ISS Docking Simulator: SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule Simulator

With just under two weeks to go before SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule makes its first crewed flight to the International Space Station, this is a "tipping point" for the company and the American space program, which hasn't sent astronauts into orbit on its own since 2011. As a preview, SpaceX shared a simulator with the public that lets us take control of the capsule in the final docking phase.

A Historic Mission

The road was long and it was delayed on more than one occasion, but only one step remains: if there are no problems, SpaceX's Dragon capsule will have its first crewed flight on May 27, departing from Kennedy Space Center for a visit to the International Space Station. The mission "Crew Dragon Demo-2" or simply "DM-2" will carry two true experts: Douglas G. Hurley (who was the pilot of STS-135, the last mission of the Space Shuttle), and Robert L. Behnken (with over 700 hours in space).

The Simulator

The eyes of the aerospace world will be on that mission, but there seems to be a lot of confidence in SpaceX, to the point that it recently published an online simulator where anyone can take control of the capsule in the final approach and docking phase. The commands displayed on the screen are similar to what each crew will use on the Crew Dragon, but the simulation is "full manual", so you'll need to monitor and adjust every aspect of the flight. If you want a better reference, Scott Manley shared a video teaching how to do it:

Docking Tips

Basically, the idea is that all values stay below 0.2 (emphasis on "below", 0.2 doesn't work), and the approach rate should be less than -0.2 meters per second. First, there's no rush. It may seem like a game, but patience and precision are valuable virtues when controlling a spacecraft. Second, adjust pitch, yaw, and roll before approaching the station. Then, modify the Y and Z axes. And finally... move slowly. On the keyboard, 8-4-5-6 is the equivalent for the right controls, and W-A-S-D for the left.

If you fail the first time, don't worry. The idea behind any simulation is to make mistakes in it as many times as necessary until it goes well, and when you've completely mastered the process, you can use the simulator to fly the capsule around the station. You'll surely find a small surprise floating in space...

Official site: Click here