BSC Challenge: Rover + Skycrane - Yet another winner!

[Liowen]

It started out as a simple addition of style to the lander.., then this happened.

Will post full craft soon as i test it.

Sheesh LOL.

[Lions]

Ok so far I'm not seeing this:

-Your craft should be easy to use, simple and safe - stock craft are mostly for new players, they should not be overwhelmed by 10 action groups that must be used at the right time.

-Try to avoid exessive part clipping, a new player should be able to take your ship apart, learn how it works and put it back together

-Your craft should be an example new players can emulate. It should demonstrate design techniques. What ARE action groups? What's aspargus? Can linear RCS boosters be of some use? These are questions new players could be able to answer by testing your craft.

-If you use Action Groups of have any special commentary to make, use that neat, new description field in the VAB.

It's a fine line between encouraging a new player with something new and overwhelming him - try to walk it.

i have been playing for years now, and some of the designs even confuse me lol.

[Tarmenius]

Here's my entry, the SCAR (Sky-Crane And Rover).

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According to Kerbal Engineer, the crane assembly has 736 m/s dv. More than enough for landings on atmospheric bodies, and theoretically enough to land on the Mun from a low orbit, though I haven't tried it myself. It can operate indefinitely in daylight, and for bursts of several minutes at night, thanks to its two RTG units. It is also equipped with all four science instruments and two Communotrons, all activated with Action Groups.

Action Groups were created for the rover's equipment, and staging is set up for ease-of-use during flight. The "heat shield" is jettisoned and the drogue chute is deployed with the same staging event. And when it's time to separate the drogue chute, the dual Rockomax 24-77's are also activated. This way, you can focus on the landing instead of the staging.

Here is the craft file for the SCAR. Orbital and transfer stages not included, though that craft file can be added on request.

Feel free to post helpful criticism or any questions you might have.

[HazelPine]

How did you come up with such a cool looking skycrane, Ravenchant? It looks awesome!

[Ravenchant]

Well, just realised I forgot to add the VAB description. Can we update our files?

@zekes Wow...the lifter looks positively fantastic. Not to mention more realistic by orders of magnitude than our asparagus monstrosities!

@SaplingPick I updated an old Mun skycrane design- that one looked goofier, as it was single stage from LKO to Mun surface using excrutiatingly long burns^TM Unfortunately, particle effects for the small engines don't exactly yell "power", so it looks underwhelming in operation.

[leafty]

My entry, the RovoBot:

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Craft file | Craft file with rocket

I tested it on the Mun and on Duna, and I'm pretty sure it can land on most celestial bodies in the game (except Tylo of course). The rover itself is quite stable, you just have to make sure it doesn't flip and isn't going too fast on slopes.

[XolotlLoki]

Aditionally you rover should be outfitted with some device that get's it from low orbit to the surface. I think beeing able to land on the Mun and Duna is a sensible design-goal.

The stock skycrane (and Curiosity's which inspired it) is really more for the landing phase, not entry and descent. But it sounds like you want full EDL from the skycrane... which explains why so many entries have such large fuel tanks.

So just to be clear: the skycrane should be able to deorbit, descend, and land on Mun from a height of 40km-ish?

[Deathsoul097]

Depends on what you think it should be able to do. I designed mine to use the transfer stage to get on a landing trajectory, but it has the D/V to land on the mun without the heat shield.

[Spartwo]

It started out as a simple addition of style to the lander.., then this happened.

http://i.imgur.com/4IGEJgi.png

Will post full craft soon as i test it.

I don't think you need a launcher.

[Kasuha]

One thing I definitely don't understand is why people so often make screenshots where all you can see is darkness or dark silhouette of the craft.

I understand it is not easy to control the ship and make screenshots at the same time, but come on, it doesn't need much more than setting up the camera right once before you make the series.

[Xeldrak]

The stock skycrane (and Curiosity's which inspired it) is really more for the landing phase, not entry and descent. But it sounds like you want full EDL from the skycrane... which explains why so many entries have such large fuel tanks.

So just to be clear: the skycrane should be able to deorbit, descend, and land on Mun from a height of 40km-ish?

Basically...yes.

However, while working on my own design, i realized the reason for big fueltanks is probably the fact, that I asked for being able to land on Duna and on the Mün. You can go down on Duna almost completely on parachutes, the mun requires some fuel fuel, however.

@Lions: Well, bringing down a lander on a "skycrane" is a advanced technique. And the problem with the stock craft is allways, that someone else designed it and you are supposed to use the craft.

@Kasuha: Never understood that either - making a handfull of good screenshots seems to be such a low hanging fruit to me

Edited December 7, 2013 by Xeldrak

[Rhomphaia]

Well, just realised I forgot to add the VAB description. Can we update our files?

Yes, as long as you get it before the deadline. If you are updating I would make sure to mention it in a new post, as I am sure I am not alone in early testing.

[Speeding Mullet]

Congratulations you are the proud owner of the Skycon Crumplezone, inspired by the high quality workmanship and strength of a 1980's caravan. Prepare to be whisked away to the mun for a totally safe mission with every chance of return.

Commands:

1) Decouple Habitat

2) Decouple Rover

9) Toggle antenna (rover)

8) Toggle Dish (rover)

7) Toggle solar panel (rover)

6) Toggle Ladder (habitat)

5) Toggle solar panel (habitat)

4) Toggle antenna (habitat)

Description:

The Skycon Crumplezone is an all in easy short term habitat and rover skycrane combination. Totally stock and minimal part clipping make it easy for the novice builder to understand and replicate. The rover has a nice low center of gravity, and is equipped with short and long range communications, as well as RCS boost, brakes, and down force. For the scientist in you it is equipped with a raft of whojamaflips. The habitat is capable of return to Kerbin on it's own. The skycrane is chocked full of enough fuel to deorbit, land both modules, and fly away, and you can be confident that multiple course corrections can be made on the way down without running short.

Pictures:

Craft File:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7u5q7xyw7qfwutf/Skycon%20Crumplezone.craft

[Liowen]

Ok so far I'm not seeing this:

-Your craft should be easy to use, simple and safe - stock craft are mostly for new players, they should not be overwhelmed by 10 action groups that must be used at the right time.

-Try to avoid exessive part clipping, a new player should be able to take your ship apart, learn how it works and put it back together

-Your craft should be an example new players can emulate. It should demonstrate design techniques. What ARE action groups? What's aspargus? Can linear RCS boosters be of some use? These are questions new players could be able to answer by testing your craft.

-If you use Action Groups of have any special commentary to make, use that neat, new description field in the VAB.

It's a fine line between encouraging a new player with something new and overwhelming him - try to walk it.

i have been playing for years now, and some of the designs even confuse me lol.

I have tried to keep my as basic as it could be, yet able to made complex by the user as seen fit. While looking at some others I fear mine might not qualify as a true sky crane, it would be a good learner I feel and could be modeled later into a full sky crane version with small changes.

All of them though are good though, and I may snag a few to try myself at some point......and then watch them crash into the ground due to my terrible flying skills LOL.

[Kasuha]

There was already some positive outcome of this challenge for me - I finally have a rover for my space program

I changed it slightly, removed the skycrane and changed it into a 2m inline assembly (actually a skycrane is still there, just much weaker because I only need to deploy it from already landed ship). Then I sent it to Dres for some testing and I am really happy with it. Guys traveled 40 km total with maximum speed achieved over 40 m/s and while they broke some tires and got to some funny situations there was no permanent damage on the rover at all. The funniest moment was when Jeb was replacing a tire and the impulse from the inflated tire turned the rover upside down because SAS was turned off at the moment.

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[Ravenchant]

I added a VAB description to my entry - this was the only change, so the pictures here are still relevant

New file: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/99520841/R-31%20Dustmarcher%20%26%20Heron%20skycrane.craft

[antbin]

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I wasn't sure about this challenge at first, but after a few hours of tinkering with rovers, I think I get it. It's made me appreciate subassemblies, their awesomeness and their quirks.

Despite the questionable ethics of building a craft that can deliver (but not recover) Kerbs from the surface, I present: The One Way Ticket (Crafted with Das Neilwagen + Das Luftlifter + Scrap Metal)

Rover Features:

• 2 Kerb seating for redundant flat-fixing and someone to hold the camera for photo ops
  
• Probe core for uncrewed operation (visible and clickable for newbies to take control to/from Kerbs)
  
• 2.6 tons, ~40 parts.
  
• "Structural Sandwich" construction shields the soft, gooey middle of batteries, RTG, reaction wheel and Probe Core
  
• "Skid Mark" double plating under the bottom for collision-free railslides.
  
• Long-range 2WD, powerful 4WD, and RCS Turbo Boost for 3 levels of propulsion
  
• 25m/s on level ground, 60m/s speed limit
  
• Adjustable 2-wheel-steering, and wild 4-wheel steering for donutting (or not)
  
• Solar panels tilted to catch low sun, but not over-powered. Helps newbies learn to manage their electricity at night / on the terminator.
  
• Rear wheel-only braking with brake light, for safe low-grav stopping.
  
• Adjustable ladder and antenna (stow before driving)
  
• Roll Cage for crew protection*
  

* For entertainment purposes only

Skycrane features:

• 1100 Delta-V for landing on Mun
  
• Detachable parachutes for Duna landing (and more dramatic rockets-only touchdown)
  
• Two landing lights for dark side landings (keep speed under 20m/s to not outrun their reach)
  
• Slightly asymmetric for elegant, safe flyaway arc trajectory
  
• TWR of 0.72 allows practice hovering on Kerbin, after burning off some fuel. Nice controllable throttle on Mun / Duna descent.
  

I'm really happy with how this rover came together. Using structural panels to shield the rover internals can make crashes (almost) survivable at high speeds. Right now broken seatbelts and ejected Kerbs are the safety barrier.

I tweaked the layout a lot, especially the Kerbs seating position - too close to the roof and the Kerb will spawn on top of it when exiting the seats, too far away and they stick out from the "roll cage".

Thanks to sgt_flyer for the asymmetric skycrane idea. And to everyone in the Rover Megathread for sharing their inventions.

>> .craft file here <<

Edited December 7, 2013 by antbin

[Spartwo]

You'll have to use the transfer stage to land with mine on the Mun.

Slow liftoffs are cool...okay.

Stages are made for atmospheric bodies,you might want to detach the parachute at some point.

Not much fuel(513m/s)but a TWR of 33.1

I had to check if it worked on the Mun.

[zekes]

Ok, here's mine. The Lorrie Lander

https://www./?dhzh73pavzztxzb

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Edited December 7, 2013 by zekes

[Xeldrak]

The CRAATRV!

ChemRock Automated All-Terrain Roving Vehicle

The CRAATRV is the latest in rover-technology. Once you are in orbit around your prefered celestial body, use the patented skycrane to land the rover. The CRAATRV is approved for use on Duna and the Mün. Using the CRAATRV on different bodies is possible, but you guarantee will expire upon entering the atmosphere.

The CRAATRV can be manned either in orbit or on the ground to transport up to two kerbals.

The CRAATRV can use it's parachutes to assisst landing on bodies with atmosphere - othewise use the rockt engines to land.

Once you are VERY near to the ground, press backspace release the rover. Good luck.

Press 01: to deploy antenna.

Backspace: Release Rover/Cute parachutes/fire SRBs.

Features:

58 parts

8.97 t mass

-A combination of drogue and normal parachutes for soft landing on planets with atmosphere

-Landing light

-SRBs to help seperation

-Can be used manned or unmanned

-dual probecore, use the central during decent and the secondary while driving and you navball will allways make sense

-Wide wheelbase

-Three RTGs for infinite Fahrvergnügen

-powerfull four wheel drive

-rear brakes for save breaking in low g environment

-deployable antenna

>>DOWNLOAD<<

Edited December 7, 2013 by Xeldrak

[Andrew Hansen]

Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you the NOKERB Exploring Machine!

Description

After Bill Kerman complained that flying a rocket was too dangerous, our engineers invented the NOKERB Exploring Machine. By being controlled by robotic probes and having no Kerbals aboard, safety is gauranteed - although a successful liftoff is not.

If it lifts off, the NOKERB has enough fuel to land on pretty much any planet or moon out there, our engineers tell us. It even has parachutes to help you slow down in a planet with an atmosphere.

Features

• At only 58 parts, I was debating whether I should call it the NOPARTS Exploring Machine instead! (Just kidding. )
  
• No part clipping (no use of debug menu).
  
• Includes ascent stage so you can launch it right away.
  
• Transfer stage and landing stage are combined for simplicity.
  
• Lander has exactly 5,650 m/s of Delta-V and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.7.
  
• When the lander's main fuel tank is 1/3 full, it has a thrust-to-weight ratio above 1.
  
• Rover uses four RTGs to provide constant power to its wheels and lights.
  
• Rover has two lights for night-time driving.
  
• Rover uses high-traction and high-speed Ruggegized wheels instead of the original puny ones.
  
• Rover features back-tire braking to prevent it from flipping.
  
• Rover has a nice amount of RCS which can help it "fly" (even on Duna) or flip itself back upright.
  

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Imgur Album

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Comparison with other entries

As you can see, the NOKERB Exploring Machine includes a lifter, has low part count, has lights, uses Ruggegized wheels, is powered by RTGs to provide constant power, and even includes RCS! It doesn't have room for Kerbals, but that's because it's called the NOKERB Exploring Machine!

Download the NOKERB Exploring Machine!

Edited December 15, 2013 by Andrew Hansen

[XolotlLoki]

Introducing the Simple, Indestructible Rover. The skycrane is capable of Munar EDL, and the rover can drive forever with lights on courtesy of its RTGs. It is virtually indestructible, surviving falls and rollovers with no damage to any subsystems thanks to the I-beam mast. It has a very low part count: 16 for the rover, only 6 for the skycrane.

For normal driving, turn off the reaction wheels. If the rover flips, however, engage them. They provide sufficient torque to flip SIR back upright from any angle, in addition to many tricks. SIR can do endless front and back flips, drive on two wheels, and spin around on one.

Action groups:

1. Toggle reaction wheels (turn off for normal driving)

2. Back lights only

3. Front lights only

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Craft file available here.

Edited December 8, 2013 by XolotlLoki

[sploden]

Rover + Skycrane improved 13, aka Kuriosity:

The space pen is mightier.

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Main Features:

Curiosity/MSL-style mission profile

Enclosed capsule including "heat shield"

Deorbit engines

Drogue chute

Landing engines

Landing lights

Landing legs

Nuclear electric power

Rover RCS (warranty void if used)

[Xeldrak]

Only ~30 minutes left, if you want to enter the challenge, hurry up

[Spartwo]

Not many this time round.