This exercise is named after a late-70s Atari game called Lunar Lander. By employing thrusters in the +x$+x$, −x$-x$, and +y$+y$ directions that are aligned with the center of mass of the lander, we do not have to consider rotation. The goal is to control the spaceship using brief impulses. For simplicity, the first two exercises neglect mass loss due to fuel exhaust and are appropriate for introductory students. In Exercises 3-5, students incorporate fuel burn rate. Exercise 5 is intended for intermediate level students who can derive an analytic solution for the y-velocity of a rocket with constant fuel burn rate in a constant gravitational field and can compare numerical and analytic solutions.

Students should view a landing rocket such as the landing of a SpaceX CRS-8 first-stage rocket booster on a floating drone ship.

Students may also want to play the original Atari Lunar Lander game.

Because keyboard interactions are essential to Exercises 1-4, a minimal working program is provided in which the keyboard interactions work, but the lander travels with constant velocity. Students must add the appropriate code inside the while statement to correctly compute the velocity of the lander.

The attached programs are written in GlowScript and require a free account at GlowScript.org.