Parachutes burning up a lot

[Anrui]

I've had this issue recently with parachutes burning up a lot during my reentries. Regardless of what I try to do in order to reduce speed and protect them, they still somehow manage to burn up right before reentry ends. I have 2 parachutes on the side of the command module and a Mk16 on the nose. Both are rated for 2000 degrees but they never survive reentry, even when I have my pod positioned with the heat shield down and away from the chutes. I've even tried a more gradual approach but they still burn up.

I added a terrier with a small fuel tank in one of my stages in order to help reduce my speed, and no I am not going straight up and straight down. I am just trying do some tourist contracts right now but I've been having this issue. I wasn't having this problem a couple days ago.

Can anyone help me? I'm at my wit's end at the moment. Maybe I should try sticking a parachute in the little storage thing? Does that even work?

Thanks for the help.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Anrui

[FancyMouse]

The temperature rate is for when they are closed. If you open chutes too early (say trigger deployment on orbit), they will easily get burned up - is that your case?

[Anrui]

The temperature rate is for when they are closed. If you open chutes too early (say trigger deployment on orbit), they will easily get burned up - is that your case?

No, they burn up while still closed.

[klevi]

Having the same issue. (Yes, I'm totally new, only 18 hours so far.) - But heavily invested in this!

[cybersol]

Are you waiting until you speed is below 600 m/s and your altitude is less than 10 km to stage your chutes?

[Anrui]

Are you waiting until you speed is below 600 m/s and your altitude is less than 10 km to stage your chutes?

Once again, my chutes burn off while closed before I get to the point where I can safely deploy them. Like, right as I'm leaving reentry my chutes always go out. Chutes were working fine for me a few days ago, now they are burning up a lot suddenly. And no, I don't have any mods that affect how chutes behave. No deadly reentry, FAR, or anything game changing like that. I'm playing with the stock atmosphere.

[cybersol]

I read what you wrote, but its important that they are not staged before the above time. Chutes seem to have 4 relevant phases here: 1) unstaged, 2) staged but not deployed (below min pressure), 3) deployed but not open (above altitude) 4) open. You need to be in phase 1) until 600 m/s and your altitude is less than 10 km. If that is already true, then the key should be just to keep the unstaged chutes inside the sonic shockwave of something else.

[Anrui]

I read what you wrote, but its important that they are not staged before the above time. Chutes seem to have 4 relevant phases here: 1) unstaged, 2) staged but not deployed (below min pressure), 3) deployed but not open (above altitude) 4) open. You need to be in phase 1) until 600 m/s and your altitude is less than 10 km. If that is already true, then the key should be just to keep the unstaged chutes inside the sonic shockwave of something else.

I think I understand now. So I should have a stage before my parachute deploy stage so they stay in stage 1 during reentry? Before I had my decoupler for my little terrier engine and fuel tank set to decouple while the chute's launched, which was probably a poor way of staging.

Staged but not deployed is the stage where the chutes are basically the next stage to come right? I have noticed my parachute icons in staging being a blue color a bit before reentry, is this an indication of the second phase for the chutes?

[cybersol]

Phase 1) unstage means they are in the stage above your current stage and just the normal gray color. If they are blue they are in phase 2). IIRC yellow is phase 3.

[FancyMouse]

You don't have to - you can set the deploy min pressure to be something like 0.3~0.5, just not the default 0.05. Then you'll be fine just stage it on orbit.

And yeah, by "deploy" I said before I meant "stage". By default setting it will auto-(pre-)deploy at 20km, where your speed is still so high and just burn up your chute.

[THX1138]

I wouldn't bother adjusting the minimum pressure. I would just not deploy the chutes until the rocket is cooled/slowed down.

[Dspan_000]

Things to try:

1: Put them near the top of a capsule rather then on the top

2: If you have a tech yet get a heat shield that is 1 size to big

3: Put them in a protected place near the engine if you have a lander that may do so [be warry because it will flip your craft and if you are going to fast [15 m/S to 20 m/S you will explode]

[FancyMouse]

I wouldn't bother adjusting the minimum pressure. I would just not deploy the chutes until the rocket is cooled/slowed down.

Right, you don't have to do that, until you get the RemoteTech mod

[Zablonski]

I have found the radial chutes will burn up if they are low down on the sides of the command module. I found better luck with placing them as high up as possible, just not so they occlude the hatch, about 7/8ths the way up. I've never had a Mk 16 burn if I'm coming in arse first, so I'm not sure what is happening to you there.

[Anrui]

Phase 1) unstage means they are in the stage above your current stage and just the normal gray color. If they are blue they are in phase 2). IIRC yellow is phase 3.

You don't have to - you can set the deploy min pressure to be something like 0.3~0.5, just not the default 0.05. Then you'll be fine just stage it on orbit.

And yeah, by "deploy" I said before I meant "stage". By default setting it will auto-(pre-)deploy at 20km, where your speed is still so high and just burn up your chute.

I have found the radial chutes will burn up if they are low down on the sides of the command module. I found better luck with placing them as high up as possible, just not so they occlude the hatch, about 7/8ths the way up. I've never had a Mk 16 burn if I'm coming in arse first, so I'm not sure what is happening to you there.

Adjusting my staging worked out for me, turned out that's what was happening. The chutes were deploying automatically though staging or something like that. I didn't know they were capable of deploying by themselves. Thanks for the help peeps!