Standard Docking Computer

A standard docking computer is a ship module that automates docking with a space station. They first appeared in Standard Beta 1 and cost 4,500 CR.

Uses

Docking computer can be used with any ship and might be especially handy for players who find the docking process to be hard or don't want to keep doing it every time they dock. It is very useful to dock larger ships too, as those require more precise maneuvering.

The docking computer is automatically activated when docking permission is granted. If the ship is moving a message will appear to slow down before the docking computer will take control of the ship. When the throttle is set to zero or if the ship was initially stopped, the docking computer will begin maneuvering the ship.

Specifications

Weight	-
Power	39
Value	4,500 CR

History

Docking Computers first appeared in the original Elite game. They were costly, but worth the investment as docking was - for the time - a complex process, during which even experienced players occasionally crashed their ship. Automated docking also was faster.

During automated docking, the computer would play "The Blue Danube" by Richard Strauss. Note that this was a pun onto the (very slow) docking scene in movie 2001: A Space Odyssee by Stanley Kubrick.