LunarNav Experiment - Instructions
Please carefully read the instructions below.
In this experiment, you will be playing a simple game where you try to land a spacecraft between two flags. The computer knows how to solve this game. At certain points, you will be able to watch demonstrations of how the computer lands the spacecraft. These demonstrations might help you improve.It is important that you do NOT refresh or close the page during the experiment.
The game interface is shown below.
The goal of the game is to land the spacecraft in the landing pad (between the two yellow flags). To control the spacecraft, you can use the four arrow keys on your keyboard: up, down, left, and right. When a key is pressed, the corresponding arrow in the game interface will be highlighted (see "Action Visualization" above). The spacecraft will fire its engine opposite to the direction of the arrow key you pressed. For example, pressing the right arrow causes the spacecraft's left engine to fire, providing a force to the right.
The experiment consists of two phases.
Phase I: In Phase I, you will practice different skills needed to land the spacecraft. An example of a skill might be descending softly into the landing pad (as opposed to crashing). You will see three demonstrations of the computer performing of the first skill, and then you will have a chance to practice that particular skill three times. You will then move on to the next skill. There are three skills total. The following two paragraphs give more details on Phase I.
— Skill Demonstrations. During skill demonstrations, you will watch a video of how the computer completes that skill. To help you understand how the computer is controlling the spacecraft, arrows on screen will highlight with whatever arrow key the computer presses, and the spacecraft will respond accordingly. You should not touch any controls during these demonstrations.
— Skill Practice. During skill practice, you will have a chance to practice the same skill that was demonstrated to you. To control the spacecraft, you should use your arrow keys on your keyboard. The arrows on screen will highlight accordingly, as they did in the skill demonstrations.
Phase II: In Phase II, you will try to land the spacecraft from start to finish. You should try to apply the skills you learned in Phase I. Phase II has five rounds. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to control the spacecraft.
- What does Phase I consist of?
- How and when should you control the spacecraft?
Complete the following quiz to get started.