Another first and another question.

[dutchy45]

I just got a craft to orbit Duna for the first time. I could contemplate Duna close-up, feeling great that that was by my own doing.  It feels like a huge step forward. On the next try, to see if I could do it again, I got my periapsis down to 6 km. Never for a moment allowing for an atmosphere. The result was ultimate G lithobraking. Oh well. I had some fuel left to try to slow down, but before I could use that, I already crashed. So here is my question. Is "sea level" on Duna (and the Mun and Minmus) the lowest point on the surface? I've lost a number of ships to mountains. I vaguely remember sea level on Mars IRL to be the average height of the entire planet (could be wrong!) and I assumed that to be the case in the game as well. 

[Starhawk]

Congratulations on getting to Duna.

According to the KSP Wiki Duna's lowest elevation is at 124 m above sea level.

When attempting to land I always try for the lowest area possible to maximize the effectiveness of 'chutes.

Happy landings!

[dutchy45]

Thanks Starhawk,

It kind of does n't make sense, 124 m above. But good to know. I did n't even bring a 'chute cause I did n't expect to come this close. I'm taking them now though.

[cubinator]

For Duna, you should set your periapsis as close to the surface as possible, looking at the map view. Then when you're aerobraking make sure to check and see if your trajectory hits the ground. You should use rockets to slow down before deploying your chutes, and you'll most likely need them again at landing because unless you have as many chutes as there are parts on your ship you'll probably be going too fast!  Protip: Never trust KSP's altimeter while landing anywhere or while aerobraking at Duna. You won't know exactly how high you are above the ground unless you're just over Minmus' flats, or Kerbin or Laythe's oceans. You should take a screenshot when you've landed successfully! (F12 via Steam, I think it's F2 in stock, might be F1 though.) Good luck and welcome!

Edited July 11, 2016 by cubinator