Snooze

To counter veer make sure you have either of two things: Twin vertical stabilizers. Or That your nose-wheel (if in a tricycle configuration) is NOT attached to your command pod/cockpit. It's something to do with how parts attach to it.

It's how the solid fuel is molded inside the SRB. It's something like an inverted cone, if I remember right. Reduces thrust instead of cutting it so the separation is a redirection as opposed to a brute force push.

Use ALT+W/S to set trim, and try not to use ASAS on spaceplanes. Avionics is best (usually) unless you're sending up Arkbird-type planes (Ace Combat 5, I went there). Also, try to keep all your fuel as centered on the aircraft as possible so that as it drains it doesn't shift your CoM much. Aside from that, angle your wings by 5 degrees. Without mods, wings with zero AoA generate no lift.

Much obliged. Figured it had to be something like that. I once deployed the chutes too early and they lasted until I touched the ground. I thought it was a collision. Good to know. Looks like retro-seperatrons are a go. =)

It seems that whenever I deploy a drag-chute it collides with the ground and disappears immediately. I'm using radial chutes and I haven't experimented with drogues just yet but I figured I'd ask and see if anyone encountered the same issue.

Get them down to zero relative speed. For craft one, point your docking port towards the target. Then take command of craft two. Point its docking port towards the port on craft one. Just line up on the purple icon. Go back to craft one. Adjust so that you're pointed right at the docking port on craft two. SLOWLY advance, making sure you are "controlling from here" on the port you want to dock with, press H to give yourself the teeniest RCS kick towards craft two. Check alignment, coast in, dock.

/highfive Congratulations!

Don't attach the nose wheel to the command pod. It's something to do with how it attaches. It also helps to have twin vertical stabs. Or, you know, more. This is the Magellan, my circumnavigation build. Note the stabs.

Modular construction. Works awesome. =)

Modular ships, built in orbit, are very handy for this kind of thing. The lander and the drive stage were sent up in different launches and docked in orbit. It allows for awesome utility. Not only can that tug push my landers around but with the way I designed my orbital fuel depots I can push them around different planets as well. Fun stuff, but practice docking first.

If it was from the first shuttle mission then the external fuel tank would be white. Then someone realized they could save a few hundred pounds (and an equivalent amount of money) by not painting the external tank. So, now, it's orange. Was orange.

Zathras have very sad life. Will probably have very sad death. But, at least, there is symmetry.

That is the most awesome thing I have ever seen (and I've been to the seedy parts of the Philippines).

Have you considered docking the planes and ferrying them that way? Nothing stuck to the plane, smooth release, and you can bring them home or fling them at Laythe.

Winner. Hands down.

Tiny planes are fine. Like Scott Manley, I use a modified AERIS IV to put satellites in orbit. Recently I've started using them to trade out crew on my orbital fuel station. OP, you can likely get what you've designed into orbit with fuel to spare. All you need to do is mind your throttle. Keep your resource window open and watch your fuel consumption versus speed gained. Don't light the aerospikes until you're above 22k meters and you've gotten all the speed you can out of your air-breathers. Then you light the spikes, assume 45 degrees nose up to grab altitude, once above 32k, level off and start gaining orbital speed. It takes a fair bit of practice as well as getting used to the... peculiarities of your design but once get the basics down it's all a matter of adjusting for your own plane.