Eve return mission in 1.0 update?

[Der Anfang]

Okay, this has probably been asked before, but, can it be done with the new aerodynamics overhaul? Seems like a bit more of a challenge considering the difficulty of Eve prior to the full release. What kind of vehicle might you need for a return mission?

[quietghost]

Yes it has, but not from sea level. This one was done from 2200m.

The issue is not the atmosphere anymore. A rocket with adequate thrust (i.e >1.6 TWR on Eve) can do it in about 6-7km/s rather than the 11km/s needed previously. The issue is that thrust now scales with Isp, which is insanely low at 5atm of pressure. Hence that TWR I talked about cannot be achieved at sea level with any stock engine. The result is the rocket needs insanely more dV, not because of drag, but because of gravity losses.

Edited May 28, 2015 by quietghost