Performing a horizontal landing with a plane is also possible. Jet engines don't work for want of oxygen, but other propulsion methods work well. Attaining the same vehicle descent rate on Duna that a vehicle would have on Kerbin requires about 2.5 times the parachute area.īelow 5 km Duna's atmosphere is thick enough to allow wings to generate enough lift for aerodynamic flight. Parachute performance can be particularly troubling when attempting to land in highland areas. The most effective periapsis for aerocapture is best determined experimentally however, for a Hohmann transfer originating from Kerbin, it appears that the target range lies between 10 km and 20 km.Īlthough parachutes will deploy on Duna, the atmosphere is so thin that they are usually unable to slow a craft to a safe landing velocity and must be assisted with engines. The periapsis altitude required for a successful aerocapture depends on the spacecraft's drag characteristics, its approach velocity, and the desired apoapsis of the resulting orbit. The thickness of Duna's atmosphere makes it suitable for aerocapture from a high-speed interplanetary intercept. (For comparison, on Kerbin, the atmosphere at the highest peaks is 45% as thick as at sea level.) This lack of density will cause parachutes to semi-deploy much lower, just over 10km for the Mk25 and just under 9km for all the other parachutes. This effect becomes especially noticeable at Duna's highest points, where its atmosphere is only 21% as dense as its atmosphere at altitude 0. It is only 20% as dense as Kerbin's at altitude 0 and is even less dense (relative to Kerbin) at higher altitudes. The Poles also include separate Highlands and Craters.ĭuna's atmosphere begins at 50,000 m. The most dominant feature is the Midland Sea, which spans half the Planet. Within the generic mix of Low-, Mid- and Highlands lie various Basins and Canyons with some scattered craters.

Their flatness and low altitude which allow for more aerobraking make them easy but boring landing locations.ĭuna's surface contains anomolous features.ĭuna has 14 Biomes. There are several maria (large regions of dark soil) at exactly 0 meters altitude. There is also a region with deep holes (some over 1km deep), which seem much too steep to be impact craters (maybe sinkholes?). Duna's icy poles are quite expansive and are the result of a thin atmosphere.ĭuna has several craters, but they appear quite eroded, presumably from wind.

Its mountainous ranges are a peril to landing craft, especially considering the thin atmosphere, where very little aerobraking can be done safely. Duna is often the easiest planet to achieve encounters because of a low orbital inclination.ĭuna's terrain ranges in altitude from 23 to 4740 meters. With proper aerobraking, a round trip from Kerbin to Duna's orbit and back requires roughly 1700 m/s of delta-v, less than a round trip to any other planet. Making Ike look like its slinging left and right when Duna rotates. Due to Ike's size and proximity, Ike and Duna are almost tidally locked to each other. It is the Mars analog for Kerbal Space Program and is mostly red with polar icecaps.

Duna is the fourth planet of the Kerbol system.

Kerbal space program dv map