how to rendezvous and dock

[[REDACTED]]

im having so much trouble rendezvousing, and will probably have trouble docking, are there any tips or mods to help with the both of them?

(also would be helpful but not needed, if there is a mod that helps with rendezvousing how do i install mods)

[gamename]

Without mods - try the in-game tutorial a few times, it's a start. Then maybe try to find an article /thread / yt that explains intercept orbits - I found a good thread on, I think, ksp forums, but don't have ht elink handy, with a few good diagrams.

IDK mods, I'm about to take the plunge on those, there are definitely some that will help you with this (mechJeb?) - but I'd suggest trying to get it a few times 'manually', regardless

Specifically - do you have RCS thrusters? (auto)pilot with target tracking? You know how to use 'target mode' on the navball?

[[REDACTED]]

Originally posted by gamename:

Without mods - try the in-game tutorial a few times, it's a start. Then maybe try to find an article /thread / yt that explains intercept orbits - I found a good thread on, I think, ksp forums, but don't have ht elink handy, with a few good diagrams.

IDK mods, I'm about to take the plunge on those, there are definitely some that will help you with this (mechJeb?) - but I'd suggest trying to get it a few times 'manually', regardless

Specifically - do you have RCS thrusters? (auto)pilot with target tracking? You know how to use 'target mode' on the navball?

i do know how to use the target mode on the navball, and i realised that i was using too few rcs thrusters, also, the in game tutorial for docking doesnt work for me, it doesnt let me click ok at the part where it tells you to execute the burn when ready.

also, thanks for the surprisingly fast answer

EDIT: yeah i added another set of RCS thrusters, and it handles much better now, i am currently in a flight, hopefully i can rendezvous properly

[gamename]

Originally posted by REDACTED:

i do know how to use the target mode on the navball, and i realised that i was using too few rcs thrusters, also, the in game tutorial for docking doesnt work for me, it doesnt let me click ok at the part where it tells you to execute the burn when ready.

also, thanks for the surprisingly fast answer

Yeah, happened to be browsing now :) You might wait for a mod-oriented answer and/or start digging that way (I think CKAN mod-loader is the start of the path)

Besides not covering a range of scenarios, the tut is very picky. I had to start over several times to get it exactly as they want. Would be better if you could save, or scroll the messages back and frth at will (force the tut forward a step if you burn early, or over burn but correct yourself) IDK if there's a mod-ack of better tutorials; it would be a good idea ... I don't remember it exactly, but .. did you try burning, then clicking ok,? maybe that's what it's waiting for

[[REDACTED]]

Originally posted by gamename:

Originally posted by REDACTED:

i do know how to use the target mode on the navball, and i realised that i was using too few rcs thrusters, also, the in game tutorial for docking doesnt work for me, it doesnt let me click ok at the part where it tells you to execute the burn when ready.

also, thanks for the surprisingly fast answer

Yeah, happened to be browsing now :) You might wait for a mod-oriented answer and/or start digging that way (I think CKAN mod-loader is the start of the path)

Besides not covering a range of scenarios, the tut is very picky. I had to start over several times to get it exactly as they want. Would be better if you could save, or scroll the messages back and frth at will (force the tut forward a step if you burn early, or over burn but correct yourself) IDK if there's a mod-ack of better tutorials; it would be a good idea ... I don't remember it exactly, but .. did you try burning, then clicking ok,? maybe that's what it's waiting for

yeah there was only one single time the ok button was available, and it was for an eighth of a second and it never came back

[gamename]

I guess you missed something (for the prompt), try again, maybe. Although .. Did you execute the burn as scheduled? Until the maneuver gauge empties and you click the green check?

[[REDACTED]]

i didnt think that i needed to fully execute the burn, i thought it'd pop up when you reach the node

[gamename]

I don't remember it so precisely, but from what you're saying, .. yeah, I'd say go ahead and execute the next step, which I guess is the burn you just planned *at a node/time*... let's see, you've planned a maneuver to adjust inclilnation, right? at a An/Dn .. but it could be any maneuver, anywhere - click 'warp to maneuver' to speed the time along, note the countdown (and burn duration indicator), burn , if you get it right enough (you can use fine throttle, not just Z and X) you get a check mark, which you check to dismiss the burn/maneuver-node indicator ... could that be what it's waiting for?


Other thoughts ...

(Assuming circular orbits) - when you're 'almost docked' or 'just undocked', you'll have the same orbital height, velocity, phase angle as the target. A lower, parallel, orbit is faster, a higher one is slower. If you circularize too close to the target's orbit, before planning an intersect (narrowing phase angle), you'll have a long wait to intersect. (bc you'd be at the same-ish orbital height and velocity, not 'closing distance')

Note the maneuver tool's orbit-skipping +/-, to see what waiting does to the intersect points of stable (don't go too low!) orbits

edit:
Yeah, make sure your RCS are balanced around your CoM, have enough fuel, and that you have a suitable reaction wheel
Don't forget to turn RCS off when not in use! (You'll forget, you'll see :P)

If you're playing your own game/testpad (not the tut), do save and re-try things. When you get close enough for docking, save ... eva for a bit. Zero-g maneuver (eva 'docking') is cool, but lining up the docking port on a vessel just right can be a pain ... :P

[xjulep]

You can set nav ball to "target" mode, and it will show relative velocity and pink TOWARD and AWAY FROM target symbols.

When I am about a minute away from "closest approach" I face my rocket away from the target and burn slowly every few seconds like this:

[burn here] ----- [retrograde reticule] ------- [away-from-target symbol]

So that the retrograde reticule more and more lines up with the target.

Then you only have to watch the relative velocity and make sure it reaches 0 BEFORE you crash into the other spacecraft. Lol.


When docking I turn off the main engine so nothing unfortunate happens

[andylaugel]

Here is my step by step guide.

The Basics

You should be familiar with using maneuver nodes and the navball.

Using Maneuver Nodes

When flying a vessel, you can go to map view and add a maneuver node along your flight path. This node has two modes. One has six vectors (prograde, retrograde, normal, anti-normal, radial, anti-radial) which you can pull and push to adjust the direction and magnitude of the burn at that point. Right-click the node to toggleit into the other mode that turns those vectors turn into 3 icons--the red x deletes the node, the '+' advances the node forward in time by an orbit, and the '-' regresses the burn by one orbit. You can also more easily drag the center of the maneuver node around your orbit as well, adjusting the position and timing of the burn. This is a powerful tool you should be using.

The Navball

It shows you which way you're oriented. Blue is "sky" and brown is "ground." There is a word at the top that'll either say "Orbit", "Surface", or "Target." Click on this word to change from one reference frame to another.

• Orbit: Does not take planet's rotation into account. Good for general maneuvers.
  
• Surface: Does take the planet's orbit into account. Useful when landing.
  
• Target: Shows your speed and orientation relative to the targeted vessel. Useful when matching velocities and docking afterwards.

Match Inclination

Semi-optional. On the map screen if you select your craft and target the other craft, you'll see a pair of dashed lines connecting the two. Hover over these, and you'll get the # degrees apart the planes of your respective orbits are.

Burn normal or antinormal at the ascending node (AN) or decending node (DN) and bring this angle down to zero degrees.

The Intercept Burn

Make sure the other craft is still selected as your target. Add a maneuver node at any point in your orbit. Adjust the prograde or retrograde vector so you get both a pair of magenta and orange markers in your orbit. This shows how close your vessels pass at their closest point. Adjust the timing and magnitude of the prograde/retrograde burn so one single-colored pair is within 0.2 km. Do the burn per the maneuver node.

After the burn, if you aren't as close as you'ld like, feel free to do some fine tuning. You've got 6 easy directions and tapping the 'z' key will engage engines at low power. You can hover the mouse over the intercept in map mode to see how close your intercept will be with the target for feedback.

Match Velocities

Switch the navball into "Target" mode, while still having the other craft targeted. You'll want to slow to a stop near the other craft by burning retrograde. You can use math to compute your acceleration, time to decelerate to 0 from your current speed, and burn that way. Or you can gently decelerate when you're within 10-20 seconds of the target and slowly bring your speed down to 0 just as you're close enough to the target.

Docking Maneuvers

You can switch between nearby vessels using the [ and ] keys. You can click on a docking port and "control from here". Have each vessel target the other, and point their docking ports at each other. (If you can't control each craft's orientation, this part gets harder.)

If you're smart or lucky, at least one of your vessels has RCS thrusters, has them mounted so you can move in all 6 directions, and has the propellant to use them. If so, you can go into docking mode and control them with the ijklhn keys. If not, you can use your main engine, but you'll want to go gently.

You'll want to bring your docking ports in contact with each other at 1 m/s or less. Magnets on each port will pull at each other when they're close enough, and connect the two ships into one.

[[REDACTED]]

i have figured it out, i was being a dumbass and thought the docking training was bugged for me when i wasnt reading the things properly

[gamename]

Congrats on progress. Actually, I think I had a pretty similar (maybe exact same) problem .. maybe it's not a bug, but it's a little 'unpolished' .. could make it easier for the user to figure out, right?

Good posts, a couple thoughts of those:
Several of my craft have vernier rcs, so I just thrust limit the main engine, rather than turn it off.

Originally posted by andylaugel:

Docking Maneuvers

You can switch between nearby vessels using the [ and ] keys. You can click on a docking port and "control from here". Have each vessel target the other, and point their docking ports at each other. (If you can't control each craft's orientation, this part gets harder.)
.

I usually find 'control from here' more confusing than useful (so far), but one detail I'd add here is that you can target a part (docking port) not just the whole craft.
Also, sorry to be picky, that brackets cycle focus to anything nearby (Kerbal on EVA, dropped parts)

[[REDACTED]]

Originally posted by gamename:

Congrats on progress. Actually, I think I had a pretty similar (maybe exact same) problem .. maybe it's not a bug, but it's a little 'unpolished' .. could make it easier for the user to figure out, right?

Good posts, a couple thoughts of those:
Several of my craft have vernier rcs, so I just thrust limit the main engine, rather than turn it off.

Originally posted by andylaugel:

Docking Maneuvers

You can switch between nearby vessels using the [ and ] keys. You can click on a docking port and "control from here". Have each vessel target the other, and point their docking ports at each other. (If you can't control each craft's orientation, this part gets harder.)
.

I usually find 'control from here' more confusing than useful (so far), but one detail I'd add here is that you can target a part (docking port) not just the whole craft.
Also, sorry to be picky, that brackets cycle focus to anything nearby (Kerbal on EVA, dropped parts)

i found that Matt Lowne's way of docking is way easier, if you dont alr know what it is, you go to the ship you are trying to dock to, and target the ship who is docking's docking port, then control from the docking port you want to dock to, and sas to target, then on the ship you are docking, target the docking port that is targeting your docking port, and then they will always be aligned
8 uses of the word "dock" (including inside of the word "docking") and 6 uses of "docking" in that explanation lol
dock docking docking docking dock docking docking docking

[gamename]

Originally posted by REDACTED:

Originally posted by gamename:

I usually find 'control from here' more confusing than useful (so far), but one detail I'd add here is that you can target a part (docking port) not just the whole craft.
Also, sorry to be picky, that brackets cycle focus to anything nearby (Kerbal on EVA, dropped parts)

i found that Matt Lowne's way of docking is way easier, if you dont alr know what it is, you go to the ship you are trying to dock to, and target the ship who is docking's docking port, then control from the docking port you want to dock to, and sas to target, then on the ship you are docking, target the docking port that is targeting your docking port, and then they will always be aligned
8 uses of the word "dock" (including inside of the word "docking") and 6 uses of "docking" in that explanation lol
dock docking docking docking dock docking docking docking

Hmm. I was thinking that maybe it was my ships (need more balance, more rcs?) .. that could still be, but thinking on what you're saying, maybe I should switch control only for the last few meters, for alignment.

I should check that out, I've seen a few posters mention his name. Mike Aben also seems popular and current. Scott Manley's KSP stuff is mostly years old, but his non-KSP stuff is still good.

Was going to try to point this way without spoiling, but doesn't seem to matter, hickery dickery dockery .. You can get contracts to rescue Kerbals stranded in orbit, usually in just a crew part .. so you can rendezvous, switch focus to the debris, make that kerbal EVA over to your rescue-craft or you bring along a few docking ports (and an engi, if your rescuee isn't one), stick one on the debris, and dock with it *ever so gently*, as not to send it spinning away from you, then proceed to the next target

Oh, and speaking of 'control from here' and docking, ha, *after* docking, be sure to check that control is where you want it to be. Just did a rescue where the rescued 'craft' was given name and control priority over my rescue-interceptor