Stuck in Orbit with MSL

[KhanFoil]

I built my first rocket with an MSL and it's HEAVY. Remember this is early in the game and I'm trying to return from my first landing on Minmus. Problem is that the second chute I added isn't enough. I'm landing on Kerbin at around 10 m/s and it's blowing up my MSL and killing my two scientists and losing all the lovely science I created on minmus.

Am I just screwed and have to scrap the mission and start over or can it be rescued somehow?

[VoidSquid]

As long as you're in a stable orbit around either Minmus or Kerbin, this just calls for a rescue mission, I'd give it a go!  

Rendezvous, EVA, grab all science, and board the rescue vehicle, you should be fine. 

If you have KAS/KIS, you also could try to attach another chute to the original craft.

Edited January 28, 2020 by VoidSquid

[steuben]

Now the wackiness fun starts...

Yes. VoidSquid has valid suggestions. And the box does exist for a reason.  But... This. Is. K.S.P. Muhahahaha… ha? Where are my effects guys? There was supposed to be ominous thunder and lightning.

Anyways, to keep things simple it is best to be in a stable and circular orbit around Kerbin, for preference. Just launch a "hand" of empty tanks, and structural parts, and parachutes, catch the errent craft and nudge it down to the surface. You won't want to warp any faster than 4x as the craft will clip through each other at higher warps.

Atleast, that's a way to do it if you don't have the klaw.

 

[RizzoTheRat]

If you set your parachute to open reasonably high up you should have enough time to eva the crew, have one of them take the science from the lab, and then jump and use their own parachute.  I'm not 100% sure how well having 2 of them on chutes at the same tie works, but I'd expect it to be ok if they stay within physics range.  If not you could experiment with the impact tolerance of a kerbal.  Parachute one away with the science and leave the other one hanging on the ladder on the side of the lab.

Edited January 29, 2020 by RizzoTheRat

[Fierce Wolf]

Solutions:

1) Have the ship in Kerbin orbit, send a boring rescue mission

2) Install KIS mod, send an engineer with tools and extra parachutes, attach them to your heavy ship and land.

[Draalo]

I may be wrong - but can you really take the generated science from the MPL? Isnt it supposed to transmit the data?