How much DeltaV to Ike and back? (OPTIMAL DELTA)

[Regor]

Hi guys,

 

So I was wondering,

Because I have already went to the mun and minmus once (new career save, don't ask), I was wondering how much DeltaV it is to Ike and back. I've already been to other planets in my other Sandbox save, but never Ike. Also, is an Eve gravity assist a good idea? I have a Duna window in 71d, and an Eve window in 1y 120d. I also have critical contracts lying around, won't they get expired?

 

Regards,

Mabdi36

[Streetwind]

Peruse the image in the following thread:

If you have questions on how to read it, don't hesitate to ask But it's really quite simple. You just add up the numbers for every step along the way that you need to traverse.

As for an Eve assist to Duna? I wouldn't bother. Getting a Duna intercept costs barely 100 m/s more than getting a Minmus intercept. Heck, if you need to force a plane change at the wrong time, Minmus might cost just as much as Duna. Also, Eve costs roughly the same as Duna, too. So you wouldn't even save anything - in fact, because your transfer orbit would be more elliptical, you'd need to pay more dV to capture at Duna.

 

Edited June 2, 2017 by Streetwind

[Regor]

Thanks! I really appreciate it!

 

+rep

Does this mean I could possibly do it with 6310m/s?

DOES THIS MEAN I COULD GET THERE LESS THAN THE MUN?

MIND=BLOWN

Edited June 2, 2017 by mabdi36

[Streetwind]

Roughly 6300 m/s is okay for an Ike land and return if you rely entirely on aerocapture and aerobraking for the return trip. But then again, you could get away with about 6050 m/s if you do the same on the Mun.  So no, it won't be cheaper.

However, a Gilly landing and return is in fact cheaper, at 5600-5700.  

Note: it is generally advisable to carry at least a 10% safety buffer. Unless you're going to Tylo, where you should bring 15%, or Moho, in which case you want 20%. That way, a single screwup doesn't immediately require a whole rescue mission.

Edited June 2, 2017 by Streetwind

[Snark]

5 hours ago, mabdi36 said:

DOES THIS MEAN I COULD GET THERE LESS THAN THE MUN?

It's not as odd as you might think.  It takes roughly the same amount of dV, depending on how good you are at transfer-window planning, aerobraking, and such skills.

With a properly set up launch window, if you're starting from LKO, it only takes about ~200 m/s more to go to Duna than it does to go to the Mun.  Then you can use aerobraking at Duna to capture to Duna orbit, so then it's just a matter of capturing/landing on Ike, which takes less dV than the Mun does (since Ike is smaller).

The return burn from Ike to Kerbin is similarly not too bad, if you set it up with a good launch window.