Note: May take up to 1 minute to load the game.

Created for NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 for the Meteor Madness Challenge.

Asteroid Launcher: Newtonian Gravity Sandbox

Description

Asteroid Launcher is a 2D gravity sandbox and orbital mechanics game that lets players explore the science behind asteroid impacts and planetary defense.

Every asteroid you launch follows real Newtonian gravity under the influence of the Earth, the Moon, and even other asteroids still in orbit.
Missed shots persist and continue to orbit — turning the system into a dynamic, chaotic, and evolving gravitational playground.

The game merges physics simulation with educational impact modeling, showing how asteroid size, speed, and angle affect collision energy, crater size, and blast zones.
Players can also try kinetic deflection, simulating NASA’s DART mission to push asteroids off course.

Objective

Your goal is to:

1. Aim and launch asteroids toward Earth.

2. Observe orbital paths and gravitational interactions with the Moon.

3. Watch realistic impact effects when you hit Earth — crater and blast rings.

4. Experiment with deflecting an asteroid to save the planet.

Every shot teaches something about orbital motion, energy, and planetary defense!

Controls

Action	Key	Description
Move Cannon	←, →, ↑, ↓	Move the launcher anywhere on the screen
Adjust Launch Angle	A / D	Rotate the cannon counterclockwise / clockwise
Adjust Launch Speed	I / K	Increase / Decrease launch speed
Fire Asteroid	Space	Launch an asteroid (clears previous blast rings)
Deflect Asteroid	F	Apply a small Δv deflection to the latest asteroid
Load Real Asteroid (from NASA)	N	Load a preset NEO scenario
Toggle Help	H (optional)	Show or hide on-screen help (if implemented)
Quit Game	Esc	Exit simulation

Gameplay Notes

• The Moon orbits Earth, creating moving gravitational interference — it can block, deflect, or alter your asteroid’s path.

• Each asteroid stays in orbit after launch unless it collides or escapes, continuously affecting later shots.

• Impact effects (blast rings, crater size) are calculated from asteroid kinetic energy.

• Blast rings disappear automatically when you launch a new asteroid.

• Use different speeds and angles to achieve orbit, impact, or deflection scenarios.

Physics Behind the Scenes

• Gravitational model: Newton’s law F=G⋅m1⋅m2/r2F = G·m₁·m₂ / r²F=G⋅m1⋅m2/r2

• Integration method: Semi-implicit Euler for stable orbits

• Multi-body gravity: Earth, Moon, and every asteroid mutually interact

• Impact modeling: Crater and blast radius scaled to kinetic energy (½mv²)

• Deflection model: Uses kinetic-impactor physics with adjustable momentum enhancement (β ≈ 3)

Tips

• The Moon makes shots unpredictable — aim carefully!

• Low speed: asteroid falls back or enters orbit.

• High speed: escapes Earth’s gravity.

• Perfect speed: stable orbit.

• Use deflection before impact to test planetary defense strategies.

Learning Outcomes

Players will intuitively understand:

• How orbital mechanics emerges from Newton’s law of gravity

• The energy scales of asteroid impacts

• The principles of kinetic deflection (like NASA’s DART mission)

• Why planetary defense requires early detection and precise physics

Technical Summary

• Language: Python 3.12

• Engine: PyGame

• Data: NASA NeoWs API (for real asteroid parameters)

• Physics: Newtonian gravity, multi-body simulation

• Authors: Team Nova Formosa — NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025

• Mission Theme: “Explore asteroid impact scenarios, predict consequences, and evaluate mitigation strategies.”