When to deploy parachutes

[FirstyB]

Hey everyone,

One thing that's always bugged me is, when is the ideal time to deploy your parachutes? I've taken the approach of deploying them whilst still in space, with the logic of: more time open in the atmosphere=more drag=profit.

I find though that my ships are often cleft in two by the parachutes violently fully deploying. I'm starting to think that i might have parachutes on different stages and deploying them sequencially to reduce that sudden tug at 500m (on kerbin).

Anyone else found a good strategy for chutes, or do you just release them in space as well?

Cheers

Edited September 14, 2013 by FirstyB

[UbioZur]

Personally I use the atmosphere to slow me down, and deploy the parachutes when my speed get under 200m/s if possible.

I haven't yet use the drogue chutes to slow down faster before that.

[RocketYeah]

I usually deploy mine when I'm below 2000m/s in the atmosphere or around 10,000m. I try and avoid any breaking due to the sudden force of the parachutes by using struts quite a bit on bits that look like they may rip apart. I've used drogue chutes a couple times but only on Duna, but I guess they'd be useful on Kerbin, deploying them quite early in your decent.

[Robje]

I made a HUGE lander, more like a multi stage rocket landing. I had problems deploying the (64?) shutes safely. I solved it thusly:

-Makes sure all your shutes are distributed evenly across the craft. Every part that can take a load should take a load.

- i opened 1 set of eight shutes on the core of my craft, but above de COM, as soon as possible. (this reduces shock and also acts as a que for the next step)

- i opened all of the other shutes sequentially below 500m altitude (after full doployment of first set).

If your craft survives the first shock, it is likely to survive the others. The first shock is minimal for only a few (eight in my case) shutes open which provide only a small amount of force but does slow your craft down after full deployment.

The next shocks will be smaller.

[FirstyB]

Yea thats what i was thinking would work, only have a couple that are fully deployed so they dont cause too much of an initial tearing force, then keep opening more chutes so that you can land at a reasonable speed. Staging the chutes seems to be the answer to this

[Alexander_Kerbing]

It's not realistic, but I open my chutes <1km. I can't think of a ship I've ever had that wasn't going about 100m/s at 1km in Kerbin's atmosphere. Even ships coming from interplanetary space are going really slow at that altitude if you set their periapsis to about 20-30km.

[check]

For Kerbin and Eve I usually just wait until I'm falling more or less straight down unless I have a specific target in mind and find that I'm going to overshoot it. Then I'll deploy it a bit earlier to kill some of the horizontal velocity. On Duna, I try to keep my entry angle as shallow as possible that will still aerobrake me enough to get me to the ground, but I'll use drogue chutes while still high up and going fast. Drogue chutes are awesome on Duna.

[capi3101]

I usually have to wait until I'm deep in atmo before the chutes even deploy. 5,000 is typical for me on Kerbin. One chute per tonne is the rule I use as far as how many to use, and even then I have to be careful about where I place the chutes if I don't want to break my ship.

[SRV Ron]

For Kerban, I pop the drogues when speed drops below 500m/sec. The main will open automatically at 500 meters. Same for Eve and Laythe. Duna I pop them early as they will deploy automatically when needed. Still, on Duna, you will need thrusters or rocket to drop speed below 4m/sec just before touchdown.

[JiWint]

You can open parachute up 20 meters above surface and survive (with just a pod and lots of chutes).

I usually deploy at 1000m

[lajoswinkler]

When landing on Eve, it must not be opened very soon. Let the atmosphere do most of the work because the parachute will tear and you'll crash on the surface.

[HeadHunter67]

On Kerbin, I deploy my chutes after re-entry heat has dissipated (so usually about 10km). They slow me sufficiently to avoid shock separation when they open. If that's still happening to you, reinforce your ships better so that they don't come apart from the shock, and/or consider using a drogue to slow it down before your main chutes open.