Unmanned spacecraft return (landing) in atmospheric flight with RemoteTech2

[Uldis]

How safely return (land) in atmosphere from space flight with Remote Tech 2 mod?

I have excellent communication outside atmosphere - geosynchronous network, but it dont work with Reflectron dp-10 (range only 500 km) and it is almost impossible to land every time so near KSC and even then atmospheric landing maneuvers starts 500km away from KSC or ends further away.

Solutions in theory:

1) Put some dish (that can connect my geosynchronous network) that will not brake in atmospheric flight seems not right solution.

2) Put ground stations and work with Reflectron dp-10, but then I need to put ground communication stations every ~500 km, that means 60 of them to cover all equator.

3) Maybe use Flight Computer, but how to keep exact position (Retrograde) and deploy parachutes in correct time?

4) Use parachutes save deployment when atmospheric pressure is about 0.5 (never tried), but there stays problem, how to keep exact position on landing?

How you managed this problem?

Edited October 5, 2015 by Uldis

[FancyMouse]

Put the antenna (comm16/32) in service bay/fairing

[Uldis]

Put the antenna (comm16/32) in service bay/fairing

Can it fit inside service bay deployed? (Comm32 deployed is extra long)...

[p1t1o]

You need a LKO network

[FancyMouse]

Can it fit inside service bay deployed? (Comm32 deployed is extra long)...

Often I tried to offset/rotate antenna to give them space, but when I can't, it seems penetrate anything just fine. But still you need to test yourself. You just never know what will happen when there is clipping, and especially a service bay involved, if you want to use it.

[SalehRam]

I usually program my craft to land based on some time estimations from KER in-flight window.

I set a manual signal delay on the craft, then issue the commands starting from retracting the antennas, then retracting solar panels, then deploying the drag chutes, then normal chutes, then last the landing legs.

Then I set a longer signal delay, and issue a command to re-deploy solar panels, and the antennas again (this to work, I need to have 2 antennas, one retracted, and one is deployed, so when landing, the deployed one will get retracted, and the already retracted one will get deployed after landing safely).

The flight computer of RT is awesome really, gives you automatic control when you need it, but does not kill the joy of manually do almost everything, so you can control your vehicle orientation with that along with signal delayed and programmed commands for your craft.

It is a little clicks consuming process and sometimes, it puts me on the nerves because of some lags and FPS drops, but usually I get about 90% success landing with this.

I have been doing this on Duna so far, and my only issue sometimes come from less chutes on the craft, which results in a hard landing that damages the legs and the engine.

Edited October 5, 2015 by SalehRam

[Uldis]

Put the antenna (comm16/32) in service bay/fairing

I tried FancyMouse suggestion. Thanks! For now problem solved. It looks like this (below) and works. I put Comm32 antenna, when cant see KSC it connects to my GeoSync network. Antenna I put deployed on service bay, then fairings, then unmanned pod and some batteries around it.