Tiny unKerballed probe into LKO? Stability trouble over 25km.

[Mister Spock]

OK, success!  I did a contract to get this little rocket into a polar orbit and nailed it on the first try.

Really it was a combination of things, and a combination of answers from this thread.  First it was aerodynamics, lol.  And fuel management.  And yes, I had my hotkeys mixed up, so I was hitting "trim" instead of "precision" controls.  Plus I was inadvertently toggling SAS on and off frantically because I was confused about that hotkey, too!  Plus the new gravity turn is a bit different from back in the day.  So I've marked a half-dozen posts as the "answer," as you were all right, lol.

I'm having a bit more trouble with the mission to recover the probe, but I think I can figure it out.  Thanks for all the help!

[VoidSquid]

Glad we could help a little  

[Mister Spock]

Thanks. I've now marked your answer as well -- I found the engine advice helpful too.