In flight Ore consumption?!

[SpaceDan67]

Helll all -

Have tried numerous online searches to no avail - so here goes:

Working through the science progress tree in career mode - recently started mining ore - and had a “return 1100 units of ore from Mun mission...

Fly to Mun - mined ore w/ no issues - topped up all fuel - and added “just enough” ore + small reserve....Flew back to Kerbin - reentry and landed - but no mission credit?!?   The ore amount had dropped by @ 300 units in flight?!?

Luckily I do plenty of game saves - so able to return to Mun - “overmined” - and then monitored ore reserves in flight (time warp) - and sure enough:  ore gets slowly depleted while in flight?!?

Would like like to know how to rectify - as am planning upcoming first trip to Eve - and have accepted a bunch of missions (aware of high delta V to relaunch from Eve) - including an ore return....but if there is still this small “ore leak” - I doubt I will have any left at all by the time I return to Kerbin

Any suggestions?

KSP 1.9 / Mechjeb / EngineerRedux / Docking Alignment Indicator and maybe ForScience or Automated Science Scanner

Thanks in advance!

Dan

 

 

 

[jost]

Do you have a ISRU in the vessel?

[SpaceDan67]

Yes - The ISRU is still attached to ship (so can take it Kerbin -> Mun...then Mun -> Minimus etc...

But I checked the 2nd trip and made sure that all refueling modes of the ISRU were on “Stop”

[AHHans]

23 minutes ago, SpaceDan67 said:

But I checked the 2nd trip and made sure that all refueling modes of the ISRU were on “Stop”

Are you sure that they are really switched off? And not just stopped because all the fuel and oxidizer tanks were full? In the latter case the ISRU will start consuming ore once you burn some fuel by running your engines.

[SpaceDan67]

Ok I will “triple check” - plus alI have another Mun ore - as well as a Minimus ore - mission to complete....Will verify when I run those missions....

 

But I know I was watching the ore level in warp during Mun-Kerbin transfer - and all propulsion was shutdown (no RCS) - only reaction wheel active- and I have plenty of batteries and likely overkill on solar power arrays as well...

[AHHans]

1 hour ago, SpaceDan67 said:

But I know I was watching the ore level in warp during Mun-Kerbin transfer

Well, yes. The engines consume fuel much faster than the ISRU can generate fuel. So if the ISRU stopped because the fuel tanks are full and you then run the engines for a bit (e.g. to get from Mun onto a transfer to LKO) then it will take the ISRU a while to convert enough ore to fill up the fuel tanks again (assuming that there is enough ore in the tanks). And this converting will happen during any time-warp that you are doing.

[SpaceDan67]

Just a belated thank you / follow up:  I must have NOT been watching the ISRU as closely as I thought after all..done multiple 'ore' missions - and when I have REALLY confirmed it's OFF - then I get zero ore consumption inflight....

Thanks again for everyones' feedback....

Dan