''Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Simulation'', is a
space simulator
Astronaut training describes the complex process of preparing astronauts in regions around the world for their space missions before, during and after the flight, which includes medical tests, physical training, extra-vehicular activity (EVA) trai ...
published 1982 by
Edu-Ware
Edu-Ware Services, Inc. was an educational and entertainment software publisher established in 1979 bSherwin Steffinand Steven Pederson. It was known for its adventure games, role-playing video games, and flight simulators for the Apple II fam ...
, and developed by
Titan Computer Products and
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...
scientist
Wesley Huntress
Wesley T. Huntress, Jr. is an American space scientist. An astrochemist and space scientist, Huntress worked for about twenty years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the 1980s, he was also a video game designer, producing games for Appl ...
.
Description
Accompanied by a thick "Spacecraft Operations" manual with a chapter on use in the classroom, this flight simulator was marketed as being as educational as it was fun to play.
The simulation is centered on a typical Space Shuttle mission to service a space station. Mission phases include ''Earth Lift-Off'', ''Orbital Rendezvous'', ''Approach'' and ''Alignment and Docking''.
[Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Flight Simulation for Apple II (1982) – MobyGames]
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It was released for the Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...
in 1982,
Reception
Stanley Greenlaw reviewed the game for ''Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...
'', and stated that "''Rendezvous'' is educational while being entertaining. Teachers will find it a valuable teaching tool in the areas of General Science, Earth Science, and Physics. As entertainment the simulation will appeal to gamers who enjoy mental challenges (such as those involved in setting up the orbital rendezvous) as well as to gamers who enjoy hand-eye co-ordination challenges (such as will be faced in the approach and docking segments). ''Rendezvous'' is a welcome addition to the educational and entertainment software field."
Reviews
*''Electronic Games
An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...
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*''Byte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable unit ...
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*''Computers & Electronics
''Popular Electronics'' was an American magazine published by John August Media, LLC, and hosted at TechnicaCuriosa.com. The magazine was started by Ziff-Davis Publishing Company in October 1954 for electronics hobbyists and experimenters. It soo ...
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*''Softalk
''Softalk'' () was an American magazine of the early 1980s that focused on the Apple II computer. Published from September 1980 through August 1984, it featured articles about hardware and software associated with the Apple II platform and the pe ...
''
See also
* '' Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space''
References
{{Space Shuttle
1982 video games
Apple II games
Apple II-only games
Edu-Ware games
Realistic space simulators
Single-player video games
Space flight simulator games
Video games developed in the United States