Drive to KSC2 challenge revived.

[GDJ]

I'm reviving this challenge, and the one that was lost in the great forum crash.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/14555-Drive-to-KSC-2

Since this is a rather old challenge, there will be differences between the KSP versions, and I will take that into account. I'm basing this challenge on KSP 0.19.1, but if there is a KSC2 on other versions of the game, then by all means please join up. Any differences in driving time and distance will be taken into account.

The rules are simple: Build a land rover, drive to KSC2. Any path as long as it is on land (or crossing rivers) is allowed. This is challenge of construction and driving skill.

-any mods are allowed. I don't care how it gets there, as long as it has wheels and drives on land.

-any power source allowed. Jets, rockets, Ion drives, Solar, nuclear, or Jeb, Bill, and Bob pushing it with oars and their feet is allowed. The vehicle must have wheels to drive on land.

-wings are allowed, ONLY IF THEY PROVIDE DOWNFORCE, NOT LIFT. No making your rover float a few metres off the ground. The wheels must contact with land. If your rover catches air going over a bump, then that's part of the challenge (making the Rover survive a jump is part of the challenge).

-any construction techniques are allowed. This is a challenge of skill and ingenuity. Show us what you can do.

-ASAS and SAS allowed. Like I said, as long as it has wheels to drive on, what you do is allowed.

-Manned or unmanned rovers are allowed.

-You can drive a premade car or motorbike from a mod if you like.

The only thing that is not allowed is something that can warp or alter time or game physics (like hyperedit or whatever-it's-called). You must drive the course with the stock time and physics the game comes with.

In other words, Keep it real!

NOW, when you list your times, add what KSP version you are using, and anything like FAR or Mechjeb. You can use it, but this will be listed in your rover specs and they will be listed HERE.

This is not as easy as it looks. You have flat sections, rolling foothills, mountains, rivers, water hazards, rocks, boulders, and (in some versions) trees to navigate thru or around. Kerbal is not a smooth globe. It's a planet, with all the hazards it can provide. Your construction techniques are different than that of Rockets or Aircraft. Your construction will have to accommodate for that. A well built and driven rover will complete this challenge. A poorly build or driven one will fail, usually by breaking apart.

Daytime or night driving allowed of course.

Cumulative mission times are counted (hit F3 for that).

You must post a pic of you leaving KSC1 from the runway, and at KSC2. You can post more to display your progress. Don't be ashamed if you don't succeed the first or second (or many more) times. I did this challenge in 10 hours mission time, but it took me 5 times to do it. Like I said, this is not as easy as it looks.

The record if I recall correctly is 8 hours 26 minutes, but if you can do it in less or more than that's fine. The main challenge is completing the course, which is reward in itself.

Think of it as the Paris-Dakar rally......on Kerbin.

Good luck, and may the best driver prevail!

ps. I will be participating. I don't believe in making challenges that I won't participate in. Win or lose, I'm in this.

Edited September 11, 2013 by GDJ
Added one more vehicle type to be driven, clarification on rules. This is the final change.

[GDJ]

Here is a example of a rover I built to do this challenge originally before the great crash:

Now, this particular one didn't succeed in completing the challenge (broke apart after catching ALOT of air in the mountains northwest of KSC1), but you can see what I'm talking about. Chassis, wheels, power source, and drive.

How you build it is completely up to you.

[Sirine]

I'm in.

While my PC1 is busy Mapping the Kerbal (ISA Mapsat) I get boring. So, lets drive. (with PC2).

Will post my progress here.

Started at night...

Wow, I have to made a coin token to press on the W keyboard....

After trying for hours...I decided to put it on pending, and go for Mun mapping 1st.

--------------------------- Update ------------------------------------

Ultimate Rover J <---download here.

Show Case

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Progress:

--------------------------- Update ------------------------------------

Today cover about 100km.

--------------------------- Update ------------------------------------

I'm...simply...slow

Edited September 24, 2013 by Sirine

[GDJ]

I'm in.

While my PC1 is busy Mapping the Kerbal (ISA Mapsat) I get boring. So, lets drive. (with PC2).

Will post my progress here.

Started at night...

Wow, I have to made a coin token to press on the W keyboard....

After trying for hours...I decided to put it on pending, and go for Mun mapping 1st.

No rush! Do the challenge when you can.

I'm currently rebuilding and tweaking my Rover as we speak:

HINT: Using something that provides a small amount of continuous thrust so you don't have to keep pressing the "W" key is permitted and recommended. Also ASAS kind of acts like cruise control to a certain extent.

[Rainbow-Dashie]

I am trying to build an all purpose vehicle thingy, (Think, Space Jeep ) So I guess it would make sense to test it out on this challenge! Now I just need to keep the thing from exploding...

[GDJ]

That is one of the hardest parts of this challenge: Building a chassis strong enough to withstand all the pounding and vibrations of ground travel.

And yes this would be one hell of a break-in for the Space Jeep!

[pxi]

I'm up for this, using the rover I've sent to both the north and south poles. You may have seen it in the JATO challenge.

Mods in use: Mechjeb, Chatterer, Graphotron 2000

Here it is on the runway, the eagle-eyed among you will notice that the clock's been running 26 seconds, the reason is for some reason I've not put my finger on as of yet, the mission clock doesn't seem to start till I get some air. Using the runway as a ramp seems to do the trick:

[Epthelyn]

I'll give this a try, if I have time to complete it.

I figured the best way to ensure stability over a long distance was something long and wide enough to prevent it flipping over on Kerbin if I do inevitably stupid things, so it originally weighed in at 11.7t. Unfortunately this meant that the small hill NE of KSC was an impossible-to-cross obstacle so I added jets.

So -

Name: KSC1-2-KSC2

Mass: 22.76t

Maximum Speed (Wheels only): 21m/s

Maximum Speed (Using engines): 58m/s - On flat ground. It manages to survive 40m/s jumps rather well if the loss of a couple of replaceable wheels is ignored. Any faster than 58m/s and all the wheels simultaneously burst and it flips over.

Battery Life at Full Speed: ~10 minutes (the RTGs just about keep the power level stable if I accelerate then let it coast along for a bit).

Image:

I was planning on letting MechJeb drive it all the way there, but since I don't have a forward-facing pod and the MechJeb unit isn't quite straight it gets confused and starts driving South whatever I tell it to do. That may be because the Rover Autopilot doesn't make use of the jets and without the jets it is entirely incapable of going uphill.

[British_Rover]

Is there a KSC2 in the current version of KSC? I was trying to find it for a challenge of my own but I didn't see it after landing in what I thought were the right coordinates. I need to take a space plane to patrol the area I guess I just landed in a simple one man lander.

[Darren9]

I've been there in under six hours, I went for massive suspension to soak up the landings from running consistently at over 100m/s.

I also drove an aircraft transporter there and launched it - took another six and a half hours, I'm not doing it a third time

[GDJ]

Nice Darren9!

Well, sorry you won't be running with us, but I suppose a third time would be asking alot.

As for me, the new rover is almost done, except I have to redo the ladder so a Kerbalnaut (or rally driver) can climb back into the rover.

Right now, it can kinda trip, fall down, get up, fall off the back of the rover, then fix the tire, then he forgets how to get up and over a ladder.

Dumbass.

[Epthelyn]

Is there a KSC2 in the current version of KSC? I was trying to find it for a challenge of my own but I didn't see it after landing in what I thought were the right coordinates. I need to take a space plane to patrol the area I guess I just landed in a simple one man lander.

Should still be in the same place :S

20° 34′ 58″ N

146° 30′ 41″ W

[British_Rover]

Hmh ok will have to fly their in a plane to try and find it.

[GDJ]

If I recall correctly it's in a dog-bone shaped depression in a small mountain range.

[GusTurbo]

I remember this agonizing challenge from before the forum crash. I kind of want to try again, but holy crap did it take a long time.

Back in .19...

[GDJ]

I was hoping you would show up here. I remember you giving me some very good advise on the suspension tweaks. Thank you!

[GusTurbo]

My ultimate goal is to create something with landing gear wheels so the speed limitation of the rover wheels can be overcome, but that comes with its own challenges. They don't handle terrain as well because the built-in suspension is stiffer.

Edited September 14, 2013 by GusTurbo

[GDJ]

And they don't turn worth a damn.

But, if you like drag races, then the landing gear is great!

[GusTurbo]

Yeah, it forces you to have to turn using control surfaces. I think maybe I'm just getting too greedy for speed, because if I can do an average of 100 m/s, it should cut my time in half.

[Bobnova]

My last high speed rover had both, the wheels were lined up so that the landing gear would touch when extended, but the rover wheels would touch when the landing gear was retracted.

That way you can slow down, retract the gear, turn to the new heading, extend the gear, and get back up to cruise speed.

Worked pretty nicely until I got too much air and planted the nose.

[GusTurbo]

I also experimented with something like that. It had the same issue.

[GDJ]

So far I've had some success with the WAG weights and shifting the weight balance to 40% front and 60% rear. Also adding castor to the front wheels and locking the rear wheels straight helps alot when doing higher speed turns. Keeps the rear end from snapping sideways and shifting the CG too far one side, but it's still delicate work making turns over 50 m/s.

Oh, and after 6 versions of my rover, I'm almost done. Will launch soon.

Yeah, I'm picky.

Edited September 15, 2013 by GDJ

[GDJ]

OFF AND AWAY!

Got some spare time tonight, put in about 40 minutes.[

SRS commandpod, some B9 parts, C7 stuff, Project Tachyon Ion Drive (40 thrust model), ISA map parts, and the rest stock. Nor FAR or Mechjeb.

At least he's smiling!

And where I left off. 6.3Ëš North, -72.9Ëš West (I think. I'm going with West)

-------------------------------------------------------

Off and running again!

Still grinning! Nice to have a pilot that doesn't scream all the time.

So far, so good.........going up the side of a mountain, but no biggie.

But, disaster strikes. About 90 minutes in, noticed that the speed spiked from 45 to 55, went to hit the brakes, but the front left hit, rover flipped up, did a 1/2 barrel roll, and landed on it's rear. Blue, white, and orange flames erupted, and parts flying off.

Final resting place: 13.5Ëš North, -80.1Ëš West.

I will try again.

Edited September 18, 2013 by GDJ

[Hodo]

Here is my entry....

30min of travel and I am 42Km from KSC.

Top speed, 42m/s. It can go faster but it does some wonky things at 45+. ((Fixed my typo should have been m/s not km/s))

Did I mention it gets dark quick on Kerbin.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Hodo

[Whatshtisthis]

42km/s...?