HeadHunter67

The docking cam is helpful, but docking is easier than rendezvous once you learn the basics: 1) Before you start, make sure you get close (I prefer within 100 meters) and then match velocities with your target (orient to the pink retrograde marker and thrust until your velocity relative to the target is almost zero). It's a lot easier to dock when you're moving at the same velocity in the same direction. 2) Make sure you are in Chase mode for the camera. This will properly align the ship so that the RCS thrusters fire in the proper orientation. Nothing's harder than trying to mentally translate each axis because you're looking at the ship differently. 3) Select your ship's docking port and "control from here" - this will give your navball the proper orientation to the target. 4) Work in one axis at a time - trying to change elevation or angle while moving laterally will make things harder. 5) Fire thrusters in very short taps and keep track of how many bursts you fire in a given direction - you'll need to stop that motion with an equivalent amount of thrust later. 6) Don't be afraid to rotate around your craft to check the orientation of the docking ports. Checking how you are lined up from the side and above, for instance, will make connecting much easier. If you want a lot of practice, with good guidance, I strongly suggest downloading blizzy78's Docking Tutorial plugin. It's not a mod per se, but rather a tutorial mission that gradually challenges you with progressively harder docking scenarios.

I'm going to give this pack a try. It looks very nice.

OK, that's good, thank you. So I tried a little demo for myself - put down a lander can, slap a standard docking washer on top, put a docking port on it. But when I'm on the pad and use the arrows in the servo control to turn it, I notice the lander can rotates one way, and the docking port rotates another. I sort of understand why that happens, but I get the impression that when applied in actual use, this means my station will rotate as well as whatever is docked to it. I'm not sure that's a good idea - I like to keep my station more-or-less stationary. Though I can adjust its orientation with Smart A.S.S., or even manually, I suspect I'm still not doing something right. I thought it would only rotate the object that is docking, not the thing to which it is docking. Or am I just putting the washer on the wrong thing? Should it go behind the port on the craft or module doing the docking, rather than the station? OK, I tried that... I think I understand, now. Thank you so much for helping to clarify - I'll be using these on my next station for sure!

The first computer I owned was a Texas Instruments 99/4A. It had a whopping 16K of RAM and needed a cassette recorder to save programs. My best friend in high school had a Timex Sinclair, with the membrane keyboard and 9v battery for power... connected to a TV by an RF modulator. My first modem was a 300 baud acoustic modem (you had to place the handset into the cups). Kids nowadays probably have no idea what most of those terms even mean.

Thanks - that's kind of clearer, though I don't see why hotkeys would be necessary if you have the servo control window with arrows. I'm just concerned that setting a pair of distinct hotkeys for each washer will start to interfere with the existing keybinds. After all, you want the numbers for action groups, most of the alphabetic keys are used for maneuvering or interface. I guess I'm still not entirely clear on the best way to do this. I'm sure I'm missing something that's obvious to veteran robotics users, but I honestly just want to align my docking ports better.

He "cheated" by hacking the persistence file. For someone who's averse to just killing the mission with the big red X in the tracking screen (why not just hack the Kerbals to not be lost?) it doesn't seem sensible - but far be it from me to tell others how to play. I'd have at least tried a rescue first.

I'm still trying to figure out how to use these Docking Washers. I place one between a part and a docking port during construction. However, as soon as I place it, a little box pops up and I'm not sure what I need to do in order to close it. The first page seems to imply that it's as simple as placing them and then clicking on them once a craft is docked to adjust. That doesn't seem to be the case. Am I missing something? Could someone please explain step-by-step how these are used? Thank you.

Do you understand the word "tautology", too? Because you're trying to convince me that he said "when I update it for 0.21 it will of course be compatible with 0.21" which is a pointless and needless tautology. Since it couldn't possibly mean what you interpret it to mean, it's perfectly reasonable for MR.Mac to arrive at his conclusion. If that's not what was meant, then the real issue is people who don't say what they mean, and mean what they say. Can't blame the listener for an error in the transmission. As for the thread title? there are a lot of 0.21-compatible mods that have old thread titles that remain to be updated. If you spent as much effort trying to understand people as you do trying to correct them, you'd be more useful.

We invented the Internet, sonny.

I suppose you could use the Chatterer plugin and save the songs as .ogg files in the appropriate sounds directory.

Congratulations, and thanks for everything you have done. I look forward to more from you when you have the opportunity - I'm sure your work and sumghai's will complement each other nicely.

I agree that "science" in KSP is almost entirely cosmetic at the moment - that's fine with me for what I'm looking for. I just want a little more than a module that "looks" scientific - I've seen various stock craft that could fit that appearance. So far, these are the things I've found: Lionhead's Zeus Space Telescope - Works with 0.21.1, though when I try to actually use the scope I have a problem getting "back" out of it to the station itself. Sensor Module - An aesthetically pleasing means of incorporating all four stock science instruments to a craft. Kerbal Science Foundation - an older mod (in so far as February '13 is "old" in KSP's development cycle) but perfectly whimsical for Kerbal Science. You can set it to do research and the tooltips will tell you what it's researching. So far I've seen "Zero-G wigs", "trampolines", "multiplayer", "Disavowing prior research", and I'm told someone else saw it researching "Playing Human Space Program". I'd love it if this was updated with a crew capacity/IVA and some of the suggestions made on that page. Perhaps that gives a better idea of the sort of things I'm looking for, in case anyone knows of anything similar?

There are a few others that come to my mind: Klaatu - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft Rush - Countdown Elton John - Rocket Man Incubus - Stellar Deep Purple - Space Truckin' Police - Walking on the Moon Europe - The Final Countdown Boston - Cool the Engines They Might Be Giants - Nightgown of the Sullen Moon/For Science/Destination Moon And let us not forget Strauss' "Also Spracht Zarathustra" (the theme from 2001) and anything from Holst's "Planets"!

I have to get around to doing this. I wish there was a plugin or some other means to delete parts within the game - rather than going into the game, looking over the whole list, noting which ones I want gone, exiting the game, deleting the parts from the directory, rinse and repeat...

I made a science module for my KSS-Phoenix space station, using Lionhead's Zeus telescope, ph34b0t's Sensor Module (incorporates all 4 science instruments into one disk), and Kujuman's "Kerbal Science Foundation" science module (an older mod, but it still works in 0.21 if installed in the old manner). Now my station can do SCIENCE!

I know it's horribly unscientific, but a good rule of thumb I use for terminal velocities is 110 m/s, plus 10 m/s for every 1000 m of altitude. This works well enough for me at least during the early ascent. By the time you begin your gravity turn, you should be at about 200 m/s.

I probably watched it on TV - but I was 2 at the time, so I don't recall. My earliest memory of watching the Space Program on TV was the Apollo-Soyuz docking in space in 1975.

I'd send Man back to the Moon. We'd work towards a functional Moon baseand mine the Helium-3 there for use in propulsion. The next, long-term step would be preparation for Mars missions, with the goal of eventually establishing a colony there.

I understand and appreciate that - at the moment, I'm simply asking if there are any such mods/components already in existence. I did dig up an old "KSF" module that sounds like it's designed for what I had in mind... not sure if it'll work with 0.21 though. (I mean, it loads in the VAB but I've yet to see if it works in space). Real-life space stations are generally designed with science as their main purpose - Skylab, the ISS, etc. - and an in-game module or plugin needn't necessarily have a tangible benefit in the game. I guess I'm just looking for avenues for orbital science much as planetary science has blossomed in the game. One could survey planets for Kethane, mine resources, collect atmospheric and soil samples... lots of possibilities on the ground, I'm hoping to find similar things for space.

And the developer "clearly" stated: ...so you might want to sound less pedantic when people have the expectation that it should work with 0.21.

I have grown really fond of the RCS Build Aid plugin. It helps me to ensure that my thrusters are balanced when designing my craft.

I will probably consider that once I get to the point where I'm visiting other worlds - right now I want to start with science that I can do from where I am. But thank you for the link, I will keep it in mind for later.

Hello modders and mod-fans, I just constructed my first "real" space station in KSP (not counting the barebones, non-functional test of concept that I de-orbited when I was ready to "go live"). So far, it's a nifty looking structure, symmetrical and functional as a fuel depot for extra-orbital missions. But what I'm really missing, something that's essential to all space stations built in our own, real world, is the capacity for SCIENCE! The stock science equipment is not that exciting in KSP - one can see the use for an accelerometer or a gravimeter at 100km altitude - less so for a thermometer, and let's be honest, a barometer is useless there. What I'm looking for are suggestions for mods that would allow me to implement scientific capability to an orbital station. I've found lots of interesting planetary science stuff, but that won't help me here. I'm looking forward to an update of the Ordan telescope, and hoping I'll be able to mount the small one on my station as an observatory. Are there any other mods, plugins etc that would let me do more science? Thank you for your time.

I'm looking forward to your update - once I get the hang of piloting, rendezvous and docking, I want to start a new save that mirrors the American manned space program. So Mercury and Gemini are essential! Add my voice to those seeking a good (and non parts-intensive) Skylab too. It was my favorite thing about space exploration in the 70s.

I'm looking forward to an update for this - and wondering how I might integrate it into my space station. After all, aside from refueling, what's the point of a space station if you can't DO SCIENCE TO IT!