Orbital Docking: How the freak is this done?

[SeventhArchitect]

I've launched ships as far as the mun legitly (I think...), and I've always loved creating rockets that can't be flown legitly, because I can make cool things that way...but...I can not, for my own life, even begin to comprehend how orbital docking is supposed to work. I would say that it's probably done by using actual thrusters that have been placed on the front and sides of the ship to slowly settle it in place, but seriously, thats going to take a lot of work and make some ships ugly....Especially my big ships...Like my Halberd....The SAS can't that huge thing still, it just makes it wobble even worse...

And I still have yet to try docking on a controlled platform, like on Kerbin. I'll figure that part out, but I would LOVE it if someone would explain to me at least some way to dock ships other than by matching the orbits perfectly...

[Rune]

There are a gazillion tutorials out there on how to do this, since it is probably the hardest thing to learn in this game. Completely counter-intuitive physics and all that, like burning away from a craft in order to slow down and letting it catch up. I'd recommend bookmarking this thread and looking in there for the docking tutorials (Warning, watching that thread may give you the urge to give rep to the OP, feel free to do so, it's that awesome). And if you want to watch me do it, then in my stock thread, watch the video I did for the Gladius, I do an orbital rendezvous and docking explained there.

Rune. Not the place to ask this anyhow.

[iDan122]

This isn't supposed to be here, this is the spacecraft exchange, not a tutorial room. I give you a 1-star rating for writing here.

[SeventhArchitect]

You know, shortly after having lost this exact post (could remember where I put it), I had actually looked it up, and come to find out, there was a giant freaking hole in the whole concept, like how whenever you get close enough to your target, it changes from the orbital tracking, to target tracking, and by using Docking Mode, you use your RCS to move retrograde. The actually, and quite effectively, matches the other craft's orbit path to a 'T'. I tried my best without having to look it up, and effectively shot passed one particular vessel three times before I gave up, closed KSP, and went on the web. Five minutes later, I facepalmed then went to bed. Today, I got up at 12, and took an hour to dock my two Phoenix Mk III 2.0 ships. Small little buggers, quick as lightning, and perfect for the job.

I realize I did post this in the wrong section, which really was entirely by accident. I had several tabs open, and though I clicked the gameplay questions and tutorials tab, but I was wrong, thus, that is how it ended up here, and the whole reason I couldn't find it in the first place. I will definitely make great use of this particular section of the forum, posting my Implausible ships.

Sorry for the mess up.

[FEichinger]

This isn't supposed to be here, this is the spacecraft exchange, not a tutorial room. I give you a 1-star rating for writing here.

Or you could have reported this with the fancy warning sign and we would have moved it already. Please refer to our Forum Rules and refrain from attacking users over innocent mistakes, will ya.

That said, moving this thread out of here, as it actually belongs into Gameplay Questions and Tutorials.

FEichinger

Edited September 1, 2013 by FEichinger

[RoboRay]

If someone is telling you to rendezvous "by matching orbits perfectly"... stop listening to them.

But yeah, you figured it out. You don't rendezvous by matching orbits, you match orbits by rendezvousing. It doesn't matter how different your orbits are as you approach the target, so long as you have enough thrust to match velocities at the closest point of approach. The perfectly matched orbit results automatically from matching velocities close to the target.

[Apollo13]

SeventhArchitect: this mod is your friend: Docking Alignment Indicator

Forum thread

It's not an auto-pilot; you still do the work. But, it's much easier.

[Keome]

^ ^ ^

Docking Alignment Indicator makes docking a lot easier. ALl you need to do it get close to the target. Line up. Move in and dock.

Other tips:

Have patience and go easy on the controls. Moving at 0.5 m/s may seem slow when you need to go 100 meters. but keep in mind that in real life, the Space Shuttle docked at around 0.01 meters per second.

Set the camera view to Chase (hit the V key a few times). That will orient the spacecraft so that the axis are all aligned for translation using RCS. It makes it a lot easier to tell which way you need to go.

[Scarecrow88]

^ ^ ^

Docking Alignment Indicator makes docking a lot easier. ALl you need to do it get close to the target. Line up. Move in and dock.

Other tips:

Have patience and go easy on the controls. Moving at 0.5 m/s may seem slow when you need to go 100 meters. but keep in mind that in real life, the Space Shuttle docked at around 0.01 meters per second.

Set the camera view to Chase (hit the V key a few times). That will orient the spacecraft so that the axis are all aligned for translation using RCS. It makes it a lot easier to tell which way you need to go.

I hate chase camera mode, and never use it. If you are using the docking indicator, that tells you which way you need to translate, no matter which way up your craft is.

[Mr.Rocket]

A video i found was a scott manley tutorial on how to dock. It helped me alot. try it

[blizzy78]

You might want to try out my two in-game tutorials for orbital rendezvous and docking. (see signature)