Docking - Still Need Help

[JelloTickles]

Hello there!

I'm new to this and all, well not completely new but anyway, I really need help with docking. I know how to get close to the object and all (closest was 4.6 KM), but I just want to know how to actually well, DOCK. I want to be able to get closer to the object and meet and link together. Every time I do get close I burn towards the target but it isn't enough. I then have to repeat the process all over again. I've been doing that for 3 hours as of now. Any help will be appreciated.

[Johnno]

Burn toward target, at closest encounter reverse thrust to match speed to 0m/s (or as close as possible), turn around and burn toward target, rinse repeat. Eventually your orbits will be matched, you'll have 0m/s compared to target, then move slowly toward with RCS thrusters.

Important part, match speed, move closer, kill speed, move closer, kill speed, etc.

[JelloTickles]

Thanks for the help, i'll try it right now.

[flightmaster]

If you're ~5km apart then burning directly towards the target means you will miss it. You need to predict where it's going to be and then burn towards that point. It's hard to explain but point your vessel at the target when your relative speed is 0, point your craft more towards the center of the orbit and burn slightly towards that. The more you are pointed towards the center of the orbit, the less you need to burn.

Using the MechJeb feature of closest encounter helps a lot. Just keep burning in different directions, trying to bring that number down. If the number rises, burn in the opposite direction.

Manoeuvre nodes can help but you have to be very accurate...

[Phantomewzick]

You need to use the navball and line up your velocity vector with the target object, otherwise you will miss every time, once you are within 200m, kill your velocity relative to the target and switch to RCS control for docking.

Again, when using RCS, you must keep an eye on the navball to make sure your velocity vector is going towards the target: in orbit, burning directly towards your target does not mean you are actually traveling directly towards it, its all about relative motion and velocity in space.

[nhnifong]

It's pretty effing hard the first time. bring plenty of rcs fuel and use a nice solid ship with a large pod or two so you can spin it easily. dont try docking some crazy spidery thing the first time, you'd never be able to do it.

[Mr Shifty]

Scott Manley has a good video on how to do this. Basically you want to "push" your retrograde vector onto the target's retrograde vector, all the while burning to kill relative velocity.

It's also helpful to have the Lazor mod installed because it comes with a docking camera that you can enable just by putting any lazor system on your craft. (Or by editing some *.cfg files.) The docking camera gives you a cross-hairs shot from your docking port, which makes it much easier to line up with the target.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/9923-0-20-Lazor-System-v28b-(Jun-10)

[inigma]

Simple. I just did my first rendezvous last night, first try too.

It's simply a matter of matching your green vectors with the pink ones.

Here's how:

1. Set your target.

2. Setup maneuver node to intercept less than 40km. If your nodes dont ever get there, then you are too far away from the target and will need to wait out a few orbits until u get closer and a maneuver node puts you on intercept within range. Its best to be below and behind when u set up an intercept orbit.

3. Intercept ahead of the target.

4. Match your green vectors on the navball to the targets pink vectors. That's it. That is key. You just push your retro vec on the pink retro, and pull your pro vec on the pink pro.

5. Keep your speed at distance divded by tens as you close. You will have to flip your ship over several times to retro against your approaching targ to slow down, and then back over to realign the vectors.

Tip: The greater the off angle burn, the faster the push or pull of your vectors.

[Vanamonde]

Here is a training ship which brings its own sub-ships with it, all in one launch. You can cast-off and practice docking again from longer and longer distances: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/25425-Help-with-Docking-A-Trainer-Ship-for-Newbies

[M5000]

Assuming a 10Km closest approach...

1) Set Navball to "Target"

2) Burn retro to as close to rVel=0m/s as possible.

3) Burn Target prograde until rVel=~15m/s

4) Time warp until about 2Km distance.

5) Repeat step 2.

6) Burn Target prograde until rVel=~5m/s

7) Time warp until within 1Km

8) Repeat step 2.

9) Face target prograde

10) Use RCS forward translation until rVel=~3m/s

11) Line up vessel prograde with target prograde. Keep them aligned by using the I/J/K/L keys to move your prograde marker around on the navball according to which direction you press. H/N will control approach speed.

12) Time warp slowly until within 100m of target.

13) Make sure docking port is set as target, not just the vessel.

14) Continue with step 11. Keep rVel down to <1m/s

15) Rotate into position using W/A/S/D/Q/E keys.

16) Perform final approach translation using H/N for rVel control, and I/J/K/L to keep prograde aligned with target.

17) Time warp to within 50m of target.

18) Final approach rVel should be no greater than .5m/s. Ideal rVel should be about .2 or .3 m/s.

19) Allow magnetic clamps to engage.

20) Dock.

21) ???

22) Profit.

[sanity]

you might want to rebind your RCS translate keys to use the numpad aswell, and remember when making your approach to be agressive, the faster you get in close to your target the less fuel you will need to spend correcting for kerbins rotating reference frame

[JelloTickles]

I tried to dock again, I failed. This time it wasn't the whole docking thing but it was that the orbits would never cross as one was horribly inclined (I don't even) and yeah. Is there any mod that let's you have a perfect orbit?

[CosmicX1]

You shouldn't need a perfect orbit to dock. Just pull on the purple toggles (and the others if you need to) on a manoeuvre node till you get an encounter and then do a burn at the node!

[JelloTickles]

You shouldn't need a perfect orbit to dock. Just pull on the purple toggles (and the others if you need to) on a manoeuvre node till you get an encounter and then do a burn at the node!

Well my orbit was already messed up to begin with. Maybe I should try to not make a space station...

[Johnno]

I tried to dock again, I failed. This time it wasn't the whole docking thing but it was that the orbits would never cross as one was horribly inclined (I don't even) and yeah. Is there any mod that let's you have a perfect orbit?

It just takes practice. If you have the ship you want to reach selected as target (click it in map view and set as target) then you should have two markers named DN and AN, descending node and ascending node. They say how much your orbits differ in inclination, if you set a manouver node on top of DN/AN and adjust your orbit up/down (purple triangle icons) and make a burn there you can match the target's orbit in inclination.

[Margaul]

It just so happens that I made a 3 part tutorial with plenty of screenshots. It is on this thread

The first part is rendezvous from launch, the second part covers docking and the third part covers docking from different orbits.

[JelloTickles]

I did it!

Some screenshots:

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[Margaul]

Excellent! Good Job!

[JelloTickles]

Excellent! Good Job!

Thanks! I really appreciate all you guy's help.