Roving right along

[RocketScientistsSon]

I am trying to land a rover on the Mun. Any advice would be welcome before I make the attempt sometime over the next couple days.

thanks

[EtherDragon]

Here is an old video I did on my old Korbital Mechanics channel*

It's 45 minutes, but shows the basics of constructing a Multi-stage Munar Lander that brings a Munar Lander with it for exploration. This video was from much earlier in my YouTube career, and from the version that first introduced Science! But the principles are still the same...

Haha, after rewatching this old video - here are some things that I've learned since then...

Lights! They're useful!

Muting myself when clearing my throat - also useful.

*Note: Korbital Mechanics is retired with no new content coming. But the channel and videos are maintained for posterity.

Edited December 31, 2014 by EtherDragon
More notes

[Pecan]

I am trying to land a rover on the Mun. Any advice would be welcome before I make the attempt sometime over the next couple days.

thanks

Make a combined lander/rover to keep it simple - just add I-beams with wheels (and lots of solar panels/batteries) to a lander-can.

Don't forget an engine and fuel, of course ...

[The Yellow Dart]

I prefer to make small reusable rovers that can undock and redock to the bottom of a lander which can also dock to a station to refuel. The rover should be square (wheels on the corners) with the center of gravity as low as you can get it. I tend to use the smallest rover wheel because it makes for a lighter rover, so fuel savings for both the launcher and lander, and lower top speeds make it less likely to flip, which is VERY easy to do on the Mun with the larger wheels. The lander needs to be low enough for the docking magnetic force to pick up the little rover and lock it on. You'll have to do some test runs to make sure it works. The lander's rockets need to be on the side or angled out (I've done both) so they don't blast the rover or landing legs. Also make sure you place your landing legs so that the rover can easily drive out from under the lander. And as mentioned above, bring a flashlight! (although for some strange reason it seems like lights don't always illuminate the Mun's surface, has anyone else noticed that?)