Does a 66 ton payload (two docked vehicles) need a NERV to get to Eve?

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

I'm planning my first interplanetary.  My total payload for the mission will be 66 tons (including some fuel).  Running totally Vanilla.  

 

Initially thought I needed a NERV for this... but without mods, that looks like a hellaciously lucky thing to use.  i.e. I need a ton of luck to get the encounter.  Should I use an engine like the Wolfhound with a better TWR in Vanilla?

 

Tango Yankee.

[N_Danger]

 I don't use NERVs much any more, I would go with chemical rockets. 

Nervs have long burn times for large masses and I am impatient these days. And sometimes the low thrust and the long burn time makes a fast encounter hard to handle.

[SiriusRocketry]

What's your goal? A flyby? Manned orbit? Will you be returning? For 66 tons, you might want a cluster of vacuum engines, perhaps three or four Poodle engines, or a NERV cluster. It really depends on your mission needs - a cluster of NERVs are overkill for a flyby/non-propulsive orbital capture, but if you're planning to return or propulsively brake into Eve's orbit, the long way might be the best way. The luck getting the encounter doesn't depend on the engine you use - rather your transfer window. Engines are just different by efficiency: using a cluster of aerospikes or Poodles will give you a decent thrust with 66 tons, but if it's a return mission/orbit you will almost certainly want NERVs to ensure you don't run out of fuel. Patience is the game's name in this case, sadly.

Let us know how it goes!

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

Piffle.  I think I'm going to have to break down and get some mods.  I can't figure out an intersect, much less an Eve periapsis using just the FF button and eyeballing it.

My craft just might have the ability to get there... if only I could figure out when to launch!

[N_Danger]

9 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Piffle.  I think I'm going to have to break down and get some mods.  I can't figure out an intersect, much less an Eve periapsis using just the FF button and eyeballing it.

My craft just might have the ability to get there... if only I could figure out when to launch!

I recommend Kerbal Engineering Redux (KER). It has a lot of informational read outs for various parts of the game and you can pick and choose what you want out of it. It has customization, you can have heads up displays with what you want on them or none at all.

It has a window in the tracking station that will tell you when your launch windows come up for a selected planet. 

With that and a Delta V map you can plan missions and get anywhere.

No doubt there are mods that do just transfer planning out there. 

[Rhomphaia]

10 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Piffle.  I think I'm going to have to break down and get some mods.  I can't figure out an intersect, much less an Eve periapsis using just the FF button and eyeballing it.

My craft just might have the ability to get there... if only I could figure out when to launch!

If you don't want to use mods, there is this handy online calculator

https://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/

[AHHans]

11 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Piffle.  I think I'm going to have to break down and get some mods. 

If you are like me, and like to handle multiple missions at the same time(*) then I can strongly recommend Kerbal Alarm Clock.

(*) Why just timewarp while your craft is in transit to Dune/Eve/Jool/wherever. Think about all the missions you can do in the meantime.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

I'll look at KER - I've heard good things about it.  I used to use Alarm Clock and remember liking it. 

Thanks for the online resource 

[Superfluous J]

To answer the question: No. You don't need NERVs for anything. I've gone to every planet, land-and-return, without NERVs.

If you do use them, use several to get your TWR up to at least 0.1 vacuum in the VAB though. You'll hate yourself less and on a large vessel, the extra weight of the NERVs isn't quite so daunting. Also, consider tossing them for the return trip. You may actually be able to make a smaller vessel overall if you use a small return craft with a dedicated Twitch engine (depending on how much you're coming back with of course).

Regarding mods, Transfer Window Planner is anther really good mod for ... well ... planning transfer windows.

I also like Astrogator though feel fairly strongly that you should be comfortable doing the work yourself before having a tool that does it for you. By making the maneuver nodes when TWP tells you and seeing how to tweak them to get an encounter, you learn a lot.

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by Superfluous J

[Spricigo]

4 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

To answer the question: No. You don't need NERVs for anything.

This!!

Use if you want but you don't need to.