Eagle Lander 3d (FAQ)

an 'Apollo Lander' simulation for Windows

Eagle Lander 3-d

Screen shot: An actual exterior view of the LM descending to the moon in this simulation

Introduction

• A few facts and my caveat

Using the Simulation

• Eagle Lander 3d Simulation Features
• Eagle Lander 3d Activities for newbies
• Activities (free):
  • Locating Instruments and Switches on Your First Mission
  • Apollo-11 Lands in the Sea of Tranquility (with 1201 alarm)
• Activities (license required):
• Apollo-12 Lands in the Ocean of Storms (with EVA to Surveyor-3)
• Apollo-15 Lands on Hadley Plain (with two EVAs to Hadley Rill)
  • Since we don't yet have a Lunar Rover the first EVA requires a 30-minute walk
  • An alternate version of this flight allows us to fly much closer to Hadley
  • "How Low Are We?" and "Let's Do an Abort"
• Ascent from the Moon
• Undocking-Docking from the CSM

Installing the Simulation (v2.1.2)

• 'Eagle Lander 3d' Links including download and support
  • Solution to Windows-Vista installation problems
  • Solution to Windows-Vista keyboard problem
  • Installing on Windows-7
• Eagle Lander 3d v2.1.5 beta news and download
• Eagle Lander 3d v2.1.5 features and missions
• Eagle Lander 3d Graphics Card Caveat
• Eagle Lander 3d Multi-core Caveat
• Other Simulation Links

Apollo Enthusiast Area

• Computer + Space Enthusiast Links
  • DSKY + AGC General Information Links
  • DSKY + AGC Technical Information Links
  • LGC Program Codes
• Recommended "Apollo Book" Resources
• Ron Monsen Links
• Other Links
• caveat: About This Page

Introduction

• Eagle Lander 3d was written by Ron Monsen (an American living and working in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia)
  • Click Eagle Lander 3d to download and install a technically accurate Apollo Lunar Lander simulation for Windows. The Apollo 11 short mission is free but $25 will get you other missions (long and short) with much more functionality. Your patronage is important to encourage the author to develop more features. Future updates are free to licensed users.
  • Earlier versions of Eagle Lander were 2d side-scrollers
  • This version builds upon the 2d versions so that is how it got the 3d moniker
  • Version 2.15 actually supports 3d displays if you have access to the recommended devices (eg. multiple graphics cards)
• Caveat: This web page was created my me, Neil Rieck, in order to help non-technical people enjoy EL3D. I am a huge fan of America's manned spaceflight program which includes Project Apollo. I am not connected in any way with EL3D software or it's author, Ron Monsen, but I would give my eye-teeth to get a peek at his source code. I now realize that the mental disorder known as "politics" will ensure that I will never get into space, but EL3D will allow me to recall an earlier time when such dreams were possible.

'Eagle Lander 3d' Simulation Features

• Authentic LM cockpit includes:
  • AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) with working DSKY (Display and Keyboard)
  • FDAI (Flight Director/Attitude Indicator) a.k.a. "8 ball"
  • Blue  LUNAR CONTACT  light
  • 5 working  Green LED  displays:
    • Mission Timer
    • Event Timer
    • Oxidizer Quantity
    • Fuel Quantity
    • Helium Pressure
  • 9 working toggle switches (most are defaulted to AUTO so you stand a chance of landing without reading too much documentation; but techies will want to read it all)
    • PGNS (Primary Guidance and Navigation System)

      OFF	allows for a totally manual flight with no interference from the computer
      ATT Hold	"attitude hold" forces the computer to keep the LM vertical while you fly it manually
      Auto	allows for a totally automated landing - the computer's intended destination can still be retargeted

    • AGS (Abort Guidance System a.k.a. Abort Guidance Section)
      • this is a backup computer which is only used to rendezvous with the CSM
    • Throttle Control
      • MANUAL
      • AUTO
    • Dead Band
    • Pitch Control
    • Yaw Control
    • Row Control
    • Rate Scale
    • X-pointer Scale
  • Analog Vertical Panel Meters:
    • Thrust (%)
    • Altitude Rate (fps)
    • Altitude (feet)
    • Thrust to Weight Ratio
    • X-pointer (displays forward vs. lateral velocities)
• mission-specific radio chatter
• mission-specific lunar surface details (you wont believe the views when flying through the mountains)
• real sky objects including Sun, Earth, and stars.
• Ten views: 6-cockpit, 2-chase, 1-ground, 1-EVA
• keyboard and joy-stick support
• Click here to see a photo of Apollo-17 astronaut Gene Cernan flying the Eagle Lander 3d simulator.
• Version 2.1.2 features:

  Scenarios
  Mission	Flight 1	Flight 2
  Apollo 11	Long Flight starting in P64	Short Flight starting in P66
  Apollo 12	Long Flight starting in P64	Short Flight starting in P66
  Apollo 15	Long Flight starting in P64	Short Flight starting in P66
  Apollo 17	Long Flight starting in P64	Short Flight starting in P66
  LM Race	LM Race
  Orbital	Rendezvous and Docking	CSM-LM Docked

  
  

  Supported AGC Programs
  Program	Description
  P00	Idle loop
  P12	Ascent
  P20	Rendezvous
  P63	Breaking phase
  P64	Pre-Landing phase
  P66	Terminal Phase
  P68	Landed
  P70	DPS Abort
  P71	APS Abort

  Note: Yellow items are enabled in the free (unregistered) version. Everything else requires a $25 registration (bargain of the century)

'Eagle Lander 3d' Activities for Newbies

Activity 1a (free): Locating Instruments and Switches on Your First Mission

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 2
   Mission:	Apollo 11
   Flight:	Short Flight P66 (will work with free version)

2. When the sim finishes initializing, click Replay: Start then hit P to pause the simulation
3. Use the following keys to look around the cabin or get help

   Key	Function
   F1	General Help caveat: some commands (like "Engine Shutdown" and "Plant Flag" to only name two) are wrong. Improved help can be viewed by clicking the HELP button just after you start the app
   F2	AGC/DSKY Program Help (for whatever AGC program is running)
   1	VCV-1: Look out the commander's window
   2	VCV-2: See commander's window & center console
   3	VCV-3: Commander's view of DSKY
   4	Cockpit View 1: Left Window / FDAI Ball - DSKY
   5	Cockpit View 2: Left Window / FDAI Ball - DSKY (Faded)
   6	Cockpit View 3: Left Window / Totally Transparent Equipment
   7-8	Spot Views 1-2
   9	Ground View (watch the LM from the surface of the Moon)
   0	EVA view (start an EVA and descend the ladder)
   SHIFT-G	toggle the PGNS (primary guidance and navigation system) switch
   T	toggle the THROTTLE switch
   	Cockpit	Spot View	EVA
   Q	Move Down	Zoom In
   W	Zoom Into The Panel	Rotate Up	Walk Forward
   E	Move Up	Zoom Out
   A	Move Left	Rotate Left
   S		- Reset
   D	Move Right	Rotate Right
   X	Zoom Out From The Panel	Rotate Down	Walk Backward
   Arrows	Tilt: Up-Down-Left-Right		Tilt: Up-Down Turn: Left-Right

   
   
   
   
   
   
   F F F F F F F F F F F F
   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C
   
   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
   
   Q W E
     |
   A-S-D
     |
   Z X C
4. Hit 3 to look down at the DSKY (Display and Keyboard). Notice you are running program 66 (PROG 66).
   1. Hit F2 to get P66 specific help.
      (this is one of the neatest features built into this simulation; whenever we punch "F2" we will get specific help for the currently running AGC program)
   2. Notice that the next program after this one is P68.
   3. Hit F2 again, or ESC, to clear the help and return to the DSKY.
5. Press and hold E to elevate UP so you can at the switch panel above the DSKY. (alternatively, hold-down the up arrow key if using a full 105-key keyboard)
6. Locate the PGNS switch and notice that it is set to ATT HOLD
   Optional: Repeatedly hit SHIFT-G until you see PGNS-Auto at the top of the screen. You will see and hear the switch changing position.
7. Hit 2 and look at the switches under the gyro display
8. Locate the Throttle switch labeled THR CONTROL and notice it is set to auto.
   Optional: repeatedly hit T until you see Throttle=Auto at the top of the screen. You will see and hear the switch changing position.
9. Here is a short list of Windows-Keys required to operate LM-Switches. Caveat: these key assignments can be changed by editing these two files: "JoyAssign.ini" (which only affects keys used when a Joystick is active) and "KeyboardOnly.ini". Operating these keys should result in hearing a click and seeing the key move.
   
   Flight Controls (from official documentation)

   With Joystick	Keyboard Only	Command
   None	NPAD4	Roll Left
   None	NPAD6	Roll Right
   None	NPAD8	Pitch Down
   None	NPAD2	Pitch Up
   NPAD1	NPAD1	Yaw Left
   NPAD3	NPAD3	Yaw Right
   F8	F8	Translate Forward (+Z)
   F7	F7	Translate Backwards (-Z)
   F9	F9	Translate Left (-Y)
   F10	F10	Translate Right (+Y)
   F12	F12	Translate Up (+X)
   F11	F11	Translate Down (-X)

   
   Cockpit Switches (from official documentation)

   With Joystick	Keyboard Only	Command
   +	+	Rate of Descent (ROD) Up (see Vista Caveat below)
   =	=	Rate of Descent (ROD) Up (see Vista Caveat below)
   R	R	Rate Scale Toggle
   SHIFT+D	SHIFT+D	Deadband Toggle
   SHIFT+R	SHIFT+R	Roll Mode Toggle
   SHIFT+P	SHIFT+P	Pitch Mode Toggle
   SHIFT+Y	SHIFT+Y	Yaw Mode Toggle
   SHIFT+A	SHIFT+A	AGS Toggle
   SHIFT+P	SHIFT+P	PGNS Toggle (Primary Guidance and Navigation System)
   H	H	X-Pointer Toggle
   T	T	Man/Aut ThrottleToggle

10. When you're finished looking around, hit key 5 or 2 to change the view then hit P to un-pause the simulation and continue descent to the lunar surface.
11. Optional Stuff (Post Landing)
    1. After landing, hit 3 to look at the DSKY
    2. Make sure the NumLock light on your keyboard is illuminated; if it is not, hit the NumLock key until it is
    3. On your numeric keypad you should enter V37EN68E* (Verb, NPAD-37, Enter, Noun, NPAD-68, Enter, NPAD-star) to complete the post landing procedures.
       Alternatively, you may click the DSKY buttons with your mouse to enter:
           VERB 37
           NOUN 68
           PROCEED

       DSKY Key	DSKY Nomenclature	Windows Key
       VERB	V	V
       NOUN	N	N
       ENTR	E	NPAD-enter
       0-9	0-9	NPAD-0 to NPAD-9
       PRO/ceed	STAR	NPAD-star
       RSET	PERIOD	NPAD-period

12. Once you're on the surface, hit 0 (zero) to start an EVA
13. Press either the left or right arrow keys until you are facing the back of the LM
14. Press X to back out of the LM and descend the ladder
15. Turn to the right and hit W to walk forward a few steps
16. Hit F to plant the flag
17. Hit Esc several times to end the simulation
        -OR-
    Jump down to activity-5 (Ascent From the Moon)

Activity 1b (free): Apollo-11 Lands in the Sea of Tranquility (with 1201 alarm)

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 2
   Mission:	Apollo 11
   Flight:	Long Flight P64 (only works with registered version)

2. When the sim finishes initializing, click Flight: Start then hit P to pause the simulation
3. Repeatedly hit SHIFT-G until you see PGNS=Auto at the top of the screen. You will see and hear the switch changing position.
4. Repeatedly hit T until you see Throttle=Auto at the top of the screen. You will see and hear the switch changing position.
5. When you're finished looking around, keep looking at the DSKY while you hit P to continue the simulation
6. Within 50 seconds the guidance computer will display a 1201 alarm so hit NPAD-period to reset the guidance computer
   (note: 1201 is an alarm indicating that the computer is overloaded with data coming from the rendezvous radar which is part of the abort guidance system)
7. Now hit 1 to look out the window and enjoy the automated landing.
   optional...
8. The computer would have taken the crew into a boulder field. When you are about 500 feet (what, no meters?) off the surface you'll need to repeatedly hit SHIFT-G until you see PGNS=Attitude-Hold then use and "=" (increase) or "-" (decrease) to throttle engine power so you can fly over the boulder field. Now you will use the joystick or numeric keypad to control the landing:

   	8				Pitch Down
   4	5	6		Roll Left	Center	Roll Right
   1	2	3		Yaw Left	Pitch Up	Yaw Right

   Windows-Vista Caveat: there are two keyboard definition files
   1. KeyboardOnly.ini

      Rate Of Descent UP	key=EQUALS (which is under the plus symbol)
      Rate of Descent DOWN	key=MINUS

   2. KeyboardOnly IDE.ini

      Rate Of Descent UP	key=O (oh)
      Rate of Descent DOWN	key=I (eye)

   With Windows-Vista you will be probably be using file "KeyboardOnly.ini" but will find that the EQUALS key is not being recognized by EagleLander3d. Just edit this file like so:

   Rate Of Descent UP	key=F12 (which is just above EQUALS)
   Rate of Descent DOWN	key=F11 (which is just above MINUS)

9. When you hear or see "contact light", hit K to kill the main engines
10. hit 3 to look at the DSKY then use your keypad to enter V37EN68E* (Verb, NPAD-37, Enter, Noun, NPAD-68, Enter) followed by PRO/ceed (NPAD-star) to complete the post landing procedures. Alternatively, you may click these buttons with your mouse.
11. Hit any key between 1 and 9 to look around
12. Click here for ascent procedures

Activity 2 (licensed): Apollo-12 Lands in the Ocean of Storms (with EVA to Surveyor-3)

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 2
   Mission:	Apollo 12
   Flight:	Short Flight P66 (only works with registered version)

2. When the sim finishes initializing, click Replay: Start then sit back and watch the astronauts land Apollo 12 in the Ocean of Storms.
3. Now hit 0 (ZERO) to begin an EVA.
4. Press the left arrow key to rotate 180 degrees then press X so you can back out of the LM and crawl down the ladder.
5. Hit the right arrow key a few times to turn to the right then hit W to walk forward a bit.
6. Hit F to plant the flag (it will also be visible from the cockpit view by hitting 1. Hit 0 to go back to the EVA)
7. Notice the crater on the port side of the LM containing Surveyor-3 which is 200 meters (650 feet) away.
   Note: Landing this close to Surveyor-3 is a spectacular example of engineering and navigation
8. Press W to walk towards it. It will require about 2.5 minutes to get there.

Activity-3 (licensed): Apollo-15 Lands on Hadley Plain (with EVA to Hadley Rill)

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 2
   Mission:	Apollo 15
   Flight:	Short Flight P66 (only works with registered version)

2. When the sim finishes initializing, click Replay: Start then sit back and watch the astronauts land Apollo 15 on Hadley Plain.
3. Now hit 0 (ZERO) to begin an EVA.
4. Press the left arrow key to rotate 180 degrees then press X so you can back out of the LM and crawl down the ladder.
5. Press your left arrow key to rotate another 180 degrees until the ladder is at your back. Make sure the shadow of the LM is directly in front of you.
   Note: please stop to consider the following planetary mechanics.
   1. Close your eyes and imagine a spinning Earth in front of your with the north pole at the top and the Sun to your right. The moon is behind the Earth.
   2. Since the Sun appears to move across Earth's sky from East to West, the Earth must be spinning West to East (or counter-clockwise as viewed from Earth's North pole).
   3. Apollo rockets were launch toward the East so the surface speed of the spinning spin Earth would be added to the rocket's velocity.
   4. Now imagine the same closed-eye view as before but slightly higher so you can now see the moon behind the Earth. When Apollo was launched toward the moon, it was sent on a figure-8 trajectory so the moon's gravity could more easily capture the space craft. Apollo was aimed at the left-hand side of the moon (or where it would be 3-days later), it then would travel around the backside, then would pop out on the right hand side of the moon as seen from Earth. So Apollo in orbit around the moon is in the opposite direction than Apollo's orbit around Earth. This means that Apollo landed on the moon coming out of the Moon's East with the Sun behind the LM. Since the LM begins the landing sequence with the ladder facing up, after pitch over the ladder will almost always point directly West. 
   5. Visit this site ( http://www.google.com/moon/ ) then zoom into the Apollo-15 landing sit. Notice that Hadley Rill is directly to the West.
6. See the mountain slightly to the left of the top of the LM shadow? This mountain is on the other side of Hadley Rill.
7. Press W to walk towards it. It will require about 30 minutes to get there.

Alternate variation: Why walk to Hadley Rill when you can fly there?

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 2
   Mission:	Apollo 15
   Flight:	Short Flight P66 (only works with registered version)

2. When the sim finishes initializing, click Flight: Start then hit P to pause the simulation
3. Repeatedly hit SHIFT-G until you see PGNS=Auto at the top of the screen. You will see and hear the switch changing position.
4. Repeatedly hit T until you see Throttle=Auto at the top of the screen. You will see and hear the switch changing position.
5. Now  hit P to continue the simulation
6. Fly until you hear the phrase LPD (landing position designator)
7. Now hit P to pause the simulation
8. hit 3 to look at the DSKY and notice that REGISTER ONE is displaying "99-55". This means you will land at the position associated with mark 55 on the LPD and you  have 99 seconds to tweak the PGNS
9. hit 1 to look out the commander's window and look at mark 55 on the vertical red line etched on the window (known as the LPD or Landing Position Designator). Look through the marks corresponding to 55 and this is where the PGNS will take you). Hitting 8 will subtract 0.5 degrees while hitting 2 will have the opposite effect.
10. Now hit 3 to look at the DSKY.
11. Hit P to continue the simulation
12. Hit PRO/ceed (NPAD-star) to accept.
13. Hit NPAD-8 seventeen times which will force the PGNS to perform a longer landing (17 represents an 8.5 degree correction to LPD marking)
    1. You will not see these changes on the DSKY display
    2. Caveat: hitting the key eighteen times will cause to to land on the inside edge of Hadley Rill which is fun to watch from the Starboard-side exterior view (hit 8 then press A). You will be on a 30 degree descending slope.
14. You are now a short walk from the edge of Hadley Rill

Another Variation: "How Low Are We? (compared to the mountains)" and "Lets Do an Abort"

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 2
   Mission:	Apollo 15
   Flight:	Short Flight P66 (only works with registered version)

2. When the sim finishes initializing, click Flight: Start then hit P to pause the simulation
3. Hit 8 to go to Spot View 2
4. Hold down A until you have rotated through 90 degrees. You are looking at a mountain top that is as high as we are. Yikes!
5. Hold down A until you have rotated through 180 degrees. Wow, that mountain top is just as high.
6. Hold down A until you have rotated through 90 degrees. You should now be looking at the back of the LM
7. Now hit P to continue the simulation.
8. Hit CTRL-A to abort the landing. The Descent Stage will now jettison.

Activity 4 (licensed): Ascent from the Moon

Caveat: In version 2.1.2 this section is a little flaky so you must follow theses instructions to the letter. Failure to do so will result in you hearing ascent audio but not seeing the associated video.

1. While on the moon, hit 3 to look at the DSKY.
2. Make sure the NumLock light on your keyboard is illuminated; if it is not, hit the NumLock key until it is
3. If you've just landed on the moon then be sure to enter the post landing procedures by keying:
   • V37EN68E (Verb, NPAD-37, Enter, Noun, NPAD-68, Enter)
     followed by:
   • PRO/ceed (NPAD-star)

   ---

4. The following information was derived (and slightly modified) from the official simulator documentation
5. Prepare to start the Ascent Program by entering V37E12E. (I am guessing that NOUN is assumed after VERB because this key sequence produces the same results: V37EN12E)
6. Hit PRO/ceed (NPAD-star) for the first time.
   • The desired downrange velocities are shown in the appropriate registers (hit F2 for P12 specific display details).
   • You are now t-minus 60 seconds and counting.
7. Hit PRO/ceed (NPAD-star) for a second time.
   • A checklist item 203 appears in DSKY Register One (under the white horizontal bar). This is an indication that you should double-check your PGNS switch making sure it is set to auto (this would also be in your astronaut crib sheets)
   • repeatedly hit SHIFT-G until you see the message PGNS=Auto
8. Hit PRO/ceed (NPAD-star) for a third time.
   • The DSKY Register One will shift back to the countdown in seconds.
9. At t-minus 35 seconds the DSKY display will blank out while AGC does intense final computations.
10. At t-minus 29 seconds the DSKY display reappears and counts down to 5 seconds.
11. You will hear the astronaut start counting down from 9 to 5.
12. This step is very important - if you mess it up you'll hear ascent audio but won't see ascent video
    • The DSKY blanks again and a flashing 99 is displayed in the VERB indicator with a 74 in the NOUN indicator. The AGC is asking you to approve the launch.
    • Quickly hit PRO/ceed (NPAD-star) for a fourth time. This will cause the DSKY to resume displaying the countdown sequence. The astronaut will call out "PROCEED"
13. Quickly punch one of the following main keyboard keys:
    • 1 commander's window
    • 2 commander's panel view-1
    • 4 commander's panel view-2
    • 7 external rear view-1 (to see the ascent stage separate from the descent stage)
    • 8 external rear view-2 (a better view of pitch over)
14. At t-minus zero, ignition occurs and the ascent stage will blast off. After a short vertical ascent, the LM pitches forward to begin its acceleration into lunar orbit. You can ride along for awhile but EL3D 2.1.2 does not take you all the way into lunar orbit. As you leave the scenery area you will see the moon but you are also flying into the dark side of the moon.
    

Activity 5 (licensed): Undocking / Docking with a CSM

1. After starting the program from Windows, select the following choices then click the "Continue" button

   Startup Window:	Virtual Cockpit 1
   Mission:	Orbital
   Flight:	CSM-LM Docked (only works with registered version)

2. The Blue Danube is playing because the authors have a sense of humor and they want us to remember the rendezvous sequence in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey when the Pan Am Clipper is docking with double-wheeled space station in Earth orbit
3. When the sim finishes initializing, hit P to un-pause (is this a bug in the sim?)
4. Hit 7 to move to Spot-View-1 (you are now above the docked CSM-LM looking down at the moon)
5. Hit CTRL-D to undock
   • you will see an Undocked notification
   • a small amount of gas trapped between the CSM and LM will push you apart
6. Hit 2 to move to Virtual-Cockpit-2 (you'll be looking at the rendezvous and docking target)
   1. You may need to hit Q to move back from the alignment scope which will increase your field of view.
   2. Alternatively, hit W to move closer to the eyepiece.
7. Wait 15-20 seconds, then hit NPAD-INSERT 15 times to stop your retreat (hit 4 then use the X-pointer display to get your velocity down to zero which is in the center of the display)
8. Hit NPAD-INSERT 15 more times to re-dock with the CSM.
   • After a successful contact you'll see the Capture notification.
   • Next you will see a Retracting Probe notification then will hear the strangest sound as ships are pulled together
   • Then you will see a Hard Dock notification
9. Here are the translation keys for a full-size keyboard:
   
   On older "full size" keyboards this keypad sits between the main keypad and the numeric keypad

   INSERT	HOME	PAGE UP
   DELETE	END	PAGE DOWN
   	UP
   LEFT	DOWN	RIGHT

   X+	Y+	Z+
   X-	Y-	Z-
   Note: at first glance, X-axis may seem to be the wrong label until you realize that you are looking out the top of the LM
   
   On newer "full size" keyboards this keypad sits between the main keypad and the numeric keypad

   	INSERT	BREAK
   	HOME	END
   	DELETE	PAGE UP
   		PAGE DOWN
   	UP
   LEFT	DOWN	RIGHT

   X+	Y+
   Y+	Y-
   X-	Z+
   	Z-
   
   
10. Here are the translation keys for an IBM Thinkpad (laptop)
     

    PrtSc	ScrLk	PAUSE
    F10	F11	F12

    INSERT	HOME	PAGE UP
    DELETE	END	PAGE DOWN

    X+	Y+	Z+
    X-	Y-	Z-

'Eagle Lander 3d' Links:

• www.EagleLander3d.com
  • http://www.eaglelander3d.com/downloads/
• Eagle Lander 3d On-line Documentation
• Picture of Apollo-17 astronaut Gene Cernan flying Eagle Lander 3D
• Eagle Lander 3d @yahoo

• If you experience problems installing EL3d version 2.1.2 on Windows-Vista then download this vistapatch.exe
  1. Right click on vistapatch.exe then select "Run as Administrator". You will usually receive some errors, just ignore them and continue to the end.
  2. Right click on setup212.exe then select "Run as Administrator". You should not see any errors.
  3. Right click on vistapatch.exe then select "Run as Administrator". The next menu will allow you to REPAIR or REMOVE. Selecting REPAIR should install with no errors.

Windows-7

• Windows-7 is a very close cousin of Windows-Vista. You don't believe me? Then just enter Start>Run>cmd on both platforms then view the title line:
  • Windows-Vista: Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6002]
  • Windows-7    : Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
  So the Vista instructions for 212 should work without any problems on Windows-7.
   
  Caveat: Windows-7 usually is installed on a larger system with more memory. Instead of fooling around with 212 you might wish to try 215 beta

2.1.5 (beta) News

• update: 2009-07-11
  • The members of the EagleLander3D Group just received a note from Ron Monsen indicating that a new release (probably 2.1.5) is just around the corner. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5wnbf0y0dQ to watch a 2-minute video preview.
  • This is just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo-11 landing which took place on July 20, 1969.
  • Visit www.EagleLander3d.com to see new high-rez screen images from version 2.1.5
• update: 2009-12-28 to 2010-05-18
  • EagleLander3D Group members are currently testing beta versions of EagleLander3d 2.1.5
  • this new version is quite a bit larger due to several changes:
    • higher resolution images (lunar surface, LM consoles, space craft external appearance, etc.)
    • support for larger graphics cards (2.1.2 didn't know what to make of cards with more than 1 GB of video memory)
    • more missions including PDI From Orbit (P63)
    • this code was compiled to MSIL (runs on "Microsoft's .NET Framework" rather than x86 binary)

      Version	Size	Comments	Release Date
      2.1.2	62 MB	older stable release
      2.1.5	321 MB	newer beta releases	2009-12-28
      2.1.5 A	320 MB
      2.1.5 B	323 MB
      2.1.5 C	377 MB
      2.1.5 D	381 MB
      2.1.5 E	373 MB		2010-02-16
      2.1.5 F	373 MB		2010-05-18

    • Beta versions can be downloaded from here: http://www.eaglelander3d.com/downloads/ but beware that a license is still require to activate anything other than the Apollo 11 mission (the license code from 212 enables 215). Also, since this is a beta release you had better join EagleLander3D Group so that you receive problem/solution emails.

v2.1.5 (beta-F) Features and Missions

Unofficial List of Technical Changes

• much larger binaries for the following two reasons:
  • all mission images have been updated to hi-rez
  • the mission simulation is now dependent upon the .NET Framework rather than x86 native instructions. This change is a recommendation made by Microsoft to all developers who want their apps to run on versions of Windows not yet created (Microsoft is guaranteeing than the .NET Framework will always be ported properly)
• will now support graphic adapters with memories larger than 1 GB (when 2.1.2 was released, most computer systems did not have this much memory let alone graphic adapters)
• unofficial support for 3d (requires 3-d goggles supported by your graphics card)

• Apollo-11
  •  Orbital Flight Docked
  • PDI/P63 Long Flight
  • P63/P64 Flight
  • P66 Landing Approach
  • PDI from Orbit
  • Rendezvous
• Apollo-12
  •  Long Flight P64
  • Short Flight P66
• Apollo-15
  • Orbital Flight Docked
  • P63 Long Flight
  • P66 Landing Approach
• LM Race
  •  LM Race

'Eagle Lander 3d' Graphics Card Caveat

• Graphics hardware with "3d acceleration" is required to run this simulation. The graphics subsystem must have a least 128 MB of its own memory. So Do This First: download and install the free version of Eagle Lander 3d to ensure you have sufficient hardware. Consider using PC-WIZARD to see what you've got under the hood.

Graphics Technology Basics

• For certain applications, a GPU (graphics processing unit) with "3d acceleration" (ATI Radeon, NVIDIA GeForce, etc.) is much more important than a fast CPU (central processing unit).
  • Your graphics card usually has more memory than your computer
  • Your graphics card usually has faster memory (GDDR3 or GDDR4 or GDDR5) than your computer (DDR or DDR2 or DDR3)
  • While a Pentium class computer may have one-to-four streaming processors (MMX, SSE, etc) depending upon the number of cores, most graphics cards employ hundreds to thousands (click here for more details)
• Many newer PCs come with an embedded GPU installed on the motherboard. If this graphics subsystem doesn't have at least 128 MB of memory of its own memory (el-cheapo systems force the graphics system and CPU to share memory), or your graphics images are herky-jerky, then you can almost always add an external graphics card which contains more powerful graphics hardware.
• If you need to add a graphics card then you first need to know something about your motherboard before you go shopping.

  Motherboard	Required Slot
  Newer	PCI-e slot (sometimes referred to as PCI Express
  Slightly Older	AGP
  Much Older	PCI

  Note that none of these hardware technologies are slot-interchangeable.

'Eagle Lander 3d' Multi-core Caveat

• I have tested Eagle Lander 3d (v2.1.2) on many systems including: single CPU, dual-core, and quad-core. All my computers run folding@home in the background with one folding-client attached to each CPU/core. For some reason I don't yet understand, all folding-clients must be stopped in order to properly run Eagle Lander 3d on a dual-core or quad-core system. Freeing-up only one core is not good enough. Although the video and audio always initializes, there is usually something wrong with the keyboard and mouse responses.
   
• Good News: Using Eagle Lander 3d (v2.1.5) on multi-core platforms is a better experience than v2.1.2. Now running the simulation while science clients (folding@home and BOINC) are also running only results in a slightly lower display frame rate (FPS).

Other Space Simulator Links:

• www.retroweb.com/lander.html Browser-based lunar landing simulator
• nassp.sourceforge.net/wiki/Main_Page
• www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~jtwebb/agc/agc_simulator.htm LGC Simulator
• www.ibiblio.org/mscorbit

DSKY + AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) General Information

Excerpt: The on-board Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) was about 1 cubic foot with 2K of 16-bit RAM and 36K of hard-wired core-rope memory with copper wires threaded, or not threaded, through tiny magnetic cores. The 16-bit words were generally 14 data bits (or two op-codes), 1 sign bit, and 1 parity bit. The cycle time was 11.7 micro-seconds. Programming was done by using an assembler to build an interpreter. Scaling was fixed point fractional. An assembly language ADD-instruction took about 23.4 micro-seconds. The operating system featured a multi-programmed, priority/event driven asynchronous executive packed into 2K of memory." -- Apollo 11: 25 Years Later by Fred H. Martin, Intermetrics, Inc., July 1994

Introduction

NASA History

Apollo Lunar Surface Journal

Non-NASA Sources

DSKY + AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) Technical Information

Note: sometimes AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) is referred to as AFC (Apollo Flight Computer)

LGC Program Codes

• Table #1 - LGC Programs (Apollo 14), Luminary 1D.

  Number	Title
  Service
  P00	LGC Idling
  P06	PGNCS Power
  P07	Systems Test (Non-flight)
  Ascent
  P12	Powered Ascent Guidance
  Coast
  P20	Rendezvous Navigation
  P21	Ground Track Determination
  P22	RR Lunar Surface Navigation
  P25	Preferred Tracking Attitude
  P27	LGC Update
  Pre-thrusting
  P30	External delta-V
  P32	Co-elliptic Sequence Initiation (CSI)
  P33	Constant Delta Altitude (CDH)
  P34	Transfer Phase Initiation (TPI)
  P35	Transfer Phase Midcourse (TPM)
  Thrust
  P40	DPS Thrusting
  P41	RCS Thrusting
  P42	APS Thrusting
  P47	Thrust Monitor
  Alignments
  PP51	IMU Orientation Determination
  P52	IMU Realign
  P57	Lunar Surface Alignment
  Descent & Landing
  P63	Landing Maneuver Braking Phase
  P64	Landing Maneuver Approach Phase
  P66	Rate of Descent Landing (ROD)
  P68	Landing Confirmation
  Aborts & Backups
  P70	DPS Abort
  P71	APS Abort
  P72	CSM Co-elliptic Sequence Initiation (CSI) Targeting
  P73	CSM Constant Delta Altitude (CDH) Targeting
  P74	CSM Transfer Phase Initiation (TPI) Targeting
  P75	CSM Transfer Phase Midcourse (TPM) Targeting
  P76	Target delta V.

  
  
• Table 2 - Selected Major Verb Codes (Apollo 14)

  Verb codes
  05	Display Octal Components 1, 2, 3 in R1, R2, R3.
  06	DDisplay Decimal (Rl or R1, R2 or R1, R2, R3)
  25	Load Component 1, 2, 3 into R1, R2, R3.
  27	Display Fixed Memory
  37	Change Program (Major Mode)
  47	Initialize AGS (R47)
  48	Request DAP Data Load Routine (RO3)
  49	Request Crew Defined Maneuver Routine (R62)
  50	Please Perform
  54	Mark X or Y reticle
  55	IIncrement LGC Time (Decimal)
  57	Permit Landing Radar Updates
  59	Command LR to Position 2
  60	Display Vehicle Attitude Rates (FDAI)
  63	Sample Radar Once per Second (R04)
  69	Cause Restart
  71	Universal Update, Block Address (P27)
  75	EEnable U, V Jets Firing During DPS Burns
  76	Minimum Impulse Command Mode (DAP)
  77	Rate Command and Attitude Hold Mode (DAP)
  82	Request Orbit Parameter Display (R30)
  83	Request Rendezvous Parameter Display (R31)
  97	Perform Engine Fail Procedure (R40)
  99	Please Enable Engine Ignition

  
  
• Table 3 - Selected Major Noun Codes (Apollo 14)

  Noun Codes
  111	TIG of CSI
  13	TIG of CDH
  16	Time of Event
  18	Auto Maneuver to FDAI Ball Angles
  24	Delta Time for LGC Clock
  32	Time from Perigee
  33	Time of Ignition
  34	Time of Event
  35	Time from Event
  36	TTime of LGC Clock
  37	Time of Ignition of TPI
  40	(a) Time from Ignition/Cutoff (b) VG (c) Delta V (Accumulated)
  41	Target Azimuth and Target Elevation
  42	(a) Apogee Altitude (b) Perigee Altitude (c) Delta V (Required)
  43	(a) Latitude (+North) (b) Longitude (+East) (c) Altitude
  44	(a) Apogee Altitude ((b) Perigee Altitude (c) TFF
  45	(a) Marks (b) TFI of Next/Last Burn (c) MGA
  54	(a) Range (b) Range Rate (c) Theta
  61	(a) TGO in Braking Phase (b) TFI (c) Cross Range Distance
  65	Sampled LGC Time
  66	LR Slant Range and LR Position
  68	(a) Slant Range to Landing Site (b) TGO in Braking Phase (c) LR Altitude-computed altitude
  69	Landing Site Correction, Z, Y and X
  76	(a) Desired Horizontal Velocity (b) Desired Radial Velocity (c) Cross-Range Distance
  89	(a) Landmark Latitude (+N) (b) Longitude/2 (+E) (c) Altitude
  992	(a) Desired Thrust Percentage of DPS (b) Altitude Rate (c) Computed Altitude

Some Recommended "Apollo Book" Resources

• Locate rare and out-of-print books: www.bookfinder.com
• Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight by David A. Mindell (MIT Press)
  • 360 pages and published in 2008
  • Chapters 1-4 discuss flight engineering controls from the Wright Brothers through to the X-15 days at Edwards-Dryden
  • Chapter 5 discusses designing Apollo Guidance systems at MIT (which got its start in Polaris)
  • Chapter 6 discusses various management styles between NASA, contractors and sub-contractors. It also mentions a scheme to do in-flight repair of the AGC (this plan was cancelled once the AGC started to employ integrated circuits)
  • Chapter 7 discusses AGC hardware design which started out using discrete transistors and finished using 2-gate integrated circuits. At the peak in mid-1965, 600 people worked on AGC hardware.
    Note: even though the AGC software was written using METRIC MEASUREMENTS, the astronauts requested analog displays like "feet per second". The AGC was then required to do the conversion in order to drive these displays.
  • Chapter 8 presents an overview of AGC software which seems to have cropped up almost as an afterthought. In 1960 NASA thought the computers would be programmed by mathematicians but this work turned out to be an engineering discipline. In mid-1965 there were approximately 250 people working on AGC software. This number peaked at 400 in mid-1968.  This chapter also describes the low-tech LPD (landing point designator) which is comprised of colored  markings on the commander's window.
  • Chapter 9 (Apollo 11) discusses "executive overflow" alarms 1201 + 1202 and AGS memory location 413
  • Chapter 10 (Apollo 12, 14 - 17) also discusses VERB + NOUN syntax as well as detailed descriptions of each landing
  • CChapter 11 briefly touches on many things including: installing an Apollo AGC in an F-8, The Shuttle, CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle), glass cockpit of the Airbus A-320, etc. 
  • Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight @ amazon.com
• Apollo in Perspective (2000) by Jonathan Allday
  • Subtitled "Spaceflight Then and Now", this hardcover book weighs in at 320 pages.
  • What a surprise. An internet friend suggested I buy this book just to read chapters 5 (The Apollo Command and Service Modules) and 6 (The Lunar Module) but I decided to read the whole thing because it is a treasure trove of information. Here are the chapter names with a few comments thrown in:
    • 1) Apollo in Outline
    • 2) The Best Driver in Physics
      • falling, momentum (P=mv), the physics of rocket motors
    • x) Intermission 1: The Saturn V booster rocket
    • 3) Rocketry
      • Thrust, Impulse, Propellant (fossil, cryogenic, hypergolic, solid), Applying Newton's Laws to a Spacecraft, Real Rocket Engines, Staging, A Typical "Saturn V" Launch, Future Developments in Rocketry (including nuclear engines, solar sails, ion motors)
      • Thrust (T=u • Δm/Δt   where: u=exhaust velocity)
      • Impulse (I=u/g   where: u=exhaust velocity)
      • Given: F=ma   Since: m=Δv/Δt   Then: F=m • Δv/Δt   Then: FΔt=mΔv (note: one definition of impulse is: FΔt)
    • x) Intermission 2: From Mercury to Gemini
    • 4) Orbits and Trajectories
      • iincluding: Orbits, Centripetal Forces, Gravity and Orbits, Other Orbits (includes Elliptical Orbits), Simulating Gravity (includes examples of Babylon 5), Changing Orbits (includes Circularization Burns and when to do them, Hohmann transfers), Flying to the Moon (includes: The Apollo third stage was under fueled so that the CSM would require 3 days to get to the moon rather than one; why? because a faster velocity meant more breaking would be required to be captured by lunar gravity but the SPS engine was too small for this), Trajectories to Mars (includes: why a lower delta-V is required to get to Mars than than to the Moon), Space Stations
    • 5) The Apollo Command and Service Modules
      • Mission Modes, The Command Module (includes a scary description of the Apollo 1 fire), The Service Module
    • x) Intermission 3: Inertial Guidance and Computers
      • The Need for a Guidance System, Guidance and Control Systems, The Apollo Computer, The Apollo Computer in Perspective
    • 6) The Lunar Module
      • Designing the First Spacecraft, The Ascent Stage, The Descent Stage, Space Suits, The Lunar Rover, The Ascent to Orbit
    • xx) Intermission 4: The Three 'ings' (Eating, Sleeping, Excreting)
    • 7) The Shuttle and its Followers
      • The space shuttle, Shuttle Components,
    • x) Intermission 5: The Politics of Apollo
    • 8) Mars
    • x) Intermission 6: Godspeed John Glenn (for both of his missions with a 36-year gap)
    • 9) Journeys to the Stars
      • Orion and project Daedalus, Laser propulsion, Ramjet, Antimatter Drive, Colony ships, Wormholes, etc.
    • x) Appendix 1: Glossary
    • x) Appendix 2: Apollo Mission Summary
    • xx) Appendix 3: Development of Boosters
    • x) Appendix 4: Deriving Some of the Maths
    • x) Appendix 5: Further Information
    • x) Index
• Journey to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Guidance Computer (1996) by Eldon C. Hall
  • ppublished by the "American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics" ( www.aiaa.org )
  • Journey to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Guidance Computer @ Amazon
  • The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) sits squarely between the mainframe punched-card readers of the 1950s and the microprocessor-based desktop personal computers of the 1970s (Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore PET). This book gives the best view of what the American aerospace industry was capable of building in the 1960s and how Apollo stimulated the electronics industry to produce standardized semiconductor technologies like RTL (resistor-transistor logic) and DTL (diode-transistor logic).
  • Excerpt From Page 19: This action made NASA's Apollo Program the single largest single consumer of integrated circuits between 1961 and 1965. Design and production of the Block I Apollo computer consumed about 200,000 (Fairchild Inc.) Micrologic elements.
  • During the lunar landing phase of Apollo 11, computer program alarms 1201 + 1202 caused some concern to everyone listening in. Pin-headed reporters will have you believe that someone had mis-programmed the computer. This notion is completely wrong. In fact, the AGC was truly fault-tolerant and continued to function even though it was too busy to process all the incoming information. These alarms basically mean "I am too busy to do all you are asking of me so I'm only go to pay attention to the important stuff". During missions after Apollo-11 the astronauts would avoid this situation by just turning off the rendezvous radar (which is only needed when trying to fly back to the CSM in lunar orbit above)
  • Part I - History
    1. Computer Hardware
    2. Computers (Educational, Commercial, Aerospace)
    3. MIT Instrumentation Laboratory
  • Part II - Apollo Hardware
    4. Requirements
    5. In The Beginning -- Apollo Computer
    6. Winds of Change Were Blowing (Discrete Transistors to Integrated Circuits)
    7. Block I Computers (1963)
    8. System Integration
       • EEMI problems, TC (Transfer Control) Trap Alarms, Uplink Interference
    9. Naysayers and Advice from Outside Experts
    10. Next Generation - Block II (1964)
    11. Naysayers Revisited
    12. Reliability
  • Part III - Apollo Software
    13. Software Development
        • NNASA originally thought that the AGC software would be created by mathematicians. Later on, contractors provided "computer programmers" and "system engineers".
        • Fortran and MAC (an MIT algorithmic programming language) were the only two software tools originally considered. Later on, macro assemblers were developed and then run on AGC simulators implemented in mainframe computers from IBM and Honeywell.
    14. Mission Software
    15. Finale
  • Other
    • Appendices + Index
    • 43 Photographic Plates on 32 pages
    • Page 8 contains the coolest picture of core memory similar to this one.
• Moon Lander: How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module (2004) by Thomas J. Kelly
  • Weights in at 380 pages and is produced by Smithsonian Publishing (which is almost always associated with high quality)
  • This is a book that is more about engineering than it is about space flight. That said, I would recommend it
  • more review material is coming soon...
    Including:
    • Pogo problems with the Saturn F1 engines (fuel was driven back into the nozzle which affected thrust; the change in force would cause longitudinal oscillations)
    • using bombs to debug resonance problems with the F1 engine
    • uusing bombs to debug resonance problems with the LM ascent stage engine (fixed by adding a Rocketdyne injector to the Bell Aerospace engine)
    • using x-ray techniques to test/fixing fuel-line leaks
• Virtual LM (Book and CD-ROM) by Scott P. Sullivan
  • published by "Apogee Books". www.apogeespacebooks.com
  • The CD-ROM contains 535 MB of content which includes:
    • Lots of photographs
    • Apollo 14 Lunar Module Activation Checklist
    • Apollo 14 Lunar Module Timeline
    • Apollo 15 Lunar Module Cue Cards
    • Apollo 15 Lunar Module Data Cards
    • Apollo 16 Contingency Checklist
    • Apollo Operations Handbook Volume I
    • Apollo Operations Handbook Volume II

'Eagle Lander 3d' Author's (Ron Monsen) Personal Sites

'Eagle Lander 3d' was written by Ron Monsen (an American living and working in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia)

• www.wright-flyer.net/desertaviation/
• www.wright-flyer.net/desertaviation/download.html
• www.wright-flyer.net/desertaviation/eagle/eaglelander.html
• www.wright-flyer.net/desertaviation/eagle/eagle.zip Eagle Lander 2d (circa 2000)
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldmonsen
• https://www.facebook.com/ron.monsen

Other Links

• "Starry Night" Activities - Starry Night is a planetarium for your PC
• One Giant Leap: The Apollo Guidance Computer @ Dr. Dobb's
• www.taoyue.com: Explorations - Landing on the Moon
• Historic Computer Images (@ army.mil)
• Apollo 18 through 20 - the lost lunar missions
• Apollo 11 and Other Screw-Ups from Don Eyles personal web site.
  Note: Don was a member of both the "C. S. Draper Lab" and "M.I.T. Instrumentation Lab"
• www.astronautix.com/craft/apollolm.htm
• www.abc.net.au/science/moon/computer.htm
• www.unt.edu/UNT/departments/CC/Benchmarks/benchmarks_html/sepoct95/lunar.htm
  (My Fascinating Interview with Allan Klumpp)
• wapedia.mobi/en/Apollo_Lunar_Module
• www.galaxiki.org/web/main/_blog/all/build-your-own-nasa-apollo-landing-computer-no-kidding.shtml
  Build Your Own NASA Apollo Landing Computer (no kidding)
• www.netjeff.com/humor/item.cgi?file=ApolloComputer
• Google Moon - someone has been busy annotating the Apollo landing sites

Back to Home
Neil Rieck
Kitchener - Waterloo - Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.