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I made a series of illustrated tutorials for orbital rendezvous & docking. There are 4 techniques. For a link to all the images in a single imgur album, click here. Hohmann Transfer Rendezvous: Orbit Phasing Rendezvous (easy radial-burn version): Orbit Phasing Rendezvous (more efficient prograde-burn version): Parallel Orbit Rendezvous: Changes: v7 - Adjusted phrasing in one chart and updated drawing of spacecraft in all 4 charts. v6 - Fixed a typo in the Hohmann transfer's step 6. v5 - Added 2 techniques (for a total of 4). v4 - Spelling error corrected. v3 - Refined instructions for final approach, docking indicators now also includes Navball Docking Alignment Indicator, more notes on how to be efficient. v2 - Split into 2 versions: efficient & easy. v1 - Original version.

I have a contract to put a part on a satellite in a high Kerbin orbit (>GEO) and am looking for advice on how to rendezvous. Last time I did something like this, I couldn't get within less than 40km of the target, so I ended up just burning toward it, which worked because it was just a crew rescue contract and I could eva the kerbal over to the rescue ship, but this definitely won't work for this. I have docked a few times in low orbits, but is there any different techniques for higher ones? Also: is there a way to increase the orbit line resolution?

If you need to launch a craft when the station gets to a certain point in orbit on Kerbin, how do I rendezvous after returning from the Mun? I'm doing Science mode and launched a mobile processing lab for more science, and I want to flyby the Mun with another craft to get some science, dock with the station, and have a lot of science points, how does one do this? Or should I launch another station around the Mun?

This project has been abandoned in lieu of a newer, much more usable implementation: KSP Transfer Illustrator Links KSP Transfer Illustrator KSP Trajectory Illustrator Description Inspired by existing mission planning tools (alexmoon's Launch Window Planner and Arrowstar's Trajectory Optimization Tool), I have made a couple of web apps to help visualize trajectories for mission planning. While the KSP Trajectory Optimization Tool is much more powerful and has many more features, the idea is that Transfer Illustrator can be used without downloading or installing any software and has an unintimidating user interface. I've also tried to make this app have some additional flexibility compared to the Launch Window Planner and to make it easier to interpret the information provided about orbit parameters and burn information. KSP Transfer Illustrator: Generates Porkchop plots to visualize Δv costs for transfers across a range of departure and arrival times Computes transfers between spheres of influence (e.g. Kerbin to Duna) or within a sphere of influence (e.g. two distinct orbits around Kerbin) Determines optimal times and magnitudes of plane-change maneuvers during a transfer Determines ejection/insertion trajectories for transfers that involve exiting/entering a body's sphere of influence Displays interactive 3D plots of the calculated trajectories Creates downloadable HTML files with the interactive plots Loads orbit data from KSP savefiles The KSP Trajectory Illustrator: Propagates trajectories across spheres of influence Computes orbit changes at (instantaneous) maneuver nodes Creates interactive 3D plots showing trajectories of multiple crafts/objects Reads flight data directly from savefiles Plans for this project While the apps are already in a usable state, there are several improvements I plan on making: Find a new way to deploy the app (the free version of Heroku I'm using has issues with worker timeouts during long computations) (Performance has improved to the point where this isn't a huge issue) Add UI elements to help copy and save orbit details Add more robust support for other solar systems (e.g. Kopernicus) Find way to allow interactive plots to be embedded in forum posts (Not possible due to security concerns) Make the app a bit prettier More robust plane change maneuver options (90 degrees to intercept vs. AN vs. DN, inspired by this post) Gravity assist planning This is my first project in Python and my first ever attempt at making a web app, so there's probably a lot that I can do to improve! Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Also, if you come across any bugs or incorrect results when using the app, I would appreciate feedback in this thread or on the project's GitHub repository. Please share any requests for new features! The KSP Transfer Illustrator is licensed under the MIT License.

It took me a while but my autopilot is finally finished. Download file here: https://github.com/Toukie/KSP/tree/master/GAPAPOV

Hey guys! I'm about 200-300 hours into my first KSP career mode, and I recently got a contract to take a surface sample from a comet my Sentinels found. Like most comets (from what I gather), it's really far away and in an inclined, eccentric orbit. What I've been doing so far to plan my missions is a basic DV chart - here's an example of one that worked (just to see how it's *supposed* to work), and then my attempt for this comet mission: Minmus Ferry/Recoverer Mk1 Start End dV dV + 15% Stage Kerbin Surface Kerbin LO 3200 3680 I Kerbin Surface Kerbin LO 200 230 II Kerbin LO Minmus Apoapsis 930 1069.5 II Minmus Plane Change 300 345 II Minmus Apoapsis Minmus LO (10km) 160 184 II Rendevous & Capture 200 230 III Minmus LO Kerbin Capture 160 184 III Minmus Apoapsis Kerbin LO + Aerocapture 300 345 III Stage Totals I 3680 II 1828.5 5508.5 (I/II) III 759 Total 6267.5 Tanner Comet Lander Mk1 Start End dV dV + 15% Stage Kerbin Surface Kerbin LO 3200 3680 I Kerbin Surface Kerbin LO 200 230 II Kerbin LO Kerbol (Sun) Apoapsis 950 1092.5 II Kerbol (Sun) Apoapsis Inclination Change 250 287.5 II Comet Rendezvous & Land 2350 2702.5 II Comet Rendezvous Transfer to Kerbin LO + Aerocapture 1000 1150 III Stage Totals I 3680 II 4312.5 III 1150 Total 9142.5 Originally my stage 2 was ~2700 m/s delta-V, which I realized after a few launch attempts wasn't going to be nearly enough, so I upped it to the 4300 it's at now, but I still don't seem to have enough fuel to make the rendezvous. My biggest issue troubleshooting this is not knowing if I'm doing the maneuvers inefficiently causing me to need more fuel, or if I just need more dV. That reason is why I started doing these charts in the first place, but when I'm not navigating between bodies listed on the kerbal "cheat sheet" where the dV values are roughly known, I'm a bit lost at what dV values to put in my chart. For instance, once in a solar orbit, the inclination change takes ~1000 m/s at the AN/DN on the way to apoapsis, but only ~400 m/s if I wait all the way until I hit apoapsis and come around to the other AN/DN - which is right? If I do this sequence of burns, I run out of fuel: Leave Kerbin LO (~2000 m/s to get apoapsis near comet's), Inclination change so AN/DN=0 (~1000 m/s), then prograde/retrograde burn about halfway from last node to apoapsis (~600), gives me about 800 m/s left to rendezvous, but my relative speed is still usually 700-800 m/s, so I burn all the rest of my fuel just to stay within, say 200,000 km of the comet and can't get any closer. These dV values are from my maneuver nodes I've set up during these attempts. Is it best practice to launch into an inclined orbit from Kerbin, or just do a standard 90? When I've tried launching into an inclined orbit, I can't figure out the relationship between Kerbin LO inclination and solar inclination, so my Kerbin inclination attempts of 10-45 degrees all resulted in a solar inclination of ~5 degrees. My target comet has around a 10 degree solar inclination. Also, *when* do you launch to intercept a comet? I think I want the comet to be about 15-20 degrees behind Kerbin at launch but would appreciate some confirmation. Last, just some notes on my chart/design for the comet lander - the 3400 for Kerbin LO is split up so I dump a stage ~68km and then fully reach orbit with my second stage - not leaving junk in space is a big objective for this career. Since there isn't a planet to crash a booster stage into around here, I designed the lander to leave the second stage attached to the comet and just detach the third stage to return home (though I have absolutely no friggin idea how much dV that'll take). Also, what engines would you think to use for this mission? Thought about using six xenon engines for second stage & a single terrier for the third stage, but I couldn't really get my TWR above 0.6 with the xenon's which I figured would make a rendezvous difficult. Thanks for any help guys!

Three methods of orbital rendezvous 1. Direct Transfer - Uses some techniques previously illustrated by Snark here: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/189763-illustrated-guide-to-docking/ 2. Maneuver Nodes 8:26 3. Sphere of Influence 17:36 Efficiency Results (leftover): 1. Direct (1627 m/s) 2. Maneuver Nodes (1875 m/s) 3. SOI (2212 m/s) MODS: "ClickThroughBlocker" "ContractConfigurator" "ModuleManager" "Toolbar" "SCANsat" "Trajectories" "ZeroMiniAVC" "PersistentRotation" "InterstellarFuelSwitch" "KSPInterstellarExtended" "FilterExtensions" "PhotonSailor" "BetterBurnTime" "HideEmptyTechNodes" "InterstellarFuelSwitch-Core" "TweakScale" "CommunityResourcePack" "HeatControl" Music: “Algorithms” (edited for length with fade-in/fade-outs around cuts) Chad Crouch / Podington Bear soundofpicture.com License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

KSP 1.9.1 Windows 64 bit Problem: The small broken square with distance shown, seen in flight mode when closing to rendezvous, is missing. Mods: Kerbal Engineer, Kerbal Alarm Clock, Automated Science Sampler -- latest version of each. Reproduction: Nothing special. I just attempt a rendezvous or docking as I normally do, but with 1.9.1 I no longer see the target indicator in flight mode. I must use data from orbit/maneuver window and KER to be looking in the right place. So far this works fine, but I would like to see the indicator back. The following is not my picture but shows what I mean. In the top right quadrant, the yellow box with 12.5 km below it is what I'm missing.

I'm hoping someone else has had an issue with the target vessel accelerating away once you get within a few hundred meters. This has happened with at least two rendezvous, 200 meters plus, slowing down to a few m/s then the target vessel just shoots off to some ridiculous Ap and probably a new Pe that is at Kerbins surface. Nothing seems to help except reloading.

Orbital intercepts are the most difficult thing you can do in a spacecraft and a LOT of "How To's" on the topic have a very hard time sticking to a clear explanation of the stock navball and how it should be used. In this video I explain how to intercept a craft in orbit and I also share a few details related to the navball that most videos/tutorials skip over. ...and I manage to do it all with the purely stock navball. As a result, I don't really have any need for docking mods.

Ok, so I managed to rendezvous with a craft that had run out of fuel, and I planned to transfer enough fuel to it to deorbit (connected with a grabber claw), but I can't figure out how to transfer the fuel! I know I've done this before by holding Alt and right-clicking both tanks, but this doesn't seem to work now. Yes, I have upgraded my R&D to Level 2.

I have returned to playing KSP after a couple year break and have had an issue when building a space station. The station has a low eccentricity and inclination 225km orbit. To add new parts, I launch from KSC at about 70 degree pitch with the station a few minutes from passing overhead. With an apoapsis just over 225km I have a pass at about 3km. Once up there, I burn prograde and work toward rendezvous. When the station loads at about 2250m, I have about 80m/s closing velocity. As the station loads, the game skips for a second and my closing velocity is dropped to about 1.2m/s. When checking the map, my orbit is now matched with the target, and we are both suborbital. I thought that maybe the game was thinking my exhaust was impacting the station from absurdly far away, so I tried again and made sure not to point my rear at the station with the same result. Has anyone heard of this happening? I know more info will be requested and will get mod list and pc specs up when I get home from work. I'm running this on a 6 year old laptop and know well that's a problem, but I'm not sure if it causing this particular issue.

Hello, does anybody here know how to rendezvous and dock with spacecraft easily and efficiently? I'm building a small station at the moment - around 100km above sea level, and when I managed to dock the second stage (comms and power) to the main parent module, I was quite proud, and I decided to go ahead and try attach the third and fourth modules, (crew and research modules) but then I nearly gave up completely when I just couldn't get a rendezvous with the craft again, even though I had a good 1.5k Delta V at my disposal. Also, anybody know how to directly insert a photo into these posts? Sorry if this sounds stupid. Any help would be greatly appreciated

I know that sometimes space stations fall out of orbit and crash onto Kerbin. But, has anybody tried to do that INTENTIONALLY? And even then, how much money can you get from debris recovery? Here's the story. I was preparing an interplanetary spacecraft (named the U.S.S. Enterprise) for assembly in orbit. Hours after I launched my first idea, I figured out a way to put in a station with more fuel tanks (and docking ports) attached to it. Since the first variant was very expensive and is currently unmanned (has a standard-issue probe core and MechJeb), I thought about cutting my losses and crashing it into the ocean so that I can collect debris money and have only one Enterprise ready. How profitable is that strategy? - also, has anyone tried rendezvousing two space stations (in my case, the two Enterprises) together and docking them? I'm considering transferring most of my fuel from the first ship to the second one before crashing it.

I am getting a disproportional amount of orbital drift for each vessel I launch into space. After restarting the game with that vessel in orbit, the orbital drift goes away permanently for that and any other vessels currently in orbit if they had any. It makes satellite contracts and rendezvous missions completely impossible. Log: Mods:

Until 1.2 whenever I was piloting anything in the regular view (not map mode), I could see a green box indicating anything within several km long before I could actually see the vessel. This box also included a little bit of text telling you your distance from this nearby object. Not sure how far away it would start to pick stuff up, but it was significant, at least 10-20km. Since I installed 1.2, I never see the little green target box indicator at any distance. This makes rendezvous in orbit a lot more difficult for me, since I usually guide myself to the encounter for about the last km with at least a little help from visuals. In orbit, however, especially in the dark, you can't see anything small (say just a basic capsule on a rescue-from-lko mission) until you're something like 25m from it. So you have this impossible task of flipping back and forth between map mode to check distances and back to the piloting screen so you can control the craft. I've been looking for a setting somewhere that turns this off and on but haven't found anything. So then I wondered if it might have something to do with the new com stuff? or maybe it has to do with something in career mode that I haven't upgraded/researched yet? Anyone else had this problem?

Hi. I'm a player of KSP. I have just shy of 1000 hours played, I've mastered docking, maneuver nodes and rocket designs, but heres the thing. I can't get to another planet or even one of my orbital facilities. Basically I need help with launch rendezvous, launch windows and orbital rendezvous. Please, can anyone help me with this? Cheers, DJ

I've installed RSS and RO alongside with RN Soviet Spacecraft and Rockets mods. What I'm trying to do is to recreate the Soyuz 4-Soyuz 5 mission and dock two Soyuz spacecrafts. The launch site is Baikonur while the orbit's inclination is 51.7°. To achieve orbit I'm using MechJeb2 with Powered Explicit Guidance. When trying to launch the second spacecraft to the same plane as the first one I can get at minimum a 0.77° of difference between the two, difference that requires to much delta-v to take care of (105m/s, the Soyuz only has 172m/s). What can I do to perform a precise rendezvous? I'd prefer to not have to fly by hand as it seems extremely difficult. What about kOS?

Hi everyone, I just bought this game a month ago and still tied to it haha, here is my issue, I'm triying to complete the contract regarding dock 2 veesses arround kerbin, so 1st I launched one vessel, then send the other, after some time I managed to circularize the orbit and match both vessels in the same pattern (same AP and PA) however.... I don't how to make them encounter(see attached image) if I burn retrograde then the orbit will change and won't be able to reach any of the vessels... to get the things worse....KSP saved automatically so all my pilots are outthere in kerbin orbit (I wish I could save a game before). I would like to know if anybody have some suggestions / advise on how to dock in this scenario. Screens are in spanish(sorry)... but you should be able to understand velocity and distance meausures Vessel1 have aprox = 3590 m/s DeltaV (remaining deltaV ) Vessel2 have aprox = 2506 m/s Deltav(remaining deltaV ) Hope anyone can provide some suggestions.

Hi, I'm trying to complete the "Explore Kerbin" mission, where I need to rendezvous two vessels close to each other and remove all relative velocity. I did that, so I don't know why the mission doesn't complete. What am I doing wrong? Thank you in advance. Screenshot

OK so i have been looking for a way to mathematically figure out how to rendezvous with anther spacecraft with out using the map as a challenge and i have been reading on Wikipedia on orbital rendezvous, and i think i have come to an partial understanding of it but i am not sure. so here is what i know that i have to do. first i have to go either higher or lower than the target, phasing orbits, and then at a certain moment i have to speed up to catch up with the target when in a matching intersection, and then after the burn i have to point retrograde on target mode on navball and fire at closest approach when i get to the separation distance. now here is the article that i have been reading and i partially understand it except for the ARC-TAN, SINE, TAN. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_phasing so its just the arc tan, sine and tan that get me off cause i have no idea what they are

If I launch a single rocket with a command module and lander into orbit of the Mun, let's say, I know that if I immediately decouple the vessels and then dock them together, it won't fulfill the contract because it came from the same launch. But when I land the lander on the surface and then meet up with the command module again in orbit the second time, will that satisfy the contract? I'd like to not have to build additional rockets just for the purpose of the docking and see if I can knock it out instead during another contract mission. Thanks!

In honor of love lost Place (or have) a space station in orbit of Kerbin in range of 100x100 to 120x130 with at least two docking ports Place a female kerbal in the space station. The method of doing so is expected to use up one of the docking ports. Send as a male kerbal to to the space station at high speed. In particular: * Have a TWR of at least 2.5 on the pad. * Get shock heating during ascent * Get a space station intercept within 2.5km while still suborbital (PE below 70km); use the velocity matching burn also as your orbital insertion burn * Dock with the space station within one orbit after launch. Hard mode: * Intercept space station with PE still below the ground * Exceed 5 TWR at some point during flight. * Dock within half an orbit * Do not rotate the space station Insane mode: Do it in RSS (adjust space station height to something reasonable) I have done easy mode entirely by accident in my career save, and hard mode on purpose. My entry (hard mode): http://imgur.com/a/nLjVU I got to intercept and matching velocities within 6 minute of launch. I managed to fail to record the time to dock, but from this point it was without time acceleration and couldn't have been more than 5 more minutes. Balanced mods welcome. If you really want to keep score, probably the best way in keeping with the spirit of the challenge is minimum time to dock. Yeah that leads to radical risky docking maneuvers but that's the Kerbal Way.

Okay, I have a weird problem, but one that is very annoying. When I try to do a rendezvous I get an encounter, usually <1 km, but when I go out of map mode and look around for it I can't see it, it usually tells me the distance between our ships, but it didn't, I used the navball to point at it, and lined my camera up with it I couldn't see it, I tried getting closer the retrograde vector to slow down then burning towards it, so I got my encounter down to .1 km, but when I finally was able to see it it still wouldn't show me the distance. I only have MechJeb installed, so I tried uninstalling it but it still wouldn't work. It worked up until I installed MechJeb. I'm worried that it overwrote some file that gives me the distance, but I don't want to reinstall it and lose all my saves, although I could just copy the save file, but that might be the corrupted part. I haven't been able to do any rendezvous and dock. Please Help.