My glorious return to KSP

[thiosk]

After learning to play in .18, I've missed some of the updates lately, but decided to pop back in when I saw some notes about the current version-- especially engine improvements!

Needed a task, of course. Space station above Duna, with a lander and suitable kerbal storage, essentially to enable me to hop to and from the surface.

Main segment and power array went up well, have a few fuel tanks and a big monopropellant tank up there for supplies. Was a little hairy, because I always come in at the wrong inclination, so I have to transition from a polar orbit to equatorial. Did some mid altitude aerobraking, my first attempts at that, and got it done.

Now, time to get the lander in. Using the stock super heavy lander, I stuck a rocket on the bottom and tried to get it there. Sadly, I didn't have quite enough juice to get the lander into orbit- my launch stages got it to the right trajectory, but I had to slow down with landing fuel. Got hooked around, polar again, did a little too deep of an aerobrake. Ran out of gas, had to burn RCS to stay in orbit for the next pass, and burned about 500 units all told to RCS myself from the polar orbit to equitorial over about 6 passes of 3-4 min burns. Satisfied with the stable orbit, I built a rescue vessel. An atomic powered tanker with a long probe, the craft is easy to fly and should be easy to dock. Came in perfectly inclined, perfect launch, lined up to dock with the stranded lander.

I put the lander in a retrograde orbit. Rescue vessel is prograde. I have no idea what to do with my rescue vessel now.

I missed you KSP

Edited September 3, 2013 by thiosk

[SkyRender]

Haha. Well, since it is nuclear-powered, it might have the 2000m/s or so dV required to go from retrograde to prograde. And then run out of fuel after rendezvous and require you to send another rescue vessel, naturally.

[Corw]

Try going to higher orbit, change direction there and move back to low. It should use less fuel, if I'm not mistaken.

[SRV Ron]

To align to the orbital plane, activate the encounter node during the mid course correction maneuver and adjust the up down handles until you can get the shortest distance from Duna. From there, you may be able to fine tune soon as you can encounter Duna's SOI.

The alternative is to try for a slingshot maneuver with Ike to correct orbital plane with a minimal use of fuel.

[thiosk]

The suggestion to go to a higher orbit worked. My initial plan was to sop up all the forward velocity in an aerobrake, and keep just enough altitude to get retrograde before crashing. Instead, I went out to ~ike's orbit, and only had to do about 300 m\s total change to get an intercept on the first return orbit. Snatched the lander, and still had enough juice to get prograde. Going to swing back in about 12 clicks from the station. Considering dumping all the fuel I can onto the lander, detaching, and try to deorbit the now-empty rescue vessel using RCS.

I might try just catching the station with the docked pair... I'd like to save the rescue vessel, but I really doubt I have the gas for it. I'm quite low on gas.