SpaceX is working in full force to get American people back in space as soon as possible, in their self-manufactured rockets. So far, it has launched multiple test operations, and is very close to realizing its goal. The Crew Dragon Spacecraft, which would ferry SpaceX’s first human travelers to the International Space Station, will automatically park itself when it reaches its destination.
However, if the situation demands it, astronauts can assume control of the spacecraft, and dock it manually. And now, so can you, with SpaceX’s browser based simulator.
The simulator mimics an actual spacecraft, and put you in charge of docking your own Crew Dragon at the ISS. The interface is touch controlled, just as it would be on the spacecraft, and can be accessed by a smartphone. Anyone can access the simulator using this link: https://iss-sim.spacex.com/
On pressing the link, you are redirected to a new tab in your browser, and are greeted with this message:
On pressing “Begin”, you will be transported into the vacuum of space, where you will be put in charge of docking your spacecraft to the ISS.
Or, in simpler words, you have to get all the green numbers(which are corrections to the vehicle) to reach below 0.2. The blue numbers represent your “rate” or speed in various directions. Those numbers need to reach below -0.2, for completion of the mission.
The controls on the bottom right corner control the rotation of the spacecraft, while the ones on the left control its position. Pressing the “up’ button on the right will rotate the spacecraft upwards, while pressing it on the left side will elevate its height. The ‘+’ and ‘-’ button on the left side help in controlling the translation of the vehicle in the forward and backward direction respectively. To achieve successful docking, the Crew Dragon has to achieve successful orientation.
Precision controls are present at both the left and right side of the screen, which can be used to alter between small and large movements by pressing the little square and circle in the middle of the directional controls.
Your target? Reach the green dot in the diamond ahead of you. The dot should be in the centre of the screen, and right in front of you for successful docking.
If you did not respect astronauts before, you would after the simulation. The process is very tricky and patience is the key. One wrong move, and you will be sent off flying into the dark cold vacuum of space. I know I did, and gave up after the 5th time it happened.
