KerbalX

Description

Eve is large. Rover wheels break. Much of the planet is covered by liquid.

So I took a page from NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab and made a flying rover.

While not an octocopter drone like the Dragonfly probe for Titan, the Hummingbird is a small, easy to use flying rover that can gather science indefinitely. Its solar power works well on Eve. Flight stability is great in Eve’s thick atmosphere. Takeoff speed is an easy 44 m/s.

An experiment storage unit makes quick science gathering for later transmission to save on power.

This craft file does include 1 RTG, a Communotron 88-88, and a SPRT robotic arm, which can be removed if you haven’t unlocked those parts: Add more solar panels. Four RA-2 antenna on the cruise stage can work instead of an 88-88. Designed with Commnet settings; orbital relays around Eve REQUIRED, if using Commnet.

Indefinite powered flight with sunlight is around 86 m/s, more with more panels.

The craft file includes a simple Twin-Boar launch vehicle and the heat shield decoupler includes Separatons to avoid re-contact.

IMPORTANT: Set forward landing gear friction to a low setting to avoid flipping on touchdown, but not so low that the vehicle slips about when driving it while landed.

Flies excellently on Kerbin, too. Laythe is OK but requires a lot of extra power and weight (RTGs required).

Flight tip: Reduce the authority on the canard and elevons to 10-12 for less jittery flight control.

A stock rocket called Eve Hummingbird. Built with 112 of the finest parts, its root part is probeCoreOcto2.v2.

Built in the VAB in KSP version 1.8.1.

Details

• Type: VAB
• Class: rover
• Part Count: 112
• Pure Stock