Nub question

[SpaceshipFood]

Is refueling (sending dozens of fuel tanks up to refuel your lander) Required for getting to places like... Duna? I would like to go there, but I don't want to learn how to dock

Also, if I could get a link/craft. file to a really good interplanetary ship, that would be great.

[TheDarkStar]

You don't actually need docking to go anywhere. There were even Eve return missions without docking. You just need to try to minimize your payload, and not use too many extra parts. You really only need 1 LV-N, since having more just adds extra mass. Post a picture of your attempts and we can help you a bit more.

[llamatoes]

Agreed. I've gone to LEO (Low Eve Orbit) and back on a 12 part rocket. No docking whatsoever.

Although learning how to dock is very handy.

You can have a disposable lander, which means that you can not have to lug your entire spacecraft down to the surface.

[SmallChange]

Totally do-able.

I wouldn't write off docking, though. Granted, it's your game, play how you please. The main reason I suggest it though, is that when you do successfully dock something, you will feel a immense sense of accomplishment. Seriously.

I haven't found a game that can deliver on satisfaction like KSP (probably because you are on your own since square one), and docking is a big part of that. It's difficult to master, but it can be fun because of that.

[EndlessWaves]

Duna doesn't take much more fuel to get to than the Mun. There are one or two destinations like eve that you'll be pushing performance limits on trying to do with a single craft but generally you can comfortably go anywhere in a single launch once you learn how to build efficient ships.

[AnalogAddict]

For duna missions I'll do a direct launch to get there, as stated above its all about efficiency of your upper stage and how far it can go once in orbit. I like to look at it like this old saying, if you can get to orbit, you're halfway to anywhere.

Otherwise all my interplanetary ships are 2 or 3 main modules docked together.

[llamatoes]

Duna doesn't take much more fuel to get to than the Mun. There are one or two destinations like eve that you'll be pushing performance limits on trying to do with a single craft but generally you can comfortably go anywhere in a single launch once you learn how to build efficient ships.

An Eve mission is easier to do than a Duna mission.

I've done both with the same spacecraft, and I had wayyy more fuel left with the Eve one.

[Sof]

You can easily build rockets capable of flybys of any planet/moon in the game without docking. It also isn't too hard to land and return from Ike, Gilly and Duna with one launch from Kerbin.

I'd imagine it would be possible to get to the smaller moons of Jool and land there too. However, as with Duna, you really should include docking into these missions. As for the likes of Moho, Eve, Dres and big Joolian moons, I'm not sure they could be done in a single rocket.