How to activate the separator

[Pecan]

What a lot of fun you're having with rovers.  Just to join in, I thought I'd make a fun 'axial' rover that was easy to launch.

Recovery stage     Transfer, lander, rover, return                   Launch stage; swivels, asparagus

Launch as normal, stage boosters when depleted, circularisation with core stage is gentle - TWR only 1.1 when it starts to burn alone, so most is complete before your Ap has reached 75km.

The 'rover' has enough fuel to transfer to Mun, land,re-orbit (see below) and transfer back to Kerbin 51km Pe.  It's only that big because I wanted something with a long wheelbase and, well, fuel tanks are as good as anything else.  Mun TWR is still very high with a single terrier engine.

The legs are quite useful.  Land tail-first, then extend the legs and pitch-down (W) to fall forward onto the legs, without any risk of breaking the wheels.  Retract the legs to drive around and use one/both for self-righting as needed.  They are also important for re-launching, as in 'drive' position you might have trouble pointing back at the sky.  No problem with this design!

Shoot for a 50-ish km periapsis on return to Kerbin and dump all remaining fuel retrograde when you get there.  Hold retrograde all the way down, staging the 'rover' part when it looks like blowing up or when you're ready to land with the capsule and parachute.  I don't think this has enough fuel to re-establish orbit around Kerbin before de-orbiting but I haven't tried.

[Snark]

37 minutes ago, Pecan said:

The legs are quite useful.  Land tail-first, then extend the legs and pitch-down (W) to fall forward onto the legs, without any risk of breaking the wheels.  Retract the legs to drive around and use one/both for self-righting as needed.  They are also important for re-launching, as in 'drive' position you might have trouble pointing back at the sky.  No problem with this design!

Clever use of legs!

Another option would be to replace the legs with a 1.25m reaction wheel. Provides enough torque to lever the rover into a standing position as desired, or lower it gently to the horizontal.  Less drag when launching.  100 kg lighter.  Helps to stabilize while driving around.

[Pecan]

1 hour ago, Snark said:

Clever use of legs!

Another option would be to replace the legs with a 1.25m reaction wheel. Provides enough torque to lever the rover into a standing position as desired, or lower it gently to the horizontal.  Less drag when launching.  100 kg lighter.  Helps to stabilize while driving around.

Not as much fun - next thing you'd want it to do something useful.  I was going for 'useless but interesting illustration of ideas" :-)

 

[JackBush]

Snark and Pecan: you two are terrific. Awfully good of you both to go to that much trouble for me. I do hope lots of people read this. I'm grateful to you both.

Pecan: I do seem obsessed with rovers. I think it's because I want to collect the science and because that's what NASA did on the moon. It may be more work than it's worth but I don't think so. I think it's worth it.

One of my problems has been that to understand what can  be done in the game, I've looked at a number of Scott Manley videos and those of others and they go way  back to when the game was pretty basic. Perhaps I just haven't found the more up-to-date ones. It's not Scott's fault that I do what I do, but it's what I've come across, so I do what I'm shown—until I have a problem and you guys correct me. 

And now I'll go away and try to build an axial rover, using your individual designs. 

Again, thanks a lot.

[Pecan]

1 hour ago, JackBush said:

Snark and Pecan: you two are terrific. Awfully good of you both to go to that much trouble for me. I do hope lots of people read this ... I think [rovers are] worth it ... One of my problems has been that to understand what can  be done in the game ...

It's fun for us too, and hopefully for anyone else interested in thinking about building.  The best test of whether something is 'worth it' in KSP is if you're having fun because there's no other prizes on offer!  With luck that also means learning some things about real rockets/spaceflight since that's what brought most of us to the game in the first place but, yeah, most of it is understanding what can be done :-)  Experiment and explore, in either order.

[Snark]

8 minutes ago, Pecan said:

...because there's no other prizes on offer!

Well, except this. 

[Pecan]

7 minutes ago, Snark said:

Well, except this. 

Ohhh, you and those silly stories about that mythical 'Earth' place with people that have different surnames and all that funny stuff!  That's a prize for google-fu, not KSP engineering.

Besides, the Galaxy Song is surprisingly unenlightening about several answers ^^

Edited December 29, 2015 by Pecan

[JackBush]

Snark and Pecan: I thought I had posted a thank-you for the above but it's not appearing. I'm very grateful for the time and effort you've both given in the above advice and examples. Thanks. I'll try both right now. Well, one at a a time. It's very good of you to do it. I hope lots of others see it.

BUT NOW I DO SEE IT. WTF?

Edited December 29, 2015 by JackBush