Luna 3 Setup

[gc1ceo]

Luna 3 was the first probe to return photographs of the far side of the moon, in keeping with that I am designing a probe with a similar construction, minus the fact there is nothing to simulate photographs, which means there are no RCS or any other propulsion systems on the probe and it has to be released from the launch vehicle completely once it has been launched into an course for a Mun flyby. There isn't too much difficulty in making the flyby but returning with no propulsion systems so that it gets close enough that it could enter into a decaying orbit of Kerbin, as the original probe either burned up in the atmosphere after returning from the moon or orbited for a time undetected.

Any suggestions or thoughts on how I might accomplish this, with purely stock parts and no additional mods?

Edited August 9, 2013 by gc1ceo

[Commander Zoom]

Try searching for "free return". That'll give you some idea how to get into such a trajectory/orbit, and what it looks like when you do.

[gc1ceo]

I answered my question very quickly, thanks anyway.