Game for teaching basics of orbital mechanics











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I am looking for a game that would be suitable for teaching basic orbital mechanics concepts to primary school students (grades 6-8). Contrary to most of the questions here asking about spaceflight simulators and such, I am not looking for super realistic representations of orbital mechanics. I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.



I think Kerbal Space Program is going to be a common answer, and it is suitable, but unfortunately the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting. Extra points if there is something browser based, but my hopes aren't high for that.



EDIT: Wow, blown away by the variety and helpfulness of responses! Really love that this site exists. I can see why the question had a close vote for opinion based, as there are multiple answers here which in the absence of others could easily be accepted. In the interest of closing this out I am going with the wisdom of the crowd and accepting the top answer. And while I know that it's not the same as that sweet, sweet reputation, I am super thankful for all of the time people put in to giving helpful responses. Honorable mention to @Paul for a great hands-on method and @Steve for a really cool browser-based answer.










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  • 4




    The close vote is not consistent with a different but related question which was very well received here: What are good ways to teach a 7 years old kid astronomy (and space flight)? has 12 up votes and three answers with a total of 13 more. A well written question asking for help finding carefully constrained, specific resources seems perfectly on-topic. The question does not ask "what do you think?" but instead some options that can then be considered by the OP.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:28






  • 1




    Hi ben, I think your question is fine. There is one close vote for opinion-based but clearly you are asking for resources, not opinions.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:29






  • 1




    Another soft question about education: How Do You Build a Rocket?
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:45






  • 20




    Have you seen KerbalEdu?
    – Manuel J. Diaz
    Dec 12 at 2:16






  • 5




    Could you edit your question to include the actual age range? I have no idea how old an eighth-grader is. My first guess would be 5 (school starting age) + 8. But that is 13 which is two years older than I would consider "primary".
    – Martin Bonner
    Dec 12 at 14:43















up vote
41
down vote

favorite
12












I am looking for a game that would be suitable for teaching basic orbital mechanics concepts to primary school students (grades 6-8). Contrary to most of the questions here asking about spaceflight simulators and such, I am not looking for super realistic representations of orbital mechanics. I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.



I think Kerbal Space Program is going to be a common answer, and it is suitable, but unfortunately the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting. Extra points if there is something browser based, but my hopes aren't high for that.



EDIT: Wow, blown away by the variety and helpfulness of responses! Really love that this site exists. I can see why the question had a close vote for opinion based, as there are multiple answers here which in the absence of others could easily be accepted. In the interest of closing this out I am going with the wisdom of the crowd and accepting the top answer. And while I know that it's not the same as that sweet, sweet reputation, I am super thankful for all of the time people put in to giving helpful responses. Honorable mention to @Paul for a great hands-on method and @Steve for a really cool browser-based answer.










share|improve this question









New contributor




ben is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 4




    The close vote is not consistent with a different but related question which was very well received here: What are good ways to teach a 7 years old kid astronomy (and space flight)? has 12 up votes and three answers with a total of 13 more. A well written question asking for help finding carefully constrained, specific resources seems perfectly on-topic. The question does not ask "what do you think?" but instead some options that can then be considered by the OP.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:28






  • 1




    Hi ben, I think your question is fine. There is one close vote for opinion-based but clearly you are asking for resources, not opinions.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:29






  • 1




    Another soft question about education: How Do You Build a Rocket?
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:45






  • 20




    Have you seen KerbalEdu?
    – Manuel J. Diaz
    Dec 12 at 2:16






  • 5




    Could you edit your question to include the actual age range? I have no idea how old an eighth-grader is. My first guess would be 5 (school starting age) + 8. But that is 13 which is two years older than I would consider "primary".
    – Martin Bonner
    Dec 12 at 14:43













up vote
41
down vote

favorite
12









up vote
41
down vote

favorite
12






12





I am looking for a game that would be suitable for teaching basic orbital mechanics concepts to primary school students (grades 6-8). Contrary to most of the questions here asking about spaceflight simulators and such, I am not looking for super realistic representations of orbital mechanics. I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.



I think Kerbal Space Program is going to be a common answer, and it is suitable, but unfortunately the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting. Extra points if there is something browser based, but my hopes aren't high for that.



EDIT: Wow, blown away by the variety and helpfulness of responses! Really love that this site exists. I can see why the question had a close vote for opinion based, as there are multiple answers here which in the absence of others could easily be accepted. In the interest of closing this out I am going with the wisdom of the crowd and accepting the top answer. And while I know that it's not the same as that sweet, sweet reputation, I am super thankful for all of the time people put in to giving helpful responses. Honorable mention to @Paul for a great hands-on method and @Steve for a really cool browser-based answer.










share|improve this question









New contributor




ben is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I am looking for a game that would be suitable for teaching basic orbital mechanics concepts to primary school students (grades 6-8). Contrary to most of the questions here asking about spaceflight simulators and such, I am not looking for super realistic representations of orbital mechanics. I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.



I think Kerbal Space Program is going to be a common answer, and it is suitable, but unfortunately the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting. Extra points if there is something browser based, but my hopes aren't high for that.



EDIT: Wow, blown away by the variety and helpfulness of responses! Really love that this site exists. I can see why the question had a close vote for opinion based, as there are multiple answers here which in the absence of others could easily be accepted. In the interest of closing this out I am going with the wisdom of the crowd and accepting the top answer. And while I know that it's not the same as that sweet, sweet reputation, I am super thankful for all of the time people put in to giving helpful responses. Honorable mention to @Paul for a great hands-on method and @Steve for a really cool browser-based answer.







orbital-mechanics simulation education






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edited 8 hours ago





















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asked Dec 11 at 23:42









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  • 4




    The close vote is not consistent with a different but related question which was very well received here: What are good ways to teach a 7 years old kid astronomy (and space flight)? has 12 up votes and three answers with a total of 13 more. A well written question asking for help finding carefully constrained, specific resources seems perfectly on-topic. The question does not ask "what do you think?" but instead some options that can then be considered by the OP.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:28






  • 1




    Hi ben, I think your question is fine. There is one close vote for opinion-based but clearly you are asking for resources, not opinions.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:29






  • 1




    Another soft question about education: How Do You Build a Rocket?
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:45






  • 20




    Have you seen KerbalEdu?
    – Manuel J. Diaz
    Dec 12 at 2:16






  • 5




    Could you edit your question to include the actual age range? I have no idea how old an eighth-grader is. My first guess would be 5 (school starting age) + 8. But that is 13 which is two years older than I would consider "primary".
    – Martin Bonner
    Dec 12 at 14:43














  • 4




    The close vote is not consistent with a different but related question which was very well received here: What are good ways to teach a 7 years old kid astronomy (and space flight)? has 12 up votes and three answers with a total of 13 more. A well written question asking for help finding carefully constrained, specific resources seems perfectly on-topic. The question does not ask "what do you think?" but instead some options that can then be considered by the OP.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:28






  • 1




    Hi ben, I think your question is fine. There is one close vote for opinion-based but clearly you are asking for resources, not opinions.
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:29






  • 1




    Another soft question about education: How Do You Build a Rocket?
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 0:45






  • 20




    Have you seen KerbalEdu?
    – Manuel J. Diaz
    Dec 12 at 2:16






  • 5




    Could you edit your question to include the actual age range? I have no idea how old an eighth-grader is. My first guess would be 5 (school starting age) + 8. But that is 13 which is two years older than I would consider "primary".
    – Martin Bonner
    Dec 12 at 14:43








4




4




The close vote is not consistent with a different but related question which was very well received here: What are good ways to teach a 7 years old kid astronomy (and space flight)? has 12 up votes and three answers with a total of 13 more. A well written question asking for help finding carefully constrained, specific resources seems perfectly on-topic. The question does not ask "what do you think?" but instead some options that can then be considered by the OP.
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 0:28




The close vote is not consistent with a different but related question which was very well received here: What are good ways to teach a 7 years old kid astronomy (and space flight)? has 12 up votes and three answers with a total of 13 more. A well written question asking for help finding carefully constrained, specific resources seems perfectly on-topic. The question does not ask "what do you think?" but instead some options that can then be considered by the OP.
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 0:28




1




1




Hi ben, I think your question is fine. There is one close vote for opinion-based but clearly you are asking for resources, not opinions.
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 0:29




Hi ben, I think your question is fine. There is one close vote for opinion-based but clearly you are asking for resources, not opinions.
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 0:29




1




1




Another soft question about education: How Do You Build a Rocket?
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 0:45




Another soft question about education: How Do You Build a Rocket?
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 0:45




20




20




Have you seen KerbalEdu?
– Manuel J. Diaz
Dec 12 at 2:16




Have you seen KerbalEdu?
– Manuel J. Diaz
Dec 12 at 2:16




5




5




Could you edit your question to include the actual age range? I have no idea how old an eighth-grader is. My first guess would be 5 (school starting age) + 8. But that is 13 which is two years older than I would consider "primary".
– Martin Bonner
Dec 12 at 14:43




Could you edit your question to include the actual age range? I have no idea how old an eighth-grader is. My first guess would be 5 (school starting age) + 8. But that is 13 which is two years older than I would consider "primary".
– Martin Bonner
Dec 12 at 14:43










10 Answers
10






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
46
down vote



accepted











I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.




I definitely think Kerbal Space Program is the right answer here. The ways in which it departs from real-world space flight (such as a much smaller home planet, which leads to ascent to low orbit taking ~3 minutes instead of ~10 minutes) make sense for the classroom.




the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting.




The KerbalEDU version is offered with an educator discount.



The free option is Orbiter, which is more realistic in some ways than KSP, but less user friendly.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
    – Skyler
    yesterday










  • Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
    – ben
    9 hours ago


















up vote
22
down vote













Personally, I teach orbital mechanics classes to preschoolers, elementary and middle school kids using a makeshift trampoline with stretchable cloth clamped to the rim. Place a heavy weight (e.g. a dumbell) in the middle to simulate a large massive body like the earth or the sun. Use marbles to illustrate a spacecraft or planets. You can easily show the basic relation and variation in velocity as a function of distance in an orbit trajectory by rolling the marbles in elliptical, hyperbolic or (if you practice really hard) a parabolic trajectory. Giving the marbles a push while in “orbit” also shows how impulse thrusts affect the shape of the orbit too. More importantly, this demo helps give kids an intuition into einsteinian physics, where the presence of matter bends the space around it and is the reason why objects naturally follow curved paths in space instead of straight lines.



See this YouTube video for other ideas you can illustrate using this kind of demo



They can be easily constructed using PVC pipes and stretchable cloth fabrics. See these instructions for constructing your own gravity well. In my experience, the larger the well, the easier it is to demonstrate orbital mechanics.






share|improve this answer



















  • 5




    In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
    – Erik
    Dec 12 at 3:33






  • 6




    @Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
    – Paul
    Dec 12 at 5:12






  • 3




    I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 5:59








  • 3




    @uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
    – corsiKa
    Dec 12 at 10:27






  • 1




    Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
    – Don Branson
    Dec 12 at 15:02




















up vote
11
down vote













UC Boulder has a project, PhET, that has many free, interactive, in-browser math and science modules. They have one called Gravity and Orbits that's written in HTML5, making it compatible with most modern browsers (including Safari on iPads). If you click the 'For Teachers' drop-down, you'll find it even has quite a few resources for lesson planning with it for middle schoolers.



I think this will suite your needs of it being appropriate for a class room and browser-friendly (and free!).



As a side note, if you want to tie Gravity and Orbits, or other software you end up choosing, to how the entire Solar System works, NASA has a great interactive site called Solar System. If you click the concentric circles on the menu bar, you can see the planets (and more) orbiting our Sun. You can also zoom in and out like if it was Google Maps. You can click a planet (or other object) to find out more information on it.






share|improve this answer





















  • Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
11
down vote













Spaceflight Simulator



An Android software, but it's possible to run it on a PC as well.



Spaceflight simulator screenshot



It's 2d, so it's much simpler to use than 3d software.
There are some premium features ($4 unlocks all of them forever), but the free version is enough to launch missions to all the planets in the inner Solar System, and to put space stations in orbit and dock to them.



The learning curve for simple missions is very easy, the number of basic parts is very small. You can achieve orbit within a few minutes of having installed it.



It's much more simple than the Kerbal Space Program, but for the purposes presented in the question, that seems to be a big advantage.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
    – Robin Whittleton
    Dec 12 at 12:47










  • Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
7
down vote













Probably too basic for what you want but Osmos (https://osmos-game.com/) has modes where the player is basically orbitting an attractor and has to change orbit to rendezvous with other objects in different orbits. This teaches the basic idea that you can't just thrust towards your target and expect to get there. Another mode involves multiple attractors orbitting a central one and the player has to set up a transfer orbit between them.



As I said this is probably too basic and is probably not very accurate but it may serve as an introduction to the idea that orbital mechanics work very differently to how you move around on the surface of a planet or even in the air. You might find it useful to let them play with this to learn that guessing isn't a great way to move in space and that a mathematical approach is not only better but basically essential.



There is a free demo but I don't know if that includes the modes which feature orbital mechanics type gameplay.






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  • I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
7
down vote













I think literally the first game ever created by Stephen R. Russell (I heard about it through a book on J. C. R. Licklider) was a game called SpaceWar.



The idea is to shoot your opponent whilst avoiding getting sucked falling into the gravitational void in the centre.



There's numerous emulators for it - for example https://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/



enter image description here






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  • 1




    Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • @Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
    – icc97
    yesterday






  • 1




    I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
4
down vote













I can't believe no one's mentioned Orbiter 2010! Its a free game, similar to KSP, but without the building part, and with full-scale, n-body physics. There is a mod for it called Interplanetary which allows you to input your location, your destination, and the maximum time you have to get there, and it will tell you how much dV you need and give you a trajectory. It has a steep learning curve however.






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  • 2




    It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
    – JCRM
    Dec 12 at 14:53






  • 2




    @JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
    – qazwsx
    Dec 12 at 16:10






  • 1




    Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
3
down vote













Here are two more fun ones which have not been mentioned before




  • Super Planet Crash : Browser based game where you add planets to a solar system.The aim of the game is to score as high as possible. Score points for bigger planets (which upset other orbits more), for more planets (which lead to more complex dynamics) and for making your solar system last longer (game ends when a planet is ejected from the solar system).
    http://www.stefanom.org/spc/


  • Chaotic Planets : Not really a game but more of a demo. Creates random systems of planets so you can see the dynamics play out.
    http://labs.minutelabs.io/Chaotic-Planets/







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  • I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
    – Joshua
    2 days ago










  • This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
3
down vote













While it does not seem to offer propulsive orbit changes, the TestTubeGames Gravity Simulator demonstrates orbital motion in a web interface.






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  • I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
    – X Goodrich
    yesterday










  • I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















up vote
2
down vote













In theory you could use KSpaceDuel https://www.kde.org/applications/games/kspaceduel/ for this purpose.



The power-potential of the spacecraft is way out of range for a typical rocket, but orbital transfers work the way they should until touching a screen edge.






share|improve this answer





















  • This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago











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10 Answers
10






active

oldest

votes








10 Answers
10






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes








up vote
46
down vote



accepted











I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.




I definitely think Kerbal Space Program is the right answer here. The ways in which it departs from real-world space flight (such as a much smaller home planet, which leads to ascent to low orbit taking ~3 minutes instead of ~10 minutes) make sense for the classroom.




the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting.




The KerbalEDU version is offered with an educator discount.



The free option is Orbiter, which is more realistic in some ways than KSP, but less user friendly.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
    – Skyler
    yesterday










  • Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
    – ben
    9 hours ago















up vote
46
down vote



accepted











I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.




I definitely think Kerbal Space Program is the right answer here. The ways in which it departs from real-world space flight (such as a much smaller home planet, which leads to ascent to low orbit taking ~3 minutes instead of ~10 minutes) make sense for the classroom.




the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting.




The KerbalEDU version is offered with an educator discount.



The free option is Orbiter, which is more realistic in some ways than KSP, but less user friendly.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1




    KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
    – Skyler
    yesterday










  • Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
    – ben
    9 hours ago













up vote
46
down vote



accepted







up vote
46
down vote



accepted







I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.




I definitely think Kerbal Space Program is the right answer here. The ways in which it departs from real-world space flight (such as a much smaller home planet, which leads to ascent to low orbit taking ~3 minutes instead of ~10 minutes) make sense for the classroom.




the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting.




The KerbalEDU version is offered with an educator discount.



The free option is Orbiter, which is more realistic in some ways than KSP, but less user friendly.






share|improve this answer















I want to allow students to tinker around with basic central force motion and see the ways in which conic sections are altered by thrust, etc. Seeing/enacting an example of rendezvous (maybe in a CW frame?) would be neat too.




I definitely think Kerbal Space Program is the right answer here. The ways in which it departs from real-world space flight (such as a much smaller home planet, which leads to ascent to low orbit taking ~3 minutes instead of ~10 minutes) make sense for the classroom.




the fact that it is commercial makes it tougher to use in an educational setting.




The KerbalEDU version is offered with an educator discount.



The free option is Orbiter, which is more realistic in some ways than KSP, but less user friendly.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 2 days ago

























answered Dec 12 at 0:56









Russell Borogove

80k2265350




80k2265350








  • 1




    KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
    – Skyler
    yesterday










  • Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
    – ben
    9 hours ago














  • 1




    KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
    – Skyler
    yesterday










  • Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
    – ben
    9 hours ago








1




1




KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
– Skyler
yesterday




KerbalEDU also has some things that aren't present in the standard version of the game, like the Flight Recorder that lets you see graphs of what happened after a flight.
– Skyler
yesterday












Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
– ben
9 hours ago




Had no idea about KerbalEDU! It's either well hidden or my search skills are lacking. With "funds" being a barrier in most educational environments the cheaper licensing is a big deal.
– ben
9 hours ago










up vote
22
down vote













Personally, I teach orbital mechanics classes to preschoolers, elementary and middle school kids using a makeshift trampoline with stretchable cloth clamped to the rim. Place a heavy weight (e.g. a dumbell) in the middle to simulate a large massive body like the earth or the sun. Use marbles to illustrate a spacecraft or planets. You can easily show the basic relation and variation in velocity as a function of distance in an orbit trajectory by rolling the marbles in elliptical, hyperbolic or (if you practice really hard) a parabolic trajectory. Giving the marbles a push while in “orbit” also shows how impulse thrusts affect the shape of the orbit too. More importantly, this demo helps give kids an intuition into einsteinian physics, where the presence of matter bends the space around it and is the reason why objects naturally follow curved paths in space instead of straight lines.



See this YouTube video for other ideas you can illustrate using this kind of demo



They can be easily constructed using PVC pipes and stretchable cloth fabrics. See these instructions for constructing your own gravity well. In my experience, the larger the well, the easier it is to demonstrate orbital mechanics.






share|improve this answer



















  • 5




    In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
    – Erik
    Dec 12 at 3:33






  • 6




    @Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
    – Paul
    Dec 12 at 5:12






  • 3




    I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 5:59








  • 3




    @uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
    – corsiKa
    Dec 12 at 10:27






  • 1




    Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
    – Don Branson
    Dec 12 at 15:02

















up vote
22
down vote













Personally, I teach orbital mechanics classes to preschoolers, elementary and middle school kids using a makeshift trampoline with stretchable cloth clamped to the rim. Place a heavy weight (e.g. a dumbell) in the middle to simulate a large massive body like the earth or the sun. Use marbles to illustrate a spacecraft or planets. You can easily show the basic relation and variation in velocity as a function of distance in an orbit trajectory by rolling the marbles in elliptical, hyperbolic or (if you practice really hard) a parabolic trajectory. Giving the marbles a push while in “orbit” also shows how impulse thrusts affect the shape of the orbit too. More importantly, this demo helps give kids an intuition into einsteinian physics, where the presence of matter bends the space around it and is the reason why objects naturally follow curved paths in space instead of straight lines.



See this YouTube video for other ideas you can illustrate using this kind of demo



They can be easily constructed using PVC pipes and stretchable cloth fabrics. See these instructions for constructing your own gravity well. In my experience, the larger the well, the easier it is to demonstrate orbital mechanics.






share|improve this answer



















  • 5




    In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
    – Erik
    Dec 12 at 3:33






  • 6




    @Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
    – Paul
    Dec 12 at 5:12






  • 3




    I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 5:59








  • 3




    @uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
    – corsiKa
    Dec 12 at 10:27






  • 1




    Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
    – Don Branson
    Dec 12 at 15:02















up vote
22
down vote










up vote
22
down vote









Personally, I teach orbital mechanics classes to preschoolers, elementary and middle school kids using a makeshift trampoline with stretchable cloth clamped to the rim. Place a heavy weight (e.g. a dumbell) in the middle to simulate a large massive body like the earth or the sun. Use marbles to illustrate a spacecraft or planets. You can easily show the basic relation and variation in velocity as a function of distance in an orbit trajectory by rolling the marbles in elliptical, hyperbolic or (if you practice really hard) a parabolic trajectory. Giving the marbles a push while in “orbit” also shows how impulse thrusts affect the shape of the orbit too. More importantly, this demo helps give kids an intuition into einsteinian physics, where the presence of matter bends the space around it and is the reason why objects naturally follow curved paths in space instead of straight lines.



See this YouTube video for other ideas you can illustrate using this kind of demo



They can be easily constructed using PVC pipes and stretchable cloth fabrics. See these instructions for constructing your own gravity well. In my experience, the larger the well, the easier it is to demonstrate orbital mechanics.






share|improve this answer














Personally, I teach orbital mechanics classes to preschoolers, elementary and middle school kids using a makeshift trampoline with stretchable cloth clamped to the rim. Place a heavy weight (e.g. a dumbell) in the middle to simulate a large massive body like the earth or the sun. Use marbles to illustrate a spacecraft or planets. You can easily show the basic relation and variation in velocity as a function of distance in an orbit trajectory by rolling the marbles in elliptical, hyperbolic or (if you practice really hard) a parabolic trajectory. Giving the marbles a push while in “orbit” also shows how impulse thrusts affect the shape of the orbit too. More importantly, this demo helps give kids an intuition into einsteinian physics, where the presence of matter bends the space around it and is the reason why objects naturally follow curved paths in space instead of straight lines.



See this YouTube video for other ideas you can illustrate using this kind of demo



They can be easily constructed using PVC pipes and stretchable cloth fabrics. See these instructions for constructing your own gravity well. In my experience, the larger the well, the easier it is to demonstrate orbital mechanics.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Dec 12 at 13:51

























answered Dec 12 at 2:44









Paul

858817




858817








  • 5




    In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
    – Erik
    Dec 12 at 3:33






  • 6




    @Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
    – Paul
    Dec 12 at 5:12






  • 3




    I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 5:59








  • 3




    @uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
    – corsiKa
    Dec 12 at 10:27






  • 1




    Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
    – Don Branson
    Dec 12 at 15:02
















  • 5




    In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
    – Erik
    Dec 12 at 3:33






  • 6




    @Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
    – Paul
    Dec 12 at 5:12






  • 3




    I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
    – uhoh
    Dec 12 at 5:59








  • 3




    @uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
    – corsiKa
    Dec 12 at 10:27






  • 1




    Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
    – Don Branson
    Dec 12 at 15:02










5




5




In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
– Erik
Dec 12 at 3:33




In Singapore, they just teach the toddlers calculus.
– Erik
Dec 12 at 3:33




6




6




@Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
– Paul
Dec 12 at 5:12




@Erik: i’d love to learn how to do that! Do you have any links to calculus materials for toddlers?
– Paul
Dec 12 at 5:12




3




3




I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 5:59






I've heard trampolines are tough to insure against liability because Using a trampoline can be dangerous Oh, you don't put the students on the trampoline! Okay never mind. ;-)
– uhoh
Dec 12 at 5:59






3




3




@uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
– corsiKa
Dec 12 at 10:27




@uhoh no you put them on the stretched tablecloth. Much safer.
– corsiKa
Dec 12 at 10:27




1




1




Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
– Don Branson
Dec 12 at 15:02






Oh, when I was an infant, we used to draw finite state diagrams on the sides of our cribs! And we loved it! Kids have it so easy nowadays.
– Don Branson
Dec 12 at 15:02












up vote
11
down vote













UC Boulder has a project, PhET, that has many free, interactive, in-browser math and science modules. They have one called Gravity and Orbits that's written in HTML5, making it compatible with most modern browsers (including Safari on iPads). If you click the 'For Teachers' drop-down, you'll find it even has quite a few resources for lesson planning with it for middle schoolers.



I think this will suite your needs of it being appropriate for a class room and browser-friendly (and free!).



As a side note, if you want to tie Gravity and Orbits, or other software you end up choosing, to how the entire Solar System works, NASA has a great interactive site called Solar System. If you click the concentric circles on the menu bar, you can see the planets (and more) orbiting our Sun. You can also zoom in and out like if it was Google Maps. You can click a planet (or other object) to find out more information on it.






share|improve this answer





















  • Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
11
down vote













UC Boulder has a project, PhET, that has many free, interactive, in-browser math and science modules. They have one called Gravity and Orbits that's written in HTML5, making it compatible with most modern browsers (including Safari on iPads). If you click the 'For Teachers' drop-down, you'll find it even has quite a few resources for lesson planning with it for middle schoolers.



I think this will suite your needs of it being appropriate for a class room and browser-friendly (and free!).



As a side note, if you want to tie Gravity and Orbits, or other software you end up choosing, to how the entire Solar System works, NASA has a great interactive site called Solar System. If you click the concentric circles on the menu bar, you can see the planets (and more) orbiting our Sun. You can also zoom in and out like if it was Google Maps. You can click a planet (or other object) to find out more information on it.






share|improve this answer





















  • Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
11
down vote










up vote
11
down vote









UC Boulder has a project, PhET, that has many free, interactive, in-browser math and science modules. They have one called Gravity and Orbits that's written in HTML5, making it compatible with most modern browsers (including Safari on iPads). If you click the 'For Teachers' drop-down, you'll find it even has quite a few resources for lesson planning with it for middle schoolers.



I think this will suite your needs of it being appropriate for a class room and browser-friendly (and free!).



As a side note, if you want to tie Gravity and Orbits, or other software you end up choosing, to how the entire Solar System works, NASA has a great interactive site called Solar System. If you click the concentric circles on the menu bar, you can see the planets (and more) orbiting our Sun. You can also zoom in and out like if it was Google Maps. You can click a planet (or other object) to find out more information on it.






share|improve this answer












UC Boulder has a project, PhET, that has many free, interactive, in-browser math and science modules. They have one called Gravity and Orbits that's written in HTML5, making it compatible with most modern browsers (including Safari on iPads). If you click the 'For Teachers' drop-down, you'll find it even has quite a few resources for lesson planning with it for middle schoolers.



I think this will suite your needs of it being appropriate for a class room and browser-friendly (and free!).



As a side note, if you want to tie Gravity and Orbits, or other software you end up choosing, to how the entire Solar System works, NASA has a great interactive site called Solar System. If you click the concentric circles on the menu bar, you can see the planets (and more) orbiting our Sun. You can also zoom in and out like if it was Google Maps. You can click a planet (or other object) to find out more information on it.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Dec 12 at 2:46









Manuel J. Diaz

34718




34718












  • Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















  • Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
    – ben
    8 hours ago
















Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
– ben
8 hours ago




Really like PhET and NASA's various visualization tools! Unfortunately these are not quite "featured" enough to get where I want, but they may well end up as auxiliary tools. Also the fact that PhET is browser-based is awesome.
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
11
down vote













Spaceflight Simulator



An Android software, but it's possible to run it on a PC as well.



Spaceflight simulator screenshot



It's 2d, so it's much simpler to use than 3d software.
There are some premium features ($4 unlocks all of them forever), but the free version is enough to launch missions to all the planets in the inner Solar System, and to put space stations in orbit and dock to them.



The learning curve for simple missions is very easy, the number of basic parts is very small. You can achieve orbit within a few minutes of having installed it.



It's much more simple than the Kerbal Space Program, but for the purposes presented in the question, that seems to be a big advantage.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
    – Robin Whittleton
    Dec 12 at 12:47










  • Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
11
down vote













Spaceflight Simulator



An Android software, but it's possible to run it on a PC as well.



Spaceflight simulator screenshot



It's 2d, so it's much simpler to use than 3d software.
There are some premium features ($4 unlocks all of them forever), but the free version is enough to launch missions to all the planets in the inner Solar System, and to put space stations in orbit and dock to them.



The learning curve for simple missions is very easy, the number of basic parts is very small. You can achieve orbit within a few minutes of having installed it.



It's much more simple than the Kerbal Space Program, but for the purposes presented in the question, that seems to be a big advantage.






share|improve this answer

















  • 2




    Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
    – Robin Whittleton
    Dec 12 at 12:47










  • Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
11
down vote










up vote
11
down vote









Spaceflight Simulator



An Android software, but it's possible to run it on a PC as well.



Spaceflight simulator screenshot



It's 2d, so it's much simpler to use than 3d software.
There are some premium features ($4 unlocks all of them forever), but the free version is enough to launch missions to all the planets in the inner Solar System, and to put space stations in orbit and dock to them.



The learning curve for simple missions is very easy, the number of basic parts is very small. You can achieve orbit within a few minutes of having installed it.



It's much more simple than the Kerbal Space Program, but for the purposes presented in the question, that seems to be a big advantage.






share|improve this answer












Spaceflight Simulator



An Android software, but it's possible to run it on a PC as well.



Spaceflight simulator screenshot



It's 2d, so it's much simpler to use than 3d software.
There are some premium features ($4 unlocks all of them forever), but the free version is enough to launch missions to all the planets in the inner Solar System, and to put space stations in orbit and dock to them.



The learning curve for simple missions is very easy, the number of basic parts is very small. You can achieve orbit within a few minutes of having installed it.



It's much more simple than the Kerbal Space Program, but for the purposes presented in the question, that seems to be a big advantage.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Dec 12 at 7:10









vsz

31018




31018








  • 2




    Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
    – Robin Whittleton
    Dec 12 at 12:47










  • Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
    – ben
    8 hours ago














  • 2




    Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
    – Robin Whittleton
    Dec 12 at 12:47










  • Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
    – ben
    8 hours ago








2




2




Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
– Robin Whittleton
Dec 12 at 12:47




Seems to be available on iOS too: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spaceflight-simulator/id1308057272
– Robin Whittleton
Dec 12 at 12:47












Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
– ben
8 hours ago




Definitely another good one, thanks! With the lack of ability to use on actual OSx it may or may not work (you might be surprised at how many macs grace classrooms these days).
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
7
down vote













Probably too basic for what you want but Osmos (https://osmos-game.com/) has modes where the player is basically orbitting an attractor and has to change orbit to rendezvous with other objects in different orbits. This teaches the basic idea that you can't just thrust towards your target and expect to get there. Another mode involves multiple attractors orbitting a central one and the player has to set up a transfer orbit between them.



As I said this is probably too basic and is probably not very accurate but it may serve as an introduction to the idea that orbital mechanics work very differently to how you move around on the surface of a planet or even in the air. You might find it useful to let them play with this to learn that guessing isn't a great way to move in space and that a mathematical approach is not only better but basically essential.



There is a free demo but I don't know if that includes the modes which feature orbital mechanics type gameplay.






share|improve this answer










New contributor




Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.


















  • I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
7
down vote













Probably too basic for what you want but Osmos (https://osmos-game.com/) has modes where the player is basically orbitting an attractor and has to change orbit to rendezvous with other objects in different orbits. This teaches the basic idea that you can't just thrust towards your target and expect to get there. Another mode involves multiple attractors orbitting a central one and the player has to set up a transfer orbit between them.



As I said this is probably too basic and is probably not very accurate but it may serve as an introduction to the idea that orbital mechanics work very differently to how you move around on the surface of a planet or even in the air. You might find it useful to let them play with this to learn that guessing isn't a great way to move in space and that a mathematical approach is not only better but basically essential.



There is a free demo but I don't know if that includes the modes which feature orbital mechanics type gameplay.






share|improve this answer










New contributor




Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.


















  • I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
7
down vote










up vote
7
down vote









Probably too basic for what you want but Osmos (https://osmos-game.com/) has modes where the player is basically orbitting an attractor and has to change orbit to rendezvous with other objects in different orbits. This teaches the basic idea that you can't just thrust towards your target and expect to get there. Another mode involves multiple attractors orbitting a central one and the player has to set up a transfer orbit between them.



As I said this is probably too basic and is probably not very accurate but it may serve as an introduction to the idea that orbital mechanics work very differently to how you move around on the surface of a planet or even in the air. You might find it useful to let them play with this to learn that guessing isn't a great way to move in space and that a mathematical approach is not only better but basically essential.



There is a free demo but I don't know if that includes the modes which feature orbital mechanics type gameplay.






share|improve this answer










New contributor




Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









Probably too basic for what you want but Osmos (https://osmos-game.com/) has modes where the player is basically orbitting an attractor and has to change orbit to rendezvous with other objects in different orbits. This teaches the basic idea that you can't just thrust towards your target and expect to get there. Another mode involves multiple attractors orbitting a central one and the player has to set up a transfer orbit between them.



As I said this is probably too basic and is probably not very accurate but it may serve as an introduction to the idea that orbital mechanics work very differently to how you move around on the surface of a planet or even in the air. You might find it useful to let them play with this to learn that guessing isn't a great way to move in space and that a mathematical approach is not only better but basically essential.



There is a free demo but I don't know if that includes the modes which feature orbital mechanics type gameplay.







share|improve this answer










New contributor




Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Dec 12 at 13:35





















New contributor




Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









answered Dec 12 at 12:26









Eric Nolan

1712




1712




New contributor




Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Eric Nolan is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












  • I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















  • I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago
















I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
– ben
8 hours ago




I like it! While you're right that it's probably too simplistic for teaching, I think it will be a fun way to "apply what you've learned." Thanks!
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
7
down vote













I think literally the first game ever created by Stephen R. Russell (I heard about it through a book on J. C. R. Licklider) was a game called SpaceWar.



The idea is to shoot your opponent whilst avoiding getting sucked falling into the gravitational void in the centre.



There's numerous emulators for it - for example https://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/



enter image description here






share|improve this answer










New contributor




icc97 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.














  • 1




    Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • @Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
    – icc97
    yesterday






  • 1




    I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
7
down vote













I think literally the first game ever created by Stephen R. Russell (I heard about it through a book on J. C. R. Licklider) was a game called SpaceWar.



The idea is to shoot your opponent whilst avoiding getting sucked falling into the gravitational void in the centre.



There's numerous emulators for it - for example https://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/



enter image description here






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  • 1




    Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • @Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
    – icc97
    yesterday






  • 1




    I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
7
down vote










up vote
7
down vote









I think literally the first game ever created by Stephen R. Russell (I heard about it through a book on J. C. R. Licklider) was a game called SpaceWar.



The idea is to shoot your opponent whilst avoiding getting sucked falling into the gravitational void in the centre.



There's numerous emulators for it - for example https://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/



enter image description here






share|improve this answer










New contributor




icc97 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









I think literally the first game ever created by Stephen R. Russell (I heard about it through a book on J. C. R. Licklider) was a game called SpaceWar.



The idea is to shoot your opponent whilst avoiding getting sucked falling into the gravitational void in the centre.



There's numerous emulators for it - for example https://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/



enter image description here







share|improve this answer










New contributor




icc97 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited yesterday





















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answered Dec 12 at 8:50









icc97

1714




1714




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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • @Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
    – icc97
    yesterday






  • 1




    I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
    – ben
    8 hours ago














  • 1




    Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • @Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
    – icc97
    yesterday






  • 1




    I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
    – ben
    8 hours ago








1




1




Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
– Luaan
2 days ago




Correction: not being sucked there. Just avoid collision with the void (in many versions, this is crashing into a planet). Gravity doesn't suck. Anyway, the game definitely teaches you some basics about orbital motion - but it's also a fast-paced real-time arcade game, so it can be hard to realize what's happening. You only see the current position of the ships, and the time frames are extremely short.
– Luaan
2 days ago












@Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
– icc97
yesterday




@Luaan I changed it to 'fall' instead of suck. If you do nothing then you fall into the void, so it's not only a case of avoiding it.
– icc97
yesterday




1




1




I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
– ben
8 hours ago




I spent wayyy too much time messing with this. Surprisingly addictive for a fairly simple game. This could certainly end up being an auxiliary resource (go use what you learned and establish space dominance, etc...).
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
4
down vote













I can't believe no one's mentioned Orbiter 2010! Its a free game, similar to KSP, but without the building part, and with full-scale, n-body physics. There is a mod for it called Interplanetary which allows you to input your location, your destination, and the maximum time you have to get there, and it will tell you how much dV you need and give you a trajectory. It has a steep learning curve however.






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  • 2




    It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
    – JCRM
    Dec 12 at 14:53






  • 2




    @JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
    – qazwsx
    Dec 12 at 16:10






  • 1




    Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
4
down vote













I can't believe no one's mentioned Orbiter 2010! Its a free game, similar to KSP, but without the building part, and with full-scale, n-body physics. There is a mod for it called Interplanetary which allows you to input your location, your destination, and the maximum time you have to get there, and it will tell you how much dV you need and give you a trajectory. It has a steep learning curve however.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




qazwsx is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.














  • 2




    It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
    – JCRM
    Dec 12 at 14:53






  • 2




    @JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
    – qazwsx
    Dec 12 at 16:10






  • 1




    Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
4
down vote










up vote
4
down vote









I can't believe no one's mentioned Orbiter 2010! Its a free game, similar to KSP, but without the building part, and with full-scale, n-body physics. There is a mod for it called Interplanetary which allows you to input your location, your destination, and the maximum time you have to get there, and it will tell you how much dV you need and give you a trajectory. It has a steep learning curve however.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




qazwsx is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









I can't believe no one's mentioned Orbiter 2010! Its a free game, similar to KSP, but without the building part, and with full-scale, n-body physics. There is a mod for it called Interplanetary which allows you to input your location, your destination, and the maximum time you have to get there, and it will tell you how much dV you need and give you a trajectory. It has a steep learning curve however.







share|improve this answer








New contributor




qazwsx is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer






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answered Dec 12 at 13:20









qazwsx

1411




1411




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qazwsx is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 2




    It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
    – JCRM
    Dec 12 at 14:53






  • 2




    @JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
    – qazwsx
    Dec 12 at 16:10






  • 1




    Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
    – ben
    8 hours ago














  • 2




    It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
    – JCRM
    Dec 12 at 14:53






  • 2




    @JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
    – qazwsx
    Dec 12 at 16:10






  • 1




    Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
    – Luaan
    2 days ago










  • Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
    – ben
    8 hours ago








2




2




It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
– JCRM
Dec 12 at 14:53




It lacks the visualisation of orbital mechanics that makes them "easy" to understand in KSP
– JCRM
Dec 12 at 14:53




2




2




@JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
– qazwsx
Dec 12 at 16:10




@JCRM If you go to cntr f1 or f2, you can turn on orbit trails.
– qazwsx
Dec 12 at 16:10




1




1




Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
– Luaan
2 days ago




Orbiter is great, but also extremely unfriendly (also, I've played the DOS Shuttle, which felt a lot better despite its age :D ). KSP's success is largely due to its hands-on attitude - you play around to discover stuff, and don't really have to read any documentation :)
– Luaan
2 days ago












Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
– ben
8 hours ago




Orbiter was mentioned, but yeah definitely a nice free option! I think I'll have to figure out whether the steeper learning curve is worth not having to deal with licensing.
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
3
down vote













Here are two more fun ones which have not been mentioned before




  • Super Planet Crash : Browser based game where you add planets to a solar system.The aim of the game is to score as high as possible. Score points for bigger planets (which upset other orbits more), for more planets (which lead to more complex dynamics) and for making your solar system last longer (game ends when a planet is ejected from the solar system).
    http://www.stefanom.org/spc/


  • Chaotic Planets : Not really a game but more of a demo. Creates random systems of planets so you can see the dynamics play out.
    http://labs.minutelabs.io/Chaotic-Planets/







share|improve this answer








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  • I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
    – Joshua
    2 days ago










  • This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
3
down vote













Here are two more fun ones which have not been mentioned before




  • Super Planet Crash : Browser based game where you add planets to a solar system.The aim of the game is to score as high as possible. Score points for bigger planets (which upset other orbits more), for more planets (which lead to more complex dynamics) and for making your solar system last longer (game ends when a planet is ejected from the solar system).
    http://www.stefanom.org/spc/


  • Chaotic Planets : Not really a game but more of a demo. Creates random systems of planets so you can see the dynamics play out.
    http://labs.minutelabs.io/Chaotic-Planets/







share|improve this answer








New contributor




James Fulton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.


















  • I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
    – Joshua
    2 days ago










  • This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
3
down vote










up vote
3
down vote









Here are two more fun ones which have not been mentioned before




  • Super Planet Crash : Browser based game where you add planets to a solar system.The aim of the game is to score as high as possible. Score points for bigger planets (which upset other orbits more), for more planets (which lead to more complex dynamics) and for making your solar system last longer (game ends when a planet is ejected from the solar system).
    http://www.stefanom.org/spc/


  • Chaotic Planets : Not really a game but more of a demo. Creates random systems of planets so you can see the dynamics play out.
    http://labs.minutelabs.io/Chaotic-Planets/







share|improve this answer








New contributor




James Fulton is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









Here are two more fun ones which have not been mentioned before




  • Super Planet Crash : Browser based game where you add planets to a solar system.The aim of the game is to score as high as possible. Score points for bigger planets (which upset other orbits more), for more planets (which lead to more complex dynamics) and for making your solar system last longer (game ends when a planet is ejected from the solar system).
    http://www.stefanom.org/spc/


  • Chaotic Planets : Not really a game but more of a demo. Creates random systems of planets so you can see the dynamics play out.
    http://labs.minutelabs.io/Chaotic-Planets/








share|improve this answer








New contributor




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share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer






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answered Dec 12 at 15:20









James Fulton

311




311




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  • I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
    – Joshua
    2 days ago










  • This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















  • I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
    – Joshua
    2 days ago










  • This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
    – ben
    8 hours ago
















I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
– Joshua
2 days ago




I just got #1 on Super Planet Crash but can't figure out how to get a display of high scores.
– Joshua
2 days ago












This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
– ben
8 hours ago




This is cool! Super Planet Crash reminds me of Gravity Simulator but with a scoring/competitive component, which students tend to like. Thanks for the input! Will definitely use these as some fun examples.
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
3
down vote













While it does not seem to offer propulsive orbit changes, the TestTubeGames Gravity Simulator demonstrates orbital motion in a web interface.






share|improve this answer








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  • I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
    – X Goodrich
    yesterday










  • I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
3
down vote













While it does not seem to offer propulsive orbit changes, the TestTubeGames Gravity Simulator demonstrates orbital motion in a web interface.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Steve is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.


















  • I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
    – X Goodrich
    yesterday










  • I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
3
down vote










up vote
3
down vote









While it does not seem to offer propulsive orbit changes, the TestTubeGames Gravity Simulator demonstrates orbital motion in a web interface.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Steve is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









While it does not seem to offer propulsive orbit changes, the TestTubeGames Gravity Simulator demonstrates orbital motion in a web interface.







share|improve this answer








New contributor




Steve is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer






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answered 2 days ago









Steve

1311




1311




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Steve is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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Steve is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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  • I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
    – X Goodrich
    yesterday










  • I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















  • I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
    – X Goodrich
    yesterday










  • I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
    – ben
    8 hours ago
















I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
– X Goodrich
yesterday




I used a slightly simpler little 2d game similar to this on a Mac Classic back in about 7th or 8th grade, and I was going to see if anyone reimplemented it, and I checked your suggestion. IMO this is the best / a great place to start with getting a mental feel for a subset of orbital issues!
– X Goodrich
yesterday












I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
– ben
8 hours ago




I can't believe this didn't get more upvotes! Granted there is no propulsive component, but damned if it isn't a good way to explore celestial mechanics. Thanks so much for a really solid resource (plus - browser based)! This will definitely find its way into a lesson.
– ben
8 hours ago










up vote
2
down vote













In theory you could use KSpaceDuel https://www.kde.org/applications/games/kspaceduel/ for this purpose.



The power-potential of the spacecraft is way out of range for a typical rocket, but orbital transfers work the way they should until touching a screen edge.






share|improve this answer





















  • This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago















up vote
2
down vote













In theory you could use KSpaceDuel https://www.kde.org/applications/games/kspaceduel/ for this purpose.



The power-potential of the spacecraft is way out of range for a typical rocket, but orbital transfers work the way they should until touching a screen edge.






share|improve this answer





















  • This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago













up vote
2
down vote










up vote
2
down vote









In theory you could use KSpaceDuel https://www.kde.org/applications/games/kspaceduel/ for this purpose.



The power-potential of the spacecraft is way out of range for a typical rocket, but orbital transfers work the way they should until touching a screen edge.






share|improve this answer












In theory you could use KSpaceDuel https://www.kde.org/applications/games/kspaceduel/ for this purpose.



The power-potential of the spacecraft is way out of range for a typical rocket, but orbital transfers work the way they should until touching a screen edge.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered Dec 12 at 18:53









Joshua

36719




36719












  • This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago


















  • This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
    – ben
    8 hours ago
















This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
– ben
8 hours ago




This is another fun one, like SpaceWar. Definitely going to waste some of my own time playing this. Thanks!
– ben
8 hours ago










ben is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










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