Kerbal Attachment System question

[Jimbo78]

I don't have any screenshots unfortunately. I didn't think about it at the time.

Anyway. I had a mission to Mun where I had landed and gathered quite a bit of science. The problem I encountered was during landing, my horizontal velocity caused the engine and fuel tank portion of the lander to break off. Everything else survived though so I thought I could bring up another mission with some of the KAS parts and simply attach a coms unit to the broken lander and transmit back the science.

I landed nearby and EVA'd and took a Communotron 16 and stuck it on the lander, set it to talk to mission control (using remote tech also) but when I tried to transmit the science I gathered, it said I didn't have any communications device.

Any idea why this happened? I assumed that as soon as I put the coms device onto the other ship I would be able to transmit without a problem. It makes no sense that you can take coms devices up in the KAS lockers yet after attaching them to vessels they don't work as intended.

Thanks!

[Superfluous J]

Try saving and reloading. (f5, make sure it says it's quicksaving in the upper right, and then hold f9).

Though I don't like that solution to your problem. Better would be to EVA your Kerbal and take all the science from each place you have science (goo, science jr, any other instruments and the command pod) and then get in the new ship and come home with them. Returned experiements are in most cases worth more than transmitted ones, and you're (presumably) bringing him home anyway.

[Jimbo78]

Try saving and reloading. (f5, make sure it says it's quicksaving in the upper right, and then hold f9).

Though I don't like that solution to your problem. Better would be to EVA your Kerbal and take all the science from each place you have science (goo, science jr, any other instruments and the command pod) and then get in the new ship and come home with them. Returned experiements are in most cases worth more than transmitted ones, and you're (presumably) bringing him home anyway.

I'm really trying to avoid the whole save and reload thing with this particular career game. I allow for all mistakes to go to conclusion even if it means the death of dear Jebediah.. which somehow one weird rocket glitch did cause my entire ship to spontaneously explode, heh. Thanks for your suggestions though. Quick follow up question, how do I take experiments from one ship to another without docking them? I didn't know that could be done!

[helaeon]

I've been using F5-F9 immediately after making a KAS connection of some kind. It solves a lot of problems and is somewhat essential to get KAS to work properly.

If you do it that way though it's just a step, it's not like you're REALLY reloading a save, you're reloading the physics engine so things work as intended.

If you take a kerbal on EVA up to a science instrument you can right click on it and there will be an option to take the data. Then that kerbal will carry the data to the next ship. If you have science samples stored in a command pod you can right click on it with a nearby kerbal and take those experiments using the pop-up menu. The Mystery Goo and Materials Bay sometimes require you be VERY close, like you can even be touching it and it still thinks you aren't close enough to the center of mass to activate the right click menu.

[Superfluous J]

I'm really trying to avoid the whole save and reload thing with this particular career game. I allow for all mistakes to go to conclusion even if it means the death of dear Jebediah.. which somehow one weird rocket glitch did cause my entire ship to spontaneously explode, heh. Thanks for your suggestions though. Quick follow up question, how do I take experiments from one ship to another without docking them? I didn't know that could be done!

I understand not wanting to save, try something, and then reload. I don't understand not wanting to do a quick f5, then immediately f9 to fix a bug. I'm not suggesting you work around some incompetence on your part. I'm saying it's a bug. It's a known bug and the current fix is to reload the game. You could instead back out to KSC and go back but that takes longer.

Halaeon answered your question. Kerbals can take any experiment from any container (including other Kerbals and command pods) and put them in any command pod. It saves a lot of troubles.

If I may make a suggestion, do one of two things:

1. Resign yourself to break your "no save/reload" rule.
   
2. Never, ever, EVER use KAS in orbit unless you simply cannot avoid it. It WILL make your ships explode spontaneously and without reason, sometimes well after you've seemingly successfully completed your operations. And never use winches in orbit, they are Kraken machines. And if you for some reason use a winch in orbit at LEAST make sure you only use docking mode so when your ships start flying around like they're tango dancers, they won't crash into each other. Oh, and and avoid using KAS whenever you can on the surface, too, though usually only small parts of your constructions will explode and not the whole thing.
   

I guess what I'm saying is KAS and quicksaving are a devoted couple and separating them will only make you cry.

[Roxette]

Never, ever, EVER use KAS in orbit unless you simply cannot avoid it. It WILL make your ships explode spontaneously and without reason

Nonsense. It MAY happen, I agree, but I've used KAS on EVA and winches in orbit to build many large station structures and re-assemble interplanetary craft and only occasionally had problems, usually due to unchecked movement or accidentally leaving SAS enabled.

I certainly agree that quicksaving before such antics is a very wise precaution. - also as said, save and load is essential to make active parts like antennae or engines functional.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Roxette

[KhaosCorp]

Nonsense. It MAY happen, I agree, but I've used KAS on EVA and winches in orbit to build many large station structures and re-assemble interplanetary craft and only occasionally had problems, usually due to unchecked movement or accidentally leaving SAS enabled.

I certainly agree that quicksaving before such antics is a very wise precaution. - also as said, save and load is essential to make active parts like antennae or engines functional.

I 2nd this! I have an orbital station being held together by KAS struts....well its got docking ports too, but I didnt have a plan when construction started, so it looks like a something Picaso would make...if he was a station builder rather than painter..

Mission timer for the station is just past 20 years, and its serviced around 8 or so interplanetary ships. So far, no chaos.

I will say using winches in space IS a bad idea...as 90% of the time what your trying to do will fail, and ya end up with dangerous space numchuks....

[Superfluous J]

Nonsense. It MAY happen, I agree, but I've used KAS on EVA and winches in orbit to build many large station structures and re-assemble interplanetary craft and only occasionally had problems, usually due to unchecked movement or accidentally leaving SAS enabled.

Um, you misquoted me. I said:

If I may make a suggestion, do one of two things:

1. Resign yourself to break your "no save/reload" rule.
   
2. Never, ever, EVER use KAS in orbit unless you simply cannot avoid it. It WILL make your ships explode spontaneously and without reason, sometimes well after you've seemingly successfully completed your operations. And never use winches in orbit, they are Kraken machines. And if you for some reason use a winch in orbit at LEAST make sure you only use docking mode so when your ships start flying around like they're tango dancers, they won't crash into each other. Oh, and and avoid using KAS whenever you can on the surface, too, though usually only small parts of your constructions will explode and not the whole thing.
   

I use KAS all the time, even in orbit. But you WILL have explosions and if you haven't saved first, you WILL lose ships. Period. I never told him not to use KAS in orbit. I said if you do, quicksave first and often.

[Jimbo78]

I understand not wanting to save, try something, and then reload. I don't understand not wanting to do a quick f5, then immediately f9 to fix a bug. I'm not suggesting you work around some incompetence on your part. I'm saying it's a bug. It's a known bug and the current fix is to reload the game. You could instead back out to KSC and go back but that takes longer.

Halaeon answered your question. Kerbals can take any experiment from any container (including other Kerbals and command pods) and put them in any command pod. It saves a lot of troubles.

If I may make a suggestion, do one of two things:

1. Resign yourself to break your "no save/reload" rule.
   
2. Never, ever, EVER use KAS in orbit unless you simply cannot avoid it. It WILL make your ships explode spontaneously and without reason, sometimes well after you've seemingly successfully completed your operations. And never use winches in orbit, they are Kraken machines. And if you for some reason use a winch in orbit at LEAST make sure you only use docking mode so when your ships start flying around like they're tango dancers, they won't crash into each other. Oh, and and avoid using KAS whenever you can on the surface, too, though usually only small parts of your constructions will explode and not the whole thing.
   

I guess what I'm saying is KAS and quicksaving are a devoted couple and separating them will only make you cry.

Ok, thanks, I wasn't aware that issue was a bug. I don't skim thousands of forum posts on the mods I use so thanks for clearing that up.