The Elcano Challenge: Ground-Based Circumnavigation (Continued)

[Alchemist]

Just a quick end of the day update on my mission status (mission thread not updated to this point yet now it is):

MET: 2d 1h 25 m (and it's already the third night on route).
1549 km route length, 1287 km (surface distance) from KSC. Not reached the furthest point yet.
Crossed 2 oceans, visited 2 capes and 3 islands (one of them near the end of another cape), got into a gulf and ran out of sea to traverse. Well, I was getting extremely seasick just from navigating it, don't want to know the crew's opinion (although Val seemed rather happy). Now I'll have to drive a bit. Or not only drive, actually - there are several lakes there
 

There are a few improvements to be made for this design, but I'm really tempted to drop such vehicle on some distant moon I was going to visit...

Edited August 16, 2016 by Alchemist

[Martian Emigrant]

Driving like mad men Kerbals.

Close to 2/3 of the way.

I think I am facing a strike.

Both Vallina and Nedbur are not smiling any more. They grumble about not having any fun.

They throw empty snack packaging at the camera when they notice I am looking.

I will have to let them play a bit....I guess...Soon anyway.

 

[Chemp]

Update: From 80°N around the pole and south to 63°N.

However hard I tried, there was just no way to get the craft out of the water and on the landmass. A shame, since I had planned to visit the north pole and test the boat's ability to speed on land - the flat terrain around the pole would have been perfect.
In any case, my worries about not having enough fuel were unfounded, since I reached the next refuelling point with the tanks almost half full.

[Claw]

On 8/13/2016 at 11:10 PM, Alchemist said:

I made this... speedboat? hydroplane? ekranoplan? Elcanoplan!

Dude, I have no idea what this is, but it looks awesome.

 

On 8/15/2016 at 1:26 AM, Martian Emigrant said:

Both Vallina and Nedbur are not smiling any more. They grumble about not having any fun.

Hahaha. Yeah, I had the crew strike on me a few times. (They also had the mysterious Kraken strike back a few times.)

 

 

[gilflo]

Hello

I am building a modded Amphibious Gliding Rover to make a circum navigation around Eve.

It should be able to reach more than 110m/s on water and same speed on ground.

It should be able to glide in order to land on Eve. 

for circumnavigation, what about if it glides from top of  mountain in a valley? Is it allowed, because it could be able.....

But it can also stay on ground and jump at high speed reaching 20 to 40m high before touching ground again....

[damerell]

My personal take on it, which isn't everyone's, but this is a bit of a grey area, is it's fine to glide, as long as you can't push when you're not touching the ground.

[Alchemist]

Not that much distance covered but probably more eventful than the rest of the route. My sea vehicle spent a night crossing the land. Now it's on the shore, mining fuel for crossing the next ocean.

[Deddly]

Some really nice entries here. @Claw, do you happen to have an updated link to the map posted in the special instructions for the water route?

[Alchemist]

I thought of putting my route on the map (red - done, purple - plotted options) and now I'm facing a big dilemma on the next point: straight for the straits and into next ocean? visit the peninsula south of my current location (I initially thought it's the opposite point)? Go slightly back and visit that bay opposite of KSC? Some bigger detour (the atoll???) just for the sake of exploration (and that's the thought that arises when the vehicle can cross an ocean in several hours)?

Any suggestions? Somehow I didn't plan this part of the route well enough...

[Claw]

On 8/16/2016 at 0:07 PM, Deddly said:

do you happen to have an updated link to the map

Dang. I promised that before didn't I? I will work one up. But also be advised, the map for those instructions is for the Master Mariner, and do not dictate a specific route for a circumnavigation attempt.

[Claw]

11 hours ago, Alchemist said:

Any suggestions? Somehow I didn't plan this part of the route well enough...

The awesome thing is that you don't have to necessarily fully plan the route, or even stick to it. Also, feel free to wander some if desired.

But since you ask, here's some things that I learned...

 

So I also stopped at that lonely island of yours. I then took the yellow arrow route, which was a nice view. The red arrow path looks like it would also be a nice bit of scenery, with a bit of water navigation to boot (I made a little red line there also, but I don't think it's visible in the picture).

For the other side, I swung past that orange arrow island. It's okay, but there's not much there to see that's dramatically different than at other points along the route. If I was going to do that part again, I would aim for one of the orange diamonds and follow the desert coast for a little while. It's probably a bit different than the other areas along your route.

Kerbin is the most dynamic and interesting terrain experience. If you're up to the time investment to take a bit of a meandering journey, it's well spent here. (So in that regard, if you feel like visiting that "opposite the KSC" point you marked, then go for it. Or even head for the big crater island.)

[Claw]

As promised, here is the Master Mariner route map. Please see the main rules for details on the Master Mariner badge.

Please remember, this is not a prescribed routing for the standard Kerbin circumnavigation. This is only to mark acceptable start/stop locations for the Master Mariner badge for those who do not wish to complete the actual land crossing. Staring and stopping at these markers, but not completing the land crossing, will not qualify for the Kerbin Circumnavigator (as outlined in the rules).

[Maverick_aus]

12 hours ago, Alchemist said:

I thought of putting my route on the map (red - done, purple - plotted options) and now I'm facing a big dilemma on the next point: straight for the straits and into next ocean? visit the peninsula south of my current location (I initially thought it's the opposite point)? Go slightly back and visit that bay opposite of KSC? Some bigger detour (the atoll???) just for the sake of exploration (and that's the thought that arises when the vehicle can cross an ocean in several hours)?

Any suggestions? Somehow I didn't plan this part of the route well enough...

Hi @Alchemist, looks like you're having fun on your voyage, naming your spots imaginatively and all. We've done similar progress, but going the opposite way! Having recently completed that desert area Claw is talking about with the diamonds, I absolutely agree.
Also, my 2c:
Additionally if you are going through that area I would recommend not cutting off the bay, but going to the spot marked as red circle #3. Also red circle #1 is a lovely spot (Geschosskopf's favourite). Red circle 2 is one of my favorites - a series of lakes and bights worth checking out.

Also re: the island you are talking about, 'Orange Arrow Island', I just circumnavigated it as a break during a rescue mission for my stranded Elcano vehicle and mapped it roughly from aboard the ship! This was something I've wanted to try doing, and my 8 year old son was home sick, so we did it together, as a sort of learning exercise. He knew about the compass points, but learned a little about headings, degrees, angles, topography etc. We had a great time. It's both our first attempts at shore cartography. See below if interested.
[Legend: b= beach, ^=hill]
I've got to say, it's a pretty rewarding experience. I think I'll keep doing it, starting with smaller islands. Perhaps there's a KSP challenge in there somewhere...

PS: for reference:

PPS: Excuse my 'chicken scratch'. It's just my mission log.

12 minutes ago, Claw said:

As promised, here is the Master Mariner route map. Please see the main rules for details on the Master Mariner badge.

Please remember, this is not a prescribed routing for the standard Kerbin circumnavigation. This is only to mark acceptable start/stop locations for the Master Mariner badge for those who do not wish to complete the actual land crossing. Staring and stopping at these markers, but not completing the land crossing, will not qualify for the Kerbin Circumnavigator (as outlined in the rules).

Hmmm. Thanks Claw. 
Curious, is this exclusive? Ie are other navigations possible to qualify for the MM? As you may recall, I'm planning on a mostly sea route, along with an over-land section for the sake of the Elcano challenge proper. But would this doubly qualify, for the MM as well? Ie my Orange Route:

 

Edited August 18, 2016 by Maverick_aus

[Claw]

21 minutes ago, Maverick_aus said:

Ie are other navigations possible to qualify for the MM?

I will accept routes that are predominantly water as qualifying for MM. The map really aimed at the folks who want to do "boat only" and don't want to cross land (i.e. they want to use a water-specific mod). They can do so and still qualify for the MM badge. Other routes that cross land are also acceptable, provided they meet all the rules criteria.

One thing that I noticed for your potential routes, might need to be careful about the red routing. The rules primarily drive this challenge toward an equatorial circumnavigation to ensure the correct distances are traveled. Heading down toward a pole and driving/sailing around looks on the map like it's going the same distance, but the reality is that it's shorter to loop over a pole of a sphere and head back to the start. When I look at entries, I'm typically looking for people to get at or near the antipode (point opposite from the starting point).Polar routes also make this check pretty easy, but that's because they hit both poles. Equatorial routes make it easy because they stay mainly on the line. (This all makes me think I might need another caveat for the ocean route.)

I know that's maybe not cut-and-dry, but hopefully it's clear enough. I try to give latitude in the path, so long as it's "about right."

 

Edit: After looking again, I realize you are probably asking for your orange route. If you think water distance heavily dominates your route (which I would say it does), then I'm inclined to accept this as meeting MM criteria.

[Maverick_aus]

12 minutes ago, Claw said:

I will accept routes that are predominantly water as qualifying for MM....

Edit: After looking again, I realize you are probably asking for your orange route. If you think water distance heavily dominates your route (which I would say it does), then I'm inclined to accept this as meeting MM criteria.

Thanks Claw,
Yes, the orange route. (Sorry if that was not clear). Your judgment on the red route confirms what I suspected too - and why I decided against it. 
Thanks for the clarification, and sharing your thought behind the ruling.  

Edited August 18, 2016 by Maverick_aus

[Claw]

Just now, Maverick_aus said:

Yes, the orange route. (Sorry if that was not clear).

Nah, it was clear. I just stopped thinking for a bit while my fingers were wiggling across the keyboard.

The spirit/intent is for folks to enjoy the journey. So the more journey I see, the less I'm worried about hitting exact points on a map!

[Maverick_aus]

4 hours ago, Claw said:

Nah, it was clear. I just stopped thinking for a bit while my fingers were wiggling across the keyboard.

The spirit/intent is for folks to enjoy the journey. So the more journey I see, the less I'm worried about hitting exact points on a map!

Sounds good, thanks mate. 

[Martian Emigrant]

Heavy driving Yesterday.

http://imgur.com/a/gybgy

Fields of gold

 

Spoiler

 

Lakes

 

Spoiler

 

Flag raising and waiving

 

Spoiler

 

Gorges

 

Spoiler

 

Tire fixing

 

Spoiler

 

Almost ¾ of the way

 

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

Vallina is turning out to be an excellent driver. A very capable leader.

I will post a vid of the gorge crossing when it finishes loading onto Youtube.

I have a few challenges coming.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chemp]

Beautiful pics! But I have the impression that Valina has issues with Nedbur, since she constantly tries to run him over 

Keep a stiff upper lip, you're almost there!

[Martian Emigrant]

1 hour ago, Chemp said:

Beautiful pics! But I have the impression that Valina has issues with Nedbur, since she constantly tries to run him over 

Keep a stiff upper lip, you're almost there!

Actually he does that to himself. He is punch-drunk from fixing so many wheels. Tires are dangerous for Kerbals. Electro-Static attraction to their flight suits or something like that. The guard rails I had on the sides are long lost to the desert. Sometime he his so stuck the only way to dislodge him is to transfer control to her and then she does drive over him. And then sometime he goes "Pop" 20 metres in the air to say thank you.

They do like one another... A lot actually. And they are making plans about it. I saw them trading snacks when they thought it was safe. The Space Corp directives prevent fraternisation and all Kerbals are very dedicated.

The drive is getting at all of us though.

 

 

 

[Martian Emigrant]

A little more driving.

The ship is getting decrepit.

 

Spoiler

 

I lost more wheels in the front on top of the side rails, the front fenders and part of the port running board.

I am now down 5 wheels from the original 24. Even with all the fuel transferred to the back tanks the going is tough. A lot of split tires in the back and explosions in the front. F9 please.

On this one Nedbur is doing a damage assessment for the KSC. The wheels used to be in groups of 6.

 

Spoiler

 

The ship is now past ¾ of the way.

 

Spoiler

 

A holiday was declared. R & R for all.

All Kerbals involved had to forgo all routines, duties and obligations. No exceptions!

The only mandatory thing was to have fun with a big EFF.

http://imgur.com/a/WPxKr

Won't be driving much in the next few days. Will probably relocate further south and plan a replacement rover to be dropped. Modifying the Fuel Stork to do it should be painless. Simulations have to be run. Runned? Ran? Have to be done.

Ideally the new rover should be dropped (Upright) in a position to do an island hop as it will be fully fuelled.

As a parting note. Nedbur declared that part of his mandatory Fun was to disconnect all the microphones on board the ship. There are no transcript of their exchanges.

[Maverick_aus]

1 hour ago, Martian Emigrant said:

A little more driving.

The ship is getting decrepit.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I lost more wheels in the front on top of the side rails, the front fenders and part of the port running board.

I am now down 5 wheels from the original 24. Even with all the fuel transferred to the back tanks the going is tough. A lot of split tires in the back and explosions in the front. F9 please.

On this one Nedbur is doing a damage assessment for the KSC. The wheels used to be in groups of 6.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The ship is now past ¾ of the way.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

A holiday was declared. R & R for all.

All Kerbals involved had to forgo all routines, duties and obligations. No exceptions!

The only mandatory thing was to have fun with a big EFF.

http://imgur.com/a/WPxKr

Won't be driving much in the next few days. Will probably relocate further south and plan a replacement rover to be dropped. Modifying the Fuel Stork to do it should be painless. Simulations have to be run. Runned? Ran? Have to be done.

Ideally the new rover should be dropped (Upright) in a position to do an island hop as it will be fully fuelled.

As a parting note. Nedbur declared that part of his mandatory Fun was to disconnect all the microphones on board the ship. There are no transcript of their exchanges.

Good going! Man, I admire you for your persistence! That looks like it'd be mongrel to control with that field damage.

And the narrative is fun and funny.

[damerell]

I hope you can limp home the rest of the way in spite of the damage....

[Alchemist]

Now it's official - there's nowhere further to go. At all. That's it. Let's just turn and go home.
By the way, the Nadir bay looks rather interesting, there's even a lake right next to the shore. Or several

- So, how far is the home?
- By the ground? Slightly over 1880 km.
- Which way?
- Any way.
- What's the shortest way to KSC?!
- Down. 1200 km.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Alchemist

[Martian Emigrant]

6 hours ago, damerell said:

I hope you can limp home the rest of the way in spite of the damage....

Thanks for the concern but, yes, the Kerbals will go home. Preferably by ground and on their own. Not by "Recovery".

I already moded my fuel delivery aircraft to carry and drop a brand new rover. It need more testing. The engines blow off when it hits the water (It also sustain tire damages). The Weasly can only take 7m/s.

The current ship will limp OK. It got them to the waterhole. If it turns out to be too much of a dog it will be swapped a bit earlier. T'is all. I tested how it swims in the lake and the asymmetric drag pulls it off course. I played with asymmetric thrust but the ship is too slow to my taste.

My fault for not F9-Erasing all the explosions. They all happened in good sportsmanship.

2 hours ago, Alchemist said:

 

- What's the shortest way to KSC?!
- Down. 1200 km.

Great Scott. I thought of going there but by ground it's a bit of a demanding detour.

Just being facetious here. But technicaly I believe Kerbins diameter is measured at sea level. So it should be 1,200,000 metres plus KSC elevation + Nadir elevation.

I just had a Stupid thought. If we had a competition for the kerbal that gets the furthest from the KSC, without leaving Kervin or being airborne, we would have taller and taller rovers at the Nadir.