
ISS Docking Simulation - martythemaniak
https://iss-sim.spacex.com/
======
doctor_eval
Nailed it first time!! I was super excited too, cos it was _so obvious_ that
this so-called “simulation” was in reality a test to find pilots to save the
ISS from some top secret calamity that we don’t know about.

Surely this was going to be like in “the last Starfighter”, except that Elon
Musk would be the one knocking on my door, needing a new pilot.

Sadly it just said “congratulations” :(

~~~
arethuza
It probably increases your chances of being evacuated to space should moon
blow up without warning and for no apparent reason.

~~~
motoboi
I love this book! And if you didn't meant it, I much recommend Seveneves.

------
anvandare
They should have a global leaderboard with "shortest time to dock".

Tip: focus on one number at a time and zero out any rotation first. Then use
only translation to move.

Oh, and go fast and hard, just like Jebediah Kerman would. :)

~~~
st_goliath
> They should have a global leaderboard with "shortest time to dock".

Another IMO interesting metric for a global leaderboard would be "least fuel
consumed".

~~~
rbanffy
Probably a better one. Also, the one that fires the least near the station, as
it's a bit of an annoyance if it causes contamination of sensors on the
outside.

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SketchySeaBeast
If there's anything I've learned from Kerbal, the last 100 meters is the easy
part - it's getting to the same place at the same time and at the same speed
that's the trick. I can't count the number of times I've screamed past my
space station at an extra 1000 m/s.

~~~
Diederich
Yup....though usually not at 1km/s (:

I've been playing KSP for years, and did the manual rendezvous in orbit thing
a number of times. It's pretty tricky. For my play style, Mechanical Jeb is
the way to go. Let the computer do the heavy lifting.

~~~
SketchySeaBeast
I prefer to use biological Jeb - which is why it's at 1 km/s. I really need to
get a handle on the built in control and planning options.

------
GistNoesis
It is a fun little game, and I managed to dock successfully using the
instruments.

I'm confused by a few things in the user interface nevertheless.

The speed sign seems to be inverted. For example when it display a pitch speed
of + 0.5°/sec, the pitch number will decrease by this value every second.

The Yaw and Pitch command are swapped between the display and the control. In
the display Pitch is at the right while it command the up and down direction,
and Yaw is displayed on the bottom while it command the left right direction.

For the pitch command pressing Up makes the pitch speed number decrease. (It's
confusing). For the yaw command pressing right makes the yaw speed increase.

There seems to be lacking a display for the X speed Y speed and Z speed.

I don't understand the little arrow of the roll indicator.

It also took me a while to figure the correct axis correspondence.I'm used to
forward=Z direction, Y-Up and X left-right where as here
X=forward,Y=right,Z=up. It's not easy to discover at first because when you
are currently rotating those number move simultaneously.

~~~
gfosco
I think what you're considering inverted is your relative pitch/yaw/roll from
the target. The target isn't <0.2 from 0, it's <0.2 from perfect alignment.
Not having an indicator of translation speed is kinda lame, but I wound up
docking with a total drift of 0.1 across all green numbers. Seemed like an
achievement but was kinda let down by the success page, lol.

------
elil17
I’m glad this is available online. This is a very standard docking UI for
spacecraft - everyone in the industry has an almost identical design. ULA has
shown a simulator exactly like this in conferences for years now.

~~~
perilunar
Really? I'd have thought they'd give the astronauts a proper 6DoF controller
(e.g. a SpaceBall or SpaceMouse) instead of making them mash buttons like
this.

~~~
bootloop
Yea, with this interface docking this space pot feels like trying to draw in
MS Paint with my mouse.

~~~
yellowapple
For maximum realism you'd play this on an iPad.

------
fctorial
Open this in new tab.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zvVGJrTP8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zvVGJrTP8)

~~~
motoboi
This simulator would be so much better with this music!

~~~
TeMPOraL
For maximum Interstellar experience, type this in the console after the
simulator loads:

    
    
      (function() {
        var clock = new THREE.Clock();
        var interstellar = function() {
          issObject.translateOnAxis(new THREE.Vector3(0, 0, 1), -20);
          issObject.rotateY(-7.12094334814*clock.getDelta());
          issObject.translateOnAxis(new THREE.Vector3(0, 0, 1), 20);
          requestAnimationFrame(interstellar);
        }
        interstellar();
      })()
    

(7.12094334814 is "68 RPM", if my math is correct.)

EDIT: Corrected rotation to spin around (roughly) the center of mass.

~~~
fctorial
Use this, it'll orient the station correctly as well, and it should be
possible to win this game as well, judging by a glance over the code.

var clock = new THREE.Clock(); issObject.rotateX(3.14/2); var interstellar =
function() { issObject.rotateZ(-7.12094334814*clock.getDelta());
requestAnimationFrame(interstellar); } interstellar();

The numbers on the screen are useless with this though.

------
cgufus
Very good illustration how "full inertial physics" works (in contrast to what
can be seen in sci-fi movies).

This is a huge potential procrastination catalyst :-)

~~~
amelius
"Gravity" was quite accurate, no?

~~~
JshWright
In some ways... In many other ways the physics was wildly inaccurate.

~~~
elteto
The rope scene always bothers me. Why are the ropes and the strap taut after
the first snap? What’s pushing him away? It sure isn’t wind! And there is no
rotation either.

[0] [https://youtu.be/DYDaIyfitn8](https://youtu.be/DYDaIyfitn8)

~~~
effie
In the frame of the orbiting station, there is the tidal force, which is
proportion to distance from the point where the rope is fixed on the station.
But even if he was 100m away, tidal force would be like 7 grams.

So tidal force can't be it. The most likely reason would be some part of the
station venting gas out, accelerating. The gas could blow towards the
astronaut to make it worse.

~~~
JshWright
Given how fast and loose the movie played with physics in general (orbital
mechanics, especially), I wouldn't go too far out of my way to try to explain
gaps.

------
spuz
SpaceX: "Movement in space is slow and requires patience and precision"

Can't wait to see speedrunners prove otherwise.

~~~
myself248
A docking speedrun contest might be the only thing I'd put on my calendar to
tune into on Twitch.

~~~
yellowapple
Docking speedrun with a real Dragon 2 in actual space docking to the actual
ISS with real astronauts on board.

Now that's a pay-per-view moneymaker right there.

------
kreetx
To hell with the ISS, I'm flying back to Earth!

~~~
NikolaeVarius
You're more accurately failing to miss hitting the ground while falling.

------
augustl
I've flown enough "flight assist off" in Elite Dangerous so this worked
exactly like I expected it to :)

I hope someone makes a game like Elite Dangerous without care for actual
gameplay, and even more realism. For example, with FA off in ED, there's still
a speed limit that varies from ship to ship.

~~~
NickNameNick
"Rogue system" might be what you are looking for.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vziIgAtD66s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vziIgAtD66s)

~~~
augustl
Wow, that looks _amazing_, thanks! :D

------
gene-h
It is quite difficult to control with the mouse. It's basically impossible to
kill rotation or velocity along a given axis. So one ends up with bang-bang
control, constantly oscillating around the target. I am also somewhat
horrified to learn that manual flight might be like this to, through the
touchscreen[0]. Although there do appear to be some joysticks the astronauts
can use, so hopefully this is just training for contingencies.

[0][https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/04/this-is-certainly-
differen...](https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/04/this-is-certainly-different-
astronauts-on-controlling-the-dragon-spacecraft-via-touchscreen/)

~~~
numpad0
RCS is always bang-bang, bang-bang means you input like PWM or PDM for rate
and not like a throttle or a yoke for force.

I think the thrusters are a bit too powerful even at fine mode and numbers
needs more precision.

~~~
JshWright
Well, it can also be whoosh-whoosh (in the case of cold gas thrusters)

------
tyho
Rotate, Translate, Approach. By the numbers, ignore the graphics.

~~~
Cerium
Once rotate is dead on and stable, translate and approach can be helped by the
graphics.

~~~
TeMPOraL
Only if you're very close. Trust the Kerbal greybeard (greenbeard?) me,
visuals are misleading you about relative velocities.

------
bhupy
Reminds me of the old days of the internet when you would randomly come across
neat little Flash games like this.

------
captn3m0
Play with this as audio in the background:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_BRFa6s9fs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_BRFa6s9fs)

~~~
cfstras
This is way more fun to play to:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zvVGJrTP8&feature=youtu.be](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zvVGJrTP8&feature=youtu.be)

~~~
teddyh
You are both wrong: this is the best one:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZe-
NidizL8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZe-NidizL8)

~~~
willis936
No no no. We all had this playing in our heads:

[https://youtube.com/watch?v=s2pphLBmdsQ](https://youtube.com/watch?v=s2pphLBmdsQ)

~~~
dredds
This is a SpaceX sim isn't it?

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg-
Nksc7Oh0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg-Nksc7Oh0)

~~~
willis936
Nope. Made for KSP in 2012-2013. Royalty free and Musk is a fan, so they use
the tracks. It’s starting to show up in other space media too.

[https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Soundtrack](https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Soundtrack)

------
iso1631
Sadly you can't crash into the tesla, or bump it. I'll stick with KSP.

~~~
TeMPOraL
There's code for loading a Tesla hidden in there. Tried to activate it, but
something I haven't tracked down yet keeps undisplaying the mesh.

------
folli
I like the "Flat Earth" setting.

------
yellowapple
Years of Kerbal Space Program have prepared me for this moment. Almost felt
easy, what with RCS thrusters that were actually balanced and not spinning me
around when trying to translate (or vice versa), and having already been put
in a stationkeeping orbit. Just needed to line up rotation, then Y/Z, then put
X+ in the red, grab an early morning beer, come back, and make some final
adjustments while slowing back down for contact.

If this really is the same UI used for manual docking, I'd be a bit worried
about the lack of visual feedback when translating forward/backward. I guess
in a real Dragon 2 you'd probably feel the RCS thrusters, but without that
it's pretty jarring.

------
mattlondon
Pretty cool.

I had a NaN m/s and weird things like -0.0 and 0.0.

I am hoping it is not the _actual_ "controls of actual interface" [sic -
obvious typo is obvious?].

Seeing "NaN" on your control panel in space as you are trying to manually dock
must be a fun moment :-)

~~~
iso1631
I always see NaN m/s. The -0.0 and (+)0.0 makes sense given that it's -0.004
or +0.004 or whatever.

------
nodesocket
It's just like I am playing Kerbal Space Program with all the infuriating
physics.

~~~
AllegedAlec
At least the thrust is balanced so that translation in any of the axes doesn't
cause the Dragon to start spinning.

------
evertheylen
Has anyone been able to dock with the Roadster? It's flying around somewhere
:)

------
perilunar
After you've docked a few times, try orbiting the ISS. Remember your basic
physics: set up some sideways motion, then keep rotating to face the ISS while
thrusting towards it. The sim will end if you stray too far.

------
larschdk
I made a working autopilot in a userscript:
[https://youtu.be/JbWJ6EDodqc](https://youtu.be/JbWJ6EDodqc) (Luckily, RCS
fuel is unlimited).

~~~
dmd
I'd love to see your code!

------
14
This was a lot of fun, on the first attempt had no idea even what the controls
did and of course failed. But on the second go was able to get it all lined up
and dock perfectly. Ready for NASA.

------
runawaybottle
Tangent, but the killer app for VR devices is space sims with a joystick,
something like Elite: Dangerous.

Space sims are the only thing where you realize there’s no going back once you
do it in VR.

~~~
lordofgibbons
Flight sims in general sound exciting with VR. In fact the new Microsoft
Flight Simulator might actually finally push me to pull the trigger a headset.

~~~
matheusmoreira
Flight simulators map a lot of inputs to the keyboard. Is it feasible to fly
while using a VR headset? Can motion controls be used to interact with the
cockpit?

~~~
runawaybottle
I use a joystick with the headset. If you are going to do the headset, might
as well go all in with a joystick (or flight specific controllers).

[https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Flight-Rhino-Certified-
Refur...](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Flight-Rhino-Certified-
Refurbished/dp/B07CKDS4ZT/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=flight+joystick&qid=1589378080&sr=8-13)

~~~
matheusmoreira
Nice to see Thrustmaster's getting some competition. These HOTAS controllers
are awesome but do they have enough buttons for everything? I was under the
impression a keyboard was still necessary for less frequently used inputs.

~~~
runawaybottle
It’s hard to say since I don’t play hardcore flight sims like Microsoft Flight
Simulator. With a VR headset you will still suffer from the ‘needing to peek
out of the bottom gap to see your keyboard’ syndrome, but if you can get past
that over time, it ups the experience for these types of games.

I was able to pick up a used HTC Vive from Microcenter for about about $300
(surprise, lots of people buy it and don’t use it, so there’s deals out
there), so you might be able to keep your financial footprint pretty low to
try things out.

Definitely encourage you to look into it, dog fighting in Elite: Dangerous
involves me looking all around, behind me, below me, it’s a totally unmatched
experienced.

------
barbegal
This shows the value of training and realistic simulations. The first time I
gave this a go, I completely failed. If I had really been in space the mission
would have failed and potentially lives lost. But I learnt a lot and the next
attempt was successful. The reality is that on-the-job training is best where
the cost of failure is low. But where failures are costly or dangerous
simulations are incredibly useful.

------
NikolaeVarius
Also look behind you

------
danbr
The Unity engine is the best thing to ever happen to aerospace UIs. Makes this
feel like the actual future (I think) we all imagine.

~~~
imjasonmiller
I think it uses three.js, as it's defined on the window object.

------
numpad0
Is there any way to switch to KURS?

------
lwoo
I find it mind-boggling I had less difficulty docking at the ISS than landing
a fighter jet in DCS World.

On the other hand, being able to stop the module and zero all unnecessary
movement before proceeding to dock is something I can't do with aircraft on
Earth.

------
NikolaeVarius
Lack of propellant limit makes this game fairly trivial after you "get" it.

------
moioci
I think it helps if you play the Blue Danube Waltz while you do this.

------
LeonM
This is pretty cool! But I found little challenge in this simulation.
Basically just correct your roll, pitch and yaw, then steer towards the
target. Slow down at the end.

The easter eggs are fun though!

~~~
tiborsaas
I was like this then at the last few seconds I fucked it up :D

------
kunalpowar1203
Is this to generate training data for your AI to the job? :D

------
Inityx
Is it just me or are the velocity numbers inverted?

~~~
larschdk
The pitch/yaw/roll rates have opposite sign to what I would expect (at least
as a layman). Positive rate means decreasing angle.

------
fctorial
There's a red tesla right behind the shuttle.

------
IshKebab
Surprised they don't have a computer do this.

~~~
marbu
They do. And I guess that manual operation is possible, but it's rather an
emergency option only.

Fully automated docking for Soyuz capsules called Kurs[1] was developed in
80's for flights to Mir. When USSR dissolved and it turned out that this
system was fully owned by Ukraine, Russian space agency tried to test how
viable is to dock via manual bakup docking system TORU[2], which failed and
damaged the space station. On the other hand, there is at least one occasion
when Kurs failed and the manual backup saved the docking.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurs_(docking_navigation_syste...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurs_\(docking_navigation_system\))
[2] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TORU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TORU)

~~~
philwelch
You’re understating the TORU mishap a little. Apparently they still needed
KURS to get rangefinding and telemetry from the Progress supply craft, but
KURS interfered with the signal for TORU so they shut it off and tried having
a guy shine a laser rangefinder out the window at it instead. That didn’t work
so they just tried to eyeball it instead, resulting in the crash which
destroyed an expensive space station module and forced the crew to scramble to
save the station from depressurizing completely.

------
ape4
Tesla almost has self-driving cars but SpaceX can't self-drive this? There is
no snow, rain, children chasing balls.

~~~
acd10j
Who do you think docks their uncrewed dragon capsule? They definitely have
automated docking. This is for emergency manual override.

~~~
Kucher
As far as I know it flies autonomously to within a certain range, then gets
piloted by crew members on the ISS until it's close enough to be grabbed by
the Canadarm for berthing to the station.

~~~
NikolaeVarius
It's been a year since they successfully automated docking
[https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/3/18244501/spacex-crew-
drago...](https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/3/18244501/spacex-crew-dragon-
automatic-docking-international-space-station-nasa)

------
dmalvarado
lol, if you go into settings you can change the Earth: setting to be "Flat"

Not sure what that says, but it says something.

------
inamberclad
great to see an accurate simulation that takes into account very slight
differences in orbital trajectory

------
amelius
Is this the way it is done in real life? Wouldn't it be better to let a
computer handle this?

~~~
_archon_
I was thinking that the ends of the masts would be excellent places for a
machine vision high-contrast target, and maybe also the bottom of the cupola
for full 6 axis machine correction. I doubt we'll be taking a human out of the
loop anytime soon, though.

~~~
tgsovlerkhgsel
It's a really simple task (so humans getting it wrong isn't a major concern),
the crew needs to be on board, trained, and equipped with manual controls
anyways (for contingencies), so... why spend effort automating it?

------
adhoc32
Fix the angles first, then move in parallel to the target. It's quite easy.

------
atomicbeanie
Would be useful it seems to have a flight path marker on the display.

------
adreamingsoul
The loading animation reminds me of the warping effect in EVE Online.

------
time0ut
Super cool. Good thing they don't let me fly spaceships though!

------
harsilspatel
While it was mildly infuriating that there were 2 zeroes -- +0.00 and -0.00 --
in the game, admittedly, I also enjoyed having that as an extra transitioning
step to stay within the acceptable docking range

------
waltpad
They should train an AI to do that.

------
imchangchang
Awesome simulator!

------
imchangchang
wow,owesome!

------
gfiorav
So Elon Musk can't afford the time to buy a house, but his company can spend
the time to make this simulator for kicks.

OK

~~~
iso1631
Musk is concerned about coronavirus and social distancing so doesn't want to
endanger people by going house hunting.

~~~
crusty
This the same guy sueing the state of California (with threats of leaving for
a more pliable state regime) to get his minions back to the grind in
opposition of health recommendations for physical isolation? He cares so much
he wants them to beat the virus... on their own... tomorrow.

