[1.4] StageRecovery - Recover Funds+ from Dropped Stages - v1.8.0 (March 11, 2018)

[speedwaystar]

i tried powered recovery of a stage with an inline RC-001S Remote Guidance Unit. it worked!

i then tried powered recovery of a similar stage, this time with the MRS Radial Controller Panel, Advanced. it didn't work. D:

i got

No probe core with SAS found

as the reason.

here's the part:

PART
{
name = NBprobeRadial2
module = Part
author = NecroBones

// --- asset parameters ---
MODEL
{
	model = ModRocketSysLite/Parts/CommandElectric/NBprobeRadial/NBprobeRadial2
	scale = 1.0, 1.0, 1.0
}
scale = 1.0
rescaleFactor = 0.8

node_attach = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, -1.0


TechRequired = advUnmanned
entryCost = 1000
cost = 800
category = Pods
subcategory = 0
title = MRS Radial Controller Panel, Advanced
manufacturer = Modular Rocket Systems
description = Sometimes there just isn't a good place to put controlling electronics inside your vehicle. Radially attached probe core, to the rescue! This is the improved model, with guidance capabilities.

attachRules = 0,1,0,0,1

mass = 0.01
dragModelType = default
maximum_drag = 0.2
minimum_drag = 0.15
angularDrag = 1.5
crashTolerance = 12
maxTemp = 1500
bulkheadProfiles = srf

explosionPotential = 0

vesselType = Probe

CrewCapacity = 0

PhysicsSignificance = 1

MODULE
{
	name = ModuleCommand
	minimumCrew = 0
	
	RESOURCE
	{
		name = ElectricCharge
		rate = 0.05
	}
}

MODULE
{
	name = ModuleSAS
	SASServiceLevel = 3
}

RESOURCE
{
	name = ElectricCharge
	amount = 1
	maxAmount = 1
}


MODULE
{
	name = ModuleSPU
}
	
MODULE
{
	name = ModuleRTAntennaPassive
	TechRequired = unmannedTech
	OmniRange = 3000
		
	TRANSMITTER
	{
		PacketInterval = 0.3
		PacketSize = 2
		PacketResourceCost = 15.0
	}
}
}

is there anything about this radial probe attachment that would prevent Stage Recovery from detecting it?

Edited January 5, 2016 by speedwaystar

[magico13]

@speedwaystar it looks like that probe core should work based on the config. If you still have the log file (locations toward the bottom of that post) would you mind uploading that as well? The probe definitely has the right module on it so I'm not sure why it wasn't detected, perhaps the log would shine more light on the situation. If I get a chance tonight I'll try that part out myself.

[speedwaystar]

thanks! i'll run a test tomorrow and get back to you. EDIT: it suddenly occurred to me that the radial controller might have been blown up by the staging exhaust, where an inline one might have survived... we'll see.

Edited January 5, 2016 by speedwaystar

[speedwaystar]

[LOG 17:19:59.609] Active Vessel is in atmosphere. Cannot save.
[LOG 17:20:03.412] Vessel ~Eve Probe was on-rails at 1.0 atm pressure and was destroyed.
[LOG 17:20:03.413] [PR] Deleting ~Eve Probe as reference.
[LOG 17:20:03.419] [SR] Searching in RecoveryQueue (0) for 0182e197-98c0-4065-ae5c-60bc11da1a8e
[LOG 17:20:03.420] [SR] Altitude: 24911.27526429
[LOG 17:20:03.421] [SR] Vt: 200
[LOG 17:20:03.424] [SR] Trying powered recovery
[LOG 17:20:03.424] [SR] Stage not controlled. Can't perform powered recovery.
[LOG 17:20:03.426] [SR] Distance: 195360.7
[LOG 17:20:03.432] [Vessel ~Eve Probe]: Destroyed. No crews were aboard.

here's the destruction "email" for ~Eve Probe

hope that helps!

[magico13]

Darn, I was hoping the part would have been destroyed, but it's definitely still there. I'll play around with it either tonight or tomorrow, whenever I get the chance.

 

@speedwaystar Alright, would you do me a favor and drop the following .dll into the GameData/StageRecovery folder: link. I tested it on my system with that part and it appeared to be working properly, but I'd like another confirmation before I put out an official update. Let me know if you notice anything else weird with that dev version (like it recovering things it shouldn't be, for instance).

Edited January 7, 2016 by magico13

[Garibaldi2257]

My guess would be that because there's no SAS, it can't control the orientation of the booster, so it can't land it.

[magico13]

7 minutes ago, Garibaldi2257 said:

My guess would be that because there's no SAS, it can't control the orientation of the booster, so it can't land it.

The radial probe (the advanced one at least) actually has fairly high level SAS. I'm not sure why it wasn't being picked up properly, but the game was telling StageRecovery that the ship wasn't controlled at all, so it never even searched the ship for SAS capability. The workaround I just added to the dev builds forces a manual check for probes if the game says the ship isn't controlled (if the game says it is, SR just believes it, then looks for SAS capability).

[speedwaystar]

thanks for the new .dll! here's what we get:

[LOG 15:53:11.379] Vessel Duration Orbiter Probe was on-rails at 1.1 atm pressure and was destroyed.
[LOG 15:53:11.380] [PR] Deleting Duration Orbiter Probe as reference.
[LOG 15:53:11.386] [SR] Searching in RecoveryQueue (0) for 97e375a2-f3f1-4707-9960-0c5f37c31e13
[LOG 15:53:11.386] [SR] Altitude: 24525.7147574386
[LOG 15:53:11.388] [SR] Vt: 200
[LOG 15:53:11.391] [SR] Trying powered recovery
[LOG 15:53:11.391] [SR] No kerbal pilot found, searching for a probe core...
[LOG 15:53:11.392] [SR] Found an SAS compatible probe core!
[LOG 15:53:11.392] [SR] Controlled and has engines. TWR: 23.5444671724123
[LOG 15:53:11.394] [SR] Requires 2 fuels. LiquidFuel, Oxidizer
[LOG 15:53:11.394] [SR] Not enough fuel for full landing. Attempting partial landing.
[LOG 15:53:11.395] [SR] Final Vt: 200
[LOG 15:53:11.396] [SR] Distance: 234502.9
[LOG 15:53:11.402] [Vessel Duration Orbiter Probe]: Destroyed. No crews were aboard.

and the email:

normally i stage when the booster runs dry. should i be staging early to prevent this?

also, a suggestion: if you're calculating a random probability of surviving a partial (or full) powered landing, perhaps give a sliding bonus if the stage is equipped with those fancy SpaceX/Y/Z landing legs, grid fins, or airbrakes. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by speedwaystar

[magico13]

6 hours ago, speedwaystar said:

normally i stage when the booster runs dry. should i be staging early to prevent this

Yes, absolutely! The only reason it failed this time was due to not having enough fuel. You need about 300m/s of (atmospheric) deltaV in the stage to do powered landings. It's all calculated, none of that is left to chance. There's no "bonus" for airbrakes unfortunately until I take the time to figure out how to calculate the coefficient of drag on the vessel.

[Jimbodiah]

How about a part for this mod that is a scalable inline part with drone-core and integrated chutes? This would solve adding ungodly looking chutes and drone cores, increasing part count and complexity.

[magico13]

54 minutes ago, Jimbodiah said:

How about a part for this mod that is a scalable inline part with drone-core and integrated chutes? This would solve adding ungodly looking chutes and drone cores, increasing part count and complexity.

You don't need a probe core for parachute based recovery and RealChutes or TweakScale does a better job at handling parachutes than I ever could. If you're doing powered recovery then you probably already have a probe core on there or can fit one pretty easily.

RealChutes cone chutes are pretty much my favorite part in the game (followed closely by the radial chutes)

[Jimbodiah]

I use tweakscale now, but two 400% radial chutes on each booster looks plain aweful.

[magico13]

I'd suggest checking out RealChutes. Most stages only need a few parachutes and it doesn't look too bad. One of my favorite things to do is to put two or four radial chutes inside a rockomax decoupler. Then you don't see them until you decouple.

[Gryphon]

Also, RealChutes has inline "stack chutes."

[Jimbodiah]

i will check it out, thanks!

[WuphonsReach]

9 hours ago, Jimbodiah said:

I use tweakscale now, but two 400% radial chutes on each booster looks plain aweful.

There's another mod that has a very large radial parachute, which is what I use for all my heavy booster needs.  These things are huge, so you only need 2-3 instead of a dozen (or two) of the stock radial chutes.  I have to look to see which mod included it.

Either Tantares or CONTARES has inline stack chutes as well.

Found the mod that adds the really large chutes:

 

Edited January 9, 2016 by WuphonsReach

[mark7]

Is or will this mod compatible with RSS？

[magico13]

1 hour ago, mark7 said:

Is or will this mod compatible with RSS？

It is compatible, you just have to turn up the "DR Velocity" setting to something closer to 7000 rather than the default 2000. Powered recovery with kerbals may or may not work properly, I haven't tested.

[Koverpk]

Was looking at Airbus Adeline and Energia II. Would it be possible to implement a rough flight recovery system by calculating the glide/flight range of the part? I don't to want to repeatedly fly several boosters back home. 

[magico13]

4 hours ago, Koverpk said:

Was looking at Airbus Adeline and Energia II. Would it be possible to implement a rough flight recovery system by calculating the glide/flight range of the part? I don't to want to repeatedly fly several boosters back home. 

Conceivably yes. I haven't taken the time to figure out how to calculate the drag coefficient for a vessel with the new atmosphere, but I'd need that and the coefficient of lift to compute a glide ratio. With those values I could get the terminal velocity more properly (the current system is uses a guess based on an empirical formula that's based on mass and parachute area), reduce distances back to KSC by an appropriate amount, and support gliding recovery. I've had other projects that take priority since that's a sizeable amount of work that only benefits a few people.

[jedensuscg]

I am not sure if this has been reported, not even sure how to search for it (tried a few search queries).

I am not even sure how it happened or how to duplicate it, but I was coming in for landing on Kerbin, and suddenly I had over 600 messages, ALL of which were from stage recovery.  It had duplicated my last stage many many times.  It also gave me credit for each one.  I took off with about 300,000 credits and landed with over 2 MILLION!

So ya, I alt F4'ed and am hoping the autosave does not include this extra funds.

EDIT****

Reload my save (the autosave had my craft at reenty) It happened again, just the most recent stage I seperated being duplicated, but each entry has a slightly different amount of fuel remaining...even though it was empty.  Also only about 412 stages "recovered" (1 million credits) this time.

EDIT 2***

Fixed the problem by uh...forcing the chute to deploy, burn up then jettisoned the stage sacrificing it in the name of "fairness"

 Just an FYI.

Here was the mission:

Took off from Kerbin, had two total stages here, just dropping my asparagus staging. Both of these registered by SR just fine.  Missed Minimus (my target) by a lot oops.  So mission was a bust, was just going to land on Kerbin and try again.  On my Ap I burned to bring my Kerbin Pe to about 70Km, I had enough fuel to just do a max burn at at Pe, dropping my 42Mn Ap to about 102Km.  I jettisoned my last stage just before entry, this was where excrements got real and I think all the duplicates came from.

 

P.S. I love Kerbal Construction Time!!!

Edited January 25, 2016 by jedensuscg

[richfiles]

56 minutes ago, jedensuscg said:

I am not even sure how it happened or how to duplicate it, but I was coming in for landing on Kerbin, and suddenly I had over 600 messages, ALL of which were from stage recovery.  It had duplicated my last stage many many times.  It also gave me credit for each one.  I took off with about 300,000 credits and landed with over 2 MILLION!

So ya, I alt F4'ed and am hoping the autosave does not include this extra funds.

Silly, They were just klandestinely recovering Kosmonaut kit dropped by Kerbals from the kompeting KSC. 

[JohnWildman]

First of all thank you for this awesome mod. I am using it since you released it an I love it.

Unfortunately I have found a problem now. When I use the "Pathfinder" Mod which allows you to build inflatable planetary bases, Stage Recovery seems to try to recover them after a session change. Is there any way to fix this?

[speedwaystar]

my stages usually survive descent (by parachute, because i haven't figured out how to add enough fuel to them to do a powered landing and still lazily use MechJeb autoascent with autostaging), but then are invariably comprehensively wrekt by landing too far from mission control. it occurred to me that some kind of Muskesque landing barge placed some distance east from KSC would be the solution to this problem. are there any plans to support alternate landing locations which would simply change the position(s) from which StageRecovery calculates damage by landing distance, hopefully by picking the closest?

[magico13]

On 1/25/2016 at 6:07 PM, jedensuscg said:

I am not even sure how it happened or how to duplicate it, but I was coming in for landing on Kerbin, and suddenly I had over 600 messages, ALL of which were from stage recovery.  It had duplicated my last stage many many times.

I haven't ever seen duplication before. If you see it again, I'd love to get the log file. It sounds like the stage wasn't actually being destroyed and kept triggering the "destroyed" event. That could happen if there were some "bad parts" on the vessel, or could be a StageRecovery bug as well. It's likely a vessel specific issue or a part specific issue, so testing for it would be a challenge. If it doesn't crop up again then let's just call it a weird fluke, but if you (or anyone else for that matter) notice duplication issues again let me know (preferably with a log file  ) and I'll see if I can prevent it.

2 hours ago, JohnWildman said:

First of all thank you for this awesome mod. I am using it since you released it an I love it.

Unfortunately I have found a problem now. When I use the "Pathfinder" Mod which allows you to build inflatable planetary bases, Stage Recovery seems to try to recover them after a session change. Is there any way to fix this?

What do you mean by session change? Do you mean any scene changes (going from Flight to the Space Center) or do you mean exiting/loading the game? (the latter is a subset of the former, so I'd be surprised if it was one and not the other.) StageRecovery is generally a purely reactive mod (before version 1.6 it was entirely reactive) meaning you won't see any recovery messages unless the game was telling SR that it destroyed a vessel. Annoyingly the game does say that during scene changes, but SR tries to ignore those until the new scene is fully loaded. It's possible that some are slipping through though. The one place that SR is proactive is with recovering Kerbals, so if your bases are all kerbal-less but you haven't gotten any recovery messages then that sounds like an SR bug. Either way, SR isn't supposed to do any checks on anything outside of Kerbin's atmosphere. If it's landed somewhere or isn't on Kerbin then SR shouldn't be running on it at all. That implies that you're building your bases on Kerbin, is that correct?

24 minutes ago, speedwaystar said:

my stages usually survive descent (by parachute, because i haven't figured out how to add enough fuel to them to do a powered landing and still lazily use MechJeb autoascent with autostaging), but then are invariably comprehensively wrekt by landing too far from mission control. it occurred to me that some kind of Muskesque landing barge placed some distance east from KSC would be the solution to this problem. are there any plans to support alternate landing locations which would simply change the position(s) from which StageRecovery calculates damage by landing distance, hopefully by picking the closest?

Kerbal Konstructs launch sites are supported as "recovery zones", so you could use that to add a "barge" somewhere and it should automatically use that if it's closer. How far away are your stages recovering from the KSC? You have to go a pretty decent distance away for it to be anything less than a 90% return, like close to 250 km. Upgrading the Tracking Station helps with that if you've still got it at the lowest tier. There's a chart of the distance percentage as a function of distance and TS level at the top of the page.

If you're dropping the stages once you're almost to orbit then they're gonna end up going pretty far. Usually how I build I drop my boosters fairly close to KSC and take my main stage all the way to orbit and send it down manually (often I just discard it in the atmosphere and don't recover it at all). You might need to tweak how you build to find a system that works best for you.

I could add "recovery zones" for downrange recovery that could be used for minimizing losses due to distance. I could even give them limited ranges so you'd have to somewhat aim your boosters. That sounds like it'd tie in well with NIMBY, the proof of concept mod I worked on that restricted recovery to be within a certain range of "recovery beacons".