Good Aerospace Ed tool!

[Brad]

So my friend linked me this game last night on Steam and I immediately fell in love.

www.kerbalspaceprogram.com

Let's go to the Moon!!

Some may have heard of Orbiter, and know it's about as "real as it gets" in terms of knowing what you're doing in terms of orbital insertion, orbital physics, etc. etc.

This game on the other hand takes a fair amount of the hard maths out of the equation, leaving you free to truly enjoy spaceflight. Sure there's some things such as getting into a stable orbit, making the transition burn if you want to go to the "Mun" or the even farther "Minmun", but it's still simple enough that it's perfect for kids as well as adults.

It's currently still development, 0.16 as of now, but it already has a large following and is fully playable. It is $18 as a digital download and guarantees you access to all upgrades for life after that $18.

Not so sure? Check out version 0.13 which will always be available as the demo version.

To me, the real appeal is that you really feel like the NASA scientists from the 50's and 60's, learning what works with rockets and what doesn't, and putting all your hopes and dreams on some design that you hope doesn't come crashing back down on top of you. Not to mention your little green pilot "Kerbal" is simply hoping he makes it back alive -- which if you deploy your parachute (you did put one on top, right?) then he has nothing to worry about.

So, check it out and hope to see you on the Mun soon! I'm still working my way there, I can do orbital launches and deorbit back to the surface for splashdown though!

Quick guide to get into orbit:

1.) Head straight up until about 15,000 meters then yaw over left or right about 45 degrees.

2.) At about 30,000 meters yaw a bit more until an angle of 25 degrees or so.

3.) Bring up your map (M) and wait for your AP to be > 80,000 (mouse-over "AP" and read the numbers)

4.) Kill your throttle and watch your map until you are coming up on your AP.

5.) When approaching AP, pitch over until you're at the horizon, then give max thrust.

6.) Watch your map, when your AP and PA are both > 80,000 kill your power and go ahead and dump your main engine section because you're in orbit! Don't forget to attach a fuel tank and a small engine above this stage, else you won't be able to de-orbit and you'll be stuck in space.

[im_not_a_sir]

is there something like this that is free?

[SarDragon]

There used to be an olde game out there called Moon Landing (I think), that was free, and simple, and hard to play. This is much more realistic, and probably worth the money. Give up Happy Meals for a couple of weeks, and you're all set.

[Garibaldi]

There used to be an olde game out there called Moon Landing (I think), that was free, and simple, and hard to play. This is much more realistic, and probably worth the money. Give up Happy Meals for a couple of weeks, and you're all set.

I'm thinking the old Atari game Lunar Lander. You had to maneuver a LEM onto ledges, into caves, and so on. My favorite thing when I got bored with it was to push the stick all the way to one side, which made it haul butt, and let the Moon's gravity take it down when its orbit decayed.