Cosmos Bird 2

Credit: Screenshots were captured in Solar System by deepfriedfrenchtoast.

When fully fueled, Cosmos Bird 2 can land in a 300-km circular orbit around Mars and then return to orbit. The following description is based on Mars and Earth in RSS, but it can perform other missions as well.

Crew capacity: 12

Launch: If launched in a fairing, the fairing diameter must be set close to the maximum diameter of the limit, and some Z-axis offset is required to fit it completely into the fairing. At full fuel, it is almost impossible to launch from the Martian surface, but it can be placed directly in orbit.

Power: Landing from a 300 km circular orbit around Mars may consume more than half of its power, so it is recommended to land only when fully charged. Recharging on the Martian surface using solar panels may take more than a dozen Martian days. Recharging using a fuel cell (AG 2) is faster, if the remaining Delta-V is sufficient.

Mars Landing: It must decelerate before entering the dense region of the atmosphere to prevent heat damage. In the final stages of landing, the deviation between its ignition orientation and its locked direction can become significant.

Liftoff from Mars: 60 degrees pitch and 100% throttle at launch.

Return to Earth: The periapsis needs to be sufficiently low (e.g., 30 km) to prevent excessive heat damage. Then activate AG 5, the remaining process will be automatic. This procedure applies to reentry to Earth. AG5 can only be used once, so confirm the orbit before activation. If AG 5 is accidentally activated, the crew module can dock with other spacecraft via the docking port on top to rescue the crew. Note: During reentry, the crew's seating should ideally be symmetrical to prevent heat damage due to crew module attitude shift.