landing at the KSC

[lammatt]

do you guys usually target your return landing at the KSC or not?

for me,

i do try to land at KSC for rockets because i can just kill all the horizontal speed and let it free fall until i almoat crash and open the chute

but for plane, i dont,

i just land at any flatland i encounter

[Tw1]

Yes, but I let MJ2 help aim.

[katateochi]

Yeah I try to always return to KSC. I think I heard that in career mode you will get more value returned for recovering a craft if it is closer to KSC (not sure if I heard that right thou).

There is a small island just out to sea and slightly to the north, I find that from a 100km orbit setting the path to be just a bit past being level with that island gets me pretty close most times. If I'm feeling lazy I turn on MJ's landing predictions but I don't let the autoP actually set the course.

With planes the goal is always to touch down on the runway again, dosn't always work out thou;

[LeadMagnet]

Depending upon what the "mission" is, I always land at KSC. Space planes (like the Space Shuttle) don't fair well "landing in a field!".

The Space Shuttle had alternate landing sites all over the world. It would have to be a severe fault to force a crew to land on an un-preppared surface (IE: dirt, gravel, water, etc). Most US highways could not take the impact and axle weight of the Space Shuttle during a landing. Have you ever seen a road (blacktop) with ruts where people drive? They are pretty soft. Runway construction is complicated, but necessary to deal with the weight and impact requirements.

I would love to see the addition of 5 or 10 additional runways, spread all over Kerbin. I believe this is planned, but 100% sure.

If the thought of landing "peggs the pucker meter", I would recommend you "fly the pattern", something I learned in the military, to practice your landings.

Edited August 13, 2013 by LeadMagnet
typo

[RoboRay]

Winged craft land on the runway at KSC (or the Auxiliary Landing Field out on the island, if I overshoot).

Capsules generally splash-down a few km north of the ALF, but I'll put them down somewhere else if it's night-time at Booster Bay.

Powered vertical landers set down on the grounds of KSC, usually on the plain south of the VAB...

Edited August 13, 2013 by RoboRay

[damny]

I generally try to land at the KSC. I put small cars on either end of the main runway, so I get markers in the main view that tell me exactly where it is and how far it is away. This way it's not very hard to line up a plane with the runway. With everything else I just try to land nearby. I don't use mods.

I'm hoping career mode will somehow reward you for good landings near the KSC (better recovery value or something).

[kfc1314]

I almost never land at the KSC. In fact, I feel happy to LAND.

[Aqua667]

Planes and SSTOs have to land near the space center or on the island runway, unless their SLTOs (Shory Landing and Take Off). I don't really land capsules at KSC becuase it n too much of a hassle. And vessels on a free return trajectory (Did I use that world right?) basically have no choice where they're going to land. My mun landers usually land in random places.

[rdfox]

I generally try to target capsule splashdown for Booster Bay (*love* that name, it should be official!), but when I'm doing a Munar return mission, since I use the Apollo-style direct reentry (rather than braking into orbit first), I land my capsule... well, wherever it ends up landing.

I don't generally do winged craft (I've had too much trouble with them in the past), though when I do, I try to target the KSC runway for landing (and often end up coming up about 5-10km short). Generally don't do powered vertical landing craft because I consider it a criminal waste of delta-V when there's a perfectly good atmosphere to parachute down with instead, though lately, I've been deorbiting the "tug" stages from my space station modules and having them make a powered soft-splashdown out in the middle of the ocean for recovery, not Booster Bay--because the plane-shift guarantees they won't collide with the station during the deorbit burn.

[annallia]

If I can help it I put down in booster bay. If I have the fuel I will try to push my capsule towards land but ultimately my target is in the water just outside of KSC.

Space planes I don't use often. After spending all that time developing and testing one only to have it crash land (mostly my fault) just made me put them on the back burner. Used now and then when I have a specific purpose for them but not really used at all.

[RoboRay]

Booster Bay (*love* that name, it should be official!), but when I'm doing a Munar return mission, since I use the Apollo-style direct reentry (rather than braking into orbit first), I land my capsule... well, wherever it ends up landing.

I don't know who came up with that name, but I do see it pop up from time to time and I always use it.

You actually can pick your landing site reasonable well on an Apollo-style direct reentry, if you let MJ2 predict your landing site on the Map. RCS is generally enough, but you may need the main engine for big adjustments.

Generally don't do powered vertical landing craft because I consider it a criminal waste of delta-V when there's a perfectly good atmosphere to parachute down with instead.

It doesn't actually cost much. Unless you make a really steep entry, atmospheric drag should slow you down to terminal velocity and then you only need 100-150m/sec for the landing itself. Adding enough parachutes for gently landing a complete ship would cost you almost that much delta-V in added mass.

Edited August 13, 2013 by RoboRay

[Kerbart]

With planes the goal is always to touch down on the runway again, dosn't always work out thou;

[insert beat]

OPPA KERBAL STYLE!!!