Launchpad: Planetary Simulator

Launchpad: Planetary Simulator shows projectile motion on two worlds side by side. Pick any two of 10 solar system bodies, Mercury through Pluto (including the Moon), set up your launch, and watch both trajectories animate at the same time. BRING YOUR LECTURE TO LIFE Projectile motion is usually taught with static slides: a still diagram, a few equations, then another still diagram. Launchpad turns that lecture into a live demonstration. Change the launch angle while you explain it, ask the class to predict how far a projectile will fly on the Moon compared to Earth, then hit Launch and watch the answer unfold. Students see the equations come to life in real time, and the lesson becomes a conversation instead of a slideshow. WHAT YOU CONTROL - Launch speed, launch angle and launch height - Use the same settings for both worlds, or set each world separately WHAT YOU SEE - Animated trajectories with apex markers and flight-time counters - Range, maximum height and flight time for each world - Live ratios comparing the two worlds TEACHING CASES BUILT IN - Vertical launch at 90° - Horizontal launch from a height at 0° - Free fall: 0 m/s from a height - A warning when the launch speed exceeds a world's escape speed CHECK IT BY HAND Launch at 50 m/s and 45° from the ground: on Earth the projectile travels 254.8 m; on Mars it travels 673.9 m, 2.64 times as far. Every result follows the standard kinematics equations, so students can verify the numbers themselves. THE PHYSICS MODEL Launchpad uses the standard introductory-physics model: no air resistance, constant surface gravity and a flat surface. Each world uses its standard textbook surface-gravity value (for example, Jupiter 24.79 m/s²). For the gas giants these differ from NASA's current "mean at 1 bar" figures, so the app matches what students see in their textbooks. Escape speeds come from NASA planetary fact sheets. BUILT FOR THE CLASSROOM - Designed by a former physics professor for live classroom demonstrations - Light and dark themes - Runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs, ideal for projecting in class - No ads, no account, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions and no data collected One-time purchase. Questions or feedback: support@cmdlinestudios.com