One touch return

[katateochi]

@KatzOhki - That's cool that you found the right trajectory to launch that setup. I'd tried basically that setup and massively overshot, so I changed the design rather than launch angle!

@Psycix - nice, our designs are very similar, right down to the adapter between the pod and boosters (just your adapter is B9 right?)

That last pic startled me, it was so unexpected and up-close! And then I misread the caption, I thought it said "look how demented he is"!

@samstarman5 - tis true, these designs did come in pretty steep, by which I mean they did a vertical plummet! In my design I had two small RCS tanks to add weight to slow it down a bit during the burn. If I used the larger rounded RCS tanks it reduced it enough that it would only just clip the upper atmo and would come in with a shallower angle of attack, but that did require a bit of course control during the burn and wasn't 100% guaranteed to hit the atmo. I wanted something that required no control and was guaranteed to return home.

I hope that when re-entry heat damage is added that it's not going to completely prevent some of the more insane return craft designs! I hope for a happy balance of realism and fun! Maybe kerbal engineers will come up with some super heat proof materials.

[Psycix]

I think that with career mode coming, this might just be one of the cheapest ways to return from the Mün.

Weighing it down could also be done with extra crew space, and soon perhaps science modules.

If the craft is big enough to require not one, but two or more SRB's, you could radially attach them and eject them when you reach desired orbit. Except that wouldn't make it very one-touch-return anymore.

[rodion]

I've actually had to do a direct-line return similar to this once before, except it was from low Munar orbit instead of the surface proper. I was under quite extreme time constraints because the mission was a bust and none of the flight-capable modules I had were fitted with any electrical generators. I had to get from the Mun to Kerbin touchdown before the 1600 or so units of battery drained out, so I pointed the nose straight at Kerbin, gunned it with a very generous amount of fuel from a lander and more than doubled my re-entry velocity. According to post-flight reports I think I pulled 40 or 50g on re-entry doing that, not ideal for crew comfort.

[samstarman5]

I hope that when re-entry heat damage is added that it's not going to completely prevent some of the more insane return craft designs! I hope for a happy balance of realism and fun! Maybe kerbal engineers will come up with some super heat proof materials.

I would expect heat shield parts will be added with such an update(yay! more weight!), but if you want crazy, then I would recommend just adding a structure around your capsule to take the punishment, with the hope that by the time the outer structure has crumbled away, the craft will have slowed down enough to allow the capsule a safe return. You could leave such things in orbit for your return capsule to dock with and then deorbit within. Dang that sounds fun.

[Commander Zoom]

Plaid will do it.

In just thirteen seconds, too!

Of course, this presents other problems...

[3_bit]

Well, if you mean "return" I could deploy a communicotron, saying that they are both dying and will need to be returned to Kerbin. That way, a funeral ship will come and get them. One-button return to Kerbin.