How to achieve reentry with bigger crafts?
After getting the basics of the game down, I decided to grab some tourist missions for the money. I decided to take 2 missions (6 tourists) in a single launch.
I have tried multiple designs but nothing worked, the ship would flip around and destroy unless I constantly steered it
And say I wanted to go bigger, maybe re-enter with my entire Minmus lander, or get those Science Jr.s back how could I survive reentry?
I landed this time by spinning my craft wildly to stop the heating, but some just don't turn as well and get stuck pointing prograde. Is this strategy possible to replicate consistently or should I plan a well structured reentry module, and if so, how? Also does the trajectory drastically affect reentry?
Best Answer
Gedas' answer mostly covers it. But I wanted to add a few other notes on surviving entry:
Vessel width: A wider vessel, say 2.5m will slow faster than a narrow vessel because of air resistance.
Vessel length: This isn't really about length, but weight. A heavy vessel will slow slower...
Vessel angle: Scott Manley, patron saint of rocket science (praise be upon him) did a fantastic video on how vessel angle can generate aerodynamic lift, increasing your time in atmosphere, and hence decreasing your heating.
Wings: Following on from that, I have added winglets, in reverse, on capsules to control heating. It's not a good idea if you don't have fairings to start with (covering the winglets on launch) and it won't work if you plan to get orbital again, but it can help.
Service bays: Now we're really getting advanced. If you hide your winglets inside a service bay, closing the bay will 100% eliminate the lift they generate. That can be helpful if you want to be able to launch without fairings and have control on the way back down. Or if you want to repeated launch without your winglets flipping you backwards, but land (with bay doors opens) with some control.
Drogue chutes: If you manage to survive entry heating but are still spearing into the ground at 500 m/s, try adding a drogue chute.
Spin: The best star-pilot in the galaxy once said, "I'll try spinning, that's a good trick". He was right. Sometimes, spinning can help decrease heat stress.
Piloting is key: 99.9% of the time piloting a vessel will increase the chances of survival. If you're having a problem with heating, you will certainly die if you're not actively flying.
Heat shielding: KSP has kindly included heat shields. Use them. And make sure they're pointing towards the heat, they don't work if you put them in the wrong direction.
Decrease weight: A heavy vessel slows slower. Trying dropping engines, fuel, fuel tanks or any other dead weight if you can. Land as little weight as possible.
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