A Return to Roving

[SlowThought]

In the beginning, there was FIDO. That was pretty fun, but not very robust, so I followed it up with Big Dawg, carrying three kerbonauts in comfort in a full lab, making big science on the Mun and Minmus. Big Dawg was clumsy, and I eventually broke it (I also managed to lose my photos of it). Which brings me to my third rover design...

Instead of going big, I went small. Introducing the Portable Upflying Prospector, or PUP...

Munward bound.

A little sight seeing enroute.

And after (an uncounted number of attempts at) landing, Jeddon's ready for some serious roving!

[SlowThought]

So Jeddon roved away, picking his way along the ridge line between two craters, trying to make his way to the East Crater. He was getting the hang of steering with roll and keeping the rover more or less upright despite being a few wheels shy of a proper vehicle (unless you think a Segway is a proper vehicle).

Unfortunately, he didn't really figure out the braking thing before it was time to go downhill.

Ok, so Jeddon settles down to wait for a rescue. Still, I judge the PUP a success, getting further, over rougher terrain, than my prior designs.

The robotic rescue vehicle touches down only a few clicks away, and so we leave Jeddon. Derzon is busy prepping the new, improved PUP for launch. The target this time, the Farside East Crater.

Since it is the Farside, I upgraded the comm system, and traded one of the TNGs for a battery. Plus, I added a ladder, Derzon's jumping skills not being as good as Jeddon's. Derzon's landing was uneventful, and he wasted no time phoning home.

The terrain around here is much more rover friendly, allowing for a little hot-dogging.

Derzon is working his way toward the valley on the eastern edge of the crater. Already, he's beaten the first PUP's distance record, traveling almost 20km (and actually making 10km progress toward his goal). Long may he roam, or rove, or whatever.

[SlowThought]

The PUPs have proven to be very profitable. Derzon keeps getting paid for making EVA reports from the ladder and sticking flags in the munar dust. I grabbed the next Minmus contract, and now Tammon is gainfully employed.

When contracts for Duna and Ike came up, and having cash to burn, I decided to try for a three-fer... orbiting observatory and two PUPs.

Unfortunately, I had some kind of staging problem, and ended up dragging a lot of extra mass out to Duna...

... which meant either stranding the whole mess in high Duna orbit, or pulling an Interstallar and dumping the observatory for the sake of the landers. Good bye, observatory, hello contract completion!

When I dragged all that useless mass into space, I forgot some very useful mass -- my @#$^@^ rover wheels! Never noticed it until this point. the PUPs are now STUMPs, Still, Tranquil, Unmoving, Motionless Prospectors! Still, if they land, they pay!

Safely down, Dolan and Munely look around their new homes.

While Doodlo drifts off into the unknown (I think the whole thing is his fault -- found him drifting aimlessly above Kerbin, seems to be a trend). Sounds like a job for the Thunderbirds.

[Cydonian Monk]

Segways.... Clever. Do they handle better than normal rovers on Minmus?

[SlowThought]

Segways.... Clever. Do they handle better than normal rovers on Minmus?

It handles pretty well, but I haven't tackled any real steep terrain yet. Still plenty of fuel, should I have traction issues.

- - - Updated - - -

PUPs are profitable, so I have become a fabulously rich astronaut, just like Jeff Tracy So, despite not having a single relevant contract to cover expenses, I mounted a rescue for poor Doodlo.

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And I finally figured out Imgur albums! Thank y'all for putting up with the draggy load times.

[SlowThought]

Munely's been stuck immobile on Ike for a few years now. My conscience finally got the better of me, so I dispatched Dudloo in a DAWG (Dual Astronaut Wandering Gizmo).

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