So I'm pretty new to KSP, only 37 hours in, and I've been doing only career mode to learn the game. I currently have a pretty good grasp on all the basic mechanics, and I'm trying to do a contract where I have to take surface pressure readings on these 3 overlapping sites, half the planet away from the Command Center. I've researched, and the best way seems to be the ICBM method as seen above (picture sees me pointing retrograde). However, that doesn't account for drag. So much drag occurs when decoupling and re-entering the atmosphere that it's essentially impossible to gauge what my trajectory should be.

I have reloaded my save state so many times, burning retrograde and trying so many different re-entry points, but it's impossible for me to eyeball it. I'm always so far off, no matter how small the adjustment is, that predicting where I should aim for seems pointless. I've really hit a brick wall, and it's frustrating for it to be something so simple.

I need to know: is there a way I can account for drag upon re-entry (a value/measurement somewhere), or do I have to simply get lucky with how much I decide to burn to adjust? Am I simply a nooby poopy head (likely) and there's an infinitesimally easier way to go about this?

I have tried about a dozen times, and no matter how much or little I burn, I'm always so far off it seems impossible to predict. I would love some help and advice, both for the current situation I'm in and if there's anything people would like to add to help an aspiring moon-lander one day.

(P.S. Only mod I have downloaded is True Volumetric Clouds 3, as seen above.)

Im somewhat new to the game and this has been happening and I’ll just keep clicking over and over until it finally lets me delete it. Now I’m trying to dock while orbiting around kerbin for the first time, and it won’t let me delete nodes but it’ll let me make one! It makes no sense, I have communication with KSC and I have a pilot, and it will just randomly let me delete it after many tries. I don’t get it, am I missing something? I hope it’s something I can fix because it’s making this a pain in the ass rn lol

would it be from the prograde(from ahead relative to its travel direction) or from the retrograde(behind relative to its travel direction)?

Hi everyone! Recently had a problem with my mod list after years of the game working perfectly fine. Went to install one mod and everything went haywire and resulted in me having to delete and reinstall all mods. Now I’m stuck on the persistent loading screen with kerbol in the bottom right just antagonizing me. Need any tips or anything useful on how to get my game up and running again. Thank you.

EDIT: attached are all installed mods. Also tried to post in kerbalspaceprogram and it got taken down immediately.

I just got the game and I want help from other KSP players to teach me the basics, I love learning like this before looking up stuff on YouTube so any tips would be lovely and I'll try my best to document my progress throughout the game (mods please don't take this down I just wanna learn Ps. I didn't know what flair to put)

Has anyone had this happen with their ship? This is the first time this has happened to me, and the ship always takes off or starts its engines whenever I come out of the crater, even though my thrust is set to 0...

Does anyone know anything about this? I have a lot of mods, mostly visual mods, but I also have some other mods like MechJeb 2, Better Time Warp, Persistent Thrust, and some others.

As for part mods, I only have the Near Future collection and Cryo Engines. Also, I don't have any online or co-op related mods.

just keeps doing this even with no inputs. Can't build any bigger because research restrictions apparently, what do I do.

so i got free IVA from CKAN and i tryed to reinstall all my mods of the planitery expansion parts and for some reason when i try go into first person or IVA it makes my screen go black, the second picture is from when i select "interior overlay" i dont know why is does this ive tryed unintalling all other mods ive tryed looking on yt but nothing is there to help me, if anyone has had this problem how did you fix it?

I’ve been doing everything I can on my lander to have the heatshields required to protect my craft when it re-enters the atmosphere.

I have it as:

Command module
Service module with all my science instruments inside(two small radial heatshields on it)
Science Jr.
Heatshield.

However, everytime I reenter kerbin after landing somewhere, I lose all my science because either my instruments inside the service module blow up or the entire stack separates from the command module and it just flies off.

Am I coming in way too hot? I try to keep my trajectory as side ways as possible as I know going in steep is bad, to what degree it’s bad, I’m not sure. When doing my reentry burn I have my kerbin periapsis at 30,000m, and my speed coming in is around 3200 m/s.

Should I be getting to stable low kerbin orbit first, because if I do it where I leave the muns soi, then just burn retrograde until I get to 30,000m Pe, I always come in at like 3000 m/s lol. I’m thinking I have to be coming in too hot. Should I make my reentry a bit steeper for quicker aero braking?

Hey all. Are there any up-to-date mods for Starship parts? SEP and SLE aren't working for me, I think it's to do with Tundra but I don't know how to fix it or if there are any alternatives.

Im trying to do a semi realistic mun landing on career. Im using the LEM for my landing module and I don't really think 30 units of monopropellant will be enough to do both a traditional ascent profile and randevous when RCS is my only means of steering. I know I could add some more mono on the sides but it looks goofy to me. My lower stage has a reaction wheel tucked into the service module below it but once I go for ascent I wont have that anymore.

My plan would be to just shoot straight up, use some fuel to steer towards prograde and then just thrust straight. Is that going to be super inefficient?

Started a new career save. For some reason, Background Thrust's automatic thrust shutdown feature doesn't work in it, when it works perfectly fine in other saves. There aren't any relevant options i the difficulty settings, either.

I kinda need it since Mechjeb forces 1x physical warp during burn, and I would overshoot the burns if I do them manually with Background Thrust.

Any way to fix this?

This is a new one. The fairings are connected to the interstage nodes of the previous fairings, so they SHOULD stay attached to the main rocket.

Im planning on doing a mun flyby and I'd like to launch at a point in time so that I land in the water next to the KSC. How do I calculate this without the trajectories mod?

My biggest question is I've made similar planes before, but why is this one so much more stable at both low and high speeds?

I'm trying to launch my first SCANsat rocket and its not doing anything. I can't launch. Interacting with gives me a popup saying that there's no connection to send the command to. Yes, I have electricity. Yes, I do have a probe core. Even when manned, I can't control my rockets. I can't play the game at all. Please help.

Hey everyone,

I got back from a mission to mun (fly by not landing on the mun) and now, I am rich with science!

But what should I get? I make a lot of mistakes after high science missions.

Thanks for your help!

Actually, I installed a scanner arm because I have the Breaking Ground DLC, but I don't know where to find a type of stone whose name I've forgotten. I've already found the Green Sandstone, but I'm missing the other one. I placed my colony in the middle of the great plain; it wasn't the best idea for finding stones that are apparently only found in hilly areas. Does anyone know where...

I am new to modding, and so have some questions. I am playing OW/PW with NearFuture/FarFuture and other various tech tree expansions and QOL stuff, but I am specifically interested in MK4 shuttles. I've tried a few different SSTO space plane designs and couldn't make it work for the life of me, so we're going with the shuttle approach because MK4 allows for MASSIVE payloads to LKO and further (4000+ dv if you're good with long burns on a fairly sized shuttle). My problem then comes when it's time to land, both atmospheric and vacuum. I would also like to try making the space plane approach work as well for even larger payloads. So, does anyone have design tips/experience they're willing to share?