How to work out your horizontal and up down velocity?

[crazyewok]

Trying to dock useing RCS and even though my velocity meter on the nav ball is reading 0 Im still moveing to the righ. So how do you work out your velocity in that dircetion? How do I know how much counter RCS I should give it?

[JiWint]

first,right click on your docking port,and select "control from here".Then click the docking port you want to connect to,and select set as target.Also switch your velocity relative to target (above nav ball,where surface and orbit speed appear)

After that,turn on rcs,and go to docking mode (bottom left).

now using wasdqe try to get your prograde vector inside the target vector.

I can't explain it good,hope that helps

[crazyewok]

I know how to dock.

I just want know my EXACT velocity in all directions

[Z-Man]

The game does not give you that. And even if, if the total speed it gives you is 0.0, the individual components would also all be 0.0.

The best info you get are the directional markers on the navball.

What are you trying to do? Set up two crafts next to each other, orbiting together?

[sonicsst]

Either MechJeb or KER will provide the horizontal and vertical components.

Edit: On further investigation, MechJeb does not provide this information relative to the targeted craft, only the surface.

[crazyewok]

Either MechJeb or KER will provide the horizontal and vertical components.

I have them both downloaded but im playing career mod and cant seem to access them yet.

This is really annoying me and running my game as Im drifting but dont know what direction to correct!

I have a certain directional visual impairment so I NEED hard numbers in front of me to work it out, playing it by eye is not a option.

[crazyewok]

What are you trying to do? Set up two crafts next to each other, orbiting together?

Bacialy.

Even though my target Nav ball velocity says Zero Im still drifing in one dircetion of another.

[sonicsst]

If you can see the prograde/retrograde indicators they will help. If you are pointed at the target, apply horizontal RCS away from the prograde or towards the retrograde. As for hard numbers, I think you'll have to use a mod. In my opinion, the lack of important numerical displays is one of the major flaws in stock KSP.

[crazyewok]

If you can see the prograde/retrograde indicators they will help.

They keep disappearing all I have is the target markers

This is starting to cause me alot of stress and grief now.

[brooklyn666]

Lazor Docking Cam has the info you need. It provides you with relative angles, speeds, rates, and distances.

[Z-Man]

If the prograde and retrograde markers are gone and the speed display is 0, that that's as stationary as the valilla game will allow. Even if you knew the exact speeds:

Getting them to 0 with RCS, even in fine tuning mode, may be impossible. Depends on the craft weight, obviously.

Even if you do get them to 0, there are still orbital mechanics ruining your day. It's OK for small prograde/retrograde/radial (wrt to the orbit) displacements, but displacements perpendicular to those will oscillate.

I do get the feeling you should tell the whole story, why you want to do what you are trying to do. It strikes me as unusual. Maybe someone has a better idea somewhere earlier in the train of thought.

[Smidge204]

Velocity display is only accurate to +/- 0.05m/s. If you want more accurate, you could perhaps use something like CheatEngine to peek at the actual value in memory (I believe it's a Double) which will have more decimal points.

But if you're moving that slow it's hard to imagine why it's causing you so much grief.

=Smidge=

[crazyewok]

But if you're moving that slow it's hard to imagine why it's causing you so much grief.

=Smidge=

Because im trying to align docking points.

[astropapi1]

Oh, so you're trying to dock?

Then you should do it kinda fast. Objects in orbit tend to drift apart if they're not connected.

[Soda Popinski]

If you install just one mod, you should install the Docking Port Alignment Indicator.

[crazyewok]

I just cant get the ports aligned right.

[vetrox]

When you are in docking mode make sure your sas is turned on. This helps compensate for any imbalance you have with your center of mass and RCS placement.

If you are trying to dock you need to do what has been said and right click the docking port on your vessel and 'control from here' and do the same with the port you want to dock with.

Also you will never get your velocity to absolute zero without mods. Simple orbital mechanics will tell you that. unless the 2 objects are docked then they will slowly drift apart.

On your nav ball all you need to do is get your prograde marker into the center of the target marker (the pink circle). When in docking mode its pretty easy. A & D move the prograde marker left and right. Shift and control move it up and down. W & S increas and decrease velocity.

If the ports aren't aligned then you need to do some orbital ballet and use a combination of docking mode and stageing mode to orientate your craft. Or you switch to your other craft using "[" or "]" and point the required port at your first craft.

[Smidge204]

Because im trying to align docking points.

It's a dynamic process. you can't expect to get yourself completely aligned in one axis then stay there while you align your other axes.

Set the docking port as the target, select the port on your ship as "Control from here," and keep the prograde marker inside the pink target circle on the navball while keeping your velocity low as you get close. Do that, and you will dock.

=Smidge=

[Bengsch85]

If you install just one mod, you should install the Docking Port Alignment Indicator.

+1 on this. It shows velocities in both horizontal and vertical directions and makes docking a breeze.