Drop tests on Launchpad seem broken, it keeps erupting from soft landings [video]

[Pirwzy]

I sometimes do drop tests with my landers if I'm worried they'll break apart, but since the Launchpad has been made destructible even the softest landing seems to cause a catastrophic explosion.

http://youtu.be/HxrgmYF34ek

Is this actually intended?

[Slam_Jones]

An unfortunate side effect of destructible buildings: they blow up when you don't want them to.

I've had cases where I'll try to land a VTOL on top of the VAB, and the VAB just collapses. Not cool.

[smjjames]

I've had the launchpad be fine under a really heavy rocket on the initial launch, only to break under it's weight when coming out of time warp.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I've said before I'll say it again: the launch pad is made of explodium!

[smjjames]

Also, you don't really have to do drop tests right on the launchpad, you can just point upwards if you're doing a parachute drop test and land in the area of KSC.

[Vector-5]

My best guess is just that your lander is too heavy. Will you be decoupling any of the side tanks during descent? If not, just add some fuel to the main stack. Also, I couldn't see how fast you were going after your parachutes deployed (watching on iPhone), so that might be a problem. Also, if it is going to break the launch pad on Kerbin, you might be in trouble on Duna...

-Vec

[MarvinKitFox]

The launch pad just doesn't appreciate having a 50-ton truck ram into it at 25 mph

[Axelord FTW]

Yeah, 10m/s is not exactly trivial.

[worir4]

I suppose you could try drop it on the runway but I am unsure if it is any stronger.

[Speeding Mullet]

The runway may not be stronger:

The launch pad doesn't like flybys either:

[SaturnV]

It seems the logic of launchpad is "if there are heavy things moving, I explode"

Nothing to do with kinetic energy or momentum

[Sirrobert]

Very heavy things don't need alot of speed to pack a GIGANTIC punch

[Kelderek]

The tolerance just needs to be tweaked. The tier 3 launch pad supposedly has no limit on the mass of your craft, but there needs to be some wiggle room to allow for the craft to settle when the physics kick in on ship load. Like figure out what the most mass you could possibly throw together in the VAB and then apply a gravity drop of a certain distance and make sure the launch pad can handle that (something like 15,000t dropped 20m, give or take). The launch pad should only blow up if a really massive ship falls from a significant height (50m+) - something far higher than the amount that a ship settles on load. Otherwise it should hold strong and firm.

The other buildings and things near the launch pad can have lower tolerances for being destroyed, but the pad surface itself should be exceedingly strong if you have it fully upgraded. If I want to design a 10,000t launch vehicle, then I should be able to load it on the pad without destroying both.