chimpychimp

Can I ask what pack you are using for the lander? Also what are 'mechjebs', does this refer to the advanced SAS module? Ive been out of the loop for a couple of patches. If that is the ASAS, what is the ascent autopilot?

I will try the 150km and 15km apoapsis later on closette, they are very nice round figures. I need to figure out a reliable way to predict a good kerbal orbit from the moon, my current method basically involves jeb pointing the rocket at the kerbal and yelling 'FIRE ALL THRUSTERS' at the top of his lungs.

Mmmhm I think I need more practice with the RCS controls before I try that, Ive started to use them but im still far to slow and durrr which way is up to make any use of them during a hasty descent. I modified my best shuttle, now pony mk8, to have the crew pod attached to a RCS fuel block then a stage ejector thing, rather than the other way around. That way its like a mini shuttle in case things go tits up with my main engine. Just now I tried someones instruction of how to do a free return orbit, and although I was thrown back into kerbal orbit I would have been stranded, but luckily I had the RCS for a messy uncontrolled retroburn. Great fun 8)

Ive just tried this out now, I think I had the same problem Huojin in that the height of our orbits when starting the burn was different, I think I was in a fairly high orbit (200,000m?)

Thanks for your tips closette, ive just this second returned my kerbals home - my first fully sucessfull munar mission! Ive found that instead of switching between the surface and orbit velocity marker and trying to center on each green X, I just switched to the surface marker. My hohmann transfer was perfectly timed to create a near vertical orbit straight to the muna surface without the need for any retroburns, so I think thats what helped. The last thing im still struggling with is getting all of the various bearings straight. I know that the flat plane between 90 degrees and 270 degrees is the orbital path of the mun, but actually figuring out when to burn to initiate the orbit for a hohmann transfer is really difficult. Is there a marker I am supposed to use on the glob ball thingy?

Thanks Ferrit, as I say on my most recent design its actually very stable, and as you say I leave the turning to horizontal till quite late (does this waste more fuel?). Ive actually made it to the moon 4 times now, with 2 landings! My main problem now is landing straight, I cant seem to eliminate all of my orbital velocity in order to just drop straight down. If I understand correctly, you retroburn at the green cross on your orbital tracjetory, and you also have to retroburn the greencross for your lunar velocity (caused by you being pulled down by the moons gravity). Problem is I can never seem to get the two crosses matched up, and most my landings involve skidding along the ground at about 10m/s - im amazed ive landed successfully at all. Any tips?

Do you guys not have trouble yawing at the correct angle whilst still in lower atmosphere? My best ship design so far (pony mk 6) is really really stable, and barely uses any SAS autocontrol whilst ascending, and Ive not really played around with it much yet. But for every single other ship I have built, yawing whilst in atmosphere is too darn difficult. Taking off SAS autocontrol usually means the ship begins to drift on all 3 axis on its own, meaning steering it requires superhuman piloting.