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I listen to this during docking runs, it really keeps me on my toes:

They'd probably use water to clean themselves, as its probably easier to get on Mars. On topic, it would probably be officially called something like "Permanent Mars Exploration and Settlement Station", or PMESS, so it would probably just be called The P-Mess (or the equivalent word for whatever acronym they come up with)

I have this forum open a lot when I play, or I have music playing that needs changing every now and then.

Thanks for all the great answers guys. I think I will be launching from LKO from here on, because it's becoming just a little tedious launching huge payloads all the way to the Mun. I'll make sure to keep all of this in mind next time I launch something a little smaller from Mun orbit though.

I finally finished assembling the Duna Exploration Spacecraft (DES) in orbit around the Mun. Efforts were focused at Ranma station, and the entire thing was done in only two (massive) launches. I had to build an entirely new booster just for Segment 2 - a whopping 60 tons of payload (including the fairing.) EDIT: Well, I sent the mission on its way - and realized that I made a huge mistake: I forgot that nuclear engines don't use oxidizer. I've used up half my fuel in setting my trajectory to Duna, and will probably use the last of it to stay there. Milzy and Tetrid decided that being stuck around a lifeless rock up close is better than being stuck around a ball of fire from far away. We salute these two brave explorers in their final hurrah for all of Kerbalkind.

Wow, I didn't know you could make maneuver nodes on orbits you weren't even on yet! I looked, and it seems I can save about 9 m/s Dv going directly from the Mun. Thank you!

The CoM needs to be lower to make it not flip. Think about the Apollo command module. It had most of its mass towards the bottom to keep it pointed the right way. The CoM is always going to want to be close to the source of gravity, and the main source of drag will want to be the opposite, so you need to put the CoM lower to compensate.

It really depends on how much you want to send. For small missions, launching from the surface is okay. For big things though, I like to assemble things in orbit, especially so I don't have to worry much about huge laggy boosters and lots of drag/added weight from fairings.

I am constructing an interplanetary spacecraft (specifically to Duna) at a small space station around the Mun. Once it is done, I will break out of the Mun's gravity and head towards Duna. My question is this: Is it more efficient to do the escape burn at a really high orbit, like you get after leaving the Mun's gravity, or should I first lower my PE to around LKO? I think burning to get a low PE would defeat the purpose of any extra efficiency, but I'm not sure. Help is appreciated!

I finally built a station around the Mun. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. So far, I have equipped it with a crew module, fuel tanks, a tug, and a core that is more to the top than at the center. Say hello to Ranma station: I know its not that impressive, but hopefully it can help me get interplanetary.

For whatever reason, I was looking up SSTV signals on youtube, and I got to a video of someone looking for the Duna easter egg. He was flying around in some insane contraption, but it piqued my interest. I downloaded the demo a little later, and finally bought the game almost exactly as 0.24 came out, about a year or so later.

First, I come up with a mission name. For example, for my Mun missions, I named I named it Munar. Then I use roman numerals for each general design. Then, if I need to make a small change, I add a letter to the end. So, for example, I might make the Munar I for trying to just get into orbit around the Mun. Then I might realize that it works so well I just need to add legs to the top stage. So, I add legs and call it the Munar IA. Then, I may try to bring a bigger lander to the Mun, so I build one and call it the Munar II. Then I make a smallish change and call it the Munar IIA. If something is experimental then I add "X/" before the roman numerals.