What should I try and do next?

[Dan Truong]

Hey everyone!

I currently have researched everything in the heavy rocketry column. I've gone to mun, and minimums several times. I'm wondering what I should try and do next? I can't build a space station yet or any rovers so I don't know if I'm ready to go to other planets yet? Should I keep going to bodies in Kerbal orbit until I get things I can use for missions to other worlds?

 

I also have 559 in science right now and don't know what to use it on. 

 

https://drive.google.com/

 

Edited January 13, 2018 by Dan Truong

[Jas0n]

If you can't build a space station yet why don't you try that next? It will provide you with a refueling station for you interplanetary missions. Also allows you to practice your docking skills.

Or you could just send probes to fly by or orbit other planets.

[invision]

build relay probes and send them off to other planets. this will be helpful for you so you dont lose contact. 

cram them with science gear too.

Edited December 7, 2017 by invision

[septemberWaves]

You could always look through the forums or youtube for some inspiration. I suggest learning how to dock or how to build rovers though, those are important skills.

[SupperRobin6394]

Eve base, no heat shields allowed for re-entry 

[James Kerman]

Greetings and welcome to the forum, @Dan Truong.

My suggestion would be learning how to dock if you cannot do so yet.  Minmus is a great place to learn how to rendezvous and dock and it is a good skill to have in your kitbag when you build stations or go interplanetary.

[Spricigo]

 Well, you should do whatever you think is fun. 

After visiting Mun and Minmus several times, Duna and Ike are the 'obvious next steps'. Your typical Mun Descent Ascent Vehicle with a pair of droge chutes have a good chance to becone an effective Duna DAV and is capable to handle Ike too. 

As for where to invest the science you have, my usual take is to get new scientific instruments first, than whatever unlocks new functionalitie. I also get every node of a given tier before going to higher tech. For more specific advice a screenshot of your tech tree can be usefull.

[Geonovast]

I also suggest working on docking.  It can be frustrating to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it'll turn it into a new game.

[Agustin]

7 hours ago, SupperRobin6394 said:

Eve base, no heat shields allowed for re-entry 

yeah, that's sounds easy hahahah

[steuben]

8 hours ago, SupperRobin6394 said:

Eve base, no heat shields allowed for re-entry 

Challenge... considered. We talking sea-level or high plateau?

 

As for the OP's question. Yeah, build stations. It doesn't matter if you're ready or not. Do it anyways. Failure is only the end, if you don't learn from it... or don't have a quicksave to revert to.

You can also do few Skylab style stations. Launch a kerbal can and lab with some batteries, science gathering type thingies, solar panels, and an antenna into a polar orbit, and accumulate enough science for the next leap.

Fly-by probes are good for practicing interplanetary shots. Light, cheap, and can generate suitable science, for more work.

 

[Tyko]

Welcome! Rendezvous and Docking are two really good skills to use.

Imagine you've just completed the Mercury program and now it's time to progress to the Gemini program - orbital maneuvering, docking, etc. The way the Gemini program did this was to shoot up a rendezvous target (look up Agena Target Vehicle). They then practiced docking with it over several missions.

[Kerbital]

On 12/6/2017 at 8:02 PM, Dan Truong said:

Hey everyone!

I currently have researched everything in the heavy rocketry column. I've gone to mun, and minimums several times. I'm wondering what I should try and do next? I can't build a space station yet or any rovers so I don't know if I'm ready to go to other planets yet? Should I keep going to bodies in Kerbal orbit until I get things I can use for missions to other worlds?

 

I also have 559 in science right now and don't know what to use it on. 

 

I said this elsewhere but try unmanned missions to far away planets before sending live Kerbals. DMagic's Orbital Science and Science Relay are fun mods to play with. You can scan planets ahead of manned missions and generate science to progress through the tree.

[N_Danger]

Duna is good. Atmosphere for chutes/retro assist landings but not too demanding lifting back off. It can be done without docking. However I will echo the learn to rendezvous and dock suggestions, you can pretty much build anything and go anywhere you want after that. The tech's needed for docking are RCS thrusters and docking ports so I would suggest that direction down the tech tree.