...jettison the command capsule in an emergency?

[hjalfi]

So I'm trying to build a heavy-lifter. (Remember: the more mass you can lift into orbit, the moar dV.)

I'm slowly getting there, but a necessary part of rocket design is having stuff explode/collapse/fall apart/all of the above on takeoff. I wouldn't mind so much but the screaming Kerman-of-the-day in the corner of the screen is upsetting my conscience.

If I can get the command capsule ejected and deploy the parachute, he usually survives. Unfortunately when I have seven or eight stages and the first one goes boom, it frequently takes so long to cycle through the stages until we reach the last one that even hammering the space bar I usually have a KKIE before he can get clear. The other option is to edit the staging on the fly so that the command capsule is at the bottom of the stack, but that's even slower.

Is there a way I can, e.g., bind a particular decoupler to a key, so that I just press the key and we skip over all the stages to that point? This would also avoid the embarrassment of having to light the upper stage in the middle of all this, simply because its engine was next in the queue.

(KKIE: Kerbal-Kerbin Intersection Event...)

[Ziff]

Not as of yet, unless there is some kind of mod for that. There has been some discussion in the past about an abort button but no idea when that is planned.

[hjalfi]

Fair enough. Thought it worth asking.

Looks like my astronauts will just have to live with it. Er... well, sort of.

[Vanamonde]

You can directly activate one of the new, big decouplers by right-clicking on it, no matter where it was in your original staging. Of course, trying to right-click on it while it's flying through the air after a catastrophic explosion would be a bit of a trick. But hey, nothing worth doing is easy, right?

[TheKerbinator]

You can always click the EVA-button. You will most likely still die, but on EVA your kerbals don't have facial expressions, relieving your conscience somewhat.

[aggressorblue]

I think what we really need is the ability to activate a stage by right clicking it's icon within the staging menu.

[air805ronin]

I think what we really need is the ability to activate a stage by right clicking it's icon within the staging menu.

I second this. I like the context sensitivity on the parts in my view, but I'd like similar drop down menus when I click in the stage menu during flight. Much easier to find and click.

[SNapple]

Trust me, it is much, much faster to modify the staging. And I've never even practiced it, only did it once, it was great. They survived. I think.

[maro]

I know two ways

a) The Nova Punch addon has a working escape tower with solid rocket boosters, as also a parachute and a decoupler for this system in it:

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/3870-NovaPunch-Remix-Pack-1-2Beta-%28May-31st%29-Requires-0-15-2

The Mechjeb Autopilot addon has a PANIC button in the "Translatron"-part

Press PANIC will work out as follows

- Kill Throttle

- Seperate everything but the last decoupler ( The decoupler in the Nova Punch Escape tower not counts in this calculation )

- fires the last stage for about 5 sec

- Engage landing autopilot

So you can work with the mechjeb - using PANIC in case of emergency

Or you can work without mechjeb using the NP escape system

- first killing thrust with (X) (works also without - but is safer this way)

- and then staging through up to the escape system

[wooaa]

So I'm trying to build a heavy-lifter. (Remember: the more mass you can lift into orbit, the moar dV.)

I'm slowly getting there, but a necessary part of rocket design is having stuff explode/collapse/fall apart/all of the above on takeoff. I wouldn't mind so much but the screaming Kerman-of-the-day in the corner of the screen is upsetting my conscience.

If I can get the command capsule ejected and deploy the parachute, he usually survives. Unfortunately when I have seven or eight stages and the first one goes boom, it frequently takes so long to cycle through the stages until we reach the last one that even hammering the space bar I usually have a KKIE before he can get clear. The other option is to edit the staging on the fly so that the command capsule is at the bottom of the stack, but that's even slower.

Is there a way I can, e.g., bind a particular decoupler to a key, so that I just press the key and we skip over all the stages to that point? This would also avoid the embarrassment of having to light the upper stage in the middle of all this, simply because its engine was next in the queue.

(KKIE: Kerbal-Kerbin Intersection Event...)

If it makes you feel better, i think of KIA as Kerbal Is all-right.

[Serratus]

I just embrace the idea of "PANIC button" as spacebar. When something goes wrong, I panic and start spamming it... Works like a charm 9/10* incidents.

*not actually supported by any raw data. I take no responsibility for loss of life and/or equipement due to employing this method. This advertisement is sponsored by "Kerbalington National Cementary for Kerbonauts" Inc. Tm.

[Newt0570]

If it makes you feel better, i think of KIA as Kerbal Is all-right.

I think that is worth a sig

For my prototype/experimental VTOL, I have the CM attached by a decoupler, and some parachutes stuck on. If I ever need to eject, I just press the space bar. It's saved jeb twice already.

If you've been following nova in the discussion thread, we are (probably) getting mini-SRBs. I just had the idea of using these to help escape the wreckage of a runaway spacecraft, when paired with my idea above.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Newt0570

[Kizarvexis]

I just embrace the idea of "PANIC button" as spacebar. When something goes wrong, I panic and start spamming it... Works like a charm 9/10* incidents.

*not actually supported by any raw data. I take no responsibility for loss of life and/or equipement due to employing this method. This advertisement is sponsored by "Kerbalington National Cementary for Kerbonauts" Inc. Tm.

This can lead to some very funny moments when you forget to turn off the thrust for the last stage before the capsule decoupler. I have had a few flights where I ran through the 'Spacebar Panic Abort Sequence' and the stage below the capsule wandered all over the screen as the capsule floated back to Kerbin. The funniest were the half dozen or so flights where the stage continued flight into the decoupler and capsule causing them to stick to the rocket. If the parachute is also deployed, then it will drag on the rocket and it will spin crazily until the capsule slides off and the rocket wanders away.

Sadly Fraps is not working and I refuse to use Bandicam as the watermark sits right over the altitude dial.

[togfox]

I know two ways

a) The Nova Punch addon has a working escape tower with solid rocket boosters, as also a parachute and a decoupler for this system in it:

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/3870-NovaPunch-Remix-Pack-1-2Beta-%28May-31st%29-Requires-0-15-2

The Mechjeb Autopilot addon has a PANIC button in the "Translatron"-part

Press PANIC will work out as follows

- Kill Throttle

- Seperate everything but the last decoupler ( The decoupler in the Nova Punch Escape tower not counts in this calculation )

- fires the last stage for about 5 sec

- Engage landing autopilot

So you can work with the mechjeb - using PANIC in case of emergency

Or you can work without mechjeb using the NP escape system

- first killing thrust with (X) (works also without - but is safer this way)

- and then staging through up to the escape system

There is a third way. There is a mod called "escape decoupler" (search for it) that activates on a hotkey. If you need to get away quickly then you press the hotkey and you're free as a bird. Note that the MJ solution is better as MJ will activate thrusters and try to clear the disaster unfolding below the capsule. The escape decoupler simply detaches and lets you ride the wave of doom.

[Markus Reese]

The way I do it is I pause, and you can move your stages about. The problem is the mission time if you do not minimize it (tough on a laggy rocket). So what I do is stage one is just junk, stage two is my decouple and parachute. Essentially, if you get into trouble, pause, drag stage two so it can be your next stage, then it can eject. When you drag, it will not adjust the list until you unpause it. So when you drag the eject stage, it will just hang at the new position. Writing this while watching tv late at night, so hopefully it makes sense.

[UNSC]

Panic switch would be nice.