Two sucessfully failed missions

[lowey2002]

I'm kinda new to the forums, so forgive me if this is in the wrong place. I just wanted to share some a few screenshots from two missions that didn't go exactly according to plan but still count as a success for my brave kerbalnaughts.

A soft-landing ballistic missile

Backstory

I was messing around with the aerodynamics and weight distribution for an un-manned, un-controlled ballistic missile. It was a nicely built rocket made from a single large SRB that smacked into the ground still thrusting about 5km away from the launch-pad. I was attempting to gain a bit more distance from the missile when *this* happened.

Mission log

2012-09-06 - 2100

On the launchpad

Ignition

No control

Banking

Top turn

Nearly spent

Out of fuel

Still climbing

10km Apoapsis

What goes up

Corkscrew

Gaining lift

Reducing speed

Meters away

Impact

Sliding to a halt

Not a fluke

Jeb's report

It was discovered that a freak combination of wing alignment and weight distribution in the latest TR-2 model ballistic missile sent the vehicle into a controlled corkscrew descent and landed softly enough that a majority of the craft was recoverable. Despite the craft failing in it's initial objective as a long range unguided missile it has proved to be a remarkable asset to out space-plane program as it provided the jet pilots with cheap, easy and casualty free target practice for bombing runs and interceptions.

A failed Mun-rover

Backstory

Attempting to build a custom unmanned Mun rover, I discovered the location of the Mun arch

Mission log

Testing the rover

Parking break

On the Mun

Immediate Breakup

Second attempt on the launchpad

Definitely more stable

Coasting on the surface

Breakup again

What's that on the horizon?

Jeb's report

The second rover solved many of the issues that where discovered in the first design on the AR-7 unmanned Mun rover. Extra fuel was added to the injection phase, the balancing issues was resolved and the thrust was reduced in the rover itself making it more controllable. Despite these improvements, the craft broke apart after 2km of surface travel when it struck a small rock at 12m/sec, breaking the vehicle apart. Before loosing power, the debris of the rover transmitted a single, high-resolution image of a geological impossibility on the horizon. The mission was successful in providing co-ordinates for the so called Mun Arch which will be the focus of future manned missions to the surface of the Mun.