Munar orbit: I am still getting confused

[MetricKerbalist]

Hi KSP colleagues,

I keep thinking that I have establishing a Munar orbit down pat.  Then I go to practice it again.  Sometimes I get it, and sometimes I don't.

Could you please look at the screenshot below.  I am ready to put in my second and last maneuver.  I have Mun set as a target.

So, where should I click on the blue line to establish a Munar orbit?  And then what should I do?

Thank you for your consideration.

Stanley

[Zhetaan]

55 minutes ago, MetricKerbalist said:

So, where should I click on the blue line to establish a Munar orbit?

That orbit does not have a Mun encounter, so you won't get a Munar orbit without a burn while still in Kerbin orbit.

You did have a close approach (the close approach markers are directly below your vessel and directly to the right of the Mun), but from that screenshot, you have just passed that point of closest approach.

On a side note, your apoapsis is very high.  This means that, even were you to get an encounter, it would not be ideal.  This is for several reasons.  First, you're expending propellant to send your vessel to a too-high apoapsis and getting no benefit from that, so it's wasted propellant.  Second, you'll need to burn to undo that velocity addition when you do get a Mun encounter, so it's actually double wasted propellant.  Third, that kind of right-angle cross of the Mun's orbit will put you at a manoeuvring disadvantage when you get into the Mun's sphere.  You'll end up with a lot of radial velocity and that's not often a good thing.  The ideal low-cost transfer approach is along a tangent to the target body's orbit.  This means that you want your vessel's apoapsis to barely touch the Mun's orbit.

1 hour ago, MetricKerbalist said:

And then what should I do?

Burn retrograde at Kerbin's periapsis to bring down the apoapsis.  However, don't burn all the way to make a circular orbit.  You've got an orbit that reaches Mun orbit, so we can work with that and not waste too much propellant.  Instead, burn to bring down the apoapsis to near the Mun's orbit, and as you get it closer to the Mun's orbit, an encounter should appear.  Then you just need to wait.

[MetricKerbalist]

Perfect @Zhetaan, That did it.  Once I brought down the apoapsis to near Mun's orbit, everything fell into place.  I set up a new maneuver at Mun's projected periapsis and established Munar orbit.  You tremendously helped me once again!

I am grateful.

Stanley