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

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wasmic

wasmic

Posted
Posted

Well, I have no pictures of this incident, but it sure is funny. I had recently bought the game, version 0.19, and I was going to land on Minmus. It would be my first landing on another celestial body, I hadn't even done the Mün. So, the landing went smoothly, Dergun Kerman explored a little, didn't plant a flag, and started home again. Problem was, I was so used to pressing space to start the rockets, so that's what I did. Then the capsule decoupled from the rocket.

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Sauron

Sauron

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well...

Started a fresh save today to do everything from scratch again with the benefit of improved technique. Allegedly. Then the ridiculousness happened. After going through the usual motions (orbiting a satellite, orbiting a kerbal, an LKO rendezvous test with my shiny new service module/docking target). All this went swimmingly. Then it begun. Mun mission Apollo style. I built the rocket, I (err...mission control) did some napkin math and got about 8 tons worth of payload to 150km LKO. 8.36 tons is about 8 tons. NO. It isn't. When the manual says 8 tons, it means 8 tons not 8 tons give-or-take a bit. The mission is off to an embarrassing start, and I have to use the lander's engine and dip into my very lean fuel budget to clean up my orbit. Not as bad as expected, I can still make it, but there goes the safety margin I left myself (around 300 m/s). Then I decouple the CM from the LM and position the ships for docking. What do I see? A big caution-striped decoupler blocking the docking port on the LM. Laughing. Mocking me. Well. Time to scrub this mission and go back to the drawing board.

Instead of building a bigger rocket--I could easily lob 100 tons into LKO if I wanted, but I'm trying to simulate a logical technological progression here--I launch the LM (unmanned) and the CM (with Jeb) into orbit. We're going to do some orbital construction today! So I set up the rendezvous (and nailed it might I add--it might actually be a personal best time). And then once I had a visual on my LM, what did I see? That damned decoupler! I'd nailed the rendezvous with the wrong LM. Argh! So I deorbited Jeb (and removed the old LM to avoid a repeat).

This time things went fairly smoothly. Rendezvous. Dock. Transfer burn to the Mun. I even had a bit of my upper stage attached to the LM, so I had a much bigger fuel budget than expected too. Right as I reach Munar orbit, I realize that the CM doesn't have any way to control it remotely. Meh. That couldn't possibly come back to bite me. I'll just do the rendezvous with the RCS in the LM. Worst case scenario, Jeb gets to take a bit of a space walk. Jeb loves space walks. So I transfer Jeb to the lander and deorbit. Once again, I nailed it. About as efficient a descent as I could've hoped for. However, I was still very optimistic. While the CM had plenty of fuel, the LM most definitely didn't. But Jeb was at the controls, and I know he'd man up and try to make orbit on his tiny tank of fuel and the RCS (which I had quite a lot of).

Close. So very close. But not close enough. The lander didn't make orbit, and all the tanks are empty. So, it's time for the manliest possible solution. Jeb bails out of the death trap and turns on his jetpack. Miraculously, he manages to circularize in a horribly eccentric orbit. But disaster has been averted. Now, the second stage of the LM...err...Jedediah Kerman is orbiting the Mun, grinning maniacally (Jeb LOVES space walks). This is going to be one hell of a rescue mission, but I'm going to do it with the same configuration that got me into this mess. While my lander can't actually land and return, it is at least a spare seat, and I intend to get some use out of the stupid thing (that said, it's probably okay for Minimus or the other smaller moons).

Join us next week when Bob Kerman embarks on a heroic rescue mission! Will he save Jeb or crash into the Mun?

JebisSPAAACE.jpg

He's been like this for almost half an hour now

...Oh. Wait. There's only space for one in the capsule for reentry. I suppouse I'm going to be doing a second rendezvous with an SM. This time with a probe attached :rolleyes:

Edited by Sauron
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Marcosf98

Marcosf98

Posted
Posted

I built up my rocket. Nothing too big, just enough to get on a 100Km circular orbit around Kerbin. AT 50Km, the ship runs out of fuel. "RCS" I think, as it's the thing i've benn using to get on orbit so many times now. Just to realize that I forgot to place a monopropellant tank. "Then lets try not to crash" I think. And then, the worst thing happens. I forgot the parachute. And then I get into atmosphere. I place the ship with a side facing the ground to try to slow down. It reaches 10Km and its still falling at 100m/s. So as last tryto slow down, I decouple the opposite direction than the falling one. And then, I realize that there's no decoupler. And the worst thing of all. This green little guy at the bottom right corner. Grinning. This time I just give up. So as last thing, I put Jeb on EVA and throw the ship away. And then, I dont know how he did it, he landed on his helmet. And BOUNCED. He landed on his helmet. I really don't understand KSP phisics.

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Schrimschrim

Schrimschrim

Posted
Posted

Today i was on my way to the mun.. i thought sure i have done this so often this will be easy!!

and i was in orbit to land on the Mun surface and i decouple the last stage of my rocket.

like 2000m above the surface the last mentioned decoupled rockets found me back again and killed me before i reached the surface !

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Robo336

Robo336

Posted
Posted
!?! How'd you end up coming in so fast in the first place?

When I encountered Laythe, it was moving towards me.

Since it's orbital velocity is about 3000 m/s, I'm moving a lot faster relative to the surface, then if i had caught it on the other side of Jool.

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Tw1

Tw1

Posted
Posted (edited)

That's not supposed to be what happens when I stage.

6SdUoKg.png

Neat swirly patterns. I'm gonna see how far I go with just this bit.

MuWoRbN.png

Nope.

Gotta get clear of that broken stack.

ikAyI2h.png

It took a lot more strut construction to get this one into space.

Edited by Tw1
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Pontiac

Pontiac

Posted
Posted

No pics as of yet, but I'll show off my Kethane rig when I get home tonight. She's a beaut. But I think MJ and ASAS systems are talking with each other........

I DID get this rig into space with it, legit, no cheating this time (Previous time I was learning how Kethane worked). Strapped it onto my 37 orange tanks with 37 mainsails blowing. Got into orbit around Mun with one orange tank left. Filled up the quad RCS tanks, did a quick save.

Descent #1>

Me: MechJeb, please land at these coordinates. Be weary of the dip one degree to the east of the landing point.

MJ2: No prob boss. Decouple.. decouple.. decouple......

Me: NOooo.. you.... .. ...

Descent #2>

Me: MechJeb... Please land at these coordinates. Be weary of the dip one degree to the east of the landing point, and let me handle the decoupling this time around.

MJ2: No prob boss. Burn pro-grade, full tilt... Keep going.. keep going... leaving to SOI... ... Out of fuel... Get'n cheap on the gas are we?

Me: Mmmmmrrrrfffppp....

Descent #3>

Me: MechJeb... Please be aware that I'd like to land at these coordinates. I've already brought our PE to land as is. Be weary of the dip one degree to the east of the landing point, I'll handle the decoupling.

MJ2: No prob boss. Adjusting angle... Burning for a few seconds... Aiming just about retrograde... Start slowing down... a bit harder on the gas... bit harder.. harder... Much harder.. FULL ON....

NO CARRIER

Descent #4>

Me: MechJeb... Please be aware that I'd like to land at these coordinates. I've already brought our PE to land as is. I've changed the four engines on the permanent Skycrane from Nuclear to Skippers. The four Skycrane RCS tanks are 100% full, we still have the single orange tank attached that got us into orbit with 61% fuel left, on top of the orange tank that is attached TO the crane. Think you can do it?

MJ2: Yep.

Me: Are you sure?

MJ2: Have I ever let you down?

Me: *blank stare*

MJ2: Well?

Me: ... MechJeb... please be aware that I'd li...

MJ2: Confidence is high in this padewan...

MJ2: Aligning angles.... Complete... Adjusting landing point... .. Some more... Rotating with RCS... adjusting... angling again... ... rotating retrograde... .. power.. just a bit.. just a bit more... ... Ok... We're getting over the point, drop the orange tank, deploy th... wait... this rig doesn't have landing legs?

Me: No. Just tracks.

MJ2: That doesn't make sense....

Me: Uhh.. MJ... We're going at 100m/s at the ground

MJ2: OH SH...NO CARRIER

Descent #5>

Me: MechJeb.... ... .. ...

MJ2: Yes???

Me: .. just.. .. nevermind. I'm going to bed.

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mrsinister

mrsinister

Posted
Posted

hmm, I don't have a screenshot of the end result since everything was going wrong all in sequence.....but here is the last look at home.....

alookathomev1_zpsd8922de7.png

basically I had an idea to para-drop in rovers, ya know ,couple of good parachutes ,slow down enough (possibly some mini retro burners to help) ,decouplers ,etc..... set staging for rover's.....parachute first, lights, etc, then decouple at certain altitude while going slow enough........sounds good? .....well, this time was not so good.....LOL

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Dynamo

Dynamo

Posted
Posted

Ok, this one has been a fail in progress for about a week now.

GOAL: 0.20 came out, so first thing to do? Put a flag on the Mun, of course! Simple, right?

I figured that i'd already been to Laythe unmanned, and Duna manned, so this should've been a milk run for Jeb and friends.

Naturally, with said above experience, i proceeded to overengineer the "milk-run" into a needlessly complicated Carrier craft and Lander system, because i couldn't get over the internals for the new Cupola, necessitating a lateral rather than linear docking setup. I was watching my TWR on the carrier craft (3 nuke engines, very poor thrust), which meant that the lander had to be a squat little thing. One Rockomax Poodle, a X200-8 with only 360 units of fuel, and the Cupola made the body of the midget lander.

This was becoming more uselessly complicated, like the US's M2 Bradley development (

)

But the mission must go on! I ended up flying the carrier there, using up way more fuel than intended even with NERVA's, but i dismissed this issue, thinking i could use surplus fuel from the landers. Jeb proudly boarded his lander, and made his descent into a good-looking crater, where he pierced the soil of the Mun with the Field Dynamics Flag! Unfortunately, i realized only after sitting Jeb back in his seat that.... i had used over half his fuel landing. There was no way a noob like me could get him back to the carrier. Plus, this now meant that the carrier that was supposed to wait for surplus lander fuel (that now didn't exist) was also stranded. I did get to space, but i lost Bill, Jeb and Bob out there. Who said it was a milkrun, again? (Keep reading, this is only half of the fails.)

Rescue time! This time, learning from my prior error, i create a simpler rescue lander with capacity for 3 rover seats(Jeb loves reentering in external seating) and sent my rescuer off to save Jeb! Fast forward to landing, where i swoop down to rescue Jeb and... *BAM* .... The landing legs were too short, and the engine exploded on contact due to a rough landing. It took 3 attempts to finally set down a rescuer for the rescuer of the rescuer of the rescuee (That's right, 1 for 3 on the landing attempts due to design and then pilot error), filling the external seats that i thought would not be needed. Good thing my insurance covers lithobraking damages.

I do have pictures, but i don't remeber how to post them. If someone can tell me, i'll put them up in a followup post

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