Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?

[MillCreek]

https://iss-sim.spacex.com/

A couple of times, I was announcing 'all hands prepare for impact' to the dog and cat who were in the home office while I was trying this out.

[Firethorn]

Eh, I've docked enough in Kerbal Space Program that I made it the first time.

Biggest annoyance is that I needed one more sensitive step for the Z axis, as I couldn't null my motion even with the slightest taps.

That said, as I understand it the crew dragon isn't actually rated for docking. 

Basically, "docking" means that the craft would do all motion until the hatches clamp together. 

In this case, they get within a few feet/inches, and the ISS arm brings it in the rest of the way.

[AZRedhawk44]

Eh, I've docked enough in Kerbal Space Program that I made it the first time.

Biggest annoyance is that I needed one more sensitive step for the Z axis, as I couldn't null my motion even with the slightest taps.

That said, as I understand it the crew dragon isn't actually rated for docking. 

Basically, "docking" means that the craft would do all motion until the hatches clamp together. 

In this case, they get within a few feet/inches, and the ISS arm brings it in the rest of the way.

Pretty sure you're describing "berthing" of the older design cargo Dragon, with the arm assisting in the process.

The new iteration that uses the IDS style docking port is 100% self guided and self propelled for the docking sequence.

Here's video of the demo-1 docking sequence using the Crew Dragon vehicle.  No arm used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPmPUrE5IYI

[dogmush]

Apparently I can.

I will be sure to include this in my application to transfer to the Space Force.

[makattak]

Once I understood things had to be at or under .2 it wasn't hard.

[dogmush]

FYI:  BSG lied, you can not com in at 5 m/s and expect the mag locks to grab you.

[RocketMan]

The sim didn't want to run on my tired, old laptop.  We're gonna need a new space station.

[Cliffh]

I was futzing around with the controls, set them on high, did a loop, then got a message I wasn't gonna make it....

[AZRedhawk44]

Hint for those of you that haven't been able to do it yet.

Solve for yaw/pitch/roll first, so you match ISS exactly in those vectors.  Nothing but the right side controls first.  There's indicators in the HUD showing your variance in those three calculations.  Every roll right requires a roll left to stop.  Gotta cancel your inputs with matching ones in the opposite direction.  Don't do anything else until you have all those vectors zeroed out.

Then solve for translation (left side controls) and put the dot on the hatch, while approaching at 1 m/s or less for the first 100 yards, final approach well under 0.2 m/s.  Every left requires a right input to end it, every up requires a down input.

I was doing quite the dance with my ASDW keys for the last 10 meters, keeping the dot on the target.

[Ben]

Hint for those of you that haven't been able to do it yet.

Solve for yaw/pitch/roll first, so you match ISS exactly in those vectors. 

That's how I did it too.

In the meantime, it reminded me of times computer past, and I downloaded an emulator and ran "The Halley Project".

https://youtu.be/-raOBm9hNMQ

[makattak]

Hint for those of you that haven't been able to do it yet.

Solve for yaw/pitch/roll first, so you match ISS exactly in those vectors.  Nothing but the right side controls first.  There's indicators in the HUD showing your variance in those three calculations.  Every roll right requires a roll left to stop.  Gotta cancel your inputs with matching ones in the opposite direction.  Don't do anything else until you have all those vectors zeroed out.

Then solve for translation (left side controls) and put the dot on the hatch, while approaching at 1 m/s or less for the first 100 yards, final approach well under 0.2 m/s.  Every left requires a right input to end it, every up requires a down input.

I was doing quite the dance with my ASDW keys for the last 10 meters, keeping the dot on the target.

Huh, I came in a lot hotter than that and solved the position issues en route.

I guess all my youth spent on video games finally paid off!

[MikeB]

Modern version of one of the first computer games I ever played. Had to enter the program on a PDP-11 using a Teletype myself, then finally got a paper tape reader for easier loading. There was only one control for it though, you typed in the amount of thrust you wanted the jets to output to slow the lander enough to land without crashing or taking back off.

Can still get the code apparently.

http://www.vintage-basic.net/bcg/lunar.bas

[MillCreek]

^^I had one of those lunar lander games for my programmable HP calculator.

[AZRedhawk44]

Huh, I came in a lot hotter than that and solved the position issues en route.

I guess all my youth spent on video games finally paid off!

At the real installation, coming in hotter than that will result in Draco thruster exhaust splattering the solar panels, lowering their efficiency until the jackwagon that hotrodded their way to base can be scheduled to do an EVA with some windex and clean 'em up.