Option to Jettison fuel

[Jaxal1]

We all have times where we realize our spacecraft needs to shed some mass, but for whatever option just burning off the fuel isn't an option.

Maybe you're planning a parachute landing on Duna and need to be very light, but you have more fuel in the tank than you expected.

Maybe your interplanetary transfer is running your tank dry and you wish you hadn't brought all that RCS. (I recall one of Brotoro's updates, he blasted his RCS thrusters along with his interplanetary transfer, not so much for the extra thrust as to drop mass.)

Maybe your spaceplane dipped into its rocket fuel before breaking atmosphere and you have a surplus of oxidizer.

Maybe you've docked multiple craft together and you need to drain a tank to keep the center of mass in front of the center of thrust.

Maybe you want to simulate a delivery of consumables to a permanent base, but aren't up to editing your save file to make a couple tons of mass vanish.

Maybe you have a long burn where a short maneuver is more valuable than the extra fuel.

It would be great if there was a 'vent' or 'jettison' button when investigating a fuel tank that would simply make the fuel vanish.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Jaxal1
Semantic accuracy

[minimuffin]

I agree Jaxal1. Amazing idea! If you have to you can drain fuel now by running a liquid or jet engine, right clicking on it, and clicking on the little play button next to the oxidizer or the intake air respectively. The engines will keep draining the liquid fuel but won't create thrust. Of course, that is impractical.

[Guest]

Agreed, though a fuel vent should probably be a separate part.

[Kasuha]

There could be a part which would allow you to transfer fuel to it without holding any. It could be called "fuel vent".

[scootersoup]

There is currently a mod part that I believe does more or less what you ask, if you want to try it

[Hanoj]

Yup, this idea works with me.

[Jaxal1]

I agree Jaxal1. Amazing idea! If you have to you can drain fuel now by running a liquid or jet engine, right clicking on it, and clicking on the little play button next to the oxidizer or the intake air respectively. The engines will keep draining the liquid fuel but won't create thrust. Of course, that is impractical.

I did not know that! At least there's a stock way to vent excess fuel.

[goldenpeach]

A work around(you still need engines though):

If you need to jettison rocket fuel, disable the oxidizer of the tank and fire up your engines: they will use the fuel without creating thrust.

If you need to jettison oxidizer: do the same as above(disable the rocket fuel)

It also work with air breathing engines, you just need to prevent air intake to reach your engine( unfortunately, if you do that, no engine will receive the air intake: be ready to lose all the thrust of you plane).

Back on topic: it's a great idea!

[coolitic]

A work around(you still need engines though):

If you need to jettison rocket fuel, disable the oxidizer of the tank and fire up your engines: they will use the fuel without creating thrust.

If you need to jettison oxidizer: do the same as above(disable the rocket fuel)

It also work with air breathing engines, you just need to prevent air intake to reach your engine( unfortunately, if you do that, no engine will receive the air intake: be ready to lose all the thrust of you plane).

Back on topic: it's a great idea!

Way to get creative! Still, for the sake of convenience allow us to vent fuel. Also allow us to make parts self destruct (not in a way that could damage it or replace decouplers though)

[goldenpeach]

Way to get creative! Still, for the sake of convenience allow us to vent fuel. Also allow us to make parts self destruct (not in a way that could damage it or replace decouplers though)

Why not?

it would be very Kerbal to make a part explode instead of using decouplers!

[Jaxal1]

Why would you need to make a part self-destruct? Just to shed weight?

Something like that should require a Kerbal to EVA with some tools.