Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: MillCreek on May 12, 2020, 07:19:55 PM

Title: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: MillCreek on May 12, 2020, 07:19:55 PM
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.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: Firethorn on May 12, 2020, 10:50:43 PM
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.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on May 14, 2020, 10:40:33 AM
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
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: dogmush on May 14, 2020, 12:40:41 PM
Apparently I can.

I will be sure to include this in my application to transfer to the Space Force.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: makattak on May 14, 2020, 01:35:28 PM
Once I understood things had to be at or under .2 it wasn't hard.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: dogmush on May 14, 2020, 01:48:05 PM
FYI:  BSG lied, you can not com in at 5 m/s and expect the mag locks to grab you.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: RocketMan on May 14, 2020, 05:56:46 PM
The sim didn't want to run on my tired, old laptop.  We're gonna need a new space station.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: Cliffh on May 14, 2020, 10:30:19 PM
I was futzing around with the controls, set them on high, did a loop, then got a message I wasn't gonna make it....
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on May 15, 2020, 01:10:42 AM
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.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: Ben on May 15, 2020, 08:21:10 AM
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
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: makattak on May 15, 2020, 08:25:12 AM
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!
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: MikeB on May 15, 2020, 08:28:10 AM
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





Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: MillCreek on May 15, 2020, 09:51:13 AM
^^I had one of those lunar lander games for my programmable HP calculator.
Title: Re: Can you dock the Crew Dragon with the ISS?
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on May 15, 2020, 09:57:32 AM
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.