The Crazy Mun/Minmus Jump

[Cooly568]

Challenge: Simple, get going fast enough so you jump a cart into orbit escape velocity on the mun or minmus.

Rules: Config edits ALLOWED.

Whoever does this gets a big congratulations and a big bag of nothing.

[Guest]

Ill go for the Mun. Tomorrow

[Cooly568]

Anyone going to try?

[Tim_Barrett]

It can\'t be done - well, at least for eternity. Eventually when the orbit gets around to coming to that high ledge you left upon, you will get hit again, although that might take a long time to experience the same plane in relation the surface from the beginning.

Escape velocity I can imagine being totally possible, however. What would be a real challenge is getting off minmus with a cart into space, and land on the Mun.

[Cooly568]

True, how about you don\'t try to orbit but just reach escape velocity.

[6677]

What would be a real challenge is getting off minmus with a cart into space, and land on the Mun.

That I would like to see

[SteevyT]

That I would like to see

Someone managed this, which is a similar concept. I forget who it was though.

[Ted]

There are some cliffs on Minmus that are above a ~25 degree angle, I should think that, given enough speed, you could gain a bit of altitude from the jump and when you return to that point after a full orbit; you would pass over it.

[SpaceGibsy]

this is not possible at all.. if you try it on a plain surface you would reach an orbit of 1m - hitting the next hill.. as soon as you reach orbital speed you will leave ground, no matter if you\'re on a plain surface or a hill (in that case you will crash in the same angle as you started)..

of curse it would be possible to change the accleraton of the cart to break this, but that wouldnt be driving anymore - thats more like shooting and no challange at all.

in realworld that would be possible by building something like a looping in which your accleration is not limited to orbital speeds.. wouldnt it be realy kerbal to place something like this on minimus?

[Cooly568]

I said config edits=YES

I knew this would be impossible with the stock speeds.

[Tim_Barrett]

I said config edits=YES

I knew this would be impossible with the stock speeds.

? You can make a stock lander go escape velocity.

[Cooly568]

? You can make a stock lander go escape velocity.

A stock CART

[Guest]

Just attempted, but my stock cart was horribly unusable. I did see a mun arch, though! Can i use cart mod? Please!

[Cooly568]

Just attempted, but my stock cart was horribly unusable. I did see a mun arch, though! Can i use cart mod? Please!

You can use the cart mod, and bigtrak, WITH config edits

[G Addict]

I reckon using rotation to aim engines down would keep the vehicle on the surface long enough to hit overland escape velocity, then just cut engines once you hit a bump.

[Guest]

Re-attempting on mun.

[illectro]

Look the answer is obvious, you put engines on top of your vehicle pointing down, that way you can keep your wheels on the ground after you reach orbital velocity.

I have tried this, but my problem is that the vehilcles tend to hit a bump and flip upside down

[Guest]

Yeah, i failed.

[N2maniac]

Minimus has some very smooth surfaces (the valleys). I managed to get a stock cart to about 150m/s along them but that was all of the 'track' that I had before hitting a hill. Unfortunately orbital speed was 200m/s, so I would have needed about 300m/s for escape.

The cart speed surprised me since on Kerbin it has trouble above 100

[Excalibur]

The cart speed surprised me since on Kerbin it has trouble above 100

Air resistance, or lack of on Minmus.

[Ted]

Okay, managed to almost get into a highly elliptical orbit around Minmus with mods and cfg edits. Will post the album documenting it in a second, going to try a few more times as well.

Gallery.

EDIT: I think a redesign of the buggy is needed, as well as a higher spot that has a lower angle.

[semininja]

Realize that it is impossible to jump yourself into orbit, as your starting from the ground means that your orbit intersects the ground.

[SteevyT]

Realize that it is impossible to jump yourself into orbit, as your starting from the ground means that your orbit intersects the ground.

Not if you artificially increase gravity until you are above escape velocity. Then you shut off your engines pointing at the ground and fly off.

[Cooly568]

I think if the jump is a lower angle then you should launch into orbit

[semininja]

Realize that it is impossible to jump yourself into orbit, as your starting from the ground means that your orbit intersects the ground.

Not if you artificially increase gravity until you are above escape velocity. Then you shut off your engines pointing at the ground and fly off.

You\'re still starting at the ground and going up, which is the problem. If your initial vector intersects the ground, your orbit will as well unless you start at the highest point on the body traveling exactly horizontal.