Exploding Munar Outpost

[trevorpage]

Built and successfully landed my first Munar outpost, consisting of a Cupola, Lab, 2 person Lander, some Science batteries solar panels and 4 LV-909 engines to land it all. It's on the Mun in the Farside Crater. On landing, the 2 Kerbals EVA'd, planted flags did some science and took samples back to the Lab for processing. Now though, every time I go back there from the tracking station, the Lander explodes killing them both and leaving a pile of junk . What to do?

Edited June 22, 2015 by trevorpage

[Prepper-Jack]

Hmm - any idea on the cause of the explosion? A wonky service bay or something?

[Randazzo]

Real answer: The next time you go back to it, after it explodes, press F3. That should tell you what exploded and perhaps even why. From that info we might be able to help.

Not helpful: Kraken-attack. It has taken your Kerbals as an unwilling sacrifice to appease it's appetite. Pray that it takes no more from you.

[trevorpage]

The service bay doors did collide with the aero caps on top of the fuel tanks 'just', but nothing happened at that time. It's only when I go back to the Outpost from the tracking station that it explodes there and then in front of me. The landing is on a slight slope, I'm wondering if when the ship is spawned on that site something is over stressed. Maybe I built the lander wrong. I'm thinking maybe Land a mission nearby to rescue the two Kerbonauts. Though how I'll get close enough is another problem to solve. Don't have rovers or such unlocked yet.

[trevorpage]

Real answer: The next time you go back to it, after it explodes, press F3.

Structural failure between Mobile processing LAB and Cupola module is the first Item in the list - The long list. Hmmm.

[Randazzo]

So are the service bay doors still open when this is happening? If so, that's probably the culprit. Service bays clipping into things, even a tiny bit, seems to be at the root of a lot of mysterious spontaneous disassembly. The Cupola could just be the first point of failure due to the stress.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Randazzo

[Prepper-Jack]

Well, the service bay hitting the caps does sound like a possibility. It may also be that a part somehow got duplicated during the build, and when the ship gets stressed in some manner, it causes a collision.

If you don't have a prior save, I might try going to that location with a rescue ship, then trying to "switch to" the doomed ship from a close proximity, without going to the tracking station. That worked for me the last time I got in this kind of pickle.

[trevorpage]

Yeah, the doors are still open. Might try that trick with 'switching to'. Might even try editing the save file to close the doors.

[imaspacestation]

Service bay doors, no matter how lightly they may be clipping through other parts of your craft, will tear it apart. Be sure to always give them a very wide berth when including them in your designs.

[trevorpage]

Service bay doors, no matter how lightly they may be clipping through other parts of your craft, will tear it apart. Be sure to always give them a very wide berth when including them in your designs.

Advice noted. I've had clipping in flight before, but never on the reload. Even switching to the craft didn't work. Two choices, dead Kerbals or load an earlier save. Chose the later.