DO NOT EXCEED ATMOSPHERIC LIMITS
PROJECT 5000 DRAFT FOR INTERNAL USE

SCRAP ROCKET 5000 MOONSHOT MAYHEM

0 FT
0
MISSION OBJECTIVE · THE MOON 0%
1,000,000 FT
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY · 1969-PRESENT
BAY 5 VEHICLE ASSEMBLY
SCRAP 0 DATA 0
T+00:00
0 FT
0
0%
100%
POST-MISSION REPORT · FILE 5000-R
RECOVERED
CRASH
0 FT
Spectacular failure.
    ORDER 5000-D MISSION ROSTER
    RANGE-7 TEST FACILITY

    UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT TEST

    All parts authorized. No telemetry recorded. Recovery scrap waived.

    Per Directive 5000.4 §B: failure to log results constitutes failure to fail.

    LAB 5 R&D DIVISION
    SCRAP 0 DATA 0
    Spend recovered SCRAP on permanent vehicle upgrades — effects apply to every future launch. Spend DATA (earned by flying higher) on single-use flight supplies further down.

    FLIGHT SUPPLIES

    Trigger 1/2/3 mid-flight. Charges spend on use. Restock with data.
    FILE 5000-A FLIGHT RECORDS

    LIFETIME STATISTICS

      ACHIEVEMENTS

      DOC 5000-B MISSION BRIEFING

      BUILDING

      Click a part on the left, then click on the rocket grid to place it. Stack parts vertically. You need at least one engine, one fuel tank, and one body.

      BUILD SLOTS

      The hangar has three save slots: A / B / C. Switch between them with the tabs above the rocket name. Each slot is autosaved as you edit so you can keep your moonshot build untouched while experimenting in another slot.

      FLYING

      Hold Space or THRUST to burn fuel. Tap ←/→ to steer. Don't oversteer or you'll spin out.

      Tumbling is what ends most flights. Tip too far and your hull burns fast. Watch for the attitude bar and the big STEER ←/→ prompt — hold that direction and you'll be upright in about a second. Ignore it and you won't survive long.

      Once your tanks run dry your apogee is locked in and the fall can take a while. Hit RECOVER (or Esc) to end the flight and collect your results immediately. Staying up still earns pickups and pilot combo, so it's your call.

      Deep missions take a long time. Press T (or the TIME button) to run the flight at ×2, ×4 or ×8. The simulation is unchanged — you just spend less of your own time on it. It drops back to real time automatically whenever something needs you: an engine sputtering, a tumble, or the ground getting close.

      STAGING

      Build stages by stacking engine → fuel → engine → fuel in the hangar: an engine placed on top of a fuel tank starts the next stage up. Press S or the STAGE button to drop the spent bottom stage for a kick — the engine above keeps firing. Shed dead weight once a stage burns dry, but drop too early and you waste fuel. Watch the STAGES ladder on the left — the active stage drains green→empty; drop it right as it empties for a CLEAN SEPARATION scrap bonus.

      DODGE FOR COMBO

      Tilt to dodge birds, debris, and lightning. Each near-miss adds to your PILOT combo — a scrap multiplier that resets when you take a hit.

      WEATHER

      Each launch rolls a weather condition. METEOR SHOWER, AURORA, and THUNDERSTORM pay more scrap but raise the risk. TAILWIND is safer but pays less.

      PICKUPS

      Floating items spawn ahead of the rocket: scrap cubes (+50), fuel cans (+20% fuel), repair kits (+30 hull), data crystals (+3 data), and rare gold stars (+200). They drift toward you within range — steer to grab them.

      SCRAP & DATA

      Every flight pays two currencies. SCRAP comes from altitude, milestones, pilot combo, staging and pickups. DATA comes from altitude and data crystals. They are spent in different places, and you can see both in the top bar of the hangar and the R&D LAB.

      R&D LAB — UPGRADES

      Spend SCRAP on permanent upgrades (lighter frames, more thrust, tougher hull, better pickup magnet). Each has three levels and applies to every future launch. Buy the cheap ones early — the first costs about three flights' worth of scrap.

      FLIGHT SUPPLIES — STOCK

      Scroll down in the R&D LAB to buy SUPPLIES with DATA: BOOST (5 DT, +50 m/s), REPAIR (8 DT, +50 hull) and SHIELD (12 DT, 5s immunity). Each purchase is one charge — it is consumed when used and must be re-bought. Your stock shows on the three buttons beside STAGE in flight; trigger them with 1, 2 and 3. If a button reads 0 you have none in stock, so fly higher to earn data and restock before launch.

      WINNING

      Reach 1,000,000 ft to touch the moon. Crashes earn scrap from altitude, milestones, and pilot combo. Higher altitudes unlock better parts.

      The moon isn't the end. Past it lie DEEP SPACE (5,000,000 ft) and INTERPLANETARY (10,000,000 ft), both with big milestone payouts. They need a tall, well-staged stack and a full R&D lab — the mission objective on the title screen retargets as you clear each one.

      JANK & ENGINE FAILURE

      Some parts are unreliable — higher JANK means a higher chance an engine lets go mid-burn. You get a warning first: the engine SPUTTERS for about a second and a half, coughing smoke and losing thrust, before it fails for good.

      That warning is your chance to act. Release the throttle for about a second and the over-stressed engine recovers — you trade a little speed for the engine. Alternatively, if the failing engine is in your bottom stage, stage it away. Ride the throttle through the sputter and you lose it.