Share Your Checklists

[Red Iron Crown]

Checklists are a staple of spaceflight. What has hard experience taught you to make sure to do every time?

Pick a phase and share your checklist for it:

Launch from KSC

Circularization

Orbital burn

Injection/Insertion burn

Aerobraking

Landing

Ascent

Docking

Undocking

$OtherManeuver$

[Red Iron Crown]

Here's one of mine:

Launch from KSC

1. Wait for physics to drop

2. Press F3 and check for damage

3. Open orbital info window (sometimes KER, sometimes MechJeb) & resource display

4. Adjust camera, usually facing east to start

5. Look over staging list

6. Look for solar panels/RTG

7. Set ascent profile in MJ and show navball marker

8a. Throttle up /or

8b. Engage autopilot (sometimes, don't hate)

9. Press space

10a. Say "Liftoff!" /or

10b. Watch explosions (sometimes this happens after step 1)

[xcorps]

Press Spacebar.

Watch rocket.

Return to VAB.

Add RCS fuel.

Launchpad.

Press Spacebar.

Watch rocket.

Return to VAB.

Add electrics.

Fiddle with rockets.

Launchpad.

Press spacebar.

Unplanned rapid deceleration event immediately followed by cascading part adjustment events.

Return to VAB.

Fiddle with rockets.

Launchpad

Spacebar.

Watch rocket.

Return to VAB.

Add RCS thrusters.

Launchpad.

[cantab]

Well I don't really have a checklist as such, but for launch my procedure is:

* Check I have the right number of Kerbals on board. (Can be a problem when I want to send a mannable ship up empty.)

* Turn on SAS.

* If applicable, switch the "Control From Here" location. (I tend to put a probe core on a lower stage of longer rockets, so the SAS isn't affected by the tip swaying.)

* Throttle up. (For some reason I do this even when my first stage is only solid boosters.)

* Hit space.

I don't really have a checklist for anything else, although I possible SHOULD, given I've been caught out by having the wrong Control from Here location when doing burns, and by having the wrong amount of resources (the worst being no electricity or no RCS fuel) when undocking.

[ArmchairGravy]

1. Launch

2. Cuss

3. Revert

[Select Few]

Pre-Launch Checklist

Check staging.

Verify integrity of struts.

Ensure that Jeb is not the pilot.

Dry-run (Going through stages without releasing clamps)

Time fuel depletion rate.

If unsatisfactory, fix issues.

Else:

Launch

Final check of staging

Hand control over to MechJeb. I'm an engineer, not a pilot.

Observe, and take control in case of emergency.

[Levelord]

SAS on? Check

Throttle full? Check

Launch.

[SkyRender]

I think the only really interesting checklist I have is the one for rocket design, to be honest. Launch, orbital maneuvers, aerobraking, landing... All very standard processes that don't need any sort of special planning, because I do all the planning during my rocket design.

Rocket Design Checklist

[ ] Are all desired payload components present?

[ ] Does the payload function the way it's supposed to?

[ ] Are necessary support systems (ie. power storage and generation, life support if TAC is installed) present?

[ ] Are ancillary support systems (ie. RCS and reaction wheels) desired and/or present?

[ ] Does the payload have enough delta-V and TWR to perform its mission with a 10% margin of error or better?

[ ] Can the transfer stage get the payload where it needs to be with a 5% margin of error or better?

[ ] Can the lifter rig get the craft off Kerbin and into LKO successfully (ie. sufficient delta-V and no rocket-crushing TWR issues)?

[ ] Did you remember to strut everything together properly?

[ ] Is the staging set up correctly?

[ ] Are the action groups set up correctly?

[ ] Did you remember to put on a payload shroud? (only if FAR is installed)

Get all that checked off, and the only real obstacle in any space mission is just good old-fashioned spur-of-the-moment ineptitude, I find.

[Sovnheim]

I'm pretty damn absent minded so this is an EXCELLENT idea. Here's mine, inspired from the ones you submitted. I usually do it anyway but it's good to have it on paper.

Pre-launch

1. Check staging

2. Verify crew set up

3. Verify shortcuts setup

4. Check fuel lines

Launch

1. Wait for vehicle & physics

2. Check for possible damage (F3)

3. Open KER & resource display

4. Activate Resource display and navball in navigation mode

5. MJ:

o Set ascent profile

o Limit to terminal velocity

o Autostage

o Ascent guidance

6. Ignition (my favourite part)

In-flight checklist :

1. Check staging damage

2. Force staging before circularization burn

3. Enjoy the mission

I always use MJ, at least until circularization burn, which I sometimes do myself, since for some reason, MJ seems to lack precision on this.

(there is usually 2 to 5km of difference between the apoapsis and periapsis. Am I the only one to get this ?)

Edited May 6, 2014 by Sovnheim
Forgot to subscribe :D

[Duke23]

Usually something like this... (launching from KSC, assuming new rocket design)

[]Cross fingers while waiting for physics

[]Cursory visual check of mission critical systems (does it have batteries, parachutes, solar panels, docking ports, RCS, etc?)

[]Cursory staging order check; revert to VAB to fix if a problem is found in this item or a previous one; start over from beginning

[]Throttle up and engage SAS

[]Cross fingers again as boosters engage

[]Realize I still staged wrong or forgot something which may result in wobbles, flips, undesired joint compression, and / or an explosion

[]Activate profanity module; revert to VAB

[]Try again

And then there's the ever present scenario of "I just wasted too much fuel doing something stupid and have to figure out how to get home"

This mostly applies to the Mun and Minmus of course

-Ensure that I have enough fuel for initial orbit

-Cross fingers that I have enough fuel for an injection burn into KSP equivalent of skip entry maneuver at Kerbin

-Clench butt cheeks as my tanks go dry

-Eject everything and hope the chutes don't rip themselves or anything else apart

-Imagine what my poor Kerbals are feeling as they slam into the atmosphere at a few thousand m/s

-Land softly and let out a sigh of relief

[Garek]

for Launch:

* Press T so the rocket doesn't fall over (I rarly use launch clamps since most of the KWR engines are stable enaugh for the rocket to rest on them)

* Check that everything looks good, in doubt press F3

* Check that the staging seems sane

* Check that info windows (FAR, KER, ...) are open and placed as I want them to.

* Throttle up

* Spacebar

[Bishop149]

Mines pretty basic and mostly to avoid ridiculous mistakes I have made ALL too often

- Have I remembered to add batteries and solar panels [repeat 5 times whilst smacking self in head]

- If aiming for a RDV, make sure target isn't on the other side of Kerbin.

- Now when I set up that action group I did set it to a number key and not the "STAGE" button didn't I? . . . Serious whoever made stage the default needs a serious talking to.

[Boris_T_Roach]

1. Switch Mechjeb to 'kill rot'

2. press space bar

3. throttle upto 100%

4. Press space bar to release launch clamps and start the SRBs

5. wait until SRBs hit burn out and hit spacebar again

6. curse violently as 1/2 the rocket disassembles in mid air because you left a stack seperator in the wrong place.

7. Watch fireworks

8. stare in amazement as the 3 kerbal capsule comes out of the cloud of debris

9 . wait for it to get to 2500m

10. press space bar repeatedly, then notice the parachutes are missing

11. Cry

12. revert to VAB

Boris

[Red Iron Crown]

Now when I set up that action group I did set it to a number key and not the "STAGE" button didn't I? . . . Serious whoever made stage the default needs a serious talking to.

Truth. I have lost many a solar panel to this. I have a hard time imagining a scenario in which a player would want to assign anything to the Stage button.

[InterCity]

Pre-flight checklist:

1) Rocket/SSTO present?

2) Staging order?

3) Strange wobble?

4) RCS check.

5) AG check.

6) Coffee check.

7) Biscuits check.

8) Keyboard+mouse function check

9) E-mail check.

10) Electricity + other TAC reagents check.

11) TWR check (Flight Engineer, just to make sure).

12) Countdown clock function check

13) Space presence check.

Proceed to launch checklist.

[The Error]

Taking off in a spaceplane:

1. Ensure staging is correct.

2. Ensure air intakes are, in fact, installed.

3. Replace panel cover before flight.

4. Return tray to upright and locked position.

5. Activate engines, apply brakes.

6. Spool up to 1/3 thrust, check for fuel flow problems.

7. Final checks on all of the above.

8. Release brakes, throttle up, hope.

[Overfloater]

This is how my business progresses:

1. Go to launch pad

2. Revert to hangar to tweak the fuel back into the tanks

3. Go to launch pad

4. Revert to hangar to install solar panels

5. Go to launch pad

6. Revert to hangar to install batteries

7. Go to launch pad

8. Revert to hangar to install more SAS

9. Go to launch pad

10. Get to Duna

11. Revert to hangar to install parachutes

12. Land on Duna.

13. Revert to hangar to install ladders

14. Land on Duna

15. Revert to hangar to install enough fuel tanks to return to Kerbin

16. Land on Duna

17. Take a nap, I'm tired :-3

[NecroBones]

Checklist?

I just launch and revert until good.

[Spanier]

For new misssions/aasemblies:

1. Design probe/lander/capsule or grab/modify exsisting
   
2. Attach/design additional service/propulsion module if needed
   
3. Add launcher stages from subassembly, or design new one, if delta-v budget can't be accomplished
   
4. Develop best ascent profile
   
5. Done
   

For missions without new parts, I throw together my vessel from subassemblies, and use predefined launch profiles from my Excel-sheet.

[TimePeriod]

*Hits spacebar*

[Fiddlestyx]

SAS on? Check

Throttle full? Check

Launch.

This, then Revert.