Ships not keeping SAS setting?

[strider3]

I finally made my first rendezvous and docking!! WooHoo! I did, however, come upon a bit of an annoyance...I would set the target ship to SAS "Anti-target" to keep its docking port pointed at me, but it wouldn't hold that setting. I would go back to the target ship (an orbiting station) and it would be back to basic "SAS"? Is there a way to have a ship maintain an SAS setting when leaving it to control the approaching ship?

Vic the Newbal

[bewing]

19 minutes ago, Victor3 said:

Is there a way to have a ship maintain an SAS setting when leaving it to control the approaching ship?

No. If a ship has SAS turned on and you switch away from it, it will always revert to "stability" mode only. Only the currently active ship can have any other SAS mode selected.

[Foxster]

Unless you use MechJeb I think. 

[Mahnarch]

That's why I always orient my ships N/S (e.g., uppie/downie) so that I only have to worry about lining up and forward and back - without the ships creeping diagonally.

 

It's a pain in the no-no when you first set up, but it's when you're going for those last few meters is where it comes in handy.

[A_name]

Came here to second @Mahnarch's comment. Always set the target ship with the port pointing normal or anti-normal (aka north/south, up/down) which will make it stay put while you maneuver the active ship.

[strider3]

Thanks Guys, I did not know that N/S orientation would cause said ship to stay steady...good to know. And, of course, I have a rescue mission...and cant control the target because we don't "own it". LOL. Oh well still good info for 90% of my future rendezvous, me thinks.

Vic the Newbal

[strider3]

On a side note...the rescue mission was a bust. The ppd-12 cupola to be rescued and returned to Kerbin did not have a docking port! I really wish these missions would provide more info before you jump into them. Rescuing the Kerbal from the cupola could have been doable...but returning the cupola to Kerbin wasn't happening with my current equipment. S-I-G-H!

[FullMetalMachinist]

18 minutes ago, Victor3 said:

On a side note...the rescue mission was a bust. The ppd-12 cupola to be rescued and returned to Kerbin did not have a docking port! I really wish these missions would provide more info before you jump into them. Rescuing the Kerbal from the cupola could have been doable...but returning the cupola to Kerbin wasn't happening with my current equipment. S-I-G-H!

Are you sure that you had to return the cupola? The only (stock) way to do that is with the Klaw, and a stock game will only make that a requirement if you have the Klaw unlocked. Do you have any mods that introduce new contracts and/or parts? 

[strider3]

My only mod is KER. And I did have the requirement to return the Kerbal (I forget his name) and his "debris" to Kerbin.

[bewing]

As FullMetalMachinist said, the game wanted you to make a spacetug with a detachable klaw and parachute on it, and use that to deorbit the cupola.

Here is an example craft that I use for deorbiting debris -- it can deorbit 9 items, each up to 8 tons or so, before it runs out of deorbiters and I have to launch a new one:

[Mahnarch]

And, at $4532/item, that's a bargain!

 

Do you get money back from the debris, as well? Or just the contract money?

I've never done one of those missions.

[strider3]

Mahnarch- I believe you do get money for the recovered item.

bewing- How do you deorbit a piece with that craft? I see how you can grab a piece and I see the dual parachutes (how in the world did you attach them sideways? LOL) but I don't see individual engines that would actually deorbit each piece once decoupled?

[bewing]

Yes, you get money back when the deorbited item gets recovered. The closer to KSC, the more money, of course.

@Victor3:To deorbit an item, you activate all the parachutes in space (with their autodeploy tweakables set properly), then you fire the main engine retrograde until your Pe is around 65km, then you click on the proper decoupler and detach the piece of debris with its parachutes. Then turn the ship around prograde and fire the main engine again until your Pe is significantly above 70km again.

Very important: then you have to switch back to the piece of debris and watch it fall all the way back to the ground, because if you aren't watching it, it'll get autodeleted instead.

 

 

Edited May 4, 2016 by bewing