8th Grade Teacher Brings Homemade Atari Space Shuttle Cabinet to Class
By Benjamin Opal
Props to Chad Schumaker, an 8th grade science teacher in Uhrichsville, Ohio, who gave his students hands-on space lessons with the Atari 2600 classic Space Shuttle: A Journey Into Space. Schumaker, a classic game buff, was teaching about space for the first time, and remembered that Space Shuttle was used in schools after the game launched for Atari 2600 in 1984. So he teamed up with the school’s social studies teacher, who does woodworking for a hobby, to build a custom cabinet for the game. Using a 19-inch Zenith Space Command television to display the action, the cabinet has curtains to darken the cockpit and a pilot-style joystick for authenticity.
As the students played Space Shuttle, which requires them to take off, orbit in space and repair a satellite before landing, Schumaker helped them through the mission via walkie-talkie and headset. Said one student: “It wasn’t like a normal video game but it was really fun. It gave me an idea of how hard it must be for actual astronauts.” The best part is that the students referred to the whole set-up as “the simulator,” rather than a game. And they say video games suck away your imagination. [Times-Reporter via GameSetWatch]
