Phil deCube

It is the most downloaded mod on the Curse website. Lots of people appear to be "cheating".

I hear you. I would have quit KSP ages ago if not for the Mechjeb mod. It is an autopilot, which will take over all of the tedious tasks for you, including launches. Many people claim that it is cheating. I disagree with them. If they want to do it the hard way, fine. No one is stopping them. If it was good enough for Neil Armstrong to use a computer to get to the moon, it's good enough for me too. Also, what mode are you playing? Sandbox? That can be pretty boring. There are no goals. I'd recommend Career mode. It challenges you to do better and more technical things. I did a tutorial for absolute beginners, which guides you through the early stages of career mode, if you find you get a bit stuck. It is located here.

Is it attached to (or touching) a service bay? If so, try opening the doors.

I don't. I haven't since about version 0.24. I don't see the point either. In fact, I don't even update the SPH or the runway until I have completed the tech tree and amassed a few million Kerbal Bucks. Some people say they are good for re-usability. I just install the Stage Recovery mod, which gives you Bucks back for stages with enough parachutes on them to land safely (it will also land them under propulsion, if you give the stage a probe core). In my opinion, which is worth as much as you paid for it, far too much effort is spent on spaceplane development, compared to "proper" spacecraft. Let the howling commence...

If you decide to try Career Mode and find you are getting stuck, I have created a tutorial for beginners here.

KSP Career Mode for Absolute Beginners.

Have you had a look at this tutorial?

Well, it *was* a secret. Thanks mate.

It sounds to me like you are either too heavy for the parachute (you could decouple some stuff and drop it), or someone put a bug up on reddit the other day. It was a short video, chute deployed, but didn't slow the craft a jot. Someone said it was due to one of the mods the guy had. I didn't pay that much attention. Might have been Real Chutes?

Love the update Albert VDS. I'm just wondering though, am I meant to have cross hairs on all cameras? I can see that the docking ports should have them, but all of mine do. Like this:

Thanks, this was extremely helpful. I have posted a link to your imgur album on the Kerbal Space Program subreddit. You should put a link to this in the Tutorials forum.

Glad to be of assistance.

Thanks. That was the aim.

You might get a better answer in this forum http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/forums/77-Support-%28modded-installs%29

The Smart Parts mod includes parts which will trigger parachutes (or anything else) at a given altitude. That said... I use the Stage Recovery mod and just set the parachutes to semi-deploy when the decouplers fire on a stage, after having raised the opening pressure in the VAB. Right click on a parachute and change the opening pressure from 0.04 (I think is the deafult) to 0.25. Then when you stage, the decoupler goes and the parachute pre-deploys, opening when it is lower down in the atmosphere.

Then you want to land on one of the yellow bits. I think I am remembering correctly when I say that the ScanSat mod lets you place a target on that map, which then appears on your normal map and in the flight display as a normal target marker. If so, that should help guide you in.

The next step from the mining base I posted a picture of before is this fuel station (with a fuel ferry from Minmus docked with it), 200 km above Minmus, where nuclear powered vessels refuel before heading off to other planets.

This is the complete rocket I use to recover stuff from LKO.

There's a new mod. EVA Enhancements. You can set the jet pack thrust, and steer Kerbals, and... stuff.

Not a whole craft, but the tube with the Claw and the parachutes attached is retrieving the shuttle type capsule from LKO in this picture: Just build a rocket to get the tube into space. http://i.imgur.com/ywJ3sPW.jpg

Are you going backwards?

Have a look at this tutorial.

I think it's worth it. This is one iteration of my Minmus Mining Base.

Excellent! Love it. Thanks so much.

Have a look at this tutorial series. It might help. http://imgur.com/a/85cpa