Project: Space Station

I first played Project: Space Station when I was in grade school. My best friend’s parents purchased it for the Apple II they had.
Like anything, there was a bit of a learning curve, but the tutorial and manual proved to be very helpful. Once we mastered the basic concepts that allowed our first launch, we were hooked. I even bought my own copy! While waiting for lift off, we watched the countdown timer, the weather conditions, our budget, and messages to launch satellites.
Once “aloft” we would take turns “piloting” the shuttle into orbit.

The goal was to keep the rear-view outline of the shuttle flying inside randomly shifting concentric boxes. There was a counter which let you see your progress. The more you kept the shuttle centered in the boxes, the closer you “parked” to the space station. This became important as you built your station and placed satellites for launch. Your orbital construction pods had limited oxygen and fuel, so accuracy was important.
Once in orbit, you could take out a pod and move parts around to construct your space station. Different modules allowed you to perform different tasks such as R&D missions, refueling, power the station, etc. You could transfer crew back and forth between station and orbiting shuttles as well. Your crew selection was important, as it was related directly to your success in R&D projects – and successful research meant extra income!
Landing was similar to launch in its controls, except that instead of a good “parking spot” how well you landed translated into how much time it took to complete repairs on the shuttle, and as such how soon you could launch again with vital supplies and crew.
On the ground, you had the option to build a plan/model of your station without the cost or danger of actually building a station. You also scheduled shuttle flights, including who and what was on each shuttle, and when said shuttles launched. You also had the opportunity to manage several budget items, and to purchase equipment and modules to build your space station.
The graphics were amazing for the time, including a beautiful shot of the space shuttle on the launch pad, small animations, and of course the space station itself. The controls were always smooth, and the simulation of zero-gravity in space was a nice addition. You could control the game with just the keyboard, or a combination of the keyboard and a joystick. The joystick made piloting the shuttle a LOT easier.
Overall, I think that this was my favorite game growing up, not only because of my interest in the space program, but also for its puzzle-like quality in terms of what you needed to do to successfully complete R&D projects. It kept me busy for literally countless hours over the course of several years, not only in game play, but also in building models and sketches in the style of the game. If you ever wanted to be in charge of NASA, give this game a try!