![controls for kerbal space program controls for kerbal space program](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0f/d5/6c/0fd56ce79c739a60a58fea2de50d8a09.jpg)
#CONTROLS FOR KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM SIMULATOR#
Microsoft’s 1994 title Space Simulator was one of the most notable examples, incorporating an array of astrodynamic space mechanics, but the company never produced a sequel. Since Apollo 18 hit the Commodore 64 in 1987, there have been a couple of dozen maybe, often produced by small teams writing for dedicated fans. From the seminal 1961 title SpaceWar – one of the first games ever made – to modern science fiction odysseys like Mass Effect and Halo, the idea of exploring distant galaxies has proved incredibly seductive.īut authentic space simulators, offering a purer, more complex and authentic interactive experience, are much rarer.
![controls for kerbal space program controls for kerbal space program](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zWs-Crhkiqw/maxresdefault.jpg)
Video games are obsessed with space travel. And there’s always another spacecraft to build and crash. I am on a computer playing a game called Kerbal Space Program. The fortunate part is that, actually, I am at home. The reward for me is to stay alive – and to get home. In space, there is always risk and reward. I progress forward anyway, nudging the thrusters with just enough vigour to connect with the airlock, but not enough to cause a mid-flight collision that will end the lives of my crew. I have built the craft myself, out of myriad components, and I don’t know if it’ll hold up out here in the vast indifferent nothingness. To dock, our orbits have to align precisely, but the variables are terrifying.
![controls for kerbal space program controls for kerbal space program](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/the-kerbal-players/9781491913475/assets/krbl_0102.png)
In the cold vacuum of space, miles above the planet surface, I am guiding my tiny space ship toward the airlock of another vessel.