Callmedave

Yes, there is a docking port on the 'top' and i like the idea, however, it descends at around 6m/s and sits on the ground fine, but its tall design means it topples over, at this point the probe comes away from the main body and therefore the game thinks the lab has been destroyed.

So i have just finished a long-ass mission, i had a science lab in orbit around the mun, and a small lander, i basically visited each biome, docked with 'space lab1' stored experiments in lab, fe-fuelled, and repeated. Now im at a stage where every biome has been visited, my science lab is ready to return home with ~120 experiments on stored. However, the lab is not surviving re-entry. it has chutes, but still breaks on touchdown (even in the ocean) I want to return the experiments for max gain, but how can i do this? I cant store the experiments in another capsule as some as repeat experiments. Is my only option to design a better science lab lander, transfer the experiments and land that? Any help guys?!

Awesome! Worked spot on for me! thank you!

This explains it for me too. I have a science lander orbiting the mun that visits each biome then docks to an orbiting lab for a clean. Il try the suicide burn on my next landing. Iv been guessing it out and wasting a lot of fuel.

http://imgur.com/a/yvezs#VL9ojsB Dont know how to load an album!

A probe core or even a docking port in the correct place will allow you a new 'control' form here' for the correct orientation. As mentioned above you can move Kerbals around in the VAB/SPH but the bug is still there so do this last thing before launch. Can you make rocket so that the lander lands with the rover still attached, once landed the rover detaches itself? Legs on beams can give you a good amount of clearance under the lander, or a rover with a little RCS on top of the lander can easily 'lift' itself off.

Dont forget to test the Rover on Kerbin, Simply build the rover, then hit launch, you will be on the launch pad (or runway) have a drive around and see what you think, if it seems a little top heavy on kerbin, it will be worse on the mun with lower gravity. A rover needs a least 4 wheels, but with the lower gravity of the Mun there is less traction (grip) more wheels= more traction. A rover also needs power to move around, this can either be the little star shaped power generators (name???) or batteries and solar panels, Solar panels will obviously only work in the sunlight, so choose carefully where you land on the Mun. Rovers dont 'Need' anything else, but its worth having at least one seat, some Science gear, RCS and RCS thruster for little boosts of speed and to right the craft when you had too much speed and flipped it. Lights are cool, Maybe a ladder? A docking port in a good place will allow you to dock to a Lab and clean the mystery goo etc. Check out the rover thread on here for some ideas.

I second Kerbal engineer, It only supplys info. Sometimes i place it on my Mun lander, just to check its TWR, for the Mun (or any given body) and take it off again before launch. I prefer to keep the game 'vanilla' as such, and in my opinion, KER is something that should be in the final release of the game. its a very useful tool and only adds to the gameplay.

i know exactly what you mean, I 'drag' the prograde marker over the target, as i approach, i turn 180° and do the opposite, this 'pushes' my retrograde marker over the target AND slows my approach speed. Rinse and repeat. Its always the last few meters I struggle with because of the crafts alignment to each other. so finding my normal/anti-normal position should help me with this. I wont use Mech-jeb, and i try to avoid time warp to halt the craft. Thanks for all the help guys. im marking this as answered now!

I can rendezvous to less than 1km quite easily. And then I spend around another 10 mins closing the gap and docking.

Hi all. I understand (now) about setting up a node to give me the direction. Thank you. Sorry I can't dock in two minutes. The quickest is maybe 4/5 mins. But if I can figure this out it should make me quicker.

Rotate in reference to each other i mean, sorry i dont know the term.

Hi, Thanks for the answer, but thats not what im trying to acheive, Im in an inclined orbit on purpose, Im landing a Science lander on minmus, gathering science and then docking with the lab in orbit. Its a lot easier to dock, when i can just float above the lab and line up the docking ports, as opposed to going round it as our obits cross. The orbit is inclined so that i can easily reach all the biomes.

Ok thanks, il try this, I think the term is 'normal' I.e. i want to be pointing 90 'up' from my orbit vector

Hello, When im on an orbit around Kerbin, I point North/up so that when i come to dock, the craft dont rotate around each other, ie. one points 'up' one points 'down' and as we travel around the planet, we dont go 'around each other' But which way do i point my craft when the orbit is inclined? How do i work out where this theoretical line is? Im not even sure of the correct term for this position. I use KER, is there a number on here i should be looking for? If any understands me and can help, please let me know.

I've never noticed this before but last flying across to the badlands, my intake air was around 0.6, when I speed up time the intake air doubled on 2x speed and quadroupled on 4x. Has anyone else had this happen? Looks like a bug to me.

I un-docked the other end, then i was able to undock the front part! Jeb is safe! Hurrah! Thanks all!

Thanks Claw, Il try the 'undock the other end and try again' method first, if that does not work, il follow your instructions and report back!

Ahhhh! Ok Great thanks! il try some of those solutions tonight.

Im having trouble un-docking my interplanetary ship in orbit at Duna. its a three part ship, i docked it in Kerbin orbit, flew to Duna but now it wont undock. Im using clamp-o tron ports. when i click on one, i get the option to un-dock, but clicking it and nothing happens, I can undock the ports between sections 2 &3 but not 1&2. Has anyone else had this? Im not sure why it wont undock. Any suggestions? The craft has power, crew, etc Ive tried 'control' from here on both control modules and docking ports. Ive tried re-starting the game. Im at a loss and need to Rescue Jeb!!

Is it possible to have a new category 'science' - any vehicle capable of gathering science? Obviously many vehicles will fall in two categories, but is that a problem?

Ha, Now ive built one, im very tempted to build another, better one!

The bit on the bottom is a lander, it still has the rendevous stage attached as it has a little fuel left, i will ditch this once its empty.

in daylight.....

Yeah, when im on next i will.