A fresh start comes with a great success! [Picture heavy!]

[Odo]

So after derping for a while and figuring out the basics of the game, I've decided to make a new save, and with it, a new mind set No Kerbal left behind! My previous save's Mun was littered with out of fuel manned landers. 6 to be exact. None of which ever saw another kerbal again. So now, we are starting off this world with a Mun mission, a massive rocket (Which I've named the Loki Mk IV) Is launching off with a lander named the "Atlas Mk IV Lander" with a rover attached named "Flea Mk II"

The mission plan is simple. Get to the Mun, explore and get samples of rocks with the Flea Rover, and return to Kerban with the rock samples and our pride.

Also a quick note, I do not have any pictures of the launching or Mun landing because it only occured to me to make a thread after we landed. So you only get half the journey! But in my opinion, the returning part is the most important part, since thats what makes this mission different. So, without further adieu, the pictures!

Yay! We've landed! And coincidentally, right near a Mun arch!

Here Bill is, trying to blind Jebediah with the Rover's lights, whilst he plants the flag. Poor Jeb! Those are LEDS!

After taking rock samples from the normal landscape, and the Mun arch, here Bill is, packing up his gear, and joining Jeb in the lander.

Also we are gonna need that flag back! What can I say, budget cuts!

Prepping for launch. We are gonna have to leave the Rover behind! No Docking ports! Luckily, its got a probe body, so we'll still be able to use it remotely!

Bye Rover! We'll miss you!

Bye Arch! We'll miss you! (not really, we're just saying that to make it feel better.)

Snapped this gorgeous pic while escaping the Mun's gravitational pull

Im getting a bit worried if we'll be able to make it back on such a limited fuel reservoir!

Woohoo! Got an orbit around Kerbin! (You can also see the icons for the 2 satellites I launched, one around the Mun, and one around Kerban. They were made to relay communications for this mission )

Another gorgeous pic I managed to get Space is beautiful.

Aaaand we've got our landing course set up! Hooray! And look at that, we only had 8 units of fuel left close call, thats for sure.

A beautiful picture of the North pole

Fire! Fire! Deploying chutes and burning what little fuel we have left retrograde!

Chutes Deployed, and fire is out! Phew! And there Bill is, looking like Dennis Quaid as usual.

Dennis Quaid is unamused. As usual.

A rough and watery landing! But the crews alive!

Bill bet Jeb 5 bucks he wouldnt get out and swim. 5 bucks added to Jebs life savings!

And with Jeb safely back in the pod, we can conclude this mission as a success! *Rescue boats can be heard approaching the floating pod*

Thank you for reading about my first return trip from the Mun! This is a large milestone for me, and I had to share it For anyone whom wants to know, the mods I am using is the Chatterer mod, and the MapSAT mod. Chatterer mod adds an audio where your kerbals chat to ground control every once and a while (youd be amazed how much better the game is with this) and MapSAT adds working satellites that will map out planets and moons you orbit a satellite around.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Odo

[Margaul]

Good job on getting Jeb and Bill home. You are right, it's a major milestone. You'll be a pro in no time though. After that, I'm sure the eyes of kerbalkind will turn to Minmus and then even deeper into the cosmos.

[Odo]

Good job on getting Jeb and Bill home. You are right, it's a major milestone. You'll be a pro in no time though. After that, I'm sure the eyes of kerbalkind will turn to Minmus and then even deeper into the cosmos.

Minmus is my next objective! Hopefully we'll be able to return as we were here. I think the same ship design will be able to make it, since there the gravity on Minmus is much lower then that of the Mun, if Im informed correctly. Hopefully that will require a lot less fuel, and make up for the longer distance of travel. Thanks for reading

[Margaul]

The amount of fuel you will need to get to Minmus is pretty intense. However, landing on Minmus can be done with very, VERY little. I've landed using nothing but RCS and I've also done a spacejump (Extreme EVA) with Jeb and his jetpack. Also, the trip back to Kerbin doesn't take too much either.

[Odo]

The amount of fuel you will need to get to Minmus is pretty intense. However, landing on Minmus can be done with very, VERY little. I've landed using nothing but RCS and I've also done a spacejump (Extreme EVA) with Jeb and his jetpack. Also, the trip back to Kerbin doesn't take too much either.

So getting to it is tons of fuel, but getting on and back is a very little amount? Sounds doable then

[jwenting]

yes, get the short return burn correct and you pretty much fall free from low Minmus orbit to Kerbin reentry.

[DMagic]

So getting to it is tons of fuel, but getting on and back is a very little amount? Sounds doable then

Not really, getting to Minmus requires just a little more fuel than getting to the Mun; the delta-v values are something like 950 m/s vs. 850 m/s for the Mun. And getting into and out of orbit around Minmus requires less, too. It's pretty easily doable with a 4 or 5 ton craft (from LKO), the 2 person lander can might require a bit more, but not much.

[Margaul]

Dmagic is right now that I have thought about it. The ship I took to the Mun and the ship I took to Minmus were very similar. I used an "Apollo" style craft that carried the lander in the third stage for both missions and then docked up. For my Minmus trip, the only thing I did differently was to add a bit more fuel in the third stage which was responsible for the trans-lunar injection. My Minmus lander was very similar to my Mun lander though, and seeing as I was only using it to land on Minmus and then return to orbit to dock with my command module, It was rather overloaded with fuel.

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

The number one rule on all of my crafts is have a docking port.

Its because if I underestimate the amount of fuel, maybe I can dock a tug and save them.

Maybe you should try that if you initiative is to not leave anyone behind?

[Odo]

Sadly I still haven't figured out how to dock. :/ I can't get a rendevouz, but I'm working on it. if I can manage to learn thbe docking skill, stations above the mun, kerbin, and minmus carrying fuel would be an infinitely valuable. if anyone can link agood tutorial I would be very grateful.

[jwenting]

same here Odo...

Tried to follow along with over a dozen tutorials, no luck.

And as I'm currently in a stage where I can't seem to design bigger boosters either, I'm stuck as to what I can do. One way missions to Duna and Eve are about the furthest I can manage (or a very fast flyby over Moho that I managed once).

Edited June 14, 2013 by jwenting

[Spaceisbeautifulul]

Well, the thing is, there really are no good tutorials out there.

The way I learned to dock was with one stupid move that showed me the basics.

I was around minmus, and I was trying to dock, and I did all this stupid stuff, and got close, then spun out and repeat.

I eventually ran out of RCS, but getting close was an accomplishment.

A day later I tried with a more simple design and around Kerbin, with no pressure because both could return, and hey presto! Just like that!

It does HELP to watch some videos, I guess my video was my older brother who could dock showing me, but that was 1-on-1.

So I know this sounds cheesy but just keep trying.

[Odo]

Well, the thing is, there really are no good tutorials out there.

The way I learned to dock was with one stupid move that showed me the basics.

I was around minmus, and I was trying to dock, and I did all this stupid stuff, and got close, then spun out and repeat.

I eventually ran out of RCS, but getting close was an accomplishment.

A day later I tried with a more simple design and around Kerbin, with no pressure because both could return, and hey presto! Just like that!

It does HELP to watch some videos, I guess my video was my older brother who could dock showing me, but that was 1-on-1.

So I know this sounds cheesy but just keep trying.

Problem with that is I dont even know where to start :/ so I cant keep on trying. Ive got a station in orbit that has dockingports on it, but its in a super irregular orbit, so I think Ill prolly deorbit it and launch another one that has an easier orbit to get into with. After I have both ships in an orbit intersecting I have no idea what to do :C

[Margaul]

Docking is, without a doubt, one of the most time consuming, difficult, and rewarding thing I do. I won't say that I'm a pro at it, but I do it as part of nearly every mission I do. Mostly, it just takes patience. Scott Manly made a really good video. You can watch the video here:

One of the things that you can do to practice just the docking part is to put a docking port on your ship, and one on a stage that you separate from once you are in orbit. This will help you learn how to use the RCS system for docking.

The "[" can be used to switch to the other craft when you are close. Also important is remembering that you will want to use the mouse to "click" on the target's "Clamp-o-tron" and set it as your target when you are close.

If you need any help trying to learn how to dock, I'll happily try to give any advice you need.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Margaul

[Odo]

Docking is, without a doubt, one of the most time consuming, difficult, and rewarding thing I do. I won't say that I'm a pro at it, but I do it as part of nearly every mission I do. Mostly, it just takes patience. Scott Manly made a really good video. You can watch the video here:

One of the things that you can do to practice just the docking part is to put a docking port on your ship, and one on a stage that you separate from once you are in orbit. This will help you learn how to use the RCS system for docking.

The "[" can be used to switch to the other craft when you are close. Also important is remembering that you will want to use the mouse to "click" on the target's "Clamp-o-tron" and set it as your target when you are close.

If you need any help trying to learn how to dock, I'll happily try to give any advice you need.

I've tried this tutorial before but it really doesnt explain things very well. Ill rewatch it if you want, but I think scott isnt the greatest in this tutorial. As for the practice advice you gave, that sounds like a good idea, but the hardest part is catching into somethings orbit the docking should be relatively easy

[Margaul]

I'll try making a step by step tutorial with screen shots and see if that helps you. Give me an hour or two. It just so happens that I need to make a rescue mission to Minmus (curse you, "End Flight" button!) so I'll be making a trip to my space station to dock and fuel up.

Edit: Okay - I finished my rescue mission. I'll be writing the walkthroughs for you...My wife is going to need dinner soon, so it may take a little extra time. But I will write them tonight

Edited June 15, 2013 by Margaul
Mission completed - writing the tutorials

[Odo]

I'll try making a step by step tutorial with screen shots and see if that helps you. Give me an hour or two. It just so happens that I need to make a rescue mission to Minmus (curse you, "End Flight" button!) so I'll be making a trip to my space station to dock and fuel up.

You dont have to but if you want thatd be greatly appreciated

[Margaul]

I will make a total of three posts on this thread. The first post will be rendezvous with my space station from launch. The second will be docking with my station. I decided to write a third that details the differences with rendezvous and docking between two ships that start out in different orbits. If they are helpful to you and anyone else, I'll think about moving the posts into the "How To" section of the forum. I do a lot of instructional writing for a living, so it's no hassle. It probably won't be professional grade writing though, as I'm rather lazy on weekends.

[Landge]

Good job! Much better than my first Mun landing! No one survived I didn't know about F5 & F9 back then.

Docking is well... learning patience. Don't go at it too fast. Use your maneuver nodes to get within 10km of target. 5km or less is even better.

Most of my Fuel Tankers have forward facing engines that I use action keys 1 & 2 to switch between rear and front mounted engines. 1 for prograde, 2 for retro-grade. That's so I don't waste time rotating the ship around and using up RCS fuel when I'm > 5km to target. I got the idea from someone on these forums with one (sorry but I don't remember his/her name).

It's critical to have your RCS thrusters aligned and equally spaced to your CoM. Oh and add a ROUND LIGHT! (Hi Intensity) on the front. One will do. Two or more is just too much glare. Don't forget batteries and solar panels. It sucks to be in the dark when trying to aim for the dock!

Learn to use your I, J, K, L, H, N keys with your right hand. While using W, A, S, D with the left. I don't switch to docking mode, I just can't get used to it.

Switch to CHASE VIEW and zoom in on the front of your ship when your ready to close the distance.

A good rule of thumb when you're < 5km is keep your speed 1% of your distance. So for 5km to target would = ~50m/s ship's speed, 25km = 25m/s, 500m = ~5m/s, 100m = ~1m/s. Don't forget to use CapsLock if your ship is rotating too fast. Before long you'll be docking with your eyes closed

[suzin.felipe]

Scott Manley to the rescue. Easy tutorial on docking. Watch a couple times, try docking, and go back to the video to review the parts that you are having problem with.

Also, cool mission, like it alot.

Edit: Man, that is a helpful community, 5 posts on docking in the time it took to write mine.

Edited June 14, 2013 by suzin.felipe
Obsolete tip

[Margaul]

Note: These instructions are intended for Odo, who started this thread, but I'd like feedback because I intend to post it as a tutorial if it works well

Rendezvous from launch is a very necessary part of building, and using, space stations. These instructions will teach you how to rendezvous without mods.

1. Start by getting ready launch in a position that will place your launch vehicle near the target. Usually, this will be about 2-3 minutes before the target passes over the launch site.

2. Set the target as the actual target by clicking it and selecting "Set as Target." This will turn the target's orbit green.

3. Start your launch as you normally would. You want to try and make your orbit very similar to the targets. My station is in an near-equatorial orbit. Therefore, I just need to point my launch due east to meet up with the orbit.

4. Cut your engines when the apoapsis of your launch intersects the target's orbit. Since my orbit is at ~ 185,000 meters, that's where I cut my engines.

5. Make a node at the apoapsis to maneuver your orbit to be similar to the targets orbit. Make sure you check all three dimensions. You will be aiming for what is called a "co-planar" orbit. Get it close. This will be a long burn, so chances are your orbit won't end up looking like the one you are setting up. Don't worry and don't panic. It will get fixed soon enough.

6. Commence your burn. When you are done, your orbit will probably look something like the picture below. As you can see, without mods, my orbit didn't end up looking like the one I originally set up.

7. The orbits will intersect in one or two places. At these intersects, we'll make a burn that will give us an intersect. Try to be as precise as possible. You'll want that intersect to be as close as possible. (I usually aim for an intersect that is 1-4 km apart) The orbit you will be in will probably not be co-planar. That's okay though, as we will make a final correction when the ships are at the close intersect point.

8. In this next picture you can see that at the second intersect point the ships are very close together (the orange point is the 1st point where the orbits are the closest, and the purple point is the 2nd point). This is where we will rendezvous and get ready to dock.

9. At the intersect point, the Heads Up Display (HUD) will switch from showing the "orbital velocity" to the "Target velocity." This is the speed of your vehicle relative to the target. As you can see from the below picture, my speed is 31.3 m/s in relation to the target. You can also see that my station is 3.7km from the ship. To get ready to dock, we need to cut the speed down to as close to 0.0 m/s as we can. We will do that by pointing the ship so we are burning in the retrograde position. Since the HUD is showing the ship as it's related to the target, burning in the retrograde is retrograde in relation to the target. In the picture below you can see that I'm moving into the retrograde position. The retrograde marker is the yellow marker with an "X" in the center.

10. Once you have the target lined up for a retrograde burn, burn very carefully till the target speed reads close to 0.0 m/s If you overshoot the burn, you can turn on the RCS and use the "N" key to burn a little RCS in the reverse direction. Conversly, if you need to go a little faster, you can use the "H" key to burn forward. get as close to 0.0 m/s as you can. if you end up showing 0.1 m/s or so, you will be fine.

If you've made it this far, Congratz! You are ready to make the docking maneuvers!

[Margaul]

Note: These instructions are intended for Odo, who started this thread, but I'd like feedback because I intend to post it as a tutorial if it works well

Once you have gotten close to your target (rendezvous) it's time to make the maneuvers to dock. These instructions are written showing a ship docking with a station. I do not use the "Docking" mode thing included with KSP. I just find it weird and I can't get used to it. Fun Fact: The only thing I ever use the docking mode thing for is driving rovers.

1. Start by making sure you have selected you target set it as your actual target. Your speed in relation to the target should be very close to 0.0 m/s. You will point your ship toward the target. To do this you will line up your ship to point into the pink, circular target. Once you have the target lined up, start burning toward the target. From 3-5 kilometers out, it's best to burn till about 20-25 m/s toward the target. (I've been making these same maneuvers for awhile now, so I go a little faster than that, as you can see from the picture below. That's because I'm impatient. I wouldn't recommend going too fast until you get good at docking)

2. As soon as you complete the burn, flip the ship completely around. You will want to get in the "retrograde" position. Pay very close attention to the target. You will want to get very close. As soon as you are within 100 meters or so, burn till your speed is 0.0 m/s in relation to the target. If you get in close enough, you are ready to start making your RCS moves.

3. The next thing to do is refine your targeting. To do this, you will want to click on the Docking clamp you will be docking with. Click it, and push the blue button marked "Set as target"

4. Now, point the ship toward the docking clamp. In the HUD, this is the same pink circle. We will be making a slow approach so we need to use RCS. Once you are pointed toward the docking port, turn on your RCS and use the "H" key to move toward the target. If you aren't quite on as you get closer use the "N" key to burn RCS in the reverse direction. Then re-aim you ship and use the "H" key to move toward the target. Rinse and repeat. Keep your speed at or below 0.6 m/s. This is slow enough that if you collide with your target, you probably won't do any damage, and if you hit the docking port, you will probably dock.

Note: When you are this close to the station, only use the RCS. Regular engine burns might push your target. RCS won't push on the target though, so you can use it as much as you like.

Pro-tip- If you have ASAS on your ship, keep it turned on. As you maneuver, use the "F" key at the same time you are pressing the movement key to temporarily toggle the SAS system. For example: If you want to move to the right, push the "F" and the "D" key at the same time. when you release, the ship might wobble a bit, but it will stay closer to where you want the ship to point. Also, if you are having trouble getting the target lined up, hit the capslock key to move into "precision" mode. It can help make the painfully accurate maneuvers necessary for docking.

5. Keep making this short RCS maneuvers until the two docking ports collide. You should aim for touching while moving 0.3 to 0.5 m/s. Once they touch, the magnetic system will take over. TURN OFF YOUR SAS SYSTEM and don't touch the keyboard. The ship might move around a bit, but just be patient. Also, switch to your target (You can cycle between ships/stations that are close by pushing the "[" key.) and make sure that any SAS system is off. Just let the ships move around until they dock.

6. Once the ships are aligned, they will "snap" together. Congratulations! You have docked! (If it's really taking a long to snap together, you can toggle your SAS when the ships look like they are close to being lined up, and then immediately turn off your SAS. This can help ... sometimes).

[Margaul]

Note: These instructions are intended for Odo, who started this thread, but I'd like feedback because I intend to post it as a tutorial if it works well

This set of instructions is a little different. I'm assuming that you've read the first two sets of instructions. I'm mostly just showing the differences between docking from launch to docking from two different orbits.

1. The first thing to do is make a maneuver, and then burn till your orbit intersects with the targets orbit. When I started this, I was in a polar orbit and I was moving down to the targets orbit. For ease of showing examples, I'm showing the orbits when I was ready to make the corrections. As you can see, my intersect is at the "bottom." I'm flying the lander in these pictures.

2. Because the lander is behind the command module I'll be docking with, I'll burn to make an orbit that is slightly lower in altitude on one side. This will allow the lander to catch up. If the lander was in front of the command module, I would make an orbit that was slightly higher in altitude. This would allow the command module to catch up to my lander.

3. After the orbit looks the way I want it to, I'll time warp until the intersects get closer together. The first picture shows the orbits right after the burn and the second picture shows when I have intersects that are nice and close.

As you can see, I ended up an intersect that is really close. If the orbits never quite meet up like that, you may have to make a small burn. As you set the manuver up, the program will show you a projected intercept. Work the node till you have an intersect that is close together.

4. Once the ships are close together, make burns that will lower your target speed to 0.0 m/s. Then point the ship at the target, and use RCS to burn closer to the target. Make sure you are targeting the target docking port. Also, use the "[" key to switch to the target ship, and point it toward the docking port of the oncoming ship.

5. Make RCS burns that are similar to the maneuvers in the 2nd tutorial I wrote until you ships dock up. Remember when the ship's docking ports touch, turn off the SAS systems on BOTH ships.

Congratz! If you have done all this, you've managed to dock!

[Margaul]

Odo, let me know if you have any questions about the 3 sets of instructions I made. Anyone else, feel free to ask as well. I'll try to help anyone who is having problems with docking. Happy flying!

[suzin.felipe]

Nice tuto, deserves a thread on its own on the tutorial section.

Major props for the docking with different orbits as well.