Setting up an Eve Base in 1.0+

[FlyingPete]

Back in version 0.25, I set up a permanent colony on Eve. (The kerbonauts knew it was a one-way trip.)

The need to send refuelling missions, and the limited science data available back then, meant there wasn't a great deal to do on the surface. Now though, we have the ability to refine fuel locally, distinct biomes, and useful research to be done in the mobile lab, so there's even less of a need to return experiments to Kerbin. However, there's also different aerodynamics and reentry heating to consider, and I suspect that my existing designs would be useless.

So, a few questions:

1. My old base used four 2.5m stacks of components. If I built this sort of structure again, would a central 2.5m heat shield, with perhaps 3.75m shields (to protect the landing legs) under the outer stacks be sufficient for an Eve entry?

2. Precision landing- I'd most likely have a mining facility separate from the main base module. Obviously, they need to be landed fairly close to each other. Is it actually possible to do an accurate landing on Eve? Or should I think about putting wheels on the mining facility to move it closer to the base.

3. Rocketplanes and large electric rovers- can these be safely landed on Eve and used as a viable means of exploration. With no means to power Ion engines other than shipments from Kerbin, I guess they are out.

4. Crew- My old colony was established before specialisms existed. I guess I need some high-level scientists to carry out research, plus some engineers to run the mining operation efficiently. Pilots don't have to be at a particularly high level as they'll only be needed to fly planes. I'll probably establish a space station in orbit and go and visit Gilly, so some higher-level pilots could go and return to Kerbin without landing on Eve itself.

Edited November 5, 2015 by FlyingPete

[AlextheBodacious]

1. It depends on your attack angle and speed. Eve's atmo is thicker, so if your Pe. was at 40, and you came in at 2,000m/s, you at least wouldn't spontaneously decombust.

2. It is so unbelievably possible to do this. They did put Curiosity in Gale Crater. Hold on, let me dig up a pdf or something on how to do this. If I can't find it, keep in mind KSP is a simulation... quicksaves and nodes, just a lot of trial and error, you'll be fine. If you go slower, the planet will rotate more. Keep that in mind.

3. Rockets on the sides and more parachutes than you'd like to see.

4. That's not really a question... but it seems like a cool idea.

(do you have the craft files still?)

Edited November 3, 2015 by AlextheBodacious

[FancyMouse]

1. In general for Eve entry if there's anything other than heat shield that is not protected in the shock cone of the heat shield, then most likely it's going to blow up at interplanetary transfer speed. If you pay fuel to circularize and enter from low orbit, I don't know. In your case, the claw may be a problem (I believe it will be) - you need to test yourself.

2. Possible, but putting wheel is always a good idea. Trajectory mod can also help.

3. Fine, except that you would expect more solar panels than you think you need - the thick atmosphere is indeed blocking sunlight more than you thought.

4. Indeed no need for high levels. Other than the ability to pilot/repair, all other level-related stuff are just boosting the speed of something (researching/mining), and with the tool of time warp, they mean nothing.

[xendelaar]

1. You don't need a heat shield for landing if your apoapsis is lower than 120km..

2. Precision landing is also possible. You just need some trial and error to get it right. I recently did a similar mission

where i performed a precision-ish landing in one time. I was only 40km removed from my target. From there, It took me less than 30 minutes to get to the Base. In my case i used a rocket slide

Edited November 3, 2015 by xendelaar

[Blaarkies]

Sorry for necro, but I had this same problem for a while and now finally found a good solution.

1. If your craft is a "capsule" shape, with heatshields underneath you will be fine. I just landed my new Eve ascent vehicle, it is a short tower, single stack, ranging from 3.75m up to the thinnest part. Anyway, to heatshield it properly I had to place 3.75m heatshields in a hexagonal honeycomb placement(1 in center, 6 in symmetry slightly tilted)...it was the most uneventful re-entry ever

2. Don't know if you hate mods or not, at least these are very light weight.
-Use this: [1.0.5] Trajectories v1.4.5 (2015-12-05) : atmospheric predictions . It shows a new white trajectory from any point where your vacuum trajectory touches the atmosphere...it shows where you will go accounting for atmosphere. I routinely land SSTO rockets in the KSC binome area with this.
-Docking in ~double gravity environment is hard, look into this: EVA Resource Transfer - v3.0 . It gives a single extra part, looks like the stock fuel pipe. Place on of these on your fuel depot. Thats all, now you can EVA with an engineer to create a pipe link to any other craft. Right click the pipe to transfer your specified amounts and types of fuel. The depot and your science-habitat remain two separate craft with this link(you have to press "[" or "]" to actually do stuff on the other craft)