Wanderfound

Mass tweakable wings. Right click in the SPH; new FAR wings are much stronger and heavier than old FAR wings.

The same flight principles apply in stock, however; build and fly right and you hit orbit with less than a minute of rocket power, and if you've brought an LV-N with you you can probably go interplanetary.

FAR. Making spaceplanes work in stock soupmosphere is more trouble than it's worth. But, apart from that, no part clipping or other trickery. If it can hit 130m/s before the end of the runway, it can go to space. Have a poke at the design tutorial at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Tutorials/Hangar%20to%20Landing/story as well at the first few posts in the Kerbodyne​ thread.

Single Stage to Jool, no refuelling: http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Challenges/SSTYC/story Nukes make it fairly simple. A solid but not overweight airframe, just enough jets to take off, an LV-N and about twice as much fuel as you'd put on a normal spaceplane that size.

No love for Mimas? Other than that, Minmus and Laythe.

Most of my Fine Print satellites have actually been RCS powered lately. Plenty of TWR available without the need for pricey liquid fuel engines:

...but be aware that it will complicate landing if you overdo it. Planes that self launch during liftoff are nice, but planes that self launch during landing are a nuisance. It's still possible​ to land, but it's a bit trickier.

Meh; I have a Sandbox save for challenges and prototyping, a Career save for building a space program, a low-mod save for when I get annoyed with computer crashes, an RSS save for when I start to think it's all too easy, etc. Each to their own, there is no one true way.

What everyone else has said. Cheaper rockets [1], and multiple contracts per mission. If you're landing on the Mun, you can also plant a flag while you're there. And transmit orbital science. From both Kerbin and the Mun. And test a small part during the ascent. etc. But, also: wait a few weeks. The contract system is about to change dramatically. [1] SRBs are your friend there; much cheaper than liquid fuelled engines. Also try to shave your payload weight down as much as possible. A few kilos at the top of the rocket can cost a few tons at the bottom.

Wait a few weeks. Fine Print integration, along with the new building tiers and completed biomes, will radically alter career mode. Fine Print missions have enough diversity that you never need to leave LKO if you don't want to (but will also give you rover/satellite/station missions around any planet you're due to visit). OTOH, all the new biomes provide much more reason to get out there.

Sales of the Kerbodyne Dropbear have been brisk enough to convince our sales team to try and saturate the market with similar vehicles so that the Dropbear construction line can get some rest. Therefore, our latest release: the Kerbodyne Kosciuzsko VTOL. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/qbmxoxan61lm0zx/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko%20VTOL.craft?dl=0 Flight test at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Kerbodyne%2025/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko%20VTOL/Final%20test/story

RAPIERs are low efficiency, but on a small ship the ability to double as jets is valuable. The one in the pic has just shy of 2,500m/s in the tank, hasn't been refuelled from its ascent, and is only attached to the single droptank that it just delivered to orbit. Strap another tank or two on the back, refuel before you go and aerobrake at each end and it'll easily do KSC-Jool-KSC, despite the low efficiency RAPIERs. Helluva lot faster than nukes, too. But, for a similar droptank-capable ship with higher-efficiency Aerospikes, see:

You'd be better off starting a bit lower than that, for maximum Oberth. About 200km should do (you can go lower, but it involves a bit of stratosphere-skimming).

They're funny, sure, but most of that is just damned good advice. Not just for spacecraft engineering.

Light nukes, engage maximum physics warp, spend five minutes taking scenic screenshots and fiddling with the map screen. But, yeah, it's still annoying. So, use some Aerospikes, RAPIERs, Skippers or KR-2L's instead, and strap a train of droptanks on the back.

First flight test of the Kerbodyne Kosciuszko VTOL: Full story at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Kerbodyne%2025/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko%20VTOL/story

First flight test of the Kerbodyne Kosciuszko VTOL: Full story at http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/craigmotbey/Kerbal/Kerbodyne%2025/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko/Kerbodyne%20Kosciuszko%20VTOL/story

The main effect of this would just be to force players to install multiple reaction wheels or rely upon Vernors/RCS/fins instead. Doesn't really seem worth the bother.

It has a small tool for quickly winning ontological arguments.

Already mentioned, but for reference: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2007/06/the_high_frontier_redux.html Self-sustaining off-world colonies are far-future SF.

Dropbox it. Free.

FAR doesn't do anything in vacuum, unless some other mod has messed with it. A Mechjeb build did so briefly a few months ago, leading to wings tearing off in vacuum etc. The wing weight tweakable will move your CoM unless adjusted; default FAR wings are heavier than stock. It sounds like you have heavy wings mounted below CoM.

1) Get RCS Build Aid. 2) Set it to measure engine torque. 3) Post screenshots with and without fuel and payload. The gradual vs sudden acceleration thing is normal; SAS can handle gradual accelerations that overwhelm it if applied rapidly.

Keep in mind that lift and drag are both heavily influenced by AoA. Are you testing by pitching up in these "no lift" situations?

You're coming in too steep. Level off as soon as possible and hold it just above 30,000m until you drop below 1,500m/s. After that, start doing S-turns and gradually descend as you slow.