Laythe Spaceplanes?

[TechBot]

I've been trying to design a craft that can safely aerobrake and land on one of Laythe's many islands. Laythe has a relatively thin atmosphere, and it's just thick enough to slow you down to about 80 m/s when you reach the surface, not enough to land (on the islands) safely. What kind of spaceplane is ideal for this moon? A light-weight craft with small wings? Broad wings? Where should the control surfaces be? I have practiced landing spaceplanes on rocky islands of Kerbin, and my orbital mechanics are solid, but I can't seem to get the craft just right. Any ideas?

[Markus Reese]

The basic mechanics for a spaceplane on the thin atmo planets is lots of lift at low speeds, so need generous wing areas. Ideally, if your lander can take off or glide controllably at 40m/s on kerbin, you are set.

[ginsweater]

The first rule of Kerbal aerodynamics is: More wings are always better. (The second rule is: as long as they're behind the center of mass.)

Control surfaces count as wings for the purposes of "should I add more" - they're a compact way to get lift even if you don't need them for control. But if you have too many horizontal control surfaces, your plane will respond to your input so enthusiastically it may be hard to keep upright.

I recommend a relatively small plane, with the center of lift well behind the center of mass. That will make it stable, and stability counts for more than maneuverability if you're just designing the plane to land - it will be less likely to tip over when it inevitably hits a bump.

I was able to get my own plane down to about 45 m/s for its landing by flaring (pulling to a high angle of attack) right before touchdown; that speed is a tough landing but not impossible. This guy managed to land and survive at 70+ m/s but IMO that's insane.

If you're not planning to return to orbit, you'll have an easier time the less fuel you take along; a bit of jet power is handy to avoid a water landing but I wouldn't take a whole rocket tank full of fuel. 100 liters or so is plenty.

[nhnifong]

This is my Eve spaceplane, minus the orbital engines on the top and bottom. I deorbit with those, then decouple them before entering the atmosphere. No engines needed until I get really low, and then for some reason it doesn't control well without a little bit of thrust. I've yet to find a flat enough place to land it.

Can anyone suggest a nice landing location?

Edited October 14, 2012 by nhnifong

[ginsweater]

I like this landing site:

It's close to the equator, reasonably flat for a long way, and once you're down you can drive over to one of the nearby lakes to do SCIENCE!

The easiest place to land, though, seems to be the polar ice caps since they're totally flat.

[nhnifong]

Yeah I went for the ice caps

Thank you for the suggestions

Edited October 14, 2012 by nhnifong

[TechBot]

Awesome suggestions. Thanks everyone!