Rocket Flight Simulation

The project is a simulation of a rocket flying around the solar system, meant to show how the solar system and rocket flight works without having to understand the complex physics behind it.

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Inspiration

My inspiration was initially to help people learn how physics work by showing a simulation and how it works behind the scenes. Since I did not know any JavaScript before this, I struggled with it and eventually just decided to create the simulation without a special way to show off the physics behind the program.

What it does

The simulation is meant to show off the ability to fly a spaceship/rocket around the solar system, it also shows the data from the program like the speed, g - force, fuel used to make it more realistic.

How we built it

When I started to learn JavaScript I first made the backend physics class and the methods to calculate the force on the spaceship. This was the easiest part because it was primarily just setting up variables and making methods

Challenges I ran into

I didn't know how to code in JavaScript when I started this project, and even though I knew it was necessary to complete it, I still thought I could finish it in the time frame. That has been the main issue, because lots of bugs/issues I have faced could have been very easily fixed if I just knew JavaScript.

Accomplishments that I am proud of

I am proud that I was able to learn the language and complete a fully finished product in the short timeframe that I had for this competition. This skill is going to be very helpful in the future because it allows me to do more complex web development, much more than using just HTML.

What I learned

I learned basic JavaScript principles and eventually learned how to use what I think is called the camera to allow the simulation to be seen from a central point as well as one that follows the ship to make it more realistic. I already knew basic HTML but struggled to connect the two languages into a cohesive product and still don't really understand how many files I need to run through the HTML. I just tried to make it so as much of it runs in one file as possible.

What's next for your project

I think that a three dimensional full rocket simulation would be even more interactive, as well as potentially also showing the physics behind it. Primarily uses F = ma and the law of universal gravitation to get the amount of force used, but could create a very fun and interactive learning experience.

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