update: OK, I was wrong

[TimKerbin]

My last post was a bit of a rant, mainly out of frustration at how difficult the game has got thanks to its aerodynamics. However, KSP being the great game that it is, forced me to improve and persevere. I've gone from barely being able to get into orbit, to going to the Mun/Minmus and back; rescuing Kerbals in orbit of Kerbin and the Mun. And I'm about to try my first 'ferry a VIP' contract. I suppose playing in old 'Science' mode made me a bit soft; I didn't have to worry in previous versions about aerodynamics, nor did I have to think about the most efficient way to build a rocket as a result of VAB, launchpad, tracking station limitations. So I think in that respect it's actually made me a better player. And that surely is the mark of a truly great game: a game that frustrates you like crazy, but keeps you coming back for more. and ultimately makes you better at it.

Thanks for all your comments and replies to my last post!

 

Tim

PS: While I find getting into orbit less of a challenge now, I still get nervous about re-entry heat. It took Jeb 4 tries to return to Kerbin safely from Minmus before I managed to burn off enough velocity to stop him burning up! And I can't even imagine how I'm going to get them home from interplanetary journeys! In fact I don't even know how a return trip to Duna would work. How many heat shields would I need? One for the lander, one for the return to Kerbin? Where would I put them? Should I put the orbiter in orbit first, then send the lander and dock them (transferring samples is now possible in 1.1.1)? So many questions! It's a whole new game entirely, for me anyway.

PPS: Oh and congratulations to Squad on how stable 1.1.1 has been so far. I haven't had a single crash, even with several mods installed! You finally did it!

Edited May 20, 2016 by TimKerbin

[G'th]

Peserverence is a virtue worth having.

Re-entry isn't that bad, you just want to make sure you're not dropping your periapsis too far into the atmosphere. If you're returning from Minmus, you only need to drop to about 25km for pretty much any reentry capsule. Any lower and you wont' slow down enough before hitting the thicker parts of the atmosphere. Too much higher than that and you won't slow down enough to get your apoapsis under 69km. 

And as for re-entry from interplanetary space, perhaps you might want to try breaking into LKO before reentering. Instead of coming back into the Kerbin system and immediately reentering the atmosphere, why not slow your craft down into a low orbit (anywhere from 80km to 150km) and then reenter from there? It will take a significant amount more fuel to accomplish (and as such you'll need to create a larger craft than you necessarily need) but it will greatly simplify reentry.

And for Duna (though with stock aero this may be different) I never particularly needed any heat shields. Duna's atmosphere is so thin that you don't really get any friction unless you come in super fast.

[Starhawk]

The current version is 1.1.2.  So, if you're really playing 1.1.1, you should update.

You don't need any head shields at Duna.

And, as far as returning from Duna goes, a heat shield with full ablator is overkill.  I removed almost three quarters of the ablator from the heat shield when I did a Duna return the other day.  That may have been a bit too much, but everybody got through the atmosphere safely in the end.

You don't want your Kerbin periapsis too high or too low.  Either one can be a massive failure mode.  Don't be afraid to save and try entering with different periapsis values to get a feel for where the edges of the envelope are.  I believe I came in with a periapsis of 32 km on my return from Duna.

Happy landings!

[SorryDave]

Go for you to stick it out, I'm glad you didn't rage quit. If you are playing in career remember to save often with different names, in case you find later that you want to take a whole new approach.

good flying

[storm6436]

Well, my "easy"  returns from the Mun/Minmus usually have me coming in with a Pe of about 45k, no ablator.   I try to save about 400 m/s dV to adjust my speed,  the bulk of which is used on the last dive when my crit temps hit about 90%.

 

 Haven't done a return from Duna yet in 1.0+, but I don't see it changing much.   Going for a direct aerobrake on the initial pass won't slow you terribly much,  but I'd imagine if you were going for that, a Pe of 50-55k would be a start, along with plenty of spare dV. 

[Pecan]

How to re-enter: i) Establish a low circular orbit at 70 -  72km.  ii) reduce periapsis to 20km or less (a quarter-orbit is sufficient).
How to re-enter after return from Mun/Minmus: same as above.
How to re-enter after return from interplanetary: same as above.

Glad you stuck with it.  :-)

[SpacedCowboy]

Eloquently stated, You're last line says it all !