A very easy way to docking

[fastbikkel]

I would advise anyone trying docking with a default KSP, no mods. (unless you really do not want to, we all play the way we want)

It takes a bit of practise. Take your time, no hurry in docking.

And setting the orbits well during the preparation pays off in the end.

I agree with MajorThomas in the previous post.

But it takes confidence and experience to remove fuel and weight(equipment). But there is certainly a truth in there. I noticed huge performance improvements for myself after a few launches, one gets better over time. People will get more efficient.

O yeah, i also benefitted greatly from a vast flightsim experience, the navball was easy to read.

Edit : If you run out of normal oxidizer/fuel, the remaining RCS will probably get you back for re-entry. It can be a good rescue option.

RCS is really powerfull and can certainly change your orbit.

Edited February 3, 2014 by fastbikkel

[HeadHunter67]

Quick tip: orient things so your target docking port is facing an orbit normal (eg straight at the N or S horizon - straight up/down).

I'm still trying to "get" this - it's probably very simple but I just can't conceptualize it solely by being told. I've heard others call this the "Manley Axis"... where exactly do I point? I'm trying to get a mental picture of how to align the craft to achieve this.

[Pecan]

HeadHunter - use 'control from here' on the docking port with which you intend to dock. Then use the rotation controls (WASD) so the navball is pointing at the horizon with a 'heading' of 0 or 180 degrees (straight at the North or South horizon - straight up/down). There's usually no need to adjust roll (Q/E). Once aligned engage SAS (T) and switch to the docking ship ('[' / ']'), right-click the docking-port on the target ship (the one you just oriented N/S) and 'set as target', right-click the docking-port on the docking ship and 'control from here'. Now, if you oriented the target docking-port North you'll have to orientate the controlled docking-port to face South, and vice-versa.

All you have to look at is the navball. Ignore the pretty pictures and focus on the navball.

[HeadHunter67]

use the rotation controls (WASD) so the navball is pointing at the horizon with a 'heading' of 0 or 180 degrees (straight at the North or South horizon - straight up/down).

OK, that's where I'm getting confused. It is my understanding that the horizon is the line between the blue (sky-side) and brown (ground-side) hemispheres of the navball. So I get lost when told to orient North (up) or South (down) since those would be the points in the middle of those respective hemispheres. So what, then, is the "North horizon" or "South horizon"? I'm obviously misunderstanding something, which is why every verbal description has only confused me.

I actually do understand docking - I've built stations in orbit without autopilot assistance - but this one thing makes no sense to me. Where am I getting it wrong?

[Francesco]

OK, that's where I'm getting confused. It is my understanding that the horizon is the line between the blue (sky-side) and brown (ground-side) hemispheres of the navball. So I get lost when told to orient North (up) or South (down) since those would be the points in the middle of those respective hemispheres. So what, then, is the "North horizon" or "South horizon"? I'm obviously misunderstanding something, which is why every verbal description has only confused me.

I actually do understand docking - I've built stations in orbit without autopilot assistance - but this one thing makes no sense to me. Where am I getting it wrong?

'North' and 'South' are relative, if you were on a polar orbit they wouldn't make sense.

It's Normal and Antinormal that you need to understand.

While travelling in space, there are three axis crossing your ship:

1) Prograde/Retrograde ("facing where you're going" / "facing where you're coming from")

2) Radial in/Radial out (facing towards the celestial body you're orbiting / facing away from the celestial body you're orbiting)

and finally

3. Normal/Antinormal. I couldn't come up with a fancy description for these, but if it's not 1) and it's not 2), then it's 3)

On an equatorial orbit, they in fact coincide with North/South.

[moonboy13]

I believe people are talking about either pointing straight up, away from/toward the planet (so that the nav ball is fully blue/orange respectively), or they are saying point north/south on the nav ball horizon. This can be done by pointing in the direction where the orange line marking the north direction intersects the horizon on the nav ball (south would be the 180 degree line)

[HeadHunter67]

OK, I'm just not seeing how to get there. Going by the navball alone, what lets you know the craft is oriented in the normal/anti-normal axis? Can someone provide pictures that explain it? I appreciate efforts to help, but as I said before, I'm more of a "show me" learner.

[EDIT: I think I got it figured out when it comes to equatorial orbits. Not sure how to do it with inclined orbits, short of the enhanced navball mod.]

Edited April 4, 2014 by HeadHunter67

[federicoaa]

@Francesco: It is called normal because it points to the normal vector of the plane that contains the orbit (normal is perpendicular to the orbit plane)

[Javster]

Could MechJeb keep both ships pointed at target? Technically it isn't cheating cos you're not using the docking autopilot...

[Alymon]

I did something like this for the first time when returning a lander to it's tug orbiting nearby and was low on fuel to complete the manuever.

For stations though, I don't design them to rotate. So learning to translate the incoming ship independant of what the station is doing is still key. Which is why I usually have docking nodes in every direction on them

[xcorps]

Could MechJeb keep both ships pointed at target? Technically it isn't cheating cos you're not using the docking autopilot...

Ship A wants to dock with Ship B. You're 300 meters away. Switch to Ship B, Target ship A docking port, turn on SmartASS set to Target +. Switch back to Ship A, leave mechjeb OFF. Ship B will keep the docking port aimed at you. Using SmartASS on Ship A (for me) is counterproductive.