Patent ID: 7992824

Claim:
A method of releasably docking a first vehicle with a second vehicle, comprising: a. extending an extendable tensile element from the first vehicle, wherein a first end of said extendable tensile element is operatively coupled to said first vehicle, and a second end of said extendable tensile element is operatively coupled to an end effector; b. engaging said end effector with a primary receptacle of the second vehicle; c. retracting said extendable tensile element into said first vehicle; d. substantially aligning a roll axis of the first vehicle with a roll axis of the second vehicle; e. drawing said first and second vehicles together substantially along said roll axes of said first and second vehicles responsive to a tension in said extendable tensile element; f. engaging at least one alignment post of at least one of said first and second vehicles with at least one surface of at least one corresponding secondary receptacle of the other of said first and second vehicles; and g. at least substantially aligning said first and second vehicles in roll responsive to an interaction of said at least one alignment post with said at least one surface of said at least one corresponding secondary receptacle responsive to said tension in said extendable tensile element.