Refulling a Rocket in Space

[Belafon]

Hi everbody,

I have the problem that I just started my career and althogh I made it to mun I lost a vessel in the process which now orbits Kerbin but is without any fuel left to return home. It's a very simple rocket without docking clamps or something. Is it possible to refuel this rocket since I don't want to destroy it. The Kerbal in it served bravely and deserves to be rescued.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Belafon

[Superfluous J]

Without docking ports or a mod like Kerbal Attachment System you cannot refuel it. You can, however, do one of 2 things:

1) If your periapsis is fairly low, you can get your Kerbal out of the pod at apoapsis, and use his suit jets to push against the ship to slow it down. This can be time consuming and frustrating, so I only suggest it if you've only got a few thousand meters to go (say, if your periapsis is under 80-100km). Just make sure you keep an eye on your suit's fuel. If you run out your Kerbal will be lost in space.

2) Send up a new ship with an empty seat, rendezvous with your old ship, and EVA your Kerbal over to the new ship. You'll lose the science on the old ship but you'll save your Kerbal!

[ddenis]

Without docking port and without addons you cannot refuel it... Sorry.

But you have several chooses:

1) Get out of the rocket and push it until fuel of spacesuit get to 10-25%. Then board and get out of the rocket and push it again.... repeat as many times as needed. When your Pe get to 60-65 km you are ok, get inside of rocket and wait till aerobraking will get you back to Kerbin. If you get Pe lower you will get home faster.

Also I want to mention, that if you're returning from the Mun to Kerbin you don't have to circularize your orbit around Kerbin. Just make your Pe about 30-60 km above Kerbin and aerobraking will land you.

2) Also you can build another rocker, get rendezvous, and move your kerbonaut to another rocket which have rocket and can land, but you can loose science in the craft without fuel.

Edited December 6, 2013 by ddenis

[Xephirious]

Step one. Build another rocket.

Step two. Orbit it

Step three. Intercept derelict ship

Step four. Ram it in the retrograde direction.

Step five. Profit.

[Belafon]

Thanks for the quick answers.

[psyper]

Ditto on the above options.

Theres also an option to create a cage from girders and i-beams - basically a box with no top - stick it on top of a rocket get it in to an intercept (youtube docking videos *cough*scott manley*cough* if you need a tutorial) and then capture the rocket in the cage and burn retrograde to push it in to a low orbit (below 60km as mentioned above) then back off from the rocket so that its out of the cage and then burn prograde to pull yourself out of the atmosphere so you don't end up having to land both at the same time. Land the stranded rocket and then switch back to your cage and land that one.

If you don't have the tech or know-how to do this now the kerbal can wait - they have card games and extra snacks in the capsules to keep them busy!!

[superm18]

Pushing it is the only way if you don't want to use mods

[Fett2oo5]

New memorial quote:

Step four. Ram it in the retrograde direction.

Step five. Profit.