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Kuriosity lander challenge


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OK, fellow Kerbonauts, here is a challenge based upon current human space activities!

NASA just launched a one-ton rolling vehicle to Mars. However, we don\'t have a nearby planet to arrive at... yet. But let\'s practice anyway! We have a Mun, and a whole warehouse of secondhand junk to use up until another planet arrives (read: update 0.13+). This challenge still stands once we get our solar system populated.

We need samples of dirt brought back to Kerbin, acquired from our newly christened \'Kuriosity\' mobile coffin rover.

Criteria:

- Rover must roll on the surface for some distance (longer the better, but measurements not necessary). Wheels are approved, and rover can be \'sideways\' (a la planes).

- Rover must be deployed by overhead \'sky crane\' style rockets, then ejected during orafter landing. To clarify - capsule must be connected underneath decoupler.

- Capsule must return to Kerbin - rover parts/RCS etc can be ejected to aid return flight.

I didn\'t want to make my first challenge too easy - after all, the rocket scientists are doing it... it can\'t be that hard, can it??

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This intrigues me, some friends and I have been discussing various ways of delivering payloads to Mun surface and some of my recent mod work includes parts that make this a bit more doable. The video referenced by this post http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=4511.0 is also very helpful.

All that said... the payload package

Mun%20rover%20payload.png

I\'m looking at getting into Mun orbit masses at just under 13 tons. Given that weight, I\'m likely to have bits and pieces from every mod out there in this, lol. My Kerbin side tests show severe potential instabilities with the ASAS in the \'Kuriosity\' configuration as payload mass increases, it seems most stable with the ASAS at the very top. I\'ll post an update after I get this thing into Munar orbit.

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Ok... So I read this thread and was a bit skeptical at first. Looking over other designs though I see there is a bit of leeway in the designs. After realising this I decided to have a crack at it myself.

The liquid thrusters are used to give me zero weight (I had to find the throttle before hand though) and the RCS modules are used to raise and lower the craft (as well as translation). So far Kerbin test have been successful! :D

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My first foray into wheels today:

28 RCS thrusters later, still not enough thrust to get lateral motion on the pad. Perhaps less gravity will do the trick... but that means actually Mun landing the sucker first (still working on achieving that! ???)

See attached monstrosity.

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Guest Flixxbeatz

Haha, that\'s exactly what happened to me my first attempt, I completely missed the mun testing the new rocket, and burnt all of my fuel chasing it.

RCS would\'ve saved me, but damn... :D

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