Vanamonde Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 (edited) The Mk96 Docking Trainer will allow you to practice the final stage of docking without needing to make 2 separate launches and fly a rendezvous first. The launch vehicle can deliver the orbiters to an orbital altitude of around 120,000m. Either add crew to the upper orbiter in the VAB before launch, or transfer a pilot to the upper orbiter at this point. Once both orbiters are crewed, you can undock them and practice manuevering and bringing the ships together. The orbiters are larger than they need to be simply to maneuver in orbit, but the bulk of the fuel tanks is there to make the ships handle in a manageable way. Even so, it will be a good idea to switch to fine control with the caps lock key before bringing the ships together for a docking. Although not necessary, it can be useful to right-click on the other orbiter's docking port and set it as target. The orbiters are provided with lights so that docking in Kerbin's shadow is not a problem. The two orbiters are independent ships, and may be de-orbited separately or together. Craft file: OBSOLETE Edited April 28, 2015 by Vanamonde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuprin Feelgood Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Very nice. I did something similar to teach myself how to dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpoz Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Thank you - with your trainer ship, and the instructions about selecting the clamp as target, and using control from here with my ships dock I was finally able to get a successful dock. The first one ran out of fuel before I was able to get docked Have to look into adding more mono fuel for us newbies. But thank you!!I now have to practice moving crew via eva vs the crew manifest mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebble_garden Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 That's really clever. A great way to simplify the learning curve for docking -- take rendezvous out of the equation. Good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanamonde Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 (edited) The first one ran out of fuel before I was able to get docked I didn't want to crowd my post with too much in the way of instructions, but just so you know, you only really need RCS for translating, and ships of fairly large size can rotate themselves without using RCS fuel, just on the magic torque of the command parts. Anyway, I'm glad my ship helped you. (Though at some point we will have to have a stern talk about sticking a mod part on my pristine, stock ship design. ) Edited November 23, 2013 by Vanamonde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noticeably FAT Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Now that's a pretty neat idea. If you're open to suggestions, I have a couple. A couple of the stationary solar panels on the practice ships ought to help with the electrical drain without adding much weight or complexity.Personally, I find EVA a PITA. I'm not sure if ladders could be placed to be able to climb between the ships, but what would definitely fix that to avoid EVA is probe cores on the practice ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joppiesaus Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Awsome! It's based on just docking, not rendezvous(if I spelled correctly! ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanamonde Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 A couple of the stationary solar panels on the practice ships ought to help with the electrical drain They've actually got a considerable capacity, but I didn't want new players to be left wondering why the ships became inactive if they derped around too long. Anyway, I'm not a big fan of solar panels because you wouldn't be running the lights unless it was dark anyway, and the panels can't charge in the dark. And besides, as I noted, the orbiters will recharge while they're docked. Personally, I find EVA a PITA. I'm not sure if ladders could be placed to be able to climb between the ships, but what would definitely fix that to avoid EVA is probe cores on the practice ships. I made the ship before we had probe cores, but actually, I don't want to make the segments any smaller than they already are because the purpose of this ship is not efficiency, but ease of handling for a new pilot. Both segments are much larger than necessary for this task for that reason. The mothership is the size it is so that its easy to see and hit, and the orbiters have those big fuel tanks to give them some bulk and inertia, so they move smoothly rather than flit around like mosquitos. Ladders might not be a bad idea, but considering the shape of the ship, laying a continuous chain of pieces would add considerably to the part count. Besides, EVA is good for you. It puts hair on your chest. Thank you for the suggestions, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noticeably FAT Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Fair 'nough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkenteR Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 thank you dude ! this tutorial is awesome ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanamonde Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 I built a new version from scratch for 21.1 and the new SAS system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts