Is there any special trick to making a rendezvous in deep space?

[jamgoth]

I'm having trouble making an encounter with an asteroid. I got to within 200 kilometers but that isn't close enough.

[jamgoth]

double post, sorry

Edited May 10, 2014 by jamgoth

[Procyon]

In theory its the same as a docking rendezvous or a planetary encounter, you have to mach the targets orbit. the "trick" is you cant make orbit around the asteroid so is more like a docking maneuver once you get close.

[jamgoth]

Okay, I guess I will try again soon.

[Claw]

Here is a tutorial I wrote. It doesn't seem to be very popular, but perhaps it will answer your question.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/75759-Asteroid-Rendezvous-Outside-of-Kerbin%E2%80%99s-SOI

[Superfluous J]

The short of it is, once you're within 200km you burn to put your prograde marker on the target marker, and then do all of your burns from that point on to either slow down or get those markers lined up. Do this in Target Mode, of course. Not Orbit Mode or Surface Mode.

You'll have to decide what speed to approach, and I suggest hitting F5 while learning so you can try multiple approaches. But so long as you "keep the yellow thing on the pink thing" as I tend to say it, you'll always be fine. But this only works when you're close to the target (200km for an asteroid is fine).

If you're curious, I made a video that details everything from asteroid selection to rendezvous (but nothing past that). I start in the tracking station looking at asteroids and end parked next to the asteroid I chose with plenty of time to modify its orbit once caught.

[cantab]

While as Claw describes you can do better, a couple of hundred km should be OK. Match relative speeds then get heading towards it. Your orbit is around 20,000 times bigger than LKO, and about 150 times bigger than even the widest orbit possible around Kerbin, so in relative terms that 200 km intercept is like a 10 metre intercept in LKO.

[linkxsc]

Managed 1 in deep space near kerbin last night. My craft was a bit oversized (tac life support. I brought way more life support than needed) but from a 450km intercept. Burning towards at 50m/s. Only ended up ~1700m off. Most of that was probably due to my own improperly aimed burn, and not orbital curvature.

[jamgoth]

5th horseman- I have to say, your method works really well. I got within 20 kilometers but I couldn't accelerate fast enough to hit the asteroid. Going to have to try a second time.

[Superfluous J]

5th horseman- I have to say, your method works really well. I got within 20 kilometers but I couldn't accelerate fast enough to hit the asteroid. Going to have to try a second time.

Not my method per-se, but yeah, it is really good. It works for EVERY approach you ever do. I use it for the approach to my stations I'm docking to as well and it works every time.