Prince of Rockets

I found the "Octagonal Strut" is useful in this situation. If you make a Cubic Octagonal Strut, attach a Octagonal Strut to it, turn it sideways, then rotate it out 5 degrees... You can mount a couple Pegasus I Mobility Enhancers on there and it makes the perfect incline for getting on and off the ladder. Here is an example:

It seems like you would have to increase the thrust of the ion engines to over 1000KN for parts to start breaking. I recommend learning how to use struts.

Why not geosynchronous orbit? Seems like a convenient spot. I personally try to build everything into single launches and thus don't use refuelling stations... But if I used them, I'd want them above geosync, because the remaining delta V requirement to exit the Kerbin system is minimal at that point. It also seems like the best spot for a interplanetary SSTO refuelling station.

Whoa... Being able to exchange science for money is a great idea! It would make progression slower in career mode it seems like, but would allow you to keep making progress after all the research nodes are unlocked. Neat.

Forgive me if this is mentioned somewhere, but how will income work? Will successful missions grant additional funding? Or is it like real life where you have to justify the expense in front of a committee or board of directors? Haha

The torque from the built in SAS on the probe body and the thrust vectoring from the LV-T45 engine. If you wanted to change things up, you could do it with a X200-32 fuel tank, a LV-T30 engine, a Inline Reaction Wheel, and a probe core. As long as the engine is running, you never run out of power because of the alternator.

Why 5 posts, doesn't that seem a little excessive just to throw a picture up? I always pick a forum name that goes with a picture, I'm a little disappointed that I can't use it. I've been using (and fixing) the internet since 1992, and this is literally the first forum I've encountered that does this.