Three questions for you!

[thescientist]

Hi everyone!

As I wrote in the title, I've some question for you, I hope they'll find an answer

First: I docked for the first time some day ago. It was fantastic (), but i burnt/wasted a lot of RCS-fuel (about 350 units) using two light ship (about 12 tons or less), so I think I can't use all this resuoces for a single docking or half of the weight of my future lander will be used by the rendez-vous fuel (I'm joking, but not so much). Have you any tips to do them better? I followed, more or less:), this tutorial: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/24670-Tutorial-Orbital-rendezvous-You-can-do-them!

Second: Can a Mk2 lander can survive to an 3 km/s reentry? (don't ask anything please:))

Third: Can you post some efficient lifter? The best that I have put on orbit up to 70 tons (my first lander...this explain a lot of thing about the previous question...)

Thanks to everyone for the help

Edited June 28, 2013 by thescientist

[rryy]

Make sure your RCS thrusters are balanced with the center of mass. You (or ASAS) can burn a lot of RCS by constantly correcting for the torque caused by imbalanced thrusters.

Reentry heating has not been implemented yet, so yes, it is able to survive that reentry.

[42undead2]

For number 2:

Yes, but you will still need something to land with. And I'm guessing it's somewhere where you can aerobrake.

[Uberick]

Anything can survive reentry right now(they havn't put in reentry heat). However, if you barrel into the GROUND at 3km/s without a parachute you will most likely die in a fiery explosion.

In regards to docking. . . if you get into a habit of doing it you can dock most anything with less than 100 RCS(I usually use about a quarter of that when docking big ships). The trick is to make small, precise movements and make sure that every move you're making adds up to your final goal.

[Dkmdlb]

For docking, practice will increase your efficiency by leaps and bounds. The first time I tried I went through 1500 units of RCS and got stranded. The next time I was successful and used 650 units. The next time I used under 200. So on.

Use the main engine for the rendezvous and don't use RCS until you are within 100 meters. Practice with small ships first until you get comfortable with it.

With regard to lifters, use two orange tanks stacked up on each other with mainsail underneath. Then use six symmetry to give it 6 boosters of two orange tanks + mainsail. Stage it so that two boosters drop off at a time and make sure you use fuel lines to dump fuel into the remaining stages.

Strut the boosters to each other and to the main lifter. Strut between tanks as needed. Then, strut the six boosters to the payload and it rip. This should be more than enough delta v to get that kind of payload in LKO.

[Boubywrbyvq]

Second: Can a Mk2 lander can survive to an 3 km/s reentry? (don't ask anything please:))

I guess it can if you dont have the deadly-re entry mod added.

[kurja]

However, if you barrel into the GROUND at 3km/s without a parachute you will most likely die in a fiery explosion.

It's somehow better to hit the ground 3km/s with a parachute?

[firerider521]

It's somehow better to hit the ground 3km/s with a parachute?

In that case, the parachutes wouldn't have done much. But I've heard stories...

[tomf]

Re docking - Is your craft rotating itself when you are trying to do translation maneuvers? If so it points to RCS thrusters not placed around the center of mass which can waste a lot of fuel.

[thescientist]

Happy news: the can has been landed on Kerbin with two living kebonauts...and four mk 16-XL parachutes! I were worried because, during a test, a rocket blow up "due to overheat" at about 550 m/s at 1900 m (to try, just place an OKTO-2 probe on a "trash bin full o'boom" and launch it, it's exacly what I've done)

The ships that i've docked don't roll during translation (luckily I love phisics:)), so I'm going to execise

I'm trying new lifters, and I think I've found some good ideas

Two other questions:

How can I get something better than Bottle rocketeer?

How can I put two orbit on the same plane? I can't go under 0.5° of inclination beetween thoose two

[tomf]

I think the thing under you name is based on post count or rep, so being helpful on the forums is probably the way to go.

to orbit on the same plane you wan tto select the other body as target and place a maneuver node at either the ascending or descending node (An or Dn) adjust it using the pink markers until predicted value shown by the node is 0, then perform the planned burn. I normally expect it to get to 0.1 at a maximum and normally aim for NaN.

Edited June 26, 2013 by tomf
wrong word

[entaran]

1) Is basically dependent on your understanding of the h/n i/k and j/l pair keys for which way you want to translate. USE TIMEWARP. HAVE PATIENCE. You can dock for 25-40 RCS even big things if you are patient and plan a bit ahead. Quicksave before you start a docking, when you get it done note how much you used, load and DO IT AGAIN. Keep going until you just get it down to a routine almost for that ship, any other ship will be a lot better after that too. (this is how i learnt)

2) Yes. Add some parachutes

3) A 70 ton lifter is plenty. You can make smaller things and dock them together

[thescientist]

1) Is basically dependent on your understanding of the h/n i/k and j/l pair keys for which way you want to translate. USE TIMEWARP. HAVE PATIENCE. You can dock for 25-40 RCS even big things if you are patient and plan a bit ahead. Quicksave before you start a docking, when you get it done note how much you used, load and DO IT AGAIN. Keep going until you just get it down to a routine almost for that ship, any other ship will be a lot better after that too. (this is how i learnt)

2) Yes. Add some parachutes

3) A 70 ton lifter is plenty. You can make smaller things and dock them together

my dock-ship whit his lifter weight 32 tons at takeoff... I learned that power and autonomy isn't all

70 tons, however, aren't plenty when you're going to put on orbit an all-in-one command module+lander

Edited June 27, 2013 by thescientist

[thescientist]

I think the thing under you name is based on post count or rep, so being helpful on the forums is probably the way to go.

to orbit on the same plane you wan tto select the other body as target and place a maneuver node at either the ascending or descending node (An or Dn) adjust it using the pink markers until predicted value shown by the node is 0, then perform the planned burn. I normally expect it to get to 0.1 at a maximum and normally aim for NaN.

Maybe it's a bug, because my An and Dn doesn't go under 0.5°...I'm going to do some tests

[Sirrobert]

Maybe it's a bug, because my An and Dn doesn't go under 0.5°...I'm going to do some tests

That should not be possible, I can easely go to 0.0 difference by hand.

Make sure you are not burning at 100% if the differnce is that close, or you will blow right past it. Also make sure you burn on the accending/deccending node.

Can't think of anything other than that, just slow and steady

[Xiphos]

thescientist,

I made a tutorial video for docking (link in my sig) It is a complete video from the build, launch and for the docking. I go through and answer all the questions you have posted here and more tips to help you become an expert at docking.

[thescientist]

Also make sure you burn on the accending/deccending node.

Can't think of anything other than that, just slow and steady

Oh, well, that's what I've not done...I weren't in the right place...thanks

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

All fine answers you have been given. The only thing I would add is get the Lazor Docking Cam mod , my God it's day and night to me. That thing is an absolute must IMO.

Essentially it adds a cam to your docking port, it helps not only because you can see the target port, but also because it shows you some cross-hairs that help you align the two ships without even seeing the target. You just align the cross-hairs, activate ASAS, and off you go with RCS to get to position and dock.

Also, when practicing with small ships, I find using an ASAS-SAS combination for rotational control a lot more convenient than ASAS-RCS. So plan for a good SAS performance (again, small ships work a lot better for this).

Also, you might want to press Caps Lock so you RCS is more precise so you don't over do your adjustments.