"Splashed Down" Different from "Landed" for contracts?

[RocketPropelledGiraffe]

Oh All-Knowing Forums, let me invoke your wisdom...

So I accepted the Kerbin 3 Challenge contract in my career game to go to Kerbin's moons and back with the same vessel.

Attached to the orbiting and transfer vessel with Mk3 pod was the landing craft with Mk1 pod.

I performed the Mun landing, redocked and refuelled with the orbiter and onwards to Minmus and do the landing there.

Both moon landing items in the contract are registered as complete, so far so good.

I had plenty of delta-v, so both orbiter and lander performed their return independently and splashed down at home.

In summary the Mk1 pod along with its pilot landed on Mun, landed on Minmus, and finally splashed down on Kerbin.

Mission accomplished?

No, it turns out the landing on Kerbin is not recognized as completed. It seems splashing down is not accepted as proper landing.

Did anyone experience a similar problem, did I do something wrong here? I read there are some issues with docking and correct vessel identification, but I did perform docking between the Mun and Minmus landings and these steps are both considered complete.

Edited May 13, 2015 by RocketPropelledGiraffe

[Xannari Ferrows]

It's just a label of your craft's state. It's kind of arbitrary if you ask me. It's just another form of landing where you it's possible to recover, but doesn't entail a "landing"

[RocketPropelledGiraffe]

Thanks for the answer, basically as I thought. Once more some sub-optimal contract description, or rather poor contract scripting - both types of returning should count if you ask me.

Let's see if I can find a backup save and hit Kerbin's desert in a second try...

[Randazzo]

Splashed Down and Landed are each unique states.

For example, you will get contracts to test certain parts while either landed or splashed down, and being in the water unticks the landed requirement. Essentially they are what you think they are. Landed is on land, splashed down in water.

[RocketPropelledGiraffe]

I don't think I've seen a "splashed down" test contract since 1.0 - In my opinion these never made much sense and I had hoped they were gone.

I guess it's good I am aware of the difference now and do not have to learn the massive extreme hard way by splashing down after working on a "all planets grand tour" contract.

Anyway, I gave it another try and managed to return to Kerbin's Highlands, mission accomplished.