T3rran

Prepare for story time! Yesterday, I was doing some tweaks to my Spaceplane. Basic designs, getting to orbit, seeing what it was capable of, etc. After about an hour of adjusting TWR, staging, adding structures, control surfaces, etc. I finally got into orbit, and went to go and test reentry. Upon reentering, I realized I had no landing gear. So, back to the drawing board. I add some landing gear, get into orbit, and repeat the experiment of reentry. Turns out, without a control winglets, you just sorta plummit upon reentry. I also realized my entry is very fast, far too fast to really land with safely. So I also added parachutes to slow reentry, and then be detached after slowing my entry and getting me low enough in the atmosphere. At this point in time, it was 2 in the morning. I had class in 9 hours. "One last launch," I said, "Let's just test and see if this can get to the Mun. I made it to the moon, but there was catastrophe. I didn't have enough fuel to circularize, and I was going to pass by the inside orbit (I.E. pass on the side closer to Kerbin.) This gave my Kerbals a chance. They would reenter the atmosphere, and I did have parachutes. However, the parachutes were as far from the cockpit as they could be, on the engine. Former experience led me to believe they parachutes would fully deploy, and rip the part they were attached to away from the cockpit, killing the Kerbals anyway. However, I had no other option. They reentered, and chutes deployed to slow them. Fingers crossed, I was going to land over water. That would assist me... and the chutes fully deployed. These Kerbals survived from the parachutes that weren't meant for the task they were used for. Felt like a real Apollo 13 rescue.

You know you've messed up when you go to dock your space station parts, but time warp it too far, and by sheer luck of the draw, smash the two parts into one another. Then spend the next five minutes wondering what happened while you were in the restroom, letting this goof up happen.

For all interested, here is the parts that needed connecting. They are t he first for my space station: SS-1. The parts connected as they should. Meet my first space station.

...well, thanks guys! Turns out I had the clamp on backwards on the second ship. The way it attached was backwards, so next time I have access to kerbal world, I'll launch the two vessels again. Thanks for the help.

These two specifics did not dock together, a tutorial docking ship did, so I managed that. I don't think it's a part that's bumping it, since both parts are the highest elevation on both vessels. So, the part that should be facing inward is the larger, dark ring? If so, then that solves my docking issue.

Which ways are 'good ways'? Which side has to be facing outwards in order for it to properly connect?

I've performed an in orbit dock once already as practice, and have rendezvous at least three times now with these sets of crafts. But, every time I get them line up, they refuse to mate, and I bounce off. So I have two questions: Are there any parts that you can't put a docking clamp on and have it function? I have one part on a fuel tank, and one on the bottom of a fuselage. I feel this may be the problem, but I could be wrong. Second, just how perfectly do you have to be aligned, and do you all have any tricks on getting perfectly aligned?

I too, am building my first space station. I've already got my fuel up (it's not a lot, enough for one jumbo.) But what everyone else says is correct. Practice orbital docking, once you're comfortable, you can begin with larger things, like your station.