Missing contracts or me messing it up? (Possible spoiler)

[LN400]

Here's the thing: In search of the ever elusive explore Minmus contract (and a couple more elusive ones) I have started a new career for the umpteenth time.

3 contracts are starting to p#$$ me off:

Explore Minmus

World's First Set speed record 2500m/s

First Deorbit

The deorbit one I discovered purely by accident after the first orbit contract. It is also a very puzzling one and together with the speed record I'm really baffled how one is supposed to go about getting both. Last attempt ended with none of them.

So far I've gathered the speed record is void once you hit your first orbit for reasons I just can't tell. The deorbit contract is similarily puzzling. It appears to be void if you have reached orbit but dipped into the atmosphere before accepting the contract, except the last attempt I made a clean orbit and it is still not showing so there goes that theory.

Last: What exactly are the requirements for all 3 contracts to show up? Reading around there are lots of ideas but like my ideas they're full of holes. The missing Minmus contract is a real pain now that the rewards for earlier contracts are severely nerfed (now an engine test gave me 1 science point and 2 prestige like that was a good joke on me). I really could use some feedback on these contracts before I swap this touch screen for a punch screen.

[Thegamer211]

I got explore duna before explore minmus

I have no idea what controls the explore x contracts.

[LN400]

This is driving me nuts. Reportedly, the offered contracts are randomly picked from a pool of contracts. That is definitely not what I've been looking at the past 8 weeks. Here's how it works in every one of my career games (close to 20 different games now from just started to further into the game, 600+ rep, good tech etc) when I reject a contract:

Any survey/report/measurement on or around Kerbin contract will without a single exception to my knowledge be replaced by a new survey/report/measurement contract. Only change will be the agency offering the contract, the parameters and reward.

Any test thud engine contract will either be replaced by a new test Thud engine contract or the contract will disappear momentarily until I reject another contract. Then another test Thud contract will be offered. No exception observed.

As soon as I leave the atmosphere, the tourist contracts appear. They will invariably be replaced by new tourist contracts unless they disappear and reappear when I reject another contract. No exception observed.

Any other test part contract will invariably be replaced by another test part contract. No exceptions observed.

This is plain not random. This is systematically.

Can anyone else confirm they are seeing the same issue in their game, or is it something not right about this install?

[FancyMouse]

well, first of all contracts aren't a reliable source of science - going actual science on minmus/other small moons is the way to go for thousands of science per launch.

but for your original problem - no I haven't seen it like that. But a few questions - how's your career progression and what are your accepted contracts? Some types of contracts have maximum on how many offered (including accepted). If you haven't got enough types of contracts, and you already accepted those that reaches the limit for their types, then you'll inevitably be offered only those unlimited type of contracts - part testing most notably.

[LN400]

Thank you for the reply. As for the progression, that varies a great deal between careers (currently running 6 different ones) from just starting to about 75-80 days game time in 3 weeks real time of getting to 600+ rep and unlocked all 160 point tech nodes. Still the same types of contract there now as when I returned from Mun.

In that game, currently I have accepted parts tests and tourists, satelites around kerbin, mun and duna, as well as a fly by minmus contract.