So much water! Skipping around Laythe

[Chemp]

The past weeks have seen a big spike of Elcano attempts. Many of them have a beautiful and witty narrative, something that's really not my strong suit. So why post yet another one? Simply because this particular circumnavigation is a long standing project of mine, and because I'd like to share my passion.
Since Imgur and the KSP forums don't get along at the moment, I'll post my images in spoilers and add a link here and there to keep loading times reasonable.

 

Nine months ago, I circumnavigated Kerbin by boat. It was my first attempt at the Elcano Callenge, and the views of Kerbin that this journey offered me got me hooked. But also from an engineering point of view, I learned a lot about hydrofoils, so I started to make plans about a circumnavigation of Laythe. Of course, it never ocurred to me that it would take this long.
One of the most important lessons from my first attempt is, that having too many lifting is a surefire way to have your craft flipping when low on fuel. I suspected that my pontoons were part of the problem, so my subsequent designs tried to avoid them:

Spoiler

While the left one was quite satisfactory in terms of speed and stability, it simply didn't have the range to make it all around Laythe. The right one had IRSU capability, but at a top speed of about 85 m/s it was a bit on the slow side.

The final design can refuel itself, is very stable up to 110 m/s (although it can go considerably faster), all while being quite manoeuvrable on land as well as at sea. 110 m/s may look like a lot, but considering that conventional boats easily achive 30 m/s, at 4x physics warp they are faster than this design since time acceleration is a no-go for hydrofoils. Still, I prefer this approach because speeding along, barely touching the surface is something strangely pleasing in itself. Besides, why choose the easy route when there's a complicated way to do it?  
Here's the craft on a low-fuel test run on Kerbin:

Spoiler

Now the big day has come - on top of a launcher, the Speedboat IV sits on the pad:

Spoiler

The launch vehicle is capable of SSTO. This avoids the hassle of assembly in orbit, although it forces me to refuel before sending it off on its journey.

Coming up next: From liftoff to splashdown

 

Edit: Craft Link: https://kerbalx.com/Chemp/Speedboat-IV

Edited October 3, 2016 by Chemp

[Geschosskopf]

Looks quite cool.  I hope you've found room aboard somewhere for a pedal-powered boat, too

 

[Chemp]

To my shame I must admit that I didn't even think about that possibility, I was too singleminded trying to create a stable boat. I guess I constantly oscillate between very fast and very slow.

[Chemp]

Takeoff, orbit and refuelling runs:

Spoiler

Über den Wolken

Wernher found this old record of Reinhard Mey. Bill and Jeb are not amused.

 

Circularising

 

ORBIT!

Getting this up was no small feat, since it just loves flipping under 25000m

 

Refuelling

...by SSTO. Not so much for economical reasons (although it's really cheap this way!), but rather because it's more fun than launching a series of rockets.

 

A bit over 4000 unit of Ox per run, that's slightly more than an orange tank.

 

Deorbit, land back at the KSC, rinse and repeat.

 

Until finally:

I changed the tanker design after the second run. This one can carry about 6000 units of Ox and 4900 units of Lf to LKO. Even like this, it took 13 flights to fuel up the orbiting boat.

Escape burn, intercept and deorbit:

Spoiler

Burning for Jool

But this time, we're getting rid of the empty tanks

 

Encounter

 

Intercept of the first of two scansats

Unfortunately, the encounter speed was way to high. It happened so fast, I didn't even see the probe explode because I was checking the map. Let's hope that the second one fares better.

 

Bill and Jeb have reached the Joolian system

 

Using Tylo's gravity well, they get an encounter with their final destination: Laythe.

Decoupling the last rocket engine...

... they are coming down near land as intended.

Splashdown:

Spoiler

 

Edited August 6, 2016 by Chemp

[MDZhB]

That thar's one nice lookin ship. She looks like she'll handle the waters(?) of Laythe no problem. Not that I would know, having never been there myself. Good luck!

[Chemp]

On 08/06/2016 at 11:53 PM, MDZhB said:

That thar's one nice lookin ship. She looks like she'll handle the waters(?) of Laythe no problem. Not that I would know, having never been there myself. Good luck!

Thank you! I hope that she's up to it. It is water indeed, from the top of my head (I'm not on my PC) about 90% of the planet's surface is covered by it. It's my first visit to that moon and the Joolian system in general and it's quite a sight actually. If you get around to do some interplanetary travels, I warmly recommend Laythe. For me, engineering the mission was a real challenge and the reward is superb!

[Chemp]

A quick test shows that the craft has fared well. Jeb sets course to the nearby island, where he and Bob will wait until the second scansat arrives. No point in aimlessly searching for higher ore concentrations.

Spoiler

 

Far too many days later, the scansat makes its burn into a polar orbit. Some quick soil analyses by Bob reveal the best spot for mining, the rest is routine. Less than an hour later, they head back to the shore and plant a flag to conmemorate their first landing on Laythe.

Spoiler

Now everything is set to begin their adventure: the circumnavigation of Laythe.

Soon, the Narrow Band Scanner (NBS) reveals a landmass to the north. They steer clear of the island and head for a sandbank in order to plant a flag, marking their progress around the satellite.
Their next stop is a few degrees further north. It is the last landmass before reaching the north pole, so Jeb and Bob decide to refuel even though the fuel gauge is still is well over the 50% mark. The shore is very steep, but the strong engines have no trouble getting the craft further inland, where ore concentrations are much higher. The mining itself takes the best part of the next day, so as they back down towards the ocean, Kerbol has already set.

Spoiler

last preparations

and they set off

  

 

  

  

 

 

 

As they continue north, Jool peeks over the horizon. Unfortunately, the thick cloud layers spoil the view.

Spoiler

Bob is the first to see any sign of the north pole. The NBS shows a bright green strip of land, but even at this distance, the pole remains invisible to the naked eye. The whole polar region seems to be an extremely flat expanse of land.

Spoiler

  

  

The scientists back at the KSC assumed it to be water ice, a theory that is disproven by the NBS as soon as Bob has analyzed the data from the surface scanning module: The pole has the highest ore concentration yet encountered on Laythe.
However mining it proves to be impossible: although the steep hills of the south were no match for the boat's jet engines, it is unable to climb the small vertical ledge of about 40cm that provides no ground for the wheels the lift the body out of the water.

Spoiler

It seems that the only possible course of action is to go around the pole and hope to have enough fuel to make landfall before the tanks run dry.
 

Edited August 10, 2016 by Chemp

[Lego8_bit]

This is why i make a picture of kerbin and plan around serious obstacles before i launch

[DaMachinator]

1 hour ago, Lego8_bit said:

This is why i make a picture of kerbin and plan around serious obstacles before i launch

It's laythe, not Kerbin. Also, there is no way you could see that in any practical manner.

[Lego8_bit]

14 minutes ago, DaMachinator said:

It's laythe, not Kerbin. Also, there is no way you could see that in any practical manner.

i basically take a picture when im in the world view in genral and draw a physical chart on where i need to go basically with Photoshop, and i usually play the game in windowed mode so yes there is a practical use for me at least  

[Chemp]

I'd say you're both right, you're just talking about different things if I understood you correctly:

39 minutes ago, Lego8_bit said:

i basically take a picture when im in the world view in genral and draw a physical chart on where i need to go basically with Photoshop, and i usually play the game in windowed mode so yes there is a practical use for me at least  

You use a map to plot your path in advance and use it to see obstacles like mountain ranges beforehand. I did something similar, using @Cyriak's outstanding maps (here).

1 hour ago, DaMachinator said:

It's laythe, not Kerbin. Also, there is no way you could see that in any practical manner.

You're talking about these bloody 40cm I'm unable to climb. And I also agree with you, that was impossible to forsee unless I had visited Laythe beforehand (which I haven't) or sent a score of craft to scout ahead on the planned path which, as you pointed out, just isn't practical.

[Maverick_aus]

Oh dear! For such small obstacle to hold you up! Good luck with getting around this one. 

[DaMachinator]

 

2 hours ago, Chemp said:

You're talking about these bloody 40cm I'm unable to climb. And I also agree with you, that was impossible to forsee unless I had visited Laythe beforehand (which I haven't) or sent a score of craft to scout ahead on the planned path which, as you pointed out, just isn't practical.

Correct. I'm not sure that even the SCANSat high-resolution altimetry maps could help you with that - nothing short of visiting the exact location in person. There are various ways of doing this but very few if any of them have the required accuracy while remaining practical.

Edited August 11, 2016 by DaMachinator

[MDZhB]

You can do it! I believe in you! Perhaps a creative use of a kerbal as a wedge could give you some leverage?

[Chemp]

On 14.8.2016 at 7:57 PM, MDZhB said:

You can do it! I believe in you! Perhaps a creative use of a kerbal as a wedge could give you some leverage?

Believe me, I tried! I also tried to connect with one of the claws to somehow swing on the ice - to no avail. Hence:

Spoiler

There is no denying it, the design of the boat makes it impossible to get on the pole. Simulations invariably lead to harmlessly bouncing off the shore or a fireworks show. In the end, the two decide to round the barrier. There's no time to lose, however one cannot help but wondering if they've ever heard of Schettino...

Once on the opposite side, Jeb plants a flag while Bill checks the engines and they continue south. Soon, Bill announces that the M4435 picked up an island and just a few minutes later, they see it appearing over the horizon. Even though the ore concentration is very low and fuel levels are still well over 40%, the KSC insists on refuelling - for safety reasons. However, Bill and Jeb are convinced that Gene and his crew just need some sleep. In any case, they lose more than two Kerbin standard days to fill the tanks, but at least Kerbol is up now and progress is good.

Spoiler

 

 

[Claw]

15 hours ago, Chemp said:

There is no denying it, the design of the boat makes it impossible to get on the pole. Simulations invariably lead to harmlessly bouncing off the shore or a fireworks show. In the end, the two decide to round the barrier.

I ran into exactly the same issue on Laythe. I had no idea it would be insurmountable until I got there. The sheer cliffyness of the cliff isn't very impressive on top, but there's the classic "what you don't see" that is kinda neat too.

Spoiler

 

Good luck!

[Chemp]

On 16.8.2016 at 4:31 PM, Claw said:

I ran into exactly the same issue on Laythe. I had no idea it would be insurmountable until I got there. The sheer cliffyness of the cliff isn't very impressive on top, but there's the classic "what you don't see" that is kinda neat too.

It's one of the things that makes the Elcano Challenge so unique. You never know exactly what you're up against until you have it poking at your nose.

I've had glimpses of that cliff as I was trying to get to boat out of the water, usually the camera clipping through the terrain, but that's a great shot of the pole! Was it taken from a separate craft?

 

The circumnavigation continues:

Spoiler

Progress is good, although Kerbol is setting sooner than expected.

 

To secure their progress, Bill brings the craft to a complete stop and steps out to check the engines, while Jeb enjoys the view. Only the scatched canopy spoils the moment a little.

 

Soon enough, the scanner shows their next interim target. Slow down - land - drill, it is becoming routine procedure; it is their sixth stop.

Obstacle ahead:

Spoiler

A few hours later, the tanks are full again and Bill and Jeb are ready to continue.

As usual, the hardest part is getting back into the water, since the foils are only centimetres over the ground, but as soon as they are floating, Jeb applies full thrust and the Speedboad IV skips over Laythe's surface.

The scansat overhead has provided them with rough maps and the shortest path leads through a strait between two islands along the 44th degree of longitude West.

They are racing at it at full speed, when Jeb suddenly starts cursing: The strait is blocked by a landmass barely rising out of the water - it's the north pole all over again!

 

The maps fooled me indeed. I guess it's related to terrain detail, or maybe the version change, since I believe that the original (and outstanding) maps by were created in 1.0.x

 

Edited August 17, 2016 by Chemp

[Chemp]

Almost 4 weeks, has it really been that long? Well, this circumnavigation ist not over! Fortunately, the scansat sent images to our two explorers that showed a small gap between the islands, avoiding them a huge detour.

Spoiler

But as they went through the strait, Laythe seemed to change. The light, the atmosphere, the ocean - were they really still on the same moon? The boat still behaved as usual though, at least the phyical parameters were still the same. So, after some tests, Bill and Jeb continued their journey toward the southern polar region.

Spoiler

Guessing that the polar ice shelf would be inaccessible to them, they headed for an island at 56°S to refuel. Ore concentration left nothing to be desired, however, they had to travel several kilometres inland to reach the rich soil. They were rewarded with a beautiful scenary.

Spoiler

And this is where they are now:

Spoiler

 

[Mister Dilsby]

Really great stuff @Chemp, just catching up now. I really wish you'd done this and I'd seen it before I designed Skimmeroo, I would have learned a lot from you  

[Chemp]

Time for an update:

Fully refuelled, the Speedboat IV continues south and soon, the Narrow Band Scanner picks up the by now familiar straight outline of the polar region. A few kilometres farther and the two travellers can see it with their naked eye and head to the shore to plant a flag at 83°S 42°W.

Spoiler

However, there is no time to lose and they cast off heading west to circle the polar shelf. Here again, one of the features of the boat's design makes itself evident: sharp turns at 113m/s!

Spoiler

This far west, even though they are still south of the polar circle, Kerbol stands high enough to allow for somewhat better lighting conditions. Together with Jool looming over the horizon, the images would be spectacular if somebody hadn't forgotten to press F2.

Spoiler

On the opposite side of the polar region, Bill and Jeb make landfall once again to plant another flag at 82°S 118°E and set course north.

Spoiler

Progress is good, but the fuel reserves are dwindling. Just as Jeb starts to worry seriously if they would be able to reach the next island, Bill spots a the green shades of the coast on the NBS. With just 20% fuel left, they reach the shore and start climbing. The Dunes biome holds 8% ore concentration, more than enough to fill the tanks.

Spoiler

The mining takes several hours and the dawn is not far when Bill announces that they are done. He hops out to mark the spot with a flag, but when he turns around, he sees the craft sliding downhill! Run Bill, RUN!

Spoiler

 

[Chemp]

On 12.9.2016 at 11:26 PM, Kuzzter said:

Really great stuff @Chemp, just catching up now. I really wish you'd done this and I'd seen it before I designed Skimmeroo, I would have learned a lot from you  

Thank you! This means a lot to me, especially coming from you. The design is based on the same concept as the vessel of my Kerbin circumnavigation: skipping on control surfaces.

However, with the Skimmeroo you solved a problem I never figured out: To prevent the engines from touching the water you offset them over the COM and angled them slightly. How did you prevent the torque from getting out of hand as the tanks empty? In my tests, with less than 25% fuel left I lost control over the craft whenever I tried this approach.

[Mister Dilsby]

4 minutes ago, Chemp said:

How did you prevent the torque from getting out of hand as the tanks empty? In my tests, with less than 25% fuel left I lost control over the craft whenever I tried this approach.

Well, Skimmeroo does get a little squirrely as the tanks empty--but if you're going to space the tanks should never really be that empty until the ship is out of atmosphere and circularizing orbit. If you're not going to space, aerodynamic control surfaces have enough authority to keep it flying straight and level. 

If recall correctly from Kerbin-based SSTO testing, I just had to start circularizing far enough in advance that I could throttle the engines down to where the SAS system could handle the induced torque. I think I also might have enabled RCS briefly. Anyway, you're right, it's certainly not the kind ship where you can just wait for apoapsis and punch "Z" key   

[Chemp]

51 minutes ago, Kuzzter said:

If recall correctly from Kerbin-based SSTO testing, I just had to start circularizing far enough in advance that I could throttle the engines down to where the SAS system could handle the induced torque. I think I also might have enabled RCS briefly. Anyway, you're right, it's certainly not the kind ship where you can just wait for apoapsis and punch "Z" key  

I had to look it up and of course, your memory is not betraying you. I trust you will reveal the modifications you made to the Skimmeroo since this page in due course and in the meantime, I'll keep speculating about what will happen next to the members of the Kerbfleet.

 

The last weeks have been very busy, leaving me little time to play or to post. But now, the moment has come: I have finished circumnavigating Laythe!

So let's jump right in.

 

When Bill finally reaches the craft it has skidded almost 500m. Fortunately, everything is still intact and soon the boat is in its element again.

Spoiler

They navigate between the islands heading NNW for the last leg of their journey. Suddenly, a marker pops up und Jeb's HUD: it's the flag they planted on their landing spot! Only 20 minutes later they spot the beach from which they departed and Jeb throttles the engines and turns the Speedboat around.

Spoiler

As they approach the flag even Bill, who has been wearing a stern expression for most of the voyage, can't help but smile and as soon as Jeb beaches the craft, Bill jumps out and sprints to the flag. The naval circumnavigation of Laythe is concluded!

Spoiler

 

To wrap things up, here's an approximate path on the map. The whole circumnavigation took about 8 days and 4 hours and a large part of this time was spent mining. The refuelling points are 2, 5, 6, 7 and 10.

I've enjoyed this very much, although I think it's a shame that Laythe is such a barren place. So much water - but all the islands are brown or grey...

In the end, it has been a extraordinary mission for me. I've learned a lot about hydrofoils during the design process and Jeb navigated a boat outside Kerbin SOI for the first time. This was certainly not my last visit to the blue moon!

[Brownie352]

19 hours ago, Chemp said:

I had to look it up and of course, your memory is not betraying you. I trust you will reveal the modifications you made to the Skimmeroo since this page in due course and in the meantime, I'll keep speculating about what will happen next to the members of the Kerbfleet.

 

The last weeks have been very busy, leaving me little time to play or to post. But now, the moment has come: I have finished circumnavigating Laythe!

So let's jump right in.

 

When Bill finally reaches the craft it has skidded almost 500m. Fortunately, everything is still intact and soon the boat is in its element again.

  Hide contents

They navigate between the islands heading NNW for the last leg of their journey. Suddenly, a marker pops up und Jeb's HUD: it's the flag they planted on their landing spot! Only 20 minutes later they spot the beach from which they departed and Jeb throttles the engines and turns the Speedboat around.

  Hide contents

As they approach the flag even Bill, who has been wearing a stern expression for most of the voyage, can't help but smile and as soon as Jeb beaches the craft, Bill jumps out and sprints to the flag. The naval circumnavigation of Laythe is concluded!

  Hide contents

 

To wrap things up, here's an approximate path on the map. The whole circumnavigation took about 8 days and 4 hours and a large part of this time was spent mining. The refuelling points are 2, 5, 6, 7 and 10.

I've enjoyed this very much, although I think it's a shame that Laythe is such a barren place. So much water - but all the islands are brown or grey...

In the end, it has been a extraordinary mission for me. I've learned a lot about hydrofoils during the design process and Jeb navigated a boat outside Kerbin SOI for the first time. This was certainly not my last visit to the blue moon!

Wow it was really entertaining for me to read your journey nice boat you got there btw

[Claw]

Fantastic job! Great to see another Elcano completion.

 

^^ Looks awesome!