Tank Buddy

Linear just is used for translation, pitch, and yaw. They cannot roll or push up/down (Relative to capsule), because the multi-directional thrusters work together to preform movements. I would assume the Linear RCS thrusters are ideal if you need to add extra thrust when docking or using RCS to translate, and I put them on the center of mass, along with normal RCS thrusters on the furthest top and bottom.

I believe MechJeb has a hover command, Scott Manley did some kethane mining videos with the same concept. Using MechJeb would let you hover around, but the easy solution would be to just have self-propelled vehicles. Unfortunately, this is the only non-modded solution that I can think of, but is does not follow your request.

Well, it depends on what you plan on doing with your station. If you want to land on the Mun, then rendezvous with the station, then a high orbit is better, as you can make an intercept more easily with a slower moving target. Although it would require more Delta V to reach, high altitude bases are idea in my mind. I don't have a specific altitude, but something above 100 km, but it is up to you.

I don't know how to calculate the most efficient way, but I belive there is a specific ratio between the current apoapsis, current altitude, and/or veloctiy. I'm sure you have noticed craft with a lower T/W ratio accelerate slower, so they need to make their gravity turn later and more gradualy so they still increace the apoapsis. So it varies craft to craft. You or I could probobly do some google/wiki research to figure it out, I'll get back to you.

I don't know how to calculate the most efficient way, but I belive there is a specific ratio between ap

I don't think an SSTO is the best way to travel. You have to go all the way up, then down again, and repeat. It would just be better to use high-efficiency jet engines at 30Km, where you can get rockin'.

Well, you should use the TruboJet engines as they are more efficient at high altitudes, and the higher you get, the higher your terminal velocity so you can really get it goin' +1000 m/s. Also, try droppable tanks so you can dispose of them when they are empty. This may require some re-arranging, but tis doable. Lastly, are you picking them up just for the heck of it or in .20 do you have to rescue the crew. I've been having no luck updating so I don't know, but you can just End Flight and it will delete the craft attached to the command module and crew.

First, read up on the wiki, then watch Scott Manley, Try Dying To Live, Hoc Gaming, and others, especially their older videos. Try getting to orbit with ease, make a space station(s), make an orbital Mun Base, a ground Mun base, a Minimal Mun lander, Rover Despenser, Crew carrier. Just wanted to throw some stuff at you.

When in doubt, add more struts. That's the rule of thumb for KSP. Your unplanned rocket disassembly could also be a result of bad fuel lines. If you do not use the appropriate symmetry, fuel will drain unevenly and the rocket will tip because of the misalignment of the center of mass. I can't help you with the rest, but good luck.

Well, that's something called the Oberth Effect, which states a rocket traveling at a higher velocity has more useful energy than a rocket traveling at a lower velocity. For example, it is easier to raise your apoapsis from the periapsis, where you are traveling faster. In your case, it is easier to change your trajectory farther away from your target. Think of it like this: there are two lines that form an angle, those lines form a 10 degree angle. The further away from the vertex, the further apart the lines get. This is similar in orbital mechanics; if you adjust you inclination by x degrees, the further away you get from that point the further off from the original trajectory you will be. But say you wait until you are about to reach the SOI of a planet, but you want to change your inclination. You will have to put in more energy to achieve a similar result because you have to change drastically and quickly, versus gradually and slowly. If you venture out to planets further from Kerbol that Kerbin, you will not be intercepting the planet at your periapsis, and vice versa for planets lower than kerbin. If you plan to aero brake in Duna, Eve, Laythe, or Jool, it is best to push you orbit very close to the atmosphere or just inside of it. This way you will have to use less energy to change your trajectory while traveling at interplanetary speeds. If you want to get captured in a world without an atmosphere, it would be better to be further away because the planet's gravity would be accelerating you less.

This is simple, a Keostionary orbit (around Kerbin) is at an altitude of 2 868.75 km and a speed of 1 009.019 m/s. To get to this orbit, simply raise your apoapsis by burning at periapsis to roughly 2868 Km, then burn again to raise the periapsis to 2868 km, fine tuning is necessary, and it may take several orbits to get it perfect. Here's the wiki: http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Main_Page You can direct yourself to see any information about any planet, so knock yourself out. You seem to be knew to the KPS scene, so congrats on joining the party boat (or rather space ship). Youtube is a great resource for tutorials. Channels like HOC Gaming, Try Dying To Live, Werner Von Kerman, and others are excellent resources. Just watching them play is a good way to learn, but for a very beginner, Read up on the Wiki and watch plenty of tutorials. Good Luck!

Purple Target has it right. Also, I would recommend switching the RCS translation controls from the default to the arrow keys and Right shift and control. This is much easier to see and understand. A small craft is best, with 4 RCS units as far away from the center of mass on the top and bottom. I also put 4 mono directional RCS thrusters on the center of mass to increase maneuverability, but it is unnecessary. Be sure to add on lights for a night rendezvous. Using chase camera will make the craft oriented so up on translate makes the ship go up relative to the camera, so you don't have to rely on the navball. Also, once you get closer, I recommend setting the docking port as target, as it makes the NavBall icons more useful. I use the arrow keys for Forward, backward, left, right, and the Rshift and Rctrl for up and down. Feel free to configure it to your liking, but I would like to emphasize not using the default controls as they are confusing and are an extra thing to learn and mess up on. From what it sound you have never rendezvous before, so I'll help you out. Since the KSC is on the equator, you will want your station in an equatorial orbit. You should know this is at 90 degrees, but don't worry if you are off a degree or two, as you can adjust this while in orbit. By setting the mun as a target, you can make and equatorial orbit because it is in one too. Burn normal if the node is descending (-) or anti-normal if ascending (+). Normal is roughly north in an equatorial orbit, but you want to burn in between the prograde and retrograde markers to not chance your apoapsis or periapsis. Next circularize your orbit by burning at the respective locations and be sure to burn at 90 degrees to not tilt your orbit. Next launch an intercept ship so KSC is roughly 45 degrees ahead of the orbiting target. Set the station as a target and fly normally but, cap your apoapsis at the target's orbit. It is good to have a long trajectory by burning east longer so it is easier to make an orbital trajectory. Fiddle with your maneuver nodes until you get an encounter under the optimal 5 km. Quick save frequently (F5) and quick load (F9) as you might screw up, and trust me you will. Time warp to T - 20 seconds until closest encounter, then select "target" in the velocity display by clicking. It could do this automatically if you are close enough. Burn at the new retrograde until your relative velocity is nearly 0. The two orbits should look the same. In map view again, burn toward the purple (at least I think purple) circle that indicates the direction of the target. Watch until the intercept is under 200m (.2 Km). Warp carefully and remember to quick save before each move, but extra practice can never hurt At the closest encounter cut all relative velocity again, shut off your engine so you don't have any misfires by right clicking on your engine(s) and pressing "shutdown engine". Use RCS for future maneuvering. I recommend switching to the station, clicking "control from here" on the target docking port, setting the approaching ship and target, and rotating to face the purple circle again. You can cheat and time warp to 5x just for a moment to stop an rotational movement. Switch back to the docking vessel and re-set the ship as target, or your selected docking port for more accurate flying. Refer back for details on controls and camera angles. If you did the previous step, you should have a straight shot at the docking port move forward, but slow enough that you can stop on a dime. Time warp CAREFULLY in needed. Quick save, then make any final adjustments before going in for the kill. Your prograde marker should be over the purple circle still, and be sure to decelerate to .2-.1 m/s right before docking. The ports are magnetic so you don't have to be spot on. If you continue to wobble, turn on SAS when centered over the port. You will be docked when the camera shifts to the new center of mass. Beware, if you have a large station of many SAS units, the station can shake itself apart. I just use time warp to stop any spinning. The size of your station is limited because of the # of parts, so don't go overboard with crazy decorations or lights, but don't worry about that yet. Congrats if you got this far! If not, don't feel bad, just give me a ring.

Well, if you want to get as close to the maneuver node's result as possible, you should start the burn five (5) minutes early, and burn five minutes after. This means starting at burn -5:00 and ending at +5:00. You should hit "burn in 0:00" as you pass over the node. You will want to burn towards the horizon the whole time, but I'm not sure. It probably won't kill you so don't worry about it. Also, be sure to make corrective burns while escaping Kerbin or in Kerbol orbit. Remember, your burns will have a greater effect the further you are from the encounter, so don't hesitate to make corrections, as you will have to use more fuel if you save for the last minute. Fiddling with the maneuver nodes will also guide you. Try Dying To Live posted a video with the "hidden" KSP options, one of which lets you better see how you will encounter the target. This will help with precision insertion. I hope this helps, and feel free to contact me if you need further assistance. Good luck, fellow Kerbonaught! P.S.: If push comes to shove, I would recommend making a smaller ship or adding more powerful engines, as this will cut your burn time.

Is there a Neil Kerman already? Don't forget Yuri Kerman and Michael Kerman!

Wow. This stuff is just amazing. I love the Ike lander the most, but they're all great. I like the views of Kerbin and Duna from orbit! I also like the Agent Kirrim Art. Keep up the Wicked art!

It's not necessarily bad, but it is certainly not cheating in a single player game. Tons of people use mods. Since KSP is still in Alpha and heavy development, there are a plethora of things that could be added later, but mods can offer now. If a mod just adds more parts, you can still experience the vanilla game. Still, Mec Jeb is not really cheating, but it removes the value of the game and the most important part, flying your craft. Mec Jeb is best for things that would be humanly impossible to do, like hovering over the moon, etc. Other mods, I don't remember the name, but you can save launch stages and go between SPH and VAB. These are just handy things that would most likely be implemented eventually. I'd say it's up to you what and how many mods you want to use, but I prefer the vanilla mechanics. But adding new parts elongates the game's life for the player, and I am getting to the stage where I've done almost everything.