The spaceX challenge!

[chrisorban]

We recently posted a video series which describes how to build a Lunar Lander clone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QODK8ralZI&list=PLISRe8GegO8Q492Lxtg7PyIRPOaCNNhXn

In the end you ultimately produce something like this: http://alpha.editor.p5js.org/ChrisOrban/sketches/rJ32LQtyM Notice that the gravity there is g = 1.67 m/s^2 because the gravity on the moon is only 1/6th of the gravity on the earth (9.8 m/s^2).

Here is the spaceX challenge: Increase the gravity in the code to 9.8 m/s^2 which changes the game from landing on the lunar surface to landing a spaceX rocket back on the launch pad. Even increasing the thrust to 60, this is hard for a human to do as we show in this final video of the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n__84P3xqHY

Can you write a program that will automatically land the rocket on the ground? It can use machine learning or something else. But just like the spaceX rockets land under computer control, make your rocket land under computer control. Add a random initial velocity just to make it interesting!

[shiffman]

This would be so fun! Here's a reference: https://twitter.com/LoriteAlejandro/status/984964121220263941

[chrisorban]

Thanks for pointing us to that! Our friends at Let's Code Physics came up with a solution, but it doesn't start with a random velocity. Here's what they came up with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmT9_DSb7KI