What is your most facepalm-worthy moment regarding KSP?

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

Installing two part failure mods on a RO install, then asking on IRC why part failures weren't working on my install.

[Jimmidii]

Just today, due to some, ah, engineering oversights, the chute on a pod got destroyed on re-entry, which was bad enough.

I sadly watched it crash all the way into the ground... and only then remembered that personal parachutes are a thing now.

First time in a while I've actually facepalmed playing KSP.

[MaverickSawyer]

26 minutes ago, Jimmidii said:

Just today, due to some, ah, engineering oversights, the chute on a pod got destroyed on re-entry, which was bad enough.

I sadly watched it crash all the way into the ground... and only then remembered that personal parachutes are a thing now.

First time in a while I've actually facepalmed playing KSP.

Okay, that is absolutely a facepalm moment.  

[sturmhauke]

On 6/21/2018 at 4:45 AM, kerbinorbiter said:

Coding something in kOS

forgot about the decimal point

script staged asoon as active guidance enabled

*facedoor*

Don't feel too bad, NASA lost the Mars Climate Orbiter because they forgot to convert to metric units.

I got one. So the first time I tried to land on Tylo was with a microlander, as part of an entire microspacecraft mission (a 40 T interplanetary spacecraft, assembled from four 10 T segments in LKO). When I arrived at Tylo and detached the lander, I discovered that the command seat was oriented the wrong way. You know that scene in Apollo 13 where they have to steer the capsule with the controls all messed up? It was like that, but with more explosions.

[HeliosPh0enix]

I was building a station around the Mun that involved using empty Kickbacks as structural pieces (which I learned from @EJ_SA).  I was attaching them to a central node on the station and had designed an adapter that allowed it to attach.  I sent up the structural pieces (along with a big refinery unit and fuel tanks) and started trying to attach them to the station, but realized I had forgotten the adapters and could not attach them properly.  Not wanting to let the payload drift away from the station, I had to use a random docking port on one of the payload pieces to dock everything to the station, which took nearly 30 minutes because of off-center RCS thrust and buggy docking ports.  I then sent up the adapters and spent another hour assembling the station.

[ARS]

1. Build a space station

2. Sending the next module

3. Module arrived on station with 3rd stage still attached

4. Frantically mashing WASD for precise RCS control for aligning docking port

5. Accidentally pressed Z instead of A

6. 3rd stage engine roaring at full power

7. Confetti ensues

[HeliosPh0enix]

16 minutes ago, ARS said:

1. Build a space station

2. Sending the next module

3. Module arrived on station with 3rd stage still attached

4. Frantically mashing WASD for precise RCS control for aligning docking port

5. Accidentally pressed Z instead of A

6. 3rd stage engine roaring at full power

7. Confetti ensues

Did you at least have a quick save, or was everything permanently destroyed?

[ARS]

3 hours ago, HeliosPh0enix said:

Did you at least have a quick save, or was everything permanently destroyed?

Everything permanently destroyed. My base was attached on captured asteroid. After the 3rd stage carrying habitation module smashed into science lab, the lab detaches and slammed into power station module, which creates chain reaction with other station modules. In the end, only the refueling module remains

[Lisias]

So, I made a beautiful space station for Kerbin.

Being a conscious guy, I decided to take no chances, and put a KOOSE for every permanent crew onboard (visitants already have their craft).

Then I kicked the thing into the skies. Then I decided to test the KOOSE in a crew evacuation drill.

Then I realized I forgot the heat shields.

(sigh).

Recover the station, rinse, relaunch. Let's do another drill, What could possibly go wrong?

I forgot the chutes this time. 

Good night, it's time to go to the bed.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Lisias
bad grammars. Why we just see these *after* posting?

[Bej Kerman]

Once I did a mission to Moho, which, oh boy, was a mistake, because back then I was still bad at the game and decouplers had individual textures and models. Do you know what I did? I put a decoupler on backwards. I went all this way and the little nooby upper stage couldn't move. complete utter noob has left the game.

I also once left mechjeb to do a manoeuvre and took a dump, when I came back, the engines it was using were out of fuel and MJ wouldn't stage.

On 2/26/2018 at 2:56 PM, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

Three words:

Ladder upside down.

I can imagine that shameful moment you see the ladder just rise up as the kerbal just waits in his pod to disembark.

[FinalFan]

15 minutes ago, Bej Kerman said:

Once I did a mission to Moho, which, oh boy, was a mistake, because back then I was still bad at the game and decouplers had individual textures and models. Do you know what I did? I put a decoupler on backwards. I went all this way and the little nooby upper stage couldn't move. complete utter noob has left the game.

Would you mind elaborating a bit on this one?  If it was on backwards, I'd think it would still separate.  The decoupler might be attached to the wrong rocket, but this can be solved by "engine induced explosive decoupling".  However, if it was a Dawn engine, it might not have the power.  Or did decouplers work differently in the past?

[PolecatEZ]

Had one of those missions to stay in orbit of the Mun for 118 days.  Decided to do it manned with a full load of scientists to get some benefit from it.  The orbit was taking forever on because I couldn't get to fast forward it...so I switch to my Munar ground base I was about to empty out.  The only kerbals left were a small engineering team that were scheduled to be redeployed after the orbital mission.

Long story very short, drills, heat, and the max fast forward button don't mix.  The base turned to dust and ash in less than a second, incinerating Bill and 2 whiteshirts.  A reload would have back-tracked me a few months.  RIP Bill.

[Bej Kerman]

Once I made a mun lander, and the outer tanks had asparagus staging set up for them. Little did I know I attached my landing legs to those. To get out of this predicament as I had no torque to keep me upright on the mun on the little, tiny poodle engine, I had to direct all fuel to the outer tanks, transfer fuel back into the core tank and then jettison everything on takeoff. The next version of my rocket moved the legs, added torque wheels and 4 RCS thrusters on the top of the little re-entry pod. This all happened on DMP with me sharing my screenshots to the world to show how dumb I can be on KSP.

Shots:

Spoiler

Redesign

 

 

On 11/2/2018 at 10:23 PM, FinalFan said:

Would you mind elaborating a bit on this one?  If it was on backwards, I'd think it would still separate.  The decoupler might be attached to the wrong rocket, but this can be solved by "engine induced explosive decoupling".  However, if it was a Dawn engine, it might not have the power.  Or did decouplers work differently in the past?

The arrows on decouplers indicate which bit they won't stick to and they should be pointing up so they don't stick to the engine and absorb all their thrust. I wasn't using stack separators.

[Bej Kerman]

On to my modded install, I make a massive one-launch mun base, and I accidentally attached the solar panel array to the landing rockets. I now plan on opening my modded game, removing some modded parts and fixing the thing with the solar panels.

Edited November 4, 2018 by Bej Kerman

[Kernel Kraken]

I tried to re enter Valentina.

In 1.3.1.

*facehammer*

 

[sturmhauke]

You did what to Val, now? 

[FinalFan]

6 hours ago, Bej Kerman said:

The arrows on decouplers indicate which bit they won't stick to and they should be pointing up so they don't stick to the engine and absorb all their thrust. I wasn't using stack separators.

I guess I wasn't clear enough in articulating my question.  In the current game, if you put a decoupler the wrong way and it sticks to the engine, you can fire the engine and it will overheat the decoupler and explode it, thereby solving your problem at the cost of a little fuel (assuming the explosion doesn't harm anything else).  So my question to you is:  Why couldn't you do this?  Was it that the game worked differently at the time, or was it that the engine was too weak to overheat the decoupler, or what? 

[Chel]

One time I made a complex Eve mission, I was really proud of getting to and landing on Eve. I got through the atmosphere just fine, picked a place to land, and touched down without any problems. But then I realised: I forgot to attach a ladder to my spacecraft. So basically I couldn't do anything, couldn't try to jump and board (because we all know how Eve's gravity works), and I felt like an absolute idiot. 

[Xurkitree]

11 hours ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

One time I made a complex Eve mission, I was really proud of getting to and landing on Eve. I got through the atmosphere just fine, picked a place to land, and touched down without any problems. But then I realised: I forgot to attach a ladder to my spacecraft. So basically I couldn't do anything, couldn't try to jump and board (because we all know how Eve's gravity works), and I felt like an absolute idiot. 

Ahhhh, classic.

[Chel]

12 hours ago, Xurkitree said:

Ahhhh, classic.

Yep, unfortunately

[Sharpy]

A heavy interplanetary ship, some 250 tons on the launchpad. Recalled I forgot something around the engines, a minor thing. Revert to VAB from launchpad. To access the bottom of the ship, I flip it upside down, introduce the modification, 'save', 'launch'.

The 250 ton ship spawns on the launchpad suspended on launch clamps, engines up, pointy end towards the ground.

 

Edit: Found the screenshot.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Sharpy

[Kerbalstar]

Congrats on TOTM @MaverickSawyer!

[MaverickSawyer]

7 hours ago, Kerbalstar said:

Congrats on TOTM @MaverickSawyer!

That's twice now! Woohoo!

[magnemoe]

On 11/2/2018 at 11:23 PM, FinalFan said:

Would you mind elaborating a bit on this one?  If it was on backwards, I'd think it would still separate.  The decoupler might be attached to the wrong rocket, but this can be solved by "engine induced explosive decoupling".  However, if it was a Dawn engine, it might not have the power.  Or did decouplers work differently in the past?

This work with large engines but not with small one. I did the same mistake, an mission to Eve and Gilly, with 5 probe rovers, well the 4 bottom mounted had the decoplers the wrong way and the spark engines could not break them, managed to drop the three other on Eve braking with the carrier but 2 ended in the water, the top one should still work so I went to Gilly. as carrier was almost out of fuel I wanted to crash it with Gilly and circulate with the probes rocket. Decople probe then press space, save, realising I had double staged and decopled rover from skycrane. All three parts impacted Minmus.  

[Xurkitree]

Today, I executed a bunch of Gravity Assists designed to reduce the relative velocity of my Tylo encounter and making my capture burn lower.

When I captured, I took my lander and ion tug and lowered myself to a low orbit with 20 burns at periapse.

Then I shut KSP and leave for class, and then when I'm cycling I realize -

I managed to capture myself into a retrogade orbit.