit with flat bed space.

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mike9606

mike9606

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One thing to note is that I remember that in the movie, the normal rover only has 4 wheels and the 6 wheel one was actually just a trailer put on the end for the other batteries. I may be wrong, but I think that is correct.

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-ctn-

-ctn-

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The rover is a six wheel design, and it pulled a tiny trailer behind it with smaller wheels for storage stuff.

The battery is located on the back end of the flatbed, and on top of it is the Rover's own solar panels.

EDIT: Err, now I'm second guessing myself. Let me go find some reference photos.

EDIT2: Confirmed, it's a six wheel design where each wheel has it's own suspension. The flatbed part carries the rover batteries and solar array and a little crane arm. It was towing a smaller six-wheeled trailer, which has much smaller wheels with a different suspension system. You are still right though - the main rover flatbed is cut in half and on a hinge, so the cabin and batteries are on the part with four of the wheels and the smaller section in the back with the two wheels is what carries the crane arm. I don't think they separate though, I think it's just a hinged body - which is a design they used IRL for the proposed robotic Moon rover and at first for brainstorming for Sojourner.

Edited by -ctn-
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Sgt.Shutesie

Sgt.Shutesie

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I always thought that the rovers looked similar to that of the LEV/SEV rovers that NASA has but was longer and had more wheels. Which would add a toe hitch and such. The only disappointing part of the movie for me was the lack of the emphasis on just how important the rover trip was and the events that happened in it. That and the fact that the hab material was basically plastic looking and not a heavy Kevlar type material that the book made it out to be.

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-ctn-

-ctn-

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HYPE! Please man, do it, and what do you think (in the future) of a inflatable hab and a MAV like in the movie?

I would love to do an inflatable Hab and a MAV. The Hab from PorkJet's HabitatPack doesn't like me, the FireSpitter plugin needed to work the animation makes my stock antennas non functional.

The MAV was way bigger than I pictured. But making it for KSP may have to wait, I literally cannot find any good reference pictures of it. Just like two main shots in the trailer.

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_Augustus_

_Augustus_

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I would love to do an inflatable Hab and a MAV. The Hab from PorkJet's HabitatPack doesn't like me, the FireSpitter plugin needed to work the animation makes my stock antennas non functional.

The MAV was way bigger than I pictured. But making it for KSP may have to wait, I literally cannot find any good reference pictures of it. Just like two main shots in the trailer.

I know what it looks like.

Basically a CST-100 capsule on top of 2 ascent stages and a landing frame.

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CommanderSpock

CommanderSpock

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I know what it looks like.

Basically a CST-100 capsule on top of 2 ascent stages and a landing frame.

Well that doesn't really help with the details. From what I can remember, the final stage has 4 engines on the bottom, and the launch stage has 4 pods of 2 engines (dragon v2 style).

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-ctn-

-ctn-

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Well that doesn't really help with the details. From what I can remember, the final stage has 4 engines on the bottom, and the launch stage has 4 pods of 2 engines (dragon v2 style).

That's a little more helpful.

I remember the engines being inset into an aerodynamic frame like the dragon2. I also remember it looking kind of angular. It wasnt a simple cone from engine to nosecone, it had like a step between the stages that was straight.

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Sgt.Shutesie

Sgt.Shutesie

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I know what it looks like.

Basically a CST-100 capsule on top of 2 ascent stages and a landing frame.

Ha! That's exactly what I did!

See!

http://imgur.com/a/ygTVa

And It's more than happy to put you in a 200 km orbit around Kerbin. Perfect for Duna or perhaps speeding up to a rendezvous on a Duna Flyby.

Except it still uses the SM of the CST-100 to rendezvous and dock.

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Neutrinovore

Neutrinovore

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This is why these forums are so fantastic!! You see something and you make it!! Well Done! Bravo! Love the speed!

http://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/slow_clap_citizen_kane.gif

Yep, what he said! WANT IT! Haven't seen the movie (waiting until it's out on Blu-Ray video, :) ), but I want to see it even more now, lol! :cool:

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