Liftoff is a set of three compelling, hands-on space adventures.
Take a virtual tour of the space shuttle. Train to fly a shuttle in the
astronaut-training simulator. And learn about the history and future of
space exploration.
Liftoff features hundreds of NASA and Canadian Space Agency
photos as well as many videos and interactive activities. The program strikes
an engaging balance between educational content and entertainment.
Although Liftoff was written for students in grades 4 to 7, people of all ages
will find the information and virtual-tour experience fascinating.
For more information, please visit the following web sites:
http://www.ingenuityworks.com
http://www.eti-tech.com
Minimum System Requirements:
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For Windows users:
o 32MB or more of installed RAM
o Intel Pentium processor (Pentium II or higher recommended)
o Netscape 4.0 or greater
o Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater
o AOL 4.0 or greater
o 16-bit color monitor capable of 800x600 resolution
o Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, Windows NT 4 (Service Pack 3), or Windows XP
o Sound card
o 8x CD-ROM or faster recommended
For Macintosh users:
o 32MB or more of installed RAM
o Power Macintosh Power PC processor (G3 or higher recommended)
o Netscape 4.0 or greater
o Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater
o AOL 4.0 or greater
o 16-bit color monitor capable of 800x600 resolution
o Mac OS 8.1 or later
o Sound card
o 8x CD-ROM or faster recommended
Installation:
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Before you install the Liftoff software, shut down (quit) all open applications on your computer. Then follow the instructions below that apply to your computer.
+++ Windows users +++
Insert the Liftoff CD into your CD drive. A window should automatically open and show the Liftoff files. Double-click on the icon named "Setup.exe" and follow the onscreen instructions.
If the window noted above does not open automatically, take the following steps:
- Double-click the "My Computer" icon on your computer desktop.
- Locate your CD drive in the "My Computer" directory.
- Double-click on the CD drive icon.
- Double-click on the icon named "Setup.exe" and follow the onscreen instructions.
+++ Macintosh users +++
Insert the Liftoff CD into your CD drive. A window should automatically open and show the Liftoff files. Double-click on the icon named "Setup" and follow the onscreen instructions.
If the window noted above does not open automatically, take the following steps:
- Locate the Liftoff CD icon on your computer desktop.
- Double-click on the icon to open it.
- Double-click on the icon named "Setup" and follow the onscreen instructions.
Plugins/Third Party Software Required:
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*IMPORTANT: In order for Liftoff to work properly, please ensure that the following software programs are installed on your computer:
- QuickTime 4 or higher
(can be found at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/)
- Flash 5 or higher
(can be found at http://www.macromedia.com/downloads/)
- Shockwave 8.5
(can be found at http://www.macromedia.com/downloads/)
- Acrobat Reader
(can be found at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
Teacher Resources:
-----------------------
Teacher resources are located on the CD-ROM as Acrobat Reader (.pdf)
files. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer
in order to open these files.
Notes on Using Liftoff:
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- The Virtual Tour of the Space Shuttle contains a number of activities
for users to explore. You can access these activities by clicking the
small icons marked "A" or "ACT" in the Media Library in the lower-left
corner of the Virtual Tour window. Most activities have a "sound off/on"
button in the upper-left corner. Click on this button to toggle the sound
effects off and on.
- Virtual Tour also contains a number of 3-D images of the Space Shuttle
and its parts. You can access these 3-D images by clicking the
small icons marked "3D" or "3-D" in the Media Library in the lower-left
corner of the Virtual Tour window. By pointing at a 3-D image and holding
down the mouse button (left mouse button on PC), you can spin the
shuttle or part around and view it from various perspectives. Use the
magnifying glass to zoom in or out on any part.
Troubleshooting:
---------------------------
=== PROBLEM: 3-D images do not appear ===
SOLUTION FOR PC:
- On PCs running Windows 2000, our testing found that the 3-D images
may not appear if the computer does not suport the latest version of
a piece of software called DirectX.
If you experience this problem, insert the Liftoff CD, then double-click
the "My Computer" icon on your computer desktop. Locate your CD-ROM drive
in the "My Computer" directory, and double-click on the CD-ROM drive icon.
Double-click on the folder called "3d Test". Find the file called "test.html",
and double-click on it. (If your computer does not have Shockwave 8.5
installed, you will be guided through the process of installing it.)
A web browser window will open. Right-click on the blank image window, then
choose "3-D Renderer." From the 3-D Renderer menu, choose
"Always Use Hardware - DirectX 5." The 3-D image should appear.
Re-start your computer, then launch Liftoff again and enter Virtual Tour.
Click on a 3-D icon in the Media Library in the lower-left corner of the
Virtual Tour window. The 3-D image should appear.
- On PCs running Windows 98, our testing found that the 3-D images
may not appear if the computer uses an older ATI Technologies video card.
If you experience this problem, you have two options:
a) Update your video-card driver from the ATI Technologies web site
(http://www.atitech.com/).
OR
b) Turn off your computer's graphics-acceleration feature.
Here's how to turn off your computer's graphics-acceleration feature:
1) Right-click on the "My Computer" icon on your computer desktop.
2) Click on "Properties". A window called "System Properties" will open.
3) In this window, left-click on "Performance."
4) Under the "Advanced Settings" heading, left-click on the "Graphics..."
button.
5) Locate the "Hardware Acceleration" sliding bar. Drag the slider to the
"None" position, then click "OK".
6) Restart your computer and launch Liftoff again. The problem should be
corrected.
SOLUTION FOR MAC:
- On Macintosh computers, our testing found that the 3-D images
may not appear if the computer does not support the latest version of a
piece of software called Open GL.
If you experience this problem, insert the Liftoff CD, then locate the
"Liftoff CD-ROM" icon on your computer desktop. Double-click on the icon
to open it.
Double-click on the folder called "3d Test". Find the file called "test.html",
and double-click on it. (If your computer does not have Shockwave 8.5
installed, you will be guided through the process of installing it.)
A web browser window will open. Aim your mouse pointer directly over the
blank image window, press and hold down the mouse button, then choose
"3-D Renderer." From the 3-D Renderer menu, choose
"Always Use Software Renderer". The 3-D image should appear.
Re-start your computer, then launch Liftoff again and enter Virtual Tour.
Click on a 3-D icon in the Media Library in the lower-left corner of the
Virtual Tour window. The 3-D image should appear.
=== PROBLEM: When launching "Space Exploration" on a Mac, you get an error
message saying, "Can't open cd_index.html. Couldn't find program that
created it." ===
SOLUTION:
- Your computer doesn't know that it's supposed to open "Space Exploration"
with a web browser.
Point your mouse at the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your screen.
Press and hold down the mouse button on the Apple icon, then choose "Control
Panels" from the menu that appears. In Control Panels, choose "File Exchange".
In File Exchange, click on the "PC Exchange" tab. Under the "PC Extension"
heading, scroll down until you find "html". Click on "html", then click on
the "Change..." button. A "Change Mapping" dialogue box will appear.
In Change Mapping, under the "Application" heading, scroll down until you find
a web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) with
which to open the file. Click on the browser of your choice, then click the
"Change" button.
Close the File Exchange dialogue box. Re-start your computer, then launch
Liftoff again. You should now be able to open Space Exploration without
difficulty.
Inquiries:
----------
For sales, contact sales@ingenuityworks.com
For technical support, contact support@ingenuityworks.com
