I don't know how long you've been playing but it's just like everything else, stick to it, keep trying new things (and making mistakes) and eventually something will click. Rinse, repeat. I have put in probably close to 150 hours in sandbox mode, career mode is still giving me a challenge. I am just a chemist though so I didn't know the first thing about orbital mechanics starting out - I do have a relative who was a spacecraft propulsion engineer for NASA for his entire career though which is neat. I wouldn't bother transmitting data until you get your first solar panels or can carry lots of batteries, with transmissions in between burns. And GL with your real life rocket science studies