User:Aokjoey/Sandbox

A-OK! The Wings of Mercury (Simulator)

A-OK! The Wings of Mercury is a simulation of the Project Mercury spacecraft for personal computers produced by Apogee Development, Ltd, a small software development company based in the Columbus, Ohio area. It runs on Windows and Mac OS. The package includes a simulation of the Mercury Control Center for use in networked simulations. The product has been favorably reviewed. Features Missions – Suborbital and orbital missions can be simulated. The orbital mission can also include an extensive interactive countdown. Spacecraft – The spacecraft simulated is capsule 13, the spacecraft used by John Glenn during the MA-6 mission. Almost every one of the over 120 switches, gauges and indicators operate exactly as the original spacecraft. Because of this, the simulator includes checklists that are, in most cases, identical to the original checklists used in the MA-6 mission. When simulating a suborbital mission, some of the functionality is disabled to match the capabilities of the spacecraft used in the suborbital missions. Networked Simulations – Using a separate application that networks to the main simulation application, A-OK! The Wings of Mercury simulates the Mercury Mission Control Center. With this application, up to ten different flight controller stations can be connected to the simulation via a LAN or over the web. The system allows chat capability between the astronaut and the capsule communicator and between the various controllers. Mission Report – At the end of a simulation, a detailed HTML-based report on the mission is created. All major events, system performance, astronaut tasks and trajectory data are covered. Auto CapCom – In single user mode, this feature simulates radio communication with the Mercury Ground Stations. In addition to supplying information on spacecraft system status, Auto CapCom can warn you of potentially dangerous situations. Just like the real thing, you can only receive when you are over a ground stations and you'll get static as you slip in and slip out of range. UHF and HF radios are simulated with the traits of both modeled: clearer signal the chief advantage of the former and longer range the advantage of the latter. Booster Editor – Modifies booster mass, thrust and burn time which affects the spacecraft's trajectory and orbit. Mission Profile Editor – A mission profile includes system failures, astronaut psychological data, spacecraft and booster parameters and other data that can be saved so a mission can be rerun. System failures can be automatically generated based on difficulty level or can be preset manually. Astronaut Roster Editor – Astronauts are editable and are biologically and psychologically simulated so that factors like weight, flight experience, etc., affect consumable usage and heat generation. Astronauts with above average flight experience will not have as large of a physiological reaction to the more stressful segments of a mission as less experience ones. Larger astronauts will consume more oxygen and produce more heat than smaller ones. Mission Data Recorder – All parameters can be recorded for later analysis, including trajectory, environmental system, attitude control system, electrical system, and astronaut physiological data. This data is saved in a standard comma-delimited text file that can be exported to an external analysis tool like Microsoft Excel. Strip Chart Graph Tool – Create simple charts for a “quick look” at data trends anytime during the simulation.