Nickbomfy

There's an unfortunate streak of elitism amongst people that rail against the use of mechjeb/mods and/or use only stock components. I suppose it can't be helped, you're going to see that with any game and those types of people and their arrogant mentalities are just poison to the community (and new players) since as as far as they're concerned: "If you don't play like us you only have your inferior skills to blame, because obviously you would if you could." Personally, I found mechjeb really useful as a tool for teaching me how to fly better, rather than try to fumble my way through and just end up frustrated. The more practice I had with playing the game, watching what the computer was doing, and performing flights, I started using the automatic functions less to the point now that I've come to use it for the information displays (not to mention flying better by hand and eye better than the computer's ability.)

My (more-or-less) completed Aurora Station in semi-Kerbosynchronous orbit after a week or so of assembly. Two expeditions aboard via Soyuz TMAs, plus one Progress TM (to refuel the upcoming shuttle), and the visiting Buran, having delivered the shuttle docking module using the manipulator arm (without shaking the shuttle to pieces).

czokletmuss, may I ask where you got the forward-mounted aerobrake for the Proteus? If that it what I think it is.

My (unnamed) Duna Transit Ship with space for a dozen Kerbals (with contra-rotating habitation modules) and onboard Kethane processing which includes a harvester for in-situ fuel collection and processing. Makeshift aerobrake using the HOME heatshield. (I wish it were larger than 3 metres though.) The docked Mark 1 Remote Kethane Harvester Module (I may need to redesign it) while the ship sits in its 500km parking orbit above Kerbin. If the manned (Kermanned? Kerballed?) mission works out, I think I have my interplanetary design.