“Even for those that don’t plan a career directly in In private industry or in education that share the same mission,” said Vaughen, who Science and to help prepare potential future NASA employees, contractors or others “I’m excited and proud to support NASA’s mission to educate the public about space Recent challenge to gamers to recreate the historic SpaceX launch. NASA is a proponent of the video game and collaborates with KSP on different initiatives, including a TV and the movies, but students can actively engage with these ideas through KSP.”Įarlier this year, Vaughen applied for and received a grant from the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium to fund the pilot. On roller coasters and airplanes, and we can see the effects on rockets and jets in “In the g-force lab, students calculated the thrust-to-weight ratio of the rocketĪnd learned how that relates to the g-force,” Vaughen said. Interplanetary travel or return trajectory from the moon. Their pre-calculus knowledge to discuss hyperbolic orbits and their application to In the Kerbal Math & Physics Lab, students used KSP to pilot a spacecraft to the moon and understand how orbits work.īy applying the vis-viva equation, students launched rockets and measured energy andĪngular momentum and learned the underlying physics principles. The course helped me see the relationship between physics and math, and it helped Missions provide more funding in the game for further exploration. Players get to design, construct andįly their own spacecraft using realistic physics and engineering equations. KSP, developed and launched by Squad in 2011, involves a space program that has aĬrew of green humanoid aliens known as Kerbals. The Math Department co-coordinator with Associate Professor James Muscatell. In a way that is fun and interactive,” said Vaughen, who teaches all levels of math at MCCC, including calculus, differential equations and linear algebra. “The video game is an opportunity to experience universal principles of math and physics I have decided to continue to pursue a degree in STEM/engineering – this class hasīoosted my confidence in making this decision. Math & Physics Lab during the 2020 fall semester. Program – a space flight simulation video game – as a pilot program called the Kerbal To give students this hands-on application experience, Montgomery County CommunityĬollege and Assistant Math Professor Christopher Scott Vaughen used the Kerbal Space Those theories to real-life scenarios can help students understand how they work and Scott Vaughen at complex math concepts can be challenging at times for students, but applying

For more information, contactĪssistant Math Professor C. To MAT125 or those who recently completed these courses. Is available for the spring 2021 semester and is open to students enrolled in MAT100 The course, MAT 199: The NASA KSP Math & Physics Lab, Using the Kerbal Space Program, students can apply complex math and physics equations

Kerbal space program community