My encounter trajectory is pictured below. From a fuel-efficiency standpoint, is it optimal for my encounter burn to intersect the Mun, then perform another burn to curve my periapsis out to a reasonable height, or should I attempt to avoid intersecting the Mun on future encounter burns?
Best Answer
If your goal is to enter orbit, this is pretty much the least efficient way of doing it. Your goal should be to set the periapsis for your encounter to your target orbital altitude and then burn in the retrograde direction when you approach the periapsis. The latest you should be setting your encounter trajectory (at least for the Mun and Minmus) is mid-transfer.
If your goal is to land the entire thing on the surface of the Mun, then this will work, but it's incredibly dangerous and hard. It's also mass inefficient, since you have to to carry fuel for something like 1km/s of delta-V for your suicide burn. You're almost always better off going for a low orbit before landing, which will also allow you to better choose your landing site.