I think the KLAW is the Kraken's right hand

[Levelord]

Ignoring the Kethane mod parts I have on my Kethande mining probe (it has nothing to do with this bug), using the KLAW for anything apart from grabbing asteroids results in some strange things happening. At first I thought that using the KLAW as a simple attachment point to re-fuel jets, which works out well at first. The craft connects and the fuel transfers well.

The problem comes when detaching the KLAW and disarming the mechanism. Then my plane is permanently stuck in mid air unable to move. As you can see in the pictures below, the landing gears are retracted and the plane is floating in a fixed position. The engines work and can be fired, but it produces no movement at all.

Here are the landing gears retracted and the ship floating.

Here, the ship isn't connected to the probe, and the KLAW is detached and disarmed.

Firing jets and rockets produces no movement at all.

The craft cannot be recovered and trying to save or go back to the Space center results in this message. Apparently my craft is in flight even though the velocity reads 0m/s.

Anyone can suggest a reason why this happens or a solution for this?

Edited October 22, 2014 by Levelord

[zxczxczbfg]

Well, evidence suggests that the Klaw is pretty glitchy by itself (Danny2462's latest video is a shining example).

"And with my left Klaw I shall cast physics and aerodynamics into the endless void . . . "

--The Kraken (Jeb 12:20)

[monophonic]

Sounds like the detaching code sets the detached object on rails mode, no matter what or where it is. For a ship that's stationary relative to the planet it is on, it's on rails orbit is of course stationary relative to the planet. This works fine with moving asteroids about in space, and can possibly be fixed for ships in space by briefly switching to some other ship outside physics range. But it does not work for ships in atmosphere, as you cannot switch away from them, so they remain in flight on rails for ever. Or until you kill the game, but that has good potential to corrupt the save.

[Stratzenblitz75]

That right there, might be what I call "the floating probe core" bug. It appears to be induced by the Klaw and it happens. All. The. Dang. Time.

Solution: Don't use the Klaw