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[Shadowlord]

The trick is to go up fast enough that you aren't on fire long enough for anything to explode.

[RedKing]

Successfully completed my first docking!!

HOLY SHIT THAT WAS NERVE-WRACKING 

[flabort]

I been playing long enough that I may as well PTW this thread.

Still not achieved orbit even once, came awfully close with a small rocket today though. Made it half way around the world.

[Lightningfalcon]

Before 1.0, I absolutely sucked at docking, and could only do so after wasting giant amounts of fuel to rendezvous. But the first time I tried in 1.0 I was able to do it perfectly on my first try, and it is instinctual now.  I don't know what the hell happened. 

[fourpotatoes]

With inspiration and advice from this thread, I built my first Mun lander and performed my first successful propulsive landing yesterday. The first test flight, flown under remote control, came down in a steep-walled crater, fell over and broke apart, but proved the design nonetheless. On the second flight I maneuvered to avoid hazards while still high up and the ship set down on a gentle slope. Jeb and company planted a flag and a plaque about how they came in peace for all Kerbalkind.

Out of an abundance of caution, I ended up thrusting for longer than I should have during the descent. On the ascent, my crew nearly fell victim to the cold equations when they turned out to not have enough fuel to make orbit on the main engine. I managed to get them into orbit on RCS thrusters and used the dregs of the monopropellant to rendezvous with my Munar space station, completing the mission with no deaths.

The lander wasn't designed for Kerbin entry, so the crew's currently aboard one of my seven-place Kerbin-to-orbit shuttles along with other personnel I'm finally recovering from the station, ready to undock and fly home. It remains to be seen whether this shuttle will be the first ship coming home from the Mun that doesn't run out of main-engine fuel and have to complete its burns on RCS.

For that matter, on the next launch I should reduce shuttle weight by removing the emergency decoupler that jettisons the Hitchhiker Storage Container and the main chutes. I just know I'm going to forget to set stage-lock and accidentally fire it in a situation that kills everyone.

[miauw62]

Whenever I rendezvous I have to wait like fifty orbits before the encounters get close enough.

[Graknorke]

plane old

I see what you did there.

[Dutchling]

docking?

justuse.mechjeb

[Dorsidwarf]

(this is assuming you don't already use MechJeb and that you don't really want to start using it)

Just use MechJeb is in the vehicle editor to make sure you have sufficient dV, then delete the part before launch.

Now you'll know whether you suck at building ships or if you just suck at piloting them

I'm pretty sure the in-game statistics tab tells you your /\V

what in-game statistics tab

Begin a flight
Open the map
Click the button on the right-middle called "info" or something

[FArgHalfnr]

Successfully completed my first docking!!

HOLY SHIT THAT WAS NERVE-WRACKING 

Lucky you. I just realized how hard it is when I decided to build my space station in multiple parts. I'm making my third attempt in a few minutes now. Wish me luck.
(That post is also basically just a thinly veiled PTW.)

[RedKing]

docking?

justuse.mechjeb

IIRC, the MechJeb with docking assist doesn't unlock till 500 science tier.

Basically I made a concentric orbit about 3 km higher than the station, and waited for it to catch up. Since the station orbit is about 85km, an orbital period is just a little over a half-hour. Took about a day or so to sync up.

Then a couple of tiny ad-hoc burns to close the gap down to within 0.3km. Then the REAL fun started -- trying to use frantic RCS manuevering to line shit up, while occasionally switching over to the station and rolling it so that the docking port was pointed toward my oncoming ship. Didn't quite line up and I had a heart-stopping moment when the ship bumped the station core and started wobbling but eventually the docking collars slipped into position. And there was much rejoicing.

Of course, now I realize that I've done a shit job of designing the station modules, and I'm going to have to seperate the two halves and put a multi-port link in between to allow for continued expansion (need a much bigger solar array, for one) and still need a fuel storage and a communications array. At least now that I've got a proven delivery vehicle, I can just swap out the payloads.

[Dutchling]

Oh I play in Sandbox mode.

In Science mode MechJeb isn't ever gonna do anything for you you haven't already done yourself, most of the time.

[Leonon]

Made a neat SSTO with a cubic octagonal strut between the nervas and the rapiers so they can both work at the same time but are lined up. managed to get it to orbit without overheating anything on its first flight.

[BFEL]

For those having docking trouble, any vessel with the ability to SAS toward target is able to continue doing so while switched to a different craft in the physics bubble, so you can have both controlled from the docking port and targeting the opposite docking port and they will auto line up.

Very handy.

[BigFatStupidHead]

There is a pretty good trick to docking if you have a level one pilot or probe. Once you get close enough (within ~2km, at least), engage SAS, switch the navball to target mode, and use the retrograde lock. Burn till relative speed is zero, then burn directly at your target at least till your prograde marker is directly over the target marker. Profit.