Space Shuttle Project Overview
Space Shuttle Project is a mission simulation for the NES where the player assumes the role of a Commander overseeing NASA launches. The experience is structured around a sequence of distinct operational phases, each presenting its own set of tasks and mini-games.
Progress is managed through six sequential missions of increasing difficulty, with a limited allowance for failures. A password system allows players to resume their campaign. The simulation begins with a security checkpoint mini-game testing memory for codes and shuttle names.
Gameplay involves managing both pre-launch logistics and in-flight operations. Initial duties include fueling the shuttle and boarding the crew under a time limit, which involves navigating a lift while avoiding hazards. The core launch and re-entry sequences are controlled through reaction-based mini-games, where players must align arrows or stop a moving power bar at a precise moment to manage stage separations and atmospheric entry.
Once in orbit, extravehicular activities form a major component, with objectives changing per mission. These tasks include deploying and navigating a satellite through a field of debris, constructing a space station module while monitoring oxygen, or performing repairs and a rescue operation on damaged spacecraft. The final challenge is always to successfully guide the shuttle through re-entry and to a safe landing on a runway.
