Possible to dock multiple ports at once?

[inigma]

I was wondering if it was possible to dock multiple ports at once. I was thinking of making a cubed space station with four modules connected perpendicular to each other via three ports at 90 degree angles from one another. Is it feasible? Can I fit a module into the cube and have all its docking ports dock at the same time?

Edited June 12, 2013 by inigma

[diegzumillo]

I can't picture what you're trying to do

[MR4Y]

KSP's attaching structure keeps you from doing that. Even if you have multiple docking ports grouped in the same place, only one docking port will dock. The others will stay there held by magnetic force.

[Flixxbeatz]

Some screenshots could do.

[Markus Reese]

In my experience it does. I will double check spacecraft and persistence to confirm later, but here is the synopsis of my experience.

I had to build a massive multipart spaceship for a project. Lengthwise I used tricouplers with docking ports. I sideclamped using the bicouplers. Everything aligned properly and I never saw gaps or flexing. I was able to rightclick and decouple anywhere on that structure to do so. Not sure about if have nodes attached to unique parts but is something I wish to try later. I will post an update after some testing with currently assembled vessels. Note that they are bi and tricouplers atm.

[Themohawkninja]

You can attach multiple ports at once, but it's hard to do, because you have to get them all EXACTLY aligned to work correctly.

[Flixxbeatz]

The problem with bicoupler/tricoupler docking ports that I've found is that selecting a node as a target and selecting "control from here" on a certain node will only cause the selected nodes to dock, leaving the other (or the other two, in case of tricoupler docking nodes) not connected to the assembly (you can check them by right-clicking the nodes. All should have an option to "undock").

[M5000]

Please be advised:

-You can dock multiple ports together when in orbit/in flight. Ever seen people with the three-port connections to enhance stability? Yeah, same thing, it works on all scales. Just make sure it lines up okay.

-You CANNOT have child parts attached to a parent part by another child part, ever. The game simply can't do it right now.

-If you build something in the hangar with ports all over that are close, they may not be recognized as being "docked" in the VAB/SPH, but if they are close enough, they will dock upon physics load.

Hope this is enough information to accurately answer your question.

-M5K

[inigma]

Awesome, thank you.

[MR4Y]

Please be advised:

-You can dock multiple ports together when in orbit/in flight. Ever seen people with the three-port connections to enhance stability? Yeah, same thing, it works on all scales. Just make sure it lines up okay.

-You CANNOT have child parts attached to a parent part by another child part, ever. The game simply can't do it right now.

-If you build something in the hangar with ports all over that are close, they may not be recognized as being "docked" in the VAB/SPH, but if they are close enough, they will dock upon physics load.

Hope this is enough information to accurately answer your question.

-M5K

You can do multiple docking ports as described, but only one docking port will dock. Since you have to target at least one dacking port to even dock at all, the dock and the port is docking to becomes the parent and the other docks just stick together by magnetic force, but aren't really docked. I believe that's why we have the Clampotron Sr. It's easier to add a bigger docking port than change the way things are attached just so two or three docking ports in the same place all dock.

[Temstar]

You can do multiple docking ports as described, but only one docking port will dock. Since you have to target at least one dacking port to even dock at all, the dock and the port is docking to becomes the parent and the other docks just stick together by magnetic force, but aren't really docked. I believe that's why we have the Clampotron Sr. It's easier to add a bigger docking port than change the way things are attached just so two or three docking ports in the same place all dock.

That's wrong, you can dock without targeting any docking port at all, all you have to do is to approach the docking port close enough for the attraction to kick in. Weather you target a port or not has nothing to do with docking. Back in 0.19 I came up with a quad docking port for heavy duty space construction and I could consistently connect all four ports at once and each port will have a "undock" option. As a matter of fact the two docked crafts will not separate until I've undocked all four ports.

Two crafts coming into dock with quad docking ports.

A propellant depot, quad docked with engine section and habitation section along with two spacecrafts doing trans-Munar injection

Here a mothership is carrying an Eve lander using quad docking.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Temstar

[Vanamonde]

I could consistently connect all four ports at once and each port will have a "undock" option. As a matter of fact the two docked crafts will not separate until I've undocked all four ports.

But if you put the docked ship under lateral stresses, you'll find that only one pair of docking rings retains physical contact as a full-strength dock, and the others, although they do indeed claim to be docked and must be uncoupled before the segments will separate, nevertheless part and allow a gap. There can only ever be one full-strength pair of docked rings between two assemblies. I believe this has been confirmed as a software limitation rather than a matter of ship design or docking precision.

[Temstar]

But if you put the docked ship under lateral stresses, you'll find that only one pair of docking rings retains physical contact as a full-strength dock, and the others, although they do indeed claim to be docked and must be uncoupled before the segments will separate, nevertheless part and allow a gap. There can only ever be one full-strength pair of docked rings between two assemblies. I believe this has been confirmed as a software limitation rather than a matter of ship design or docking precision.

I'm pretty sure the "There can only ever be one full-strength pair of docked rings between two assemblies" only applies in VAB. Outside with physics on you can indeed have circular structures (and so docking with multiple port at once) on rockets. I've seen plenty of ring stations and even some rocket boosters built via multiple docking ports.

[IsaacHeron]

I've docked 4 ports at once without a problem and they even withstand rotating my station posted here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/27036-Aligned-Docking?p=329689#post329689

All 4 ports have an undock option. It works.

[OUScooby]

I just attempted to assemble in orbit a multi dock ship. The structure of the ship was three fuel tanks radially mounted around a center tank. There were docking ports on the ends of the three radial mounted takes that docked with three ports on the section above and below it. As I was docking the sections together it seemed like they were connecting at all three docking ports, but when I attached the section with the engines, I found that the engines weren't getting fuel from all of the tanks. I turned out that were in fact only docked with one of the three docking ports and so fuel was not able to flow all the way back to the engines. How do I get it to dock at all three ports at once?

Here are pics of the ship.

Command/living modules:

Center section (the ship uses two of this section) with docking ports on both ends:

The engines (basically the same as the center section with rocket engines on the end):