Looking for old DOS orbit simulator.

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around a nostalgic game, likely titled "Moon Shot" or "Moon Lander," which features a simple interface with a central white blob representing Earth and a smaller blob representing the Moon. Players launch a probe from Earth using directional thrusters, aiming to achieve a stable orbit around Earth before attempting to intercept the Moon's orbit. The game is noted for its effective simulation of gravity, allowing players to explore Lagrange points for optimal positioning. Despite various suggestions and links to similar games, the original game remains elusive to the poster, who has been searching for it for four years. The conversation highlights the challenge of finding older games amidst a proliferation of newer Java applications.
B. Elliott
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It was more of a game actually. I believe the name of it was Moon Shot, Moon Lander or something to that extent.

The game was laid out fairly simple. The entire game was composed of a white blob in the center of the screen (Earth) along with another eraser-head sized blob orbiting around the Earth at a slow, steady pace (the Moon). Both objects produced their own gravity field... the Earth's was noticably stronger. The object of the game was to launch the probe (small white blip) from Earth using your thrusters (directional keys) in an attempt to get the probe into a steady orbit around the earth. Your orbit may end up as highly eccentric or very close to circular depending on how long and in what direction you fire the thrusters.

Once in a steady orbit around the Earth, you then fire your thrusters in an attempt to place your probe in an intercept orbit around the Moon. If you can do this, you win.

The part about the game that really amazed me considering how simple it was, was how well the game simulated gravity. If you played around with it long enough, you could actually get your probe into sweet spots (Lagrange points) where it would just follow the orbit of the moon around the Earth... or have it orbit slightly ahead of the Moons orbit. The closer you are to the object, the greater the effect of gravity.Please tell me someone has seen this game or may have a copy. I've been searching for four years now!

Brett,
 
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https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=836976#post836976

Something like that?
 
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dlgoff said:

It definitely wasn't lunar lander. That does remind me though, I think I might still have the atari version packed away in the closet.

Gokul43201 said:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=836976#post836976

Something like that?

That one is actually pretty neat but not it. Apparently there's been a lot of java apps that have come out in the past few years because that's all I come across whenever I try to search for it now.

The game looked EXACTLY like this except that in the top left corner it shows your velocity while in the top right it shows your x/y coordinates. A very simple program.:biggrin:

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I do greatly appreciate any efforts.
 
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