[RSS/RO] Hunting RealSolarSystem Easter Eggs !

[kurgut]

RealSolarSystem Easter Eggs hunting!

In my rp-1 career, as I was doing some unmanned Moonar landing mission, I saw, once orbiting the moon, that an anomaly was in my orbit trajectory, so I decided to precise land there, and I found this:

A Neil Amstrong memorial!!!

It excited me to found all others ones present in Real Solar System. So just started a new sandbox game to give it a try, and challenge my self.

First I'll deal with Earth of course. Here's what the map says:

I will start with the one which is North-East of Cape Canaveral

Let's HUNT!

Edited September 5, 2018 by kurgut

[Crocket]

Keep me updated!

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #1

So, to explore those unknown Earth anomalies, finally I first built a simple jet plane, kind of Harrier. I wanted to do a VTOL but realism overhaul has noob engines for that..

 

Taking off, cap to North-East of Cape Canaveral:

This jet plane flyes very well, I'm happy with that   Now travelling during 1h15m at mach 1.22:

It's a bit long, so Sergei is watching the sea, then the sea, and again...

Spoiler

... the sea

Finally! I Arrived to the presumed location, but nothing there... might be underwater maybe?

So I decided to land at the Wallops base, since it's closer to my location.

Buuut, again:  nothing there, didn't found the base, then I landed in some more or less landable grasslands:

Drag chutes deployment

I'll maybe send a submarine there, because obviously the thing seems to be underwater.

Or not, if I'm too lazy

@Crocket Updated!

Edited September 5, 2018 by kurgut

[Crocket]

@kurgut Much appreciated. 

Edited September 5, 2018 by Crocket

[Triop]

Nice, looking forward to sea see Atlantis

[kurgut]

Just now, Triop said:

Nice, looking forward to sea see Atlantis

I hope so!

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #2

As I was too lazy to make a submarine and inspect again the first anomaly aera, I made an other attempt with an anomaly located North-West of Brazil. So I launched again my "Harriek" plane, from Kourou (Guyana, french launch site) this time, since it was the closest launch site.

Take off!

Cap to target! I have 1h40 min to get there at warp x4 (was looong), at mach 1.24 to travel along 2.200 km !

Watching my airplane flying, and try to adjust the control surface balance manage correct the plane trajectory as less as possible ( and so to warp X4 as much as I can! )

Fiiiinally, arriving, I can see something..

But.. BUT... BUUUUUUUUUT.... THAT'S THE ISLAND AIRFIELD!! IN BRAZIL !!!

Let's land there and plant some flag

Landing was almost a catastrophe, but Sergei is safe hopefully, just a bit afraid

Now I understand why I failed my landing with such a weird ground

First Earth easter egg: FOUND!

Preparing for next who's in the south Africa desert.

Edited September 6, 2018 by kurgut

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #3

Let's see the flight plan, hmm, more than 7.000 km to travel (almost a pole2pole@Triop )

First I built the Rangerk-1, an exloration rover: nuclear/solar powered, life support, 3 crew capacity (here 2 but I modified later):

With cargo deployable panel, and a kind of mobile lab'

Exactly what I need to explore!

 

 

I also build a remote solar powered plane (my first in realism overvaul!), Solarius-1 !!

But don't If I will use it since it goes very, like VERY slow!

Mass: 3.142 kg.      Nominal speed: 70 m/s.     Take off at 40m/s.   In cruise attitude with engines at 50%, battery charging should be ok with the sun at ~45 above horizon.

Maybe I should do a manned version, what do you think?

And use it to hunt easter eggs, would be challeging (and long )

Edited September 6, 2018 by kurgut

[kurgut]

Of course I'll make a manned version, Solarius-2! tryed to look at solar impulse 2, but performances ar faaaar from it

Mass: 6.932 kg.

Width: 32m/Lenght: 13m.

take off speed: 40 m/s. Nominal speed: 60 m/s. Autonomy seems to be about ~8 hours (day time) from I calculated.

Leslie is really enjoying!

Will see if there's an easter egg close to a launch site, because if not, it will take eternity to travel!!

Edited September 6, 2018 by kurgut

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #3 next!

So the anomaly was located in far South-East Africa, whereas our nearest launch site is in far North-West.., well, the opposite... Obviously, I can't do that with a simple jet plane. SO! I aslo let away solar planes projects for now and instead, I plan is to use this: the Kerbalovitch Krapov (name of its creator), model Cargo .

The biggest airplane I built so far in Realism Overhaul

This plane will do the longest part on the travel, and few kilometers before the spoted anomaly, will release the exploration rover, hidden in its cargobay. Just a testflight here:

Take off at 80 m/s. Payload capacity seems to be huge since it doesn't care of my 5.000 kg rover

Climbing at raisonable altitude and opening cargo bay..

GO!!! good bye Kerbalovitch!

Chutes deploying to stabilize and slow down the stuff:

Crew remote selfie during descent for the Kerb'newspapers:

Slowing again to ~3 m/s, I puted the chutes relative to the center of mass in the way the rover can land with the forward wheels first, with a safe angle of attack relative to the ground.

Almoost:

YEAH! Now ditch the chutes, and ready to explore

TEST FLIGHT IS SUCESS!! I will launch soon!

Edited September 6, 2018 by kurgut

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #3 Let's Launch!

I checked everything was ok with design, and just launched the mission:

Taking off:

Climibing:

 

And cap to 126° to our first checkpoint which the Volcan Karisimbi, in actual Rwanda.

Estimated time is almost 6h! with warp x4, shoud take about 1h30 travelling.

See you until that!

[kurgut]

Checkpoint #1!

After 1h30 warp x4, just arrived to the Karisimbi Volcan , nice to see some changing things after al that desert, desert and desert again

And some water!

Now, I change my cap to the South, to the rover drop checkpoint, few kilometers before the anomaly. It's "only" at 1.550 km from there (better than the 5.000 km I've just done):

 

[kurgut]

Arrived at the rover drop checkpoint!

Stabilizing and preparing to release the rover. Cargo bay opened? check. GO!

Good bye Kerbalovitch!

Going down, chutes semi-deployed:

Few hundreds of meters before the surface, the chutes were fully deployed. Almost, almost safe:

And landed!

Now, I've only 130km to drive, and we'll be good to see what there is in this mysterious desert!

Edited September 6, 2018 by kurgut

[kurgut]

Almost there! I can see something:

Looks like the Kerbin Moutain's Antenna, but in south Africa!!

[kurgut]

Finally arrived! Easter eggs found: 2!!

Come on Konstantin, hurry up for the photo, we're waiting you!

Smiiile! how serious those kerbals 

[kurgut]

@Triop

As I think, this mission is kind of desert derby

[kurgut]

Next anomaly to explorer will be here:

In the himalya mountains, exciting! My nearest launch site is in North West China, at about 2.000 km distance.

I wan't to change a bit from airplanes (so loong!), so starting thinking to the mission design. Maybe suborbital rocket with precise landing, or only rover, don't know yet

[kurgut]

SO! Ive found what I'll use:

A suborbital rocket wihich will do a powered landing and then deliver..

A motobike!

Still testing now, but at least the nuclear powered motobike works pretty well max speed: 16m/s (due to realism overhaul patch on the wheels to limit their speed)

Strange design I know..

But looks fun!

 

[kurgut]

I've just tested the powered landing, and works fine!

As the "Motok" rover (if we can call that a rover) deployement:

Ditching the fairings:

Motok release and ready to explore!

Now, I have to test if this flying scrap can handle suborbital reentry, and then landing. If not, I'll simply add a first rocket stage to this!

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #4

Finally, I've finished and tested more or less the design, we're ready to launch: The suborbital rocket, Karkarov-B (A model failed), is standing by on hhe launch pad.

I've to aim to my target, which 1.200 km away, and try to land the first stage near the anomaly, to deliver the crewed rover (yes there's an unlucky Kerbal here inside the fairings )

Launch! Karkarov flys good (first stage is an upperstage of a N1 rocket) !

Aiming to target, seems acceptable: oh yes, and I launched from my nearest launchsite, which somewhere north-West of china.

Reached the Karman line, we can say goodbye to the Karkarov first stage, and thanks it for all its helpful thrust!

Now preparing for reentry! I hope, I'll not land in one of those holes there!!

Hot hot hot! All this stuff seems to be stable and not burning

Now fire the RAPIER and our four powerful jet engines to prepare to land:

Almoooost:

And landed, fiuhw!

Now, just ditch the fairings... (they exploded when hitting the ground but nothing bad hopefully):

And releasing Youri, on his motorover, just a bit tetanized after his suborbital flight:

Before going, I used the remaining fuel in the rocket to try to see closer the anomaly:

Approaching, 7km, but I can't see nothing And yes, this stuff crashed then:

Now, Youri can go, only 40km to travel!

I keep driving

 

[kurgut]

Keepin' driving, nice deep lakes in the near-Himalaya mountains..

Don't look at it, don't fall in it, keep driving straight!

Now, only 4 km... still can't see nothing:

Will be there in couple of minits!

[kurgut]

ANOMALY #4

Youri arrived! Not so much to see, apart this little black block here..

Hmm, seems like a TMA, but half in the ground.. Let's check this:

Getting off:

Yes, this is a TMA, Youri can feel the radiations, and start becoming greener and greener

Come on, let's plant a flag, and get out of here! All this travel for a little lonely TMA, I expected more, but that's fine, the travel was kind of enjoying

[kurgut]

So! I'm now starting thinking to the next steps, I've still some anomalies to discover on earth, but start thinking to go to the moon.

I'm testing some (weeird?) designs now

Moon lander (and maybe explorer)

And an atmospheric version, well suitable for earth stuff, I didn't expected that, but flies good!

Edited September 16, 2018 by kurgut

[Triop]

I'm out of likes dude, awesome stuff  !  

[kurgut]

3 hours ago, Triop said:

I'm out of likes dude, awesome stuff  !  

Thanks!