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How Much delta V Is needed to do a whole Ike Mission (Landing and going home included)


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In case that picture (which you should not just bookmark, download, and print but also memorize) is not self explanatory enough.

  1. To get to orbit from Kerbin you need 3400m/s of dV.
  2. To eject to Duna you need 950+130 or 1080m/s of dV. You will also need up to 25m/s to correct your orbit's tilt on the way.
  3. To slow down into orbit at Ike you need 250+30+180 or 460m/s of dV
  4. To land at Ike you will need 390m/s of dV
  5. To take back off you will need another 390m/s of dV
  6. To eject back to Kerbin from Ike you will need 180+30+250+130 m/s of dV
  7. You can in theory aerobrake back at Kerbin but any extra fuel should be used to slow down first.

These numbers could grow based on your ability but generally won't shrink.

Edited by Superfluous J
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41 minutes ago, Superfluous J said:

In case that picture (which you should not just bookmark, download, and print but also memorize) is not self explanatory enough.

  1. To get to orbit from Kerbin you need 3400m/s of dV.
  2. To eject to Duna you need 950+130 or 1080m/s of dV. You will also need up to 25m/s to correct your orbit's tilt on the way.
  3. To slow down into orbit at Ike you need 250+30+180 or 460m/s of dV
  4. To land at Ike you will need 390m/s of dV
  5. To take back off you will need another 390m/s of dV
  6. To eject back to Kerbin from Ike you will need 180+30+250+130 m/s of dV
  7. You can in theory aerobrake back at Kerbin but any extra fuel should be used to slow down first.

These numbers could grow based on your ability but generally won't shrink.

Oh wow I've been over preparing for that mission

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30 minutes ago, kangaroo3505 said:

Oh wow I've been over preparing for that mission

Then you can take more stuff :D

If there isn't already a satellite network there I've often included a stack of 4 satellites on my first trip to a planet.  Three equatorial shorter range sats and a long range Kerbin backhaul that ends up in a  highly elliptical polar orbit that the other sats relay through.  The link below is great for setting up the equatorial sats

https://meyerweb.com/eric/ksp/resonant-orbits/

But if you haven't overprepared that much, just getting the polar relay sat there on the first trip can make subsequent unpiloted missions much less stressful as long as you account for the fact that without the equatorial sats the polar sat may not be available to other craft all the time

Or you can stick with your current plan and take the extra fuel  in case you need it.

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14 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

To slow down into orbit at Ike you need 250+30+180 or 460m/s of dV

of note, the arrow on the 250m/s part means that you could theoretically aerobrake using Duna to scrub off that velocity but lining up the entry and everything to then intercept Ike is a bit tricky.

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Once you have your start and end points on a delta-V subway map, you design the rocket from the destination back, as you add the various parts of the mission vehicle, then the launch vehicle from the uppermost stage down.  As you get experience, you can learn better some details like the delta-V needed for a Kerbin to Mun free-return trajectory.

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