Repairs in space

[Alshain]

Just a correction about the chutes: it's not that you can't activate them with staging after using them, it's that you can only activate them with staging ONCE. If you don't use staging the first time you deploy chutes, you can use it the second time ... you could probably set up an action group for your chutes too (in the VAB).

I just use action groups and ignore the fact that chutes are in stages. Squad needs to either fix that or remove the parachutes from staging.

[Deadweasel]

I just use action groups and ignore the fact that chutes are in stages. Squad needs to either fix that or remove the parachutes from staging.

I just assign them to a group I'm not using if the design carries the possibility to re-use 'chutes, usually the Abort group.

[advil]

As a general rule, if the craft in question is in atmosphere and the panel was broken by the weird loading glitch (breaks off because it was deployed during the load), I'll "roll back" the breakage by changing stateString to RETRACTED.

However, if the panel was broken due to my own dumb blunder, I just leave it broken and chalk it up to "unexpected deviation from mission parameters".

(In other words, due to the way the game handles relative velocities at load time, if your panels broke off while landed, I highly recommend you set them to RETRACTED, not EXTENDED, or it'll just happen again the next time you load that scene. Also, make it a point to retract any solar panels before you leave the scene.

I can honestly say I have never had KSP randomly break my toys lol has anybody else experienced this glitch? The only ones I seem to run into often are going through planets when landing with time warp on and various space kraken attacks on my space stations if I forget and leave SAS/RCS on.

[JDCollie]

There is a radial attachment system now using the KAS plugin to attach and detach some stock parts like solar panels RTGs and RCS thrusters as well as about 40 other small pieces.

Adding KAS variables to parts is actually really easy, and KAS includes documentation that tells you how to do it. If a part is radially attachable, you can make it work with KAS (in theory at least)

[Deadweasel]

I can honestly say I have never had KSP randomly break my toys lol has anybody else experienced this glitch? The only ones I seem to run into often are going through planets when landing with time warp on and various space kraken attacks on my space stations if I forget and leave SAS/RCS on.

Heh, you ever hear the high-speed flight noise for just a moment when loading in to a craft landed in atmosphere? That's a clue to what's going on as the game gets things set up. For just a moment, the ship is considered to be traveling through the atmosphere about the speed that the planet itself is traveling through space. In that short moment, if your solar panels were deployed, well, they ain't no more.

[ShaneHeitzma]

Lately I've been practicing docking (finally getting the hang of it) but after a couple of major and minor disasters I wondered: How do I perform some simple repairs in space? Like fix a broken solar panel for example? I read on the Wiki planned features page http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Planned_features that this is partially implemented. Can anyone tell me how I do this?

Well I do think you will be able to repair those panels..Very few items are repairable in space..

[KerikBalm]

I'm reasonably sure you don't actually need parachutes to land on Duna due to the low gravity and thin atmosphere which I think is around 1% of that of Kerbin at sea level if they are reasonably accurate analogs to Earth and Mars. However, it is notable that even NASA uses parachutes along with boosters when they send things to the Martian surface.

They are not reasonably accurate by your criteria.

Elevation = 0 on Duna has an atmospheric pressure of 20% that of Kerbin -> of course, the lowest point on Duna is still 124 meters.. but close enough.

The highest atmospheric pressure I've recorded while exploring was about 17.5 % that of Kerbin.

Most of my early landings were in 5% to 10% of Kerbin's atmosphere. Most of Duna's surface is pretty high, and thus in thin atmosphere.

Its still very high compared to say... the pressure at the top of Olympus Mons.

You can, of course, land on Kerbin without parachutes as well.

Also note that a parachute that brings you down at 10 m/s at Earth's atmospheric *density* (its really density, not pressure, that is important) will bring you down at 100m/s in an atmosphere that is 1% of that density.

So basically, IRL, parachutes still save all but the last 90 m/s of dV needed for a safe landing

Also note that IRL, you would be coming in to mars at a lot faster than the 900-1,100 m/s for duna.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Pathfinder#Entry.2C_descent_and_landing

Another difference in on duna, the thin atmosphere has a low scale height, whereas mars, the scale height is quite high.

Ie, it may be nearly a vacuum, but at least you get to travel through it longer.