Apoapsis increasing without propulsion

[criverod1988]

KSP: 0.25 Windows 8 - 64 Bit

Mods installed:

Kerbal Engineer

MechJeb2

StationScience

EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements

Problem:

I have suffered this bug three times with completely different ships. A few seconds after reaching orbit, the apoapsis starts increasing really fast, achieving an escape trajectory in about a minute. The engines and RCS are shutdown, there is no fuel consumption. The ship just accelerates without any apparent reason. I cannot increase time compression, because the game considers the ship is accelerating. Using the engines doesn't seem to have any effect. If I wait enough, sometimes some pieces of the ship break apart. In other cases the whole ship explodes.

In two of the cases I experienced another bug with the same ships. I stayed many minutes in the launch pad to wait a station to fly over. Then, after first stage ignition, there was no lift off. The ship just stayed in the platform until fuel ran out. I reverted the flight to launch and started ignition inmediately, achieving an easy lift off, but after reaching orbit, the former apoapsis-increasing bug appeared.

There is obviously a connection between both bugs, because I have never seen one without the other.

Reproduction steps:

This is the last ship with which I experienced both bugs:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31996699/Station%20Resupply.craft

1) Wait an hour in the launch pad and then start ignition with full throttle. It will stay in the launch pad.

2) Revert flight to launch.

3) Lift off inmediately and reach a 75km orbit using MechJeb.

4) Wait a few seconds until the apoapsis starts increasing.

Note: I have just followed this steps and I was able to succesfully dock with the station. I assume the cause of the bug is not the ship, but something that is solved reseting the game. Anyway, if someone could give me any clue to avoid this happening again, I would be really thankful.

[Quorra]

I have something similar to this.

Get into space finish my primary burn. Start to coast to apoapsis. Soon as i push time warp the game says I'm accelerating Apoapsis is increasing even if I'm facing in retrograde.

I'm assuming it's something to do with the time warp and one of the mods.

Mods:

TACLS

MKS/OKS

Karbonite

B9

MechJeb2

EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements

Tweakscale

LLL

KAS

Ship Manifest

Would love to see someone identify the problem and fix

[TaranisElsu]

@criverod1988, that is a very nice bug report, thank you. Just missing one important piece: the log file. Please upload the output_log.txt file from KSP_Data.

@Quorra, you are also missing the log file.

[criverod1988]

@criverod1988, that is a very nice bug report, thank you. Just missing one important piece: the log file. Please upload the output_log.txt file from KSP_Data.

It just happened again! This time I have noticed something that might help. The problem is apparently not that the apoapsis is increasing, but the center of the orbit is moving. This makes the center of the orbit not matching the center of Kerbin, increasing apoapsis and decreasing periapsis at the same time.

This is the log:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31996699/output_log.txt

Note: I added the alarm clock mod afer the first post.

[Pudzilla]

I'm getting the same issues, on x64 and x32 versions.

When I enter timewarp, the ship breaks apart at the command module, and the controls lock up completely while the craft accelerates. Restarting can fix the issues, but only as a temporary measure.

Next time I get the issue, I'll provide an output log and full mod list.

[sal_vager]

I see Kerbal alarm clock in your log criverod, I have heard that caused issues before now, can you try removing the .dll ?

[Pudzilla]

Okay, just had it bug out on me.

Output log here - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zgg29zfo37rvxqi/AADpsEClZ066nC_kDDWmpbpfa?dl=0

Mod list -

000_Toolbar000_USITools

Active Texture Management

BoulderCo Active Texture ManagerConfigs, CityLights, Clouds

Community Resource Pack

Deadly Reentry

Distant Object

DMagic Orbital Science

Engineer

Firespitter

KAS

KWRocketry

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Mechjeb2

ORSX

ProcedurealFairings

RealChute

RemoteTech

SCANsat

OKS/ORS

Screenshot of the command module doing it's own thing -

image search

windows 7 print screen

In a nutshell, launch was fine, staging was fine, physical timewarp to the top of the atmosphere was fine. When I tried standard time acceleration, the command module seemed to freeze, its velocity remained exactly the same, and the apoapsis began to climb. WASD did nothing, couldn't move it at all.

[Pudzilla]

Seems to be happening with increasing frequency, and ideas what may be causing the above? It's pretty much game breaking at the moment for me.

[NathanKell]

Once you see the problem occurring, force quit (alt-F4 if on PC) immediately. That will mean that the most recent bit of your log will be from when it's happening, which, if it's due to (say) exceptions being thrown, will make it *much* easier to find.

Right now I have no idea.

[Pudzilla]

Once you see the problem occurring, force quit (alt-F4 if on PC) immediately. That will mean that the most recent bit of your log will be from when it's happening, which, if it's due to (say) exceptions being thrown, will make it *much* easier to find.

Right now I have no idea.

Well, i've done some digging and think i've found the root of the issue. The Mechjeb2 plugindata folder contains all the cfg files for the crafts which have used mechjeb along with the global file. I removed those configs from the folder and tried again, and boom, it's working fine FOR NOW.

I managed to find a way to replicate the issue, and if it comes up again, i'll do as you suggest. The in game debug was showing a crap ton of null exceptions, which I suppose must have been Mechjeb spazzing right out.

[NathanKell]

Ah, gotcha. Glad it's sorted, but do let us know, yeah.

[Pudzilla]

Ah, gotcha. Glad it's sorted, but do let us know, yeah.

Think it's worth me posting a bug report on the main thread for Mechjeb? Still can't be positive it's the culprit, but it's looking that way.

[Superfluous J]

This happens to me all the time and I've heard it from others. I've never reported it because I thought it was a well-known bug. To "fix" it temporarily, you can just time warp until an SOI change. It tends to happen most to me when I'm transferring from one planet to another anyway. In fact, I don't think it's ever happened to me in a static orbit.

It most recently happened to me in a game where I only shared one mod with the OP, Kerbal Engineer. Sadly I've run multiple sessions in that game since then so the log's toast.

[Pudzilla]

This happens to me all the time and I've heard it from others. I've never reported it because I thought it was a well-known bug. To "fix" it temporarily, you can just time warp until an SOI change. It tends to happen most to me when I'm transferring from one planet to another anyway. In fact, I don't think it's ever happened to me in a static orbit.

It most recently happened to me in a game where I only shared one mod with the OP, Kerbal Engineer. Sadly I've run multiple sessions in that game since then so the log's toast.

Unfortunately, most iterations of this bug for me result in the command module making a break for it on its own, as if the bug only affects the module, leaving the rest of my rocket behind

It's possible Kerbal Engineer is responsible, do you not use Mechjeb at all?

[Vaporo]

I'm noticing a lot of these:

NullReferenceException
  at (wrapper managed-to-native) UnityEngine.Transform:INTERNAL_CALL_TransformDirection (UnityEngine.Transform,UnityEngine.Vector3&)

  at UnityEngine.Transform.TransformDirection (Vector3 direction) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.getControlOrt (Vector3 refAxis, PartSpaceMode mode) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.applyCoordsUpdate () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.onPartPack (.Part p) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at EventData`1[Part].Fire (.Part data) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Part.Pack () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Vessel.GoOnRails () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at OrbitPhysicsManager.LateUpdate () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

In both logs. I've never seen this before. Could it be that Mechjeb spamming errors is not the cause of the problem, but rather the result of it?

[Pudzilla]

I'm noticing a lot of these:

NullReferenceException
  at (wrapper managed-to-native) UnityEngine.Transform:INTERNAL_CALL_TransformDirection (UnityEngine.Transform,UnityEngine.Vector3&)

  at UnityEngine.Transform.TransformDirection (Vector3 direction) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.getControlOrt (Vector3 refAxis, PartSpaceMode mode) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.applyCoordsUpdate () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.onPartPack (.Part p) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at EventData`1[Part].Fire (.Part data) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Part.Pack () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Vessel.GoOnRails () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at OrbitPhysicsManager.LateUpdate () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

In both logs. I've never seen this before. Could it be that Mechjeb spamming errors is not the cause of the problem, but rather the result of it?

I'll try and recreate the bug and get the log uploaded after a force close, to keep the error at the end of the log. If Horseman gets the bug without Mechjeb, you might be right.

Given that the stock command pods are suffering the brunt of the bug, I don't think it will be a part adding mod that's doing this, unless they also run plugins.

I've found that it doesn't start to appear until you're a couple hundred days into a save, with quite a bit going on. I haven't had it bug out on .25 until I had a large MKS base on Minmus (which i can timewarp with fine, probably because it's not in an orbit and has no pod), and two craft in transit. Once it starts happening, it bugs out across all my saves, and won't stop until I restart KSP.

I'm off to bed now as it's early morning here, but when I'm playing next, I'll try and bug the game out and provide the log. Hopefully someone can find out whats causing it, beyond the temporary measure of deleting Mechjebs cfg files.

[Superfluous J]

Unfortunately, most iterations of this bug for me result in the command module making a break for it on its own, as if the bug only affects the module, leaving the rest of my rocket behind

It's possible Kerbal Engineer is responsible, do you not use Mechjeb at all?

I installed Mechjeb once and that was several versions ago. I start with a fresh install every time so there can't even be any detritus in there.

For a while I thought it may have been directly linked to if you thrust limited your engines because it always seemed to happen after I did that, however it turned out that was just a coincidence helped by my play. I always thrust limit as I'm tweaking the periapsis at my target planet, and then I notice that periapsis is moving after I've killed my engines. The last time this happened, I actually noticed that I had *not* thrust limited at all.

[xDGDZEx]

I seem to have encountered this for the first time tonight. Similar to OP I have:

KSP:

Win 8.1 x64 - KSP 2.5 32-bit

Mods:

Mechjeb2

EVE

Flight Engineer

Many Others...

Problem:

Same as OP. Ship accelerates with no propulsion until it spontaneously combusts, throwing MechJeb module out into space (the focus stays on it).

Here is a link to the output.txt

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vhjx4jiz8nzvfr/output_log.txt?dl=0

And here is the .craft file for the ship

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bmfztoz7bmaat1x/Asteroid%20Kerbonite%20Tanker%20I.craft?dl=0

I'm noticing quite a few NullReferenceExceptions for the ship I'm trying to launch. This repeats for a few thousand lines...:

Packing Asteroid Kerbonite Tanker I for orbit

(Filename: C:/BuildAgent/work/d63dfc6385190b60/artifacts/StandalonePlayerGenerated/UnityEngineDebug.cpp Line: 49)

NullReferenceException
  at (wrapper managed-to-native) UnityEngine.Transform:INTERNAL_CALL_TransformDirection (UnityEngine.Transform,UnityEngine.Vector3&)

  at UnityEngine.Transform.TransformDirection (Vector3 direction) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.getControlOrt (Vector3 refAxis, PartSpaceMode mode) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.applyCoordsUpdate () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at ActiveJoint.onPartPack (.Part p) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at EventData`1[Part].Fire (.Part data) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Part.Pack () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at Vessel.GoOnRails () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

  at OrbitPhysicsManager.LateUpdate () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

(Filename:  Line: -1)