Difference between revisions of "Duna"

A topographic map of Duna made with the ISA MapSat plugin

Duna is a iron-rich planet which has greatly varying land altitude, the consequence of which is very difficult judgment of a safe landing position. Its mountainous ranges are a peril to landing craft, especially considering the thin atmosphere, where very little aerobraking can be done safely. It is important to slow one's ship down before coming into the atmosphere, to ensure a safe descent. There are several maria, or large regions of Dark soil at, exactly 0 meters altitude. These are ideal landing locations due to their low altitude, and thicker atmosphere for aerobraking. Its two poles are very expansive and are the result of a thin atmosphere. The central regions make a shape resembling Europe.

A comparison of the atmospheres of Duna and Kerbin

Duna's atmosphere begins at 41,446 m. It is only 20% as dense as Kerbin's at altitude 0 and is even less dense (relative to Kerbin) at higher altitudes.

Like all atmospheres in the game, Duna's atmosphere fades exponentially with increasing altitude (with a scale height of 3000 m). In general, the atmospheric pressure on Duna at an altitude expressed in meters is:^[1]

${\displaystyle p_{d}=0.2\ e^{-altitude/3000}}$

Parachutes work at lower efficiency than on Kerbin, making powered descent necessary when landing from orbit (unless your craft is a glider or just a pod with a parachute).

The following table gives terminal velocities at different Duna altitudes. These are also the velocities at which a ship should travel for a fuel-optimal ascent from Duna, given the game's model of atmospheric drag.^[2]