A little puzzler...

[Sharpy]

Eh, had an adventure today... and trying to solve the conundrum I found myself in, I came up with a solution. And in the course of testing it, I just saw how crazy my solution looks.

 

Who can guess, what is this device and what purpose is it to serve?

Hints:

- It's not damaged. But it's partially staged.
- It's not just a random mix of things. It's meant for a very definite practical purpose.

Enough hints for now. If you can't guess, I'll post more hints later.

 

[roboslacker]

I'm not familiar with the mods you have installed, but my guess is that's it's for rotating those pylons in the back of screenshot 2.

[CaelumEtAstra]

Testing the NERV in a specific biome for a contract?

[Sharpy]

Nope.

Hint: This is merely a test run to determine if the construct is drivable in the current form. Disregard the current environment; it's to be used on a distant moon.

[The Aziz]

Wheels are sideways to keep the balance, friction set to lowest, so with nerv powering it, it would just slide forward.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Hmmm....something like this?

[Sharpy]

Nope. Next hint: the wheels will be removed.

This has a very practical purpose. The weirdness is a byproduct, not a goal by itself.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Sharpy

[purpleivan]

4 hours ago, Sharpy said:

Who can guess, what is this device and what purpose is it to serve?

The purpose was to use up the parts left in the box when you finished building something.

[Sharpy]

This is the thing before separation. (but still not packed onto the launcher that will deliver it to the destination)

 

[The Aziz]

I'd say it's for going down the Mohole, but you said moon

Do we have any moon with such steep slope?

[l0kki]

My guess is that it is supposed to be attached to a plane of something like that

[roboslacker]

Does anybody know what the black part on the side of the craft is? It looks like some sort of extendable docking port. I think this is for rotating bases.

[Mr. Peabody]

Self-delivering modular base section?

[Lithobrake]

It is a rover. The nuke is to generate energy.

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

@Sharpy Is it the engine module of a modular spaceship?

[Sharpy]

4 hours ago, Bottle Rocketeer 500 said:

@Sharpy Is it the engine module of a modular spaceship?

Close! Very close!

[Atkara]

Okay, here's my take:

You've got a situation with a vessel/surface installation, currently resting (somehow) on a really high inclination. It seems that in order to reach the said target, your only solution is to cross that inclination on the perpendicular direction, so you're going to use the NERVs to keep the rover wheels from sliding down the slope.

Judging by the docking module and what seems to me like crew modules, you're taking Kerbals off that vessel/installation and back to orbit using the NERVs, once you've gotten rid of the rover wheels.

Looks like a rescue mission to me.

[Sharpy]

1 minute ago, Atkara said:

Looks like a rescue mission to me.

Overthinking that a bit. Close again, but still not quite it.

Okay. Got a contract. Build a surface outpost on Ceti. Has antenna, docking port and can generate power. At least 7 kerbals. Cupola.

I decided to build a biome-hopper/rover mobile base.

And then I botched the suicide burn. Not by a little. By goddamned 160m/s! I thought they are all done for!

But somehow, the transfer module with 3 NERVs (which still had better TWR than the two NERVs on the biome-hopper) took the brunt of the impact. Nothing remained of it. But the base survived almost intact!

...almost. See something missing in the above picture?

And so came the repair/rescue mission:

After installing one engine, the rescue vessel has to drive around the base on two wheels and attach the second engine on the other side. That's why the tests - to check if this mode of transportation is possible at all.

Well, guess it is.

I changed my mind about the wheels. Instead of dumping them, I rotated them 90 degrees. That reduces the risk of the 'nacelles' hitting the terrain when driving.

The central module of the replacement parts got a thermometer and became a stationary science outpost for 'science from surface of Ceti' contracts.

And the biome hopper?

Performs great! Got one more kerbal to rescue from the surface, two more biomes to visit, then back into orbit and into return/reentry pods!

...all that despite taking a 160m/s vertical landing on hardcore.

[Atkara]

14 minutes ago, Sharpy said:

Overthinking that a bit.

Blame your wheels orientation

[Sharpy]

34 minutes ago, Atkara said:

Blame your wheels orientation

Correct for docking!

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

@Sharpy Are those engines for the base to fly around on Ceti?

Or are they for the base to return to Gael?

[Sharpy]

22 minutes ago, Bottle Rocketeer 500 said:

@Sharpy Are those engines for the base to fly around on Ceti?

Or are they for the base to return to Gael?

Fly around on Ceti and reach the orbit to get the crew to the reentry vehicle.

Thing is the base was never meant to be modular. The docking ports were "contractual obligation" and the base had own perfectly functional engines right before the "accident"...

Edited November 17, 2018 by Sharpy

[Atkara]

3 hours ago, Sharpy said:

Correct for docking!

Haven't used wheels like that to be honest. Back when I was still doing modular bases, I'd just drive the modules in. But hey, it's ksp so, everything is correct

[magnemoe]

5 hours ago, Sharpy said:

After installing one engine, the rescue vessel has to drive around the base on two wheels and attach the second engine on the other side. That's why the tests - to check if this mode of transportation is possible at all.

Well, guess it is.

I changed my mind about the wheels. Instead of dumping them, I rotated them 90 degrees. That reduces the risk of the 'nacelles' hitting the terrain when driving.

You could have rotated the base instead, but yes having the wheels the correct way and work as outriggers make lots more sense.