vindianajones

Thanks a lot. That's exactly what I was looking for. I'll give these tips a shot when I get home. I guess things are a bit easier for me to understand when explained via text rather than trying to follow along with a tutorial video.

Yes... I know how to use a maneuver node, I just can't figure out where and how to configure these nodes to do inclination and orbital changes that actually get me to the target. I mess around with them and they never really put me in a place where I should be. I thought I explained it sufficiently, but use of maneuver nodes is not my problem, it's how to actually coordinate when and how to operate the nodes so that my ship reaches the target at the correct angle/speed to start docking.

Hi there. I've watched a couple of docking tutorials but they didn't seem to do me a whole lot of good. I'm trying to do completely manual docking (read: from launch to dock, no mechjeb or any other autopilot/assist tools). I'm completely hung up with a few points and I really need some help. The part that I can do is the actual dock to dock maneuvering. If I let mechjeb get me into range of my target and put me at a reasonably similar speed, I can maneuver the craft using RCS/translation controls manually and get it docked up. I'm getting decent at it. My problems are in the previous stages. My first problem is knowing where to time warp to so that the target is "over" the correct spot. I've tried lining it up right over the space center, but depending on the speed of my launch and how fast I reach apoapsis, it moves so much that it's never really there anymore, so I end up trying to manually do what mechjeb would do automatically. Inclination changes: How do you do these? Are you supposed to burn in between the apoapsis and periapsis, or on one or the other? The thing I'm trying to dock with had a rough launch so it's at a weird inclination (like 6 degrees or so) and I try to match that, but with very little luck. I end up inclining the orbit too much on one side and not enough on the other side. Reaching the target: I guess this is what they call a phasing orbit? I know if I'm behind the target I'm supposed to be going faster/be below it in altitude, and vice versa for being ahead, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to determine what a valid orbit is to actually reach the thing. Any tips for determining how the orbit should look relative to the target? I know these are probably basic/stupid questions, but even after watching multiple guides I'm having a ton of trouble. If I can manage to get the target within visible range and I'm not going way too fast, I can almost certainly manually fly the vessel into place and dock it, but the whole "getting there" part just has me stumped.

I'm pretty sure that if you add a secondary command pod to your vehicle, it will not have any base crew. So make a vehicle with your base as an unmanned pod (or manned, if you want), and then add a second pod to it. The second pod should be empty (no crew), and you can go find your stranded hero kerbal and let him relax in comfort in the empty pod on the way home. Note: I'm fairly sure this works. I haven't actually tried it myself but I've seen it mentioned a few times. I think you may also be able to EVA one of your crew in a manned vehicle while it's on the launchpad? If this is possible, you can just take one guy out on Kerbin and let him chill at the space center while you fly out to rescue the other. This one's just a guess.