Re-create the Curiosity Mission!

[Eumaeus]

Title says it all: make a rocket, go to Minmus (you need to find a good safe site to land!), and use parts to re-create the very difficult landing and gently land your rover to explore. I haven't done it myself, but I saw someone try to make it on reddit (from Sixteenbit, thanks!!): http://imgur.com/a/but44

Any Mod (or combination of Mods) are fair game! Don't forget to post pictures of your flight and your rocket with any mods that you used! No return flights necessary (poor Curiosity).

Edited August 7, 2012 by Eumaeus

[SteevyT]

Did this yesterday, about 8 hours before the actual landing. I returned the Kerbal to Kerbin though.

The only mod is MechJeb. I had enough lag with the video being recorded I didn't dare do much of anything by manual controls.

[bsalis]

I think I will do this tonight.

Note that b0bl00i has already done this.

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/9549-Skycrane-delivered-Munar-rover-on-the-Mun

Also Eumaeus... could I trouble you to update your original post and add some more info to conform to the challenge guidelines. I also think setting a list of allowable (and recommended!) mods to do this with. My list would be Damned Robotics and Carts as minimum, with MechJeb and NovaPunch as optional.

[epickidd]

This mod has a pre - built Skycrane in it, check it out. http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/12106-0-16-Lionhead-Aerospace-Inc-Solar-Rover-v3-6-New-update-01-08

[RayneCloud]

Nova beat ya too it the night of the landing,

[Felix]

It was only a matter of time.

[Eumaeus]

Sure! Updated.

[BlazingAngel665]

Great mod (prometheus) from Lionhead Areospace. Already landed Sojurner, Spirit, Oppertunity, Curiosity, and a 5 kerb pressurized module. The skycrane works great with all manner of CARTS from Tosh.

[Arrowstar]

Okay, in Nova's picture, what is attaching the rover to the skycane?

[kknight13]

rubberbands, paperclips and prayer

[IvanTehFennec]

Nova beat ya too it the night of the landing,

New planet! :3

[kknight13]

really exciting if they are already getting landers onto the new planets, i really like how he did skycrane

[Joe Pinball]

I have just done a similar challenge over in this thread: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/16399-Make-a-%2Astable%2A-skycrane-challenge-%2Ahinge-rope-in-thread%2A?p=229834&viewfull=1#post229834

It's all 100% stock parts (so the SkyCrane is a bit bigger & lumpier haha) apart from a cart, MechJeb and the skycrane wobbly hinge & tether from that post.

On the plus side, it does do a decent job of recreating a fair bit of the final EDL:-

It descends ballistically from 55km and reaches around 730 m/s by around 18km, which is a fair approximation of a re-entry profile.

It then deploys a drag chute to slow it down (although it remains furled, so is more there to more accuratley reflect the Curiosity mission profile)

After that it drops its "heat shield", and then loses the chute, before firing up the SkyCrane engines to (hopefully) allow for a steady controlled descent to close above the surface.

At this point you can wind the tether out to deploy the payload, then sever the connection allowing the rover to be plonked down safely on Kerbin, at which point the SkyCrane will soar up overhead and head off to crash-land a few hundred metres to several km away.

I have attached a .craft file & full instructions if anyone fancies giving it a go! maybe rip off my rather basic lifting stage in the VAB and build a proper ascent stage to your liking, and send the thing to Minimus!

Joe

Edited August 10, 2012 by Joe Pinball