Kerbal Space Program
44 Achievements
1,000
Xbox One
Xbox Series
Look Ma! No Tractor Beams!
Completed your first ship to ship dock! Congrats, lots of people don't make it this far.
70
1.63%
How to unlock the Look Ma! No Tractor Beams! achievement in Kerbal Space Program - Definitive Guide
PredatorNeo
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
This can be quite an annoying achievement to get but practice is everything. Once you know how to get close to your target ship then then it's only a matter of time before you get it.
I suggest watching Scott Manley's video on how to dock as he will explain it far better than I can. He has a two part video on this and it is well worth your time if you are struggling with it.
I made a very simple ship that I could get into orbit. Using an FL-T800 Fuel Tank with a couple of docking nodes as my "core", I got it into a relatively circular orbit of 178km. I should also note that I did not have any kerbals in this part, I used a probe core so if I messed up at least I didn't lose a kerbal. This means however you will need some reaction wheels.
Once you have your core built put it into a circular orbit as flat as possible so the next part is a little easier. This part is just getting into orbit so you should have no problem with that but if you are then I suggest practicing getting into orbit.
The second part of this is to get another ship into orbit and rendezvous with the core. Using the same base as the core, I swapped out the probe for a manned capsule as I was feeling brave. Wait until your core is above the space centre and then launch. This is so we can catch up to the core part easier.
You will want to set the core piece as your target, this will bring up the closest approach markers marked in orange or purple. Depending on your orbit you will have to do two different things. If the core part is ahead of you, you will need to speed up to catch it, if it is behind you, you will need to slow down. You can catch up to the core by going into a "lower" orbit and you can slow down by going into a "higher" orbit. Lower meaning smaller orbital circle, higher meaning bigger orbital circle.
You should see that as you either slow down or speed up, the closest approach markers should get closer together. If they are not then try get into a similar orbit to the core and try again. Once you are close to the core part ~10km away from it, now you can begin the process of docking.
If your speed indicator is still in "orbit" change it to "target". You will notice on the nav ball there are pink indicators. Since you have the core set as your target, you can begin to head towards or away from it. Aim your ship towards the core and fire your engines. You should now be accelerating towards the core, but don't overdo it. Slow down once you are near by flipping your ship and fire away from the core.
You should have rcs thrusters on your ship and you will need to switch to docking mode in the lower left hand corner. You can turn the rcs on by using
and toggling RCS. You should now maneuver your ship closer and closer taking care to align your docking ports. Do not do this too fast as you don't want to crash into the other ship. Once you are close enough and your docking ports are aligned, the magnetism should kick in and bring your ships together.
This is a long guide, but as I said Scott Manley explains this better than me, so I would suggest you watch his guide.
Goodluck!
I suggest watching Scott Manley's video on how to dock as he will explain it far better than I can. He has a two part video on this and it is well worth your time if you are struggling with it.
I made a very simple ship that I could get into orbit. Using an FL-T800 Fuel Tank with a couple of docking nodes as my "core", I got it into a relatively circular orbit of 178km. I should also note that I did not have any kerbals in this part, I used a probe core so if I messed up at least I didn't lose a kerbal. This means however you will need some reaction wheels.
Once you have your core built put it into a circular orbit as flat as possible so the next part is a little easier. This part is just getting into orbit so you should have no problem with that but if you are then I suggest practicing getting into orbit.
The second part of this is to get another ship into orbit and rendezvous with the core. Using the same base as the core, I swapped out the probe for a manned capsule as I was feeling brave. Wait until your core is above the space centre and then launch. This is so we can catch up to the core part easier.
You will want to set the core piece as your target, this will bring up the closest approach markers marked in orange or purple. Depending on your orbit you will have to do two different things. If the core part is ahead of you, you will need to speed up to catch it, if it is behind you, you will need to slow down. You can catch up to the core by going into a "lower" orbit and you can slow down by going into a "higher" orbit. Lower meaning smaller orbital circle, higher meaning bigger orbital circle.
You should see that as you either slow down or speed up, the closest approach markers should get closer together. If they are not then try get into a similar orbit to the core and try again. Once you are close to the core part ~10km away from it, now you can begin the process of docking.
If your speed indicator is still in "orbit" change it to "target". You will notice on the nav ball there are pink indicators. Since you have the core set as your target, you can begin to head towards or away from it. Aim your ship towards the core and fire your engines. You should now be accelerating towards the core, but don't overdo it. Slow down once you are near by flipping your ship and fire away from the core.
You should have rcs thrusters on your ship and you will need to switch to docking mode in the lower left hand corner. You can turn the rcs on by using
and toggling RCS. You should now maneuver your ship closer and closer taking care to align your docking ports. Do not do this too fast as you don't want to crash into the other ship. Once you are close enough and your docking ports are aligned, the magnetism should kick in and bring your ships together. This is a long guide, but as I said Scott Manley explains this better than me, so I would suggest you watch his guide.
Goodluck!
