Heartbreak

[Ogre]

My first manned mission to Duna. Everything has been tested on the Mun and worked fine (well, I drove the rover too fast and it exploded when I flipped it... but it got there fine!). I have two landers, one small one at the upper left, one big one at the bottom right. The big one carries a manned rover underneath. The ship was assembled in orbit from two big sections (plus the small lander). I used a 3-port docking scheme for the big pieces for great stability.

Got all the way to Duna. Filled up the big lander. Undocked one port. Undocked the next one, at which point it split the ship in two, which is bad because it was docked on all three ports when I left. Backed away from the command module and saw the problem...

#!&$@#

That engine pod at a weird angle is broken off its I-beam in my quicksave, I loaded several times to try again, the same engine winds up this way every time. I can't fly it straight even if I switch off the other two atomic engines (it has 3 atomic and 3 liquid, I can usually use it with either set burning, or both). I don't know when it broke, it was fine when I docked 'em up, but it's clearly broken before I undock it, I can't right click to check the fuel on that pod either.

I'm about to take my small lander down, but I have no way to get my rover down

[astropapi1]

It's rescue time!

[sporkafife]

My main interplanetary tug type thing has 4 LV-N's all attached with decouplers. That way, in the event of crazy unplanned destruction of an engine, the engine on the other side can be jettisoned keep the symmetry and let it limp on with it's mission with just two engines...

Lesson of the day - redundancy is important on space missions!

[Felsmak]

I know how it feels. I once mounted a decoupler upside down on a rover so that it blocked the RCS ports that powered it.

[Ogre]

My main interplanetary tug type thing has 4 LV-N's all attached with decouplers. That way, in the event of crazy unplanned destruction of an engine, the engine on the other side can be jettisoned to let it limp on with it's mission with just two engines...

Lesson of the day - redundancy is important on space missions!

That's a good idea. I have two sets of three engines (different types) on there. I could easily put both sets on decouplers in case this happens again.

I did land my small lander on Duna, so it wasn't a total loss.

Then on the next ship I sent, with the same lander except (of course) MORE STRUTS, the rover had gone missing by the time I got to Duna. I don't know why. But I'd copied a quicksave off before I made my transfer burn, and the rover is intact in that one, so I'm trying again right now. I'm about halfway through my transfer burn as I post this and the rover is still there. I'll save another one off once the burn is done and keep trying.

These ships are actually the first time I've even reloaded saves at all. I've been playing on "hardcore" mode until now (Except I'm using Mechjeb, so Hardcore Easy Mode I guess )