Your first successful docking

[LadyAthena]

Been playing KSP for awhile, though I've only managed to orbit other planets, I've yet to successfully get enough fuel to land and come back. Funny enough docking a ship with another is by far, much harder than getting to another planet.

I believe being able to dock with a station to refuel is not only the first -big- hurdle in KSP, but one that opens doors.

My Space program tends to be a lot like the Germans in WWII... Now I know what your thinking.. How could you possibly compare the two? Well it's quite simple.. My ships tend to be far to big, and break alot... Much like the German war machines.. (The Tiger being one of them. Big, Bulky, and despite being very powerful, tended to break alot).

This caused an issue, because I could never properly get a station into orbit it seemed, would be simply to big.. If I tried to slim back on the size, it would be too small and I couldn't get it into space.. It was a lose/lose. I could never seem to find that sweet spot.

After a few attempts, I gave up. Fast forward awhile, I finally decided that today would be the day I do it.

And I managed to finally do it today.

My station doesn't look like a station per-say, since I use ferram which makes aerodynamics matter, I figured, why make an aerodynamically challenged ship and make it harder? Therefore my station just looks like a bloated ship with a lot of extra fuel tanks. That being said, it's still rather.. huge.. I made 3 docking ports for ships, with 2 red lights on either side of the docking bays. I then placed several lights facing towards where the ship docking would be, to light it up.

But I managed to dock the refueling ship to it today, and I am so excited.. after about 5 more refueling trips I'll finally be able to refuel in orbit and reach the distant planets and return.

My Only regret? I didn't use single large fuel tanks... /facepalm.. I love the look of the tri coupler, so now I have to individually refuel many many smaller fuel tanks... oh well.. It still works!

So what's your first docking story?

Approach

Approach 2

NEARLY there!

Docked

Detaching

Edited January 3, 2014 by LadyAthena

[InterCity]

I am trying to use Dockless designs. But i had to dock for refuelling when going to Jool (laythe). It was a nightmare, and it was the major reason for starting to use MechJeb.

The interplanetary craft was powered by mainsail. Try docking at 0,5 m/s with it. I barely docked at 7 m/s, while former attempts ended in breaking a solar panel array (replaced later) and destoying some antennas.

It was a priceless experience though. Lesson for today: Never use mainsails, or, even worse, Maverick engines from KW rocketry for sensitive and touchy docking maneuvers

[Snarfster]

You dock with your main engines? No wonder it's a nightmare.

RCS and a Docking Port Alignment Indicator should make docking much easier.

[zeppelinmage]

Docking was one of the first things I taught myself. I had the game for a whole week before I gave it a shot. I sent up a "target" (manned pod with no engine), and a "rescue" into a roughly 100km orbit. Simply for practice.

My first attempts were complete garbage - couldn't get the orbits lined up at all.

Then I watched Scott Manley's

. That was immeasurably helpful.

My second attempt failed, due to forgetting to extend solar panels and running out of electricity. Revert, try again. Third time was a charm. I followed Mr. Manley's guidelines, and it docked easy-peasy.

[federicoaa]

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.

[ripvanlemon]

Zeppelinmage, you did Gemini 8 in reverse. Very cool.

[Xacktar]

My first docking was when I made my first space station.

Then I made the mistake of trying to move it to the Mun...

Um, it had some structural problems with moving...

[LameLefty]

I can't seem to find an image of my first success. This WOULD have been my first success, had I not realized that a Clampotron Jr. wouldn't mate up to a standard sized version. D'oh!

[FITorion]

It was a 4 hour ordeal... with me flipping and flying all around... I've gotten much better. Docking was probably the hardest thing for me to learn. Even now it makes me nervous but I can do it and make it look easy. That certainly wasn't the case at the start.

[LadyAthena]

I need to learn to do what you do Xacktar and build my stations in little parts...

[LadyAthena]

It was a 4 hour ordeal... with me flipping and flying all around... I've gotten much better. Docking was probably the hardest thing for me to learn. Even now it makes me nervous but I can do it and make it look easy. That certainly wasn't the case at the start.

Wasn't for me either. I tried for a bit gave up, then tried a few months later, and finally got it on my 3rd try (after reading how to do it properly). It definitely is a very hard thing to learn at first.

[ScallopPotato]

My first docking was with my Saffle nuclear tug and my Tuck refueler (a self-controlled orange tank). I was so ecstatic when I finally docked the two! The tug and refueler are still in orbit around Laythe (waiting to be used...)

[Caelib]

My experience with learning to dock was similar -- it made me mad every time I tried it, but one day I decided that I had to master it if I wanted to unlock all of KSP's potential.

My best advice for anyone struggling with docking is this: planning to dock starts in the VAB! Build the craft that will be docking FIRST -- then put your RCS on its center of mass (at the time of docking -- account for spent fuel).

After you have done your rendezvous (say, within 100m), select the docking part from your craft and choose "CONTROL FROM HERE". Next, select the docking port on your target and choose "SET AS TARGET".

Now change your view to "CHASE" view ("V" key by default to cycle through). Once you're in CHASE view, position the camera directly behind your craft. Make sure your SAS and RCS are both enabled, then use the RCS translation keys to control as follows:

H & N: Prograde & Retrograde

J & L: Radial & Antiradial (left/right for the layman)

I & K: Normal & Antinormal (up/down for the layman)

Take it slow, anything faster than .3m/sec inside of 100m and you're rushing it and makes mistakes too easy. I would suggest only translating one direction at a time until you get the hang of it -- use two extremely simple craft to practice rendezvous and docking.

[LadyAthena]

My experience with learning to dock was similar -- it made me mad every time I tried it, but one day I decided that I had to master it if I wanted to unlock all of KSP's potential.

My best advice for anyone struggling with docking is this: planning to dock starts in the VAB! Build the craft that will be docking FIRST -- then put your RCS on its center of mass (at the time of docking -- account for spent fuel).

After you have done your rendezvous (say, within 100m), select the docking part from your craft and choose "CONTROL FROM HERE". Next, select the docking port on your target and choose "SET AS TARGET".

Now change your view to "CHASE" view ("V" key by default to cycle through). Once you're in CHASE view, position the camera directly behind your craft. Make sure your SAS and RCS are both enabled, then use the RCS translation keys to control as follows:

H & N: Prograde & Retrograde

J & L: Radial & Antiradial (left/right for the layman)

I & K: Normal & Antinormal (up/down for the layman)

Take it slow, anything faster than .3m/sec inside of 100m and you're rushing it and makes mistakes too easy. I would suggest only translating one direction at a time until you get the hang of it -- use two extremely simple craft to practice rendezvous and docking.

These are good tips and which I learned finally today after my first 2 mistakes. Though the chase view for mine didn't work well at all since my docking ports are positioned to the side of both ships, which just made me disoriented. It will help with conventional ships with docking ports on the nose.

That being said, as Caelib said, easy does it. It's not a race, and the only objective is to simply dock it. When within 500m don't go above 20ms, and when within 100m don't go above 5-10ms. Within 30m, stay 5m/s or lower in speed. Switch to the docking button, and use the RCS thrusters from there on out. Again, easy does it. Slow and steady definitely wins the race for docking.

Also.. Never use your main engines for docking within 100 - 50m.. or.. you're doing it very wrong.

[Loerelau]

Am still surprised that it was so difficult and now so easy! But my first docking was without maneuver nodes... It is more the rendez vous that is difficult.

[Dweller_Benthos]

My very first docking attempt was a complete success - at 25m/s relative velocity. LOL. Let's just say not much of either ship was left afterwards.

Gave up for a long time, finally decided in .20 or .21 to get something in orbit and dock with it. Took a long time and lots of fiddling. I think using the large senior docking ports on the end of a large orange fuel tank was part of it, they are a bit cumbersome. Should have started smaller. Eventually, I'll get back to practicing docking in the career mode, but need to unlock everything in .23 (again, already did in .22).

[Galileo Kerbonaut]

My first docking was an accidental success. I remember reading in the forums how hard it was, and I thought: what's the problem? Then I went for a second dock and missed... over and over again. It took me weeks before I truly understood the mechanics of docking.

[draeath]

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.

Mechjeb has a great RCS balancer - it automatically "throttles" RCS such that your torque is 0. There's no shame in using mechjeb, especially it you use it for information, data entry, and things any sane flight computer would do (such as RCS balancing and throttle governing)

[LadyAthena]

Mechjeb has a great RCS balancer - it automatically "throttles" RCS such that your torque is 0. There's no shame in using mechjeb, especially it you use it for information, data entry, and things any sane flight computer would do (such as RCS balancing and throttle governing)

I use Mechjeb occasionally as well. When which again really is no shame. The automated burns it sets up is no different than when NASA mathematicians and scientists give the Astronauts the angle and burn time irl. The astronauts are not the ones coming up with that, its a bunch of geeks at NASA HQ :3

[Max Grant]

Can't remember my first docking specifically, but I did do it right after it was introduced. I think I avoided it initially because it looked really scary, and of course rendezvous and docking go together, and I couldn't even figure out rendezvous.

If you're having trouble, rendezvous can be made simpler by understanding that there's a setting on the navball that shows you your speed relative to your target. Your goal in rendezvous is to get as close to your target as you can, and while close, reduce that relative speed.

You may have to get close, reduce speed, point at target, get closer, reduce more, but it is just two operations: GET CLOSE + REDUCE SPEED.

If you can get that idea down, it suddenly becomes a lot less intimidating. I usually get docking right on the first try, unless the ships are really heavy, or really light. There's a feel aspect to it that you can't ignore. I've even done rendezvous+docking in interplanetary space, when I belatedly realized I had not provisioned enough fuel on a mission I immediately launched a "rescue" and topped off the tank before I even arrived at my destination.

Once you get close enough, then you are docking.

[draeath]

I use Mechjeb occasionally as well. When which again really is no shame. The automated burns it sets up is no different than when NASA mathematicians and scientists give the Astronauts the angle and burn time irl. The astronauts are not the ones coming up with that, its a bunch of geeks at NASA HQ :3

Yep, and you certainly don't see the astronauts manually riding the throttle either - even back in Apollo they punched the data into the guidance computer and hit Execute.

[RSwordsman]

My first serious attempt at rendezvous/docking was an odyssey of nerves, reverts, and sweat pouring out of me XD. But once I finally did figure out how to rendezvous, my ship designs were plenty good enough to dock with little issue. I made the experimental craft purely for the purpose of having well-balanced RCS.

Now I'm MUCH better at docking and it is almost a routine procedure. I've recently made the jump towards docking modules without independent control systems via tug, so I'm feeling pretty accomplished.

[Caelib]

Yep, and you certainly don't see the astronauts manually riding the throttle either - even back in Apollo they punched the data into the guidance computer and hit Execute.

Except of course Apollo 13, where they had to manually burn and steer the craft while sighting the Earth and Moon ... that's why they train ... when computers fail

[Major "zubb" Tom]

These are good tips and which I learned finally today after my first 2 mistakes. Though the chase view for mine didn't work well at all since my docking ports are positioned to the side of both ships, which just made me disoriented. It will help with conventional ships with docking ports on the nose.

That being said, as Caelib said, easy does it. It's not a race, and the only objective is to simply dock it. When within 500m don't go above 20ms, and when within 100m don't go above 5-10ms. Within 30m, stay 5m/s or lower in speed. Switch to the docking button, and use the RCS thrusters from there on out. Again, easy does it. Slow and steady definitely wins the race for docking.

Also.. Never use your main engines for docking within 100 - 50m.. or.. you're doing it very wrong.

What really?

I've always had my own stupid way with doing things.

I got my first dock the other day by getting 40 some km distant from the target with orbit nodes. After that I was going 100ms to 200ms relative to target at any one time, then I slowed as I got within rock throwing distance. I've usualy been good at driving a kerbal with his pack and with docking and my ship it was near the exact same thing. I got the ships under 0. ms relative and then got out and hooked the ships together with kas pipes. It then oscilated horribly while I went to retreive the kas magnet. I got back in my ship with a quick warp to stop the oscilation.

The two ripped apart after that due to more oscilation and it took a long time to areorake back home, as they are still doing that cause I got bored and quit.

This turned into a long post but I thought it was cool.

[nine_iron]

If you class docking as "impacting at 100m/s" then I was successful in my very first attempt.

What a mess...