Think again about leaving kerbals stranded

[paulram16]

To be fair, I don't think anyone in the space program was fooling themselves that it wasn't dangerous, especially not after Apollo One.

They were as sure as they could be that it would work, but it had never been done before, and you can never be 100% sure about anything.

I can understand that but Nasa - and the government - would rather save $$$ than to save their lives...

[Windchild]

I never leave a Kerbal behind except at a colony.

However, I am forming a Mun Colony and am planning a group of Laythe Colonies (different islands).

Any other planets/ moons are to be occupied until the Kerbals can return to either the Kerbin Hotel, the Mun Colony or (in the future) the Laythe Colonies.

[CatastrophicFailure]

Slightly off-topic: Why did NASA make the FIRST FLIGHT IN THE PROGRAM manned?

They didn't. There were several unmanned suborbital test flights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program#Unmanned_flight_tests

Apollo 1 was specifically to be the first manned flight.

[Jokurr]

Slightly off-topic: Why did NASA make the FIRST FLIGHT IN THE PROGRAM manned?

Uh, it wasn’t? The flight’s official name wasn’t even “Apollo 1†it was AS-204. There had been plenty of missions in the Apollo program beforehand, just none of them manned. The entire point of the mission was to do a manned test of the newly designed command service module (CSM), though they didn't get that far.

[Guest]

I had an experimental lander crash (spectacularly) on the Mun, stranding its crew of three Kerbals. I quickly fitted out a tried and true lander as an automated rescue ship to fetch them. The best of both worlds: the crew were rescued without additional risk of lives.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Guest

[Blackstar]

Uh, it wasn’t? The flight’s official name wasn’t even “Apollo 1†it was AS-204. There had been plenty of missions in the Apollo program beforehand, just none of them manned. The entire point of the mission was to do a manned test of the newly designed command service module (CSM), though they didn't get that far.

This. The first Apollo flights were unmanned, and Apollo wasn't even the first manned NASA program, being predated by Mercury.

The families of the astronauts who died requested that they be given the "Apollo 1" designation out of respect; despite the flight having not officially happened since the accident was during a test. NASA agreed, even though it messed up the mission numbering.

/my Mk4 spaceplane is named the "Grissom"

Edited May 21, 2013 by Blackstar

[Tokay Gris]

I never leave my kerbals out there. They ALL have some means of returning. I even landed some escape ships for precisely that purpose on Mun. And plan to do the same once I land on Duna.

Since there are high risk missions, I have lost a few heroic kerbals in the past. I plan to erect a monument for them. Right now not sure where. But it will be done!

[W3asel]

Since there are high risk missions, I have lost a few heroic kerbals in the past. I plan to erect a monument for them. Right now not sure where. But it will be done!

I propose a pile of unfired SRBs left by the dead kraken in honor of Jeb (and all the others).

I've only had one mission where I suspected from launch that I'd need a rescue mission (it did, but it was on Mun). If my kerbals are still alive after disaster strikes I make every effort to get them home, even if that means letting Jeb EVA half way back from Dres (no fuel for course corrections) and doing an aerocapture at Kerbin (he really loved that part) to get an orbit he could be retrieved from.

[SecondGuessing]

I propose a pile of unfired SRBs left by the dead kraken in honor of Jeb (and all the others).

You want unfired SRBs in order to honour Jeb? That's sick! That's like honouring a great architect with some bag of unmixed cement!

[Guest]

This. The first Apollo flights were unmanned, and Apollo wasn't even the first manned NASA program, being predated by Mercury.

-snip-

Don't forget the Gemini program as well.

[Scrogdog]

I never leave my kerbals out there. They ALL have some means of returning. I even landed some escape ships for precisely that purpose on Mun. And plan to do the same once I land on Duna.

Since there are high risk missions, I have lost a few heroic kerbals in the past. I plan to erect a monument for them. Right now not sure where. But it will be done!

Try the crew manifest mod. Dead crew never leave the list memorializing them and reminding you of your failure for eternity!

[Randox]

The fun for me is in over designing my rockets (so that they can handle things I didn't foresee, which happens often), and if worst comes to worst, the challenge of creating a rescue vehicle, which presumably has to be better than whatever vehicle got someone stranded in the first place. I've mounted a rescue a few times, and killed kerbals even more. But I don't leave them behind, they all have a ticket home, or one is on the way.

[karolus10]

Since in KSP 0.20 you will be able to change root part and change pod/payload in vanilla game.

This will allow to refine rocket design using probe body and mass simulator (stack of fuel tanks with similar mass) first and attach later new pod/payload without rebuilding the craft .

[Jacob01]

I have rescue plans in place for my Kerbals. They work as well, I managed to get 3 back from Minmus after the pod fell off the rocket!

[llamatoes]

The closest I am to abandoning Kerbals is the 4 kerbs I have in my station around Vall, currently waiting for the resupply ships.

Since my space program is stupidly well established, we have eschewed parachutes in exchange for a regular shuttle back to Kerbin.

[Reavermyst]

Welp, since funding is not an issue, I send rescue craft to save stranded kerbals =D

[Vostok]

I don't mind killing kerbals. I try not to leave them behind though.

The only kerbal I try not to kill is Jeb. and I CERTAINLY don't leave Jeb behind. I spent the night before last rescuing him from duna, and it was a complete fiasco. But he got home in the end. (in spite of engines breaking on landing, dodgy rewiring, only-just-made orbits and several backup missions)

[dr_jt]

Consider Kerbals

Edited June 6, 2013 by dr_jt

[dr_jt]

Much better.....

Edited June 6, 2013 by dr_jt

[ShachonianX]

I don't mind killing kerbals. I try not to leave them behind though.

The only kerbal I try not to kill is Jeb. and I CERTAINLY don't leave Jeb behind. I spent the night before last rescuing him from duna, and it was a complete fiasco. But he got home in the end. (in spite of engines breaking on landing, dodgy rewiring, only-just-made orbits and several backup missions)

I always try to keep Jeb alive. Things about to crash? Abort EVA Jeb. ONLY Jeb.

[LeonG17]

Bet Bob and Bill love you then

[toril]

wow I always thought that the ksp was kerbal space and penitentery and that all the kerbal pilots were convicted mass murderers/serial killers thus the extreme disregard for them.

[Moustachauve]

Yea, Maybe I should get back my guys that are on Duna :/

[NeoMorph]

BillyBob Kerman is stranded on the moon. Jeb, Bill and Bob Kerman go to rescue him. When they arrive Jeb shouts to BillyBob...

Jeb: "Billybob, we are here to save you."

Billybob: "Errr.. great, but where do I sit in your three person capsule with your three Kerbonauts already on board?"

Jeb: "Ummm... Okay, got this sussed. BOB YOU'RE STAYING BEHIND SO WE CAN RESCUE BILLYBOB."

*Time passes*

Bob Kerman is stranded on the moon. Jeb, Bill and Gene Kerman go to rescue him. When they arrive Jeb shouts to Bob...

Jeb: "Bob, we are here to... save... you... say, didn't we do this before?"

Bob: "YES YOU DID YOU *BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*"

[tstehler1]

I never used to rescue them. however, I've gotten a lot better at the game lately, so upon updating to 0.19.1 I restarted my entire space program. When I did this, I told myself that every kerbal I spawned counted, and that no lives would be lost anymore. I've kept up with it so far... Pretty proud of myself not gonna lie. I have begun developing some interplanetary transports, so we'll see how that goes