My first completed (or thereabout) pico-8 cartridge. As you might guess, I have a soft spot for '2001, A Space Odyssey', and this work is my tribute to it (and other 'optimistic' Hard Sci-Fi, a sadly endangered genre).
The gameplay is admittedly a bit basic: you simply shuttle between two space stations (one in low, the other in high orbit), using as little fuel and timeoxygen as possible. The final score is 1000 points for each successful docking, minus 10 points for each fuel and oxygen unit consumed (both replenished after each docking).
Orbital dynamics are accurate, apart from the timescale obviously. Directional arrows control the thrusters of the Orion shuttle, 'Z' is for docking when close to the hub of your destination station (the 'selection' box will flash when this is the case). Delta-V is deliberately ignored (too hard to manage, particularly at this breakneck simulation speed! ;-)
Everything else is pretty much self-explanatory. Press 'X' when docked to exit the game and see your score. The orange curve is of course your craft's projected trajectory. Labels on the edge of the screen indicate the direction of each space station (useful when out of sight). The 'F' and 'O' values near the centre of the screen are your current 'Fuel' and 'Oxygen' reserves (I kid you not!) Running out of either will end the game, as will entering the atmosphere (zero score!)
I hope you enjoy practicing your orbital flight skills!