Overview
How to get to the Mun for the first time. This only covers a one-way trip, however I may make a return guide in the future.
Building
I won’t say exactly how to build it; it makes you feel less accomplished. However, I’ll give tips:
-Use the 1.25 m diameter fuel tanks as they can be less complicated to work with. You can tell that their diameter is 1.25 m as they will usually say “FL-T” at the start.
-For your lander use the “Spark” engine, even though its diameter is mismatched.
-The “Vector” makes an excellent first-stage engine.
-If you know how, use “asparagus staging”.
-Aim for 3-4 stages.
-The “Dart” and “Terrier” make excellent orbiting and Mun transfer engines.
EDIT: If you’re stuck, use the nuclear engines (the long ones) as they are the most efficient 1.25 m engine. However, they use only liquid fuel, so make sure your tanks are liquid fuel only. The problem with them is, is that they have terrible thrust (the worst of any 1.25 m part), so only use them for your
transfer stage. The alternative are the “Dawn” engines, but they have even worse thrust, and are harder to work with.
How to get there.
Follow this flight plan but not exactly:
Orbit: Point up. At 100 m/s turn 45 degrees, pointing east (towards the island runway) Wait till your apoapis is about 80 km. Time warp to the apoapis, then point parallel to Kerbin, until your periapsis is over 80 km.
Transmunar injection: Make a maneuver node, and drag “prograde” till it intersects with the Mun’s orbit. Then, drag the node around the your orbit till there is a Mun encounter. Execute the burn.
Correction burn: You want a horseshoe shape around the Mun. To achieve this, put a maneuver node in any place on your orbit and click on the Mun. You should see a button that says “Focus View”. Click it. Then, click on the node you made, and play with it until you have the horseshoe/”u” trajectory around the Mun.
Orbiting the Mun: Time warp to Mun periapsis. Then, burn retrograde.
Landing
How to land on the Mun:
At apoapsis, burn retrograde. Then, gradually burn retrograde at low thrust, taking care not to go up. Carefully, slow yourself down until you have landed. Then, plant your flag! You’ve done it! Hurrah!
Conclusion
After this, now what? How about trying docking? Or go to Duna? Maybe try an SSTO spaceplane? The choice is yours.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this guide!
Please leave a comment! 🙂