Islands of Laythe - one flag at a time

[koshelenkovv]

Overview looking south, 40th in the distance.

Very Yin and Yang.

Such a cozy little coves here!

Thanks for all nice views. Now I'm thinking about delivering a small folding aicraft carrier with a microplane (I have one sized only 3.5x3x1.25 m) on Laythe and exprore all the islands and polar caps and place some probes here and there. Maybe even tiny submarine for underwater Kethane mining.

Damned Damned Robotics is still broken for 0.20, though.

[bsalis]

Now I'm thinking about delivering a small folding aicraft carrier with a microplane

It's certainly the way to do it. You can cover a lot more ground on Laythe in a plane. Rovering is a bit pedestrian in comparison.

This evening I have a trio or reasonably large islands, 43, 44 and 45. These are south west of Laythe West outpost, around 30 degrees latitude.

43rd is the largest one on the north.

Big square-ish shaped. 44 and 45 in the distance.

Some grey coloured lowlands and lakes too.

Interesting arc ridge.

44th is the smallest in this group.

On the left... hmm. Reasonably generic shape.

Looking north.

Yeah - kinda boring.

45th is the south west one.

Nice deep bay here.

Another bay another flag.

Definitely not boring!

[bsalis]

I have 46 to 49 this evening, and the South Pole as well! These are all islands further to the south from islands in the previous post.

46th is small and in the middle of nowhere.

I think this might be the smallest so far that is not nearby to any other big island.

Tylo and Vall almost aligned.

Onward!

47th A larger one, south west of the last.

Going to land on the stubby bit to the west.

Looking west. Not going to flag the little one over there.

Overview.

48th is another small one in the middle of nowhere.

Coming in low... hard to see where to land.

Nothing but ocean views here.

Overview. Delta shaped.

49th is quite a large one, even further south.

Looks reasonably flat from this height.

However it certainly is not flat - quite rough actually.

Very far south now, it's rather dark.

Off to the south pole we go.

SP the South Pole.

Jool flanked by Tylo and Vall.

Overshot, gliding back.

Ta da! If you look carefully, you can see the lines on the ground showing the exact south pole.

[XIRA]

pretty cool stuff

[EdwardKu]

Niceee! Looks impressive!

[bsalis]

I have 50 to 54 this post. This is a cluster to the south end of that vast ocean. This is well west of Laythe West outpost.

50th is a smaller sandbar type to the north of the ring.

All islands of this cluster here, but one is so small you can't see it.

Should be and easy landing - it's like a runway.

Hmm, corrugated, maybe not so easy.

Just more water.

51st is over to the east a little, on northern rim still.

Couple of smaller companion islands that won't be flagged.

Looking over at them here.

Overview.

52nd is the eastern one in the group.

Regular blob with central peak type.

Plenty steep. Didn't quite make it to the ridge - a bit unsafe.

Overview.

53rd is the smallest in the group. Not even visible on map view!

This is why it was not visible - it is tiny.

Hmm, mebe this was not a good idea.

Another flag down.

Deal with it

54th is last and largest in this group.

Has a nice little lake and a big peak.

Close enough to the peak. Can see the lake from here, that's what matters.

Overview. Damn, that is pointy!

[SiliconPyro]

I definitely have to send a plane to Laythe now. No two ways about it.

[bsalis]

Three this evening. 55, 56, and 57. Another small cluster, a bit south of the last. There are quite a few islands south of this vast ocean expanse... far away from my outposts.

55th is the big one, by far.

All three visible here.

Other islands in the distance.

It has a tail... like some others I have seen.

56th is roundish, flat and the smallest.

Nothing special. Has a little bay.

Flag down. 57 in the distance.

Overview. Only going to put one flag down for 57 over there.

57th is something rather odd, as you have seen in the other pics.

Now this final one is not dull.

Has tendrils.

A lake and... what is that blue speck to the right of it? easter egg?

Nope - just a knee deep puddle!

Hmmm Cthulhu?

[bsalis]

Another three this evening: 58, 59 and 60. I am working my way west to Laythe East outpost, instead of going back to Laythe West. Which is where I have been working from since I arrived and setup there after flag 26.

58th is west of the last group of three islands I flagged. It quite far south at 59degs.

It's a long one. Stretches well over the horizon.

Mountainous too. Will try to land on the edge over yonder there.

Arg, where am I going to land. What was I thinking!

After some slow, vertical jet assisted flying, I found a sweet spot.

Like a big paw.

59th is a medium one, more west again.

A flat one... will not be seeing many more of these.

Looking west. Still a long way from Laythe East outpost.

Interesting coast on the right, but not much else.

60th is far north west of the last, and almost back on the equator.

Now this is uncommon. Mountainous region surrounded mostly by flat lowlands.

Looking back, south, at the tail of the island.

Landd on the edge. Looking west on the some lowlands.

Off to base we go.

Circumnavigated

Terrible dark night time pic below - sorry 'bout that. However, here I am finally back at Laythe East.

Which means I have officially circumnavigated Laythe. Well, flying that is, not by orbit!

[bsalis]

Small post this evening, only 61 and 62. A couple of small islands close together, out in the vast blue ocean.

61st is the bigger one, with a small offside island.

Only one flag down here, on the main island.

Looking west.

Interesting bay and lakes.

62nd is a short hop away...

... and tiny. Sort of a carrot and potato thingy.

Yep - pointy one and round one.

[bsalis]

Three this evening, with 63, 64 and 65. These are somewhat heavy. Large not in land area but mass. They tower above the ocean.

Also as I mentioned before, actual mission progress is further than the posts. Only a few more posts left (ie. i have my last flag down )

63rd is the largest by area

Look at the light coloured highlands

It's rough but found a place to land.

I'm actually over 64 here, looking back. Amazing view from this vantage.

64th is bit further south, smallest in this group.

Has a dark ridge line. I think the colours turn lighter again at even higher altitudes.

Parked on the ridge!

Overview - looking west.

65th is to the west of the last.

Something stood out about this island right away.

Massive cliffs, then it keeps going up.

Flag planted.

No cliffs on the far side.

[kahlzun]

Bath time.

Does anyone else get concerned, but strangely unsurprised to see that Kerbal helmets are not watertight?

[POTKC]

I think that is to prevent Jeb going for very deep swimming trips whilst waiting for the launch...

[Geschosskopf]

Fantastic! Thanks for the beautiful pics.

How much differently do planes fly on Laythe than Kerbin? And how does one acquire so many flags? Do you get a new one each time you get back in a vehicle or what?

[koshelenkovv]

Laythe sea level equal to 1100 m at Kerbin.

5km on Laythe equal to 7.3 km on Kerbin.

10 km on Laythe equal to 13.6 km on Kerbin.

and

10 km on Kerbin equal to 7.1 km on Laythe

15 km on Kerbin equal to 11.1 km on Laythe

So you can fly lower and see more.

[BubbaWilkins]

Impressive task and execution.

Really impressive that you've managed this without running out of fuel or damaging your crafts.

[ZingidyZongxxx]

Nice job! We seem to have chosen the same base island

Good luck with the mission!

[Rhyunix]

I'm impressed with the fact that he's actually got past the Mun unlike some...

Very well done

[bsalis]

How much differently do planes fly on Laythe than Kerbin? And how does one acquire so many flags? Do you get a new one each time you get back in a vehicle or what?

Any plane that works well on Kerbin will work better on Laythe. You do want ample lifting surfaces though, since the terrain is rough. As for flags, like RCS fuel it's all refreshed each EVA.

Really impressive that you've managed this without running out of fuel or damaging your crafts.

Wish I was that lucky & good! I have been quicksaving each landing. There have been quickload incidences. Some bugs, but mostly pilot error. However after the first dozen or so islands, that has been rare. As for fuel, it has been remarkably more efficient than expected. On long flights, you can supercruise at near orbital speeds high up on only 1/3 thrust. I also have a refueling system that you can see in post #19.

Anyhows, onward with the islands. I have 66 to 69 this evening. First up is an interesting double...

66th and 67th are a couple of big ones, and seemingly connected.

I should go see if they are connected.

Ok, so two islands. They are close, but both are big enough to warrant a flag each.

Flag for 66 is down.... it's not too far to the next. Hmmm.

What the heck - lets just swim this channel. I wonder if anyone else has done this.

Bam. Lodeny is exhausted. He forgot to get another flag the first time and had to swim back to get one! Time to go now.

So what do these actually look like? Here is 66, and has some interesting terrain. Sort of regret not getting a closer look.

67 is not too bad either.

68th is a tiny one to the north as i start to making my way back to base.

Yep - tiny.

Another down.

69th is a reasonable size.

With an interesting coastline.

Looking south. That is 66 over there.

[Pulstar]

I always thought there were far less islands on laythe than that. But that's probably because you only see the big ones from orbit.

[Zephram Kerman]

376° W? I wonder if that has anything to do with you circumnavigating the moon?

That said, I'm enjoying this thread. I'm looking for a colony site too, and comparing your lat/long with my kethane map. Your research is saving me a lot of wheel reinvention, and it's an entertaining read. Thanks for doing this!

[bsalis]

376° W? I wonder if that has anything to do with you circumnavigating the moon?

Probably coincidence. 61st was a different play session. Circumnavigating happens in orbit, so too common to cause something this rare. Anyhows... that bug is Squads problemo.

I have 70 to 73 this evening, and guess what folks. These are the last flags! So in total we have 73 numbered islands, two outposts, and the north and south pole, for a total of 77 flags planted. I will be making one more post later with some followup pics and comments to conclude. For now though, lets see the last four...

70th is a large one among the other large ones seen recently.

Seems to have an east-west divide along the middle.

Northern half has a high plateau.

Landed on the north west end. Interesting little bay here.

71st is a tiny one just north of last flag plant.

Yup tiny. That is 66 over there ... interesting rough coast this side.

Looking over at 66 again.

72nd is again more to the north, as i make my way back to Laythe East.

It's odd. Not sure what to make of it.

One end has a pyramid type hill.

One for a psych test maybe. I say it looks like a rabbit.

73rd is the last!

A mountain range and some lowlands.

Looking over at the lowlands here.

Off we go back to Laythe East outpost.

[Geschosskopf]

I have 70 to 73 this evening, and guess what folks. These are the last flags! So in total we have 73 numbered islands, two outposts, and the north and south pole, for a total of 77 flags planted. I will be making one more post later with some followup pics and comments to conclude. For now though, lets see the last four...

BRAVO!!! Fantastic project!

One for a psych test maybe. I say it looks like a rabbit.

I say it looks like a Kerbal being eaten by Pikachu

The nose of the plane is about touching the nape of the Kerbal's neck. The square-ish part further forward is the lower half of the Kerbal's head and the small, irregular blob to the left is his body. Pikachu is the large peanut-shaped blob with the leg and tail, and the top half of the Kerbal's head in his mouth.

Maybe this is proof that the Kraken was really Pikachu all along, and the dead thing on Bop is just some harmless being killed and dumped there by Pikachu as a patsy .

[bsalis]

Last mission post. I thought I would wrap this up with some commentary and return pics.

Conclusion

Well it's been an epic journey. I really enjoyed this. I think I can safely say I have visited more islands on Laythe than any other player. I have not had much experience with rovers, however I suspect that rovering around Duna may feel a bit pedestrian compared to this.

I know I'm biased here, but to me it does feel that exploring Laythe is End Game for KSP Sandbox at this stage. Because of all the islands, it's not easy, but it can be done with the right tools. It does though require competence in many areas. You need to able to build and fly Spaceplanes (ideally SSTOs). You also need to be able to build decent sized rockets to move materials out to Laythe, and land some in a useful form on the surface for refueling (ie. on land in one piece). You need to navigate craft from Kerbin to Laythe... and note that I always aerocapture direct to Laythe, which seems lost on many players. You need to able to rendezvous, as well as dock, both in orbit and on the surface. Then ideally, you need a re-usable system of getting supplies to the surface as well.

Among all these challenges though, the final paradox is that once you have the pieces in place, getting around Laythe quickly, easily, and with little fuel is far more practical than anywhere else!

Anyhows, onward with the pics...

Homebound

Well, it's time to head home to complete this mission. After refueling at Laythe East, it was off to orbit. then docking and refueling again at the station.

My god it's full of flags!

Home, finally.

So here Lodeny and the Butterfly SSTO Spaceplane end the journey. Some interesting stories to tell. I have a couple of other spaceplanes here. The one on the far left I did a mostly-grand tour with. The middle one visited Magic Boulder. The Butterfly is on the right.

Next?

Inbound to Laythe East. It's another plane...

With a detachable rover, that can be re-attached. Now that I have cataloged (almost) all the islands, I might go and take closer look at some.

Hmm... or maybe...

[Commander Zoom]

The adventure continues...