Your first successful docking

[Seret]

What mechjeb does do is take away from the game experience and keep your from learning basic skills that make this game fun.

I disagree, that's a narrow view of how and why people use it. A lot of people (myself included) have found it useful as a teaching tool. Things like rendezvous are hard, watching Mechjeb's autopilot do it, then having a go using the rendezvous planner, then having a go at doing it manually is a good way to break a complex task down into simple learning goals.

[Plur303]

I disagree, that's a narrow view of how and why people use it. A lot of people (myself included) have found it useful as a teaching tool. Things like rendezvous are hard, watching Mechjeb's autopilot do it, then having a go using the rendezvous planner, then having a go at doing it manually is a good way to break a complex task down into simple learning goals.

The only problem is that mechjeb doesn't do these tasks properly in the first place so you are learning from a flawed method.

[Seret]

The only problem is that mechjeb doesn't do these tasks properly in the first place so you are learning from a flawed method.

Sure, and once you realise you can do it better manually it's good motivation to keep doing it that way. Like I said, MJ can be a teaching tool, but once you've got the skills yourself you can ditch the tool.

There are loads of reasons people use MJ. Maybe they are lazy, maybe they've got limited time and are focussing on specific things, maybe they're bored with doing it manually, maybe they're just interested in the data, etc, etc. I think it's a mistake to think there's one way people use such a ridiculously diverse and capable tool.

Anyway, I'll shut up about MJ now. Flogging a dead horse doesn't begin to describe it.

[FlamedSteak]

My first Mun landing was a apollo style command module/munar lander mission. So it was a do or die dock, I scraped through with a whiff of rcs left but I made it. The one thing rendezvous and docking teaches you is patience, it requires a different mind set from most games (go in full throttle and get it done as quickly as possible). It took me a good 10 docks to get a handle on the docking systems, and probably another 10-20 to get good at it. The best way to dock is to really rely on your instrumentation, visual indicators help but will cause you major problems if they're all you rely on.

[nine_iron]

I must admit the first thing MJ did was sap the fun right out of the game, until I learnt how to use it properly. Rather than just sticking it on auto and leaving it I find it better as a planning tool and a time saver. I keep the fun stuff to myself, such as docking. I love docking and I won't be letting MJ have that one.

MJ and Kerbal Alarm Clock are now permanent and essential parts of my game.

[Whackjob]

My first successful dock? This:

Slapped a crew quarters on that, a la Jeb there.

[Vanamonde]

Please, let's not turn this into another pro-/anti-Mechjeb argument. The subject of the thread is your first docking.

[LadyAthena]

Some people get the coolest ships up >.<;

[Dirty Bob]

Did my first dock today after putting it off for way too long. It scared me honestly. It was pretty smooth overall since I already had honed a lot of the skills needed since I put if off so long. I used very basic end stages for the first try at it.

[Michaelo90]

I just made my first successful docking I tried yesterday, but i screwed up the rendezvous completely Today, i watched Scott Manleys tutorial and then it wasn't that hard

[Semtex89]

How do you make it to other planets without docking for a refuel in Kerbin orbit?

I keep a refueling station in high orbit around every planetary system I visit. This way, I can refuel before/after interplanetary transfers and landings/takeoffs.

My Kerbin Orbit Refueling Station with a couple of interplanetary transfer vessels ready to ship a High Gravity Lander and some fuel packs.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Vanamonde
Dirty words. :(

[Warmblood]

Back in .18, setting up my first space station. This was when I learned about COM and thruster location. I described it like trying to dock a pipe onto another pipe while both are rotating randomly in space, and any control input I put in also introduced a new rotation to my ship because of the COM issues. Of course, both were probe cores, so torque was hopelessly low. My goodness...The TEDIUM! The holding your breath, finagling the controls, missing by a tiny fraction! ARGGGGHHHH!

But, after about 2 hours, I finally got it, and I don't think I've ever felt more accomplished in KSP!

[Katojana]

2 fuel tanks on Kerbin.

[jfull]

The first time I tried building a space station I had no idea how to do rendezvous or how to maneuver for docking.

Eventually I just learned as I went, and now I'm a pro at docking.

[Brofessional]

My first docking was back in like .16 or .17 using docking mods, as official docking had yet to be added.

[Whackjob]

Docking's fun enough to want to do it seven times at once.

[Smallish]

http://i.imgur.com/AQy3EPz.png

Docking's fun enough to want to do it seven times at once.

Oh dear...I think I'm a bit useless...

I will practice today after all the tales of success.

Can someone tell me, when I set up rcs thrusters, how do I account for fuel use COG changes?

[FlamedSteak]

No, just set up for a full load. CoG changes don't seem to affect it any great deal on smaller craft. Though if you're pushing a monster around things tend to get a little trickier.

[running]

I've never had much trouble with docking. Not sure what the problem is.

However I recently discovered that you can make life a lot easier if you switch between the 2 objects, especially if both are quite manouverable.

By switching between the two objects and rotating them to have the dockign ports pointing at each other it's much easier to allign them.

If you keep setting up the target dockign port you will notice that the navbal will start showing your target in the center and the yellow direction indicator will help you see in what "wrong" direction you are traveling.

Always bring along huge amounts of fuel for your RCS and take things slow.

Switch of SAS when you are getting so close that you are about to dock.

When the two ports are aligned and touching, I add a bit of thrust to keep them together incase they don't lock but want to bounce.

[Smallish]

OK thank you

[jcraft]

My first docking is a rather boring example - first thing I did in 0.18? Tried to dock, of course. Armed with theoretical knowledge of "how to dock" from 0.18 Squad pre-release stream I designed two simple vessels - put one into 100 km Kerbin orbit, then launched his docking-optimized brother and tried to rendezvous - surprisingly I managed to dock successfully at this first try. It wasn't efficient for sure - I wasted too much fuel (but still have enough to return both vessels to surface), but it happened without any surprising rapid unplanned disassembly along the way. To this day I always scratch my head when someone says that docking is hardest thing to do in this game... well, for me it isn't, but definitely is always exciting .

Edited January 6, 2014 by jcraft

[TYRT]

I haven't done a succesful docking yet.(witout mechjeb:D )

[TheDarkStar]

Back in 0.17 (pre-docking), I did two things: Rescued a Kerbal from orbit around Minmus and rendezvoused with a craft in Kerbin orbit.

[Starwhip]

Docking? Hmm. My first actual docking was in about .18, when I was building a station. Took quite a while, as I didn't have RCS symmetry. But I got 2 ships about 500m apart in Demo and rescued Bill... or Bob or Jeb, I can't remember.

[draeath]

Anyone who doesn't have this I would strongly advise checking it out. If docking gives you headaches but you don't want to resort to autopilots... yep. This is extremely helpful.