LOL I giggle when I read post like these. Starting tech tree reminds me of playing the early alpha release of KSP. Raw, no mods, no crutches, But hey on the bright side you now have maps and nodes. Back then orbiting was all the rage. Atomic's quick guide to getting more parts fast in 8 easy steps: (all without leaving the pad!) step1: Load command pod step2: click launch button step3: get crew report step4: EVA on launch pad / take surface sample (launchpad) step5: Store info in pod (walk up to the pod and click on store info) step6: take another EVA report and surface sample(launchpad) Leave your kerbal standing outside step7: go to tracking station and recover the kerbal and the pod step8: profit (feel free to roll in all the science) PS: This will only work for the first node or 2.