Tutorial:Mun Landing
This tutorial will show you how to land a Kerbal on the moon.
Contents
Build the Rocket
The kind of rocket that can get you to the Mun and back can be very, very heavy. The ideal sequence for a Mun rocket is 3-4 stages (though more or less are certainly possible).
Let's start from the top down:
The Upper Stage (Lander) should be deployed in Munar orbit, and should be capable of traveling to the surface of the moon, back to orbit, back to Kerbin orbit, and down into Kerbin's atmosphere. Sounds like a lot, but since most of this occurs in a region with a small gravity well and no atmosphere, it doesn't require much. A couple fuel tanks, a parachute, and at least one light thruster should do it (note that landing legs, RCS, and ASAS are recommended, but not necessary).
Note: It is possible to split this into two stages, 1 for the descent, and 1 for the return home. This is only recommended for heavier, more advanced landers.
The Middle Stage (Transfer Burn) should be run from just before/during Kerbin orbit, and should end during/after Munar orbit. Depending on how effective your first stage is, this stage should not require much more fuel than the upper stage.
Note: It is also possible to incorporate this stage with the landing stage, though it is not recommended.
The Lower Stage (Launch) Should be big enough to haul everything above it into (or at least close to) orbit above Kerbin. While not required, it is recommended that this stage incorporate some detachable Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs).
Travel light. The more you incorporate in the top stage, the more thrusters you'll have to add to the stage below, and so on and so forth.
Step 1- Launch
Same as any standard launch, presumably on a much larger scale. See Tutorial: Super-basic Orbiting for dummies.
At around 20,000m begin to tilt your craft east. We are going for a flat, stable, counterclockwise equatorial orbit (same as the Mun). Try to circularize your orbit around 150,000m, though any orbit above the atmosphere (70,000m) is fine. Going any higher than this is not recommended because circularizing a wide orbit just to reach the Mun would waste more fuel.
Ideally, you do not want to ditch your first stage until you have achieved orbit. If your rocket isn't capable of reaching orbit on the first stage, try adding some detachable fuel tanks.
Step 2- To the Mun
You will want your Apoapsis to intersect the moon's orbit. If you want to reach the moon on the first swing around, wait until Mun rises just above the horizon. Once it does, begin a forward burn, and keep an eye on your map, as the apoapsis moves out towards Munar orbit. Hopefully if you've done this right, you will be captured by Munar gravity on the first pass.
If you are, for some reason, not caught by the moon, just make sure that your apoapsis intersects the Mun's orbit. When you reach the apoapsis, perform another forward burn to widen your path on the Mun's orbit (but do not circularize!). This will give you a better chance of hitting the Mun, and you can just wait (or timewarp) until you do.
When you do, turn your craft around and retro thrust to slow down so you do not fly out. Keep the retro thrust going until you've formed a nice orbit around the Mun. Because it's gravity is substantially weaker than Kerbin, your velocity will not be very high.
Step 3- The Landing
Select your landing site along your orbital trajectory. Once you are above it, kill your horizontal velocity until the yellow marker sits at the top of the Navball. Eject any stages beneath the lander if you haven't already done so.
Begin a slow, vertical descent. Do not tip your lander over. Keep an eye on that yellow circle with the X in it on your navball, and stay pointed at that.
At 50,000m begin to reduce your velocity. It should probably not be any higher than 300-400m/s at this point. When you reach 10,000m, reduce your velocity to below 100m/s.
At 2,000m altitude, you should reduce to your final descent velocity of 6-12m/s. Any higher and you risk damaging the lander (and killing/stranding your brave astronaut on the Mun). Get your landing gear down if you haven't already done so.
If you are confident in your landing skills, aim for a flat surface to reduce complications during landing/takeoff. Typically the best place to find these spots is either on top of a hill, or at the bottom of a crater.
Gently touch down at 6m/s with as little horizontal velocity as possible. Congratulations! You've landed on the Mun.
Step 4- Getting Home
Getting from the Mun back to Kerbin is, fortunately, much easier. Before you attempt to do so, make sure that you have enough fuel for the return trip. If not, consider a rescue mission with a better-designed rocket.
Begin a slow vertical burn headed east, and try to get a low, circular, equatorial orbit around the moon headed east. You do not need a lot of thrust for this.
When you are on the far side of the Mun facing away from Kerbin, apply forward thrust until you are shot back into Kerbin's gravity well. Apply retro thrust until the orbit intersects Kerbin.
If you are worried about coming in too fast, aim for a very shallow descent to aerobrake and bleed some of that extra velocity off.
See also
