new kind of docking autopilot for DG IV

[Mike Skywalker]

Hi, addon authors!

This is an addon request: need new kind of docking autopilot for DG IV.

I'm a beginner "pilot" of Orbiter ships(2 month of "flights"). I started by reading the basis of orbital flight, MFD's etc, then I trained to launch & land the DG. Then....to dock manualy in orbit. Succesfully !!!
Now, I use the docking autopilot of DG IV. It was quite simple to me to dock manualy to ISS, MIR or other space craft with dock port. But with autopilot, it was a real pleasure!!!
Recently, I found the mother-ship Arrow Freighter(AF).Beautiful ship! So I try to dock the DGIV with his docking autopilot. Finaly, DGIV was docked at AF. But, watch this:
DGIV is approaching of AF, near the turning gravity wheel. There, a couple of rotations & translations and DG is now aligned in dock bay longitudinal axis.....but DG stay into the posterior wall of docking bay of AF. After a forward RCS translation, DG penetrates the bay wall and dock slowly to AF....without crashing !!!!!
Obviously, this autopilot goes to the pre-programmed WP's. So, what if changing the WP's???:idea:
So, this is my request/proposal:
The new docking autopilot should guide the DG to waypoint(WP) 1: under(or above....no mater,in space there is no "up" or "down" !!! ) the docking bay of AF( relative velocity Vrel = 0 m/s at this point), cockpit facing to docking bay, distance between ships: 5-10 m.(or more, depending of the size of bay doors).
RCS Rotation & translation to align DG to dock bay axis,right in the middle of the bay(the similar axis- yaw, bank, roll- of both ships must be paralels)
Then go to WP2: translation to dive slowly into dock bay, , aligned with dock axis.
Finaly, go to WP3: this is the AF's dock.

And, keeping the same subject:autopilots(AutoP). What if Arrow F. should have the own ascent and docking autopilots ?
I managed to launch manualy AF in LLO , quite circular orbit; Ap& Pe = 90 km,but I think a big ship like AF need some AutoP's like this.

Thanks for your time to read this! Let me know if there is a hope to do this....
:tiphat: Mike

 

[cinder1992]

I don't think this is possible without modifying the DGIV-2 source code. also, please don't play with the colour.

 

[vonduus]

I believe the OP has a point. The first few times I docked my DGIV manually in the AF bay, going in from underneath the Arrow and then turning the DGIV when I am almost fully inside the bay. Not easy, imho, and it takes a lot of time, because you cannot go very much faster than 0.1m/s during the whole last part of the manouver, if you don't want to go through the walls. But it can be done.

So when one day I wanted to see how the autopilot would manage this rather complex problem, I was quite shocked, when it just flew the DGIV straight through the Arrows rocket motor section, through the walls and the gravity wheel and everything. It was quite hilarious. And very, very unrealistic! - surrealistic, in fact.

I am sure this can be fixed, and yes, perhaps this means changing the source code. But DanSteph has said that this ship will be his new toy, so maybe he will fix it?

It is not a big deal if it doesn't get fixed, Orbiter is about space flight, and all this UMMU/UCGO stuff is only extra icing on the cake. But it would be nice with an autopilot that wasn't as gamey as this one.

von Duus