Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds

171 ratings
Nomai Shuttle Piloting 101
By Wintress
There is no explanation (at least, that I've seen) anywhere in the Hearthian System on how to pilot a Nomai shuttle. Now, obviously you could just figure it out for yourself (there's only three controls, after all) but I figured I'd make a guide for anyone who wanted to make sure before they flung themselves out of a gravity cannon.

(For anyone who's not already aware; there is no need to pilot a Nomai shuttle to complete the game, find any bits of story, or even get all the achievements (You can use your own ship for that one). However, it is possible to navigate anywhere in the system using these shuttles in place of your ship, and your feet and jetpack to get the rest of the way.)
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The Control Panel
This panel contains all of the controls for the Nomai shuttle. The only other controls are those on the ground that mirror the Left and Middle controls.


The next three sections explain the function of each control. There is no function to the bottom of the control panel- it's just a place to put the Control Sphere when you're not using any of the controls.
The Left Control (Launch)
The left control (and the middle control) is mirrored at the gravity cannon connected to the specific shuttle you're in.

This control activates the gravity cannon in question. It does not provide any thrust to the shuttle itself.
The Middle Control (Recall)
The middle control (and the left one) is mirrored at the gravity cannon the specific Nomai shuttle is bound to. (On the ground, this is the right control. The right control in the shuttle does not exist on the ground.)

This control returns the shuttle to the gravity cannon. Use this if your launch goes poorly. Be cautious against using it while the shuttle is moving quickly, as sometimes your momentum seems to be conserved when recalling.

Also, make sure not to use this control if your ship is on the launch pad. The laws of physics don't like it when two objects are occupying the same point in space.
The Right Control (Align)
The right control is the most useful one on the shuttle. This will automatically align the shuttle with a nearby landmass, and activate the shuttle's pull ring lift thing.

In other words, this is how you land. Or at least land safely, so I imagine Feldspar wouldn't bother with it.
The Key (Timing)
Unlike your Hearthian ship, the Nomai shuttle has no built-in means of propulsion. Instead, to navigate to other planets, you'll need to check where the gravity cannon is pointing, and make sure to time your launch just right. Veterans of Kerbal Space Program may find this to be easier than those unfamiliar with it, however; if you screw up, you can always simply use the middle control to return to the launch pad for a second attempt.

When you're close to your target destination, you simply need to use the right control to align the shuttle to face away from the ground. It will then handle the landing process for you. Once you're done exploring the planet in question, you can return to the shuttle and use the recall control to travel to your next destination.

Be aware that no one has thought to stock the shuttles with fuel for your jetpack, so you may run out after too much shuttle exploration. (The other Hearthian travellers have left a few canisters lying around, though.)
Ground Control
As mentioned, the Left and Middle controls are mirrored on the ground.


The Ground Left control is mirrored to the shuttle Left control, and activates the Gravity Cannon.
The Ground Right control is mirrored to the shuttle Middle control, and recalls the shuttle.

(This much is already explained next to the Ground Controls but I thought I'd mention it anyway.)
23 Comments
floidberger 28 Dec, 2023 @ 10:56am 
The beauty and bizarre simplicity of these ships comes from the realization that these Nomai were stranded in this system with whatever was on their pods and unearthed on the planets. While these ships seem relatively primitive in function, think about your own ship and how much goes into manually piloting it. Nomai ships are essentially automatic. The initial trajectory and destination is up to you since the ships rely on anti-gravity landings. It's pretty impressive.
Weirdoman 27 Dec, 2023 @ 4:35am 
2005732 you can escape if you have the warp core to get a secret ending btw
2005732 9 Dec, 2023 @ 8:57am 
I just launched myself WAY ourside the solar system and waited for the nova to see if I could escape it. The sun does is fact not reach me but you get reset anyway. And no acheivement either, oh well. It was fun to try.
R4-D10 13 Oct, 2023 @ 4:40am 
ive landed both shuttles in the hearth village, aswell as landing the ice shuttle on the quantum moon. boy these things are fun (and very annoying sometimes) to fly
CombustibleLemon 15 Jan, 2023 @ 8:22am 
i was exploring the shuttle on the quantum moon, i activated the left control and died instantly
Death threat collector 6 Jan, 2023 @ 11:15am 
Well, that explains the right most button.
Wintress  [author] 5 Sep, 2022 @ 11:42pm 
@Ausar0 Well, now you got bragging rights
Ausar0 5 Sep, 2022 @ 10:34pm 
idk why, but for some reason I thought you had to use a nomai shuttle to get to the quantum moon because of all the talk about only being welcomed on the south pole. I did it, but then afterwards when I was watching someone else play the game, they literally just flew in on their ship lmfao.
Intimus gel 4 Mar, 2022 @ 3:34pm 
LMAO, that happened to me and was literally laughing as the cheevo text came up
manyuser 15 Jan, 2022 @ 5:14am 
I always found the grav cannons to be convenient landing pads for my ship. This proved problematic when I attempted to investigate the insides of the corresponding shuttles :(