HELP ME

[Goaty1208]

Hi I am a new player and I have just sent my first two kerbals in orbit... but they are trapped there! I sent them in a space station, but I forgot to put docking ports, so I wanted to ask two things:

1) does the advanced grabbing unit capture also vessels 

2) Could you say to me how to perform this rescue mission?

Thanks!

[Geonovast]

Moved to Gameplay Questions.

[Goaty1208]

thanks!

[dave1904]

Subscribe to this guy and watch his videos because he is an excellent teacher. 1 video will tell you more than a million words. 

The grappling unit can capture vessels last time I tried. I am not 100% sure anymore because I only use it for asteroids.3

Edit, the video is 5 years old I know but the same rules apply. 

Edited January 27, 2020 by dave1904

[Mikenike]

Yes, please tell us what we are working with here, what kind of orbit, what kind of game (Sandbox, Career, Science), what kind of rescue would you like to do, with a manned launch crew, or unmanned? Answer these, and I will get a few friends to help out.

@Just Jim, could you render some assistance please?

[Goaty1208]

So 

Orbit 34560 m

Manned mission

Sandbox

Randevou

With an Advanced Grabbing Unit

Here is all I found about my mission. Ps I use Xbox 

Sorry circular orbit

[Mikenike]

Ok, well first off, if you are at 34 560m, you are not in orbit, so, unless you have rocket motors or parachutes to slow you, you will eventually be crashing down on Kerbin. Luckily you are in sandbox, so no biggie, two hours (after the crash) you will regain them (If they die, BC you came in too hot). If they don’t, when you land, you can recover them in the menu.. I am on Xbox as well, sadly it has not been easy getting help as much, so here I come.

[Stamp20]

The Advanced Grabbing Unit works just like docking ports, except you only need it on one vessel and it can attach to anything.

Launch the rocket like normal with the height of the orbit noticeably higher or lower than the target's orbit (20+ km height difference should do it). Select the station as the target and create a maneuver that brings your periapsis / apoapsis to the station's orbit. Drag it around your orbit until the two orange arrows meet and it says the encounter distance is less than 2km. Execute the node and timewarp until you're close. Select Retrograde when close and burn until your speed says zero. Then, use engine burning or RCS to move towards the station and grab it with the klaw.

[Mikenike]

3 minutes ago, Stamp20 said:

The Advanced Grabbing Unit works just like docking ports, except you only need it on one vessel and it can attach to anything.

Launch the rocket like normal with the height of the orbit noticeably higher or lower than the target's orbit (20+ km height difference should do it). Select the station as the target and create a maneuver that brings your periapsis / apoapsis to the station's orbit. Drag it around your orbit until the two orange arrows meet and it says the encounter distance is less than 2km. Execute the node and timewarp until you're close. Select Retrograde when close and burn until your speed says zero. Then, use engine burning or RCS to move towards the station and grab it with the klaw.

Bro, he isn’t in orbit, so while helpful later, it’s useless 

 

[Goaty1208]

I got wrong the orbit it was 345790

Sorry

 

[RizzoTheRat]

The advanced grabbing unit (AKA The CLAW) can grab on to anything, so is one option.

Another option is just to send another vessel with a couple of empty seats (eg a Mk1-3 capsule with only 1 pilot on board) to rendezvous but don't dock.  Just get fairly close (100m or so will do) and then kill your relative velocity (clicking on the blue bit above the docking ball cycles it between Surface, Orbit and Target velocities), then EVA the crew and use their backpacks  (R to switch to RCS mode) to fly them across to the rescue ship.  

If you've not already got the hang of Orbital Rendezvous it's a skill you're going to need so this is a great opportunity to learn/practice it.  Plenty of forum threads and instructional videos around on how to do it and it is a tricky thing your head around to begin with but once you get the hang of it it's actually pretty easy. eg

 

Edited January 28, 2020 by RizzoTheRat

[Just Jim]

17 hours ago, Mikenike said:

@Just Jim, could you render some assistance please?

Oh, sorry... I didn't see this until this morning. And it looks like @RizzoTheRat and everyone else has it pretty well covered. I'm just gonna have to go with "What they said..."

Good luck @Goaty1208... and if you like, please feel free to write what happens and share it in the mission report section!!!   

[Goaty1208]

@RizzoTheRat It was my first idea