This tutorial is now outdated, you may have a look here:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/forum/index.php?topic=11930.msg183373#msg183373
![](http://www.arcadians.net/sigs/Purple%20Mish.gif)
Low temperature re-entry for DGIII (without the need for hover thrusters).
Have a problem with re-entry for the DGIII?
The following is a time tested and refined low temp re-entry procedure that has worked for me 100
% of the time without fail.
DGIII Specs Used:
4 passenger
15 day O2 reserves
Default (iss & moon) Fuel reserve
Mark IV engine
(Please forgive the following pics that are included as they were taken at a 1024 * 768 resolution.)
I started by leaving Mir, the procedure will work from the ISS as well as long as you adjust your
orbit plane and altitude to what I have come to call the (re-entry Orbit) before the re-entry burn.
As we leave Mir the Orbit will look like this
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Leaving%20Mir.jpgThe first thing I do is adjust the plane to better intercept the KSC arrival so that you arrive at a 90
degree heading. (remember, this also applies for an ISS departure). The reason I chose this plane
is because it is the most forgiving as it allows 2 – 3 orbits for the deorbit burn window with the
landing zone still relatively close to KSC at the end of the re-entry interface.
To adjust the plane wait until your ship intercepts the equator as seen here
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Plane%201.jpgYou will also note that the topmost circled point in the orbit is below the longitude line. The goal is
to do a (orbit normal +) burn until the orbit passes just under the KSC longitude line as seen here
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Plane%202.jpgOr in the case of the ISS orbit you must do a (orbit antinormal -) burn.
Now that we have the right plane for the “re-entry orbit” its time to make sure we have the right
altitude. I have refined the “re-entry orbit” to 370 km, as this has worked best for me during my
trials for a cooler re-entry as seen here.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Raise%20Orbit%20370.jpgWe have the right plane and altitude for the “re-entry orbit” all we have to do now is wait until the
orbit plane is close to the KSC as seen here in the left MFD.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Re-entry%20Orbit.jpgIt’s now time to place the DGIII retrograde and wait for the re-entry burn. As tested this will
occure at a distance of
(19.86 M)<-- UPDATED“after you pass” KSC. And should look like this
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Re-entry%20burn%201.jpgBegin the burn and stop once you have reached a 6.435 ped on the orbit screen or a re-entry
angle of 0.73 and at least a 64000 M on the deorbiting display like this
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Re-entry%20burn%202.jpgUse RCS Lin to fine tune the angle.
After the burn, turn prograde and lets get the weight right. For this I have found that around 16 KT
is best. So we dump fuel until it looks like this.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Reduce%20weight.jpgEverything is looking good so far. At 130 km from the surface enter PRO104SPEC35. yep “35” not
40 as seen here. This happens as we pass just under Hawaii.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/PRO104SPEC35.jpgAs we continue our decent, the 35 degree angle will give us a little lift as well as apply a little
resistance to slow us down in what I like to call Phase 1 of the re-entry interface. This phase is the
longest of the 4 steps to follow and can be compared to lightly pressing on the brakes in a long
coast down a hill with a car. And should look like this.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Phase%201.jpgEventually the DGIII will begin to fall again due to lack of speed as it is slowly reduced in Phase 1
at 35 degrees. As we get lower the heat will begin to take effect and here is where you must be
ready to alter the Angle of the DGIII. As soon as the tail section reads 310 c the overheat alarm
will sound as seen here.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Phase%201.5.jpgAnd you must immediately press number 2 on the number pad to increase the re-entry autopilot to
40 degrees. This will cool the tail section while increasing your drag and the Gs will begin to
increase, like this.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Phase%202.jpgSoon the tail heat will again rise to 310 c when it does press number 2 on the number pad again
to raise the Angle to 45 degrees as seen here.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Phase%203.jpgAnd finally the tail heat will once again reach 310 c and for the last time press number 2 to raise
the angle to 50 degrees. Like this.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Phase%204.jpgEach step up increases your drag and stall ratio while cooling your tail section and each step
occurs faster then the last. But once you have reached 50 degree angle all we can do now is wait
for Max heat and Max G to occur as we are now at maximum breaking angle.
http://www.arcadians.net/images/Orbiter/Max%20heat.jpg The heat should not go past 330 c and the Gs should be around 4.7 for a few seconds before the
DGIII slows down enough to cool and complete the re-entry interface.
At around 1.000 K speed or near Mach 3 – 4 press “C” key twice to release the re-entry autopilot.
You should now be between 150 – 200 Kilometers from KSC and can prepare for your final
approach and landing.
Here is a checklist I use to help me that you can copy paste into a word file for printing.
Re-entry Orbit
- Undock from Station
- Adjust orbit plane at equator for KSC 90 degree approach
- Adjust altitude to 370 km 0 ECC
- Wait for final orbit
- Retrograde Burn at 19.86 “after passing KSC”
(Updated) - Burn until 6.435 PED (0.73 angle 64000 D2)
- Prograde and dump fuel to 16 kt weight
- At 130 km enter PRO 104 SPEC 35
- When tail heat reaches 310 c press “Num 2” for 40 degrees
- When tail heat reaches 310 c press “Num 2” for 45 degrees
- When tail heat reaches 310 c press “Num 2” for 50 degrees
- Max Tail Heat & completion of re-entry interface
- Turn off re-entry autopilot at 1.000 k speed ( Mach 3 – 4 )
- Final Approach and landing.
I hope this helps with your future re-entry’s
Good Luck Pilots.
Michelle
Post Edited ( 02-09-05 14:44 )