How long did you wait in your career for duna?

[dudester28]

After doing basic orbital science at the beginning, I managed to max out the tech tree by launching 3 manned return missions and 1 one-way probe mission. From that point, all I needed to do was a return mission from gilly (It's actually quite easy) to max out the tech tree. In my previous career mode though, I sent a probe mission to duna rather early (before atomic rockets).

[FlamedSteak]

For the record aero breaking at Duna is a seriously butt clenching affair, but it does save you some major burn time.

[Deejay2000]

I didn't wait for nukes, I don't think that is entirely necessary. I got to Duna, landed on Ike, went to Jool, and got into orbit around Laythe on my third or fourth mission. The mission after that I went straight to Jool and got a gravity assist from Laythe, Vall, and Tylo, then landed of Pol with exactly zero fuel. So, it's not required if you can use really small engines with high thrust to weight ratios. For example, the nuclear engine has 2.7 TWR whereas the Rockomax 48-7S has 29.4 TWR. So, the smaller the engine, the less mass you have to carry and the less mass you need to carry, the less fuel you need.

[Merinsan]

I went as soon as I had Skippers. Got me there very easily.

I didn't actually land at Duna that time because I wasted too much fuel doing an Ike encounter/landing, but I scienced all over the place otherwise.

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

5th mission, I could have probably got there earlier if i hadn't gone to eve first.

[Requiem762]

Heck if you want a big science boost I recently discovered that just doing science out of kerbins soi nets like 275 when your using the science junior.

Too bad my probe didn't have a parachute and fuel to return

[vencaslac]

1 landing on Minmus, 1 landing on Mun, then off to Duna and Eve both with the same ship design.

<- this you don't need nukes... they make it easier but it's not mandatory... if your ship can land kerbals on the mun and bring them back to kerbin it's likely quite able to send a probe to duna

[LtHeckard]

It might have been overkill, but I got rocket and put about 6 rockets and put them on the sides, and 6 on those, and 6 on those, and 6 on those, it reached Duna quite easily.

[Trann]

There's a Duna?

[djnekkid]

roughly 55 days

[Aragosnat]

Career mode is on hold. Due to dead lap top and me needing a pc that can run it.

[Rainbow-Dashie]

I attempted my first Mun landing, and my poor Kerbal was stranded... Now i have to spend the next few weeks trying to get him back...

[aeronaut]

You can make it to Eeloo and back (though I didn't quite get the back part) without using nukes or the bigger fuel tanks. Here is my Eeloo landing If you're bored with the Mun and Minmus then try new things, you'll be surprised what you can do!

[Spatzimaus]

In my career mode, I've landed on the mun 3 times, and minmus twice. And the scince I'm earning for doing so is just getting smaller and smaller.

There's your mistake; Mun has something like a dozen biomes, so 3 landings isn't nearly enough. Each time you land in a different one, you'll get the full amount of science. Each of the big craters is its own biome, the poles are three biomes, and so on. So, you can complete the entire tech tree without ever leaving Kerbin's sphere of influence; I've landed on Mun 11 times in 9 biomes, myself, and with a full set of instruments I'll get ~500 science each time.

Kerbin also has many biomes, but the amounts of science you get there are too small to worry about once you can reach Mun.

As to the original question, I went to Duna once I got LV-Ns. It's easily possible to go before that point, but doing so requires significantly heavier designs than I'd want to use for something like that. You don't need aerospikes or docking ports; my own lander design just waited long enough to get heavy landing legs and drogue parachutes.

[Trann]

So I figured out a center-line modular fuel platform...

...then a lander that (I hope) will survive...

...then an LV-N tug to push it all...

...which all gave birth to my 622 tonne interplanetary monstrosity...

I'm hoping it will allow me to get to Duna (and Ike), explore multiple areas, and return home.

I have no idea how over- (or under-)engineered this thing is. 8)

(and there's no science because it's moot: I unlocked it all entirely by hitting the biomes on Mun and Minmus).

[I_Killed_Jeb]

Man you're going to be burning a loooooooooong time

[turkwinif]

Well, I had Nuclears unlocked, but I quickly figured out that they were unnecessary. I had a ton of fuel left over from landing on Duna (with regular parachutes, no drogue, wasn't unlocked yet!), so I set off to Ike and got more SCIENCE! and brought it all home easily. Go ahead and try the small but efficient yellow-black engines (forgot the name) for going to Duna. You'll be surprised at how far you go.

[boxman]

I believe i visited duna after landing on mun. I dont know which tier that was, but it was long before i got the nuclear engines.

You can easily get to duna using for example the poodle engine.

You heardly need any more delta v to get there if you do aerobrake. You dont even need to burn retro once you get to encounter since atmoshere will be just about thick enough for a orbital insertion or direct landing. If you land in a area closer to sea level you can even land large colony modules without using engines at all as long as you have enough parachutes.

Edited January 6, 2014 by boxman

[BarryDennen12]

I didn't wait for nukes, I found it wasn't really necessary.

That being said, the design I came up with was pretty dang inefficient. At the time I was too excited at the prospect of it being my first return mission to Duna.

[FlamedSteak]

I did a Duna probe on about my 5th career mission, it was meant to be an orbital probe but I ballsed up my aero brake going too deep into the atmosphere. Somehow I managed to get it down on the surface without breaking anything. Though I was certain I would crash heavily so I did all my science on the way down.

Haven't done a manned mission yet, I tend to get a bit pedantically role player about the way manned missions are done....so I have to finish my long term minmus science program before I think about heading interplanetary.....and even then I'm going to do a Buzz Aldrin style remote base on Ike before doing a surface mission to Duna.

Edited January 6, 2014 by FlamedSteak