Collecting Debris that is far away from your shuttle/Space Station

[MrScreeps]

Hi everybody,

and sorry in advance if this is in the wrong category.

 

I recently made a rocket with multiple stages with parachutes, where i traveled a longer distance around kerbin. Now what i noticed though, is that the Parts that i dropped (they did not get destroyed) suddenly disappeared from the map, and i wasnt able to collect them later either. Same for some stages i dropped pretty close to my shuttle. 

Now my question: did these parts just get recovered automatically? And do i get the "refund" for them automatically as well? I know i couldve just looked at my money how it changed but i have to admit the numbers go up and down without me really getting from where (is there a finances mod or something like that maybe?).

Thank you guys for your help in advance, and im sorry my question is a bit chaotic 

[bewing]

No, dropped parts are considered "debris". They are automatically hidden (filtered) in map mode and in the tracking station. At the top of your screen in map mode and in the tracking station is a dropdown that allows you to change the filtering. If you look closely at it, you will see that the debris icon is black. If you click it, then all your debris will suddenly show up again.

Only debris that is physically landed on your launchpad or runways will be automatically recovered for money.

 

[Gargamel]

If you are interested in doing exactly what your question is asking, check out the mod StageRecovery. 

It will try to recover any stages that re-enter Kerbins atmosphere, and convert them to funds for you.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Gargamel

[pincushionman]

The specific details are that debris is unloaded, but continues to be tracked if it is “on rails” or is landed once it gets further than 2 km from you. If you turn on the debris filter like @bewing described, you can see any debris on the surface (*if* it survived), spent stages left in orbit, or anything on an impact course.

This debris will eventually get cleaned up automatically depending on the max debris setting you’re using and how dilligent you are about manual recovery/deletion.

Now, stuff on an impact trajectory is a different story. The debris, like any vessel, will be tracked on rails until it is below the surface of the body, whereupon it is assumed to have crashed and is deleted. Atmospheric bodies have an additional check - if the pressure is above 1% of kerbin sea level pressure, it assumes either burn-up or crash and deletes it. On Kerbin this corresponds to about 23 km altitude. The mod @Gargamel noted intercepts this check and does its own to decide whether to destroy or automatically recover.

 

[Gargamel]

5 hours ago, pincushionman said:

On Kerbin this corresponds to about 23 km altitude.

Which means, I'm assuming, that on rail crafts/debris above this mark will continue to orbit, and things under it will get destroyed?    I only ask because I had never figured out exactly where the cutoff was for de-orbiting stuff that I wanted to get rid of.   I've had stages and probes not burn up like I wanted them too until I focused on them and went for the ride.

On the same note, Stagerecovery will recover controllable craft (I don't know about manned, to scared to try) that you send back to Kerbin, as long as it meets the safe recovery criteria. 

[pincushionman]

5 hours ago, Gargamel said:

Which means, I'm assuming, that on rail crafts/debris above this mark will continue to orbit, and things under it will get destroyed?    I only ask because I had never figured out exactly where the cutoff was for de-orbiting stuff that I wanted to get rid of.   I've had stages and probes not burn up like I wanted them too until I focused on them and went for the ride. 

It’s what should happen. As long as you’re going a reasonable time warp, if you have a long enough stretch of orbit below 23 km, the game should eventually notice and delete the craft.

…I say “eventually” because of time-warp quirks. TW is essentially dropped frames, so at high time warp it’s entirely possible to end one frame prior to crossing the magic line, and the next [evaluated] frame finds the obcect on the other side, safely traveling up away frome the planet. With sufficiently high-energy or -eccentricity orbits, you can (or could; I haven’t checked whether that’s been fixed) even teleport ships through planets.

Edited May 23, 2018 by pincushionman