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Lowest Possible Mun/Minmus Orbit?


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Well, technically as long as you are controlling the pod you could go as low as you wanted, but then you run the risk of slamming your poor kerbal into the side of a mountain. So the SAFEST distance is about 10km for both. though you could probably get away with lower on Minmus. The maximum Elevation on Minmus is 5725m and the maximum elevation on the Mun is 7061 m so as long as you are above those numbers you should be fine. (Though if you pass over either of those two points you could reach out and touch the surface.

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Well if your orbit is inclined in anyway your going to wanna keep it higher. Because with a polar orbit the ground is constantly moving under you. So you never pass over the same area. That huge mountain that was 100 meters to the side may be right under you the next pass. I found this out the hard way... So if im going super low its a 0 degree orbit so that Im passing over the same ground every time. I baby sit the craft for a few orbits to make sure theres no mountains coming at me then I leave it.

LOVE low orbits. So much fun. But.. rendezvous is pure hell.. and sometimes impossible. So be careful on that one. A small plane-change burn could drop your altitude just enough... and its like a fly on a windshield.

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  • 10 years later...
On 2/20/2014 at 7:47 PM, Taki117 said:

Well, technically as long as you are controlling the pod you could go as low as you wanted, but then you run the risk of slamming your poor kerbal into the side of a mountain. So the SAFEST distance is about 10km for both. though you could probably get away with lower on Minmus. The maximum Elevation on Minmus is 5725m and the maximum elevation on the Mun is 7061 m so as long as you are above those numbers you should be fine. (Though if you pass over either of those two points you could reach out and touch the surface.

Im about 10 years late but using your numbers worked pretty well for me doing an extremely low pass to minmus

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