Mk1 Lander Can heat shielding

[mekasha]

Does the 1.25m heat shield have any useful effect for the Mk1 Lander Can? Obviously the sizes are mismatched (with the Lander Can being one of the few pieces that aren't 1.25 or 2.5), but the small heat shield mostly covers the bottom. Do the exposed edges negate the heat shield's effect?

[rudi1291]

As far as i know, the fact that its not fully shielded is only visual, the 1.25m heatshield shield it as good as the pod

[Korbit]

I was under the impression that the Mk1 Lander Can is only for non-atmospheric landings, i.e. the Mun or Minmus etc. I didn't think it would hold up to landing through an atmosphere. Am I wrong?

[Snark]

I was under the impression that the Mk1 Lander Can is only for non-atmospheric landings, i.e. the Mun or Minmus etc. I didn't think it would hold up to landing through an atmosphere. Am I wrong?

Yes, you're wrong. It holds up just fine for atmospheric reentry, though it's more fragile about impact (has a lower tolerance for lithobraking than the Mk1 command pod).

rudi1291 called it right: the 1.25m heat shield protects the lander can just fine, despite its apparently small size. Even though it doesn't visually cover the whole bottom of the thing, the lander can doesn't overheat as long as the heat shield holds out.

[BlueScope819]

I had the same question! thanks for clearing this up