Reattachable Rover

[Red Shirt]

Let's pretend for a moment that I might actually learn to land a jet with some accuracy and without exploding (crazy I know). I have been to the outermost depths of the stock Kerbol system using rockets but I have not spent a lot of time exploring Kerbin. I want to go anomaly hunting with a jet but expect there are a few where my future landing skills will not get me close enough. Walking is a pain. I need a rover but it would be best to reload it after each use rather than sending a new plane. How do I accomplish this on a jet without stepping up to the MK3 Cargo Ramp. Smaller is better. Prefer a stock method if possible. 

[Dfthu]

Maybe you could do something like this. Make a small rover, attach a docking port to plane and rover, undock the rover, rov around, redock and then takeoff.

 

Edited February 6, 2016 by Dfthu

[AlphaMensae]

42 minutes ago, Dfthu said:

Maybe you could do something like this. Make a small rover, attach a docking port to plane and rover, undock the rover, rov around, redock and then takeoff.

 

That's pretty much the easiest, if not the only, way to do it without going the storable route.  I once tried to make a large lander that could deploy and reattach a larg-ish rover using the same method.  Got it to work great during tests on Kerbin...then while doing tests on the Mun the rover wouldn't reattach--the lower gravity didn't pull down the lander's docking port far enough.  

Getting the heights of the two docking ports right is the key. You want just enough clearance after the rover deploys for it to move out without catching onto the plane's port yet no so much that the rover won't reattach.

[Dfthu]

6 minutes ago, Laguna said:

Getting the heights of the two docking ports right is the key. You want just enough clearance after the rover deploys for it to move out without catching onto the plane's port yet no so much that the rover won't reattach.

Could you put landing gear on the plane to raise it just to be able to dock it or put landing legs on the rover. Or even better use rockets to lift the plane or rover.

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

Dfthu's approach is what I'd do. If the aerodynamics of that isn't working, you could put a mk. 2 cargo bay upside down and put the docking port there, and just use little rockets to lift the rover up.

[AlphaMensae]

18 minutes ago, Dfthu said:

Could you put landing gear on the plane to raise it just to be able to dock it or put landing legs on the rover. Or even better use rockets to lift the plane or rover.

Amazingly, I never thought of that, but yup, legs or engines would make it much easier.  Legs would be simpler than engines, if not the most visually appealing, depending on how big of a rover Red Shirt wants.

[LordKael]

I use Mk2 planes almost exclusively, and my reattachable rover has a small docking port on the top. It drives under the ventral cargo bay, the plane retracts the wheels, and the ports attach.

[Red Shirt]

I would have thought the bottom mounted rover would be ripped from the craft on touchdown. Obviously not. I do like the idea of landing legs to raise the rover back up. Good ideas. I'll tinker. Thanks!

[bewing]

Landing a jet is a bit tricky. Once it's on the ground, a jet makes a great rover -- especially with a wheesley reverseable engine. I'd forget anything beyond that. Retractable landing gear on the back end is also very nice -- when you are parked you retract the gear and then you can walk off the plane and back on again. Crank the brake torque up good and high on the rear wheels for extra braking stability. Oh, and put the rear landing gear way out on the tips of the wings -- the wider the stance, the more stable it is. You can put another pair of landing gears partway along the fuselage for outriggers.

(Actually, I find rovers to be 10 times more difficult to drive over terrain than a jet. Rovers have no traction, and I can and do drive jets up 45 degree slopes.)

 

 

Edited February 7, 2016 by bewing

[AbacusWizard]

Putting lander legs on the rover to raise it up to the level of the docking clamp takes a lot of careful design, but if you can get it to work, it works very well. I used that approach a few versions ago to build a rover that could dock to the underside of a surface outpost on Duna, and later used the same setup on Laythe.

You could probably do something similar--maybe with the smaller lander legs, and a docking clamp on the front?--to design a small rover that could drive up the Mk3 cargo ramp and attach itself to a docking clamp inside.

[Dr.K Kerbal]

Problem:

I saw that photo at the top of the page and it would take a person that had been playing KSP for 7 years to land an aircraft with a big, bulky rover on the bottom.

Here is a tip.

I don't know the name of the mod but use a mod with working hydraulic Rams. Then, design an SSTO just like Thunderbird 2.

Then you can make cargo bays and attach different ones to it. Son then you can go on different missions with different rovers.

It's all from Thunderbird 2!

[Dfthu]

1 hour ago, Dr.K Kerbal said:

Problem:

I saw that photo at the top of the page and it would take a person that had been playing KSP for 7 years to land an aircraft with a big, bulky rover on the bottom.

 

I assume your talking about me. It was really easy to land, i broke the tries but that can be repaired easily. It also flew all most the same.

[SR]

Build a rover plain. add rover wheels to a plain and retractable landing gear.

When you want to take off lower the landing gear and then take off.

Then raise the landing gear to drive. 

 

[Dr.K Kerbal]

13 minutes ago, Dfthu said:

I assume your talking about me. It was really easy to land, i broke the tries but that can be repaired easily. It also flew all most the same.

Dude.

[Foxster]

If landing a plane is not your thing then how about sticking a bunch of 'chutes on it? If you get the balance right you can just drift down to your landing spot. Take along an engineer to repack the 'chutes after landing. 

And here's an interesting idea. A parachute-landing plane-rover...

I threw this together just now and it actually all works rather well. I think I might use it.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Foxster

[Evanitis]

I came to point out that the main difference between a plane and a rover in KSP terms is just the quantity of wings and surface stability granted by wheels, and that is entirely possible to make a craft that has a good balance of these, so it can function in both roles.

I was late - @Foxster's example is perfect for that, plus it's a piece of cake to land it. Nice.

[magnemoe]

10 hours ago, Laguna said:

That's pretty much the easiest, if not the only, way to do it without going the storable route.  I once tried to make a large lander that could deploy and reattach a larg-ish rover using the same method.  Got it to work great during tests on Kerbin...then while doing tests on the Mun the rover wouldn't reattach--the lower gravity didn't pull down the lander's docking port far enough.  

Getting the heights of the two docking ports right is the key. You want just enough clearance after the rover deploys for it to move out without catching onto the plane's port yet no so much that the rover won't reattach.

I have done this on Mun, however with an lander who has two set of landing legs, one is the standard the second is just to keep the lander from tipping over then retracting the legs, this will give you an decent margin.
Note that an small rover will often pull it self up towards the docking port. 

You can use an plane like an rover too this work well for smaller planes, for an longer road trip you can add rover wheels for power and retract the landing wheels.  

[Red Shirt]

3 hours ago, Foxster said:

I threw this together just now and it actually all works rather well.

This is why I asked the question on the forum. My brain is stuck in tripod landing gear, it has to look like a plane mode. Get outside the box and it makes more sense doing it the Kerbal way. Thanks.

[mrmcp1]

This is the method I use 

 

 

[pandaman]

I built a small manoeuvrable; high lift, plane along broadly similar lines to the stock Aeris 3.  Added a probe core (so I could move it nearer to the pilot if he had walked a long way off) and parachutes.

I flew close to where the target was and used the chutes to land if I needed to then re pack them before doing anything else.  I would taxi, or fly around slowly if I needed to search the area and when close enough continue on foot.  No need for specific rover wheels,  and a decent amount of lift means you can turn very tightly and take off in a very short distance. I got to all the Kerbin anomalies with this method.

[magnemoe]

13 hours ago, mrmcp1 said:

This is the method I use 

 

 

Elegant but is it not an huge danger for the panels to break?

[mrmcp1]

14 hours ago, magnemoe said:

Elegant but is it not an huge danger for the panels to break?

In the few times I have used this the panels have not broken once. It is a bit of a risk though. The hardest thing about this is you have to very carefully line the rover up or it will not fit in. 

[Evanitis]

@mrmcp1

That's a marvelous construction. Them folks use sophisticated mod-packs when one can lift with panels.. So kerbal!

 

[MachoCyclone]

On 2/7/2016 at 3:16 AM, Foxster said:

If landing a plane is not your thing then how about sticking a bunch of 'chutes on it? If you get the balance right you can just drift down to your landing spot. Take along an engineer to repack the 'chutes after landing. 

And here's an interesting idea. A parachute-landing plane-rover...

I threw this together just now and it actually all works rather well. I think I might use it.

 

Going to have to try and build this. Love the design.

[Foxster]

6 minutes ago, MachoCyclone said:

 

Going to have to try and build this. Love the design.

Glad you like it. Funny how sometimes you can cobble something together quickly and it just seems to work well. 

If you need a craft file then shout.