The eventual goal is to have a "career mode" (there are currently stub menu entries in the UI), which will likely be similar to what you're envisioning.
The thing I love about KSP is that the tutorial for how to play beyond the launch pad is literally a NASA video from the 70's about orbital mechanics.
Oh, and there are few things in gaming as rewarding as landing a Kerbal on Duna, and then realizing you've got to just leave him there because it was a one-way trip.