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<li id="toc-First_attempt_failed" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#First_attempt_failed"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>First attempt failed</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-First_attempt_failed-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-First_successful_rendezvous" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#First_successful_rendezvous"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>First successful rendezvous</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-First_successful_rendezvous-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-First_docking" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#First_docking"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>First docking</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-First_docking-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Uses" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Uses"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Uses</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Uses-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Phases_and_methods" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Phases_and_methods"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Phases and methods</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Phases_and_methods-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Phases and methods subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Phases_and_methods-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Rendezvous_phases" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Rendezvous_phases"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Rendezvous phases</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Rendezvous_phases-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Methods_of_approach" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Methods_of_approach"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Methods of approach</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Methods_of_approach-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-V-bar_approach" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#V-bar_approach"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2.1</span> <span>V-bar approach</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-V-bar_approach-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-R-bar_approach" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#R-bar_approach"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2.2</span> <span>R-bar approach</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-R-bar_approach-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Z-bar_approach" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Z-bar_approach"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2.3</span> <span>Z-bar approach</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Z-bar_approach-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Surface_rendezvous" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Surface_rendezvous"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Surface rendezvous</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Surface_rendezvous-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Space rendezvous</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 23 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-23" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">23 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1" title="الالتقاء في الفضاء – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="الالتقاء في الفضاء" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bn mw-list-item"><a href="https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%87_%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%82%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4_%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B7%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%8E" title="মহাকাশে পূর্বনির্ধারিত সাক্ষাৎ – Bangla" lang="bn" hreflang="bn" data-title="মহাকাশে পূর্বনির্ধারিত সাক্ষাৎ" data-language-autonym="বাংলা" data-language-local-name="Bangla" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>বাংলা</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%9E%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Стыкоўка – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Стыкоўка" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trobada_orbital" title="Trobada orbital – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Trobada orbital" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setk%C3%A1n%C3%AD_(kosmonautika)" title="Setkání (kosmonautika) – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Setkání (kosmonautika)" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_(Raumfahrt)" title="Rendezvous (Raumfahrt) – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Rendezvous (Raumfahrt)" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encuentro_espacial" title="Encuentro espacial – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Encuentro espacial" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%BE%D9%87%D9%84%D9%88%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C_%D9%81%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C" title="پهلوگیری فضایی – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="پهلوگیری فضایی" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendez-vous_spatial" title="Rendez-vous spatial – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Rendez-vous spatial" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pertemuan_luar_angkasa" title="Pertemuan luar angkasa – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Pertemuan luar angkasa" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous" title="Rendezvous – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Rendezvous" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ka mw-list-item"><a href="https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%A8%E1%83%94%E1%83%9E%E1%83%98%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90%E1%83%9E%E1%83%98%E1%83%A0%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%90" title="შეპირაპირება – Georgian" lang="ka" hreflang="ka" data-title="შეპირაპირება" data-language-autonym="ქართული" data-language-local-name="Georgian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ქართული</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvo%C5%A1an%C4%81s_manevrs" title="Tuvošanās manevrs – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Tuvošanās manevrs" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lb mw-list-item"><a href="https://lb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendez-vous_(Raumfaart)" title="Rendez-vous (Raumfaart) – Luxembourgish" lang="lb" hreflang="lb" data-title="Rendez-vous (Raumfaart)" data-language-autonym="Lëtzebuergesch" data-language-local-name="Luxembourgish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lëtzebuergesch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pertemuan_angkasa" title="Pertemuan angkasa – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Pertemuan angkasa" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%96%E3%83%BC_(%E5%AE%87%E5%AE%99%E9%96%8B%E7%99%BA)" title="ランデブー (宇宙開発) – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="ランデブー (宇宙開発)" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dokowanie_(astronautyka)" title="Dokowanie (astronautyka) – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Dokowanie (astronautyka)" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encontro_(astron%C3%A1utica)" title="Encontro (astronáutica) – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Encontro (astronáutica)" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Стыковка – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Стыковка" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_(kozmonautika)" title="Rendezvous (kozmonautika) – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Rendezvous (kozmonautika)" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rymdm%C3%B6te" title="Rymdmöte – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Rymdmöte" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8F" title="Стикування – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Стикування" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A9%BA%E9%96%93%E4%BA%A4%E6%9C%83" title="空間交會 – Chinese" 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id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Series of orbital maneuvers</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg/220px-Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="146" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg/330px-Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg/440px-Range_finding_from_shuttle_to_ISS.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4288" data-file-height="2849" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Astronaut" title="Astronaut">Astronaut</a> <a href="/wiki/Christopher_Cassidy" title="Christopher Cassidy">Christopher Cassidy</a> uses a <a href="/wiki/Rangefinding_telemeter" class="mw-redirect" title="Rangefinding telemeter">rangefinder</a> to determine distance between the <span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle" title="Space Shuttle">Space Shuttle</a></span> <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour" title="Space Shuttle Endeavour"><i>Endeavour</i></a> and the <a href="/wiki/International_Space_Station" title="International Space Station">International Space Station</a></figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg/220px-Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="212" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg/330px-Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg/440px-Apollo_11_lunar_module.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2389" data-file-height="2306" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Lunar_Module_Eagle" title="Lunar Module Eagle">Lunar Module <i>Eagle</i></a> ascent stage rendezvous with the <a href="/wiki/Command_module_Columbia" title="Command module Columbia">command module <i>Columbia</i></a> in lunar orbit after returning from a landing</figcaption></figure> <p>A <i><b>space rendezvous</b></i> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'r' in 'rye'">r</span><span title="/ɒ/: 'o' in 'body'">ɒ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="'d' in 'dye'">d</span><span title="/eɪ/: 'a' in 'face'">eɪ</span><span title="'v' in 'vie'">v</span><span title="/uː/: 'oo' in 'goose'">uː</span></span>/</a></span></span>) is a set of <a href="/wiki/Orbital_maneuver" title="Orbital maneuver">orbital maneuvers</a> during which two <a href="/wiki/Spacecraft" title="Spacecraft">spacecraft</a>, one of which is often a <a href="/wiki/Space_station" title="Space station">space station</a>, arrive at the same <a href="/wiki/Orbit" title="Orbit">orbit</a> and approach to a very close distance (e.g. within visual contact). Rendezvous requires a precise match of the <a href="/wiki/Orbital_elements" title="Orbital elements">orbital velocities and position vectors</a> of the two spacecraft, allowing them to remain at a constant distance through <a href="/wiki/Orbital_station-keeping" title="Orbital station-keeping">orbital station-keeping</a>. Rendezvous may or may not be followed by <a href="/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Docking and berthing of spacecraft">docking or berthing</a>, procedures which bring the spacecraft into physical contact and create a link between them. </p><p>The same rendezvous technique can be used for spacecraft "landing" on natural objects with a weak gravitational field, e.g. landing on one of the <a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Mars" title="Moons of Mars">Martian moons</a> would require the same matching of orbital velocities, followed by a "descent" that shares some similarities with docking. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In its first human spaceflight program <a href="/wiki/Vostok_programme" title="Vostok programme">Vostok</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> launched pairs of spacecraft from the same launch pad, one or two days apart (<a href="/wiki/Vostok_3" class="mw-redirect" title="Vostok 3">Vostok 3 and 4</a> in 1962, and <a href="/wiki/Vostok_5" title="Vostok 5">Vostok 5 and 6</a> in 1963). In each case, the <a href="/wiki/Launch_vehicle" title="Launch vehicle">launch vehicles</a>' guidance systems inserted the two craft into nearly identical orbits; however, this was not nearly precise enough to achieve rendezvous, as the Vostok lacked maneuvering thrusters to adjust its orbit to match that of its twin. The initial separation distances were in the range of 5 to 6.5 kilometers (3.1 to 4.0 mi), and slowly diverged to thousands of kilometers (over a thousand miles) over the course of the missions.<sup id="cite_ref-Gatland_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Gatland-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In early 1964 the Soviet Union were able to guide two unmanned satellites designated <a href="/wiki/Polyot_(satellite)" title="Polyot (satellite)">Polyot 1 and Polyot 2</a> within 5km, and the crafts were able to establish radio communication.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1963 <a href="/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin" title="Buzz Aldrin">Buzz Aldrin</a> submitted his doctoral thesis titled, <i> Line-Of-Sight Guidance Techniques For Manned Orbital Rendezvous.</i><sup id="cite_ref-buzz_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-buzz-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As a NASA astronaut, Aldrin worked to "translate complex <a href="/wiki/Orbital_mechanics" title="Orbital mechanics">orbital mechanics</a> into relatively simple flight plans for my colleagues."<sup id="cite_ref-waterkeeper_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-waterkeeper-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="First_attempt_failed">First attempt failed</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: First attempt failed"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>NASA's first attempt at rendezvous was made on June 3, 1965, when US astronaut <a href="/wiki/Jim_McDivitt" class="mw-redirect" title="Jim McDivitt">Jim McDivitt</a> tried to maneuver his <a href="/wiki/Gemini_4" title="Gemini 4">Gemini 4</a> craft to meet its spent <a href="/wiki/Titan_II_GLV" title="Titan II GLV">Titan II launch vehicle</a>'s upper stage. McDivitt was unable to get close enough to achieve station-keeping, due to depth-perception problems, and stage propellant venting which kept moving it around.<sup id="cite_ref-mcdivittoh_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mcdivittoh-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, the Gemini 4 attempts at rendezvous were unsuccessful largely because <a href="/wiki/NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a> engineers had yet to learn the <a href="/wiki/Orbital_mechanics" title="Orbital mechanics">orbital mechanics</a> involved in the process. Simply pointing the active vehicle's nose at the target and thrusting was unsuccessful. If the target is ahead in the orbit and the tracking vehicle increases speed, its altitude also increases, actually moving it away from the target. The higher altitude then increases orbital period due to <a href="/wiki/Kepler%27s_laws_of_planetary_motion#Third_law" title="Kepler's laws of planetary motion">Kepler's third law</a>, putting the tracker not only above, but also behind the target. The proper technique requires changing the tracking vehicle's orbit to allow the rendezvous target to either catch up or be caught up with, and then at the correct moment changing to the same orbit as the target with no relative motion between the vehicles (for example, putting the tracker into a lower orbit, which has a shorter orbital period allowing it to catch up, then executing a <a href="/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit" title="Hohmann transfer orbit">Hohmann transfer</a> back to the original orbital height).<sup id="cite_ref-gemini-4-ea_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-gemini-4-ea-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>As <a href="/wiki/Project_Gemini" title="Project Gemini">GPO</a> engineer André Meyer later remarked, "There is a good explanation for what went wrong with rendezvous." The crew, like everyone else at <a href="/wiki/Manned_Spacecraft_Center" class="mw-redirect" title="Manned Spacecraft Center">MSC</a>, "just didn't understand or reason out the <a href="/wiki/Orbital_mechanics" title="Orbital mechanics">orbital mechanics</a> involved. As a result, we all got a whole lot smarter and really perfected rendezvous maneuvers, which <a href="/wiki/Apollo_program" title="Apollo program">Apollo</a> now uses."</p><div class="templatequotecite">— <cite><sup id="cite_ref-gemini-4-ea_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-gemini-4-ea-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></cite></div></blockquote> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="First_successful_rendezvous">First successful rendezvous</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: First successful rendezvous"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg/220px-Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="219" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg/330px-Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg/440px-Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4095" data-file-height="4069" /></a><figcaption>Gemini 7 photographed from Gemini 6 in 1965</figcaption></figure> <p>Rendezvous was first successfully accomplished by US astronaut <a href="/wiki/Wally_Schirra" title="Wally Schirra">Wally Schirra</a> on December 15, 1965. Schirra maneuvered the <a href="/wiki/Gemini_6A" title="Gemini 6A">Gemini 6</a> spacecraft within 1 foot (30 cm) of its sister craft <a href="/wiki/Gemini_7" title="Gemini 7">Gemini 7</a>. The spacecraft were not equipped to dock with each other, but maintained station-keeping for more than 20 minutes. Schirra later commented:<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1244412712"><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>Somebody said ... when you come to within three miles (5 km), you've rendezvoused. If anybody thinks they've pulled a rendezvous off at three miles (5 km), have fun! This is when we started doing our work. I don't think rendezvous is over until you are stopped – completely stopped – with no relative motion between the two vehicles, at a range of approximately 120 feet (37 m). That's rendezvous! From there on, it's stationkeeping. That's when you can go back and play the game of driving a car or driving an airplane or pushing a skateboard – it's about that simple.</p></blockquote> <p>Schirra used another metaphor to describe the difference between the two nations' achievements:<sup id="cite_ref-agle199809_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-agle199809-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1244412712"><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>[The Russian "rendezvous"] was a passing glance—the equivalent of a male walking down a busy main street with plenty of traffic whizzing by and he spots a cute girl walking on the other side. He's going 'Hey wait' but she's gone. That's a passing glance, not a rendezvous.</p></blockquote> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="First_docking">First docking</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: First docking"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Space_rendezvous" title="Special:EditPage/Space rendezvous">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22">"Space rendezvous"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Space+rendezvous%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Space+rendezvous%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">August 2020</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Docking and berthing of spacecraft">Docking and berthing of spacecraft</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:S66-25781_PR.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/S66-25781_PR.jpg/220px-S66-25781_PR.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="153" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/S66-25781_PR.jpg/330px-S66-25781_PR.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/S66-25781_PR.jpg/440px-S66-25781_PR.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1492" data-file-height="1040" /></a><figcaption>Gemini 8 Agena target vehicle</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Gemini8Docking.gif" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Gemini8Docking.gif/220px-Gemini8Docking.gif" decoding="async" width="220" height="149" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Gemini8Docking.gif/330px-Gemini8Docking.gif 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Gemini8Docking.gif 2x" data-file-width="374" data-file-height="254" /></a><figcaption>Gemini 8 docking with Agena vehicle</figcaption></figure> <p>The first docking of two spacecraft was achieved on March 16, 1966 when <a href="/wiki/Gemini_8" title="Gemini 8">Gemini 8</a>, under the command of <a href="/wiki/Neil_Armstrong" title="Neil Armstrong">Neil Armstrong</a>, rendezvoused and docked with an uncrewed <a href="/wiki/Agena_Target_Vehicle" class="mw-redirect" title="Agena Target Vehicle">Agena Target Vehicle</a>. Gemini 6 was to have been the first docking mission, but had to be cancelled when that mission's Agena vehicle was destroyed during launch.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Soviets carried out the first automated, uncrewed docking between <a href="/wiki/Cosmos_186" class="mw-redirect" title="Cosmos 186">Cosmos 186</a> and <a href="/wiki/Cosmos_188" class="mw-redirect" title="Cosmos 188">Cosmos 188</a> on October 30, 1967.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The first Soviet cosmonaut to attempt a manual docking was <a href="/wiki/Georgy_Beregovoy" title="Georgy Beregovoy">Georgy Beregovoy</a> who unsuccessfully tried to dock his <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_3" title="Soyuz 3">Soyuz 3</a> craft with the uncrewed <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_2" title="Soyuz 2">Soyuz 2</a> in October 1968. Automated systems brought the craft to within 200 meters (660 ft), while Beregovoy brought this closer with manual control.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The first successful crewed docking<sup id="cite_ref-MAAS_Collection_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MAAS_Collection-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> occurred on January 16, 1969 when <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_4" title="Soyuz 4">Soyuz 4</a> and <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_5" title="Soyuz 5">Soyuz 5</a> docked, collecting the two crew members of Soyuz 5, which had to perform an <a href="/wiki/Extravehicular_activity" title="Extravehicular activity">extravehicular activity</a> to reach Soyuz 4.<sup id="cite_ref-NASA_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NASA-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In March 1969 <a href="/wiki/Apollo_9" title="Apollo 9">Apollo 9</a> achieved the first internal transfer of crew members between two docked spacecraft. </p><p>The first rendezvous of two spacecraft from different countries took place in 1975, when an Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soyuz spacecraft as part of the <a href="/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz" title="Apollo–Soyuz">Apollo–Soyuz</a> mission.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The first multiple space docking took place when both <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_26" title="Soyuz 26">Soyuz 26</a> and <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_27" title="Soyuz 27">Soyuz 27</a> were docked to the <a href="/wiki/Salyut_6" title="Salyut 6">Salyut 6</a> space station during January 1978.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2011)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Uses">Uses</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Uses"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg/220px-Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="176" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg/330px-Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg/440px-Portrait_of_ASTP_crews_-_restoration.jpg 2x" data-file-width="8232" data-file-height="6586" /></a><figcaption>Most rendezvous are for docking, as in this photo of the crews and spaceship models of the historic first time Soviet and US spacecraft <a href="/wiki/Apollo-Soyuz" class="mw-redirect" title="Apollo-Soyuz">Apollo-Soyuz</a> docking in 1975 of the concluding <a href="/wiki/Space_Race" title="Space Race">Space Race</a></figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="A gold-coloured solar array, bent and twisted out of shape and with several holes. The edge of a module can be seen to the right of the image, and Earth is visible in the background." src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG/220px-Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="222" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG/330px-Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG/440px-Mir_collision_damage_STS086-720-091.JPG 2x" data-file-width="4127" data-file-height="4169" /></a><figcaption>Damaged solar arrays on <i>Mir'</i>s <i><a href="/wiki/Spektr" title="Spektr">Spektr</a></i> module following a collision with an uncrewed <a href="/wiki/Progress_spacecraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Progress spacecraft">Progress spacecraft</a> in September 1997 as part of <a href="/wiki/Shuttle-Mir" class="mw-redirect" title="Shuttle-Mir">Shuttle-Mir</a>. The Progress spacecraft were used for re-supplying the station. In this space rendezvous gone wrong, the Progress collided with Mir, beginning a depressurization that was halted by closing the hatch to <i>Spektr</i>.</figcaption></figure> <p>A rendezvous takes place each time a spacecraft brings crew members or supplies to an orbiting space station. The first spacecraft to do this was <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_11" title="Soyuz 11">Soyuz 11</a>, which successfully docked with the <a href="/wiki/Salyut_1" title="Salyut 1">Salyut 1</a> station on June 7, 1971.<sup id="cite_ref-soyuz-11-ea_18-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-soyuz-11-ea-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Human_spaceflight" title="Human spaceflight">Human spaceflight</a> missions have successfully made rendezvous with six <a href="/wiki/Salyut" class="mw-redirect" title="Salyut">Salyut</a> stations, with <a href="/wiki/Skylab" title="Skylab">Skylab</a>, with <i><a href="/wiki/Mir" title="Mir">Mir</a></i> and with the <a href="/wiki/International_Space_Station" title="International Space Station">International Space Station</a> (ISS). Currently <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_spacecraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Soyuz spacecraft">Soyuz spacecraft</a> are used at approximately six month intervals to transport crew members to and from ISS. With the introduction of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the US is able to use their own launch vehicle along with the Soyuz, an updated version of SpaceX's Cargo Dragon; Crew Dragon. <sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Robotic_spacecraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Robotic spacecraft">Robotic spacecraft</a> are also used to rendezvous with and resupply space stations. <a href="/wiki/Soyuz_spacecraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Soyuz spacecraft">Soyuz</a> and <a href="/wiki/Progress_spacecraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Progress spacecraft">Progress spacecraft</a> have automatically docked with both <i>Mir</i><sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the ISS using the <a href="/wiki/Kurs_(docking_system)" class="mw-redirect" title="Kurs (docking system)">Kurs docking system</a>, Europe's <a href="/wiki/Automated_Transfer_Vehicle" title="Automated Transfer Vehicle">Automated Transfer Vehicle</a> also used this system to dock with the Russian segment of the ISS. Several uncrewed spacecraft use NASA's <a href="/wiki/Common_berthing_mechanism" class="mw-redirect" title="Common berthing mechanism">berthing mechanism</a> rather than a <a href="/wiki/Androgynous_Peripheral_Attach_System#APAS-95" title="Androgynous Peripheral Attach System">docking port</a>. The Japanese <a href="/wiki/H-II_Transfer_Vehicle" title="H-II Transfer Vehicle">H-II Transfer Vehicle</a> (HTV), <a href="/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon" title="SpaceX Dragon">SpaceX Dragon</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Cygnus_(spacecraft)" title="Cygnus (spacecraft)">Orbital Sciences' Cygnus</a> spacecraft all maneuver to a close rendezvous and maintain station-keeping, allowing the ISS <a href="/wiki/Canadarm2" class="mw-redirect" title="Canadarm2">Canadarm2</a> to grapple and move the spacecraft to a berthing port on the US segment. However the updated version of Cargo Dragon will no longer need to berth but instead will autonomously dock directly to the space station. The Russian segment only uses docking ports so it is not possible for HTV, Dragon and Cygnus to find a berth there.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Space rendezvous has been used for a variety of other purposes, including recent service missions to the <a href="/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope" title="Hubble Space Telescope">Hubble Space Telescope</a>. Historically, for the missions of <a href="/wiki/Project_Apollo" class="mw-redirect" title="Project Apollo">Project Apollo</a> that landed astronauts on the <a href="/wiki/Moon" title="Moon">Moon</a>, the ascent stage of the <a href="/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module" title="Apollo Lunar Module">Apollo Lunar Module</a> would rendezvous and dock with the <a href="/wiki/Apollo_Command/Service_Module" class="mw-redirect" title="Apollo Command/Service Module">Apollo Command/Service Module</a> in <a href="/wiki/Lunar_orbit_rendezvous" title="Lunar orbit rendezvous">lunar orbit rendezvous</a> maneuvers. Also, the <a href="/wiki/STS-49" title="STS-49">STS-49</a> crew rendezvoused with and attached a rocket motor to the <a href="/wiki/Intelsat_VI" title="Intelsat VI">Intelsat VI</a> F-3 <a href="/wiki/Communications_satellite" title="Communications satellite">communications satellite</a> to allow it to make an <a href="/wiki/Orbital_maneuver" title="Orbital maneuver">orbital maneuver</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Possible future rendezvous may be made by a yet to be developed automated Hubble Robotic Vehicle (HRV), and by the <a href="/w/index.php?title=CX-OLEV&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="CX-OLEV (page does not exist)">CX-OLEV</a>, which is being developed for rendezvous with a <a href="/wiki/Geosynchronous_satellite" title="Geosynchronous satellite">geosynchronous satellite</a> that has run out of fuel. The CX-OLEV would take over <a href="/wiki/Orbital_stationkeeping" class="mw-redirect" title="Orbital stationkeeping">orbital stationkeeping</a> and/or finally bring the satellite to a graveyard orbit, after which the CX-OLEV can possibly be reused for another satellite. Gradual transfer from the <a href="/wiki/Geostationary_transfer_orbit" title="Geostationary transfer orbit">geostationary transfer orbit</a> to the <a href="/wiki/Geosynchronous_orbit" title="Geosynchronous orbit">geosynchronous orbit</a> will take a number of months, using <a href="/wiki/Hall_effect_thruster" class="mw-redirect" title="Hall effect thruster">Hall effect thrusters</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Alternatively the two spacecraft are already together, and just undock and dock in a different way: </p> <ul><li>Soyuz spacecraft from one docking point to another on the ISS or Salyut<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></li> <li>In the <a href="/wiki/Apollo_spacecraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Apollo spacecraft">Apollo spacecraft</a>, a maneuver known as <a href="/wiki/Transposition,_docking,_and_extraction" title="Transposition, docking, and extraction">transposition, docking, and extraction</a> was performed an hour or so after <a href="/wiki/Trans_Lunar_Injection" class="mw-redirect" title="Trans Lunar Injection">Trans Lunar Injection</a> of the sequence third stage of the <a href="/wiki/Saturn_V" title="Saturn V">Saturn V</a> rocket / LM inside LM adapter / CSM (in order from bottom to top at launch, also the order from back to front with respect to the current motion), with CSM crewed, LM at this stage uncrewed:<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> <ul><li>the CSM separated, while the four upper panels of the LM adapter were disposed of</li> <li>the CSM turned 180 degrees (from engine backward, toward LM, to forward)</li> <li>the CSM connected to the LM while that was still connected to the third stage</li> <li>the CSM/LM combination then separated from the third stage</li></ul></li></ul> <p>NASA sometimes refers to "Rendezvous, <a href="/wiki/Proximity_operations" class="mw-redirect" title="Proximity operations">Proximity-Operations</a>, <a href="/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Docking and berthing of spacecraft">Docking, and Undocking</a>" (RPODU) for the set of all spaceflight procedures that are typically needed around spacecraft operations where two spacecraft work in proximity to one another with intent to connect to one another.<sup id="cite_ref-OE-LL_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-OE-LL-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Phases_and_methods">Phases and methods</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Phases and methods"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Apollo_10_command_module.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Apollo_10_command_module.jpg/220px-Apollo_10_command_module.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="219" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Apollo_10_command_module.jpg/330px-Apollo_10_command_module.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Apollo_10_command_module.jpg/440px-Apollo_10_command_module.jpg 2x" data-file-width="502" data-file-height="500" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Apollo_command_and_service_module" title="Apollo command and service module">Command and service module</a> <i>Charlie Brown</i> as seen from <a href="/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module" title="Apollo Lunar Module">Lunar Module</a> <i>Snoopy</i></figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:ATVtoISS.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/ATVtoISS.png/220px-ATVtoISS.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="185" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/ATVtoISS.png/330px-ATVtoISS.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/ATVtoISS.png/440px-ATVtoISS.png 2x" data-file-width="656" data-file-height="551" /></a><figcaption>Orbital rendezvous. 1/ Both spacecraft must be in the same orbital plane. ISS flies in a higher orbit (lower speed), ATV flies in a lower orbit and catches up with ISS. 2/At the moment when the ATV and the ISS make an alpha angle (about 2°), the ATV crosses the elliptical orbit to the ISS.<sup id="cite_ref-Arrival_of_the_ATV_to_the_ISS_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Arrival_of_the_ATV_to_the_ISS-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1248332772">.mw-parser-output .multiple-issues-text{width:95%;margin:0.2em 0}.mw-parser-output .multiple-issues-text>.mw-collapsible-content{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .compact-ambox .ambox{border:none;border-collapse:collapse;background-color:transparent;margin:0 0 0 1.6em!important;padding:0!important;width:auto;display:block}body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .compact-ambox 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ambox ambox-style ambox-technical" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/40px-Edit-clear.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/60px-Edit-clear.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Edit-clear.svg/80px-Edit-clear.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>may be too technical for most readers to understand</b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit">help improve it</a> to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Make_technical_articles_understandable" title="Wikipedia:Make technical articles understandable">make it understandable to non-experts</a>, without removing the technical details.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">April 2010</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Space_rendezvous" title="Special:EditPage/Space rendezvous">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a> in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22">"Space rendezvous"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Space+rendezvous%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Space+rendezvous%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Space+rendezvous%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">August 2020</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> </div> </div><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The standard technique for rendezvous and docking is to dock an active vehicle, the "chaser", with a passive "target". This technique has been used successfully for the Gemini, Apollo, Apollo/Soyuz, Salyut, Skylab, Mir, ISS, and Tiangong programs.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (August 2012)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>To properly understand spacecraft rendezvous it is essential to understand the relation between spacecraft velocity and orbit. A spacecraft in a certain orbit cannot arbitrarily alter its velocity. Each orbit correlates to a certain orbital velocity. If the spacecraft fires thrusters and increases (or decreases) its velocity it will obtain a different orbit, one with a higher or lower altitude. In circular orbits, higher orbits have a lower orbital velocity. Lower orbits have a higher orbital velocity. </p><p>For orbital rendezvous to occur, both spacecraft must be in the same <a href="/wiki/Orbital_plane_(astronomy)" class="mw-redirect" title="Orbital plane (astronomy)">orbital plane</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Orbit_phasing" title="Orbit phasing">phase of the orbit</a> (the position of the spacecraft in the orbit) must be matched.<sup id="cite_ref-Arrival_of_the_ATV_to_the_ISS_24-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Arrival_of_the_ATV_to_the_ISS-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For docking, the speed of the two vehicles must also be matched. The "chaser" is placed in a slightly lower orbit than the target. The lower the orbit, the higher the orbital velocity. The difference in orbital velocities of chaser and target is therefore such that the chaser is faster than the target, and catches up with it.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2011)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Once the two spacecraft are sufficiently close, the chaser's orbit is synchronized with the target's orbit. That is, the chaser will be accelerated. This increase in velocity carries the chaser to a higher orbit. The increase in velocity is chosen such that the chaser approximately assumes the orbit of the target. Stepwise, the chaser closes in on the target, until proximity operations (see below) can be started. In the very final phase, the closure rate is reduced by use of the active vehicle's <a href="/wiki/Reaction_control_system" title="Reaction control system">reaction control system</a>. Docking typically occurs at a rate of 0.1 ft/s (0.030 m/s) to 0.2 ft/s (0.061 m/s).<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Rendezvous_phases">Rendezvous phases</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Rendezvous phases"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Space rendezvous of an active, or "chaser", spacecraft with an (assumed) passive spacecraft may be divided into several phases, and typically starts with the two spacecraft in separate orbits, typically separated by more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi):<sup id="cite_ref-wertz2003_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wertz2003-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable"> <tbody><tr> <th>Phase </th> <th>Separation distance </th> <th>Typical phase duration </th></tr> <tr> <td><b>Drift Orbit A</b><br />(out of sight, out of contact) </td> <td>>2 λ<sub>max</sub><sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td> <td>1 to 20 days </td></tr> <tr> <td><b>Drift Orbit B</b><br />(in sight, in contact) </td> <td>2 λ<sub>max</sub> to 1 kilometer (3,300 ft) </td> <td>1 to 5 days </td></tr> <tr> <td><b>Proximity Operations A</b> </td> <td>1,000–100 meters (3,280–330 ft) </td> <td>1 to 5 orbits </td></tr> <tr> <td><b>Proximity Operations B</b> </td> <td>100–10 meters (328–33 ft) </td> <td>45 – 90 minutes </td></tr> <tr> <td><b>Docking</b> </td> <td><10 meters (33 ft) </td> <td><5 minutes </td></tr></tbody></table> <p>A variety of techniques may be used to effect the <a href="/wiki/Translation_(physics)" class="mw-redirect" title="Translation (physics)">translational</a> and <a href="/wiki/Rotation" title="Rotation">rotational</a> <a href="/wiki/Orbital_maneuver" title="Orbital maneuver">maneuvers</a> necessary for proximity operations and docking.<sup id="cite_ref-lee2010_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lee2010-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Methods_of_approach">Methods of approach</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Methods of approach"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The two most common methods of approach for <a href="/wiki/Proximity_operations" class="mw-redirect" title="Proximity operations">proximity operations</a> are in-line with the flight path of the spacecraft (called V-bar, as it is along the velocity vector of the target) and <a href="/wiki/Orthogonal" class="mw-redirect" title="Orthogonal">perpendicular</a> to the flight path along the line of the radius of the orbit (called R-bar, as it is along the radial vector, with respect to Earth, of the target).<sup id="cite_ref-wertz2003_26-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wertz2003-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The chosen method of approach depends on safety, spacecraft / thruster design, mission timeline, and, especially for docking with the ISS, on the location of the assigned docking port. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="V-bar_approach">V-bar approach</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: V-bar approach"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The V-bar approach is an approach of the "chaser" horizontally along the passive spacecraft's velocity vector. That is, from behind or from ahead, and in the same direction as the orbital motion of the passive target. The motion is <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/parallel" class="extiw" title="wikt:parallel">parallel</a> to the target's orbital velocity.<sup id="cite_ref-wertz2003_26-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wertz2003-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-pearson1989_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-pearson1989-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the V-bar approach from behind, the chaser fires small thrusters to increase its velocity in the direction of the target. This, of course, also drives the chaser to a higher orbit. To keep the chaser on the V-vector, other thrusters are fired in the radial direction. If this is omitted (for example due to a thruster failure), the chaser will be carried to a higher orbit, which is associated with an orbital velocity lower than the target's. Consequently, the target moves faster than the chaser and the distance between them increases. This is called a <i>natural braking effect</i>, and is a natural safeguard in case of a thruster failure.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/STS-104" title="STS-104">STS-104</a> was the third <a href="/wiki/Space_Shuttle" title="Space Shuttle">Space Shuttle</a> mission to conduct a V-bar arrival at the <a href="/wiki/International_Space_Station" title="International Space Station">International Space Station</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The V-bar, or <a href="/wiki/Orbital_state_vectors" title="Orbital state vectors">velocity vector</a>, extends along a line directly ahead of the station. Shuttles approach the ISS along the V-bar when docking at the <a href="/wiki/Pressurized_Mating_Adapter" title="Pressurized Mating Adapter">PMA-2</a> docking port.<sup id="cite_ref-harwood_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-harwood-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="R-bar_approach">R-bar approach</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: R-bar approach"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The R-bar approach consists of the chaser moving below or above the target spacecraft, along its radial vector. The motion is <a href="/wiki/Orthogonal" class="mw-redirect" title="Orthogonal">orthogonal</a> to the orbital velocity of the passive spacecraft.<sup id="cite_ref-wertz2003_26-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-wertz2003-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-pearson1989_29-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-pearson1989-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When below the target the chaser fires radial thrusters to close in on the target. By this it increases its altitude. However, the orbital velocity of the chaser remains unchanged (thruster firings in the radial direction have no effect on the orbital velocity). Now in a slightly higher position, but with an orbital velocity that does not correspond to the local circular velocity, the chaser slightly falls behind the target. Small rocket pulses in the orbital velocity direction are necessary to keep the chaser along the radial vector of the target. If these rocket pulses are not executed (for example due to a thruster failure), the chaser will move away from the target. This is a <i>natural braking effect</i>. For the R-bar approach, this effect is stronger than for the V-bar approach, making the R-bar approach the safer one of the two.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Generally, the R-bar approach from below is preferable, as the chaser is in a lower (faster) orbit than the target, and thus "catches up" with it. For the R-bar approach from above, the chaser is in a higher (slower) orbit than the target, and thus has to wait for the target to approach it.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Astrotech_Corporation" title="Astrotech Corporation">Astrotech</a> proposed meeting ISS cargo needs with a vehicle which would approach the station, "using a traditional nadir R-bar approach."<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The nadir R-bar approach is also used for flights to the ISS of <a href="/wiki/H-II_Transfer_Vehicle" title="H-II Transfer Vehicle">H-II Transfer Vehicles</a>, and of <a href="/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon" title="SpaceX Dragon">SpaceX Dragon</a> vehicles.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Z-bar_approach">Z-bar approach</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Z-bar approach"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>An approach of the active, or "chaser", spacecraft horizontally from the side and orthogonal to the <a href="/wiki/Orbital_elements" title="Orbital elements">orbital plane</a> of the passive spacecraft—that is, from the side and out-of-plane of the orbit of the passive spacecraft—is called a Z-bar approach.<sup id="cite_ref-bessel1993_35-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bessel1993-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Surface_rendezvous">Surface rendezvous</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Surface rendezvous"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:AS12-48-7133_(21470506269).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/AS12-48-7133_%2821470506269%29.jpg/220px-AS12-48-7133_%2821470506269%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="220" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/AS12-48-7133_%2821470506269%29.jpg/330px-AS12-48-7133_%2821470506269%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/AS12-48-7133_%2821470506269%29.jpg/440px-AS12-48-7133_%2821470506269%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4175" data-file-height="4175" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Apollo_12" title="Apollo 12">Apollo 12</a> astronaut Conrad with <a href="/wiki/Surveyor_3" title="Surveyor 3">Surveyor 3</a> and Apollo 2 lander in the background, in a first ever visit of an independent mission beyond <a href="/wiki/Low_Earth_Orbit" class="mw-redirect" title="Low Earth Orbit">Low Earth Orbit</a></figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Apollo_12" title="Apollo 12">Apollo 12</a>, the second crewed <a href="/wiki/Lunar_landing" class="mw-redirect" title="Lunar landing">lunar landing</a>, performed the first ever rendezvous outside of <a href="/wiki/Low_Earth_Orbit" class="mw-redirect" title="Low Earth Orbit">Low Earth Orbit</a> by landing close to <a href="/wiki/Surveyor_3" title="Surveyor 3">Surveyor 3</a> and taking parts of it back to Earth. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style 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title="Common Berthing Mechanism">Common Berthing Mechanism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deliberate_crash_landings_on_extraterrestrial_bodies" class="mw-redirect" title="Deliberate crash landings on extraterrestrial bodies">Deliberate crash landings on extraterrestrial bodies</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flyby_(spaceflight)" title="Flyby (spaceflight)">Flyby (spaceflight)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lunar_orbit_rendezvous" title="Lunar orbit rendezvous">Lunar orbit rendezvous</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mars_orbit_rendezvous" title="Mars orbit rendezvous">Mars orbit rendezvous</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nodal_precession" title="Nodal precession">Nodal precession</a> of orbits around the Earth's axis</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Path-constrained_rendezvous" title="Path-constrained rendezvous">Path-constrained rendezvous</a> – the process of moving an orbiting object from its current position to a desired position, in such a way that no orbiting obstacles are contacted along the way</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Soyuz_Kontakt" title="Soyuz Kontakt">Soyuz Kontakt</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">λ<sub>max</sub> is the <a href="/wiki/Angular_diameter" title="Angular diameter">angular radius</a> of the spacecraft's true <a href="/wiki/Horizon" title="Horizon">horizon</a> as seen from the center of the planet; for <a href="/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit" title="Low Earth orbit">LEO</a>, it is the maximum Earth central angle from the altitude of the spacecraft.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Space_rendezvous&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width reflist-columns-2"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Gatland-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Gatland_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFGatland1976" class="citation book cs1">Gatland, Kenneth (1976). <i>Manned Spacecraft, Second Revision</i>. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. pp. <span class="nowrap">117–</span>118. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-02-542820-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-02-542820-9"><bdi>0-02-542820-9</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Manned+Spacecraft%2C+Second+Revision&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E117-%3C%2Fspan%3E118&rft.pub=Macmillan+Publishing+Co.%2C+Inc.&rft.date=1976&rft.isbn=0-02-542820-9&rft.aulast=Gatland&rft.aufirst=Kenneth&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASpace+rendezvous" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHallDavid_J._Shayler2001" class="citation book cs1">Hall, Rex; David J. Shayler (2001). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zndYLKa26wAC"><i>The Rocket Men: Vostok & Voskhod, The First Soviet Manned Spaceflights</i></a>. New York: <a href="/wiki/Springer_Science%2BBusiness_Media" title="Springer Science+Business Media">Springer–Praxis Books</a>. pp. <span class="nowrap">185–</span>191. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85233-391-X" title="Special:BookSources/1-85233-391-X"><bdi>1-85233-391-X</bdi></a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200402223717/https://books.google.com/books?id=zndYLKa26wAC">Archived</a> from the original on April 2, 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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.navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Orbits" title="Template:Orbits"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Orbits" title="Template talk:Orbits"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Orbits" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Orbits"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Gravitational_orbits256" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">Gravitational <a href="/wiki/Orbit" title="Orbit">orbits</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_orbits" title="List of orbits">Types</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em">General</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Box_orbit" title="Box orbit">Box</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parabolic_trajectory" title="Parabolic trajectory">Capture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Circular_orbit" title="Circular orbit">Circular</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elliptic_orbit" title="Elliptic orbit">Elliptical</a> / <a href="/wiki/Highly_elliptical_orbit" title="Highly elliptical orbit">Highly elliptical</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parabolic_trajectory" title="Parabolic trajectory">Escape</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Horseshoe_orbit" title="Horseshoe orbit">Horseshoe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hyperbolic_trajectory" title="Hyperbolic trajectory">Hyperbolic trajectory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Inclined_orbit" title="Inclined orbit">Inclined</a> / <a href="/wiki/Non-inclined_orbit" class="mw-redirect" title="Non-inclined orbit">Non-inclined</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kepler_orbit" title="Kepler orbit">Kepler</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lagrange_point" title="Lagrange point">Lagrange point</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Osculating_orbit" title="Osculating orbit">Osculating</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parabolic_trajectory" title="Parabolic trajectory">Parabolic trajectory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parking_orbit" title="Parking orbit">Parking</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Retrograde_and_prograde_motion" title="Retrograde and prograde motion">Prograde / Retrograde</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Synchronous_orbit" title="Synchronous orbit">Synchronous</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Semi-synchronous_orbit" title="Semi-synchronous orbit">semi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Subsynchronous_orbit" title="Subsynchronous orbit">sub</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit" title="Hohmann transfer orbit">Transfer orbit</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em"><a href="/wiki/Geocentric_orbit" title="Geocentric orbit">Geocentric</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Geosynchronous_orbit" title="Geosynchronous orbit">Geosynchronous</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Geostationary_orbit" title="Geostationary orbit">Geostationary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Geostationary_transfer_orbit" title="Geostationary transfer orbit">Geostationary transfer</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Graveyard_orbit" title="Graveyard orbit">Graveyard</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/High_Earth_orbit" title="High Earth orbit">High Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit" title="Low Earth orbit">Low Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Medium_Earth_orbit" title="Medium Earth orbit">Medium Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Molniya_orbit" title="Molniya orbit">Molniya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Near-equatorial_orbit" title="Near-equatorial orbit">Near-equatorial</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon" title="Orbit of the Moon">Orbit of the Moon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Polar_orbit" title="Polar orbit">Polar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sun-synchronous_orbit" title="Sun-synchronous orbit">Sun-synchronous</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Transatmospheric_orbit" title="Transatmospheric orbit">Transatmospheric</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tundra_orbit" title="Tundra orbit">Tundra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Very_low_Earth_orbit" title="Very low Earth orbit">Very low Earth</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em">About<br />other points</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Mars <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Areocentric_orbit" title="Areocentric orbit">Areocentric</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Areosynchronous_orbit" title="Areosynchronous orbit">Areosynchronous</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Areostationary_orbit" title="Areostationary orbit">Areostationary</a></li></ul></li> <li>Lagrange points <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Distant_retrograde_orbit" title="Distant retrograde orbit">Distant retrograde</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Halo_orbit" title="Halo orbit">Halo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lissajous_orbit" title="Lissajous orbit">Lissajous</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Libration_point_orbit" title="Libration point orbit">Libration</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lunar_orbit" title="Lunar orbit">Lunar</a></li> <li>Sun <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Heliocentric_orbit" title="Heliocentric orbit">Heliocentric</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Earth%27s_orbit" title="Earth's orbit">Earth's orbit</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mars_cycler" title="Mars cycler">Mars cycler</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sun-synchronous_orbit" title="Sun-synchronous orbit">Heliosynchronous</a></li></ul></li> <li>Other <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lunar_cycler" title="Lunar cycler">Lunar cycler</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Orbital_elements" title="Orbital elements">Parameters</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em"><div class="hlist"><ul><li>Shape</li><li>Size</li></ul></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">e</span>  <a href="/wiki/Orbital_eccentricity" title="Orbital eccentricity">Eccentricity</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">a</span>  <a href="/wiki/Semi-major_and_semi-minor_axes" title="Semi-major and semi-minor axes">Semi-major axis</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">b</span>  <a href="/wiki/Semi-major_and_semi-minor_axes" title="Semi-major and semi-minor axes">Semi-minor axis</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">Q</span>, <span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">q</span>  <a href="/wiki/Apsis" title="Apsis">Apsides</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em">Orientation</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">i</span>  <a href="/wiki/Orbital_inclination" title="Orbital inclination">Inclination</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">Ω</span>  <a href="/wiki/Longitude_of_the_ascending_node" title="Longitude of the ascending node">Longitude of the ascending node</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">ω</span>  <a href="/wiki/Argument_of_periapsis" title="Argument of periapsis">Argument of periapsis</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">ϖ</span>  <a href="/wiki/Longitude_of_the_periapsis" class="mw-redirect" title="Longitude of the periapsis">Longitude of the periapsis</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em">Position</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">M</span>  <a href="/wiki/Mean_anomaly" title="Mean anomaly">Mean anomaly</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">ν</span>, <span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">θ</span>, <span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">f</span>  <a href="/wiki/True_anomaly" title="True anomaly">True anomaly</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">E</span>  <a href="/wiki/Eccentric_anomaly" title="Eccentric anomaly">Eccentric anomaly</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">L</span>  <a href="/wiki/Mean_longitude" title="Mean longitude">Mean longitude</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">l</span>  <a href="/wiki/True_longitude" title="True longitude">True longitude</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:6em">Variation</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">T</span>  <a href="/wiki/Orbital_period" title="Orbital period">Orbital period</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">n</span>  <a href="/wiki/Mean_motion" title="Mean motion">Mean motion</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml mvar" style="font-style:italic;">v</span>  <a href="/wiki/Orbital_speed" title="Orbital speed">Orbital speed</a></li> <li><span class="texhtml"><i>t</i><sub>0</sub></span>  <a href="/wiki/Epoch_(astronomy)" title="Epoch (astronomy)">Epoch</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Orbital_maneuver" title="Orbital maneuver">Maneuvers</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bi-elliptic_transfer" title="Bi-elliptic transfer">Bi-elliptic transfer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Collision_avoidance_(spacecraft)" title="Collision avoidance (spacecraft)">Collision avoidance (spacecraft)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Delta-v" title="Delta-v">Delta-v</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Delta-v_budget" title="Delta-v budget">Delta-v budget</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gravity_assist" title="Gravity assist">Gravity assist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gravity_turn" title="Gravity turn">Gravity turn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit" title="Hohmann transfer orbit">Hohmann transfer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbital_inclination_change" title="Orbital inclination change">Inclination change</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Low-energy_transfer" title="Low-energy transfer">Low-energy transfer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oberth_effect" title="Oberth effect">Oberth effect</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbit_phasing" title="Orbit phasing">Phasing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation" title="Tsiolkovsky rocket equation">Rocket equation</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Rendezvous</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trans-lunar_injection" title="Trans-lunar injection">Trans-lunar injection</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Transposition,_docking,_and_extraction" title="Transposition, docking, and extraction">Transposition, docking, and extraction</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Orbital_mechanics" title="Orbital mechanics">Orbital<br />mechanics</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Astronomical_coordinate_systems" title="Astronomical coordinate systems">Astronomical coordinate systems</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Characteristic_energy" title="Characteristic energy">Characteristic energy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Escape_velocity" title="Escape velocity">Escape velocity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ephemeris" title="Ephemeris">Ephemeris</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Equatorial_coordinate_system" title="Equatorial coordinate system">Equatorial coordinate system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ground_track" class="mw-redirect" title="Ground track">Ground track</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hill_sphere" title="Hill sphere">Hill sphere</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interplanetary_Transport_Network" title="Interplanetary Transport Network">Interplanetary Transport Network</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kepler%27s_laws_of_planetary_motion" title="Kepler's laws of planetary motion">Kepler's laws of planetary motion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kozai_mechanism" title="Kozai mechanism">Kozai mechanism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lagrange_point" title="Lagrange point">Lagrangian point</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/N-body_problem" title="N-body problem"><i>n</i>-body problem</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbit_equation" title="Orbit equation">Orbit equation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orbital_state_vectors" title="Orbital state vectors">Orbital state vectors</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Perturbation_(astronomy)" title="Perturbation (astronomy)">Perturbation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Retrograde_and_prograde_motion" title="Retrograde and prograde motion">Retrograde and prograde motion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Specific_orbital_energy" title="Specific orbital energy">Specific orbital energy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Specific_angular_momentum" title="Specific angular momentum">Specific angular momentum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Two-line_element_set" title="Two-line element set">Two-line elements</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="List-Class article"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/16px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/23px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/31px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <a href="/wiki/List_of_orbits" title="List of orbits">List of orbits</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft138" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="4"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Template:Docking and berthing of spacecraft"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Template talk:Docking and berthing of spacecraft"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Docking and berthing of spacecraft"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft138" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacecraft" title="Docking and berthing of spacecraft">Docking and berthing of spacecraft</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="4"><div><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Space rendezvous</a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="3" style="width:1px;padding:0 2px 0 0"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg/100px-Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg" decoding="async" width="100" height="83" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg/150px-Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg/200px-Progress_M-05M_docking.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2221" data-file-height="1848" /></a></span></div></td><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Adapters</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/International_Docking_Adapter" title="International Docking Adapter">International Docking Adapter</a> (IDA)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pressurized_Mating_Adapter" title="Pressurized Mating Adapter">Pressurized Mating Adapter</a> (PMA)</li></ul> </div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="3" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg/100px-COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg" decoding="async" width="100" height="83" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg/150px-COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg/200px-COTS2_Dragon_is_berthed.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3402" data-file-height="2832" /></a></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Mechanisms</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Androgynous_Peripheral_Attach_System" title="Androgynous Peripheral Attach System">APAS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Apollo_Docking_Mechanism" title="Apollo Docking Mechanism">Apollo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chinese_Docking_Mechanism" title="Chinese Docking 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