Docking on the Mun

[fosco]

Hello Kerbals

I have been having a problems in which i don't know how to solve. I have recently decided to building a mining base on the Mun (I am using the Kethane mod, hens the mining). I have landed a tube which will be used as a corridor type thing on the base. However the problem i am having is when i land the 'transfer tube' lets call it i need to move it to where my base will be (seen in picture) so i built a rover to drive it over, but when i try to dock the tube to the rover it doesn't work, the docking nodes are touching but the two parts aren't docking, or even locking for that matter. The transfer tube has a docking node on the bottom and the rover has a docking node on the top so it should work, right?

I have tried dropping the tube by raising the landing struts but the nodes don't attach.

If anyone can help me out that would be awesome, i have attached some pictures showing ( from top to bottom) 'The docking nodes not docking' 'Close up of image one' 'The two different parts (rover and transfer tube)'

Thanks for any help that you may post.

[Valley]

Docking is a problem on the Mun. What works on Kerbin will not work on the Mun or other planets. A few people have been able to solve it - sadly not me. I used KAS mod, but that would require you to redesign almost everything in your fleet and rovers to use that system. People have solved it, without mods, by using landing gear and legs on their rovers, folding and unfolding, trying to get the two parts to wiggle together. Which is what you just did, to my understanding. You may have to test different designs - which means redesigning everything anyway. You may wish to wait for a few more replies before doing anything. Some people may be more helpful. Sorry.

[Tiron]

The magnetic attraction the ports have doesn't work very well on a body's surface: they don't like to lock on until they're *perfectly* aligned, which makes docking two objects that are both on the ground VERY difficult.

One way I've found to solve it was to use KAS: my rover Carrier SSTO design uses a pair of KAS winches and the Rover's Reaction Wheels to pull the rover's docking port upward into the plane's docking port. It's actually quite reliable, presumably because the rover's free to swing around on the cables, and thus the magnets have a chance to correct any misalignment without having to fight friction between the rover and the ground.

[Goobest]

Would aligning them like in your first picture, and then retracting the gears on the tube work? Or using gears on the rover to "lift" into the docking port, and then retracting them to move work?

[knotbeer]

I have had limited success docking/undocking rovers with their mini rovers, etc. Mostly you need to know what the gravity is like on the other body you wish to design for. On the Mun, you won't have as much gravity pulling your big rig down on the little guy so they won't quite reach the same as on Kerbin. All of the parts each exert their own stresses and twists on the parts below them so it becomes a complex dynamic quickly if you have many parts or a not-so-simple suspension base.

One way I have solved this without mods is to use vertical docking ports as much as possible. This does in fact change the design characteristics of many ships in my fleets, but it does allow you to use the same suspension "base" for many parts as a subsystem. This way each of them are almost guaranteed to sit the same height when you need them to and you can also utilize landing gear or hills to help yourself a lot more.

For instance, I have one system where I have a smaller "command" pod that has just landing gear and tiny wheels. When they are engaged, they lift the pod up to the larger wheeled pod needing to be connected like a train. Also doing this, try to keep in mind how your steering works and you probably have to turn most of them off and/or reverse the front/rear if you use that type of building for rovers or power/kethane/living pods. I like a smaller pod that I sandwich between larger pods so I get the most torque and best control.

It's pretty fun once you accomplish your "docking town" on other planets.

[boomerdog2000]

It is possible you just have to move the docking port around a little, also try retracting the landing legs. That should allow the docking ports to fully align.

[Crowdpleaser]

In the older Version i managed to Dock to vehicles together on the Mun, but the Docking Ports were on the sides, not top and bottom. It took a second or so, sometimes it helps to turn SAS on and off and they lock together.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Crowdpleaser

[camulus777]

I have made several off world colonies using no mods, the trick is to use those aircraft wheels to lower an raise your craft into position.

[fosco]

awesome thanks people, will try stuff that people have suggested. Will report back

[fosco]

ok i have downloaded the KAS mod, someone is going to have to explain this to me though, don't really know what i'm doing. If you can help me can you please just message me or something

thanks

(All i really want to know what parts i need to replace and change and stuff like that, based on the pictures above)

[fosco]

OK i managed to dock the two parts together using a smaller docking port. However once the two parts joined and one entity was made the tube and rover start tipping backwards (defying the laws of physics) and tipped all the way over to the point of no return. Any pointers in how to stop this I'm so close to being able to build a base it's annoying

thanks

oh i am now using the kethane and the KAS mods.

[UnthinkableThinker]

You know, I actually tried building a base using basically the same method as you are, and I also got that strange behavior. Have you tested your rover and tried carrying the same piece on Kerbin?

[Guest]

It looks like that landing leg is getting in the way.

It definitely looks like the landing leg and the light are colliding.

[Sirine]

OK i managed to dock the two parts together using a smaller docking port. However once the two parts joined and one entity was made the tube and rover start tipping backwards (defying the laws of physics) and tipped all the way over to the point of no return. Any pointers in how to stop this I'm so close to being able to build a base it's annoying

thanks

oh i am now using the kethane and the KAS mods.

No matter what mods you use. This is the known game bugs, physic kick in and "it lock" and start to turn uncontrollably. It happened in space or surface.

Easy solution, Hit F5 (Quick Save) as fast as possible when 'docked happened' and Hit F9 and hold to (Quick Load), everything should be back to normal. (The invisible force gone for good..)

[Mr.Rocket]

all you have to do is lower the legs on the top vehicle, and it should fall onto the bottom part and most likely dock.

[Guest]

Try removing the light and see if it still does it. It looks like the light and the landing leg are colliding, making it difficult to dock. When you do get it to dock, you are encountering a clipping event, resulting in phantom forces. KSP doesn't always like it when 2 objects occupy the same space.

After looking at it some more, the reason you are having problems getting it to dock is not because of the light. It's just hard to dock while landed. You can switch back and forth with the bracket keys and generally shake things around until it finally lines up. That's how I usually get it to work. But the phantom forces are more than likely being caused by the landing leg and the light clipping. When you succeed in getting the craft to dock, the physics model changes for the resulting newly docked craft. Parts that are sharing the same space can cause strange crap to happen. (see t-shirt).

Edited October 23, 2013 by Otis

[fosco]

thanks for all the help people have giving me