How will you get to one of the planets?

[Candre]

Given that docking hasn\'t been explicitly noted as being developed in the KSP 0.17 Update Thread, I expect that getting to another planet is going to be much more challenging than we expected. So, how would you do it? Post your rockets, strategies, and relevant calculations!

Here is a hypothetical Kerbol System that the math-savvy users can use for their calculations:

Altitudes: Hades = 6,767,220,128m, Kerbin = 13,534,440,256m, Murs = 27,068,880,512m

Gravitational Parameters: Hades = 1765 km^3/s^2, Kerbin = 3530.461 km^3/s^2, Murs = 2471 km^3/s^2

I would probably go for a one-way trip to Murs by way of a gravitational slingshot around the Mun to get me into Kerbol\'s SOI, where I would then do a typical rendezvous maneuver to get into the SOI of Murs. Given that I would be on an escape trajectory, I would lower my periapsis into the atmosphere for an aerobraking maneuver to conserve fuel. Orbit would be established, and descent to the surface would follow.

EDIT: Slight change to the title for clarity

[Vostok]

I would probably point my rocket at it and fire the engines until nothing\'s left.

And miss, and fail horribly because I didn\'t plan the mission properly.

But remember: New parts are being added, there might be super-efficient low thrust engines for use in interplanetary space, or different SRBs and fuel tanks that may mean heavy lifter rockets are a lot easier.

[Paprika]

I would approach it in the same way I approach a Minmus to Mun journey, as it\'s semi-comparable in terms of 2 things orbiting a third thing, at different speeds and altitudes, only difference would be any sattelites.

Namely, get into orbit around thing 3 (in your example, kerbol) and change my orbit to that of thing 2 (the target, here either Murs or Hades) then chill for a bit till thing 2\'s SOI starts doing things, when I would land as normal.

But, I\'ve never successfully got from Minmus to the Mun, so maybe not the best person to give advice!

[trbinsc]

I\'m guessing that 0.17 will finish up the flight planning system that was pushed back in 0.15. That would make flying to other planets much easier, or at least knowing how to fly there.

[NovaSilisko]

I\'ve proven myself that you actually can perform an interplanetary transfer with the given tools, but, improvements to the tools are on the way, so it shouldn\'t be too troublesome.

[Guest butt head]

well this idea would not work with out some form of docking but i was thinking that you could bring a LARGE object to a far off plant with 1 or 2 dockings meaning very efficient kind of... i was thinking bring what ever object you wanted in to orbit and then bring a massive booster stage up in a nother and dock them together then use the massive liquid booster to get you on your trans planetary injection then throw it away then you have what ever craft you put in to orbit to get there while it only needed to get in to orbit and the second docking i mentioned would be if you wanted a bigger craft to bring to the other planet not for a bigger booster

it you are questioning how big a booster you can get up there i have gotten a 460000 units of fuel and 7 1500 thrust engins in high orbit just to see what i could do

i was using novapunch pack

[duckunlimited2]

I\'ve made a craft that has enough juice to get to a neighboring planet and have some pretty advance know how orbits work so rendezvousing with the planet would be easy. I believe without docking, most of us would be using the orbital construction mod as a means to create the massive ships needed for interstellar travel. Anyway I\'m going to start preparing for this update. I planned on doing something spectacular when planets come out and it finally came.

Oh, we probably need to create some bigger rocket engines and fuel tanks, lag is going to be a problem with all the parts for our massive ships. Better to simplify the quantity aspect.

[deadshot462]

I\'ll probably send two ships to the next planet. Ship A lands, has a small ascent module that has enough fuel to RV with Ship B, which arrives and remains in orbit but has enough fuel to return to Kerbin.

[maltesh]

Gravitationally slingshotting around the Mun is not worth it for interplanetary travel. To get the best velocity increase benefit for a gravitational slingshot you have to be moving very slowly relative to the Mun, because the velocity you get from a gravitational slingshot comes from the Mun bending your travel direction closer to its travel direction when you pass through its SOI.

If you are moving slowly enough to get a decent gravitational boost from the Mun, you\'ve also let Kerbin\'s gravity drag rob you of a heck of a lot of the velocity that you could have carried out of the Kerbin SOI by doing all your burning in LKO and taking advantage of the Oberth effect there. As a result, you\'ll wind up using more fuel by going for the Munar slingshot.

Munar slingshots are good for getting to points in the Kerbin SOI or in very nearby Kerbol Orbit when on a razor-edge fuel budget, and not much else.

[DayOne]

Lift off > kerbin orbit > kerbol orbit > orbital manoeuvres to align with new planet > get into new planetary orbit > land > probably explode.

You are going to need some serious building skills or awesome new parts but that would be the basics of it. Or how I would do it at least.

[Vostok]

Crew modules will be a must-have though, since I predict many, many rescue missions.... And even routine \'return to kerbin\' missions for craft like deadshot described.

[UmbralRaptor]

OKB Raptop proposed initial mission profiles:

0) Determine necessary mission ?V and launch times. SFS abuse may be necessary.

1) My standard 70x70 km 0° inclination parking orbit.

2) Burn at best-guess time for a Hohmann transfer. I think sunset-midnight for Murs and Sunrise-noon for Hades.

3) Perform corrections as-needed (likely once I'm in Kerbol's SOI.

4) 'Standard' slowing down burn to establish orbit. In the case of Murs there's a quicksave/quickload dance so as to determine effective aerobraking altitudes. A low inclination orbit is (oddly) preferred.

5) Slowly lower orbit for the purposes of noting topography, orbital parameters (to find the objects sizes and masses), time warp limits, and atmosphere (if applicable). As this mission is likely to predate upgrades to ISA radar mapping, no instruments will be carried.

6) If possible, perform a soft landing, and at the appropriate time return to Kerbin. This step is not strictly necessary, and if a round trip rocket is prohibitively large, will not be carried out.

Followup missions into polar orbits for mapping purposes, and true round trips are planned. Now crunching mission ÃŽâ€V figures.

Edited August 8, 2012 by UmbralRaptor
fixed characters that got b0rked with the forum move

[beastcat]

1. Get in Kerbin Orbit

2. Try to slingshot to another planet

3. Fail horribly

[NovaSilisko]

Just a note, we\'ve not decided on names just yet. Right now it\'s just 'Desert planet', 'Gas planet', though this will change before release.

I hope Desert Planet has a Des somewhere in it\'s name ???

[NovaSilisko]

Just a note, we\'ve not decided on names just yet. Right now it\'s just 'Desert planet', 'Gas planet', though this will change before release.

I hope Desert Planet has a Des somewhere in it\'s name, though! ???

[Candre]

Oh yes, those are just names I whipped up that didn\'t suffer from K syndrome

Wait a minute, gas planet? Oh boy, it gets better and better!

[beastcat]

How about a water planet? :DD Maybe make like floating boaty thingies? :DD

[maxpower]

I\'ll probably send two ships to the next planet. Ship A lands, has a small ascent module that has enough fuel to RV with Ship B, which arrives and remains in orbit but has enough fuel to return to Kerbin.

Thats exactlly what I was thinking.

With the stock parts we have now, I\'m sure we can build a ship to reach other planets and get back without an issue if theres no landing involved. The problem, as it is in real life, will likely be the amount of fuel required for landing on the planet and getting back into orbit. It won\'t be easy to build a ship that can reach another planet, land on the surface, and make it back to Kerbin all in one shot with current parts. Thats not to say it would be impossible, but doing it with two ships as you say would be the easy way to go IMO.

[NovaSilisko]

As a note, I\'ve never conducted a successful return ;P

[Anomalous_Matter]

My plan would probably fail miserably (I\'m just basing it on a Kerbin-to-Mun mission), but here goes:

• First, boost into Kerbol\'s orbit. From that point, maneuver into a relatively low circular orbit around Kerbol.

• Next, wait (Looots of waiting, probably on highest warp) for the planet to show up at the edge of Kerbol.

• Then burn prograde until I reach the planet\'s SOI.

• Circularize, deorbit.

• Finally, deploy landing legs and landing engine and land. If landing on Murs, attach lots of parachutes to make use of its atmosphere.

Most of my interplanetary missions will probably involve a lot of horrible failures and/or Mechjeb, because I\'ve only even made it manually to the Mun twice and one of those times I just accidentally slingshot-ed around the Mun and ended up there.

Also, suggestion for desert planet\'s name: DESmond the moon bear!

[TheBlaster]

As a note, I\'ve never conducted a successful return ;P

Im so pumped up Im going to start developing my rocket now. Will we have unmanned capsules so we dont have to strand kerbals around the solar system?

[orange_guy48]

i have have a hard time soft landing so im hoping they have a atmosphere

[Anomalous_Matter]

Anyone have any idea if my interplanetary idea up a few posts above would at all feasible? Otherwise it\'s time to start Googling and looking at wikipedia pages to find some orbital mechanics... I\'ll learn *Shudders* math, if that\'s what i have to do to get to Murz...

[Maxed-Rockets]

Well...

MOAR BOOSTERS

But more seriously, I have this: http://imgur.com/a/BOQBc#0

With a more heavily laden version I got to a 27,000,000km orbit (about twice Kerbin orbit), launched a very large lander, grabbed it with landing legs and returned safely to Kerbin with a very large fuel surplus.

Should be plenty, even with the de-rated rockets as of 0.16.

[CommanderMartin]

Relating to the 'Gas Planet' do you mean a sort of gas giant or along those lines?