I know it takes practice but i dont know how to get close to the craft i want to dock to ... the docking is easy but to get close to the target is a pain eny tips

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    335 XBeastX

    @sflanker thanks i will watch it thanks for the help

    4.2 years ago
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    Mod sflanker

    You should try watching this video.

    It takes a little while to get to the point because it covers a little bit of rocket building, but this does a great job of explaining the practical considerations of rendezvous and docking.

    4.2 years ago
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    335 XBeastX

    @sflanker matching the orbits is the real pain ... and im new to the game so dont really know what all the symbols on the map means

    4.2 years ago
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    Mod sflanker

    What kind of distance are you talking about? If you're talking about being in a different orbit than the target or out of phase by more than a few kilometers than you should focus on learning and mastering orbital maneuvers.

    Once you are within a few kilometers the technique I've been using is to use RCS in translate mode to move toward the target while compensating for any altitude change that might induce and then match velocities once you are very close to the target (within 100 meters) focus on exactly matching velocity (keep in mind that however much you change your velocity by to close the gap you have to undo that to avoid overshooting). Patience is a virtue, if you come in to fast you will have trouble overshooting your target. It's important to have a good RCS setup on your craft so that you can translate without inducing spin, and so that it is powerful enough to make it responsive without being excessively twitchy. Managing your ships orientation while translating can be quite tricky. There are numerous approaches, but I like to lock toward the target to translate towards it and then lock to current heading when matching velocity. Remember to get your roll leveled so that translation inputs go in the direction you expect. One other tip when matching velocity is focus on one axis at a time. Zoom out so that your nav rings extend far enough to encompass your target and then orient the camera so that you're seeing one of the planes from the side, translate perpendicular to that plane such that the target is on the same plane as you and holding steady.

    +1 4.2 years ago

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