So close to docking! How to actually get it done, though?

[CrazyCoco]

So incredibly close to the core!

Here's my map screen

After tweaking my next intercept to be as close as I could get it, this is what I got:

How do I get closer to the ship to dock, though?

[regex]

Use RCS to cancel out all relative velocity, then approach the target. Myself, I feel a 1~2km intercept is generally "good enough" even though I usually try to burn closer. I did like eight docking runs last night and rarely got closer than 1km on intercept.

When you set the target to what you want to dock to, two purple icons will appear on the navball. The circular one is the direction towards the target and where you want to approach once all relative velocity is canceled.

[Tobmaster]

Select the object as a target so the pink indicators show up; they are indicators for the location of your target and the speed indicated above the navball is relative to the object. Since you're already close enough, you just need to kill your speed by using rcs thrust while pointing retrograde - if you aren't familiar with it, click on the docking mode and play around with it. Sometimes docking makes you want to bash your head on the keyboard, but it is a satisfying experience when it links up.

[CrazyCoco]

Use RCS to cancel out all relative velocity, then approach the target. Myself, I feel a 1~2km intercept is generally "good enough" even though I usually try to burn closer. I did like eight docking runs last night and rarely got closer than 1km on intercept.

When you set the target to what you want to dock to, two purple icons will appear on the navball. The circular one is the direction towards the target and where you want to approach once all relative velocity is canceled.

How would I got about canceling the relative velocity with RCS?

[regex]

How would I got about canceling the relative velocity with RCS?

You can use docking mode for translation, or the keys directly (check the keymap). When you've matched orbits close enough you'll see that the speed on the navball changes to "target", which is the velocity you need to cancel (bring it to 0.0, or close enough). Use the normal navball indicators to figure out where to burn.

E: To clarify, use RCS translation in order to cancel small velocity differences.

[sgt_flyer]

when you are in target mode, near your target, burn retrograde (it's actually the Target's retrograde marker) - until your relative velocity is around 0 m/s. then, use your RCS thrusters to slightly accellerate toward your round pink marker (not very fast) - during this time, use your RCS thrusters to make translations (left / right / up / down) to try to center your green prograde marker on your pink round marker. (this will kill all lateral velocity relative to your target) - try to slow down as you approach - less than 2m/s under 50m - less than 1 m/s under 10m. then you can stop, and translate / rotate around your target to dock. (although, you can also take control of the target, and make it's docking port to face your ship - it'll help for beginning to not have to circle around your target )

[capi3101]

RCS controls - H translates forward, N translates aft, I pitches down, K pitches up, J yaws left, L yaws right. You translate forward along the prograde to increase your relative velocity and translate backwards along the prograde to decrease your relative velocity. Alternativly, you can translate forward along the retrograde to decrease relative velocity and translate backwards along the retrograde to increase your relative velocity.

RCS roll is still Q and E, BTW. I'm sure you knew that, though.

Docking is pretty much the same whether you use RCS or main thrusters; you want to zero out your relative velocity once you're close (say within 100 meters or so). Shut off RCS and use torque to turn towards the target (the purple ball). Activate RCS and thrust towards the purple ball (the prograde marker should appear close to center on it). Close to 50 meters, zero out relative velocity, do it again. Close to 20 meters, zero out relative velocity, do it again. When you get to ten meters, make sure the ports are aligned (switch to the other craft and line up on the first craft), then thrust forward. Slowly...0.2 m/s will do the trick. Adjust at five meters if absolutely necessary. Ports will engage about a meter out; hopefully all is cool and froody. If your alignment is off, the two ports will draw each other in but may take a few seconds before they settle down and an actual connection is made. Just be patient.

[CrazyCoco]

EDIT: I have, after realizing I wasn't really doing what you guys were suggesting, killed my relative velocity (well to .1m/s) and am now floating 166.2m away from the Core.

Edited July 3, 2013 by CrazyCoco

[MockKnizzle]

Mmmmk. You're like 90% of the way there. What you're describing (when the target prograde swings around to your velocity retrograde) is you passing closest approach and starting to drift away again.

What you need to do now is cancel out your relative velocity when that starts to happen. Orient yourself along your velocity vector and use either RCS or your main engines to drop your velocity relative to target to zero (or just close). By doing this, you're essentially stopping when you're closest to your target.

Once you've canceled out your velocity, orient yourself towards target prograde and burn a little, to get yourself moving in the general direction of your target again. Rinse and repeat until you're within a couple meters, and then dock with RCS translation.

You essentially want to close the distance in a series of steps. An all-in-one burn straight to your target is really, really, difficult.

[Tobmaster]

If you use the appropriate translation buttons, the yellow indicator can be made to come back to center - this always happens during rendezvous since both objects are orbiting close to a sphere

[wronkiew]

Some pointers I've picked up from elsewhere in the forum:

- Keep your target speed set so you're always 100 seconds away from ramming your target. So if the target is 100 m away you should be approaching it at 1 m/s. Maybe 200 seconds since this is your first time. You are approaching your target when the yellow circle on the navball is centered over the purple circle.

- Set the view mode to 'chase' and line your view up so your docking port is facing away from you. That makes it much easier to tell what the RCS thrusters are going to do.

[Sirrobert]

I see your craft is unballanced in RCS thrusters. That is going to make things very dificult.

If you'd put another RCS tank with thrusters on the opposite side, you'd be in ballance, making the craft much easier to control.

For docking I like to stick to the staging controls, with HNIJKL for translating, and WASDQE for roll/pitch/yawn. But that's up to you.

What you now need to do is select the docking port you want to dock with, and click "Control from here".

Now the navball aligns so that the center of the ball (the point where your craft is pointing) is pointing in the same direction as that docking port.

If you get the prograde vector ligned up with the purple marker (which is the target craft), that means you are heading directly towards it.

Now try to align your ship so that the docking port and the docking port of your target match up in axis. This might be dificult to do. If the target craft is in equatorial orbit, align it along North/South axis. Now align the sphere along North/South axis aswel (facing the opposite side). This way you know that you are facing the right directly. If not in equatorial orbit, you'll have to eyeball it.

Get in close. About 20meters. Now align your ships, and move towards the docking port slowly. This is going to be very dificult to do if your RCS isn't ballanced, cause any translation is also going to pitch/yawn.

Once you get the docking ports right next to eachother, they will magneticly pull tougether and connect. Remember to turn off SAS at this moment, or the SAS will fight against the magnetic pull, making the connection dificult

Good luck

PS: If you have Mechjeb, use smart ASS to align the ship for you

EDIT: Looking closer at your screenshot, it seems you only have a set of 4 'place anywhere' RCS trusters?

I hope I'm mistaken, otherwise it's going to be virtually impossible to keep that thing under control. Would be faster to launch a new ball with RCS ballanced out

Edited July 3, 2013 by Sirrobert

[CrazyCoco]

So incredibly close! The only problem I have now is that I can't get the Core's docking port to stay lined up with my ship's docking port. Whenever I get in very close, the ports are not aligned. When I move to realign it, by the time it's realigned, the other ship is off course or something. Any tips?

[Snooze]

Get them down to zero relative speed. For craft one, point your docking port towards the target. Then take command of craft two. Point its docking port towards the port on craft one. Just line up on the purple icon. Go back to craft one. Adjust so that you're pointed right at the docking port on craft two. SLOWLY advance, making sure you are "controlling from here" on the port you want to dock with, press H to give yourself the teeniest RCS kick towards craft two. Check alignment, coast in, dock.

[Colonel_Panic]

Hi,

Please see my RCS and orbital rendezvous tutorial in my signature, it outlines everything you need to know for quick and easy docking. You can skip ahead to the docking part if you're already confident in your RCS balancing and design skills.

[Colonel_Panic]

So incredibly close! The only problem I have now is that I can't get the Core's docking port to stay lined up with my ship's docking port. Whenever I get in very close, the ports are not aligned. When I move to realign it, by the time it's realigned, the other ship is off course or something. Any tips?

Switch to the craft that you want to dock WITH, using the [ and ] keys, then select the docking port and 'control from here' and point it to your normal (North or South in an equatorial orbit), then kill your rotation by warping for a brief second so it's not spinning at all, then switch back to the docking craft again using the [ and ] keys, and resume docking. Your target ship will now no longer be moving or rotating with relation to you as you try and dock with it, and as long as you keep your ASAS on or ship oriented in one direction while docking, you will no longer drift out of alignment.

If your ship is poorly balanced with RCS, it may start to spin when you try and maneuver it. If this is the case you need to better balance your RCS, or make better use of SAS and precision controls, firing your thrusters only in very gentle, brief bursts with ASAS on.

Again, see my tutorial (linked in signature) for everything you need to know about balancing them for docking.

[TinMissileMan]

Some advice:

When VERY Close to target (for example 1.5 km away) switch the speed indicator to Target and point retrograde and burn until it says zero m/s. From there press "v" or whatever change camera angle is on your keyboard and point to the purple circle with the rings around it. Burn towards it until the velocity is at about 30 m/s. Get about 500 meters into the target and burn retrograde until velocity is killed. Then slowly make your way onto the docking port and your there!.

NOTE: This may not help because so many people already replied to you.

[Lazro]

Good. Now, right click the docking port you need to get to, then click "Set as target." That will make the pink, four-segmented circle aoint at the port. Now, slowly make your prograde marker line up with that using the "IJKL" and "HN" keys with RCS. Finally, make sure that your target port is facing your ship. Thrust towards your target and you're docked!