ENTRY VECTOR — Hypersonic Reentry Simulator

"The objective of reentry is not to land. It is to exit the critical atmospheric phase in conditions that allow the mission to continue safely."
— Athanode Aerospace Flight Directive 01

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⚡ What is Entry Vector?

Entry Vector is a hardcore 2D aerospace survival simulator focused purely on the most dangerous and chaotic phase of spaceflight: Atmospheric Reentry.

You do not dogfight enemy ships or glide onto a runway. Dropped into the hypersonic corridor at Mach 25 (over 7,800 m/s), your mission is to wrestle with blistering shockwave temperatures exceeding 2,000°C, crushing deceleration G-forces, and extreme dynamic pressure (Q).

Your only lifeline is the Reaction Control System (RCS), fine-tuned propulsion, and an uncompromising mastery of aerodynamic lift and drag. Reach the terminal checkpoint at 5,000 meters with your spacecraft's structure and pilot intact.

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🔬 Core Simulation Physics

• 🔥 Thermal Absorption & Progressive Degradation: Compression heating spikes past 1,500°C in the mesosphere. Beyond 2,000°C, the ablative shield begins to degrade. Sustained extreme heat steadily strips structural integrity, giving you a critical window to bleed energy or pull out before catastrophic breakup.
• 🌪️ Exponential Atmospheric Density & Drag: Air isn't a solid barrier; it thickens exponentially as altitude drops. Exposing your heat shield high in the thin air bleeds vital speed without destructive thermal shock. Entering too steep into dense lower layers results in instant structural incineration.
• ⚖️ Angle of Attack (AoA) & Lift/Drag Balance: Use your RCS thrusters to pitch the spacecraft. "Surf" the upper atmosphere with positive lift to extend your glide corridor, or slice through the air with a lower AoA to alleviate unbearable pilot G-loads.
• 💥 Atmospheric Skip vs. Ballistic Plunge: Come in too shallow with excessive lift, and your ship will ricochet off the dense atmosphere back into the freezing vacuum of space. Come in too steep, and deceleration forces will crush your vehicle. Finding the narrow entry corridor is the true test of an astronaut.
• 📊 Trauma-Based Mission Evaluation: Reaching 5,000m is only half the battle. Your mission rating is scored by your cumulative trauma telemetry: Peak G-loads, Peak Shield Temperature, and preserved Structural Integrity.

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🛸 The Aerospace Fleet (8 Unique Craft)

Craft	Profile	Key Characteristics
Command Capsule	Blunt-body Manned Capsule	High passive dynamic stability, moderate lift, forgiving heat shield.
Space Shuttle	Delta-wing Reusable Orbiter	Exceptional hypersonic cross-range glide; high inertia requiring predictive RCS inputs.
Lifting Body	Fuselage-Lift Craft	High maneuverability and agile attitude adjustments across mid-density layers.
Hypersonic Glider	Waverider Aerodynamics	Extreme Lift-to-Drag (L/D) ratio with phenomenal glide range, but fragile G tolerance.
Heavy Transport	700-ton Interplanetary Hull	Colossal mass and inertia; demands long braking corridors and meticulous velocity management.
Drop Pod	Armored Rapid Plunge Pod	Zero aerodynamic lift; rapid ballistic descent designed to endure extreme G-loads.
Aerocapture Probe	Upper-Atmosphere Skimmer	Lightweight scientific probe engineered to bleed orbital velocity and skip into safe capture.
Shuttle (Realistic)	High-Inertia Orbiter	Strict historical shuttle dynamics for simulator purists.

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🪐 Three Hostile Worlds

• 🌍 Earth (Terra): 1.00 G gravity, standard Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere. The benchmark hypersonic challenge.
• 🔴 Mars (Marte): 0.38 G gravity, rarefied Carbon Dioxide. Low density provides weak aerodynamic braking, drastically narrowing your safe corridor and punishing shallow skips.
• 🟡 Venus (Vênus): 0.90 G gravity, supercritical dense atmosphere. Monstrous deceleration forces and rapid thermal buildup demand immediate, unflinching attitude control.

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🕹️ Flight Controls & HUD

Action	Primary Key	Alternate Key
Pitch Attitude (RCS)	A / D	Left / Right Arrow
Fast Pitch (10°/s)	Shift + A / D	Shift + Arrows
Throttle Fine Adjust (±1%)	W / S	Up / Down Arrow
Throttle Fast Adjust (±10%)	Shift + W / S	Shift + Up / Down
Toggle SAS Stabilizer	T	Attitude Hold Assist
Toggle Telemetry HUD Panel	H	Hide/Show Cockpit Panel
Toggle Force Vectors	F3	Lift, Drag, Thrust & Trajectory
Flight Reference Guide	F1	On-screen Quick Manual
Camera Zoom In / Out / Reset	+ / - / 0	Full Dynamic Zoom
Pause / Abort Menu	Esc	Flight Pause Menu

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💡 Quick Survival Guide (Pro Tips)

1. Bleed Energy High: If you are melting at 30,000m, you entered the dense layer too hot! Keep your heat shield exposed in the upper rarefied atmosphere to burn velocity before the air thickens.
2. Lower Your Nose Under High Gs: When deceleration G-force threatens to crush your ship, pitch forward to slice through the air, instantly relieving the aerodynamic drag spike.
3. Beware Pilot-Induced Oscillation: In the vacuum or upper mesosphere, over-correcting with the RCS can send your craft spinning into dense layers side-on. Make small, decisive adjustments and let natural aerodynamic damping stabilize your attitude.
4. Experiment in Flight Lab Mode: Use the unlocked physics sandbox to test extreme entry angles, observe vector lines with F3, and master the thermal curves.

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💻 System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit)
• Processor: Dual-Core 2.0 GHz or higher
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: OpenGL 3.0+ compatible GPU
• Storage: 30 MB available space
• Input: Keyboard & Mouse

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🛠️ Creative Process, AI Collaboration & Community Credits

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🌐 Community & Support

Developed by Athanode Aerospace (v0.9.0 Early Access).
If you enjoy technical space simulators and want to support continued development, consider leaving a tip or donation on Itch.io!