Mun Surfing

[alexanderw890i]

This Challenge is simple: Who can orbit the mun the lowest? Post a Picture of your lowest Point of your Orbit (It could be, that it isn't your Periapsis, because of mountains & craters).

[Avatar98]

Lowest altitude :- 3080m Altitude over land :- Probably around 00m

Location :- Over the Munar arch, on the northern side of the double crater ( a BIG crater with a tiny one in the centre).

Sorry, no pics because I'm posting from a different computer.

[gugabalog]

I was at 4k up once, but the ship was heavy and I didn't want to get too close x.x

[SargeRho]

Are videos OK?

This is the lowest I have ever orbitted the Mun:

[Kosmo-not]

I orbit at 3km. That's not much higher than the highest peak I've encountered.

[Maxed-Rockets]

I orbit at 3km. That's not much higher than the highest peak I've encountered.

For a standard orbit that is fine as according to this:

http://kspwiki.nexisonline.net/kspw/images/8/83/Isa_mapsat_mun_map800.gif

3,324.9m seems to be the highest and that seems to be in the polar regions anyways.

[Limit]

I usually try and push below 2 km for my gravity assist manoeuvres around the mum. Once got down to 1,400km doing 1100m/s in a 60 tonne vehicle - pretty insane

[nhnifong]

Are videos OK?

This is the lowest I have ever orbitted the Mun:

-snip-

Where did you get that inflatable hab module?

[SargeRho]

NovaSilisco's BACE Construction pack.

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/12237-Silisko-Industries-Addon-Development-Thread-2

[nhnifong]

I tried my hand at this mission and decided I would narrate an Imgur album about it, http://imgur.com/a/5J1Px#0

Conclusion, I made it under 2000km and then executed an acute lithobraking maneuver.

Edited August 29, 2012 by nhnifong

[SteevyT]

Old picture, technically not a full successful orbit, but how's this?

[Binky]

Jeb heard about this challenge and insisted on trying out his new orbiter. Of course, just getting suicidally low isnt enough, he wants to do it while flying through a Mun arch... (Spoiler alert! Don't look at the Lat /Long if you want to find the arches yourself )

Check the surface alt in the top right. eep

The presecession of the orbit makes it very tricky to line up the arch. I have to adjust it 3 times per orbit and I still keep missing. But I've still got fuel and RCS so I'll get it if it kills me. Or Jeb

Edit: Update- Jeb somehow still alive, but I dont think he can get much lower and he'd need to drop another 250m to go through the arch. Even with the Pe at a low point in the crater behind the ship, it goes well over the arch but still perilously close to the hills behind.

And theres some scary ground further on too. Its less than 300m in half a dozen places and takes about a quarter of the orbit to get above 1km.

Time to call it a night I think. So close...

Edited August 30, 2012 by Binky
/spoiler tag, you are my nemisis

[Zephram Kerman]

This is an old screen shot. I don't know the altitude, but it was done at orbital speed just before a very white-knuckle burn to land on the hills beyond.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Zephram Kerman