you shouldn't be able to deorbit contracts' satellites

[255]

You can deorbit and recover satellites that you've put in orbit for contracts. This makes no sense, since the satellite is not yours, the company needs it.

[r4pt0r]

what are they going to do, sue us?

[Carmoldu]

Then when the contract was completed, the satellite should just disapear from your ground control and you shouldn't be able to go to it, it is actually not yours so what do you care? [i'm not being sarcastic, I actually think it should be like this]

[Anquietas314]

Then when the contract was completed, the satellite should just disapear from your ground control and you shouldn't be able to go to it, it is actually not yours so what do you care? [i'm not being sarcastic, I actually think it should be like this]

I agree, mostly. I think you should still be able to see them on the tracking station view (mostly as a record of what you've done) but shouldn't be able to control them once they're in place. If however you sent up another ship to deorbit them, I think that would be perfectly acceptable (but perhaps you should receive an angry letter from the company ).

[Red Iron Crown]

Being able to recover them for funds does seem a bit cheaty to me.

[steve_v]

Yeah, but I hate space junk and that's what they become once the contract's completed.

[Anquietas314]

Yeah, but I hate space junk and that's what they become once the contract's completed.

There are a few ways they could be made useful (mapping/comms/...), but if there was a way to keep them but not be able to control them, we could always have another slider similar to "max persistent debris".

[thyriel]

and they could be made useful with follow up contracts, like repairing them with a technician

[Anquietas314]

and they could be made useful with follow up contracts, like repairing them with a technician

That too Actually I was wondering if I would see those. I guess not.

[Superfluous J]

I would like the option, once the contract is completed, to keep them or not. Sometimes I'd like that ground base for my own use.

The amount of money you get for recovering the satellite is peanuts compared to what you got for putting it up there. I wouldn't bother recovering, as spending the time to launch another is so much more profitable.

Edited December 20, 2014 by 5thHorseman

[Red Iron Crown]

The amount of money you get for recovering the satellite is peanuts compared to what you got for putting it up there. I wouldn't bother recovering, as spending the time to launch another is so much more profitable.

If you use a spaceplane to put them up, it's almost free to get them back in the bay before recovering the plane. If you're using a rocket and the satellite gets to orbit on its own, then I agree.

[Anquietas314]

I would like the option, once the contract is completed, to keep them or not. Sometimes I'd like that ground base for my own use.

The amount of money you get for recovering the satellite is peanuts compared to what you got for putting it up there. I wouldn't bother recovering, as spending the time to launch another is so much more profitable.

For stock that's true, but if you have the StageRecovery mod installed you can just do the deorbit burn, and as long as it has a parachute on it you get the money for it when it hits the atmosphere. It's still not really enough money to give a damn about, but the time factor is much less of an issue in that case.

[Anquietas314]

If you use a spaceplane to put them up, it's almost free to get them back in the bay before recovering the plane. If you're using a rocket and the satellite gets to orbit on its own, then I agree.

Well, I can build a launcher that costs 5k funds.... which can get pretty much any satellite I've needed to build to low mun orbit. Given how long it takes for a spaceplane to reach orbit compared to a rocket, it's not really worth bothering with one.

[CaptainKipard]

I think they should stay in orbit as uncontrollable entities, unless and until the original contractor asks you to remove it, which should take a long time.

[Tex_NL]

With a little luck and some careful planning you can do multiple satellite missions in a single launch.

Accept multiple satellite contracts. Launch to the lowest orbit and match orbits to collect the reward. Now transfer to the second orbit. Rinse and repeat.

Loosing control over them could however also cause some serious problems.

You fly your Skylon rip-off SSTO to orbit to drop off a new contract satellite. You match orbit and open the cargo bay doors but just before you release the payload the contract completes and you loose control over your vessel. Now you're fully reusable SSTO is one darn expensive satellite and your highly experience crew is stranded in space.

[Anquietas314]

With a little luck and some careful planning you can do multiple satellite missions in a single launch.

Accept multiple satellite contracts. Launch to the lowest orbit and match orbits to collect the reward. Now transfer to the second orbit. Rinse and repeat.

That's pretty much cheating

Loosing control over them could however also cause some serious problems.

You fly your Skylon rip-off SSTO to orbit to drop off a new contract satellite. You match orbit and open the cargo bay doors but just before you release the payload the contract completes and you loose control over your vessel. Now you're fully reusable SSTO is one darn expensive satellite and your highly experience crew is stranded in space.

Don't the contracts check the satellite is unmanned? If not, they should. Another simple solution would be to make the player click a button that says "I think I'm done".

Edited December 20, 2014 by armagheddonsgw

[Tex_NL]

That's pretty much cheating

Yes it is. But that doesn't change the fact it's possible.

Don't the contracts check the satellite is unmanned? If not, they should.

Not sure if it checks for crew. But that still doesn't solve the issue.

What if my Skylon imitation is unmanned just like it's real life counterpart?

[Anquietas314]

Not sure if it checks for crew. But that still doesn't solve the issue.

What if my Skylon imitation is unmanned just like it's real life counterpart?

Then just don't use an unmanned craft to launch it? There's no reasonable way to make the contract automatically check if your spaceplane is part of the satellite or not. Also (I may have added it after you started typing):

Another simple solution would be to make the player click a button that says "I think I'm done".

[Carmoldu]

and they could be made useful with follow up contracts, like repairing them with a technician

That'd be really cool! Maybe that would give some more utility to engineer kerbals hahaha

[Carmoldu]

What I don't like is to have trillions of useless spaceships in my map, but I also don't like deorbiting them for rol experience... Maybe the solution to this problem of mine would be to make the player able to see/unsee them.

[CaptainKipard]

Loosing control over them could however also cause some serious problems.

You fly your Skylon rip-off SSTO to orbit to drop off a new contract satellite. You match orbit and open the cargo bay doors but just before you release the payload the contract completes and you loose control over your vessel. Now you're fully reusable SSTO is one darn expensive satellite and your highly experience crew is stranded in space.

I like how you picked a hole and didn't come up with a solution...

Just show a context button to let the player hand over control when contract conditions are met. The button should not be visible otherwise. It's not brain surgery.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[Nemoricus]

That's pretty much cheating

Cheating? How? It's fairly common in real life for one rocket to launch multiple payloads. In fact, a recent notable example is the Falcon 9 flight where they had that engine-out problem. They were able to deliver their primary payload to the ISS, but due to the engine failure, they were unable to deliver the secondary payload due to the increased fuel expenditure.

[Anquietas314]

Cheating? How? It's fairly common in real life for one rocket to launch multiple payloads. In fact, a recent notable example is the Falcon 9 flight where they had that engine-out problem. They were able to deliver their primary payload to the ISS, but due to the engine failure, they were unable to deliver the secondary payload due to the increased fuel expenditure.

He clearly meant using the SAME satellite for all of the contracts.

[Superfluous J]

If you use a spaceplane to put them up, it's almost free to get them back in the bay before recovering the plane. If you're using a rocket and the satellite gets to orbit on its own, then I agree.

True, but if you use a spaceplane you don't care about your time anyway

More seriously, the probe, solar panel, and antenna cost 300+100+300 or $700. The only way that's worth it is if you can deorbit it (or get it back in your space plane) faster than you can delete it in the tracking station (which with space planes is probably possible)

[Anquietas314]

True, but if you use a spaceplane you don't care about your time anyway

More seriously, the probe, solar panel, and antenna cost 300+100+300 or $700. The only way that's worth it is if you can deorbit it (or get it back in your space plane) faster than you can delete it in the tracking station (which with space planes is probably possible)

Even then tbh, at $700.... why even bother?