[Showcase] Living it UP! on the Mun - my new base :3

[GROOV3ST3R]

Hello Space Rangers!

Did you ever feel like your Kerbals are missing out on something?

Maybe they were bored with monotonous shapes, encompassing grayness of the new land and tubular structures in which they spent time strapped to a wall?

Well, here is my answer to those of you who prefer a little bit of style and panache while ''sciencing''.

Update #1: Fixed action groups on rovers after they leave hangars, added separate craft files for Bulldozer and UT5 lifters and an empty garage lifter.

Update #2: As awesome as these rovers are, they appear fragile and prone to flipping. That's why I am now including a UT4 version in the download. The UT4 can withstand crazy levels of punishment, only losing minor components. UT4, UT5 and Bulldozer have now been equipped with emergency RCS for flipping the craft over so it can crawl back to base (or the junkyard) and ''railforced'' to lower the CoM. Hopefully that will make them that much more useable. They haven't been placed on rockets yet so you need to do that manually for now.

DOWNLOAD is here for your convenience

The base:

As you can see, it consists of 3 main modules so far:

- ''The Lone Ranger'' Space Club - The club serves as a main housing and communal area. It has a Kerbal capacity of 18 thanks to use of 3 stowaway modules, 4 cupolas and a lander can - the Cupolas serve as observation decks mostly and the Lander Can suspended from the ceiling is an exclusive zone for when your Kerbals want some privacy (not necessarily together). It has multiple action groups for lighting effects, comms and gear. 6 docking modules spaced out on the outer ring of the structure allow for docking rovers and expansion modules according to your personal preferences.

- Exploratio Dish - The Exploratio Dish (it's not a typo, lack of ''N'' serves a purpose ^^) is a deep space exploration satellite, exploiting lack of atmosphere on the Mun for a much clearer view of the nearby stars and galaxies. It has a very high centre of mass due to the design of it's dish so it is vital to land it perfectly vertical, killing any relative velocity and selecting a level landing zone. Once landed, deploy a ladder for easy access and explore space at your own pace ^^

- The UT Hangar - Last but not least, the UT Hangar. It's a medium sized structure comprised of 2 garages. Each garage has a potential capacity to store 2 UT5/UT6 rovers or one UT5 bulldozer. However, it is best to carry only 2 rovers to your destination using this particular structure.

It has on/off ramps, Gigantor solar arrays, tons of battery power and a control tower with satelite tv. Sit back and drive the rovers remotely, not risking a gruesome death by barrel rolling face-first into the ground

I did all I could to keep the rovers as stable as possible. CoM is very low on them, which does help to combat the effects of low-gravity but still requires very careful operation. Each rover is equipped with 5 seats and full tactical gear, allowing you to ''science'' on the go (or upside down). Useful, versatile and with a long range - thanks to generators, it is never without power, even at night. Besides, it's sleek and sexy so why don't you jump in and take it for a spin? I'm sure you'll love the challenge... I mean the thrill of adventure.

Here are compatible Rovers which I included in the download:

The UT4 - by far the most durable thing I have ever built:

The UT5:

If you require a more rugged machine, I recommend the Bulldozer - a ''railforced'' UT5 with a pushbar for moving debris out of the way. Added weight is sure to improve traction and lowers the CoM even more.

There is also a UT6 version, with smaller, rounder wheels that you may prefer. All seat 5 kerbals.

If anyone is interested, here are (or will be) the craft files for all of the above structures.

The .zip link:

DOWNLOAD

Edited November 25, 2013 by GROOV3ST3R

[GusTurbo]

I love everything about this. Great work! Those rovers look like they can withstand some punishment.

[Spartwo]

I'm most interested in those rovers.

[GROOV3ST3R]

I'm posting some more pictures right now ^^ Yeah, the original version is by far the safest (the one I used in Kyrian GP). Unfortunately, it had a high CoM so I had to scrap the girders for a spaceframe. That does impact it's durability - it doesn't fall apart during use but it's recommended not to crash them deliberately. The Bulldozer can withstand much more punishment than the UT5 though ^^ It's properly badass, just for Jeb :3

I' glad that you guys like these ^^

Edited November 24, 2013 by GROOV3ST3R

[longbyte1]

Dang man, how is it that you can just stick orange tanks to anything and send it to orbit? That's awesome

[GROOV3ST3R]

I just can ^^ click on the link and you will find out for yourself ^^ All modules come with complete rockets sufficient to get to the Mun - possibly even Minimus.

But actually, it's not that hard. Once you figure out asparagus staging and gravity turns (I start tilting around 18-20km, when the second-to-last lifter stage is about to run out), crafts will get lots of orbital altitude and velocity very easily. Then all you need is a transfer/orbiter stage (which can also double as a lander) with LV-Ns and you're good to go ^^ Just remember to strap it all down with struts so it doesn't wobble too much and doesn't rip itself apart during lift. Once you're orbiting, it's unlikely anything will come apart, it's just the lift that can get tricky keeping everything together.

[kola2DONO]

Freaking awesome! Wish i could build something like that!

[GROOV3ST3R]

Thanks ^^ I'm constantly doing small changes and improvements to these crafts - particularly the rovers. Trying to make them more stable and durable. The UT4, which I have just added, is able to take crazy punishment on the Mun, flipping over and over without disintegrating at all (apart from breaking off unimportant components such as some lights and antennas).

Now I will work on a science module ^^

[panzerknoef]

Thanks for the link, i must say: those rovers look pretty badass, the design looks like some kind of sports-rover! My rovers are usually just rectangularish blobs with wheels attached, all of them seem to be prone to flipping and killing the drivers

[GROOV3ST3R]

That's the annoying property of rovers :S You need to be pretty careful with them, especially in low gravity. Caps-lock and locking rear wheels helps keep a tab on them, while SAS modules will likely help you out with stability when there isn't an atmosphere - though you may find turning get more difficult that way.

Eitherway, I' glad you like them ^^ I hope that they will serve you well or at least give you some inspiration for your own design ^^