Knockoff Skylab

[VincentMcConnell]

The idea is to place this space station into a near perfect 200KM orbit (which it is now. Off by 38 meters from circle) and then use it as a rendezvous station for Kerpollo Command Modules. It is a permanent space station, which means it has no ability to retrofire and return to Kerbin. Crews that dock will leave with the same CM they rode in on. (F* you and the horse you road in on?)

This station rides a single orbit in about 39.88 minutes, according to my very basic calculations on the matter.

(orbital diameter x pi = orbital circumference in meters. Number of meters divided by orbital velocity of the space station.)

[VincentMcConnell]

Well, for anyone who\'s reading, I\'ll be doing periodic updates on my first Skylab docking mission.

Right now, I\'m in an orbital chase of my space station at 180KM (20KM below it.) I launched too early (or late) and so I ended up getting in front of my space station. I have a chase of what seems like a bajillion orbits to make, but it\'s coming along. Here\'s a picture:

[VincentMcConnell]

Anyone following, I just made my first successful rendezvous with this particular space station. This makes my 5th rendezvous in personal history.

1.) Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (weird first rendezvous...)

2.) Kerbin Orbit Rendezvous (Space Station)

3.) Kerbin Orbit Rendezvous (Space Station)

4.) Kerbin Orbit Rendezvous (Docking Shuttle to Docking Shuttle)

5.) Skylab Rendezvous. (Pics below).

A few hundred Meters from Skylab.

Contact with Skylab

Departing.

[grovest4life]

Nice space station my attempts at rendezvous have so far been unsuccessful my closest encounter was 10km but it was tricky because the space junk I was trying to catch had a periapsis at like 60km inside the atmosphere guess i should start with simpler stuff than that the atmosphere complicated things.

[VincentMcConnell]

Nice space station my attempts at rendezvous have so far been unsuccessful my closest encounter was 10km but it was tricky because the space junk I was trying to catch had a periapsis at like 60km inside the atmosphere guess i should start with simpler stuff than that the atmosphere complicated things.

Kosmo-not has a great little table on orbital rendezvous intercept burn distances. Check out 'Orbital Rendezvous Made Easy'.

For the most part, the more you learn about orbital mechanics, the easier it becomes. Keep practicing. you\'ll get it. What I do is look straight down my engine bell and then make sure the purple indicator has no velocity horizontally and vertically by aligning it with a fixed surface on my spacecraft.

Generally, I\'ll approach at around 100 meters per 2 minutes and then when I make final approach for 'docking' or contact, I am moving at about .5 meters per second (relative, of course). At instant of contact, of course, I have no relative velocity.

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

Anyone following, I just made my first successful rendezvous with this particular space station. This makes my 5th rendezvous in personal history.

1.) Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (weird first rendezvous...)

2.) Kerbin Orbit Rendezvous (Space Station)

3.) Kerbin Orbit Rendezvous (Space Station)

4.) Kerbin Orbit Rendezvous (Docking Shuttle to Docking Shuttle)

5.) Skylab Rendezvous. (Pics below).

A few hundred Meters from Skylab.

Contact with Skylab

Departing.

Nice record. Did you do them by the seat of your pants or did you use some mod.

Also, nice rendevous.

[VincentMcConnell]

Nice record. Did you do them by the seat of your pants or did you use some mod.

I just did it like a normal rendezvous. No mods, just manual. I was in a 180 KM orbit until I became 50.5KM away from the spacestation and then transferred to a 200KM orbit. It was all just controlled piloting for about 900 meters from there. All of my rendezvous has either been using the table or just waiting until I was close and hoping the transfer would end me up in the right place (those were my older rendezvous. Especially my lunar orbit rendezvous).

Also, nice rendevous.

Thanks, GroundHOG

[DeviouslyDeviant]

What mods did u use?

[VincentMcConnell]

What mods did u use?

Kubble Space Station by Cymae (single unit version) and the Down Under Aerospace 2M fuel tanks with Nova Punch RCS thrusters.