Early stage mission problems

[PolarBjornen]

I recently started playing KSP and I have some problems finishing a contract. It is about testing the LV-T45 liquid fuel engine between 19k meters and 24k meters at a speed between 370ms and 540ms. After I land the spacecraft the contract still says "incomplete" even though the spacecraft accomplished all the tasks. What do I need to do in order to complete the contract?

[Snark]

Hello, and welcome to the forums! 

Moving this to "Gameplay Questions", since that's the forum for this sort of thing.

 

2 hours ago, PolarBjornen said:

What do I need to do in order to complete the contract?

Depends on the contract-- you need to read it carefully.  What's the exact wording?  Broadly speaking, this kind of altitude-and-speed contract comes in two different flavors, typically worded something like this:

• "Haul <part> into flight over Kerbin"
• "Test <part> in flight over Kerbin"

The operative word here is "haul" versus "test".  Both types of contract typically have both speed and altitude requirements, but there's a crucial difference between the two:

• "Haul" contracts only require you to get to the specified speed & altitude with the specified part on board.  You don't have to actually do anything.  The contract completes instantly the moment you meet the criteria.
• "Test" contracts require you to run a test while you're meeting the criteria.  The contract only completes when you run the test.

From what you've written, I'm guessing that what you have is a "test" contract, not a "haul" one.  So, the missing step here is that you didn't actually run the test.

There are generally two ways to run the test:

1. If it's a stageable part-- such as an engine-- then activating it via the staging sequence generally counts as running the test.
2. Almost always (and regardless of whether it's a stageable part or not), the part's right-click menu will have a "Run Test" button on it while the contract is active.

So, assuming that that's what you've got, you could complete the contract in one of two ways:

• Option #1:  Build a rocket that puts the LV-T45 in the second stage (i.e. you don't take off from the launchpad with it).  Using some other engine, fly the rocket until it's between 19k-24k meters altitude, and between 340-570 m/s speed.  (A handy way to keep track of this is to have the contracts window open while you're flying.  The individual criteria will get little green check marks next to them when they're satisfied.  So just wait until both check marks are lit up green.)  Then, as soon as you're "in the zone", just hit the space bar to activate the LV-T45 and you're done.
• Option #2:  Build any rocket you like, as long as it has an LV-T45 on it.  (You can use it in your first stage to launch off the pad, if you like-- doesn't matter.)  Fly it to the target combination of speed/altitude.  As soon as it's "in the zone", right-click on the engine to call up its menu window, then click the "Run Test" button.  That completes the contract.

 

 

[Kryxal]

Also, you can use the test engine to launch for a staging-required contract, so long as you activate it by the right-click menu.  This means you can easily stage it later on, and it will still count.

There's also staging it, then fiddling with the stage order, but you don't need the hassle.

[PolarBjornen]

On 6/12/2017 at 8:22 AM, Snark said:

<stuff>

Thank you for the answer. It was the second option I needed to do, and it worked!