You Will Not Go To Space Today - Post your fails here!

[boostme]

I once built a real beaut of a Duna lander. It could crew three, and was driven by two nuclear rockets. It could land on Duna without parachutes and had enough dV left to SSTO and return to Kerbin.

I had just recently discovered and started using mods, in particular the nice streamline fairings from KW. Now to fit those long nuclear rockets inside the fairing they would have to go under the lander, but to do a stable landing, they had to go on the sides. Infernal Robotics provided some nice hinges that allowed those rockets to stow under the lander for launching and fold out to the sides for landing.

It was simply stunning to see the launch and deployment of this lander - ballet in action.

So when Jeb, Bill and Bob arrived at Duna - some two years after launch - those nuclear rockets wouldn't fire. I'd forgotten the #@@#! fuel hose! The poor crew had to circle Duna for another year before they could return to Kerbin.

I immediately added and tested the offending fuel hoses, and also made a few other minor changes. I immediately sent Jeb, Bill and Bob on their way again.

So, they arrive back at Duna. They fire up the rockets, and - NOTHING! Those minor changes ended up cutting off the fuel hoses during the complicated unfolding of the rockets.

I eventually did get a crew to Duna and back using this lander, but it wasn't Jeb, Bill and Bob. In fact, the crew that finally made the landing passed Jeb and co. returning to Kerbin on the next launch window to Duna.

I still feel guilty for making Jeb and friends sit in a capsule for years and never actually getting them to Duna; but at least I got them home alive.

Edited August 13, 2014 by boostme

[Mistake Not…]

From a while ago - my high-altitude Eve atmospheric explorer. Dip into the upper atmosphere, then boost back up into orbit.

As you can see, it worked flawlessly.

[djnattyd]

There goes √700,000

That was beautiful

[1of6Billion]

Assembled a Jool-V mission in LKO yesterday. The moment I wanted to start the transfer burn, I noticed that the Tylo lander stage missed 1 (of 7) engine. With symmetry gone, I don't think it's a good idea to proceed. Also that lander doesn't have a lot of redundancy either.

[Stratzenblitz75]

May I present to you... Big rocket 2

Over 4000 parts

Almost 40,000 tons

And a cost so high, the game displays it with scientific notation. (15,500,000 funds)

Surprisingly, it launched just fine

Unfortunately, problems arose much later in the flight:

Because of the lag, it took 3 hours of real time to get the rocket this far, so, you can imagine how pissed I was when this happened... (In hindsight, I probably should of turned down the texture quality to make the lag slightly more bearable but... oh well...)

Edited August 15, 2014 by Stratzenblitz75

[CatastrophicFailure]

May I present to you... Big rocket 2

http://i.imgur.com/BkZ2rK7.png

Over 4000 parts

Almost 40,000 tons

And a cost so high, the game displays it with scientific notation.

Surprisingly, it launched just fine

http://i.imgur.com/l28ObgI.png

Unfortunately, problems arose much later in the flight:

http://i.imgur.com/U9bgxar.png

Because of the lag, it took 3 hours of real time to get the rocket this far, so, you can imagine how pissed I was when this happened... (In hindsight, I probably should of turned down the texture quality to make the lag slightly more bearable but... oh well...)

Is there an actual payload in all that MoarBoosters?

[Stratzenblitz75]

Is there an actual payload in all that MoarBoosters?

Yes, the center core is actually the payload (the center engines are on decouplers so they don't drain from the payload fuel). There's about 3000 tons of fuel in there.

[LongbowEOD]

I built my first ship using Procedural Fairings' thrust plate piece yesterday. I'm a fan of mild part clipping, nothing too overboard, so when I discovered I could clip the somewhat blocky thrust plate into the bottom of my fuel tank, I was delighted.

It was only when I achieved orbit that I realized that clipping it into the fuel tank meant no fuel could flow through it to the engines. Took Edan Kerman 4 jetpacks worth of EVAProp to deorbit.

[MrWalrus123]

My very first mission went up 30 feet and spun out of control. Luckly, it was only a probe

[MrWalrus123]

Forgot the struts, all the boosters collided into the main rocket. At least one of the winglets got into space.

[Cos]

KSP may evolve and improve but my stupidity shall remain undimmed.........

A catalog of errors or a comedy of errors.. I'll let you be the judge.

Contracts - Explore the Mun

Sent Jeb in a lander with 3 x Goo, 3 Materials, Temp etc - I want that science (High / Above / Landed).

Land in Farside (almost an anagram of fastdie isn't it?), get science, collect samples - all done nicely and it's time to take off.

WAIT! - I can get extra EVA reports for 'above highlands', 'above midlands' etc.

Take off - lean over and start aiming for a 12km orbit. Hmmm. I turned a bit early better just make sure I don't hit - AHHHHHHHHHH! - PANIC!

Point straight up - full power - too late - the bottom of the lander *clips* a ridge - at this point I'm sure Jeb is dead but......

.....he lives! The bottom of the lander explodes but incredibly the pod is still in one piece - albiet on a sub-orbital trajectory.

At apoapsis Jeb retrieves the science stored in the capsule and begins his orbital burn using his jetpack - success!

One rescue mission later and Jeb is back in the Kerbalnaut complex being bought drinks for telling his tales of a lucky escape - except in this cruel world there is no escape - only temporary respite from the next disaster.........

....and so it goes.......

Just days later the countdown begins - Jeb grasps the controls and prepares to go where no Kerbal (except for himself) has gone before.

After a textbook flight Jeb lands safely and collects the science once again - mission control (that's me) advises him to take a steeper ascent profile this time and he returns safely to orbit.

A quick, seemingly innocuous, plane change enables him to collect a lot of EVA reports over the varied Biomes - time to go home....

WAIT! - a qucik look at the Kerbal Engineer readouts indicates we have only 230m/s Dv. I'm not sure but I'm sure I needed at least 250m/s last time.

Sure enough our manouver node says we are about 20-30m/s short.

At this point Mission Control (me) makes a bad decision. Rather than send a rescue ship I decide that with a few doses of jetpack fuel Jeb can get out and push us back into Kerbins atmosphere...

...and so Jeb once more heads for an apointment with danger.......

We begin the burn and sure enough we have a Kerbin periapsis of about 1000km. Jeb unclips his harness and EVAs to the back of the ship.

Once EVA burn later and we have dropped to about 850km periapsis. Another six of those and we're home!

At around burn 3 mission control (your truly) is pretty tired and very thirsty. At mission control my lovely assistant offers to make me a cup of tea (what a star).

As she passes she sees the ship being pushed.

'Is that Jeb *again*!?' she asks incredulously.

'Yes it is.'

I think she feels a certain pity for Jeb (or maybe it's empathy - she has to put up with me in real life!).

Burn 5 - cup of tea next to my left hand and all is good. Only a few more to go......

So thirsty......

My left hand is guiding Jeb forward and so my right hand reaches across the keyboard and grabs the tea.... so refreshing.......

As I put the tea back down I have a nasty feeling - I can monotask but I can't multitask........

STOP! Noooooo! Jeb has 0.02 monopropellant left.

I try - I really do. Tiny taps on the translate keys - like a woodpecker tapping a tree trunk.

Of course it's no good - Jeb ends up close - tantalisingly close but there are no cigars in space (especially on EVA).

Both he and the ship are on a highly eccentric orbit around Kerbin.

Mission control solemnly finishes the tea and thinks.........

How long have we got to get them back? They are in eliptical orbit but what if it sakes them close enough to the Mun SOI in a few orbits.... that could be a problem....

The scientists devise a rescue tug. The body is covered in ladders as the ship will have to 'drift' into Jeb as he has no EVA fuel [this would make a great contract BTW - rescue a Kerbal in orbit with no EVA fuel].

At the front of the ship is a makeshift claw (girders and landing legs) - we've not discovered docking yet. More worryingly we have not dicoverred RCS.

Bob gets the ungainly device into LKO and plots an intercept.

We'll pick up Jeb first and get him in the capsule and put Bob on the ladder. Then we'll manouver over to the lander containing all the science, grab it with the claw, drop it into a re-entry trajectory and EVA Bob into the lander pod. Easy!

Eventually the green smiling (why!?) face of Jeb comes into view.

On the third attempt Bob stops the ship about 3 to 5m from Jeb in a position that will allow him the disable the ASAS and rotate the ship to touch Jeb....

Bob begins the rotation.......

Mission control shifts it's focus to Jeb and some tense moments later it happens.....

....GRAB!

GOT IT!

Amazingly we are in a position to rescue Jeb and the science!

Mission Control is ecstatic! The feeling of relief is incredible!

Except in this cruel world there is no escape - only temporary respite from the next disaster.........

Mission control inexplicably, accidently, unacceptably, unfathomably, non-sensically, moronically, stupidly, unforgivably presses the space bar......

The pod (with Bob inside) seperates form the tanks and engine (with Jeb on the ladder).

Pod + Tanks + Engine = Ship.

Pod - Tanks - Engine <> Ship.

This time there is no panic. No screaming. No shouting. Just emptiness.

Mission control places its head in its hands and takes a deep breath.

My lovely assistant says nothing. She can sense (as can all good assistants) that all is not well at Mission Control.

It's late now and mission control needs time to think. And so mission control thinks. And sleeps on it. And dreams. And awakens.

Mission control decides to relate the whole sorry saga in the hope that others may learn.

And in Mission controls dreams there is always hope. Bob and Jeb are alive. Nothing is lost, only misplaced.

And that which is misplaced can be found.

WILL be found!

-Cos

[magnemoe]

@Kos, very funny, reminds me a bit of my probe mission to Eve who managed to crash into Gilly, yes its require skill.

Three probes, multi function so they could land at both Eve and Gilly, they had parashute and I could drop the fuel and engine for parashute landing.

One on top, two on bottom, getting into Eve orbit, drop one probe, just to find that the bottom probes had decopler upside down so the engine did not work.

Ok I decided to do a deorbit burn with the carrier, drop the second bottom probe, get back to orbit and and use the top probe at gilly.

This worked well and probe landed on land. The temperature and pressure readings was a surprise.

Off to Gilly, here my first problem was that my Minmus burn was a bit bad and the deorbit and orbit again opperation also used plenty of fuel so I found I probably could not make orbit, however the probe should be able to so I adjust for impact trajectory and burn off the remining 2-300 m/s in the transfer stage, press space again to activate engine, quicksave and find that the second separation decopled the probe and parachute from the engine and fuel, all three parts impacted gilly

[undercoveryankee]

Took me three tries to get a probe into Mun orbit.

The first attempt I forgot to set the control surface tweakables. Runaway roll oscillations kept the vehicle from executing the intended pitch profile. Lawn dart into the ocean on Kerbin.

Second attempt made it out of LKO into an impact trajectory, planning to adjust for a polar insertion just after SOI change. I didn't notice that the entire trajectory from before SOI entry to impact was in darkness. Ran out of power before the planned course correction and Mun dart. And to add insult to injury, the Interstellar seismometer didn't process the impact, apparently because I had renamed the probe with the seismometer on it.

[Ruthgar]

Started a new career in my 'BTSM' modded KSP copy folder (original purchased version is in a separate folder and is mostly vanilla aside from science alert, Kerbal Engineer, and mechjeb for precise node timing ( I like to do my own node calculations, just don't like sitting around for the precise initiation of them)) and my first trip out to jool, my probes get there and..... they only have the 100,000km transmitter........*sigh* time for a new mission and waiting for the next transfer window.

[sloth]

I flew a resupply mission to minmus. The idea was to deliver a new and improved lander to a science station in orbit around minmus and bring back the old one. I wanted to do this using an SSTO because I don't know whats good for me.

The first thing that went wrong was that when I got there I did not have enough dV to return to kerbin. So I had to ferry fuel between the station and the spacetruck (which does not have a docking port .. doh) using the small fuel tank in the landers. This took a few trips and was very annoying.

Then, back kerbin orbit it turned out that my SSTO minus most of its fuel was no longer aerodynamically stable enough to do that whole landing thing that people are always so fond of. So I had to fly up a second ship into the very weird orbit that the SSTO was in and pump some fuel into it to make it balanced.

Upon touchdown low ground clearance also meant I lost some bits. All in all it went wrong in the design phase but I didnt know it till the end Went to space though, so thats something I guess.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/87741443@N06/sets/72157646290276101/

Edited August 22, 2014 by sloth

[optimusjamie]

I'm practicing docking maneuvers at the moment, so I set up a target vehicle in low Mun orbit, then sent up a crew vehicle. Because of the way the crew vehicle had to do the transfer burn, it ended up orbiting in the opposite direction to the target vehicle.

[colin_in_space]

Here are two epicly dumb fails. Sorry no picks.

Firstly, my first attempt at a duna lander. It was to tall, with landing legs only in the centre core. And a docking Oort which extended 'just' below the legs. So it could touch down, but immediately tipper no matter how much I tried to stabalixe with RCS. 5 hours of work down the drain!

Second, just last night. Trying to launch a ship/station to eve with station science mod parts. Got up close to docking with the landing module I will be taking along when I realized at dome point I had hit the space bar one time too many and dropped my cyclotron. Whoops! Abort and crash that station into the sea. Come on home Boys, we got another ready to go!!

[JDCollie]

Today, I learned how to build ships higher than the VAB.

This will not be good for reputation nor budget, I guess...

It might need to be slightly redesigned before the update.

"The Kraken stretched forth it's mighty tentacles, and thus ended the fourth age of Kerbin"

- Necrokerbicon

[Ultraflight]

At the start of my new 0.24.2 save file, (having not updated from 0.24.0 until then),

I started the "Explorer" program, to send probes to ALL ZE PLANETS!

The HL01 launcher was only meant to fly probes out to Dres with extra fuel for orbital maneuvers, but it managed to just get to Jool for the Jool Explorer mission. The probe, already suffering from a design flaw of fuel shortness, used about a third of its fuel entering a usable orbit. It soon became apparent of a much bigger flaw- the SCANSAT radar installed weighed much, much less than the single RTG on the other side. In other words, the probe would enter an uncontrolled spin whenever I throttled it up beyond about 30 percent. Even MechJeb couldn't get it under control, and I was forced to shunt it into a Laythe orbit to get any data at all from it. The probe did not have the fuel for a polar orbit, so it could only map the equator. A "Jool Explorer II" is in the works, and I have plans to deorbit the Jool Explorer into Jool when it arrives, but it only has 31 units of fuel left to do so. Certainly a challenge.

The Duna Explorer functioned perfectly, and mapped Duna and Ike's surfaces flawlessly.

Eve Explorer featured a Gilly lander that became a Gilly Impactor due to the shortage of fuel. It survived with only the Ant engine destroyed, landing at 21 meters per second. I can consider the mission a success.

With this rush of success, I was motivated to put Kerbals on Duna. So I built a retarded mothership based off a design I had previously made in .23. It featured a central core with 4 nuclear engines and a Jumbo-64, an Apollo-style command module, and a single-Kerbal lander. It suffered from fuel shortages, and the lander touched down with hardly any fuel left. Jeb had to complete orbital insertion with his EVA pack. The mothership was nearly out of fuel due to my inefficient transfer (tried to not use MechJeb, failed miserably), so the command module boldly made the burn home, safely reaching Kerbin after a very stupid ordeal where I decoupled the command module by accident, leading to a reload.

Then I made a space station, which got its solar panel (yes, only one) torn off by a poorly-built Progress freighter replica, made with HGR, that was making MechJeb go apesh*t. The crew had to evacuate in Soy-Juices, and the habitation module that doubled as an escape pod.

[CatastrophicFailure]

Getting to space today wasn't the problem. The launch of my first Probe to Eve in this save went beautifully, as did the transfer burn even with a less than ideal luanch window.

The problem came with trying to recover my reusable Daedalus booster. This was the first flight for that too and uncovered a glaring design flaw I somehow missed. Didn't put a long range antenna on it, and my RemoteTech2 comm network is still severely lacking. After multiple orbits waiting for a commsat to wander within 500km so I could drop the PeA into the atmosphere & try to land, I discovered that the RT2 autopilot (that will work without a signal) really really sucks.

It would hold the right attitude, but fired the Vernors constantly, quickly burning thru all the landing fuel, and once that was gone, so was attitude control since the booster is not aerodynamically stable enough and needs active correction. Once it lost attitude it swapped ends and Deadly Reentry ate it alive. What survived rained down on Gednalna (again) so I'll probably be getting another huge ticket for littering.

[Mattasmack]

I'm playing a stock, "hard mode" (no quicksaves, reverts, or reincarnation) career mode game, and I accidentally accepted a "Plant flag on Eve" contract. I haven't failed or cancelled a contract yet, so I'm determined to get this one. But since killed Kerbals don't come back, the Eve lander has to successfully land and return to orbit unmanned before I'll put a Kerbal on it. Here are the prototypes, all of which except the last one Did Not Go (back) To Space Today.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

(Edit) Actually, here's the album showing the actual mission as well. Even though it did successfully Go To Space Today, twice, the final result fits the theme of this thread.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Edited August 26, 2014 by Mattasmack

[GreeningGalaxy]

I wanted to make an antimatter-powered Alcubierre ship in KSPI to go on a mission to Eeloo, so I got out a fusion-powered Alcubierre ship and harvested the antimatter I needed from Jool's magnetosphere, which took about two years.

Upon bringing the container home, though, I ran into trouble. I had been originally planning on undocking the antimatter bottle and flying it over to the other ship on remote control, but as soon as I undocked, the antimatter bottle panicked and drained the probe core's batteries of energy, leaving the module hanging dead in space with the the time left on its power cell quickly ticking down.

I quickly switched back to the collector ship and fired a quick engine burn to get it out of the way, then maneuvered the receiving ship in with RCS- only to find that it was fresh out of monopropellant and the LFO-burning Vernor thrusters only pointed sideways, and not forward or back.

After a crazily difficult docking maneuver that burned up a lot of fuel and almost got Lemeny deorbited, I somehow managed to capture the antimatter bottle on my docking port with just under 200/1000 charge left. I transferred all the antimatter into the shipboard container and fired the deorbiting thrusters on the useless antimatter collector module, which ended up putting it in a higher orbit instead of deorbiting it due to a mixup with which end of the thing was the front.

I thought everything would go back to working like planned, but I was wrong. The electric generator on the ship assumes it's connected only to the auxiliary backup fusion reactor in front of it and not to the antimatter reactor behind it, meaning that it has a maximum power output of 77 megawatts and can't be persuaded to run higher than 7. At that rate, my Alcubierre drive might be able to charge to 0.10 c levels in a few years. At least the main sublight engine works now.

Antimatter is valuable stuff and the ship seems to be doing fine as far as powering the containment unit goes, so soon I'll build a ship that actually works, fly it up there, and transfer the antimatter through a KAS pipe instead of doing another docking maneuver that requires cutting the power on a 4-megaton bomb in low Kerbin orbit.

[Felsmak]

So I was putting a solar powered space staion in orbit around Minmus. I was about to perform the insertion burn, but then this happened.

[GreeningGalaxy]

Trolled by the eclipse. That happened to three of my spaceplanes in a row once, because I kept reverting to hangar when it happened.

And dang, that's kind of a feat from Minmus, what with its huge orbital inclination and everything.

[Lilleman]

I guess this is what "Jebediah's Junkyard" must look like: