Matching Ap/Pe of a target orbit

[MPDerksen]

This week I’ve learned a TON.  I rescued 3 different derelicts from LKO.  I’ve been given 3 more from Mission Control.  I want to try grabbing 2 at a time, just for fun.  

The question:  in a situation where my Ap of the rescue craft is identical to that of my target, but not at the same place.  How would I move it forward/backward without changing the actual height?  I was watching a docking video by Scott M, but can’t tell what he did.  I can play with a maneuver node, but thought I might just ask.  My only guess is to move normal/anit-normal at the target Ap/Pe and mine will shift?

Penguin meat is delicious...  

[Vanamonde]

There are complex ways to do move the apo and peri, but it might be better to simply circularize your orbit and then burn when you're aligned with them. 

[MPDerksen]

5 minutes ago, Vanamonde said:

There are complex ways to do move the apo and peri, but it might be better to simply circularize your orbit and then burn when you're aligned with them. 

Scott makes EVERYTHING look so easy, right?  To get reasonably in the ballpark, my Ap is related to my burn 180degrees on the other side?  So don’t necessarily adjust it right at the Pe, but opposite where I want the Ap to be?

[Vanamonde]

1 minute ago, MPDerksen said:

Scott makes EVERYTHING look so easy, right?  To get reasonably in the ballpark, my Ap is related to my burn 180degrees on the other side?  So don’t necessarily adjust it right at the Pe, but opposite where I want the Ap to be?

That's correct.

[StrandedonEarth]

Generally to move the Ap/Pe without affecting the height too much, use a combination of radial in/out and pro/retrograde. Most efficiently done on the other side of the orbit from what you're trying to adjust

[Kryxal]

If you already have your close approach, just burn to negate your relative velocity, assuming you have enough delta-v.  If you don't have that close approach, the FAST way to near-match the orbits is using mostly radial in/out, but the SIMPLE way is burning around where the greatest difference between orbits is to make the other side roughly tangential and set up a cleaner rendezvous.  This way, you'll automatically have different orbital periods so one of the orbiting objects can catch up to the other.