How to go from a Low Kerbol Orbit to Kerbin?

[gutza1]

I'm in career mode with Yargnit's tree from TreeLoader. I want to launch a (manned) mission to Low Kerbol Orbit and return to Kerbin. Since Kerbin is probably invisible from that distance, I can't do the burn-when-the-target-rises-above-the-horizon trick that I use to get to the moon, and the Interplanetary Calculator website does have a "kerbol" option for the point of origin. How can I get my samples, and more importantly my kerbals, back to Kerbin. (P.S I don't want to do the "spam transmit" option of returning my data.)

[Kasuha]

Do you really need low Kerbol orbit or are you ok with just a flyby? Getting a flyby is much easier as you just need to drop your periapsis and then you can prepare meeting with Kerbin at the apoapsis. You cannot land on Kerbol anyway.

To get low above Kerbol (Sun), burn like you'd want to land on Moho or Eve, then after you exit Kerbin SOI, continue burning retrograde until your PA is low enough. Be prepared, it's a lot of dv.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Kasuha

[CrazedGunman502]

A lot of DV. I'm talking manley level of DV.

[MockKnizzle]

To get down to low, circular Kerbol orbit somewhere in the neighborhood of Moho and back, you're gonna need a large amount of dV. Even with gravity assists, and possible aerobraking at Eve, we're talking 4-ish km/s to get down and then another 4-ish to get back up. While that's entirely within the realm of possibility with nukes, your spacecraft is either gonna be a cramped, barebones 1-kerbal affair or a large fuel tanker.

[Bilfr3d]

To get down to low, circular Kerbol orbit somewhere in the neighborhood of Moho and back, you're gonna need a large amount of dV. Even with gravity assists, and possible aerobraking at Eve, we're talking 4-ish km/s to get down and then another 4-ish to get back up. While that's entirely within the realm of possibility with nukes, your spacecraft is either gonna be a cramped, barebones 1-kerbal affair or a large fuel tanker.

I made a MASSIVE tanker before. With the ttransfer stage it weighed 402 tonnes..... after the transfer stage, it was 326 tonnes........ don't judge.

[Superfluous J]

1) Make sure you're in the same plane as Kerbin (AN/DN of 0 degrees)

2) Make a maneuver node with an apoapsis touching Kerbin's orbit.

3) Drag that maneuver node around your orbit until you get a "close approach" with Kerbin indication at your apoapsis.

4) Burn when it tells you.

5) Tweak your trajectory early to actually intercept Kerbin's atmosphere, because I assume you used up all your fuel getting to that low Kerbol orbit and then all the way back

(Note: This also works for getting to Mun and Minmus from Kerbin, though you don't have to be right on the 0 degree line for them as the system's smaller. I've never actually done the "burn at munrise" thing to reach Mun)

Edited October 29, 2013 by 5thHorseman
clarified a few things

[gutza1]

1) Make sure you're in the same plane as Kerbin (AN/DN of 0 degrees)

2) Make a maneuver node with an apoapsis touching Kerbin's orbit.

3) Drag that maneuver node around your orbit until you get a "close approach" with Kerbin indication at your apoapsis.

4) Burn when it tells you.

5) Tweak your trajectory early to actually intercept Kerbin's atmosphere, because I assume you used up all your fuel getting to that low Kerbol orbit and then all the way back

(Note: This also works for getting to Mun and Minmus from Kerbin, though you don't have to be right on the 0 degree line for them as the system's smaller. I've never actually done the "burn at munrise" thing to reach Mun)

Thanks Horseman! I only wanted a fly-by closer than 1,000,000 meters. Now, how do I change the topic form unanswered to answered?

[Superfluous J]

Thanks Horseman! I only wanted a fly-by closer than 1,000,000 meters. Now, how do I change the topic form unanswered to answered?

You're welcome! I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it but I did discover it on my own

To reset a thread tag, edit your first post. Up near the title of the post you can select the post's tag.

[toomuchbrew]

A lot of DV. I'm talking manley level of DV.

Lol! This post

[Taki117]

A lot of DV. I'm talking manley level of DV.

I think you mean a Scott Manley level of dV

[Superfluous J]

A lot of DV. I'm talking manley level of DV.

I think you mean a Scott Manley level of dV

I didn't know there was another way to take that comment.