''Space Shuttle Project'' is an

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

released in 1991 by Absolute Entertainment for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was one of the few vehicle simulators not to be released for the

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

Gameplay

The object of ''Space Shuttle Project'' is to successfully launch and fly one of NASA's historic

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...

s as a shuttle commander. Gameplay is composed of several different types of missions, each broken up into short mini-games. Players are first required to activate oxygen and hydrogen pumps in addition to getting additional crew members into the shuttle within a strict time limit. Crew members are transported to certain parts of the ship by moving an elevator up and down while avoiding moving bumpers. Then, the player must successfully launch the shuttle into space by performing quick time events that correspond to particular shuttle launch maneuvers such as

booster rocket A booster rocket (or engine) is either the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle, or else a shorter-burning rocket used in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capabil ...

separation. Once in space, one of several missions will be played where the player must control the astronaut by maneuvering him/her around hazards, replenish his air supply before the timer runs out, and deliver components for the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...

to their correct locations. A

cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

from the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

must also be rescued in the game. Players that fail to maintain a flawlessly working space shuttle will see the entire shuttle mission fail. Every mission has a lengthy list of secondary objectives that require speed, patience in addition to pure trial and error. A complete shuttle guidance system is included in the game's instruction manual. Finally, the player must land the shuttle by again performing Quick Time Events that correspond to landing maneuvers before finally landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Players get a congratulations screen featuring then-US president George H. W. Bush after finishing all six missions.

Reception

Allgame RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

gave ''Space Shuttle Project'' a score of 2.5 points out of a possible 5.

References

{{Space Shuttle 1991 video games Absolute Entertainment games Imagineering (company) games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games North America-exclusive video games Side-scrolling video games Single-player video games Space flight simulator games Video games developed in the United States Video games set in the 1990s