@apothaeos: Yeah. The second they put the ion engines on I immediately checked the delta v, it's tiny! They need a smaller final stage for ion engines to make sense. A Mk1 command capsule and a lander cam, instead of the three person large capsule would probably work out better.
Edit: D'oh. The VAB delta V is in atmosphere. And ion engines are terrible in atmosphere. Whoops.
Since you're not docking, you can ignore the docking bits. You can cover a kilometer in EVA with a kerbal if you want, assuming your ships aren't drifting away from each other.
TWR, that column next to delta-V, is Thrust Weight Ratio. You set the window to the celestial object you want (Mun, Kerbin) and if that number is a decent amount above 1 (such as 1.2), you know that the craft at that stage has enough thrust to offset its weight and takeoff. If that number is 1 or lower then you won't be able to take off.
Additionally, you can have the stage delta-V stats open during flight and it should let you know when that stage's tanks in the asparagus staging are empty (no delta-V left).
Also, you aren't breaking your parachute. It is turning red in the staging to signify it isn't safe to use the parachute, heat/aerodynamic forces will tear it off if you use it when it is red.
Someone suggested to set Mun as target probably to help you out when you are out of plane with where you want to go. Mouse over the Ascending/Descending nodes (the green pointy ones), they should say something like +/- 5°, ideally you want that close to 0°. The closer to 0º the easier it will be to get an intercept course. You can adjust this by burning in some direction near the ascending/descending nodes. (radial? normal? prograde? who knows! you will when you try it out!)
I have a 2016 wish: A podcast player on the website that can do 30 second forward/backward skip. Scrubbing a 4 hour long podcast because you missed a bit is... rough.
So excited to see some mods in the next episode. Really hopeful they will start designing their ships based upon delta v. This space exploration group is really getting into the swing of things!
If you're willing to install a mod, this one will change your altimeter to display your true altitude instead of sea level altitude. If you prefer to use an addon manager, you can use CKAN, the mod is called "Landing Height Display". Unfortunately the only way to view your true altitude in the game without mods is inside of the cockpit, which isn't the best of views.
sharks's comments