KSP and Duna

[LumbartDisco631]

I've recently had a problem with Kerbal Space Program, I was on this epic quest to sort of Colonize Duna, but when I Enter the atmosphere, there is no re-entry flames or anything, I deploy the parachutes at the selected altitude, and then my craft just slams into the ground, it's like the parachutes don't deploy normally because the atmosphere is "broken" or something:mad:

If anyone has any solutions please post them, I'd appreciate it a whole bunch

Thanks

LumbartDisco631

Edited November 21, 2014 by LumbartDisco631

[Vanamonde]

Got any mods installed? Does it happen on Kerbin as well?

[ArmchairGravy]

Make sure you're landing on a low plain, not a high mountain. Also, Duna has very little atmosphere, and regular chutes alone won't cut it. Drogue chutes will help some, but plan to burn some fuel to get down to a safe landing speed.

[PixelClef]

From the wiki:

Although parachutes will deploy on Duna, the atmosphere is so thin that they are usually unable to slow a craft to a safe landing velocity and must be assisted with engines.

I'm glad I looked it up. My first thought was that Duna had no atmosphere. Turns out it does, but very much thinner.

[zekes]

Yeah most of the time the atmosphere does nothing... No flames or chutes. Try to kill speed with some engines before you land or you will smear your lander all over the landscape

wings might help too... That is why people fly SSTO spaceplanes there

[Alshain]

Spaceplanes have the same problem that parachutes do. There isn't enough atmosphere for full drag on a parachute, there is also not enough atmosphere to create full lift. If you fly a plane there, it needs to have a larger wingspan than you would expect to use on Kerbin if you want to actually fly. It can also be hard to find a landing spot, again because it's hard to slow down in the low atmosphere and gravity. The good news is, the gravity is lower so getting back off the ground is pretty easy as your plane may have a TWR greater than 1 and can basically just be a rocket.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Alshain

[Treldon]

Actually chutes do work, though you do have to add more than normally. Use a parachute calculator to get the number you need

(Calculator in link might be outdated. But it did get me down safely all the time so far)

[Zylark]

My basic rule of thumb for landing on Duna, is to use a design I know lands well on Kerbin, and then quadruple the amount of chutes on it. Duna do come with one additional risk however - due to the thin atmosphere, you won't get slowed down all that much before the chutes fully open. And if all chutes open at once, due to the massive stress such rapid deceleration cause, your lander might very well rip itself apart - so set chutes to deploy fully in stages. First batch at say 1500 meters, next at 1000 meters and last at 500 meters. Just right click a chute, and you can set the altitude (above ground level) that they fully deploy at.

[LumbartDisco631]

Got any mods installed? Does it happen on Kerbin as well?

Got a whole bunch of mods installed +/- 33, and this doesn't happen on Kerbin somehow, but thanks

[LumbartDisco631]

My basic rule of thumb for landing on Duna, is to use a design I know lands well on Kerbin, and then quadruple the amount of chutes on it. Duna do come with one additional risk however - due to the thin atmosphere, you won't get slowed down all that much before the chutes fully open. And if all chutes open at once, due to the massive stress such rapid deceleration cause, your lander might very well rip itself apart - so set chutes to deploy fully in stages. First batch at say 1500 meters, next at 1000 meters and last at 500 meters. Just right click a chute, and you can set the altitude (above ground level) that they fully deploy at.

Thanks for the tips Zylark, appreciate it, is it just me or did Duna have a thicker atmosphere, probably because I never go there, but thanks very much

[LumbartDisco631]

Thanks a lot for all your tips guys, I will surely use them in the future, and I will surely post more threads :) :)

[SpacedCowboy]

Lots of good advice here concerning parachutes. However, if you're planning a return trip, make sure your kerbal(s) can reach all those chutes for repacking, then set them up in "action groups" for redeployment.