This beast is known under different names. If none of them sounds familiar, but you want to know, start on the web.

But in just a few words…

X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge – a competition to build a private rocket-propelled vehicle to perform simulated lunar vertical takeoffs and landings according to the competition rules.

Armadillo Aerospace – a company led by John Carmack, participant of the X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge.

Quad – a type of the competition vehicle, named after four big spherical tanks forming its structure.

Pixel and Texel – names of the two Quad vehicles. Only Pixel flew in the competition.

Armadillo in Wikipedia

Armadillo home web site

Armadillo in X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge, October 2006: Videos and photos

Armadillo in X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge, October 2006: John Carmack's detailed report

Armadillo discussion forum on Space Fellowship

Ver. 1.1

Build: 24 Feb 2007

Andrew Thielmann AKA igel

The model is very simple (if not primitive) – yet it tries to grab most of the excitement of flying the Quad! True, you won’t get to the Moon – but touring around the Canaveral Base at 50 meters AGL may be just as much fun!

Because of the intricate and close cooperation between human pilot and autopilot, the controls of the Quad vehicle DIFFER from normal Orbiter conventions!

Thrust and directional control uses numerical pad keys. Control keys should be pressed down all time you want the control to be used. When your finger is off the key, control returns to "neutral".

NUMPAD ‘+’ – Go Up (thrust up)

NUMPAD ‘-‘ – Go Down (thrust down)

Neutral – hovering

NUMPAD "UP", "DOWN", "LEFT", "RIGHT" arrow keys – tip over the vehicle to start or stop translational movement over the ground.

Neutral – cancels out residual translational drift velocities, levels pitch and yaw.

NOTE: Original Quad, that has the automatic stationkeeping ability. My flight model only cancels the velocities, does not return Quad to the original point - I found it more than enough to easily bring the vehicle where you want it to be.

NUMPAD ‘Ins’ – Roll Left

NUMPAD ‘Del’ – Roll Right

Unfortunately, joystick is not supported at this time. I was unable to find way to intercept Orbiter’s default processing of the joystick’s commands. Maybe someday – but for now it is too bad, as the original Quad is controlled with the joystick…

Quad is designed to fly to its destination in a fully automated mode, by GPS. Unfortunately, because of the (mis)communication glitch during the preparation to the 2006 Lunar Lander Challenge, Pixel could not use this feature. This model does not have it either, you have to fly the Quad manually, just as Carmack did.

Even without the navigational tasks, autopilot has enough work to do. For example, it controls the specific amounts of thrust to be applied at different times, working as a middleman between a pilot and a throttle control. Also, it keeps an eye on pitch and yaw angles, and limits them to safe levels.

‘>’ - Once on the ground, this key refuels the Quad, 10% at a time.

‘G’ – view DOWN

‘K’ – view AHEAD

These cameras more or less closely simulate two real onboard cameras on the Quad. You can compare the views you get with the videos of the actual Pixel flights.

Quad is not designed or intended to use any of the Orbiter MFDs or HUDs (even though you can try). It uses output text string to dump out the important numbers… there aren’t really too many.

1.0. 21 Feb 2007 – original release.

1.1. 24 Feb 2007 – improved flight model, cancels out residual translational drift velocities on Dead Hand controls.