General Question Auto Docking

[sneekyzeke]

I promise I have searched and I know the answer is in here somewhere, but I can't find it! So please, can someone point me to an AutoPilot for docking with other stations and spacecraft? I'm terrible at docking (getting old I guess). Thanks in advance! Jon

 

[tl8]

I promise I have searched and I know the answer is in here somewhere, but I can't find it! So please, can someone point me to an AutoPilot for docking with other stations and spacecraft? I'm terrible at docking (getting old I guess). Thanks in advance! Jon

Lola MFD has the option of auto docking, but I am unsure on if it works.

Do you know what part of the docking you have trouble with?

 

[sneekyzeke]

Thanks for the quick reply, tl8. I have that LOLA module; I will check it out. No matter how slowly and methodically I go at docking, I seem to end up "chasing" the indicators. I sloooowly drift towards the dock; when nothing happens I check the external view only to find I have "merged" and begun to pass thru my "victim" (nyuk nyuk). I want to play the first scenario to "2001 Revisited: To the Moon in 24 Hours (TTM24)", but I can't complete the first dock! Jon
P.S. sorry, but I'm a VERY slow typist....

 

[tl8]

Watch the docking play back of the DG, it should so you what the indicators mean.

Bring up the docking MFD and watch you closing rate, in Orbiter 30cm / sec is a normal closing rate. In real life the closing rate is *very* small (close to 5cm /sec(don't quote me on that))

Remember to make sure your rotation is with in the limits

 

[sneekyzeke]

Doh! Tl8, look at 1st scenario in the "DeltaGliderIV/Tutorial" entry in the Launchpad. It's entitled "AutoPilot Docking". Man, I'd be dangerous if I could get all my thoughts working together at once! Anyway, thanks for your help! Looking forward to being a part of this forum. Jon

 

[TSPenguin]

I always found Orbital Operations to be a very fine tutorial for it. I hope this helps you.

 

[clive bradbury]

I would (and always do!) use Attitude MFD when docking. It allows you to kill all relative motion with your target, so you are able to correct any situation where you are drifting off course or approaching too fast.

I'm not sure, but I think you can program autodocking in the old 'redshift' autopilot - not the easiest thing to configure, though.

---------- Post added at 10:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------

Further to my above post - you can use redshift to autodock - here is the link to the code:

http://aspector.com/~brf/REDSHIFT/REDSHIFT.html

 

[ar81]

I always found Orbital Operations to be a very fine tutorial for it. I hope this helps you.

Indeed a fine tutorial, the one I used to learn.

 

[Lucy]

That and the "dancing in the dark" chapter of "Go play in space".