moving thrusters "for docking"

[chrischambers]

I have been trying to get two ships docked in space, but I having a bit of issue with the last stage,

I have been able to get the second module about 1km away, or less but I fine that when i fire my docking thrusters, I find that I am not able to dock it, as I am having all or non of the thrusters going,

After watching some youTube Videos, i see some have people have been able to get the docking module to spend on the dot, or go up or down,

can someone please example how this is done, and if possible give instructions.

[kurja]

I'm not sure I get what you're asking. Have you tried switching to docking control mode (buttons on the bottom left), then you can switch between linear and rotational control by hitting space, I'm guessing it's the linear mode you're looking for..?

[Johnno]

In staging mode A/D turns your ship left and right, W/S pitches it forward and backward, Q/E yaws (spins) it left and right. H/N will push you forward/backward, J/L translates sideways (pushes your ship, nose keeps pointing straight ahead if balanced), I/K translates up and down.

For this to work you have to have thrusters pointing in all directions, easiest is 3 (preferrably 4) thruster blocks (RV-105 RCS, white block with 4 black nozzles) arranged around your center of mass, one in each direction. When building a rocket just click symmetry to 4 and slap them onto your hull. If you're building something that doesn't have a round hull you might have to place them manually.

If your RCS thrusters are off your center of mass they'll start to spin you as well as push you (physics at work), you can have ASAS enabled while using RCS but a lot of people feel that it wastes too much of your monopropellant. I use it when I have horribly out of balance ships or parts.

Oh and the heavier your ship is the more thrusters you'll need to manouver it easily.

[chrischambers]

Sorry all, after posted this, I found this link, and it covered the issue i was having,

http://youtu.be/bn83H0PHWbI

[chrischambers]

ok, I must be doing something dumb, I can't get the RCS Thrusters to work, so that I can move my ship in, all I am getting is the auto thrusting and I am not able to move in slowly :-(

[Xiphos]

Chris, Take a look at the docking tutorial I made. (link in my sig) I go into great detail and it has helped many others get their first dock!

[SDIR]

Try putting you RCS thrusters near or at the center of mass of your craft.

[John FX]

Try putting you RCS thrusters near or at the center of mass of your craft.

That one took me a while. I kept putting them on both ends and wondering why I was spinning all over the place

[Markus Reese]

I use normal burns to get within target distance in staging mode. I find 500m distance works well. Being a target, you can zero your relative speeds.

Once in matched speed, right click docking node to control from there. Use your RCS thrusters. There are two modes to docking and can be switched using spacebar. The one setting with green indicator in the controls hud. Controls are like staging. Use this to align your orientation.

Once aligned, switch modes. This also auto engages the SAS. In this mode, W is forward and D is reverse. Q and E are rolls. A and D are traverse left and right, Shift and left Ctrl are traverse up and down.

Remember that you drift so give short thrusts. Turn off RCS while drifting to prevent the SAS from consuming it.

[Brun]

Try putting you RCS thrusters near or at the center of mass of your craft.

Alternatively, if you have a long or wide craft, you can use two sets of thrusters (equally spaced, one set on each end) to provide yourself with more responsive attitude control, which can make docking a lot easier.

[Johnno]

ok, I must be doing something dumb, I can't get the RCS Thrusters to work, so that I can move my ship in, all I am getting is the auto thrusting and I am not able to move in slowly

Re-read my post above. Turn off ASAS to begin with to get a feel for the controls and go from there.

Once aligned, switch modes. This also auto engages the SAS. In this mode, W is forward and D is reverse. Q and E are rolls. A and D are traverse left and right, Shift and left Ctrl are traverse up and down.

I've had issues with docking mode, if you're in docking mode and use Shift/Ctrl sometimes when you go back to staging mode if you've used Ctrl more than Shift your throttle will actually be toggled up and your engines will come to life. I'd advice to just stay in Staging mode and use JKIL for translation and HN for forward/back.

[Markus Reese]

Problem with large ship docking is that the rotational moments caused by the RCS thrusters will override any gyro in thes ship. ASAS is almost necessary for smooth large docking and preventing rotation. Allows for fast dockings and proper alignment. I uses multiple docking ports on a connection to stabilize so precice orientation is needed.

Nothing wrong with either method, but the more thrusters going, more important to be comfortable with ASAS and being able to balance thrusters to prevent traverse rotation