Up until now I've been just playing around with SSV scenarios, nosing around the checklists, and just getting reacquainted with everything in general. With that said, I have an embarrassing question to ask. Can someone please give me a hint on how to set the DAP, and anything else required, to get the keyboard numpad RCS working? I loaded up a test scenario from the SSV package...I think it's the "Atlantis on orbit" scenario...and thought I'd try a little RCS maneuvering. You have no idea how much time I've spent trying to figure this out myself but to no avail, so I wouldn't have to ask here and look foolish. But, here we are.
So, usually in orbit the manual maneuvering would be done on the aft station (e.g., proximity ops, docking), and so the 2 forward DDUs (which power the controllers) would be turned off to save power (not a thing in SSV, but it was in real life). If you check panels O14, O15 and O16, the CBs for left and right DDUs are pulled, and only the aft DDU is on (maybe I forgot to update all scenarios, but that one only has the aft DDU powered).
So, a DDU must be powered for the corresponding controllers to work. Then there's the more common on/off control of controllers which is the Flt Cntlr Power switch/lever at each station, which would be on when manual control is/might be needed, and turned off when it is not (e.g., it would be turned off very soon after docking).
Then there is another "layer" to take into account: which station has which controls and where is the user located. The CDR station has the RHC, THC, SBTC and RPTA, but the PLT station does not have a THC, and the aft station only has the RHC and THC, and only when in those positions will the existing controls be available, so no control is possible from the MS2 position.
In the end you have the DAP part (might not be 100% accurate, as I haven't really ventured into the inner workings of this area):
- DAP A or B, for different deadbands, translation pulse lengths, rotation rates, etc, defined in SPEC 20;
- Auto, which will have the GPC do whatever is configured, Inrtl for inertial attitude hold, LVLH for LVLH att hold, and Free to let the vehicle att drift;
- Translation controls: Norm for continuous firing while an input is made, or Pulse for just a pulse per input;
- Rotation controls: Pri, Alt or Vern for which set of thrusters to fire, Disc Rate to rotate the vehicle up to a certain rate while and input is present, vs Pulse which will just pulse the thrusters once per input.