Overview
A step by step guild to how one completes the docking scenario in the training mission. Included are videos showing how it’s done, and what went horribly wrong!!!
Orbital Alignment
- Target the Stranded.
- Add an anti-normal (pink triangle on the bottom) burn at the Ascending Node. (AN)
You will likely have to tap Z then X for a short prograde burn to get the time to show up.
It will tell you it’s between 40s and 4min, but it’s not.
It will change to 27s the moment you start your burn.
- Start your burn at minus 13-15 seconds.
- Cut your engines when the next pops up if your reflexes are good, or cut early and low thrust in.
Intercept Burn
- Pick any point on the ring and add maneuver.
- Slide prograde until your orbit is just bigger than the Stranded’s Orbit.
- Move your node until you see two orange shield like icons.
- keep sliding until they line up.
When you are done, with your ship at the bottom on the map, your burn will be at the 2 o’clock position.
Your orbit may fall short or be much too large.
- Adjust your prograde accordingly until the shields say you are under 5km separation.
For fine adjustments you can mousewheel over prograde to make the change. (wheel slowly!)
You will end up in the same place every time, so you should have a 43-44 second burn.
42 will hit their orbit, but remember that you have to slow down to match their speed. 45 or more is just wasting fuel.
- Start your burn at minus 22 seconds.
Again, you can cut early and low thrust until next appears if you’re worried.
If you pass the point you need by a small amount you can use RCS. Hold N to reverse without having to change direction.
Slowing Your Roll
- Set the gimbal to target mode.
- At 15km from stranded start a retrograde burn and drop your speed below 50m/s
The game says to use the RCS. Save ’em, and use a low thrust burn by tapping shift.
As you complete this burn you will see your orbit start to match theirs
WHOA There!
- At 5km from the Stranded begin your RCS retrograde burn to bring your relative speed to 0.
It will let you continue around 0.5, but bring it to 0 anyway as it will help later.
There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
Final Approach
- Select target mode on SAS and do a RCS burn towards the Stranded Stay below 10m/s (meters per second)
I find 5-6m/s a good range. (That’s meters per second. Once or twice I said milliseconds by accident.)
Watching your speed in map mode gives you the full view or your distance. This allows you to adjust your speed sooner.
- Keep adjusting speed from time to time to make sure you are not drifting away.
As you make your approach there are various things that will cause you to start drifting away. Most of the time you won’t see your speed change to warn you something is wrong.
When you are within 1km you can start adjusting your position so the stranded no longer drifts in camera view. More on this in the next step.
Stop Circling!
I like to use Free View for this, as you can better see what needs to be done.
Now that you are within 1k you will start circling OVER AND OVER.
- Drop your speed to about 2m/s
In Free Camera View, look at the back of your ship. There are two sets of pipes coming off your engine. A solo pipe, and a set of two.
- Use Q or E to rotate the ship so the single pipe is at the bottom.
This will set up your RCS controls as follows.
I = Up
K = Down
J = Right
L = Left
If you prefer, setting the single pipe to the top will make left – right normal, and up – down reversed.
You basically want to push your ship the same direction their ship is moving.
So if their ship is moving down on your screen, use the control that pushes you down (at the top of your ship)
If they are moving right, use the thrusters on your left.
- At 100m, open the nose shield and choose control from here.
Once you are stable and it’s not drifting, you will probably be within 50km if you kept your speed positive.
- Drop your speed more. I like 0.4m/s
At this point you can clearly see the Stranded and which direction it’s pointing. (if you get out from behind your ship some.)
- Give your ship a nudge in the direction of the nose of their ship so you swing around in front of them.
Docking
At this point you should be about 10-20m away, and in front of them.
- Drop to 0.2m/s so you have more time to fine tune your approach.
- Keep finessing the controls to maintain your alignment, until you are JUST about to touch.
- Tap H to bring your speed up to 0.6m/s.
- Tap R to cut RCS controls right before you touch!
Going to slow, it will not connect, and you will ricochet.
With RCS on, the thrusters may push you when you make contact, and swing you around.
WE ARE DONE!!!! Unless you would like to bring them back.
Recovery
Your options are to:
A – Hold LeftALT and click the fuel tanks to transfer fuel. This means neither one of you may have enough to get home.
B – Transfer the Kerbals to your ship and take them home yourself.
Let’s go with B shall we?
- Click their pod.
- Choose Transfer.
- Pick a Kerbal.
- Click your pod.
- Repeat.
THIS NEXT PART IS VITAL!!!!
- Click YOUR pod.
- Choose control from here.
- Click your shield.
- Choose uncouple.
- Close the shield so you don’t forget later.
If you do not choose your pod before uncoupling, you end up in control of their ship, and can’t change back. *facepalm*
Transferring Kerbals
Bring ‘Em Home
- Add a maneuver at the PE node (Periapsis, or closest point in your orbit)
- Choose a retrograde burn.
As your orbit path decreases, your PE node will move.
- Click the adjusted PE node and watch the elevation.
- Drop the PE node to re-entry level.
Various tutorials I found suggest 20km to be ideal for this pod, and I’ve had no problems with it so far.
This will end up being another 42-44 second burn IN RETROGRADE!!!! triple check…
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- Start your burn around minus 22 seconds.
Don’t decouple your engines, in case something goes wrong, until the last moment.
- Sit back and wait until you reach atmo.
- If everything is looking good, decouple your engine.
- Pop your parachute when they are ready (after your ship is no longer on fire….Obviously)
- KASPLUSH!!! Or THUD if you hit land…
- Scream YES!!!
- Punch the air!
- Hug someone and cry.
- You’ve earned the Champagne, so pop that cork!
- Spray it everywhere!
- IT’S ON YOU COMPUTER!!!! FREAK OUT AND PULL THE PLUG!!!!
Good luck folks, and safe flying!
Videos
The Following video contains all the information you will need to
- Alter your orbital inclination.
- Perform an intercept.
- Dock with the Stranded.
- Transfer the Kerbals to your ship.
- Switch command back to your ship.
- Uncouple
- Fly off into space.. Wait… What? Oh shoot….
In this video you will find out if I successfully saved my little Kerbal friends, as I face the following challenges:
- I’m out of liquid fuel.
- My path is leading me OUT of orbit.
- With only RCS thrusters I have to return to an orbital path, AND hit atmo…