The game is paused while Help is open. Say a section name, for example “Tap Voice-Only Quick Start”, to jump to it.
Game Overview You fly a lunar module seen from the side. The goal is to touch down gently on flat ground before the fuel runs out. The special challenge is to land beside the Moon Diner, a small restaurant next to the marked landing area. When you manage it, the astronaut climbs out, walks over, orders a meal, and walks back.
Any safe landing counts. Landing inside the marked landing area or on other flat ground plants a flag. Landing with the lander centre within 300 feet of the Moon Diner centre counts as landing beside it. Flying into the building is a crash.
What makes a landing safe Descend at no more than 20 feet per second when the feet touch. 8 feet per second or less is a perfect landing. Move sideways at no more than 15 feet per second , or the lander tips over. Be tilted no more than 20 degrees from upright. Land on ground no steeper than 15 degrees , with both feet on the surface and nothing rising under the body. The marked landing area is perfectly flat. Only the feet may touch first. If the body or engine bell touches the ground, it is a crash. These limits come from this site’s settings. The training scenario uses its own, more forgiving limits.
Fuel, throttle and motion The throttle sets engine thrust from 0 to 100 percent. Any running setting is at least 10 percent, as on the real descent engine. Fuel burns only while simulated time passes, faster at higher throttle. As fuel burns the lander gets lighter, so the same throttle pushes a little harder. When the fuel is gone the engine stops for good.
Cutting the engine does not stop the lander. There is no air on the Moon, so the lander keeps whatever speed it has and gravity keeps pulling it down. To slow a fall you must push against it with the engine, and that takes time and fuel. Plan ahead.
Tilting changes the direction of thrust. The engine always pushes along the lander’s body. Upright, it pushes straight up. Tilted left, part of the push goes left, which slows rightward motion or speeds leftward motion, and less of it holds you up. Tilted right does the opposite. Turn commands set a planned attitude; the lander rotates toward it while time runs.
Crashes and recovery The game tells you why a crash happened: too fast downward, too fast sideways, tilted too far, ground too steep, body touching first, flying into the Moon Diner, or flying out of radar coverage at the edge of the map. After a crash say “Tap Restart Game” to try again, or “Tap Choose Mode” to pick another mode.
After landing After a safe landing the astronaut climbs down the ladder. Beside the Moon Diner, the astronaut walks in, orders, and walks back with a takeaway bag. Elsewhere, the astronaut plants a flag and returns. The result is recorded once; the mission is complete when the astronaut is back aboard. Say “Tap Skip Animation” to finish the animation at once, then “Tap Restart Game” to fly again. There is no refuelling after landing.
Reading the Instruments The same information appears in two places: as vector lettering on the flight display, and as plain text in the status panel next to the controls. The status panel always spells out directions in words.
Mode and Time : the current mode and whether time is paused, paused for planning, advancing, or running.Altitude : height of the feet above the ground directly below, in feet. It changes suddenly when you fly over hills.Vertical speed : “descending at” or “climbing at” a number of feet per second.Horizontal speed : “moving left at” or “moving right at” a number of feet per second.Throttle : engine setting in percent. Fuel : pounds remaining.Attitude : tilt from upright, for example “10 degrees left of upright”. While the lander is still rotating, the planned attitude is shown too.Moon Diner : distance and direction from the lander to the restaurant.Landing area : distance and direction to the centre of the marked landing area.Result and Last action : the outcome so far and the last command the game accepted.The view switches from the whole landscape to a close-up below 450 feet. The close-up is to scale; in the overview the lander is drawn larger than life so you can see it. The view never changes the physics.
Game Modes Voice Step Mode (“Tap Start Voice Game” ): recommended for Apple Voice Control. Time is frozen while you plan. Set throttle and direction, then say an Advance command. The simulation runs for exactly that much simulated time and freezes again. There is no time limit for deciding. This is a modern addition; the 1973 game ran only in real time.Voice Training (“Tap Start Voice Training” ): a fixed, forgiving Voice Step scenario that starts near the restaurant. Follow the walkthrough below.Voice Continuous Mode (“Tap Start Voice Continuous” ): real time at 0.5 times normal speed. Throttle stays where you set it and turns happen in fixed increments. It is more demanding, because a spoken command can take a moment to be recognized. Use Pause Game whenever you need time to think.Classic Mode (“Tap Start Classic Game” ): real time, as in the original. Best with keyboard, mouse or touch.Every mode uses the same physics and collision rules. Voice modes do not fly for you.
iPad Voice Control Setup Apple Voice Control is part of iPadOS. It lets you operate the iPad by speaking commands such as “Tap Start Voice Game”. It is different from Siri (an assistant that answers questions), from Dictation (which only types text), and from VoiceOver (a screen reader that speaks what is on screen). This game is designed for Voice Control.
The first time only: connect the iPad to Wi-Fi. Voice Control downloads a one-time file from Apple; after that it works without an internet connection. Open the Settings app and go to Accessibility , then Voice Control . Tap Set Up Voice Control if it is shown, and follow Apple’s onscreen instructions. When it is on, a Voice Control indicator appears in the status bar. Apple’s tutorial is under Settings, Accessibility, Voice Control, Open Voice Control Tutorial . Later, you can turn Voice Control on or off from Control Center if you have added it there, with the Accessibility Shortcut if you have set it up, or by asking Siri to “Turn on Voice Control”. Someone may need to help with this one-time setup if you cannot yet use the iPad without touch. This web page cannot turn Voice Control on and cannot change any iPad settings.
The game never asks for microphone access, never records or sends your voice, and needs no custom commands. Voice Control hears you at the system level and taps the buttons on the page for you. Use English Voice Control commands; the button names are in English.
On recent iPads with Apple Intelligence, Voice Control may also understand descriptions of buttons in your own words. The exact button names below always work and are the most reliable.
To stop Voice Control from reacting while you talk to someone, say “Stop listening”. Say “Start listening” to continue. Apple’s guide: Use Voice Control to interact with iPad .
Voice-Only Quick Start This shows how the commands work. It is not a guaranteed winning flight; each flight needs its own decisions.
Say “Tap Start Voice Game” . Check the status panel: Mode says Voice Step Mode and Time says “Paused for planning”. Nothing moves until you advance. Say “Tap Half Throttle” . The throttle reads 50 percent; nothing else changes yet. Say “Tap Point Upright” to plan an upright attitude. Say “Tap Advance Quarter Second” . The simulation runs for one quarter of a second of simulated time and pauses again. Read the instruments: altitude, vertical and horizontal speed, fuel and attitude. Adjust: say “Tap Increase Throttle” or “Tap Decrease Throttle” , “Tap Turn Left” or “Tap Turn Right” , then advance again. High above the ground use “Tap Advance Five Seconds” or “Tap Advance One Second” . Near the surface use “Tap Advance Quarter Second” so you can correct in time. After you land or crash, say “Tap Restart Game” to try again. Say “Tap Coarse Adjustment” for bigger changes per command and “Tap Fine Adjustment” for smaller ones.
Voice Command Reference Every control is an ordinary button. Say “Tap” followed by its name exactly as shown. Commands never need to be held, repeated quickly, or combined.
Voice commands Button Say What it does Advances time? Available Start Voice Game “Tap Start Voice Game” Starts a new flight in Voice Step Mode: time stays paused while you plan, and advances only when you say an Advance command. No. Starts paused for planning. Always Start Voice Training “Tap Start Voice Training” Starts the fixed Voice Training scenario in Voice Step Mode, close to the restaurant with plenty of fuel. No. Starts paused for planning. Always Start Voice Continuous “Tap Start Voice Continuous” Starts a slower real-time flight. More demanding, because spoken commands take a moment to be recognized. Yes. Time runs until you pause. Always Start Classic Game “Tap Start Classic Game” Starts a real-time flight, as in the original game. Yes. Time runs until you pause. Always Turn Left “Tap Turn Left” Tilts the planned attitude left by 5 degrees (Fine) or 15 degrees (Coarse). The lander rotates toward it while time runs. Tilting left pushes the lander left. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Point Upright “Tap Point Upright” Sets the planned attitude to straight up, so thrust pushes only upward. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Turn Right “Tap Turn Right” Tilts the planned attitude right by 5 degrees (Fine) or 15 degrees (Coarse). Tilting right pushes the lander right. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Decrease Throttle “Tap Decrease Throttle” Lowers the throttle by 5 percent (Fine) or 20 percent (Coarse). Below the 10 percent minimum the engine goes to 0. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Increase Throttle “Tap Increase Throttle” Raises the throttle by 5 percent (Fine) or 20 percent (Coarse), up to 100 percent. From 0 it starts at the 10 percent minimum. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Cut Engine “Tap Cut Engine” Sets the throttle to 0 percent. The lander keeps moving and gravity keeps pulling it down. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Quarter Throttle “Tap Quarter Throttle” Sets the throttle to 25 percent. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Half Throttle “Tap Half Throttle” Sets the throttle to 50 percent. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Full Throttle “Tap Full Throttle” Sets the throttle to 100 percent. No During a flight, except while a voice step is advancing Advance Quarter Second “Tap Advance Quarter Second” Runs the simulation for one quarter of a second of simulated time, then pauses again for planning. Best for the final approach. Yes, by exactly one quarter of a second (less if the lander touches down). Voice Step Mode and Voice Training, while paused for planning Advance One Second “Tap Advance One Second” Runs the simulation for one second, then pauses for planning. Yes, by exactly one second (less if the lander touches down). Voice Step Mode and Voice Training, while paused for planning Advance Five Seconds “Tap Advance Five Seconds” Runs the simulation for five seconds, then pauses for planning. Best high above the ground. Yes, by exactly five seconds (less if the lander touches down). Voice Step Mode and Voice Training, while paused for planning Pause Game “Tap Pause Game” Stops time. During a voice step, the rest of the step is cancelled. Stops it While time is running or a step is advancing, and while paused for planning Resume Game “Tap Resume Game” Continues after a pause. Voice Step Mode returns to planning; real-time modes start running again. Only in real-time modes While paused Fine Adjustment “Tap Fine Adjustment” Uses small changes: 5 percent throttle and 5 degrees per turn. No Always Coarse Adjustment “Tap Coarse Adjustment” Uses large changes: 20 percent throttle and 15 degrees per turn. No Always Restart Game “Tap Restart Game” Starts the current mode again from the beginning with the same settings. Voice modes restart paused; real-time modes start running After a mode has been started Choose Mode “Tap Choose Mode” Ends the current flight and returns to the start choices. Stops it After a mode has been started Skip Animation “Tap Skip Animation” Finishes the astronaut animation immediately. No During the landing animation Open Help “Tap Open Help” Opens these instructions. The game pauses. Stops it Always Close Help “Tap Close Help” Closes Help. The game stays paused until you say Resume Game or an Advance command. No While Help is open
Unavailable buttons stay in place, look faded with a dashed border, and explain why when tapped, so commands never move around during a flight. Values such as the throttle are shown in the status panel, never in button names, so the names stay the same.
If more than one game is on the page, each has a “Select Game” button with its number, for example “Tap Select Game 2”. Only the selected game shows its controls.
Finding Controls by Voice Say “Show names” to see the name of every button on the screen. Say one of the names after “Tap”. Say “Show numbers” to put a number on every button. Say “Tap” and the number, for example “Tap 12”. The numbers are assigned by iPadOS each time and can change when the page scrolls or a dialog opens, so look again before using a number. The game never relies on a particular number. Say “Hide names” or “Hide numbers” to remove the labels. Say “Scroll down” or “Scroll up” to bring controls into view. In Voice Step Mode time stays frozen while you scroll. As a last resort, “Show grid” lets you tap a screen area by number. Normal play never needs it. Say “Show commands” to see what Voice Control can do on the current screen. Voice Training Walkthrough Voice Training always uses the same fixed scenario, whatever the site settings: the lander starts about 200 feet up, a little left of the restaurant, with plenty of fuel and forgiving limits (up to 20 feet per second down, 12 sideways, 20 degrees of tilt). The steps below were tested through the game’s real engine and controls and end with a landing beside the restaurant. Training starts with Fine Adjustment selected.
Training always uses quarter-second, one-second and five-second steps, so the advance buttons are named for those lengths while training.
Say “Tap Start Voice Training” . Training starts paused in Voice Step Mode. The lander is about 200 feet up, descending at 12 feet per second and drifting slowly right toward the restaurant. The engine is off. Say “Tap Quarter Throttle” . Quarter throttle almost exactly balances lunar gravity for this light lander, so the descent rate will stay steady. Nothing moves yet: time is still paused. Expected: altitude about 200 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Five Seconds” . Five seconds of flight. Read the instruments afterward: altitude drops by about 60 feet and the descent rate stays near 12 feet per second. Expected: altitude about 140 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Five Seconds” . Another five seconds. You are now about 80 feet up. Expected: altitude about 81 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Turn Left” . Tilting left points the engine thrust slightly left, which slows the drift to the right. This only sets the planned attitude. Expected: altitude about 81 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance One Second” . During this second the lander rotates 5 degrees left and the rightward speed drops a little. Expected: altitude about 68 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Point Upright” . Return to upright before the final descent. The landing check requires a nearly upright lander. Expected: altitude about 68 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance One Second” . The lander rotates back to upright during this second. Expected: altitude about 57 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Half Throttle” . Half throttle pushes harder than gravity, so the descent slows down. Expected: altitude about 57 feet, descending about 12 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance One Second” . After one second the descent rate falls to about 6 feet per second. Expected: altitude about 48 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Quarter Throttle” . Back to quarter throttle to hold the slower descent rate steady. Expected: altitude about 48 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Five Seconds” . Five seconds of steady descent. You are now under 20 feet up. Expected: altitude about 18 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance One Second” . Close to the surface, use shorter steps so you can watch each change. Expected: altitude about 12 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance One Second” . About 6 feet to go. Expected: altitude about 6 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Quarter Second” . Quarter-second steps for the final approach. Expected: altitude about 5 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Quarter Second” . Keep advancing in quarter seconds. Expected: altitude about 3 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Quarter Second” . Nearly down. Expected: altitude about 2 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Quarter Second” . Less than a foot above the ground. Expected: altitude about 0 feet, descending about 6 feet per second. Say “Tap Advance Quarter Second” . Touchdown. The step ends the moment the feet touch the ground. The astronaut climbs out and walks to the restaurant. Say “Tap Skip Animation” . Optional: skip the animation, or wait for it to finish. Then say "Tap Restart Game" to repeat the training. If you have not touched down when the list ends, keep saying “Tap Advance Quarter Second” until you do. If you make a mistake, say “Tap Restart Game” to start the training again from the beginning.
Voice Troubleshooting A button name is not recognized Say “Show names” and read the exact name, then say “Tap” followed by it. Speak at a normal pace. If it still fails, say “Show numbers” and use the number shown on the button. Several buttons have similar names Use the full name, for example “Tap Advance Quarter Second” rather than “Tap Advance”. If Voice Control shows numbers to choose between, say the number of the one you want. A button is off the screen Say “Scroll down” or “Scroll up”. Voice Step Mode stays paused while you scroll. On a small screen, turning the iPad to portrait keeps the status and controls just under the display. The wrong game is selected Say “Tap Select Game” followed by the number of the game you want, for example “Tap Select Game 1”. The other game pauses. Voice Control seems inactive Look for the Voice Control indicator in the status bar. If it is missing, Voice Control is off. Say “Start listening” if you paused it. It may need to be switched on in Settings, Accessibility, Voice Control, with help if necessary. A command has no visible effect Read the line under the status heading; it explains what happened, for example that a step is in progress or that the flight is over. Faded buttons with dashed borders are not available right now. An Advance button is temporarily unavailable It is unavailable while a step is running, while the game is paused, after the flight has ended, and in real-time modes. Wait for the step to finish, or say “Tap Resume Game” after a pause. Repeated advances are never queued, so saying it twice runs only one step. The game is paused Say “Tap Resume Game”. In Voice Step Mode this returns to planning, and time still waits for an Advance command. The page lost focus or I switched apps Real-time play and running steps pause automatically when the page is hidden. Come back and say “Tap Resume Game”. The screen rotated or zoom changed The game redraws to fit. Nothing in the simulation changes. Say “Scroll down” if the controls moved below the screen edge. Sound interferes with recognition The game makes no sound by itself. Turn down other audio, or use headphones if you use the optional Speak Status button. A dialog appeared Help opens as a dialog. Say “Tap Close Help” to close it. The game stays paused afterwards. For other browser dialogs, say “Show names” to find their buttons. I want a different mode Say “Tap Choose Mode”, then one of the start commands: “Tap Start Voice Training”, “Tap Start Voice Game”, “Tap Start Voice Continuous” or “Tap Start Classic Game”. You can also say a start command at any time to begin a new flight in that mode. Something went wrong If an error message appears, the game pauses. Say “Tap Restart Game”. If it keeps happening, say “Tap Copy Diagnostic Details” and send the copied text to the site owner; it stays on your device until you paste it. Keyboard, Mouse and Touch Every button works with touch, mouse, keyboard and switch access. For keyboard shortcuts, first move focus to the flight display (it has a visible outline). Shortcuts work only while the display has focus, so typing elsewhere on the page is never affected.
Left and Right arrows: turn. In Classic Mode, hold to rotate continuously. Up and Down arrows: increase or decrease throttle. 0: cut engine. 1, 2, 3: quarter, half, full throttle. U: point upright. F and C: fine and coarse adjustment. A, S, D: short, medium and long advance (voice step modes). P or Space: pause or resume. R: restart. H or question mark: open Help. Escape closes Help. In Classic Mode you may also press and hold Turn Left or Turn Right to rotate continuously. A single tap always turns by one increment, so holding is never required.
Accessibility Notes The game can be played entirely by voice with Apple Voice Control, using visible, stable button names and a text status panel. It is still a visual game: the landscape and lander are drawn on a canvas, and the status panel describes the flight but not the shape of the terrain. It has not been made or tested as a complete experience for blind players using a screen reader.
The display avoids flashing. It honours your device’s Reduce Motion setting by playing voice steps instantly and turning off flicker, trails and moving debris. Browser zoom and larger text are supported; the controls wrap rather than overlap.
About This Recreation Moonlander was written by Jack Burness for the DEC GT40 graphics terminal in 1973, using a light pen to steer and set thrust. It included a fast-food restaurant on the Moon as a joke. This recreation keeps the original’s flight numbers where they could be verified from its MACRO-11 source code, but its terrain, artwork, lettering and messages are new. Voice Step Mode, Voice Continuous Mode, Voice Training and the text status panel are modern additions, not features of the 1973 game.
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