Kerbal EVA max temperature?

[Sharkman Briton]

Title says it all, was wondering, as I plan to make a kind of pod for a Duna lander.

[EdusacconBR]

you can turn on the temperature display on the debug menus, just go to physics and then thermal, then activate "Display thermal data on action menus"

[Sharkman Briton]

Okay, I wanted to know if a Kerbal in a External Command Seat could survive Duna Re-entry.

[Claw]

I don't know what the temp is, but they can't take much when out in the air on their own. The thermo system will account for parts hidden behind other parts. If you have them enclosed in some sort of structure, they do a lot better. And if they are in a command chair, they do okay as well. I've launched several in chairs with a "wind breaker" in front of them, but I haven't recovered very many in just a chair. I suspect your bigger concern for Duna will be aerobraking (if you are planning that). Even in the chair though, make sure they are hidden behind something.

You might need to try a couple "simulations." Good luck!

Cheers,

-Claw

[Sharkman Briton]

Thanks, Claw. I plan on using command seats for a lander, not the entire mission.

[xtoro]

I've landed EVA'd Kerbals on Kerbin and they didn't die, so I imagine they'll be fine on Duna... And I'm talking with no ship at all, just plopped into the ocean

[legoclone09]

I've landed EVA'd Kerbals on Kerbin and they didn't die, so I imagine they'll be fine on Duna... And I'm talking with no ship at all, just plopped into the ocean

Kerbals have really strond heads. Also explains why they are so stupid, always dropped on their head from orbit.

[FlipNascar]

The last time I paid attention to this, the number 800 springs to mind. I'm pretty sure they'll survive up to 800 degrees. But, don't hold me to that...

[FlipNascar]

So I was trying to find out... Sadly I got Isaemma Kerbal up to 746 degrees when the launchpad and the six mainsails exploded.

[Claw]

Well, I have had kerbals vaporize in orbit around Laythe, just barely dipping into the atmosphere while on EVA. So it might be best to just go try it out at Duna and see.

Engine heat tests might be skewed, since the exhaust doesn't seem to heat up parts like it used to.

Cheers,

~Claw

[cantab]

Kerbal Engineer reports a maximum temperature of 800 K. And they seem to heat up *really* easily. A bare Kerbal went poof on Kerbin re-entry from a 75x65 km orbit.

[Claw]

A bare Kerbal went poof on Kerbin re-entry from a 75x65 km orbit.

That seems to be more my experience. Although yeah, if they survive the heat (from whatever altitude) landing on the helmet is the best for safety.

Cheers,

-Claw

[ajburges]

Kerbal Engineer reports a maximum temperature of 800 K. And they seem to heat up *really* easily. A bare Kerbal went poof on Kerbin re-entry from a 75x65 km orbit.

I have you beat, a bare Kerbal instantly went poof ASL going Mach 3. (I was testing a land speed record idea without recovery and tried to bail)

[Snark]

As xtoro pointed out, EVA'd Kerbals on Kerbin can go from orbit to the surface just fine-- no problem with reentry, no problem with landing.

It also works at higher speeds, right around Kerbin escape velocity-- as an experiment, I've tried bringing an EVA'd Kerbal home from the surface of Minmus entirely on his own power, and it was no problem. Reentering Kerbin atmosphere at ~3000 m/s was fine. I kept Pe at about 45 km, and the kerbal entered, aerobraked, and landed in a single pass. Didn't even get any reentry effects.

That said, my impression is that Kerbin's atmosphere has gotten some sort of special attention from Squad that the other atmospheric bodies haven't? I've seen quite a few complaints in the forum that interplanetary aerobraking on non-Kerbin bodies doesn't seem to work anymore, that there's a razor-thin margin between "don't touch the atmosphere at all" and "blow up instantly regardless of heat shields or anything else, with no warning". Perhaps that explains Claw's experience?

Also: "Duna re-entry" is a bit vague... there's a world of difference between "reentry from orbit" and "reentry from an interplanetary trajectory", since the latter is typically at a far higher velocity and is much deadlier. I'm assuming from context that we're all talking about the former, here, but just wanted to call that out in case anyone is thinking of the latter.

[Sharkman Briton]

By Duna re-entry I mean from orbit.

[Warzouz]

So I was trying to find out... Sadly I got Isaemma Kerbal up to 746 degrees when the launchpad and the six mainsails exploded.

Yes I've seen that Kerbals EVA bears 800°C, but I don't remeber where I saw that.

Maybe in KER new "Heat" feature.

[Claw]

I suppose I should caveat my experience a little. Also, I agree with the interplanetery vs. In orbit comments. Heating is non-linear. Meaning if you double the speed, you get more than double the heat, but higher temps also bleed off faster.

Anyway, I suppose it's possible to survive reentry (since I don't have reason to suspect people are lying). I have to say that I haven't tried reentry with a bare kerbal in a while, so perhaps there is a way (such as helmet first). I think their helmets are a separate collider, so possibly the helmet has a high tem capacity (i.e. possibly infinite)....and with the way the heat system works, you could thermally shield the kerbal's body behind the head. Although the helmet is not a separate part, so I am not very confident about that statement without trying it first hand.

So perhaps those who state reentry is possible, can you provide some more specifics?

I can say for certain, that I have had kerbals insta-poof when going EVA during an interplanetery return aerobrake at the extreme edge of the atmosphere (I mean at or above 69km edge of the atmosphere). But it's been a while since I tried a space-marine style Jeb level reentry.

Cheers,

-Claw

[Warzouz]

I agree with Claw. I would like to see that.

I accidentally EVA in Eve atmo. Milwell exploded at 88.9km out of 90km. Atmo is ultra thin there.

[Renegrade]

I've re-entered kerbals in external seats - but they were behind a 1.25m or 2.5m heat shield (the 1.25m was rather scary so I upgraded it to a 2.5m).

Basically, I had 'em mounted around an i-beam (radially), with a parachute at one end (actually a few parachutes for the 2.5m unit) and the heat shield at the other. They could definitely survive that.

(kerbals probably heat up fairly fast because they probably have a very low thermal mass, which is the KSP word for that real engineers call "specific heat capacity"..I think. Don't quote me on that)

THey say a picture is a thousands words so:

DISCLAIMER: Do not try this at home. This stunt performed by trained maniacs professionals on a closed course.

[Snark]

I've brought kerbals back home on EVA a few times (just for something different to do... I don't make a habit of it, 'coz the fact that it's possible bugs me). They never had any problem at all with reentry, either at LKO speeds of around 2400 m/s, or at Minmus-return speeds of around 3000. I didn't do anything special with their orientation, they weren't "head-first" or anything. They were either "head-north" or "head radially outwards" depending on which direction KSP thought was up.

I did do it with the periapsis quite high (much higher than I would for a spacecraft's reentry), up in the 45-50 km range. A Kerbal on EVA is very draggy relative to mass; they slow down to a quite slow speed when they're still way higher than 35 km, which I assume is why they come in just fine. I never even got any reentry f/x.