How low can you go?

[emfolkerts]

I was wondering how low i could orbit around the mun in a equatorial orbit without hitting anything.

I thought it would be cool to put a station at that altitude.

[Dortmunder]

Depends exactly where your orbit is. You might be able to get away with 3000m. 5k would probably be your safest bet.

[Zeroignite]

After the latest terrain changes, I wouldn't go anywhere lower than 7km.

[Skorpychan]

I'd say about 80k is the lowest I'd risk. Otherwise, you chance having landers slam into it on the way down, or suborbital hops smacking into it, or it plowing into debris, probes, passing slingshot attempts, and the like.

A lower orbit means it has more chance of being in any given point of that orbit at any given time, and more speed when it's there.

[capi3101]

10k is probably safe regardless of your orbit for Mun; below that you risk hitting terrain.

[Zeroignite]

I'd say about 80k is the lowest I'd risk. Otherwise, you chance having landers slam into it on the way down, or suborbital hops smacking into it, or it plowing into debris, probes, passing slingshot attempts, and the like.

A lower orbit means it has more chance of being in any given point of that orbit at any given time, and more speed when it's there.

Space is bigger than that.

[Wallace]

I had a probe orbiting below 5k so it could drop mini-landers, it successfully went round several times, long enough to land 4 mini landers all around the equator, but I switched away from it and when I came back to land more mini-landers I found the probe was gone, no debris, it most have crashed and been totally destroyed.

[Captain Sierra]

The highest point on the Mun is about 5050 meters. 5km is the timewarp altitude (yeah, Squad will fix that later XD). You can safely put a space station down to about 5200m (lowest I'd risk) altitude without rendezvousing with a mountain.

[Megapead]

According to the wiki the highest point on "the Mun's highest points reach a maximum altitude of more than 5029 m." So, I would put it in an orbit of 5100m just to be safe but if you are a bit sluggish at circularizing I would place it at 5500m. I've had a station that low before and during a docking maneuver I had the docking spacecraft smack straight into the ground. Consider any future station expansions and what you may need for docking spacecraft before placing it in a orbit. Good luck with your station

[Spyritdragon]

I'd say about 80k is the lowest I'd risk. Otherwise, you chance having landers slam into it on the way down, or suborbital hops smacking into it, or it plowing into debris, probes, passing slingshot attempts, and the like.

A lower orbit means it has more chance of being in any given point of that orbit at any given time, and more speed when it's there.

I tend to float around in 50-60 km Munar orbit with my command modules and Lunar landers and stuff.

That must be hilarious though. You're making a very nice controlled landing, when suddenly this huge contraption comes flying at you at a few hundred meters per second. BAM!

The highest point on the Mun is about 5050 meters. 5km is the timewarp altitude (yeah, Squad will fix that later XD). You can safely put a space station down to about 5200m (lowest I'd risk) altitude without rendezvousing with a mountain.

Rendezvousing with a mountain. Genius ^-^.

I should do an experiment on this. Ill place a probe in a 5.2 km polar orbit and see if it survives, and another one in an equatorial orbit. We can't deduce much about equatorial orbits from the general highest point on the moon. It's very well possible the highest point on the equator is only 4.5 km.

[Captain Sierra]

I tend to float around in 50-60 km Munar orbit with my command modules and Lunar landers and stuff.

That must be hilarious though. You're making a very nice controlled landing, when suddenly this huge contraption comes flying at you at a few hundred meters per second. BAM!

Rendezvousing with a mountain. Genius ^-^.

I should do an experiment on this. Ill place a probe in a 5.2 km polar orbit and see if it survives, and another one in an equatorial orbit. We can't deduce much about equatorial orbits from the general highest point on the moon. It's very well possible the highest point on the equator is only 4.5 km.

I did not actually come up with that phrase, but it was so funny that I have used it. We can certainly test the mountain rendezvous altitude XD. Remember, no kerbals are to be harmed in the making of this test.

[Skorpychan]

I did not actually come up with that phrase, but it was so funny that I have used it. We can certainly test the mountain rendezvous altitude XD. Remember, no kerbals are to be harmed in the making of this test.

That'd be the maximum UTR altitude, where UTR is Unplanned Terrain Rendezvous.

[karolus10]

5000 meters is lowest altitude with possible time acceleration, so it's not really convenient to go into lower orbit .

[Spyritdragon]

Ah - but what if i were to attach a long rod to the station which i orbit at 5001 that pokes out to 4999m?

[Psycix]

Ah - but what if i were to attach a long rod to the station which i orbit at 5001 that pokes out to 4999m?

Watch out, we've got a Jeb over here!

[Dooz]

I tend to float around in 50-60 km Munar orbit with my command modules and Lunar landers and stuff.

That must be hilarious though. You're making a very nice controlled landing, when suddenly this huge contraption comes flying at you at a few hundred meters per second. BAM!

Rendezvousing with a mountain. Genius ^-^.

I should do an experiment on this. Ill place a probe in a 5.2 km polar orbit and see if it survives, and another one in an equatorial orbit. We can't deduce much about equatorial orbits from the general highest point on the moon. It's very well possible the highest point on the equator is only 4.5 km.

Hah Reminds me of when i did a apollo mun mission and i put the command module in a 2Km Orbit (inclined) thinking i was safe and when i was undocking i litterly Skimmed a Mountain Top By 3 meters and i was like I'm safe i don't care if my command module skims the mountain and then i land Jeb and bill do there thing then waiting for the command module over head it disappears on the map and then jeb had to get a rescue party RIP bob

Edited August 26, 2013 by Dooz

[lajoswinkler]

Depends on your inclination. 0° inclination offers only one path, above equator. Polar orbit means you'll end up everywhere because the body spinns beneath you.

Therefore find out the maximum terrain height on the equator and you've got yourself the lowest orbit possible.

[iBeej]

RIP bob

Do I sense a weird theme here? Bob continually violates safety protocol and wonders off in the middle of the night on the Mun. The last time I loaded my game he mysteriously vanished from the landing site and was about 1/4 the Mun circumference and I have no idea how he even got there.

He's just standing there. Looking for something.....

[Skorpychan]

He's not as bad as Bill, who died in a jetpack accident on the mun. Then in one on Minimus. And crashed and died on Eve due to trying to move the lander to the shore. And died testing a flying boat lander that lacked structural integrity.