I'm glad I can inspire others to track down awesome LEGO Space sets! Hopefully it wasn't too expensive. I hadn't really thought about the Crater Cruiser in that light but that's an amazing observation! I do often feel a little restricted by the land-based vehicles. How do they get there on distant planets? In my mind, yes, they have to be dropped off by unseen spacefaring ships. But yes, the Crater Cruiser designers seem to have put a lot of thought into the versatility and functionality of the model. Of course, as you say, with Gunbar on duty, I'm not sure a lot gets done. The ship is good for beer runs, anyway. :-)
Today's new comic... (Now, do you wanna get the monorail?... lol)
"Double Knuckle Sandwich"Date Night II (Part 19):http://spacethecomic.com/comic/date-night-ii-part-19/