"Harder Better Faster Stronger..."
Plato is a big brother to the Socrates rover, rugged and capable of speeds up to 20 m/s with an improved RADASS stability system that uses a gyro to counter tumbles.
The landing platform it uses was designed for Cylero landings, and is thus overpowered for Luna or Brigo. But in theory you could give this an 800 m/s kick stage or a 1 ton drop tank and it would go from Droo low orbit to land on Luna or Brigo.
To use: Reduce orbital speed to fall down, use AG3 for the landing program... On Cylero It can't account for atmo drag effectively, so it is suggested to wait till it falls to 75% throttle, stop AG3, cut engines, and restart AG3 to save fuel.
Once landed, use AG2 to deploy the Plato rover. drive with solar panels closed and the crashbar will protect from tumbles, open the solar panels if it needs to be flipped upright.
Plato also demonstrates a 2-bogie springless suspension with a differential.
GENERAL INFO
- Created On: Windows
- Game Version: 1.3.115.0
- Price: $461k
- Number of Parts: 154
- Dimensions: 3 m x 4 m x 4 m
PERFORMANCE
- Total Delta V: 2.2km/s
- Total Thrust: 41kN
- Engines: 4
- Wet Mass: 4,014kg
- Dry Mass: 2,072kg
STAGES
| Stage | Engines | Delta V | Thrust | Burn | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2.2km/s | 41kN | 2.6m | 4,014kg |
Well, after trying to send a pair to vulco, I discovered the suspension can't survive a rocket ascent - and some parts clipping occasionally caused crazy spinouts in space.
To fix that, I had to redesign the clamps so they'd hold the wheels steady, new version coming up.