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Just a few weeks ago, we had a story about how SpaceX released a docking simulator that lets anyone try to safely connect the crew capsule with the ISS. SpaceX had a history of not taking itself too seriously. The drone ships for landing the Falcon-9 boosters are named Just Read the Instructions and Of Course I Still Love You (from Iain M. Banks' Culture fictional universe)... knowing full-well the ships' names would be announced every time there was a landing attempt. Then came the names of the fairing recovery ships: Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief. And, of course, there was the time Elon Musk launched his bright red Tesla Roadster (and star man) on as the payload the inaugural launch of the Falcon Heavy.
So, it should come as no surprise that an Anonymous Coward wrote in to tell us that SpaceX had been at it again; the docking simulator had an Easter Egg embedded in it! Here's a link to the simulator again:https://iss-sim.spacex.com/
Apparently, if you do a 180 and pitch down you can see Elons' Roadster. Extra points if you bump it into the atmosphere for burn up. Is this for real? Who will be the first Soylentil to achieve and confirm these?
Previously:
(2020-05-13) SpaceX Crew Dragon Simulator Challenges You to Dock with the ISS, and It's Not Easy
(Score: 4, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 08 2020, @04:17PM (6 children)
Procedure:
Zero out roll. Leave pitch unaltered from starting state. Increase yaw at -1 degrees per second (pitch will vary as you yaw), as yaw approaches -180 the roadster appears just above center.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 08 2020, @04:36PM (5 children)
I submitted the story after doing a 180 (attempting to do a re-entry burnup just for fun) when I saw the Tesla. So far I've found that you can actually go inside the car but if you bump the other side it ends the simulation.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 08 2020, @04:49PM (4 children)
I tried to maneuver around to the other side, got to see TESLA Roadster on the back, but after a certain point the car just vanishes.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday June 09 2020, @02:34AM (3 children)
One-sided graphics.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by rob_on_earth on Tuesday June 09 2020, @10:41AM (2 children)
"backface culling", to be technical.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday June 09 2020, @11:56AM
Not sure about backface culling, it seems more like any orientation not between 145 and -145 degrees yaw just "shuts off" the car.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday June 09 2020, @04:27PM
It looks as if backfaces are being culled without considering the viewpoint.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 08 2020, @04:19PM
Continued: rammed roadster at 1m/s, received fail message "you have contacted the International Space Station".
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 4, Funny) by Kitsune008 on Monday June 08 2020, @04:23PM (1 child)
I just tried the docking sim, looking for the easter egg.
I found it, but due to a slight miscalculation of velocity, the easter egg is now scrambled.
Sorry, my bad.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 08 2020, @04:42PM
Also: model is a full red shell, lacking Star Man. If you approach slowly, you can get a look inside the model, it's empty.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 4, Interesting) by insanumingenium on Monday June 08 2020, @05:09PM (1 child)
Shot the gap between the station and the solar array and tried docking on the adapter on the back side. Collision detection didn't work back there, so I kept going straight through the port and tried to dock from the other side of the intended docking adapter, I got surprisingly close before collision detection finally triggered.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 08 2020, @05:12PM
So Elon doesn't like it in the backdoor then?
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Monday June 08 2020, @05:29PM (2 children)
After I docked, I re-loaded and did all kinds of wild spins, crashes into the station, etc. Maybe I was spinning around too far from the car.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 3, Informative) by insanumingenium on Monday June 08 2020, @06:35PM (1 child)
It is shockingly close to your start point, but very easy to miss, I didn't catch it when I pitched around, yawing around as instructed above makes it hard to miss.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 08 2020, @07:29PM
Don't even need to zero roll, I later discovered... just yaw around to the right (or a little further to the left).
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 08 2020, @09:36PM
I'm a big stupid pinhead.
Sincerely,
apk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @02:24AM (1 child)
https://preview.redd.it/3y9e7zxtup351.png?width=922&format=png&auto=webp&s=36805d22a329801815235cf4089085826a5ca197 [preview.redd.it]
https://preview.redd.it/xj53pqx1up351.png?width=922&format=png&auto=webp&s=35777eb7bbdd51f0b4373787146399ba29a436e3 [preview.redd.it]
https://preview.redd.it/fed2gafxup351.png?width=797&format=png&auto=webp&s=899cf79c8bb3bd4a17bef7c436fba4ebcdf8c170 [preview.redd.it]
https://preview.redd.it/0ggd4zpj2r351.jpg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df818ddbc31b4c9f258c33bf45d52be62d2d2984 [preview.redd.it]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @07:07AM
I have no idea what I'm looking at, but it makes more sense than the Time Cube guy. So, kudos for that, I guess.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by rob_on_earth on Tuesday June 09 2020, @10:39AM
I noticed the texture image downloaded (see network tab in chrome) includes a set of windows with people waving.
I flew around for ages but could not find them on the model.
Not sure if these are supposed to be the astronauts or the programmers.
(Score: 1) by Zanothis on Tuesday June 09 2020, @04:07PM
In the settings, you can switch the Earth from "Oblate Spheroid" to "Flat".