Detach heatshield or not?

[Jestersage]

Right now I am designign an Orion clone, and one of the question I have is: Should I detach the heatshield?

I am using a fairing system to protect the components between the heatshield and Command Pod. The issue is that if I should not, I will orient the fairing downward. However, if I should, the fairing will orient upward.

[bewing]

Generally, you only want to be using a fairing during launch out of Kerbin's atmosphere. Then you jettison the fairing -- usually while you are still in the upper part of Kerbin's atmosphere, but certainly once you get above 70km. Heatshields are for the hot parts of reentry, wherever you are reentering. As soon as the flames die down to tolerable levels, you jettison the heatshields to begin maneuvering for landing. There is usually little benefit to landing on your heatshield -- you almost always need it to be gone once you are past the landing step (and sometimes landing on them makes them explode violently).

So basically your question does not really sound sensible. Should you detach your heatshield? Yes, eventually, of course? Orienting fairings after detaching heatshields? .... What fairings? Why would there be fairings?

[Jestersage]

8 minutes ago, bewing said:

Generally, you only want to be using a fairing during launch out of Kerbin's atmosphere.

So basically your question does not really sound sensible. Should you detach your heatshield? Yes, eventually, of course? Orienting fairings after detaching heatshields? .... What fairings? Why would there be fairings?

It does if people focus on the looks too. It was actually inspired by https://kerbalx.com/shonennick/CARL, but I used a Mk2 Crew Cab, radial attachment point, and parts clipping instead to make it even smaller

If one does not detach the heatshield, the fairing would have originate from the command pod and point down and meet the heatshield. Issue with that arrangement is that, if the heatshield is detached it wouldn't look as nice, as it exposed the crew cab.

Can't mark your answer right for taking a dump at aesthetics, especially since you focus on fairing too much.

Edited November 3, 2016 by Jestersage

[FullMetalMachinist]

I routinely keep the heat shield attached, simply for the recovery value. AFAIK that's the only real reason to not detach it. I haven't had problems landing on one and it exploding on me in quite a while. 

However, I agree with @bewing that you should ditch the fairings on the way up, rather than hang onto them until you're on the way down. That is, unless you need them for aesthetics for your replica. 

[Aegolius13]

I'm not really tracking the question either - a screenshot might be helpful.  Are you using an Mk 1-2 capsule?  It's pretty heat resistant, so you might not need any heat shield to return from the Mun or Minmus for just that.  But it sounds like you're including some more fragile stuff as well, which might warrant a heat shield.  

In any event, during reentry, a heat shield occludes the space behind it (and to some extent in an outward cone) from heat.  So if you have a heat shield and some heat-sensitive parts behind it, you should not need an additional fairing to protect from heat damage.  There can be exceptions, like if your craft is having trouble staying completely prograde and parts tip out of the shielded area (this is more common on Eve and the like).  But as long as you can keep your ship straight on reentry, you should not need a fairing. 

Somewhat oddly, however, drag does not work the same.  Parts are not occluded from drag if they're radially attached, or if they're a different diameter.  So you may want an interstage fairing for ascent in order to decrease drag.  However, as @bewing says, that ceases to be an issue in space.  And on reentry, you usually want drag to help slow you down, unless the source of drag is so far forward it makes your ship flip.  

 

 

 

[bewing]

4 minutes ago, Jestersage said:

It does if people focus on the looks too. It was actually inspired by https://kerbalx.com/shonennick/CARL, but I used a Mk2 Crew Cab, radial attachment point, and parts clipping instead to make it even smaller

If one does not detach the heatshield, the fairing would have originate from the command pod and point down and meet the heatshield. Issue with that arrangement is that, if the heatshield is detached it wouldn't look as nice, as it exposed the crew cab.

Can't mark your answer right for taking a dump at aesthetics, especially since you focus on fairing too much.

If you wanted this to be all about aesthetics then you needed to say so in your original post, and attach a picture so people could actually make an informed decision.