a kerbal to deploy the solar panels of another ship when the battery is dead

[lammatt]

my interplanet probe died becasue the battery depleted before i realize i didnt extend the panels.

so i flew a manned ship to try EVA a kerbal to deploy them by hand to revive my probe

but i discovered it doesnt work that way because the NOT ENOUGH ELECTRICCHARGE status gets in the way

and you need to dock or KAS to allow the extension of the panels...while i didnt have a port or KAS on the probe... i could do nothing but save edit to revive the probe

---

so my question is...

would u like it if they allow kerbals to deploy the panel even when the battery is dead?

Edited August 5, 2013 by lammatt

[acealeam]

Yeah, that works.

[Necandi Brasil]

Yes, this would be a very good idea. I think they already plan in having kerbals repairing things

[lammatt]

kerbals can deploy the panels now but not when the battery is dead... (i think this is not making sense... what's the point of deploying it with a kerbal if you can do it with the ship itself)

Yes, this would be a very good idea. I think they already plan in having kerbals repairing things

[RocketPilot573]

Last I checked Kerbals can already do this.

[AncientAstronaut]

Last I checked Kerbals can already do this.

Why is it that people like you just read the thread title but not the actual contents? He's asking for Kerbals to be able to deploy panels WHEN THE BATTERIES ARE DEAD.

[lammatt]

Last I checked Kerbals can already do this.

bro you failed so hard.

[annallia]

Why is it that people like you just read the thread title but not the actual contents? He's asking for Kerbals to be able to deploy panels WHEN THE BATTERIES ARE DEAD.

What makes you so sure that he didn't read it, and thinks they already can do it? I was pretty sure they could do it as well, have done it a few times myself but cannot be certain the batteries in the craft were dead as I was eva at the time but they should have been.

That said, if they can't do it I would love to see them be able to do it. I would also love to see kerbals be able to do things like replace panels when they get damaged, or take apart a ship and put certain parts on a new ship (like take the unbroken panels from a crashed ship and put them on a new one)

[lammatt]

What makes you so sure that he didn't read it, and thinks they already can do it? I was pretty sure they could do it as well, have done it a few times myself but cannot be certain the batteries in the craft were dead as I was eva at the time but they should have been.

That said, if they can't do it I would love to see them be able to do it. I would also love to see kerbals be able to do things like replace panels when they get damaged, or take apart a ship and put certain parts on a new ship (like take the unbroken panels from a crashed ship and put them on a new one)

no they CANT repair the panels if the battery is dead nor they can extend them; no menu pops up when i right click the panel at proximity

(unless i was doing it the wrong way when i tried)

[RocketPilot573]

Looks fine to me...

And I assure you that the Pod was decoupled and the batteries were run down by the Ion Engine.

[rpayne88]

Looks fine to me...

And I assure you that the Pod was decoupled and the batteries were run down by the Ion Engine.

I'll back him us there, I've done the same thing.

[Levelord]

I'll back him us there, I've done the same thing.

Ditto, tested it and it works fine with 0 charge in the batteries.

[InspectorBumHat]

Yeah you have to be in EVA though, I think that's where the conflicting answers are coming from

[Brenok]

Yeah you have to be in EVA though, I think that's where the conflicting answers are coming from

How would a kerbal manually open a solar panel without EVA?

-edit- Now I remembered something: didn't the launching pad generate energy, so that probes wouldn't die while waiting for a window? Did you try testing this outside of the launching pad?

Edited August 5, 2013 by Brenok

[annallia]

no they CANT repair the panels if the battery is dead nor they can extend them; no menu pops up when i right click the panel at proximity

(unless i was doing it the wrong way when i tried)

Never said they could repair, said it would be nice if they could. However, as others have shown here, they can extend them. It could very possibly be that you were not close enough to the panel to do it.

[Olvirm]

How would a kerbal manually open a solar panel without EVA?

-edit- Now I remembered something: didn't the launching pad generate energy, so that probes wouldn't die while waiting for a window? Did you try testing this outside of the launching pad?

As far as I know it does that until you begin mission (press space). In order to decouple the pod/activate the ion engine he would have had to stage and therefore start the mission

[Tiron]

How would a kerbal manually open a solar panel without EVA?

-edit- Now I remembered something: didn't the launching pad generate energy, so that probes wouldn't die while waiting for a window? Did you try testing this outside of the launching pad?

The launch clamps have generators built in that produce 1.0 power per second. If you're not using clamps, you don't get ground power.

From what I can see, I think he put a kerbal inside the dead ship's pod and then couldn't extend the panels. Which really does kinda make sense...having to go on EVA to do it is a pain, though.

My personal solution is to always put an OX-STAT or two somewhere as a 'keepalive' measure. They don't need to be deployed or undeployed, and only 'break' if they physically hit something. Although last I checked they'd fix themselves if you reloaded the scene...

[Sethnizzle]

So I've decided to put this discussion to bed. My tests put me away from the launch pad power supply. What I found is that without a probe body you can not get down to zero power. And with any kind of manned command part you can always open the panels even without going EVA. But as mentioned with just a probe body you are unable to retract panels, unless you have an EVA'd Kerbal close enough to do it. http://imgur.com/a/Oz6Go

[Levelord]

So I've decided to put this discussion to bed. My tests put me away from the launch pad power supply. What I found is that without a probe body you can not get down to zero power. And with any kind of manned command part you can always open the panels even without going EVA. But as mentioned with just a probe body you are unable to retract panels, unless you have an EVA'd Kerbal close enough to do it. http://imgur.com/a/Oz6Go

If you can rescue a probe body by bringing a Kerbal EVA to extend it, then everything appears to be in good working order and I don't understand what seems to be the problem brought up originally in the thread.

[Tiron]

If you can rescue a probe body by bringing a Kerbal EVA to extend it, then everything appears to be in good working order and I don't understand what seems to be the problem brought up originally in the thread.

I think the OP had an unmanned craft with an empty command pod on it, put a kerbal inside, and couldn't extend the solar panels. I think they require that there be power available to extend them without going on EVA or something, I'll check it.

Edit:

Okay, In testing, I have found that:

Bob inside a Cupola is able to deploy solar panels while the batteries are empty. Bob standing next to the solar panel on EVA is able to deploy it. Bob in a hitchhiker is not able to deploy it, because a hitchhiker is not a command pod.

So the only way I'm able to duplicate the OP's situation is by being inside a crewtank with no control abilities, trying to deploy it without going outside, while the probe core is dead due to lack of power. Even then, going on EVA would allow the panels to be deployed.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Tiron

[Tyren]

@OP: KAS provides mountable connectors, take on on your rescue ship and attach it to your probe, then connect your recharger with that connector. Worked fine for me, my mun base had the same Problem...until i fired up a Generator module

[magnemoe]

@OP: KAS provides mountable connectors, take on on your rescue ship and attach it to your probe, then connect your recharger with that connector. Worked fine for me, my mun base had the same Problem...until i fired up a Generator module

KAS solves an boatload of problems, tap rest fuel from stages, add not only power but also fuel to satellites with no docking ports.

Tow stuff in space, air or on land, and make docking parts together on the surface a joke. it also give you an reason for doing manned missions.

A extension to the mod let you add probe cores, batteries, solar panels, even small tanks and engines to anything. Yes you can make an return rocket of you rover and crached mun lander and go home McGyver style.

[HeadHunter67]

I'll definitely have to check that out, then. Sounds like it could be useful in orbital construction.

Can you please tell me more about this "extension" to KAS? Where do you find it? Is it this?

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/attachment-pack/

Edited August 5, 2013 by HeadHunter67