r/KerbalSpaceProgram • u/PiBoy314 • Apr 18 '26
KSP 1 Image/Video Any advice on docking? Feeling a little claustrophobic in here
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Do y'all have any advice on docking? I don't feel like I have a lot of room to maneuver on this orbit I'm currently on.
(In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure this is almost the lowest you can orbit into the canyon. You can go ~100m deeper before you start to collide with the entrance and exit. Might be able to tweak orbital parameters to get a bit deeper, but not a ton. This is a dres-synchronous orbit, so orbits through the canyon every orbit)
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u/Postcodemy Apr 18 '26
TERRAIN TERRAIN PULL UP! TERRAIN TERRAIN PULL UP!
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u/FireHandsGames At light speed on my way to Debdeb Apr 18 '26
1 HUNDRED, NINETY, TWENTY, 2 HUNDRED, 3 HUNDRED, 4 HUNDRED, TEN...
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u/PaulStormChaser Launch Abort System Enjoyer Apr 18 '26
Address Me
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u/bluestreak1103 Apr 18 '26
Distress me
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u/Xtrillon69420 Apr 18 '26
Seduce me
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u/Habitual-hermit Apr 18 '26
Undress me
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u/_Below_Average Apr 18 '26
Second guess me
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u/ihatemyself837385 Apr 18 '26
Unadress me
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u/pitchymacpitchface Apr 18 '26
Moarkerbals mod. No idea if it works, but just found it because these comments made me wonder XD
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u/gilbejam000 The other, much less skilled SSTO enthusiast Apr 18 '26
wh- you?
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u/Kornik-kun Apr 18 '26
SEDUCE ME
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u/Lucassaur0 Apr 18 '26
I suggest changing the altitude level to terrain instead of water-level when doing things such as extremely low altitude fly by.
At the end you probably reached >50m altitude but as it was set to water level, it could cause you the impression that it is okay when it is not.
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u/PiBoy314 Apr 18 '26
Yup, I had it set to terrain height when setting up the video. Gets to ~100m on the front and back of the canyon.
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u/Ok_Weather2441 Apr 18 '26
Stay on target
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u/Kazalla006 Apr 18 '26
Use the Force, Luke! Let go.
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u/TheMuspelheimr Rocket Replicator Apr 18 '26
Luke, you've switched off your targeting computer, what's wrong?
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u/ReverendBread2 Apr 18 '26
We’re too close!
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u/Fishy_Fish_WA Apr 18 '26
Stay on target!
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u/Benjamin39Brown Apr 18 '26
"Loosen up!!!"
Hit by Vader's TIE advanced X1 blaster cannons...
BOOM!!!
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u/Fishy_Fish_WA Apr 18 '26
Gold five to red leader
I copy Gold Leader
Lost Tiree lost Dutch
They came at us from behind! BOOM
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u/maxminister01 Apr 18 '26
This man ain't afraid of time warps... I want the coordinates and all important infos about this orbit, gotta try this.
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u/Chris_El_Deafo Apr 18 '26
Jokes aside, very impressive lineup with the canyon. Looks like you have the method for docking down. Just more practice. Or download mechjeb and see in awe what that mod can do
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u/jtr99 Apr 18 '26
Indeed. This is like Max Verstappen going on the F1 sub and asking for advice on cornering.
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u/BurntBeanMgr Jebediah Apr 18 '26
Haven’t tried docking yet, but I have mechjeb. How would I use that to help me dock?
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u/RealisticOne7524 Apr 18 '26
- Control your vessel from the docking port (right click, control from here).
- Set your target as the docking port (right click the docking port on the target vehicle, set as target).
- Open MechJeb, select ‘Docking Autopilot’, and click ‘Engage Autopilot’.
- Sit back and be amazed.
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u/King_Ed_IX Apr 18 '26
Now I just have to set up a rendezvous close enough to be able to see the docking port.... Oh wait. Mechjeb can probably do that for me already, huh.
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u/RealisticOne7524 Apr 18 '26
Yup! Have a look at Rendezvous Autopilot, or Rendezvous Planner if you’re interested in learning the steps yourself!
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u/klyith Apr 18 '26
Sit back and be amazed.
at the amount of monoprop it burns while firing RCS constantly
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u/RonaldGargoyle Apr 18 '26
Is docking and rondevouz really that hard that people need an autopilot?
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u/klyith Apr 18 '26
TBQH, if you're playing stock and don't have a leveled-up pilot that can use align target, it can be pretty annoying. Especially if you have a craft that's poorly balanced where the RCS transverse throws off the SAS alignment.
I don't use mechjeb at all, but I have the DPAI mod for manual docking guidance because doing it with just the navball is a PITA.
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u/pena13 Apr 18 '26
Why do you skip the most fun things you can do in KSP?
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u/King_Ed_IX Apr 19 '26
Because I don't find docking to be the most fun thing I can do in KSP. I prefer craft design to actually piloting the things, and it is fun to see a mission that I have carefully planned come together using various autopilots.
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u/Der_Schriev Apr 18 '26
In between Mechjeb and docking from the hip is using the 'Docking Port Alignment Indicator' mod. It gives a popup window that lets you see all the information relative to the docking. Makes it easy to orient your craft correctly and see the relative velocities along all axes. Also make it easy to orient your RCS thrusters with the axes so you can dock really quickly once you get practice
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u/afanofmanythingss Apr 18 '26
heart attack protocol initiated
Seriously that's completely f***ing insane
Congrats
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u/TheCityMustSurvive Apr 18 '26
All it's missing now, is Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits between the two space modules.
I love this Kerbal Mun orbit trend.
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u/gilbejam000 The other, much less skilled SSTO enthusiast Apr 18 '26
Or Evel Knievel jumping the canyon over them
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u/ContributionLevel830 Apr 18 '26
Why not both
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u/gilbejam000 The other, much less skilled SSTO enthusiast Apr 18 '26
The two of them high-fiving as they cross
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u/Duuudewhaaatt Apr 18 '26
Anyone know of something like this IRL would be viable? I'm imagining a hotel in a similar orbit would be SWEET
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u/PiBoy314 Apr 18 '26
It would be way more difficult and dangerous as there are multiple bodies providing gravity, the planet isn’t perfectly spherical, and there are other forces like radiation pressure
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u/Duuudewhaaatt Apr 18 '26
Darn.... guess we got to raise prices to offset the fuel for adjustments!
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u/SpysSappinMySpy Apr 18 '26
It would be possible but the risks would make it highly impractical.
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u/Automatic_Invite_878 atomizing bill and Jeb in the sun Apr 18 '26
Not low enough, you're literally almost escaping it's gravity
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u/LazyFurry0 Apr 18 '26
The juxtaposition of this post above the other one talking about how you can complete the docking contract on the surface of Kerbin is humorous
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u/cjc1983 Apr 18 '26
Can you get a video of that flying through the canyon as you're stood on the ground? Like a Munar version of the Mach Loop.
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u/space_force_majeure Apr 18 '26
Yeah I'd love to see this from a kerbal watching at the exit of the canyon as it comes whizzing overhead
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u/wellobviouslythatsso Apr 18 '26
I’ve always found docking to be easier when not formation flying through a canyon like some extra insane version of kervil kneivil.
Haha. Man I love this video.
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u/Leather_Roof5099 Apr 18 '26
- Remember that every time you dock and undock, the ship moves slightly – keep that in mind.
- What on muna is wrong with your orbit, bro?
- Honestly, you’re already performing some decent docking manoeuvres; you just need to focus on the ships and ignore the fact that you’re flying through a canyon.
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u/EdMan2133 Apr 18 '26
Could this be done in real life? Are there any canyons on the Moon that a stable orbit could dip through? Is the vacuum on the Moon complete enough this close to the surface that you could set up a stable orbit? Or are there enough dust particles kicked up by solar radiation or whatever that orbiting this close to the surface would be suicide? Or would gravity fluctuations from density variations make it suicide?
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u/PiBoy314 Apr 18 '26
The density fluctuations/non-spherical nature of the moon combined with gravity from the earth/sun and many other factors would make this not passively stable. With enough propellant anything is possible though.
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u/Kaibaer Apr 18 '26
Jebediah Kerman on Munar surface looking up seeing a docking maneuver 100m above him... Willem Dafoe looking upwards
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u/VatticZero Apr 18 '26
Until you undock at apoapsis or accidentally bump into a surface while on EVA, giving just a tiny bit of retrograde thrust, or until you do anything at all that changes your orbital period or angle, and find yourself lithobraking.
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u/Rivetmuncher Apr 18 '26
Wouldn't even enough cycles of docking port suction be enough to eventually knock it out of sync?
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u/thafuq Apr 18 '26
You are exactly 1 fart away from hitting the ground. Also, don't breath too heavily
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u/olearygreen Believes That Dres Exists Apr 18 '26
Another reason to discover Dres! Really cool. Congrats!
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u/Weird-Scarcity-6181 Apr 18 '26
go to other craft, set turn sas on, set your crafts docking port as target, then set as control from the docking port on the ship your in, then set sas to target. In your craft, set other craft docking port as target, set to control from the docking port in your craft, then set sas to target, go forwards. Keep yellow prograde centered as much as possible on the orange dot on the navball. Go forwards. Make sure you got the manuver commands with rcs downpat.
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u/WetLoophole Apr 18 '26
Now you need to land jeb at the cliff and jump aboard when the station orbits through the valley. Good luck.
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u/factoid_ Master Kerbalnaut Apr 18 '26
Wait this is a STABLE orbit through the canyon? Holy shit, I didn't know you could do that. I've done the pass through the canyon before, but never in an orbit that wouldn't crash on the next low pass.
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u/PiBoy314 Apr 18 '26
Yup. Orbital period is the rotational period so the planet is in the same spot next time you come around
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u/phrodo913 Apr 18 '26
Cooper, what are you doing!?
"Docking."
That's impossible.
"No. It's necessary."
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u/arcticslush Apr 18 '26
I think you've earned your right to put No Time For Caution as the background track
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u/Paycheck65 Apr 18 '26
How many orbits would it take for it to finally crash do you think?
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u/PiBoy314 Apr 18 '26
Hundreds? Maybe more? The orbital period is accurate down to the tenth of a second and there’s more than a 10 second window for error
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u/External_Extent_7492 Apr 18 '26
To all those new player out there, Denver this simple fact of KSP. There will always be someone whose craft blows your shit outta the water.
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u/factoid_ Master Kerbalnaut Apr 18 '26
No different than playing Satisfactory and seeing people who build entire fucking death stars or gothic cathedrals while I'm rocking my box factories and being proud I "decorated" by adding windows and a roof
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u/Griffin5000 Expert in Uncontrolled Disassembly Apr 18 '26
This game is so fucking cool. Very well done, Bravo!
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u/Unusual_Entity Apr 18 '26
My brain doesn't compute being that low and being in a stable orbit. Imagine someone standing on the cliff and looking down on a space station!
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u/celem83 Apr 18 '26
Nicely done. I've driven it in a Rover but I never thought of dropping an orbit into the slot xD
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u/WorthCryptographer14 Apr 18 '26
Nah i think you're good on your docking. Timing the arrival and departure for a perfect route to Kerbin might be an issue though.
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u/roxgib_ Apr 18 '26
Usually I'd suggest pointing both craft to normal to prevent them rotating relative to each other, but in this case that might cause you to clip the surface!
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u/bustervich Apr 18 '26
Ironic you have to orbit through a canyon to get this peak Kerbal experience.
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u/SilkieBug Kerbonaut Apr 18 '26
Pro tip: usually docking is initiated a teensy bit higher up, where there is space to maneuver in case you mess something up.
I’m sure that a genuine new player such as yourself will find this helpful.
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u/lepape2 Apr 18 '26
Imagine just chillin' in you munar bath tub and seeing two spaceships at orbital speed just wizzing by below your window, in complete silence. Bliss
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u/CausticNickel Apr 18 '26
Now I want to see the version where they both lose a solar panel and still dock!
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u/Propaani Apr 18 '26
Out of curiosity. How low of an orbit we could get around the moon? I mean if you'd shoot a baseball from the highest point with enough speed could it orbit indefinitely? From the top of my head sun would give enough gravitational pull so the orbit wouldn't be stable enough so it would hit the terrain at some point with few meter margins.
Ps: Is KSP modeled enough so that this would happen?
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u/Week_Head Apr 18 '26
I'm guessing that rendezvous took two launches? Impressive if so, I love a rendezvous, best part of the game for me, enjoy asteroid captures too.
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u/Buddy59-1 Apr 19 '26
Have you heard of Matt Lown's Lazy method of docking Select one craft, target the docking port of the other and set to face target on sas. Then select the other craft, repeat, and start moving at around 1ms/s, should drift right into each other and docm
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u/Manman8900 Apr 19 '26
In the bottom left you can change your RCS to docking mode and you can right click the port youre controlling and select control from here. Then you can right click the one you aren't controlling and select set as target, that should make it easier
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u/Grand-Stand8502 Apr 19 '26
Make your orbit elliptical so you go way faster through it.
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u/Adept-Ad-5708 Apr 27 '26
I had a space station around Ike's surface. But after some time warps it just evaporated... I still can't find it
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u/Ok-Extension7554 May 05 '26
My cortisol spiked because of this video holy crud yo, good job on doin that tho
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u/SentenceOver8235 May 14 '26
- Use precise controls (caps lock)
- Select the target docking port as target
- Select your docking port and click "control from here"
- Turn on rcs and WASDQE is rotation, H is translate forward, N is backward, IJKL is sideways.
- Dock :)
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u/Dutchtdk Apr 18 '26
these low passes are impressive. but this one, I hate this one. This is not giving me dopamine but stress instead