Docking

[xriz00]

I'm trying to figure out docking; one of the most frustrating things about KSP is the lack of even simple documentation on how do simple basic things, there are very good tutorial videos but sometimes you just need a simple answer as a noob about a simple subject but nobody has them without hours of searching online. It literally took me that much time to find the information on how you even undock two ships, that you can click on parts of you spaceship like the docking module and then get the option to de couple and separate two parts of a spaceship. Sorry but this is really poor documentation on part of the developers.

The latest frustrating problem is why I can't dock; I've launched a rocket with two command mods docked together and was just trying to practice docking and undocking at a short range. I first pull away and can re dock with in a couple of feet but past that they refuse to dock again, am I moving to fast on the approach, am I off center? I have no idea what the parameters are on docking, why the two won't re-dock once I've moved more the like, 5 feet away and then re approach to dock, it looks like they are on target but they won't attach.

[OUScooby]

You're two ships might be slightly mis aligned and they docking ports may not be heading towards each other directly head on. For smaller ships the magnetic force of the docking ports will pull the ships into alignment put for larger crafts more precision is needed. Try not to get too frustrated, docking is by far the hardest task in the game, just keep at it, eventually you'll figure out what you're doing wrong, and how to dock successfully. Good luck.

[CheftonUTD]

It's still early in the production of the game, so I think the creators probably don't want to spend time making a full instruction manual on a lot of aspects that may yet change later.

That said, I have only learned to dock successfully myself today after a fair bit of searching for instructions. The main rules I have found are, navball is your friend, make sure you're aligned well, make sure your docks face the correct way (little yellow handles on the face outside), and turning off SAS when you're really close seems to help them lock in to place.

I've also heard that backing away a bit further, then trying again can help make it work.

[allmhuran]

Two things to try:

1) Move the ships further apart before trying to redock.

2) Right click on the target docking port and press the "set as target" button that appears.

[sojourner]

2) Right click on the target docking port and press the "set as target" button that appears.

This does absolutely nothing during manual dockings. It only helps if you're using a plugin like mechjeb.

[Kipeo]

There are definitely reasons to select the remote port as a target when docking manually! Only then will your target marker and navball center meet when you are properly aligned.

Reasons you may not dock after undocking:

You didnt get far enough away before coming back in. The game gives you some room to pull away before activating the magnets again, otherwise once you detached, you'd be sucked right back in.

Your SAS is on, and its keeping you from snapping into place.

As for documentation. Yeah, its still way early in the game's development. The tutorial scenarios are pretty basic at best. Docking is a fairly new feature (.18 I believe) and is definitely one of the harder things in the game to master...and, I think, probably the single hardest skill to explain in a tutorial/documentation.

[AlamoVampire]

Sojourner: I ran into the same issue, still no clue how to fix it, but, perhaps moving them further apart may solve it, will have to try that at some point myself when I do another docking. Secondly: Setting the docking port as a target actually serves a purpose w/out mechjeb. It lets you know just how far you are from the docking port you want to dock to. While that sounds obvious and maybe even condescending to say that, it is honest truth that knowing exactly how far away and how fast you are compared to that thing will solve many headaches down the road or atleast that is how it feels right now. Also, having watched many docking tutorial YT vids I see them set the port as target each time and I recall not seeing a mechjeb related docking tutorial, not saying they dont exist because I do not know for sure, so, wont say it.

[FenrirWolf]

I've had occasions where my ship wouldn't dock until I set the other port as my target.

[Johnno]

I'm trying to figure out docking; one of the most frustrating things about KSP is the lack of even simple documentation on how do simple basic things, there are very good tutorial videos but sometimes you just need a simple answer as a noob about a simple subject but nobody has them without hours of searching online.

There's plenty of documentation. The tutorials section here on the forums, the wiki, the ingame tutorials. And if you're after something specific then you can click advanced search and type in stuff. Advanced search - thread titles - docking. I just tried it, 446 results with 'docking' in the thread title.

It literally took me that much time to find the information on how you even undock two ships, that you can click on parts of you spaceship like the docking module and then get the option to de couple and separate two parts of a spaceship. Sorry but this is really poor documentation on part of the developers.

Oh come on, that's common sense. You shouldn't need documentation to left click or right click stuff. You've started playing a new game, there's a learning curve, put yourself into the "let's learn, let's see what happens if I click here" mindset. You really need documentation to try rightclicking? I understand fully having to look things up on keybindings, throttle control, VAB finescale rotation, etc. But right clicking stuff, once you've even managed to get them into space?

I have no idea what the parameters are on docking, why the two won't re-dock once I've moved more the like, 5 feet away and then re approach to dock, it looks like they are on target but they won't attach.

If you have no idea then test it, try different things, figure it out. Learn. Move further away. Wait longer before trying to dock. Approach slower. Align more carefully. If you've managed to dock them once (and not just undocked), you'll be able to dock them again. To answer your question though and avoiding being called unhelpful, move further away and wait before reapproaching. 10-15 meters should be enough and wait for maybe 20 seconds).

If you've moved far away enough and waited for a bit and there's still no magnetic force whatsoever when you're literally rubbing the ports against eachother at perfect alignment then you might have the docking port bug and will have to edit your persistance file.

[HeadHunter67]

Sorry but this is really poor documentation on part of the developers.

Yeah, they should really put the manual in the box, right?

I understand your frustration. Essential parts of this game have a high learning curve. The good news is, others have already done the legwork for you and documented their discoveries via YouTube, the Wiki, and these forums. Yes, it takes a little effort to track down what you need, but knowing the best way to use the search engines will get you a gold mine of information.

Blizzy78 did a great plugin docking tutorial that I highly recommend for you.

[Anton P. Nym]

This does absolutely nothing during manual dockings. It only helps if you're using a plugin like mechjeb.

Incorrect. It changes the location of the target bug on the navball, making it much easier to ensure your docking port (assuming you're controlling from it... my favourite braino, apparently) is directed towards the correct port. You can also use the vector bugs to determine drift this way, too. I find this makes docking much, much easier.

-- Steve

[Cartz]

How to dock in a few easy steps (assuming a circular, equatorial orbit, advice is still relevant to non-equatorial, but normal vectors are harder to find):

1. Switch to target vessel (thing you will be docking with), right click the port you will be docking with, select 'control from here'

2. Orient the vessel so that the docking port is pointing straight north (0 degrees), directly at the horizon.

3. Switch to docking vessel. Switch to 'CHASE' camera setting by pressing V a few times.

4. Right click the target vessels docking port. 'Set as target'

5. Right click the docking vessels docking port. 'Control from here'

6. Orient the docking vessels port to 180 degrees, directly at the horizon.

7. Use RCS translation controls (buttons: ijklhn use CAPSLOCK to switch to fine input mode) to place the prograde marker on the target marker on the navball, ensure that relative speed is low (0.1-0.3 m/s)

8. Maintain marker position as you approach, you may need to slow up slightly and kill lateral velocity if your lateral velocity to the target is high (i.e. you're not coming straight at it)

9. Dock

The reason you orient to 0, 180 degrees is because, in an equatorial (90, 270) orbit, those are the only to points on the navball that don't move (your north and south poles, essentially) It is the axis of rotation of your ship, and therefore easy to align and maintain alignment with.

Once you master this, you can try docking in more exotic, non-aligned manners.

Personally I find that the trick to docking has nothing to do with docking being hard, and everything to do with your RCS not being designed/balanced properly which causes the use of translation control to result in unwanted pitch, roll or yaw. Hopefully squad eventually implements a system wherein you don't need to balance your RCS thruster placement, and instead the computer automatically adjusts the thrust applied from each thruster so that the translation movement is the only movement.

[HeadHunter67]

The RCS Build Aid plugin is invaluable to me. It allows me to place my thrusters where they will be balanced and I know they'll operate properly.

[blizzy78]

The reason you orient to 0, 180 degrees is because, in an equatorial (90, 270) orbit, those are the only to points on the navball that don't move (your north and south poles, essentially) It is the axis of rotation of your ship, and therefore easy to align and maintain alignment with.

Why would you care about the navball rotating when trying to dock? Both vessels are in orbit, and it's not quite likely that RCS thrusts will modify the orbit in a meaningful way. So with that in mind, the complete navball could just be completely blue or completely brown/orange, with no degrees markers on it, so you won't even notice the rotation. So having said all that, north/south alignment that is suggested all the time is not necessary at all.

Once you master this, you can try docking in more exotic, non-aligned manners.

Like I've said, docking when the target is not north/south aligned is neither exotic nor different from being aligned.

Hopefully squad eventually implements a system wherein you don't need to balance your RCS thruster placement, and instead the computer automatically adjusts the thrust applied from each thruster so that the translation movement is the only movement.

I'd heavily object to that. SAS got the "lever arm" improvement of late, but you still cannot place your thrusters anywhere you like. That should suffice.

[Anton P. Nym]

Like I've said, docking when the target is not north/south aligned is neither exotic nor different from being aligned.

No, but rotation of the target docking port makes things tougher, particularly for newer players trying to learn. If it takes them a couple of minutes to line up, a port not aligned normal/antinormal could rotate away from them making the docking attempt that much tougher. For veterans good at lining up, this is less of an issue... but aligning normal/antinormal takes the time pressure off of players trying to learn how to dock, and thus makes it easier to learn.

-- Steve

[sojourner]

I've had occasions where my ship wouldn't dock until I set the other port as my target.

This is what I was referring to when I said that selecting the docking port as target has nothing to do with docking. sorry for the confusion. So, yes, selecting the port gives you lots of information, but it does not actually do any physical process that allows docking.

[xriz00]

Thanks for all the replies, they help.

[allmhuran]

This does absolutely nothing during manual dockings. It only helps if you're using a plugin like mechjeb.

Absolutely false. It means the target docking port will appear on the navball, helping you line things up more accurately.

[sojourner]

Absolutely false. It means the target docking port will appear on the navball, helping you line things up more accurately.

Little late to the party there fella.

[allmhuran]

So it doesn't do absolutely nothing... cool. I accept your concession.

[Frederf]

Setting targets does absolutely nothing to the mechanics of docking. Tab A will fit into slot B just the same. The difference will be in the information displays that assist the player in accomplishing previous. I find that orbit-normal alignment is quite useful in docking depending on the orbital period. To follow an approach corridor in any other orientation causes the active vessel to fly a spiral path at significant difficulty and RCS expenditure.

[allmhuran]

OP is wondering if they are off center. Setting a target helps you determine whether you are off center. So any advice that one shouldn't do it because it "does nothing" is false, bad advice, that the OP should ignore. Not sure why people insist so strenuously and repeatedly on trying to salvage bad advice.

Edited August 10, 2013 by allmhuran

[rkman]

am I moving to fast on the approach, am I off center?

Final approach should be 1 m/s or less.

You can see whether you are off center, by rotating the camera (might have to switch view mode) and on the navball. Be sure the navball is in target mode.

5 feet away and then re approach to dock, it looks like they are on target but they won't attach.

They will attach only when nearly touching and have no more than a few degrees misalignment.

If both ship have (A)SAS on and the ships 'wiggle' under the effect of magnetic attraction but don't dock, then turning off (A)SAS on one of the ships should do the trick.

I think this short tutorial contains a couple of useful pointers for docking:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/32905-Beginner-How-to-dock-in-3-easy-steps