Docking port stuck ON, can't release lander

[Dave Kerbin]

I'm aware of the bug that sometimes makes it impossible to dock because a port is not in the ready state, it can be fixed by correcting the save file.

However I've got a different kind of docking bug. I have a ship with many docking ports and one of them has a lander attached. When I tried to undock the lander the 'undock' button doesn't do anything. It depresses but the ports don't seperate. I know I could dock and undock the lander before (it was not attached to the ship during launch), and other ports still work, but that one seems to be stuck.

In the picture the lander is on the left. I can undock the fuel tank inbetween the lander and the main ship, but even then the lander remains stuck to the fuel tank. I tried finding the docking port in the save file and even changing a few entries but without success.

If I knew what I was supposed to edit the docking status to I might be able to narrow down the docking port entry by detaching at the fuel tank, which leaves only 9 docking ports to try (6 for the 3 science pods, 2 for the fuel tank, 1 for the lander)

Edited December 14, 2013 by Dave Kerbin

[GamerMitch]

Scott Manley once had this problem, I suggest just spinning your ship very fast to try to get it off...

[Voidryder]

I had this problem. I exited to the Space Center and then back to the flight through the Tracking Station. That did the trick for me.

[Dave Kerbin]

I've fully exited the game and restarted, doesn't seem to work. Not running any mods. I may have to try getting an earlier save to see if it works there.

[tobjv]

I believe this be the not ready bug. Well another version of it anyways

[Procyon]

was there a rearrangement during the flight to the target? if so, try detaching the other parts, there is a kurtjmac vid where he got around this issue.

@ about the 20 min mark in the video. maybe it is something along this line?

[Psycix]

I had a port that wouldn't undock as well yesterday.

Undocking another port further towards the capsule fixed it. (Undocking the entire thing I want to undock from eachother from the top part.)

[RocketPilot573]

Undock something other than your lander, THEN it will probably let the lander undock, and finally redock whatever piece you undocked. This is the simplest fix and works ever time for me.

[Dave Kerbin]

Undocking other parts eventually worked. I had to specifically undock the last part to be docked and then undock the lander before redocking the part I took off. If I undocked a different part or docked and redocked the other ship before trying I couldn't get the lander to undock.

[xandalis]

Just started having this problem as well. I cannot undock another part, as the ship is an early apollo-style lander mission (ship+lander). The lander remains stuck to the ship. The only work around I found was to slap a TR-18D stack separator between the docking ports, although then the clampotrons immediately attract, and require spinning/yawing the ship to fling the lander clear (as well as the TR-18D). Testing done on the launchpad with just a capsule docked to a lander module results in a proper decouple, though after launch, they will be "glued" together when I attempt to decouple in orbit.