When you dock two spacecraft together in Simple Rockets, it unlocks the FUEL button.

Pressing the FUEL button lets you transfer fuel between ANY of the same-type fuel tanks on ANY of the docked spacecraft.

You can also transfer fuel between the tanks on the SAME spacecraft.

This is a pretty nice feature.

Wouldn't it be handy it was available all the time, instead of only when docked?

SO HERE IT IS, the secret terrible knowledge of...

How to Dock with YOURSELF

Consider the following ship:

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Stage 1 Drops the docking port onto the ships docking plug.
Stage 2: Drops the gantry safely away from your ship.

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The UNDOCK and FUEL buttons appear. You are now Docked with YOURSELF!

DON'T UNDOCK! The docking port becomes junk and you can't re-dock with it - but you will have to do this if you want to to dock with another ship that has a docking port - just as you normally would.

This trick can be used to redistribute your fuel in flight.
This lets you do simple asparagus staging.

Consider the following ship:

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Stage 3: Start Engines
Stage 4: Eject both outer tanks and engines (with parachute recovery :)


Before launch:
Press FUEL Transfer
Set the 2 side tanks to drain
Set the centre tank to fill
Always setup the two side tanks first, then the centre tank.
Leave the fuel transfer function active and launch.

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As the fuel in the inner tank depletes, it gets filled from the outer tanks.
When empty, they are dropped. The centre tank is still full.

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WARNING: May cause your ship to crash!
Ensure the fuel stays evenly distributed in the side tanks.
Always setup the two side tanks first, then the centre tank.

Consider this spacecraft that has both fuel and ion engines
Normally the fuel in the side tanks would be inaccessible.

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But when the centre tank is empty, I can use FUEL transfer to

Turn the fuel engine on by refuelling from the side tanks
- OR -
Turn the fuel engine off by emptying the centre tank.

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This allows you have a ship with switchable ion engines for interplanetary transfers and fuel engines for landing/takeoff.

WARNING: May cause your ship to crash!
Ensure the fuel stays evenly distributed in the side tanks.
Always setup the two side tanks first, then the centre tank.


ENJOY!