Laboratory Landers! Post pics of your Science Focused Landers here

[Azoth]

Thought I would start a thread to show off landers that were built to collect as much science as possible. Post pictures of your craft, along with a short description of its features (it's scientific equipment and capabilities), and post a link to the craft file if you'd like.

This lander has two goo canisters and two Science Jr. Enough fuel in the lander to return from the mun, bringing possibly close to 600 science if it's your first trip and do it right.

Craft File:

http://goo.gl/fHigZN

Edited November 13, 2013 by Azoth

[128MB]

No lander but a rover I like all-in-one vehicles. All science equipment available on this thing and capable of returning to kerbin

Wheelbase is long and wide with low center mass so it drives surprisingly well on the mun.

I might make a mk2 and add chutes to land this one duna.

Edited November 13, 2013 by 128MB

[Corona688]

I sent a little something to Jool which I sarcastically call the Romulan Invasion Fleet. It has eight landers, and one huge drop-probe, all propelled by two nerva's with 1.5 orange-tank equivalents of fuel.

The drop-pod is the entire top section there, from the stack of 4K batteries on up. It has all possible sensors, eight antennas, two radial chutes, and enough battery for two minutes of continuous transmission; it's intended to drop into Jool's atmosphere.

Four landers are little RCS-driven probes for landing on airless moons -- they have no atmosphere-related sensors, only gravometer, thermometer, accelerometer, transmitter, and a little bit of solar.

Four are atmospheric probes with all the goodies -- atmosphere analyzer, materials bay, goo canister, accelerometer, barometer, gravometer, thermometer, transmitters, batteries, gigantor array and parachute, plus a little fuel to deorbit. They are very asymmetric to cut down on weight -- I didn't even twin the goo pod. I put the atmosphere analyzer and some batteries on a boom to balance their weight instead.

Technically speaking -- the mission was a wash. It aerobraked way too much on entry and barely managed to reach Laythe. I still managed to land two atmospheric probes on Laythe, and pitched another into Jool in a fortunate accident. Very fortunate because the entire orbiter got thrown into solar orbit immediately after that. Still, a few K science out of it.

Later I sent another set to Eve with rather better success. And the entire engine section, pared down to one single two-tanked probe, just barely managed to land on Moho..

Edited November 13, 2013 by Corona688

[Nertea]

I've got one from my Greenpeace (no nukes) space program. With 2 lander-cans for sample and EVA report return, all 4 mini-science instruments, two goo containers and two material bays, this probably qualifies as a science lander. With a small boost stage to get it from LKO to the target, it can land and return on the Mun, Minmus, Duna, Ike and Gilly. Possibly Dres, the DV is good for it, but I'm not the greatest pilot. A typical science return yields about 1600-1800 points, not including transmitted crew reports (the only thing I generally transmit) from the various locations.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Craft file in my thread.

[Corona688]

Because I totally forgot to take pictures of hauling this thing to Duna and back, you get to see it sitting on the launch pad:

You might recognize my mini asparagus arrangement, to which I added twin disposable SCIENCE BOOMS with literally all the goodies. (Atmosphere analyzer, sample bay, goo, gravy, seismic, pressure, temp.) In NASA tradition the SCIENCE BOOMS are bizarrely asymmetric yet carefully balanced(since I didn't want to bring two air analyzers, two goo pods, two sample bays, etc, etc). It was unexpectedly efficient at reaching Duna orbit so I managed to bring the SCIENCE BOOMS all the way to Ike(after re-docking with the go-home unit). The SCIENCE BOOMS and landing gear were discarded there for the trip home. Which was fun to rescue Jeb from because the jerk managed to end up in a retrograde Kerbin orbit.

Edited November 16, 2013 by Corona688