How to get to duna?

[Asheron04]

Hello everyone. Im not sure if there is a how to already posted for this but im having some issues planning my duna intercept. I always seem to overshoot and cannot get a close enough encounter to get into its soi. And after I do im not sure how or if I should do an aerobrake or just burn retro. Any tips would be appreciated.

[ThatBum]

You may need to make a second maneuver node at the midpoint between Kerbin and Duna, to correct inclination.

Also make sure your phase angles are correct, if you haven't already. Use this calculator.

[vencaslac]

do an f5 when you hit the SOI after using that calculator... duna's atmosphere starts roughly around 40k - it is quite tenuous and will not slow you down much unless you go deep (if your mind's in the gutter try and dig it out for just a sec) so if you do crash and burn just hit f9 and you can try again... aerobreaking is fun!

EDIT: let us know how many times you crash into IKE... and how many times it makes you wind up in weird quasi-polar retrograde orbits

[Asheron04]

I have never used the calculator before...ill give it a shot after work. Quicksave is always your friend! Also I have been placing my craft in a 500 km orbit around kerbin to fast forward till duna intercept window. Is this a good practice or is there an easier way of doing it?

[Kosmo-not]

I have never used the calculator before...ill give it a shot after work. Quicksave is always your friend! Also I have been placing my craft in a 500 km orbit around kerbin to fast forward till duna intercept window. Is this a good practice or is there an easier way of doing it?

Put a probe up to timewarp you to the launch window. Keep your interplanetary craft in low Kerbin orbit.

[Asheron04]

Great. Thanks for the tips fellas. Ill give it another go later and let you know how it goes!