[1.0.4] Why this satellite explodes due to overheating?

[cicatrix]

I've only just started playing ver. 1.0.4 and I launched a small sat to perform a RADAR scan of Kerbin. It keeps exploding due to overheating. I added a radiator, though it prolonged its life a bit, but it still explodes.

What's wrong?

Here're pics:

[Alshain]

Radiators aren't intended to deal with shock heating. Perhaps an issue with procedural fairings? Try a stock fairing.

EDIT: You are talking about exploding on ascent right? If not I have no clue why that would overheat. What other mods are installed?

Edited July 29, 2015 by Alshain

[FungusForge]

Use the thermal overlay (F11) to find out whats making the heat, or at least what its applying the heat to. Those will be more informative than plain images.

@Alshain: I thnk that's a Heat Control radiator, the NFE radiators look different.

[NJP]

If you're talking about the satellite exploding in space suddenly, it could be the Heat-Kraken that's been attacking people since 1.0. Nothing you can do about it if that's the case

[ClF3]

As NJP said, it could be a bug presenting itself (I've once spent most of a sunday trying to figure out a way to get a bunch of satellites launched without exploding, before I read here that it could simply be bug-related). One cause might be clipping parts, so doublecheck that you don't have anything clipping into other parts. Otherwise, pray that a future update will get the problem fixed.

[obsidian_x]

The only heating issue I've had so far is- FAR doesn't like the cubic octagonal strut, and immediately destroys them on contact.

[rudi1291]

Is your satellite in a polar orbit? The second screenshot says ice caps...

Anyway, a few days ago i discovered a bug affecting crafts passing over the south pole: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/129800-Craft-exploding-while-passing-over-poles

[X-SR71]

Random spontaneous explosions due to overheating occur during physics warp.

I've had specific parts explode for no apparent reasons due to overheating when at 4x physics. Quite common to me actually. Happens a lot with probe cores and sas modules, even when already in orbit with no engines firing and with the vessel completely idle.

[Sharpy]

Your cooling is too efficient!

The coolers are quite efficient, and meant to remove heat from a significant thermal mass. The game engine has a bug that fails to cope with massive cooling of pretty cool, tiny thermal mass objects; the temperature rolls over and the devices explode.

Attach a plain small thermal panel instead of the thermal cooling system and you'll be good.

[guitarxe]

You have scanSat parts on it. When you time-warp at max, there's a bug that will sometimes cause you to explode from overheating.

[Streetwind]

Don't attach a radiator at all, it's not required, nor does it prevent the bug from happening.

I see you have mounted a Z-100 battery in your craft. Take that part, flip it upside down, and see if the issue persists. I once had trouble with a Z-100 spontaneously exploding 50% of the time when going to the launchpad; on a whim I flipped it, and it never happened again.

Don't be too disappointed if it doesn't work, though. This "fix" is apocryphal at best, I have no idea what's going on and why. I only know that there's a bug.

[cantab]

My belief is the root cause is the heating system being numerically unstable, meaning that in some circumstances one or more parts will have their temperature "run away". It's a common mistake to make when simulating any physical system since simple and 'obvious' approaches can cause it, there are methods to avoid it but a non-expert such as a game developer might not know them.

[cicatrix]

Radiators aren't intended to deal with shock heating. Perhaps an issue with procedural fairings? Try a stock fairing.

EDIT: You are talking about exploding on ascent right? If not I have no clue why that would overheat. What other mods are installed?

No, the satellite enters the orbit successfully and then just explodes after some time (in space). Heat overlay doesn't reveal anything suspicious.

- - - Updated - - -

Is your satellite in a polar orbit? The second screenshot says ice caps...

Anyway, a few days ago i discovered a bug affecting crafts passing over the south pole: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/129800-Craft-exploding-while-passing-over-poles

Yes, it's pretty close to 90 degree inclination. It revolves several times around Kerbin and then just explodes (it happens during timewarp, btw).

P.S. It's not physics warp, just ordinary warp. I have no clipped parts (double checked). Adding a radiator adds to the lifetime.

The sat exploded when radar scan was 53% complete without it and at 98% with the radiator installed.

Flight results menu specifically mentions that the part (probe core was the first) exploded due to overheating.

Installed Modules:

- ActiveTextureManagement-x86-Basic 5-0

- AGExt 1.33a

- AlternateResourcePanel 2.7.2.0

- AstronomersPack-AtmosphericScattering Interstellar.V2

- AstronomersPack-Clouds-Medium Interstellar.V2

- AstronomersPack-DistantObjectEnhancement Interstellar.V2

- AstronomersPack-Eve-Jool-Clouds-2K Interstellar.V2

- AstronomersPack-Lightning Interstellar.V2

- AstronomersPack-PlanetShine Interstellar.V2

- AstronomersPack-SurfaceGlow Interstellar.V2

X CactEye2 BETA_5.2

- Chatterer 0.9.6

- CommunityResourcePack 0.4.3

- CommunityTechTree 2.1

^ ContractConfigurator 1.5.4

- ContractConfigurator-ScanSatLite 1.2.0

- ContractsWindowPlus 5.3

- CriticalTemperatureGauge 1.0.4-a

- CrossFeedEnabler v3.3

- DistantObject v1.6.0

- DockingPortAlignmentIndicator 6.2.0

- EditorExtensions 2.12

- EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements 7-4

- FilterExtensions 2.4.1

- FilterExtensionsDefaultConfig 2.4.1

- FinalFrontier 0.8.6-1370

- ForScienceContinued 1.0.4

- HeatManagement 0.25

- Historian 1.1.0

- HyperEdit 1.4.1

* InfernalRobotics v0.21.2

- InterstellarFuelSwitch 1.15

- InterstellarFuelSwitch-Core 1.15

- KAS 0.5.3

- KerbalAlarmClock v3.4.0.0

- KerbalEngineerRedux 1.0.18.0

- KerbalFoundries Beta_1.8g

- KerbalJointReinforcement v3.1.4

- KerbalScienceExchange 1.1.1

- KerboKatzUtilities 1.2.10

- KIS 1.2.0

- Kopernicus 1:beta-02-4

- KronalUtils autodetected dll

- KSP-AVC 1.1.5.0

- KSPInterstellarExtended 1.3.1

- MechJeb2 autodetected dll

- MechJebForAll 1.2.0.0

- MenuStabilizer 1

- ModularRocketSystem 1.7.3

- ModuleAnimateEmissive v1.8

- ModuleManager 2.6.6

- OuterPlanetsMod 1:1.7.2

- PlanetShine 0.2.3.1

- ProceduralFairings v3.15

- QuickGoTo v1.20

- RasterPropMonitor v0.21.2

- RasterPropMonitor-Core v0.21.2

- RCSBuildAid 0.7.2

- RealChute 1.3.2.3

- SCANsat v14.1

- ScienceAlert 1.8.9

- SpaceY-Lifters 0.17.6

- StageRecovery 1.5.7

- TacFuelBalancer v2.5.1

- TakeCommand 1.1.4

- Targetron v1.4.2.1

- TextureReplacer 2.4.7

- Thermometer 1.0.10

- Toolbar 1.7.9

- TweakScale v2.2.1

- WaypointManager 2.4.1

- xScience 4.7

Edited July 29, 2015 by cicatrix

[Laie]

I've had that happen to me, too. Not too often, but every case was a Scansat. I work around the issue by leaving the vessel (to tracking station or another vessel) and not watch it more than necessary, certainly not while doing scans under timewarp.

[Streetwind]

Now that you mention it, I did have a ScanSat randomly blow up on me as well... (and it was also close to 90 degree inclination at the time.)