Eve queries...

[EdwardB3020]

I was wondering what is the delta v for going into orbit and the specific thrust to weight ratio and medium to small lander examples? I am new to Eve but I have been to other planets though. I have sent probes and failed Landers btw.

[aspacecephalopod]

This is hardly a perfect design but here's what I ended up with for a recent mission and it makes it to orbit with plenty of dV to spare:

https://imgur.com/a/tm5i5gW

I threw in a photo of the design before/after dropping the heat shields and fins/parachutes for descent. TWRs are in Kerbin (whoops!) but should still provide some reference. I took the easy route with a command chair (RTG is to simulate the weight of a Kerbal) but dV and TWR specs shouldn't change.

For what it's worth I had more difficulty keeping the whole rig stable and safe on entry than designing the ascent stages-the atmosphere on Eve is tricky on atmospheric entry!

[RoninFrog]

1 hour ago, aspacecephalopod said:

This is hardly a perfect design but here's what I ended up with for a recent mission and it makes it to orbit with plenty of dV to spare:

https://imgur.com/a/tm5i5gW

I threw in a photo of the design before/after dropping the heat shields and fins/parachutes for descent. TWRs are in Kerbin (whoops!) but should still provide some reference. I took the easy route with a command chair (RTG is to simulate the weight of a Kerbal) but dV and TWR specs shouldn't change.

For what it's worth I had more difficulty keeping the whole rig stable and safe on entry than designing the ascent stages-the atmosphere on Eve is tricky on atmospheric entry!

Going to the hottest planet with ship-shredding reentries, thick atmosphere, tyrannical gravity, and lakes of liquid fuel while sitting in a lawn chair with a nuclear RTG on your lap?  Perfectly safe! 

[aspacecephalopod]

7 minutes ago, RoninFrog said:

Going to the hottest planet with ship-shredding reentries, thick atmosphere, tyrannical gravity, and lakes of liquid fuel while sitting in a lawn chair with a nuclear RTG on your lap?  Perfectly safe! 

Haha well I did remove the RTG for actual flights, was just there to simulate the weight. The rest of what you said about the reentries, lakes of fuel, atmosphere and such is perfectly safe right?

I do want to fly an Eve mission with capsules sometime, seems more proper. I had a capsule craft that could make orbit, landing balance with heat shields kept being tricky though.

Edited May 14, 2020 by aspacecephalopod

[AHHans]

3 hours ago, RoninFrog said:

Going to the hottest planet with ship-shredding reentries, thick atmosphere, tyrannical gravity, and lakes of liquid fuel while sitting in a lawn chair with a nuclear RTG on your lap?  Perfectly safe!

LOL!

But @aspacecephalopod: for a Kerbal that's just another day at work (you can't really call it "in the office" can you?). Keep in mind that it is not unusual for a Kerbal to spend a century or more in such a "lawn chair" in deep space waiting for one transfer window after another.

[aspacecephalopod]

8 hours ago, AHHans said:

LOL!

But @aspacecephalopod: for a Kerbal that's just another day at work (you can't really call it "in the office" can you?). Keep in mind that it is not unusual for a Kerbal to spend a century or more in such a "lawn chair" in deep space waiting for one transfer window after another.

I try to give them a bit of hab space for longer transfers (this Eve lander was part of a much bigger mission, and had enough hitchhikers on the main ship each kerbal had their own space), but have definitely been guilty of that in the past LOL. They are pretty tough and always seem so unfazed about spending years on orbit...

[Vanamonde]

Thread moved to gameplay questions, seeing as it is seeking help rather than offering. 

[Cavscout74]

Landing - My biggest problem with getting something to Eve that can depart again is stability.  It helps to stick an inflatable heat shield on both ends of the craft or even an inflatable on top and a regular heatshield on bottom (if it will cover the ship).  Having some airbrakes that extend past the heat shields near the top of the craft helps too, although they overheat too quickly to be much help during the worst part of reentry.  Then you have to survive ditching the giant heatshields - make sure to mount plenty of sepratrons, including some to push it sideways out of line with your craft.  That is best done after at least drogue chutes are deployed.  It is also good to put all the chutes, ladder and anything else not needed to go back into space on some form of decoupler so it can be dumped on the surface and reduce the mass you are trying to get back into orbit.

Launching -

Best engines to use are typically aerospikes or Vectors.  You'll need around 10000 m/s dV from sea level, although launching from a mountain top is significantly easier & cheaper.  Breaking Ground rotors can also be pretty good for boosting a launcher above the soup.  Keep your airspeed low until you are out of the thickest part of the atmosphere. 

 

This was the last manned mission to Eve I did - only carried a single kerbal to the surface & back to orbit.  IIRC it had a 1.25m core with a Vector, then 6 radial 1.25m boosters, asparagus-staged in pairs, with a mix of aerospikes & Vectors (4 & 2 I think).  I used tweakscale to get the lower inflatable heatshield smaller than the upper (to improve stability).  I don't remember what I had powering the second core stage, then the final craft reaching orbit was a mk1 pod with a terrier.