Cubfan

I've gotta disagree with you. I have a mining operation on Pol. It runs just fine with 8 gigantors (on 2 separate modules) and 2 fuel cell arrays for nighttime operation. I don't use any mods. Just standard base-building with a rover.

I don't put relays on sats unless I have to, so you may be right about the antenna. But it can't be the orbit, the box is checked. All the boxes are except "build a new probe..." So either it was built before the contract was excepted, can't generate power, or doesn't have an antenna. Something's not right there.

The dish you have on there is a relay antenna, meant to pass along signals from other antennas and relays. That's fine to have on there, but you need an actual broadcasting antenna that can send signals from the craft itself to fulfill the contract. One of the Cummonotrons. Any will do at such a short distance.

I would agree with that. I never use the service modules, but it looks like the heat is coming around the protected service module and hitting the lander can, which bulges out. I know the modules are useful, but I usually just attach parts radially (taking data from instruments just in case), and kinda hope they don't burn up. With a good angle, everything usually comes through fine. I don't think you need a large shield.

It's just like the crew report says; "one of those large craters might be a good place to land". I've got my base in the center of one. It's flat enough for Kerbal work.

I don't know much about the mods, but I know that solar panels aren't enough to cool down a large drill. Put a couple of medium thermal control systems instead. Extend them, then try again. Between them and your engineer, the overheating should stop.

I had that same contract (or a very similar one). I just dropped down to Duna at about 40km. Duna's atmosphere is pretty thin that high up so it won't help all that much, but you won't need a shield either (and it counts as "atmospheric flight on Duna" for the tourists). From there, just hit the brakes at Pe like normal or, if your timing's right, head straight to Ike for a bit of a gravity brake. Ike is so easy to get an encounter with that you kinda have to try hard to avoid it. You should be able to line it up pretty easy. It worked out well for me, and I made a tidy profit.

In the VAB, you can filter parts by tech level. This will help you to become familiar with all the different parts. This was helpful for me because, in my career game, I unlocked the entire science tree before I began building planes. When I tried to, I was overwhelmed with all the parts and control surfaces and whatnot. Filtering by tech level allows you to become familiar with the progression. It might make things easier. It did for me.

I'm not sure how you intend to use your orbital station but, if it's for refueling, 600 ore is very little. You'll need a lot of trips to build a significant amount. Minmus is perfect for mining. Either with a fuel shuttle, or an ore transport to an orbital station like you're doing. It has low enough gravity that you could lug a lot more if you want. It might be a bit excessive, but for a while I used a 48,000 ore transport to a refinery in LKO. I guess that is a bit excessive. But it worked pretty well.

You said the mission required finding ore on Pol. You only get those contracts after you do an orbital survey, so I'll assume you've done that (you already know you can't mine any planet/moon without a survey first). I have a refueling station on Pol, and the most difficult part was finding a flat place to land and set up operations. The ore concentration is fine, but you have to be in the right spot, as cratercracker said. The drill should tell you the problem. If it says the ore concentration is too low, you'll have to land somewhere else. If it says no surface contact, your drills might be too low and aren't extending fully (small drills can have that problem). Hopefully, it's not the drills. Good luck. Pol is a great place to watch Jool's moons zoom around.

I've seen the bug reports on overheating, but I still haven't run into them. Not even drilling asteroids. I don't know if it matters or not, but I always use the same formula: One thermal control system per drill. Small ones for small drills, medium ones for large drills. But most important of all is the engineer. A four or five star engineer seems to keep things running smoothly.

Mr. Fairing, As you've seen from the above exchanges, answers on this forum can get pretty detailed (not to mention intense). There are players on here with a ton of experience, so you get some pretty good answers to all kinds of different questions. Sometimes they can get a bit technical, though. I learned to play this game by feel and just trial and error long before I discovered this forum (which would've made life a lot easier). For a new player, I would suggest what I always suggest, play through all the training missions, and in the tutorials section on this site, check out EtherDragon's fantastic "Why Does My FLIPing Rocket Always Flip Over". His explanation of a rocket's aerodynamics is incredibly simple and informative. A picture is worth a thousand posts. Other than that, just stay at it. You'll get the hang of it. And it's rewarding beyond words. You never forget your first Mun landing.

Exactly. All you ever see are Kerbals in orbit clinging to pieces of debris. I even rescued one on Gilly. She was just standing on the surface. How'd she end up in the middle of nowhere? I think it'd be cool to see other agencies sats, stations, and ships. Just to see what they'd look like. And the fact that you don't control them. And I really like the idea of new plants/moons having to be discovered through a certain amount of science. Maybe even a comet you could rendezvous with? Like I said, I don't know where else they could go with it, but I'd really like to see it implemented in some fashion.

I've been thinking for awhile about competing space agencies. Not multi-player, but rather NPC's. Contracts to put this satellite or that space station in orbit of whichever planet before another agency does. If they do it first, the satellite or station would actually be there around the planet or moon. They would gain rep and you'd lose it. If you needed to use their satellite, you'd have to pay them to relay your signal. For stations, you'd have to pay for docking, plus fuel or whatever else you need (at a markup, of course). You'd also lose rep for needing help from a competitor. With an International Space Agency, as well. That would open up a lot of new contracts. "Donate this or that module to the International Space Station" to gain rep, or "Have this Kerbal join the ISA for a certain period". You would lose control of the module or Kerbal once docked (the Kerbal you'd get back after his tour was up). You could buy fuel and whatever else at the ISS at cost, and maybe enough rep with ISA opens up new parts? For the Kerbals, maybe they learn new abilities while on board the ISS? A pilot can choose to focus on science or engineering during his stay. A five star pilot now has the abilities of a three star scientist or engineer. The other professions could do the same. Maybe with your help the ISA discovers new planets or a new solar system close enough to visit? Who knows? I don't even know if it's doable (I'm not a programmer), but I'd really like to see it.

The Jettison button is pretty handy for the "Deliver ore to such and such contracts". After delivery, you just dump the extremely heavy ore and move on. It's also useful for mining rovers. It's nice to be able to dump the ore when you want to maneuver quicker. Braking takes a long time with tons of ore on board.

Nicely done. You never forget your first base. I really like the SPH for building rovers. It's already horizontal, and you can lower it to the ground to make sure your wheels are actually level (I've messed that up a couple of times). Then just attach them to your rocket in the VAB with the root button. As for power, fuel cells are always a great idea. As long as you're drilling (and I'm sure you are), they create more juice than they burn in fuel. So you'll get a surplus out of them. Just depends how much you need. And maybe attach 'em to an action group so you can turn them on and off easily whenever needed.

I have a large base on Mun (my first), a small base on Gilly, medium-size bases on Minmus, Ike, and Pol. I also have a small refueling rover on Tylo, with an engineer on board, that can be used to refuel landers (not sure if that one counts). I built them to fulfill contracts, but I use them for fuel and science (each has an MPL), though I convert the science to cash now. Pol is extremely useful (because Jool is huge, and I spend a lot of time there), and I plan to build on each of it's moons. I'm going to build on Dres and Eeloo so I can send larger ships and refuel them to get back. I'm building on Moho for the same reason, but also as a refueling stop for a station in low solar orbit. And what can I say about Minmus? It's been my lifeline. I prefer large ships with multiple crew members, so I refuel there a lot on my way out. A refueling rover with drills and converters is all you need, but I build bases anyway, cuz, why not?

The VAB is trying to connect the root part of each module together. That's why it turns sideways. Just change the root part of each module you want to connect. In the VAB, the little buttons at the top for Move, Place, Rotate, Root. Hit the root button and choose the docking port as the new root part. Do it on each module, save them, then try to merge them again. They'll connect nicely at the docking ports.

Is this only while they're docked together? I saw a similar answer to Acolyte's question "Cheaty contract didn't pay", but anytime I have a ground base or orbital station contract (or one of each with the same modules when I can), I always refuel the individual modules at Minmus. Which means they dock with my fuel shuttle. I think the current one's been in orbit for 15 years or so. It's never broken a contract. So I'm wondering, does refueling not count for the timestamp?

It sounds like a glitch in the cost you're seeing. The first building upgrades are like 200,000 or so. If I remember right, anyway.

Not sure about mods, but I think an RTG would solve your problem. Not on the current vessel obviously, but for future probes. RTG's are a bit pricey, and they don't give a whole lot of power, but it's power that's constantly available. So you'll at least be able to control your vessel.

Snark pretty much said it all. I would just add (if you haven't already), make sure you complete all of the training missions. Not only does it teach you an awful lot, you'll be hooked immediately (or not at all, I guess). I've only played career as well, and as you've already learned, funds are everything. Complete as many contracts as you can, and right-click on each of your buildings and pay for the upgrades. The VAB, launchpad and tracking station most importantly. It'll change the entire game. You'll be able to build heavier rockets with more parts, which means you'll get a lot farther. Also, enter the admin building and enact the Unpaid Research Program. Commit as much as you can. It won't hurt much to trade reputation points in the early game, but the extra science will help you advance more quickly. And just stay with it. If you like the game now, you're gonna love it when you get better at it. One last thing, you can get by without mods if you want. I don't use any, except Kerbal Alarm Clock. It's a must later on. And one last, last thing. As far as tutorials go, try EtherDragon's excellent "Why Does My FLIPing Rocket Always Flip Over?" It takes a subject that's pretty complicated, and makes it simple and easy to understand. It explained quite a bit for me. I think you'll feel the same.

Exactly what I was thinking. The gravity assist from Eve gets you into a nice circular orbit. It makes getting to Moho pretty easy (with enough fuel, of course). I haven't tried it coming back yet, but I think it would work just as well. As far as big ships; I like large ships and landers. I like mining and sending MPL's everywhere. It makes things tough sometimes, but I don't play this game cuz it's easy. Plus, I really like the look of the MK1-2 command module. It just looks awesome. Heavy, but awesome.

Thankfully, they do have pretty big heads. And I'm personally thankfully they can't use them on landing legs anymore. I hadn't realized they removed that "feature". I've been careful not to fall near my landers. Nice to know I can fly around at will now. Ah, ya gotta love the Kerbal life. I cannot tell you how many times I sent a ship on its way, set the alarm, then jumped back for the maneuver or SOI change after months or even years, only to realize I forgot to extend the solar panels. It's a miracle I haven't smashed my laptop.

I love when they headbutt landing legs, too. Just stand up next to one and they don't break, they simply explode and disappear completely. Can't be repaired. As far as Grabbing Kerbals, though, I think it might be a bit easier than you're expecting. I'm sure you've done the "recover such and such module and return to Kerbin" contracts. The "module" is usually a tiny piece of debris not much bigger than a Kerbal. It shouldn't be that much different.