Kerman's Law

[Red Iron Crown]

I propose the following variation of Murphy's Law:

Kerman's Law:

Any attempt to improve a working spacecraft will result in it not working as well or at all.

Example:

I made a super heavy lifter for my Jool-5 attempt that could put over 600t into LKO. It worked, but the booster stages flexed enough as they neared empty that the ship would start to roll at an alarming rate. So I went back to the VAB and added moar struts. Result: The boosters no longer cleanly separate and hit the ship when staged.

Have you been a victim of Kerman's Law?

Edit: This thread went in a different direction than I expected, now it's more about posting KSP-specific variations of Murphy's Law. Share your Kerman's Laws!

Edited June 16, 2014 by Red Iron Crown

[Cochonrambo31]

Second Kerman's Law: If it can't get to space, more boosters.

Third Kerman's Law: A spaceship with at least one Kerbal in it has infinite fuel, using the EVA pack that is refuel when you go back to the spacecraft.

[regex]

Result: The boosters no longer cleanly separate and hit the ship when staged.

Add boosters to your boosters for clean separation.

[Red Iron Crown]

Add boosters to your boosters for clean separation.

That's what I ended up doing, a few sepatrons did the trick.

But!

The first iteration of the sepatron-assisted separation experienced damage from the exhausts of the poorly placed separation motors. More Kerman's Law!

Edited June 16, 2014 by Red Iron Crown

[Cochonrambo31]

4rd Kerman Law:

Nb is the number of boosters

Tm is the total mass

Pl is the payload

Rk is the rocket

standard rocket design: Tm= Pl + Rk + Nb

Kerman rocket design: Tm = Pl + Nb² + 0.5*Rk

[regex]

The first iteration of the sepatron-assisted separation experienced damage from the exhausts of the poorly placed separation motors. More Kerman's Law!

Don't blame Kerman for your lack of attention to detail!

E: That gives me an idea for a Kerman's Law:

Any given landing attempt will be stymied by hatch obstruction.

Edited June 16, 2014 by regex

[ArmchairGravy]

"If your new design launches and flies cleanly you have most likely forgotten something critical."

Hey, no solar panels. Or antenna. Or landing gear.

[Cochonrambo31]

\_____THE KERMAN LAWS_____/

1st LAW:

Any first attemp of launching an SSTO will result in the atmospheric reentry from a suborbital flight of the vessel.

2nd LAW:

Any attempt to improve a working spacecraft will result in it not working as well or at all.

3rd LAW:

standard rocket design: Tm= Pl + Rk + Nb

Kerman rocket design: Tm = Pl + Nb² + 0.5*Rk

Tm is the Total Mass, Pl the payload, Rk the size of the rocket and Nb the number of boosters.

4th LAW:

If it can't get to space, more boosters.

5th LAW:

A spaceship with at least one Kerbal in it has infinite fuel, using the EVA pack that is refuel when you go back to the spacecraft.

6th LAW:

Jebediah Kerman is the only Kerbal allowed to go on Mün before anyone if he wants.

7th LAW:

When you build your first stock space station in Kerbin orbit you'll figure out that you've already done all the science in space over Kerbin.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Cochonrambo31

[Red Iron Crown]

Don't blame Kerman for your lack of attention to detail!

E: That gives me an idea for a Kerman's Law:

Any given landing attempt will be stymied by hatch obstruction.

The irony is palpable in this post.

[corvustech]

Dont forget Jebs Law:

"The likelihood of violent mission failure is directly proportionate to how much of your time was spent trying to accomplish said mission."

[Spartwo]

Anything which can handle more boosters needs more boosters.

[Alchemist]

Bill Kerman's law: If it's even remotely possible to get stuck somewhere where it's very problematic to get somebody out... you'll have to pilot this rescue mission.

[Whackjob]

Add boosters to your boosters for clean separation.

And if they're big boosters, use big seperatrons.

[regex]

And if they're big boosters, use big seperatrons.

Clearly you haven't let the 3.75m parts go to waste.

[Mr_Brain]

Anything which can handle more boosters needs more boosters.

Anything which cannot handle more boosters needs more boosters too.

[Kasuha]

In an attempt to paraphrase original Murphy's Laws, I'd put it this way:

• Any ship that can crash will crash
  
• If it can crash multiple ways, it will crash the most spectacular way
  
• If the ship cannot crash, it will crash anyway
  
• If you are aware of four (N) ways your ship can crash and make arrangements to prevent it crashing all these ways, it will crash fifth (N+1) way
  
• Ships on rails tend to develop new ways of being able to crash
  
• If it looks like you're flying fine, you just didn't notice you already crashed
  
• KSP always finds hidden flaw in your ship design
  
• KSP is ruled by Kraken
  

[Red Iron Crown]

Likelihood of crashing is proportional to the amount you've accomplished since last saving.

[AmpsterMan]

My take on Kerman's Law:

Any craft that can explode will explode and hours after your last quicksave.

[SofusRud]

Second Kerman's Law: If it can't get to space, more boosters.

Doesn't work for SSTOs. I propose amending or adding an exception clause to cover this.

[cantab]

Doesn't work for SSTOs. I propose amending or adding an exception clause to cover this.

It certainly does work. It might make it no longer an SSTO, but it works.

[WeirdCulture]

"If you calculate your fuel, you will end up not having enough fuel to do what you want to do, or have an insane amount of fuel left"

[Akalaël]

If your SSTO is just about to fly, adding more wings-control surfaces-struts- fuel will make it TOTALLY unflyable.

[legodragonxp]

Wherever you land the ground will not be level, but if by some chance the ground is level you will bounce.

No bounce on level ground will result on with an upright spaceship.

All docking approaches will be from the wrong end

All docking approaches that are lined up will drift in to the shadow of the planet

If the docking goes smoothly the docking port is missing or installed backwards

If a launch is going perfectly your staging it out of order

If your staging is in order you will hit space bar by accident.

After all that, if you are still alive, you will not be able to complete the mission.

[The Jedi Master]

The longer you fly the Ares 3A, the more the risk of a horrible crash rises, approaching infinity.

[Xacktar]

'What goes up, must come apart.'