[Stock 0.17] Fun 3-man Interplanetary Lander & Rover

[MeticulousMitch]

Hi everyone, as you'll notice this is my first post, although I've been lurking for months. I'm here to present my latest creation!

Destination Duna:

It's a combination lander, rover and return vehicle, which is extremely efficient (in rover configuration it has enough fuel to circumnavigate Mun), easy to fly, and runs well on slower computers due to its relatively small number of components (139 parts). The ship has 3 stages, and is powered by 3 NERVA engines and 3 detachable LV-909's, which are only used for landing and takeoff assistance.

Low Kerbin orbit, and starting the transfer burn:

Landing - transitioning from lander to rover:

Exploration - getting some air time in the low gravity! It's a good idea to keep the rover under 30m/s to avoid losing control.

Return to orbit - 'ramp' assisted takeoff! Plenty of fuel left for the return voyage.

Tips:

1.) Activate the LV-909 engines just before landing, and jettison them once you leave the atmosphere to save weight.

2.) Use the atmosphere and gentle thrust to slow yourself to under 300m/s before opening your parachutes on Duna.

3.) Move the stages around in-flight to suit your particular mission - if you're landing on a world without atmosphere, you might want to discard the LV-909's early on.

Let me know what you think of it!

p.s. - I've tried to keep the images as small as possible - all together they're only 800kb, so I've left them out of spoilers.

Edited September 28, 2012 by MeticulousMitch

[alfman112]

I just tested it out, its pretty sweet! Now just to use mech jeb to land get the darn thing to duna

[AmpsterMan]

Wow... just... wow! Very nice Rover lander you have there!

a few questions though, how did mount the tricoupled LV-N engines? I have a similar design on my Mun rocket but I had to strut it up a bit so it wouldn't blow up. And, may I ask why you don't jettison your SRBs?

Edited September 23, 2012 by AmpsterMan

[mc8888]

Really cool, i'm still stuggling to make an inter-planetary orbiter!

[MeticulousMitch]

Wow... just... wow! Very nice Rover lander you have there!

a few questions though, how did mount the tricoupled LV-N engines? I have a similar design on my Mun rocket but I had to strut it up a bit so it wouldn't blow up.

Thank you! I have a couple of struts securing the tricoupler, but apart from that the engines seem to stay on pretty well by themselves. I suppose the fuel line might provide a little extra rigidity.

And, may I ask why you don't jettison your SRBs?

Ah, I was wondering when someone would ask that question. Basically there were 3 factors that made me decide against jettisoning the SRB's.

1.) The empty weight of an SRB is fairly small, and somewhat negligible compared to the weight of the lower stages. Carrying a few empty boosters for 60 seconds doesn't make a huge difference to the delta v.

2.) Decouplers supporting SRB's tend to be either too flimsy or too heavy for my liking. I don't like seeing them swaying around on the rocket.

3.) I wanted to keep the craft as simple, user-friendly and safe as possible. Decoupling SRB's at the wrong time can be disastrous.

I guess you could say that this craft is less about extreme efficiency, and more about simplicity, adaptability and ease of use.

[zapy97]

i am going to test this on mun first, maybe i will take it to eve

[AmpsterMan]

Thank you! I have a couple of struts securing the tricoupler, but apart from that the engines seem to stay on pretty well by themselves. I suppose the fuel line might provide a little extra rigidity.

Ah. I missed those struts up there. I place them on the actual decouplers which is why I was a bit confused.

I wanted to keep the craft as simple, user-friendly and safe as possible. Decoupling SRB's at the wrong time can be disastrous.

I guess you could say that this craft is less about extreme efficiency, and more about simplicity, adaptability and ease of use.

Simplicity, adaptability and ease of use each have their own merits. I really like your craft. Bravo sir!

[segaprophet]

Impressive!

[metacognate]

Great, great ship. Easy to fly, powerful, and a lot better than everything else I've been using.

Good for crash landings, too

[Spiruel]

Awesome, this worked very well! Do you know if this can get to Eve? I've only managed Duna so far.

[Nukesnipe]

I'm not to sure, but I think I ****ed up somewhere.

That's how you land a rover, right? By smearing it across the desert?

[Inquisition]

I really like your ship so I downloaded it and it works great.

[MeticulousMitch]

Awesome, this worked very well! Do you know if this can get to Eve? I've only managed Duna so far.

It certainly can get to Eve. Here's some pics from Jeb, Bob and Doncott's (who the heck is that guy?) Eve luxury cruise vacation.

It's probably worth noting that while in boat configuration, I unintentionally set the record for worst fuel efficiency in history, at approximately 3.75x10^-4 miles per gallon.

Edit: No, this can't make Eve orbit again. I've yet to see any stock craft do that, let alone a medium-sized lander/rover/boat with only 139 parts on the launchpad. If you want a return trip, this craft is only really suitable for Duna, Ike, and maybe(!) Moho.

Edited September 26, 2012 by MeticulousMitch

[Tommygun]

Would it have enough fuel to make orbit again?

[Person012345]

Stupid question, how do I make both the wheels and the struts in the up position at the same time?

Edit: never mind, figured it out

Edited September 25, 2012 by Person012345

[Phoenix Aerospace]

Mind if we get a look at the thing on the pad? I'm looking for a good interplanetary vehicle, and this may just fit the bill .

[DrLucky]

Great ship.

As to re-orbiting - I built a modified version of this lander, and I was able to land on Duna, re-orbit, return home, and land within 13km of KSC.

So yes, it's possible.

My modification - well, to be honest, I rebuilt it from scratch, but used your layout - was to remove a few bits (wheels, etc.), stretch the outrigger tanks to 4 tanks each, and add a further detachable 3 tanks on each outrigger, feeding into the outriggers. I also tucked a half-tank of fuel above each Nerva, so it has a little delta-V after the final staging event.

My core stage was capable of tossing this contraption out of Kerbin's atmo at about 1.4 km/s - I made up the rest of orbital V with the first tank or so of fuel on the Nervas.

After that, and with some patience, I was able to reach Duna aerobraking only somewhat into the outriggers fuel supply. Because the landing, using the chutes, requires only a little fuel, I wound up on Duna's surface with more than 7.5 tanks of fuel left. I was able to launch easily to orbit using that, and once I'd dropped the non-Nerva engines and struts, I was able to do another transfer orbit back down to Kerbin, and then aerobrake to a landing there. I really didn't need the extra half-tanks at all, but I used them to land a little closer to KSC.

I was not terribly efficient in either my launch or maneuvers. That lander, with a beefed-up launcher and another set of travel tanks is perfectly capable of a round-trip to Duna.

I bet Eve is harder - I've landed there once in a different craft, and the atmo is much much thicker, and the gravity higher. Probably a LOT harde to escape.

Some pics:

[MeticulousMitch]

Mind if we get a look at the thing on the pad? I'm looking for a good interplanetary vehicle, and this may just fit the bill .

On the first page there is a spoilered image showing the craft just after lift-off. That's what it looks like on the pad.

DrLucky: that's a pretty powerful looking ship! The original version of the ship is actually capable of landing and returning from Duna - I was referring to Eve, which is next to impossible with stock parts. To take off from Duna, reach orbit and return to Kerbin, you'll want about 1800 litres of fuel. By the time you touch down on Duna you should have 2400 litres of fuel still remaining, so that gives you 600 litres to use cruising around in lander configuration if you still want to return home.

I'm currently exploring Jool's moons in a slightly modified version that replaces the outer parachutes and LV-909 engines with 3 additional small fuel tanks. This thing has easily enough fuel to get out to Jool's orbit and return home, but probably not enough to get get back after landing on the moons, except Bop.

[DrLucky]

The original version of the ship is actually capable of landing and returning from Duna - I was referring to Eve, which is next to impossible with stock parts.

Ah, that makes much more sense. I was thinking, "I didn't do a very good job this flight, and I still had oodles of fuel; not sure why this was a problem."

Also: Challenge Accepted.

[Inquisition]

How do you get the 3 to 1 coupler to attach to the engines upside down?

[MeticulousMitch]

How do you get the 3 to 1 coupler to attach to the engines upside down?

Hi Inquisition, you can just tap 'A' or 'D' twice to rotate the part 180 degrees, and then it will automatically attach upside down.

[ProMine]

Hey, can I point out a flaw in the design? The NERVA'S keep on overheating. Great ship!

[MeticulousMitch]

Hey, can I point out a flaw in the design? The NERVA'S keep on overheating. Great ship!

Those NERVA's do overheat quite easily, but I've never had them go critical. Might be a problem on Moho though.

Some shots I took while roving around on other planets and moons:

[Kolo]

Those NERVA's do overheat quite easily, but I've never had them go critical. Might be a problem on Moho though.

Some shots I took while roving around on other planets and moons:

That's a cool easter egg, but... What the **** is it?

[Person012345]

That's a cool easter egg, but... What the **** is it?

The vanquished space Kraken. Cthulu is not happy.