Dres And Back

[The Jedi Master]

So, those of you who read my stories will know what happened the last time I went to Dres. It was incredibly inefficient and I was faced with a kraken attack at the end of it. Now, since then, I have not gone back to Dres, as I consider it at least somewhat cursed. However, what with .25 coming soon, I realized what I must do.

I'm going to try to send a kerbal to Dres and bring him safely back to Kerbin.

As you can imagine, I'm gonna need some help here. I'm going to need a nice set of instructions, from construction to return to Kerba Firma. This is where you come in, of course. Thank you in advance!

[worir4]

Bonus if you can do it full SRBs XD

[Taki117]

Step 1: Planning. Here's a dV map that is reasonably accurate and a Launch Window Palnner Using those that will tell you about how much dV you need to get there and back.

Step 2: The build! You want efficiency. Once you are clear of the Atmosphere Nukes are the way to go, keep your payload small and carry lots of dV. A dV calculator like MechJeb or KER will help here. If you need to don't try to do it in a single launch.

Step 3: Execution. Once your ship is in orbit and the transfer window has rolled around (You did wait for it right?) it's time to burn. If you are using Mechjeb you already have everything you need, if you are using KER I recommend Precise Node to help with getting your maneuver set up. (Protractor might also help here)

Step 4: I'm there, now what? Easy, land, do some science (You did bring science gear right?) and rendezvous/dock with your mother ship.

Step 5: How do I get back? Same way you got there. Wait for the window and burn when it's time. The great thing about Kerbin though is you can aerobrake, and if you over do it that's fine, because you were going to land anyway.

[Vanamonde]

As for construction, the first ship in this thread has made multiple trips to Dres, while hauling mission payloads.

[Tokay Gris]

I did have great vessel for basically all the planets (in different configurations, of course), but since you have to keep an eye on funds now, the countless refueling missions would be too expensive.

It had everything. Satellites for ScanSat and Kethane, a Kethane rover, lander for kerbals, science probe to land on its own, all on top of a cruiser with immens delta-V and acceptable TWR with enough crew space to take all kerbals back.

The cruiser was even able to land on Moho, refuel from the rover and lift up again fully fueled.

BUT it had to lift off from Kerbin practically empty. Took about four big tankers to get it all filled up again (with two of the really big tanks each).

When the contracts hit, one of these vessels was on its way to Dres.

[ArmchairGravy]

Dres can be tricky. It's small, in an inclined orbit, and airless. Its smallness means maneuver nodes have to be just so in order to intercept, and you'll still have to do some adjustments when you get close to SOI to get the trajectory and periapsis you want. The inclined orbit will suck dv both ways on the trip. The lack of air means no aerobrake, so there goes more dv. The good news is the same craft you can get to and from Layethe should get you to Dres and back. So if you have already done a Layethe return, just use that craft. Conversely, if you haven't done a Layethe return, the Dres return craft will do that job, tho you may need to upgrade the lander for Layethe. Good luck!