Space Rescue Games for Learning Force and Motion
Save the Shuttle
Practice Game

You are the rocket pilot. Your mission is to save the space shuttle that has run out of fuel.

The rocket is powered by a special engine that gives a sudden burst of force and then shuts off.

The size of the force of the rocket engine is the same each time you fire the rocket.

Fly to the shuttle and tow it back to home base.

You have a limited amount of time and fuel. Don't crash into the red walls!



This is a practice game. Harder games follow.

Go on to the next page to play.
Practice Game: To begin, press "Setup" then "Start/Stop." Fire the rocket engines with the Left and Right buttons.




When you rescue the Shuttle, go on to the next page.

rocket-x-vel Were you able to rescue the shuttle? Yes No Does the Rocket always go the same direction as you fire? Yes No If you fire the Rocket twice in the same direction will the Rocket go The same speed as firing once Faster than firing once Slower than firing once Depends on the direction the Rocket was originally going How did you stop the Rocket or the Rocket plus Shuttle? Kept pressing Fire until it stopped Hit the wall Press Left the same number of times as Right The Rocket stopped by itself What did you learn about controlling the Rocket?
Questions for Practice Game













Rocket Engine Recharge Game

The Rocket Engine Recharge Game on the next page is very much like the Practice Game. Your mission is still to save the Shuttle.

In this game, the Rocket's engine needs 2 seconds between firing to recharge. You'll need to plan your mission!

You have 45 seconds to rescue the Shuttle. Go on to the next page to play.

Rocket Engine Recharge Game


Were you able to save the Shuttle? Yes No While the engine is recharging, the Rocket is Slowing down Being attracted to either the Shuttle or home base Speeding up Staying the same speed What do you notice that is different about the return trip when the Rocket and Shuttle are joined? The Rocket and Shuttle slow down more It takes more firings to stop It takes more firings to get going fast It is slower than the trip out Can you explain why the trip out and the return trip are different?
Questions for the Rocket Engine Recharge Game












Space Rescue Basic Game

The Space Rescue Basic Game on the next page is very much like the warm-up games you have already played, but now we keep score!

The Rocket's engine still needs to recharge between firings.

Try to get a high score! In order to score, you need to return to the green zone with the shuttle.

You have 60 seconds to rescue the Shuttle. Go on to the next page to play.

Space Rescue Basic Game


In this game, the Rocket leaves a trail of dots behind. What do the dots tell you? The Rocket has power The larger the space between the dots, the faster the Rocket is going The Rocket is about to run out of fuel The rocket goes at a constant speed If the Rocket or Rocket plus Shuttle is stopped and you fire once and then twice more in the same direction, waiting for recharge between firings, and you don't hit a wall, the Rocket will go The same speed as firing twice Three times the speed of firing once Four times the speed of firing once The change in speed is not always the same What is a good rule for stopping the Rocket or for stopping the Rocket plus Shuttle? Fire once in the opposite direction from the direction it is moving Hit the brakes Keep firing the Rocket until it stops Fire the same number of times in the opposite direction as you did to get it going What is a good plan to get a high score? Always try to go as fast as possible Go slowly, because it is too hard to stop Just go as fast as you can being sure to leave time to stop Just avoid crashing into walls
Space Rescue Basic Game Questions











Space Rescue 2D Game

The Space Rescue 2D Game on the next page will put all you have learned to use and add another dimension!

You now need to fire the Rocket Up and Down as well as Left and Right!

Be sure to avoid the red no-fly zones!

The Rocket's engine still needs to recharge between firings.

In order to score, you need to return to the green zone with the shuttle.

You have 80 seconds to rescue the Shuttle. Go on to the next page to play.


Space Rescue 2D Game


Were you able to rescue the Shuttle? Yes No Were you able to fly in a diagonal line or just side to side or up and down? Yes, but I always crashed into the red no-fly zones Yes, the same rules for stopping work in this game as they did in the previous games No, I always had to stop to go in a different direction Yes, but I always ran out of time or fuel If you are going in a diagonal line, say to the right and down, how would you stop? Fire up twice Fire up then down Fire down then up Fire as many times up as I had down and as many times left as I had right What was you strategy to save the Shuttle in the 2D game?
Space Rescue 2D Game Questions













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