Spricigo

Don't worry, test. Send some probes to fly by minus/Mun and come back safe to kerbin, then send kerbals to do the same. Send probes to land and come back, then send kerbals.

Is parachute assisted landing. .err..landing? If the given plane also takes off vertically it fits in the VTOL definition. Granted it's not the typical VTOL. If you feel better call it VTOPD (vertical take off and parachute droped) instead of the broader definition. BTW I see the use of parachute drop more as laziness than panic.

Helicopters are capable of all that. Hint: rotors produce lift, not thrust. Anyways that is not the point. We don't need to say that helicopters (and blimps, and rockets) take off/land vertically because that it's the usual way(or even the only way) . For planes the usual it's to take off/land horizontally. We stat that a plane is VTOL capable because that is beyond what a regular plane do.

If you feel you long and slim craft it's too flipy maybe you should try something shorter and wider. On the plus side you can make it cheaper, on the minus side drag increase. On the top of my mind: Same design until the first decoupler (I have no idea why so many monopropelant, hope you do), TR-38-D Decoupler, Kerbodyne S3-3600 Tank, S3 KS-25x4 "Mammoth" Liquid Fuel Engine, 2x (TT-70 Radial Decoupler, Rockomax jumbo-64 fuel tank, FTX-2 External Fuel Duct). Struts and control surface as you see fit. If that works the next iteration may be turning the whole thing a true SSTOB (B stands for back). Get rid of decouplers, place the heat-sensitive parts out of the airstream and find the reentry procedure that works to this thing.

If the problem is "banging the other vessel every time" maybe you are going too fast. Keep in mind that you have a lot of time and do it slowly, after get the hang of it you may try to speed up the process (if possible/convenient) Also try do your maneuvers using the navball, the navball tells everything you need to know about your ship attitude and movement learn how to understand. The only 'missing' information about the target it's the distance and that you can pretty much ignore if you are heading in the right direction.

It takes off vertically and lands vertically? If yes then is a VTOL. But there is several things people expect when the term VTOL is used. Some examples of unexpected VTOLs : VTOL nonetheless

The Physical Rules are the rules of the game. No matter how strongly you try to pretend otherwise. Don't get me wrong, by all means look at it as a minigame if that make it simple for you. My point it's that it change absolutely nothing about the Gameplay. You are 'solving' what was never a problem to begin with.

Cmon... It's not how I call the directions, it's how the game call the directions, be it In the navball or According control imputs. I may call HNJIKL directions "Diane, Frank, Lauren, Rick, Roger, and Ursula", but it may cause problems to anyone unfamiliar with it. Specially when one notice the initials and associate with "forward, rearward, rigth, left, up and down" but in my name scheme Frank go rearward, ursula goes right and so on.

[clarification needed] Usually by 'burning prograde/retrograde' people means 'align prograde/retrograde mark with center of navball and burn' . While there you just mean 'go foward/rearward'. Also 'foward/rearward' will very with where you are pointing. BTW: "Forget the physics" it's probably the worst advice on how to deal with with a physics simulator. The irony it's that you used it right before a long explanation about the physics of docking maneuvers.

I feel we are kinda missing the point there, if you find the 'early game' too grindy just skip it, raise the reward sliders, get starting science/funds or just go play sandbox. It's so simple: don't expect to have fun by boring yourself. That it's exactly the opposite of having fun.

Debug Menu and tick infinite fuel is even so much simpler than nailing a perfect proper design.

So you missed the fact that the line between Mun encounter and Mun escape crossed Mun surface. Or, as stated by bewing, Mun Pe was inside Mun. (Mun Mun Mun Mun Mun....Mun) Mun always wins the chicken game.

Shoot for the moon? It's a crude aproximation but at least it's inside earth SOI.

For us, pc gamers, that is the Debug Menu. I have no idea how to access it on console, or even if is possible at all. The only mention of Modifier I had seen its in the Control Table (and the similar one for PS4). I understood it as "hold LB or RB to modify what some other button do". You are the first person saying anything about a Modifier Menu, and even then to tell us that it's unable to find it. Are you sure such menu exist? Already open it in a career game?

The issue is that people don't read the contract, just quickly look at the highlighted parts. Certainly there is room for improvement, and not hiding the exact action required under a collapsed note Is a huge step in the right direction.

I wold try to design a boat with whatever you need to the missions as an 'upper stage' coupled, once you reach kerbin water decouple and hopefully the upper stage will """land """ over the lower stage. Personally I consider the whole landed in water situation a bug that need fixing.

Please, dear forum moderator, give us some glue.

I'm under the impression that LB or RB are key modifier as in it modify the behavior of other keys rather than open modifier menu.

Actually the contract requeriments is to do something when all conditions are meet. What you are listing as requirement are the conditions. The action you need to do varies, it may be 'haul', 'run test' 'activate'. If your contract ask for haul you just need to have the part in your vessel when conditions are meet, run test it's a rigth click action (or console equivalent) and activate means estage to 'turn on' the part.

You go to map mode and click the marker and select <add waypoint>. It will show up in your navball Of course you need to translate 'click' to the console analog. Alternatively you can find your way checking often in map mode if you are in the right direction. Ps: that kind of contract is often easily done with planes.

Looks like I stand corrected. This mod is leaving my "interesting but not necessary" list and entering "deserves evaluation" list.

That was the question, thanks. Nice little trick to know. Until now I designed my crafts to deal with rotation mostly using reaction wheels, and to deal with translation reaction engines (RCS included) . But bigger crafts can be painfully unwield and that is about to change (when I revive my computer *sigh*)

It's possible to have a translation only set and a rotation only set? (can't check it myself because my computer is dead :()

Forgive me for nitpicking, never tried the mod, but seems to me that one may still run dry.: Forget SAS on, ship stop rotating with solar panels facing away sunlight, end up with no EC. Correct me if I'm wrong. If I understood correct still is the positioning that solves the issue, granted that the mod make it simpler.

Actually you don't need number crunching to figure out rendezvous maneuvers. All you need to know is higher orbits have longer periods. If we start with craft A 10° ahead of craft B in the same orbit, we need to raise craft A orbit toet craft B catch up. ( lowering craft B orbit do the same) Once we reduce the angle enough we bring back craft A for the same orbit. Anyway, Scott Manley can explain it much better.