Your first successful docking

[tntristan12]

My first attempt at docking was back before there was even a Mun, or persistence saves! I had a mod satellite part that I ejected with a big flare attached to it, then I'd maneuver out to 10 kilometers or so, then try to come in and dock. This was before maneuver nodes and RCS too. I bumped into it once in all the time I practiced and took a screenshot which has since been lost to time...

After 0.18, my first docking attempt was actually a very simple setup with two manned craft. It took me *forever* to figure out the controls, and at the time I hadn't discovered chase cam so it was guesswork as to which buttons I needed to press. Now docking is as effortless for me as getting into orbit, but it's still a challenge to try to dock unbalanced designs, or connect multiple ports at once. One time I even had to dock with only one linear RCS port!

[draeath]

One time I even had to dock with only one linear RCS port!

Back in my day we docked by throwing garbage out the back of the ship to move us closer!

[Godot]

Congrats ...

my first Docking was at the first version after the introduction of maneuver nodes and docking ports, when I tried my first Kerbal Spacestation.

Aterwards I never used it again (that is, docking ... in contrast to Rendesvouz, which I used in almost every manned mission (for Apollo style landings)

That is, till 0.23 ...

the one time use of science modules and the ability to reload them in spacelabs made orbital stations (especially around Mun) and docking really useful again ...

and, on my first docking mission to my mun spacestation I already had to fight with some unforeseen problems ...

instead of quadro-symmetry I had only used bilateral symmetry for my RCS thrusters, forcing me to constantly use Q and E to turn my spaceship around, in order to make up for the missing RCS thrusters on one axis

[Vanamonde]

You spoiled kids with your docking rings! In my day, there wasn't anything to do after you rendezvoused but take screenshots

and go home.

That was my first. It took about 4 hours, but by the time they added docking parts, bringing the ships together those last few meters was easy.

[rodion_herrera]

I don't want to belittle the joys of one's first docking in KSP, because I myself remember the glee this brought upon me. However, the "magnetic effect" is sort of like a cheat to the intricate procedure. One virtual docking procedure that I have to say gave me the biggest thrill is successfully docking a Gemini to an Agena Target Vehicle in Orbiter space flight simulator, because it was my first ever virtual docking in a game/simulation ever...this was in they year 2001. Yes, 2001. No assists/huds...just pure eyeballing alignment, and slow, steady hands on the keyboard/joystick.

[Seret]

Docking is hard when your RCS ports are not balanced. Try to use RCS Build Aid and place the RCS ports so when on translation the torque is 0.

Once your RCS is balanced, using the port aligner mod is quite easy, or just using my method.

Does that really need a mod? I just pull up the centre-of-mass indicator in the VAB and make sure my RCS ports are the same distance above and below it. Works for me.

[draeath]

Doesn't work so well when most of your mass is fuel/ox that's gone by the time you're using your RCS.

[Seret]

Maybe, it would be quite an unusual design where it would be a big problem though. I find spaceplanes are the only ones where the location of fuel mass is a big deal. Between RCS and reaction wheels my rocket-launched stuff seems to dock fine.

[DannySwish]

My first successful docking was when I rescued Jeb from a polar suborbital Moho trajectory (the lander didn't have enough fuel to get back into orbit) in which I had to burn with main engines only and rendezvous with the rapidly falling ship. I somehow managed to dock after fumbling around to get there, and transferred the fuel from the rescue ship into Jeb's lander. The intention was that the rescue ship would be able to haul the whole thing back, but I barely had enough fuel to give the lander to stop it from smashing into the surface. Kind of a miraculous first successful docking.

Edited January 4, 2014 by DannySwish

[EndOfTheEarth]

Instead of going for a full docking the first time around, I launched one rocket that had docking ports on both the final ship and the upper stage below it. From there, once I had attained orbit, I decoupled the ship, turned around, and very carefully docked with one of the ports on the side of the upper stage. Once I had accomplished this, I undocked and then redocked to the second port on the other side of the upper stage. This made it so that before even attempting a full rendezvous, I already had close-in docking experience.

From there, I launched two of the same ship I had just made, and, after watching Scott's piece on how the UI changes during docking, I managed to miss my target three times, but was able to dock without much trouble once I was in close enough. I still find it a bit hard but apparently I've been experienced/lucky enough that it hasn't prevented me from pulling off some decently complex interplanetary missions to Duna, Ike, and Bop.

[RocketPilot573]

My first docking took just a few moments to figure out (it was in .18, just after it came out). I had watched an old dev stream explaining how to use the new systems and everything, so that made it really easy. My first (recorded) rendezvous was with the Magic Boulder in .17 (though I kinda crashed into it at 2 m/s...).

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

My first docking was eventful, not really, I did it Gemmini VIII and VII-A style, and it went off with out a hitch.

However, my first 'docking' was in 0.16, I used landing gear and RCS around the mun.

Guess how that turned out

[Travisfv]

My first one was at 134 hours. It took me forever to figure it all out and I was so impatient with it that I had given up for a long time.

Now?

I started planning a mission yesterday at 5. Started it at 10 and ended it at midnight. Landed on Minmus about 10-12 times, docked with the main ship after each landing.

I've gotten so good at it that it took me all of 5 mono propellant to dock each docking.... And thanks to minmus being so nice about TWR and rendezvous, ships were small and rendezvous took only like 5 minutes each time.

I love docking.

[StrandedonEarth]

My first attempt at docking was without any real idea of how to fly the navball or use maneuver nodes. After several orbits of Mk I eyeball and seat of the pants maneuvering, I was finally able to close to a few meters, stationary relative to the target and the ports more or less lined up. At which point I was completely out of every kind of propellant.

These days docking is still a pain but fairly routine. I still guzzle mono, especially since I have a nasty habit of pressing I or L when I should have pressed K or J. At least I don't mix up H and N.

[Nobody]

Been working at getting my science module up to meet the lander for a over a week but I finally made it earlier today. Unfortunately due to a problem in the lander that was revealed in an earlier failed landing attempt I had to abandon the plans of taking that setup to Mun/Minmus. So I moved the Kerbal from the lander(no chutes) to the science module for a safe return.

Once I add a few batteries and solar panels to the lander I will try to dock them again and fly both out for multiple landings.

[Galacticruler]

Still have yet to dock anything without something going wrong.

[Captain Sierra]

For me, Scott Manley = easy first docking. Then I found mechjeb. Used that to help with the rotation part. After my long KSP hiatus, I can't dock like I used to. I gotta go do some practice since I have effectively forgotten. And here I wanna do a station soon since I haven'd done one in forever.

[Madrias]

My first successful docking was to dock a spaceplane to an orange fuel tank with a probe core on it. Being that 90% of my space program uses spaceplanes to get around, I needed extra fuel in space, so I launched rockets with fuel cans into orbit.

I'll say this: docking to something that doesn't have RCS or SAS on it really sucks. It sucks more when you realize every time I screwed up, I had to try docking to a moving target.

My second one was actually more hair-raising. Docking my standard spaceplane to my Station Central Core only to find out the hard way that I had my docking port positioned too close to the solar array and I'd foul it with the wings. Quick thinking had me wedge a fuel can between the core and the spaceplane... While the plane was sitting mere meters from my large solar panel, threatening at any second to smash it.

[OrbitusII]

Back in the days of 0.18.x....

I spent a good hour+ struggling to get this to work (I could rendezvous... sort of). When I got it, the view was pretty darn nice.

Oh, how far I have come... docking isn't even a challenge any more!

[bobcook]

I learned to dock back in 0.19 by watching Scott Manley's docking tutorial and practicing a lot. I don't use the Docking Mode controls nor do I use any mods for docking. I learned to do it "old style" and keep doing it that way because it works. I don't think I *could* dock any other way, now.

My advice: practice, practice, practice. When I was learning, I launched two identical craft with RCS blocks that were very well balanced. Balanced RCS makes it much easier to dock, and using smaller craft to practice is definitely the way to learn.

Once I got really good at the simple docking process I built a few different space stations by docking huge awkward parts in LKO. That solidified my docking skills and now its not even challenging most of the time.

[Plur303]

To everybody using mechjeb, shame on you! Docking is easy.

Before starting the docking procedure set the docking port of your target ship so that it is facing normal/antinormal. This will make it so the direction the port is pointing remains constant throughout the orbit. This makes it MUCH easier!!!

(If you are in a standard Eastern equatorial orbit this would mean pointing the ports North or South)

1. Use maneuver nodes to get your encounter between the two ships down to about 2 km or less

2. When you get close set the other ship as your target

3. Set your velocity display so it is showing speed relative to your target

4. Burn retrograde until you have essentially zeroed your speed between the two vessels

5. Now approach slowly and adjust your speed so your prograde vector is pointed right at your target.

6. When you get close enough click the docking ports you will be using and "control from here" on your ship and set the one you wish to dock with as target.

7. Now just keep your prograde vector and target vector ontop of each other.

If you can follow these steps you don't even need to look at anything. I have even docked using map view just to see how good I was. If you understand how to read your navball you don't even need to look at your ships.

Don't use mechjeb, it's just a crutch and makes you a bad player. Basic understanding of how to read your navball will let you dock using 1/10th as much fuel as the horrible mechjeb docking will.

[LadyAthena]

To everybody using mechjeb, shame on you! Docking is easy.

Before starting the docking procedure set the docking port of your target ship so that it is facing normal/antinormal. This will make it so the direction the port is pointing remains constant throughout the orbit. This makes it MUCH easier!!!

(If you are in a standard Eastern equatorial orbit this would mean pointing the ports North or South)

1. Use maneuver nodes to get your encounter between the two ships down to about 2 km or less

2. When you get close set the other ship as your target

3. Set your velocity display so it is showing speed relative to your target

4. Burn retrograde until you have essentially zeroed your speed between the two vessels

5. Now approach slowly and adjust your speed so your prograde vector is pointed right at your target.

6. When you get close enough click the docking ports you will be using and "control from here" on your ship and set the one you wish to dock with as target.

7. Now just keep your prograde vector and target vector ontop of each other.

If you can follow these steps you don't even need to look at anything. I have even docked using map view just to see how good I was. If you understand how to read your navball you don't even need to look at your ships.

Don't use mechjeb, it's just a crutch and makes you a bad player. Basic understanding of how to read your navball will let you dock using 1/10th as much fuel as the horrible mechjeb docking will.

Like I said earlier, mechJeb isn't cheating, especially if you want to play realistically, MechJeb is actually more realistic. Why? Because realistically the Commander and Captain of a spaceship will NOT be doing this themselves. They are only there to punch in what Ground Control tells them to punch into the computer, and the computer does it for them. That's it.

The only time they will ever do something manually is during EVA's, or when something breaks, like the Apollo 13 mission.

[Plur303]

Like I said earlier, mechJeb isn't cheating, especially if you want to play realistically, MechJeb is actually more realistic. Why? Because realistically the Commander and Captain of a spaceship will NOT be doing this themselves. They are only there to punch in what Ground Control tells them to punch into the computer, and the computer does it for them. That's it.

The only time they will ever do something manually is during EVA's, or when something breaks, like the Apollo 13 mission.

Please tell me when I said mechjeb was cheating?

I never said it was cheating. I say it is a crutch, training wheels etc. A tool for people who don't want to learn how to play a space game yet insist on playing a space game. If you find the game tedious without mechjeb then guess what, you don't enjoy space flight simulation!

What mechjeb does do is take away from the game experience and keep your from learning basic skills that make this game fun. There have also been plenty of manual dockings in space.

I used mechjeb for a few months and found I was relying on it completely. I stopped using it back in 0.18 and I enjoy the game much more now. Not only that but My launches and dockings are much more effiecient than mechjeb.

Mechjeb actually sucks at docking and uses easily 10X more RCS fuel than I do manually. I'm not bragging. That is how bad mechjeb is and how efficient you can be at flying if you just learn to read your navball and use your brain a little.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Plur303

[Captain Sierra]

So, in my practice docking (to see if I still can), I learned a few things. But first, a pretty screenshot.

Disregard the map glitch in the background (though the crafts are stock, I have many plugins running)

I noticed a few things. I am not sure if these are stock bugs, game quirks, or mod induced malfunctions. What I discovered is if you have not targeted a docking port, no magnetics. Not sure why, but I bumped ports and no magnet. I backed up, set it as target, double checked my alignment with the NavyFish indicator, and went in. Magnet instadock. The other piece of weirdness was when I bumped the target, I had to manually switch to it and reset the SAS, even though I made sure to set it prior to the docking attempt. control systems should function and resources be drained so long as SAS is set and the vessel is in physics loading range. All in all, docking is like riding a bicycle. You never really forget, no matter how long it's been. Though it does get harder when the ships aren't small with well balanced RCS and good reaction torque.

[LadyAthena]

Please tell me when I said mechjeb was cheating?

I never said it was cheating. I say it is a crutch, training wheels etc. A tool for people who don't want to learn how to play a space game yet insist on playing a space game. If you find the game tedious without mechjeb then guess what, you don't enjoy space flight simulation!

What mechjeb does do is take away from the game experience and keep your from learning basic skills that make this game fun. There have also been plenty of manual dockings in space.

I used mechjeb for a few months and found I was relying on it completely. I stopped using it back in 0.18 and I enjoy the game much more now. Not only that but My launches and dockings are much more effiecient than mechjeb.

Mechjeb actually sucks at docking and uses easily 10X more RCS fuel than I do manually. I'm not bragging. That is how bad mechjeb is and how efficient you can be at flying if you just learn to read your navball and use your brain a little.

True, I use MechJeb only when I wan't a fully realistic situation. I.E. pretending there is a Ground Control doing stuff along with my kerbonoughts. I do know how to do everything, and some people after awhile just like to have MechJeb do a few things to save time. Like setting up orbital corrections, etc. Ultimately if you know how to do something, MechJeb will do it, just faster, and saves time.

Of course it doesn't do everything, still should manually dock, etc. But MechJeb isn't just for lazy people who don't want to learn the game.

Also This isn't a simulator. Not even close to realistic enough flight wise, etc. to be considered that. It does "Simulate" rockets, space ships, etc. but is not a "simulator".

If you call this a simulator, you need to also call COD, a simulator.

Edited January 5, 2014 by LadyAthena