trevize1138

I could certainly do a variant that is Mun/Minmus/Duna capable Just the addition of a 3rd jet fuel tank adds a lot more dV. Plus, if I don't need the shielded docking port on top I gain even more with improved aerodynamics. This thing's pretty purpose-built as a stowable Laythe SSTO.

I've never used any mods to calculate Dv so I can't tell exactly how much it'd have if full in orbit. I'm sure it's enough you could get a Jool encounter from LKO with a full tank. It's just over 13T fully fueled, 10T empty and has around 850 units of liquid fuel if that helps. Edit: according to http://www.strout.net/info/science/delta-v/intro.html it's got just over 2000 d/v if fueled up in orbit.

Just now found out about this forum challenge (I frequent /r/kerbalspaceprogram more) but I did this a couple weeks ago: Apollo 11 Apollo 15 Kerpollo 11 to Duna and back (serves also as a tutorial for people who have yet to venture outside the Kerbin system)

I prefer questions like this with a stark choice. I call them Tarantino Questions. Quentin Tarantino's movies seem to have this type of question a lot: "Are you a Beetles or an Elvis man?" "What do you feel more: remorse or regret?" The question is asked knowing full well that the answer could be "both" but there's ALWAYS more weight given to one over the other. You can appreciate both the Beetles and Elvis but you're going to have some preference for one vs. the other. Getting people to pick a side on it is far more interesting than just "both."

Here's the most simplified explanation of how to know you're inside the Duna transfer window I've ever seen: To get into this alignment I always go to the tracking station where I can do max time warp and wait until the two planets are in this position. Doesn't have to be perfect by any means: eyeballing it is just fine.

I've done many a Duna mission so below I've linked a couple albums that may help. I've found that the dV requirements for a Duna mission can be nearly identical to those needed for a Mun mission. I've even done a couple missions on my own with a solid Mun rocket and lander where I just added chutes to the lander and it worked perfectly fine for Duna. The trick is learning up on interplanetary transfers and loading up on chutes. Let the atmosphere work for you and it's easy. The first album shows you how to make a fairly simple, easy-to-fly Duna mission vehicle. The second album has good details on how to do the interplanetary transfer without mods. The third album is kind of a challenge I posed myself: how minimalistic can I do a Duna mission?

I'll cut to the chase: Just launch a rocket to Duna. Just do it and don't worry about the consequences. Will Kerbals die or get stranded? Yes. Will your attempt to land result in a crash? Most likely. Will you just end up launching a whole new rocket and starting from scratch? Several times. If you take screenshots of the failures will you regret it? NEVER! There's wealth of video tutorials and information from others on this forum for you but my one big regret from when I was a n00b was being afraid to *just do it*. Failure and repeated failure will teach you quite a lot.

Don't be afraid to fail! I would have learned a lot much earlier on if I threw caution to the wind and didn't worry so much about stranding a Kerbal in orbit around the sun or crashing on Duna. - - - Updated - - - Don't forget a probe core I mean ... not that I've ever launched an expensive, 5-Kerbal station with an attached satellite only to have the station lost in a solar orbit between Kerbin and Jool orbit after detaching the satellite ... I'm too experienced to make a rookie mistake like that... *cough*

Ha! It just happened when I was playing around with maneuver nodes. I'd seen others post images similar to that where the patched conics just seem to go crazy and I knew I had to grab a shot of it when it finally happened to me.

I was told to post this here: