William Field, Minju Kim

Explorer is a space simulator. It is designed to be an educational tool which teaches about orbital mechanics.

http://www.willjfield.com/?page_id=348

Description

Explorer is a space simulator. It is designed to be an educational tool that teaches about space flight and orbital mechanics. The user of the simulator controls a space ship orbiting one of four planetary bodies in our Solar System – the Moon, Mercury, Earth and Neptune.

The simulator has two modes: free play and tutorial. Free play allows the user to direct the ship as desired and for any planet to be chosen at any time. Tutorial mode guides the user through several steps explaining how to get into orbit and how to change the shape of the orbit.

Along with the Processing sketch, Minju and I built a handheld controller to control the ship and camera. The project is designed as a prototype for a interactive museum didactic. It is targeted to ages 10+ but is enjoyable for all ages.

Classes

Introduction to Computational Media, Introduction to Physical Computing