Yes, you can go to Duna

[Scarecrow]

Let's clear something up right at the start.  This is not a tutorial on how to get to Duna, nor is it going to show you how to build a ship that can get to Duna.

What I hope to show is that if you have been to the Mun and safely returned, you probably already have a ship that is capable of going to Duna and returning.

Whenever going to any planet or moon, I tend to favour a separate lander, that descends to the surface from orbit, and returns to an orbiting command ship which is used to bring the crew home.  If you have been to the Mun in similar style, then there's a very good chance that the ship you used to do that can be adapted with just 2 minor additions for a Duna mission.

Let us have a look to see what you can do to turn your Mun ship in to a Duna ship.

 

The only change I have made to the main rocket is to add boosters to the first stage.

 

The Mun ship reaches orbit by using the second stage.  The Duna ship can reach orbit with the first stage, after ditching the boosters.

 

In both cases the second stage is used for the injection burn and establishing an orbit at our target

 

Once in orbit, the landing module is extracted and the second stage jettisoned

 

The second addition to the Mun version to convert it was to add parachutes to the lander to allow a fuel efficient landing on Duna.

 

At Duna, the saving on fuel allowed by the use of parachutes means that the entire lander leaves the surface at launch.  What is the descent stage on the Mun lander is effectively a 1st stage on the Duna version

 

The lander part that finally performs orbital rendezvous is the same in both cases

 

One thing to be aware of is that the dV required to return from Duna is obviously more than coming from Mun, so if your Mun return vehicle is marginal on fuel, you may need to tweak it for Duna.  This one has more than enough for Mun and just enough for Duna. 

 

Home safe from both missions

 

 

So if you are looking to expand your adventures beyond the Kerbin system, Duna is usually the first destination that most people consider.  If that is the case for you, don't be put of by thinking that you need something massive or complicated to achieve that goal.  If you are comfortable going to the Mun and back, and can do so without wasting lots of fuel with inefficient manoeuvres, the chances are that you already have the basis of a craft that can accomplish that goal.

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Scarecrow

[invision]

but the craft you used is massive i could leave the universe with that thing lol

pretty much going to duna is about the same fuel as going to the moon when you account for orbital burn and landing burns vs only needing parachutes for duna and a shot of fuel for touch down. you can also just smash right into duna atmosphere with heat shield and land using less than 20 units of fuel.

 

 

 

 

 

[Scarecrow]

You are right @invision but most players who haven't been to Duna, but may have gone to the Mun, tend to build on the 'bigger than strictly necessary' end of the scale.  My Mun craft was also a nod towards the Apollo missions, which is why it was fitted with a 2-stage lander.

As I said at the beginning of the thread, this was not intended as a 'how to get to Duna' or a 'this is the craft that will get you to Duna'  type post, but more as an encouragement for people to have a go, building on what they may have already used to go to Mun and to show that it was possible to do so.

Even if it only shows that you can use the same lander by the simple expedient of fitting parachutes, I'm hoping that players will be reassured that it doesn't take something beyond their abilities to land on Duna.

Edited September 23, 2017 by Scarecrow

[xendelaar]

 thanks for the interesting tutorial.  i hope it encourages newbies to explore more easily beyond the SO I of kerbin!