Play Space Shuttle - A Journey Into Space Online

Summary

Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space shines on the Atari 5200, where the built‑in keypad turns a daunting NASA‑style control panel into something you can actually manage. The original 2600 version forced you to remember a maze of switch functions, each labeled in cryptic space‑agency jargon, but the 5200’s overlay lets you tap the right command without a cheat sheet. Designed by Jessica Stevens and later adapted by Bob Henderson, the game lets you pilot the shuttle through every crucial phase—launch, orbit stabilization, docking, de‑orbit burn, re‑entry, and landing—each with its own set of instructions. As one of the earliest realistic spacecraft simulators for a home console, it feels like a miniature mission control right on your living‑room floor.

Storyline

In Space Shuttle – A Journey Into Space you take the role of the entire crew of the American shuttle Orbiter. After climbing into the cockpit you wait for the countdown and then launch, making sure to separate the solid booster rockets and the external tank on the way to orbit.

Once in orbit you must locate a stranded satellite, rendezvous with it, perform a repair, and then re‑launch the satellite into its proper orbit. The final phase is a fiery re‑entry, guiding the shuttle through the atmosphere and landing safely back on Earth.