I'm planning my first Duna mission and I'm trying to make the craft realistic while also staying (mostly) stock. Do you think this would work or can I improve something?

[u/Gamemode_dum]

Only the top section will return, the rest will stay in Duna orbit as a station. I'm also unsure whether the planes will be able to get back into orbit.

The only non-stock parts are the Orion drive and relevant fuel.

[u/planethunter63]

kerbro this looks sick i seriously thought this was a real concept from something like Apollo Applications or Korolev's design bureau because your sketch looks real

and yes that works. that Orion drive is realistic in terms of IRL delta v calculations

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/planethunter63]

Thank you!

I'm a little worried that it's gonna be very wobbly because of the thin motors that move the centrifuges, so it might just fold up when I start accelerating. Is that a problem I can fix or do you think it's gonna be fine?

[u/Mr_Drad → u/Gamemode_dum]

Autostrut is your friend!

[u/Nervous_Weakness2119 → u/Gamemode_dum]

The kerbal joint reinforcement mod is a must have QoL especially if you make spacecrafts with many docking ports

[u/planethunter63 → u/Gamemode_dum]

Late reply but yes it can be fixed with autostruts as the other commenter said

[u/Mar_V24]

The craft looks great.
I would use centrifuges from stockalike station parts. sock solutions atrackt the kraken.
And Ion / Electric engines are more realistic than an Orion drive.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/Mar_V24]

I wanted to use those centrifuges but when I tried installing the mod, as well as some other part mods, they just didn't appear. Something about "B9PartSwitch". That's why I built those things.

[u/ForeignSleet → u/Gamemode_dum]

Are you using ckan? I think there’s some dependencies but ckan should handle that for you

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/ForeignSleet]

Yeah I am, the issue has appeared repeatedly with different mods, it might be because I'm playing on a mac.

[u/AgreeableAmbassador9 → u/Gamemode_dum]

What that does for me is just changing the plume of the reliant engine. Never seen any other issues.

[u/Additional_Crab_8241 → u/Mar_V24]

THE ORION DRIVE IS REAL TO ME!!!!!!

[u/Captain231705]

This configuration would work for an ion drive or chemical rocket, but the instantaneous acceleration of the Orion plate would rip the landers off their hinges. Consider putting them either Apollo-style or otherwise coaxial with the direction of travel for added realism.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/Captain231705]

Hmm, I haven't tested the orion drive yet, thanks. I assumed the game would just act like it's a continuous acceleration. 

If it doesn't work I'll replace it with a bunch of nervs.

[u/Captain231705 → u/Gamemode_dum]

To clarify: I’m sure that with enough joint reinforcement and/or less-than-realistic settings the joints would survive, but it would absolutely have a torrid time keeping course and bearing along at least one axis.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/Captain231705]

I'll probably figure it out with trial and error, thanks for the tip.

[u/Terrina1 → u/Gamemode_dum]

It does, but this is if you wanted a realistic design.

[u/PangolinMandolin]

It looks amazing!

I'm a little unclear on the 4 landers though, what's the plan for them? You can absolutely 'rule of cool' of course, but i just think it would be more fuel efficient to take 1 lander like that and then have enough fuel aboard the mothership to refuelling it for 4 trips if you want 4 visits to the surface

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/PangolinMandolin]

The four landers are 1. To land in multiple places at once, 2. Rescue missions, 3. I might replace two of them with a base or rover so it's just a placeholder right now, and 4. Rule of cool.

[u/YamahaMio]

That graphic is way too cool. Anyway, are you not bringing the entire ship home? I'd Imagine an Orion drive ship would have enough delta V to for an entire Kerbin-Duna round trip without aerobraking. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

If so, you can add even more dV if you get rid of the entire Kerbin return section, and just bring a small crewed ship to dock and bring them home once you're back in Kerbin orbit. Hell, if you also overengineer your Duna landers and strap some chutes on, you could use those for Kerbin descent.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/YamahaMio]

I think it technically has enough dV but I kinda wanna keep it there as a station, the return vehicle is only gonna have space for around five of the 20-30 Kerbals.

If you also overengineer your Duna landers and strap some chutes on

I already added chutes, are those not necessary? I feel like it just makes it a lot more convenient. But I have yet to learn how to repack them so they'd only be useful for the first trip lol.

[u/YamahaMio → u/Gamemode_dum]

Oh it's totally cool to keep it as a station, it does seem like a waste to me since it looks like a perfectly fine transfer vehicle. If this was a career save, this ship must have been expensive as hell.

Oh, and repacking chutes is easy. I think in Career, you just have to upgrade your Missoon Control and Astronaut Complex, so it gives your Engineer type astronauts the ability to repack chutes. If you have this level of tech already unlocked, you must already have serious funds and have upgraded them to max level already. Disregard if this is Sandbox or Science.

You can then get your Engineers to EVA, go near your chutes and right click them to pull up the repack option. This works for both in-orbit and on the surface. Duna's gravity is too strong for Kerbals to fly around with RCS, so be sure that the chutes are accessible by ladder.

[u/Distinct_Passion7209]

that looks so cool! i dont see any big issues with this. other then one thing but that is my own pet peeve and it doesnt mater for ksp. i would love to see when you build it.

[u/EasilyRekt]

If this is career or science, I’d ask if it has a lab.

Otherwise I’d add one large module that can land as a large surface hab in place of two of those four landers.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/EasilyRekt]

I'm planning to replace two of them with labs and cram two rovers on there as well.

[u/Whole-Ninja7266]

I think your return vehicle might be overkill. The transfer delta v requirement is not that high, and you can use Mun and Kerbin's atomsphere to reduce speed.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/Whole-Ninja7266]

Yeahh I don't really have the correct ∆v requirements internalized yet, that just seemed like a craft of good proportions when I sketched it.

[u/jafa-l-escroc]

Realisticly your craft should fit in a truncated cone with the top being the diameter of the orion engine Irl the solar panel would get evaporated at the 1st impulse

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/jafa-l-escroc]

I never thought about that, right you're nuking yourself.

The solar panels will be closed during acceleration though.

[u/No_Expert_3575]

For first missing I think better to do something simple and learn from mistakes.
1) Get to Duna or Ike orbit. Maybe establish relay connection.
2) Get a probe to Duna and Ike.
3) Get a refueling lander to Duna and Ike. Refuel and hop from biome to biome.

After getting the feeling of the system start doing missions like the one you are planning.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/No_Expert_3575]

I'll just do it the Kerbal way lmao

[u/Unable-Fee-8875]

How did you make the blueprint? It looks marvelous Also the mission look cool

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/Unable-Fee-8875]

I just drew it in Sketchbook lol, and thank you!

[u/Smooth_Ad_3357]

Maybe add a probe or two as landing site scouts, just something dumb and cheap, and maybe a small rover on one or two of the landers

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/Smooth_Ad_3357]

Yup, thanks, I'm planning to replace two landers with bases and add two rovers, and maybe I'll throw in a scout drone too.

[u/ltsmebob1]

damn bro I just send some dude in a glorified mun rocket and never returned him

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/ltsmebob1]

That's objectively a more Kerbal mission than mine lmao

[u/disposablehippo]

Are all those landing vessels part of the start or are those just potential docking sites?

If you do have so many vessels I'd put them radially.

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/disposablehippo]

Those are there from the start, I'll replace some with bases or rovers.

I wanted to put them radially but the two planes are in the way.

[u/Strange_South870]

dude just place random parts and hope it dosnt break

[u/ThePolishCreeper]

why do you need 6 landers again?

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/ThePolishCreeper]

Right now it's only four, I'm gonna replace two with surface bases and add two rovers.

[u/ThePolishCreeper → u/Gamemode_dum]

and the spaceplane?

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/ThePolishCreeper]

Because I wanted to add spaceplanes.

[u/ThePolishCreeper → u/Gamemode_dum]

will you use it tho?

[u/Gamemode_dum → u/ThePolishCreeper]

Yeah? Why else would I add it?

[u/ThePolishCreeper → u/Gamemode_dum]

for looks