Nasa uses space game to lure talent to its exploration programmes

In the cold vacuum of space, miles above the planet's surface, I am guiding my tiny spaceship towards the airlock of another vessel. To dock, our orbits have to align precisely, but the variables are terrifying. I have built the craft myself, out of myriad components, and I don't know if it'll hold up out here in the vast indifferent nothingness.

I progress forward anyway, nudging the thrusters with just enough vigour to connect with the airlock, but not enough to cause a mid-flight collision that will end the lives of my crew. In space, there is always risk and reward. The reward for me is to stay alive - and to get home.

The fortunate part is that I am at home. I am on a computer playing a game called Kerbal Space Programme. And there's always another spacecraft to build and crash.

In 2011 a development studio based in Mexico released an early version of Kerbal Space Programme, an intricately detailed space flight simulation for Windows and Mac. Here, the player's aim is simple: design and construct spacecraft in your own personal space centre.

As you succeed with flight missions, you'll accrue more funding and expand your expertise. The possibilities for construction are almost endless, and the most experienced players are able to dock craft in orbit to create space stations, land on the nearby moon and venture into deep space. It's no wonder people are calling this Minecraft in space - it has that same sense of creativity and possibility.

And as with Minecraft, a community quickly grew around Kerbal, despite its unfinished state. Users began modifying the code and adding new features, and when it was released onto leading PC games platform Steam in spring last year, it became one of the top five best-selling titles on the site's "early access" section - a huge new audience joined the experiment. Felipe Falanghe, Kerbal's creator and lead developer at Squad, has perhaps been surprised by the success of the title, but understands its appeal.