Docking MFD

Docking MFD is used to assist the pilot to align, approach, and dock with another vessel or station. It will provide indicators for alignment with the dock, both in translation and rotation.

Screenshot of HSI MFD mode

Docking modes

• IDS mode: The MFD will use a radio signal transmitted by the target, tune one of the NAV receivers to the dock frequency and slaving the Docking MFD to that receiver. The frequency is displayed in the upper right of the display. The mode will work up to a distance of about 100 km.

• Visual mode: It will use a visual system from cameras mounted within the docking port to display parameters. This is used for docking to vessels without IDS, and works up to about 100 meters from the docking vessel.

• Direct target selection: This is used by those who don't want to use the IDS or visual modes, it works by computed distance and orientation from the target. It works at any distance.

Controls

• NAV button (Shift+N): Select NAV receiver for IDS mode, NAV 1, 2, 3, 4.

• VIS button (Shift+V): Select visual mode, select target vessel and dock.

• TGT button (Shift+T): Select Direct mode, select target vessel and dock.

Display

Visual indicators

• To the left is a bulls-eye style display with scales for approach speed, rotational alignment, and lateral/vertical alignment.

• Approach path indicator: A yellow cross indicates the nominal approach path relative to your dock, the scale on the vertical axis below center indicates how far off center your dock is.

• Tangential velocity indicator: The yellow arrow indicates how fast your ship is moving laterally/vertically with respect to the approach path, in what direction and how fast your ship is moving up/down/left/right. In translation RCS mode, move slowly so the arrow moves toward the yellow cross until the cross is centered.

• Alignment indicator: The white or red × indicates rotational alignment. Outside the approach cone, it will be red, inside, it will be white. In rotational RCS mode, rotate the ship until the indicator is centered.

• Longitudinal rotation indicator: A small red or white arrow. The docks are designed so that you must be rotated in the correct position to dock, although, in Orbiter you can dock in any rotation, your ship will instantly align. To do it correctly, rotate the z-axis of the ship until the arrow is at 12 o'clock is white.

• Approach cone: A concentric circle that as you approach the dock, it gets smaller. Your alignment cross and × needs to be inside this cone to dock, outside this cone and your ship will just pass through the other vessel. The cone is red until the cross is inside it, then it will turn green.

• Distance indicator: The vertical bar to the right labeled DST, indicates the distance of your dock from the target dock in meters, the bar ranges from 10^-1 to 10³. Distance is shown by a green bar within the scale.

• Closing velocity indiator: The vertical bar to the right labeled CVEL, indicates closing speed from 10^-1 to 10³ meters per second. A green bar indicates you are moving away from and yellow bar indicates you are moving toward the target.

Readouts

• APPR/DOCK: It always says that, it just indicates that you are in the Docking MFD mode.

• IDS: In NAV mode it will indicate the dock number and vessel selected, in TGT mode it will just indicate the vessel, in VIS mode it will be blank.

• TOFS: Tangential offset from approach path. This indicates how far off center you are from the nominal approach path. Less than 1, you are inside the approach cone.

• TVEL:Tangential velocity in meters per second, how fast you are moving up/down/left/right with respect to the target approach path.

• DST: Dock to dock distance how far the target dock is from your dock.

• CVEL: Closing speed, how fast your approach is, when you get close, slow down to less than 0.1 m/s, otherwise you may fly through the target dock and other vessel.

HUD

If you select HUD from the Docking MFD mode button marked HUD, or if you press the H key one or more times, the Heads Up Display (HUD) can be selected. Once your target is in range, HUD indicators in the Docking mode include:

• A square will show the position of your target with the name of the target vessel and distance. If the target is outside of the visual range of the HUD, a triangle pointing in the direction of the target with the same information. Just turn your ship in that direction and the target will come into range.

• A circle with a plus in it (something like Ꚛ), your ship is moving toward that direction with respect to the target, and a V, the target vessel and velocity in meters per second, or

• A circle with a dot in it (something like Ꙩ), your ship is moving in that direction with respect to the target, and a V, the target vessel and velocity in meters per second, or

• If neither circle indicators are in visual range on the HUD, triangle pointing toward the Circle+ indicator with a V, the target name and velocity in meters per second. Just rotate the ship toward the direction indicated by this triangle until that symbol comes into view.

• When approaching the dock from a distance, there will be a series of rectangles along the approach path. the side with two parallel lines indicates the top of the dock. The rectangles appear every 50 meters out to 500 meters. This indicates the approach path to the target dock.

Operation

• The display will initially display the empty bulls-eye and 'NO SIGNAL'.

• Select a mode, NAV, VIS, TGT. Select or type in the target vessel and dock number. If the target is in range for the mode, the all the revelant information and indicators will show. Switch the HUD to Docking mode.

• Once you see the approach path rectangles, approach one of them, as you enter one of the trangles, rotate the ship toward the target dock. Rotate the ship until the double side of the rectangle is up.

• If you are moving rapidly with respect to the target, turn the ship until Ꙩ is center in the windshield (windscreen). Fire the mains until your velocity is zero or near zero.

• Turn your ship toward the target vessel, using RCS thrusters, move toward one of the rectangles, safely so you don't hit any part of the target or other vessels.

• Once you enter a rectangle, rotate the ship toward the target dock. Move toward the dock using RCS until the velocity shows up in your windshield, then RCS until that symbol is centered on the dock.

• Slowly approach the dock. Rotate until the × is centered and translate until the + is also centered.

• Continue slow approach and aligning until very near the target dock, slow down to <0.1 m/s. You may have to use Ctrl+RCS numbers to use the RCS in very small increments. Once you make contact, the docks will lock in.

• Remember that if the dock is in the nose of your ship that the target dock will not be in the center of your view at the -^- indicator, it will be below it since your dock is below you ahead of your feet.

Consider Pursuit MFD mode for a very good autopilot for docking.

See also

• Docking MFD mode in Orbiter.pdf