Versions
Project Apollo - NASSP was originally called NASSP (Nasa???s Apollo Space Simulation Project) and was based on Alain Capt's AMSO. NASSP was developed by Jean-Luc Rocca-Serra, who released the source code to version 4.x. Mark Grant then rewrote the code as C , added an initial C implementation of the Apollo Guidance Computer and replaced the control panel bitmaps with new ones from P64, releasing 'NASSP COSTAM' and a derivative which provided basic support for the Virtual AGC software. Jean-Luc released NASSP 5.0, an updated version based on that source code, for the next release of Orbiter, including, for example, new particle exhaust support and a Skylab launch module. His website is still online: http://spacebarjoe.free.fr/.
With the 6.x release it became Project Apollo - NASSP, an open source Apollo simulation add-on. The latest 'stable' version is 6.4.3. The 7.0 release is currently in Beta, including a near-complete simulation of the Command Module control panel and most of the internal systems, and support for new spacecraft. It is also capable of flying most of an Apollo mission using the Virtual AGC software.
As there is no definitive list of functionality changes between NASSP versions, many of these changes have been deduced from release documentation and test-flying of versions which are still available for download.
AMSO
Alain Capt, the creator of AMSO, about the history of AMSO and NASSP:
"Jean-Luc, the "father" of NASSP, was initially a great fan of AMSO and helped me a lot. For example he produced a very nice Tutorial document on how to use the AMSO of the early days. He brought many good ideas and sometimes, was beta-testing AMSO before publication. Then, the day came where I had unfortunately no more time to devote to AMSO. Jean-Luc wrote me many times, trying to tease me to continue the development and because I couldn't do it, he finally decided to start writing NASSP."
Meanwhile Alain Capt is back and improved AMSO (Apollo Mission Simulator for Orbiter) a lot, the latest version can be found at the AMSO home page.
Early NASSP
Versions prior to 3.0 seem to be unavailable on the web. If anyone has a copy and can update this and/or add screenshots, please do so, or at least let us know what the differences are.
NASSP 3.x
- Saturn 1b and ASTP support.
- Rewritten to use Orbiter docking support.
NASSP 3.0 still runs under Orbiter 2006, with no modifications required.
NASSP 4.x
[[Image:NASSP4_CSM_LM.jpg|thumb|left|NASSP 4 CSM