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[MagmaMcFry]

Congrats, I still have yet to successfully land anywhere but kerbin, however ice gotten ok at changing orbits, I still get confused when I need to burn normal or anti normal, whatever that means =/

iirc normal = north, antinormal is south. Basically.

Normal is the top triangle marker, antinormal is the bottom triangle marker.

[LoSboccacc]

Congrats, I still have yet to successfully land anywhere but kerbin, however ice gotten ok at changing orbits, I still get confused when I need to burn normal or anti normal, whatever that means =/

iirc normal = north, antinormal is south. Basically.

Except when you are tourning counterclockwise. Or clockwise. Right hand rule!

[miauw62]

Normal is the top of the navball and antinormal is the bottom.

[MaximumZero]

Congrats, I still have yet to successfully land anywhere but kerbin, however ice gotten ok at changing orbits, I still get confused when I need to burn normal or anti normal, whatever that means =/

I didn't land, I just did some science and an EVA within the range of the Mun. Landing is my next goal, but I have no idea how to do so, other than a bunch of small engines and a retrograde burn.

[Putnam]

You also need landing legs.

It's important to get low on your approach and try to burn retrograde to stop horizontal movement at perimun. That way, you fall less and use less fuel on the way down.

[LoSboccacc]

Normal is the top of the navball and antinormal is the bottom.

Nope. Bottom (center orlf the red part) is usually radial. Top (center of the blue part) is antiradial.

Can move from the dead center for eccentrical orbits

[puke]

It's important to get low on your approach and try to burn retrograde to stop horizontal movement at perimun. That way, you fall less and use less fuel on the way down.

What does this mean?  I've been having a hard time with Mun landings -- I can get down there but never have enough fuel to get back.

Here are some of the orbital options I can think of, can someone explain which ones are best to start with for a landing and why?:

- low circular:  you are close to the surface, but need to burn off a LOT of horizontal velocity.  The lower you are, the more fuel you have to burn to zero out your horizontal velocity.

- high circular:  not as much horizontal velocity to cancel, but you'll need to burn more to counter gravity as you come down harder

- elliptical, descending from apoapsis: as 'high circular' but with almost no horizontal velocity to counter and a huge ton of acceleration due to gravity

- elliptical, descending from periapsis: just like low-circular but far worse in terms of horizontal velocity.  This is probably never a good idea unless you're aerobraking or something.

[MagmaMcFry]

Just try to put your periapsis over where you want to land and move it as near to the surface as possible (beware of mountains though). It doesn't matter where your apoapsis is.

[kaian-a-coel]

I prefer low circular, once you cancel horizontal velocity you're set.

[PTTG??]

I just finished my first successful Mun flyby in career mode! I know that's kid stuff to you all, but still, I was excited. ^_^

On the contrary, it's always fun to welcome someone else to SPAAAAAAAAAACE.

[Octobomb]

I just finished my first successful Mun flyby in career mode! I know that's kid stuff to you all, but still, I was excited. ^_^

On the contrary, it's always fun to welcome someone else to SPAAAAAAAAAACE.

*Ahem*

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE SPACE SPACE SPAAAAAACE SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

[MaximumZero]

So, I have a question with something that's been plaguing me.

I built a large 5-stage rocket mostly held together by duct tape struts. In build mode, everything sets up nicely.

Then, when I get it to the launchpad, the struts disappear and the whole damned thing falls apart. What's the deal with disappearing struts?

[Putnam]

Struts disappear when things break apart.

Note that this includes staging, just in case you didn't know that you could build struts cross-stage without needing to blow anything up

[Descan]

We'd need to see a screenshot.

[MaximumZero]

We'd need to see a screenshot.

Here ya go!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Struts disappear when things break apart.

Note that this includes staging, just in case you didn't know that you could build struts cross-stage without needing to blow anything up

I actually did know that, but nothing seems to be breaking apart. The rocket hits the launchpad, and then there are cans rolling about everywhere.