I think I'm finally skilled at rendezvous

[Guest]

I rendezvoused about 4 times, and all of them were linked to one failed Minmus mission.

Good to know that I won't have to worry about docking anymore.

[CaptRobau]

Yeah, it's probably the hardest thing to master as it requires such precision.

[roosterr]

I dont want to sound like I am bragging, because I remember how seriously hard and frustrating it was my first few dozen times. Today, I can be docked from launch in about 20 minutes as long as my launch window is timed well with my target. I often dock before my first full orbit on a good day.

My experience I am sharing is an example (not bragging, LOL) of what you have to look forward to. My Point to you is that now that you have a few under your belt, it will get easier and easier and easier. If I had a few hours to kill some day (not), I think I could do the world a favor with the worlds easiest rendezvous video ever, simpler than any I have seen on youTube (OK, now I am bragging about something I have yet to accomplish, LOL).

Rendezvous used to be the hardest thing to do, but now setting up interplanetary transfers is my new biggest challenge. In fact I cannot do it without using Protractor mod (crutch), with the exception of Duna. I will formally ask for help with that on the forums soon, getting rid of Protractor that is.

Congrats and welcome to the club

Edited September 24, 2013 by roosterr

[Kasuha]

I always considered rendezvous and docking easier than landing, particularly on planets without atmosphere where parachutes won't do the work for you. With landing you're constantly battling the pull of gravity, got to watch multiple parameters at a time, apply corrections to all of them and do everything reasonably fast or you'll run out of fuel. With docking, you have plenty of time and can handle each parameter separately.

[DeepSpaceDutch]

After 100+ manual launches it became a bit boring, so MJ took over most of that, leaving the hardest and biggest to manual control. Same for correction burns, have MJ do what it can handle, sit back and relax.

But I will never ever automate docking, even after so many times. The feeling of satisfaction, especially with big craft, just doesn't go away. I've sped up rendezvous because of experience and using Smart A.S.S for pro/retrograde steering, but when I get to around 150 meter from the target all the automation is turned off (except periods of SAS), RCS is turned on and the fun begins.

I do use the LazorDockingCam, but mainly because it just looks cool. What I've learned is that to truly master docking you need to understand the relation between the prograde marker (in Target mode) and the target marker, this will show you presicily if you're drifting to the sides or up/down. The prograde marker can be moved around with the translation controls, when they overlap, you're going straight in buddy!

This is from yesterday, refuelling one part of a new huge fuel depot destined for a Medium Jool Orbit in support of the new Laythe colony;