Space Engine

If you took one of my workshops on using Space Engine in the classroom, here is where you can find the installation files including the same configuration file we used.

For the original files, please visit the official Space Engine site.  This amazing program is free and runs on donations.

The only difference between the original files from the author and the ones I have posted here is that I have changed the configuration file to make it a little easier for teachers.  Each time you start Space Engine, it will start you off looking at the Earth, and some of the graphics settings have been change a little bit for easier viewing.  Most importantly, the configuration file is write-protected.  I prefer this because if a student gets lost or screwed up, just restart the program and it will start you off in the same place each time.  If you want to make changes to the configuration, you will have to change the file permissions to prevent it from being write protected.

To run Space Engine on your own computer, download this zip file.  The easiest thing to do is to decompress the contents onto your desktop (a folder).  From there, simply run the executable.  You do not need to install anything, and if your IT department doesn’t allow you to install anything on your school’s computer, you should still be able to run Space Engine by just copying this folder onto the computer at school.

The first time you run Space Engine, the program will generate a bunch of files, and this takes time.  Subsequent runs will be faster to start.  If you want to use Space Engine on another computer, copy the original folder as downloaded from here – don’t copy a folder that has already been run on another computer.

 

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