parachutes spontaneously deploying?

[davidpsummers]

I was brining my craft home and, during reentry, the parachutes deploys (and were destroyed). I redid it to make sure I didn't accidentally hit the space bar. This happen to anyone else?

Edited October 17, 2015 by davidpsummers

[FancyMouse]

What was the icon at the staging list, and was quickload involved in the scenario?

[Clipperride]

When you add parachutes in the VAB they often add themselves to the same staging command as the final decoupler. If so, they are activated when you dump the remains of your craft to allow just the parts you want to recover to reenter and they'll show as grey on the staging side bar. They won't deploy straight away, but will wait until they sense the minimum pressure which, unless you've tweaked it is something like 0.1. That means they will open way to high and fast and will be destroyed.

Make sure the parachutes have their own stage command and for extra safty adjust the minimum deployment pressure to about 0.75 (although it will vary with your particular design). The other number you can tweak by right clicking the parachute is the height above local ground level that the parachute goes from reefed (partially closed) and fully deployed. I have recovered from deploying my parachutes too high by quickly changing the minimum pressure for opening whilst descending (although that's not really recommended!)

Hope that helps?

[davidpsummers]

Yes. They had become scrambled or something in docking with my space station and accidentally activated through staging. Then, when I hit the minimum pressure, the deployed. Fortunately, I see a "reset chute" commmand.

[Claw]

Fortunately, I see a "reset chute" commmand.

FYI, that's a StockPlus option (so people aren't looking for it in stock). And if that option is showing, then the parachute was indeed staged at some point.

Cheers,

~Claw