landing

[Cannon]

i was practicing landing but still i can't land exactly where i want, sometimes atmosphere tricks me, sometimes planet rotation :S

any guides?

[Sirine]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/28352-The-Drawing-Board-A-library-of-tutorials-and-other-useful-information

Yes, check out the above link.

[juanml82]

i was practicing landing but still i can't land exactly where i want, sometimes atmosphere tricks me, sometimes planet rotation :S

any guides?

Mechjeb's landing assistant has an option to show the estimated impact point.

[Jett_Quasar]

Landing on any planet with an atmosphere is difficult to do accurately. If you add control surfaces to your craft you could "steer" of "fly" it to land more precisely but other than that it's hit-and-miss. If it's any consolation, this is a limitation in real life as well where landing ellipses are sometimes hundreds of miles in diameter and capsules can often be quite a way off course. The Russians keep survival kits on board in case they are lost in the wilderness for days (the kit is rumoured to include a gun for protection against wild animals - but has never been confirmed by the government). The Americans land in the water - a big target to hit and relatively easy for the Navy to locate and retrieve.

In the game it's just another challenge to get good at - MecJeb is definitely the easiest fix.

JR

[Reactordrone]

The Russians keep survival kits on board in case they are lost in the wilderness for days (the kit is rumoured to include a gun for protection against wild animals - but has never been confirmed by the government).

JR

It's confirmed. They used to use a specialist rifle/shotgun/flare gun/axe but the flare/shotgun ammunition is no longer available so they just have a regular pistol now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TP-82

Edited August 25, 2014 by Reactordrone

[Kasuha]

I use three approaches for precision landings on atmospheric bodies:

1/ come with a plane. Good gliding ratio is necessary, some thrust is a plus. Aim roughly at the destination area and fly the rest.

2/ quicksave and continue quickloading and applying corrections to your reentry trajectory until you hit the target

3/ have very well designed chutes and some thrust. Come near vertical from very high orbit, aiming at the target (or ahead of it slightly to compensate planet rotation). Apply thrust corrections as you fall through the atmosphere and only start opening chutes when you're sure you're landing on the spot (after you open chutes, making corrections becomes very hard and you may inadvertently cut them).

The last method is not a good idea if you use DRE.

[magnemoe]

Mechjeb's landing assistant has an option to show the estimated impact point.

This is very useful then using Mechjeb, Mechjeb landing autopilot is pretty accurate as in within 50 meter on Mun, on kerbin it tend to be within 200 meter in the direction of travel and 20 meter sideway so its nice to land a rocket on the runway.

Mechjeb however does a pretty steep dive and uses around 200 m/s landing from 80 km orbit, doing this manual you can easy get below 50, this however reduces the landing prediction with a magnitude so don't aim for the runway unless you have rcs and can correct while going in.

[cantab]

If you're consistent in your entry trajectory, eg you always deorbit from 100km with a 1km periapsis, you can learn the angle between deorbit burn and landing site by experience.

[juanml82]

This is very useful then using Mechjeb, Mechjeb landing autopilot is pretty accurate as in within 50 meter on Mun, on kerbin it tend to be within 200 meter in the direction of travel and 20 meter sideway so its nice to land a rocket on the runway.

Mechjeb however does a pretty steep dive and uses around 200 m/s landing from 80 km orbit, doing this manual you can easy get below 50, this however reduces the landing prediction with a magnitude so don't aim for the runway unless you have rcs and can correct while going in.

Yes. I mostly use the autopilot if I want to land in a precise spot in an a body without atmosphere. Usually, I just use the prediction to account for planetary rotation. I don't manage to land rockets precisely at the KSC, though. But, then again, to me landing withing 20 km is good enough. My trouble with recovering rockets isn't so much distance but keeping the whole thing from tumbling over and breaking after touchdown.