Flight Question Mars-Reentry: Next Steps?

[orb]

I tried, but Orbiter.cfg gets re-written and the line removed everytime I load any scenario? (Although I read orb's post so it doesn't seem to matter, just wondering, though).

If you add something to Orbiter.cfg manually, make sure that Orbiter is closed (the orbiter.exe process isn't running), otherwise your changes will be lost.

That line shouldn't be removed after Orbiter.cfg has been re-saved by Orbiter, if it isn't the default Orbiter setting and you use Orbiter 2010-P1 or later.

 

[blane]

Orbiter was terminated, including launch pad. The file gets rewritten when I start a scenario (not the launchpad). But this is a bit off-topic here...

 

[Donamy]

Slightly OT question ? Are the aerodynamics for Mars modeled at all in Orbiter ?

 

[Fabri91]

What do you mean? It does have an atmosphere which should be reasonably accurate.

 

[Pipcard]

Yesterday, I attempted landing on Mars with the XR2 and suprisingly, there were no entry flames (temperatures didn't really get above 0 degrees Celsius either).

01. Deorbit burn at the opposite side of the planet (using AerobrakeMFD)
02. As I get lower and lower, I activate the attitude autopilot (about 40 degrees AOA) and use the AerobrakeMFD's map to aim about 200 km short of the target.
03. Close radiators at 50-40 km
04. Once I get to just above 1 km/s at just below 10 km alt. (e.g. 1.2 km/s at 8 km), I go to zero pitch, open retro and hover doors, and use the BaseSyncMFD, BurnTimeCalcMFD, and VTOL MFD to make a lunar-style landing.

 

[Cras]

It is quite easy to even deorbit Earth and do so without ever seeing Entry Flames. One of the reasons I don't like to use th 110-90 degree anticipation of the landing site.

Mars, with even thinner atmo, I would expect to almost never see it. As I used to use a method where I just get on top of the base, kill velocity, arm the hover auto pilot, and just fall ontop of the base, I never saw flames.

However, when I get back to Mars, I am going to give your procedure a try.

 

[Pipcard]

Mars, with even thinner atmo, I would expect to almost never see it. As I used to use a method where I just get on top of the base, kill velocity, arm the hover auto pilot, and just fall ontop of the base, I never saw flames.

Mine is more fuel-efficient.

(By the way, all of my previous posts in this thread stating that I didn't want to use IMFD were actually meant to be about BaseSyncMFD. I use BaseSync to tell the distance and time to the base, but not for atmospheric entry. (ant, alt, and rea))