It could take a few passes to slow down enough. Aim for a PE of 25-30km and you will slow down for free in the atmosphere. Once you have an encounter with Kerbin use radial adjustments just as you did with the other planet. Your orbit may already be elliptical (oval shaped rather than circular), so you can just wait a few orbits for a closer approach and/or adjust it with RI/RO (at the opposite end from where your orbit touches Kerbin’s. Once back in a solar orbit, do the same steps again, except your target is Kerbin. This keeps the orbit mostly unchanged, making it easier to get back home. If needed, adjust again as you get closer. Make it as large as possible without losing the encounter. Once you get an encounter, if it is a moon or a planet with no moons, you should adjust your PE with the target while you are still far away. Often you will increase RI or RO a bit, then PG/RG a bit, then RI/RO, then PG/RG… Sometimes extending a bit past the target’s orbit helps, since you will have two points where the orbits cross orbit rather than one. Once you get close enough, adjust with a RI/RO burn and possibly further tweaks to PG/RG. You can also try waiting another full orbit for better positioning. If your target has a smaller orbit, then if you are ahead of it do your maneuver later, and if you are behind it, then earlier. If it is behind the target, move the maneuver later in your orbit. If your target has a bigger orbit and the initial placement puts you ahead of it at your closest approach, then move your maneuver earlier. So save a little weight (and get more range), by taking off the unnecessary parts (ladder, wheels, and legs from the top section) and save it under a new name.įrom your initial orbit match inclinations with your target, then try setting up a PG or RG maneuver (to make your orbit larger or smaller) and dragging it around to different places in your orbit. For the missions to the other planets, however, it won’t be landing. The rocket you just used served well (if totally overkill) for the mission to the Mun.

How to get kerbal space program free