Stuck On Duna

[CanadianDesk]

I'm fairly new to KSP, and I'm stuck in a low orbit around Duna with 401m/s of delta V left. Is there a way to make it back or do I plan a rescue mission?

[James Kerman]

Welcome to the forum @CanadianDesk.

I would try a refuelling mission (if your vessel has a docking port or you have unlocked the klaw). I would also add a relay antenna to the tanker to support future expeditions.

[VoidSquid]

For a direct return from low Duna orbit into the atmosphere of Kerbin (aerobreaking and direct landing) you'll need about 650 m/s, so no, you're pretty much stuck now, unfortunately. Like James said, you'll need to make a rescue mission, either with a vessel (probably manned as I assume you don't have a comm network in place yet, and don't have access to the advanced antennas), or send a refuler, provided your current vessel has docking capabilities (depending on your difficulty settings, the claw might or might not allow fuel transfer). In the future, you can unlock some advanced tech which will give you the ability to harvest ore and convert it into fuel.

For further planning your missions, I strongly suggest this little sheet, it gives you the required dV values plus some more information in a very clearly arranged way:

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by VoidSquid

[fulgur]

The other thing you might want to use to make your craft more efficient is this site:

http://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/

This will show you when to plot your manoeuvres and how much dV (the thing in blue on white in your staging) you will need. It is very useful.

It is also implemented in the Transfer Window Planner mod, which has the additional feature of setting alarms in the well-used mod Kerbal Alarm Clock.