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Duna[]

Duna

Duna is the fourth planet of the Kerbol system. It is the Mars analog for Kerbal Space Program and is mostly red with polar icecaps. It has one natural satellite; Ike. Due to Ike's size and proximity, Ike and Duna are almost tidally locked to each other. Making Ike look like its slinging left and right when Duna rotates.

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. Duna is often the easiest planet to achieve encounters because of a low orbital inclination.

Topography[]

Duna's terrain ranges in altitude from 23 to 4740 meters. Its mountainous ranges are a peril to landing craft, especially considering the thin atmosphere, where very little aerobraking can be done safely. Duna's icy poles are quite expansive and are the result of a thin atmosphere.

Duna has several craters, but they appear quite eroded, presumably from wind. There is also a region with deep holes (some over 1km deep), which seem much too steep to be impact craters (maybe sinkholes?).

There are several maria (large regions of dark soil) at exactly 0 meters altitude. Their flatness and low altitude which allow for more aerobraking make them easy but boring landing locations.

Duna's surface contains anomolous features.

Biomes[]

Duna has 14 Biomes. Within the generic mix of Low-, Mid- and Highlands lie various Basins and Canyons with some scattered craters. The most dominant feature is the Midland Sea, which spans half the Planet. The Poles also include separate Highlands and Craters.

Biome list:[]

  • Poles
  • Polar Highlands
  • Polar Craters
  • Highlands
  • Midlands
  • Lowlands
  • Craters
  • Midland Sea
  • Northeast Basin
  • Southern Basin
  • Northern Shelf
  • Midland Canyon
  • Eastern Canyon
  • Western Canyon

Atmosphere[]

Duna's atmosphere begins at 50,000 m. It is only 20% as dense as Kerbin's at altitude 0 and is even less dense (relative to Kerbin) at higher altitudes. This effect becomes especially noticeable at Duna's highest points, where its atmosphere is only 21% as dense as its atmosphere at altitude 0. (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.


Atmospheric flight[]

The thickness of Duna's atmosphere makes it suitable for aerocapture from a high-speed interplanetary intercept. 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 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.

Although 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. Parachute performance can be particularly troubling when attempting to land in highland areas. Attaining the same vehicle descent rate on Duna that a vehicle would have on Kerbin requires about 2.5 times the parachute area.

Below 5 km Duna's atmosphere is thick enough to allow wings to generate enough lift for aerodynamic flight. Jet engines don't work for want of oxygen, but other propulsion methods work well. Performing a horizontal landing with a plane is also possible.

Info[]

Orbital Characteristics
Semi-Major Axis 20 726 155 264 m (1)
Apoapsis 21 783 189 163 m (1)
Periapsis 19 669 121 365 m (1)
Orbital Eccentricity 0.05
Orbital Inclination 0.06 °
Argument of periapsis {{{pe arg}}} °
Longitude of the ascending node {{{an arg}}} °
Mean Anomaly 3.14 rad (at 0s UT)
Siderial orbital period 17 315 400 s
200 d 9 h 50 m 0.1 s
Synodic orbital period 19 645 699 s
227 d 9 h 8 m 19 s
Orbital Velocity 7 147 to 7 915 m/s
Physical Characteristics
Equatorial Radius 320 000 m
Surface Area 1.2867964×1012 m2
Mass 4.5154812×1021 kg
Gravitational Parameter 3.0136321×1011 m3/s2
Density 32 897.696 kg/m3
Surface Gravity 2.94 m/s2
Escape Velocity 1 372.41 m/s
Sidereal Rotation Period 65 517.859 s
18 h 11 m 57.9 s
Sidereal Rotational Velocity 30.688 m/s
Synchronous Orbit 2 880.00 km
Sphere of Influence 47 921 949 m
Highest elevation 4740 m
Atmospheric Characteristics
Atmosphere Present Yes
Atmospheric Pressure 20.3 kPa
0.2 atm
Scale Height 3000 m
Atmospheric Height 50 000 m
2.0×10-7 atm
Temperaturemin -50.24 °C 222.91 K
Temperaturemax -30.17 °C 242.98 K
Oxygen Present No

Trivia[]

  • Duna was originally called "Egar" and was in orbit of Meander, the precursor of Jool. It was described as half icy wasteland, half desert.
  • According to former developer NovaSilisko, Duna's appearance was inspired by the theory that ice ages on Mars may have brought the ice caps much closer to its equator. - Meaning that Duna might be in a ice age.
  • Duna's name may be either a reference to its desert landscape or a reference to the Frank Herbert novel Dune.
  • The low-lying areas near Duna's equator make a shape resembling Europe.
  • It may be possible to reach Duna by year 1, day 2(The next Kerbin Day) by launching immediately with a delta-v of over 2 million m/s
  • Before 0.21, Duna was a more attractive planet with less procedural terrain. While there was a lower overall terrain definition, the majority of the planet was more deliberate and varied and higher in quality. The current version of Duna is covered in procedural lumps and bumpiness, resulting in a distinctly "samey" appearance.
  • Duna's color map uses some details that are blended in from the old Duna color map (as well as procedural PQSLandControl coloration) however, this color map is from the old version of Duna, before its "revamp" in 0.21. The color map references features which no longer exist on Duna, and is offset by about 180 degrees longitude.
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