SMA Bare Minimum - (Superseded) Prototype Eve Lander and Return Vehicle

[selfish_meme]

This prototype Eve Lander and Ascent Vehicle was an early early development model. While it works it is sensitive to landing altitude and has been superseded by later models.

Features

Heat shield and air-brakes (both detachable) for re-entry

Detachable Parachutes for landing

MK2 lander Can on base for easy egress and entry

Drill, storage and ISRU to refill tanks if you want to send it empty to save weight

Lots of solar to run ISRU

8500ms Delta-v and 1.6 TWR on launch, sea level to 100km orbit

Craft File

Edited July 14, 2015 by selfish_meme

[Warzouz]

Nice design.

Would landing be much harder if tanks were full ?

[selfish_meme]

Nice design.

Would landing be much harder if tanks were full ?

Landing wouldn't be, 8ms with full tanks.

[SHiftER2O]

So, let me get this straight, if we can somehow land this in Eve, we could also get it out?

[Signo]

I am not completely positive this design can get the job done the proper way. Do you have any pic of it working on Eve? (as far as I am aware the forum's custom is "pic or it didn't happen")

[Warzouz]

Landing wouldn't be, 8ms with full tanks.

8m/s can be countered by a 8m/s burn. I land rockets with 19m/s of terminal velocity (without struts).

[problemecium]

You mean 2.58 G's of acceleration, right? Not a 2.58 TWR on Eve?

[Tank Buddy]

You mean 2.58 G's of acceleration, right? Not a 2.58 TWR on Eve?

I'm pretty sure it's a TWR of 2.58, with an acceleration or 2.58 eve gravites. He has lots of engines will not much fuel.

[selfish_meme]

I am not completely positive this design can get the job done the proper way. Do you have any pic of it working on Eve? (as far as I am aware the forum's custom is "pic or it didn't happen")

I don't know what the proper way is but it can definitely make 100km orbit. KER tells me the TWR is 2.58 on the first stage.

- - - Updated - - -

So, let me get this straight, if we can somehow land this in Eve, we could also get it out?

Yes, you can send it empty, launch weight is then below 100t. On Eve land on some rich resources and you can fill the tanks (takes a long time). Then you can launch it back to space and rendezvous with a mother ship.

[Signo]

I don't know what the proper way is but it can definitely make 100km orbit. KER tells me the TWR is 2.58 on the first stage.

- - - Updated - - -

Did you try at least to land that stuff on Eve or we are just speaking about KER readings?

[selfish_meme]

I don't know what the proper way is but it can definitely make 100km orbit. KER tells me the TWR is 2.58 on the first stage.

- - - Updated - - -

Did you try at least to land that stuff on Eve or we are just speaking about KER readings?

Yes, I have landed it several times from orbit, I am making some changes because the range of landing altitudes is limited. When full it comes down faster at higher altitudes putting more strain on the landing gear. At almost sea level it is fine. I have relaunched it from Eve as well.

[Signo]

Do you have some screenshots?

Could you provide us more datas like an ascent path idea?

Do you have any advice about it? (kinda like "never land on steep slopes" or something...)

[selfish_meme]

Do you have some screenshots?

Could you provide us more datas like an ascent path idea?

Do you have any advice about it? (kinda like "never land on steep slopes" or something...)

Decent is fairly easy, you might need to adjust the deployment altitude of the parachutes, Eve is hilly, just follow the retrograde marker with airbrakes open the whole way, the drogue chutes are staged first, start deploying when you are under 150ms (the mach effects should have disappeared by then).

Oh yeah, don't land on slopes of more than a couple of degrees.

I am putting together an album, ascent is basically straight up for 30km (control throttle to keep the craft from overheating), you will have left the boosters behind by this point, start your turn carefully till about 80km where you are completely out of atmosphere. It's easy to get the height but you need to keep an eye on your orbital speed to get an orbit.

Note: I have been spending a bit of time on a Chinook replica.

Edited May 30, 2015 by selfish_meme

[RocketBlam]

If taking off from Eve is more difficult in 1.0x than it was in .90, I don't see how 8500 d/v will get you to orbit from sea level. That would barely get you to orbit from the highest mountains on Eve in .90.

[Francesco]

I have returned from Eve sea level in 1.0.2 and I can confirm that the figure of 8500-8600 m/s in vacuum is correct.