How can I calculate if something can land on an atmosphere-less body?
As a part of a contract I'm bringing a surface outpost of ~10t to the surface of Minmus. I want to land that thing intact and for that I need to calculate how much engines/thrust/fuel I need on the landing device, so that I can bring impact velocity down to minimal numbers.
I would really like to bring some kerbalnauts on board, so trial & error does not seem a viable option.
How can I calculate how much delta-v/thrust/etc do I need to allow my craft to slow down fast enough?
Best Answer
This becomes trivial to calculate if you have Kerbal Engineer Redux installed. It will tell you how much dV you have in each stage. Then you can refer to a delta-V map to figure out the minimum dV needed to get from here to there.
For Kerbal -> Minmus, you need:
- 4550 to get into low orbit (80km)
- 930 to get to Minmus intercept
- 160 to get into orbit (10km)
- 180 to land
It doesn't matter whether you are moving 100t or 10t, you need to calculate the dV for each stage.
Delta-V map links:
http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/120030-1-0-Delta-V-Maps-and-Atmospheric-Charts
Pictures about "How can I calculate if something can land on an atmosphere-less body?"
What planets have atmospheres KSP?
The celestial bodies with atmospheres are the planets Eve, Kerbin, Duna and Jool, as well as Laythe, a moon of Jool. Only Kerbin and Laythe have atmospheres that contain oxygen and thus produce intake air for jet engines to work. Atmospheres allow aerobraking and easier landing.What is Kerbins atmosphere?
101.325 kPa. 1 atm. Atmospheric height. 70 000 m. 1.0\xd710-6 atm.Where does space begin KSP?
80 km or 100 km.Kinematics Part 3: Projectile Motion
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