NASA CONTROL SIM
- 11 Devlogs
- 11 Total hours
A pygame simulator of a NASA control centre when launching rockets
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
16m 48s logged
finshing off sharpening the UI . make changes to the corners of the screen and make the rocket launch smoother .
Ship #1
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
What I made
I created a NASA style rocket simulator in Pygame with launch, orbit, and also mission selection. Players control a rocket, manage fuel and try to reach orbit. In orbit, they deploy satellites while avoiding debris and timing orbital windows.
What was challenging ...
The hardest part was managing multiple game states without breaking transitions between them. Balancing the rocket physics so it feels realistic but still fun took a lot of tweaking. The angle maths for orbital windows and debris collision detection was also tricky.
What I was proud of .
I’m proud of the orbital gameplay because it adds timing and strategy beyond simple movement. The mission system changes difficulty in a meaningful way without changing the core game. The HUD, logs, and effects make the game feel complete and immersive.
What people should know to test my project
SPACE toggles the engine, R fixes engine failure, and D deploys satellites in orbit. The goal is to reach 80,000m and then deploy 3 satellites in green windows. Fuel, debris, and random failures can end a run early, so timing matters.
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
1h 57m 38s logged
Particle system: engine exhaust emits orange/yellow/red
particles with lifetime, fade, and spread. Stage sep
triggers a burst of white sparks.
Screen shake: triggers on engine failure, stage sep,
debris near miss, and collision. Magnitude + decay.
Mission Select screen (new state before LAUNCH):
STANDARD default settings, good starting point
EXPRESS 70% fuel, fewer events, big time bonus
DEBRIS STORM 9 debris pieces, more failures
Mission name shown throughout HUD + logged on win.
High score table: session based top 5 per mission.
Shown on WIN screen; press H on menu to view all.
Polished WIN screen: animated green scan lines + stars.
FAIL screen: shows cause + survival time.
Throttle bar added to HUD (shows ramp state).
Rocket engine on indicator (green light on HUD).
Debris proximity warning shown as distance readout.
Orbital window “ping” animation when window opens.
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
51m 25s logged
• OrbitalWindow system: 3 rotating green arcs on the orbit ring. D key ONLY works when rocket is inside a window.
Windows slowly drift at different speeds timing matters.
A window goes grey and cooldown after each deployment.
DebrisField: 5 pieces of orbiting space junk at varying
radii/speeds (some retrograde). Collision = instant FAIL.
Proximity warning: debris glows red + screen edge pulses
when within 42px. Collision radius: 16px.
Throttle upgraded: SPACE toggles, but engine now throttles
UP gradually over 1 sec to add drama to ignition.
Score breakdown: fuel bonus + time bonus + sat bonus,
all shown separately on the WIN screen.
FAIL now shows cause: collision vs fuel-out vs pad abort.
Orbit panel (right-side): shows window status, debris count,
and DEPLOY hint when inside a window.
Max altitude cap removed: rocket keeps climbing during
launch phase until fuel/orbit condition met.
Random event rates tuned so failures feel fair, not cheap.
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
53m 49s logged
Full state machine: MENU , LAUNCH ,ORBIT , WIN / FAIL
Menu screen with controls panel + mission briefing panel
Animated bouncing rocket on menu with pulsing prompt
Engine repair mechanic: press R after engine failure
Fuel leak doesn’t insta kill; manageable drain
Star field that alpha fades in as altitude climbs
Rocket fins added, gravity turn tilt hinted
HUD rewritten: Flight Computer panel and two progress bars
(FUEL bar and ALTITUDE TO ORBIT bar during launch)
Stage separation auto fires at 20 km with log message
WIN / FAIL overlays with ENTER to restart
ESC quits from anywhere
Score calculation on win (fuel × 12 + time bonus)
Satellite now drawn with solar panels
Delta time physics: physics no longer frame rate dependent
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
33m 36s logged
Features Added :
Stage Separation System
Automatic transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 during ascent
Stage specific performance changes
Increased thrust and fuel capacity after separation
Enhanced Orbital Behaviour
Improved orbital movement calculations
Orbit speed now varies based on spacecraft state
Smoother transition from ascent to orbital operations
Re entry Heat Framework
Introduced atmospheric heating mechanics
Heat accumulation and cooling systems
Visual warning indicators for dangerous conditions
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
1h 15m 9s logged
focused on turning the simulator into a complete playable game with objectives, structure and also end conditions.
new features added :
Full mission win condition (deploy 3 satellites to succeed)
Full mission fail condition (fuel depletion with no progress)
Central Game controller system to manage all logic
Clean separation between update and UI handling
Global mission states: launch, orbit, win, fail
Large scale integration of all previous systems into one loop
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
1h 13m 44s logged
introduced instability into the simulation, turning it from a controlled mission tool into a reactive system where things can go wrong.
Features Added are :
Random event system running during flight
Engine failure state (thrust stops working)
Fuel leak simulation (accelerated fuel loss)
System recovery events that can restore functionality
Expanded mission log integration for emergencies
Status indicators reflecting system health in real time
Events affecting both launch and orbit modes.
i made the simulation non deterministic for the first time
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
1h 28m 39s logged
This was the first major shift in the simulators structure, moving from a single continuous launch system into a dual-mode mission environment.
features added :
Introduced Launch Mode … Orbit Mode switching (M key)
Built a basic orbital map centered on earth
Rocket now transitions from ascent simulation into orbital representation
Added satellite deployment system (D key in orbit mode)
Multiple satellites can now exist simultaneously in orbit
Each satellite follows independent circular orbital motion around earth ( blue circle)
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
1h 1m 7s logged
focused on transforming the simulator from a basic rocket launch prototype into a proper mission control experience.
features Added :
Mission timer with NASA-style T+MM:SS formatting
Dedicated Mission Control telemetry panel
Mission event logging system
Flight status tracking (On Pad, Ascent, High Ascent, Edge of Space, Space)
Low fuel warning system
Karman Line detection and milestone event logging
Improved altitude and velocity scaling
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
1h 0m 34s logged
focused on making the simulator feel like an actual ascent through Earth’s atmosphere rather than a simple vertical movement game.
Features Added :
Dynamic sky that gradually transitions from blue atmosphere to the darkness of space.
Basic atmospheric drag system that slows the rocket at lower altitudes.
Altitude based environment changes.
Space/Atmosphere status indicator in the telemetry panel.
Improved flight behaviour through updated physics tuning.
@nishchaybhudia
on
NASA CONTROL SIM
41m 40s logged
I built the foundation of a NASA style mission simulator in Pygame.
The focus was keeping everything simple but physically believable enough to feel like a real launch system.
What i added :
A controllable rocket object with basic physics
Gravity pulling the rocket down constantly
Thrust system controlled by toggling the engine (SPACE BAR)
Fuel consumption that decreases while the engine is active
Altitude and velocity tracking in real time
A basic HUD showing mission telemetry (altitude, speed, fuel, engine state)
Simple visual representation of a rocket with a flame animation
Ground reference to give a sense of scale
Result:
You can now launch a rocket from the ground, control its thrust, and watch it respond to gravity and fuel constraints while tracking live telemetry like a simplified NASA test console.
