To activate the whole setup you have to press several switches. Since the main control system is not integrated into the StarShip, the StarShip must be powered up before the main control starts the simulation program. So, when the simulation program starts, the simulation controller display shows a simple message:

So, you begin with the power-up sequence of the StarShip itself. Three push-buttons turn on the power to the internal computer systems and the main screen the power supply for the two small CRT's and the power for all the logic, meters and lights.
The power must be applied to the StarShip because the simulation program does some hardware initialisation in the start-up routines. Without power applied data lines are not proper initialised and a hang condition occurs.
When the StartShip is "up" you press the Return key and the next diaglogue screen appears:

________ Boot sequence menu options ________

      <D>  run hardware diagnostics first
      <S>  start simulation
      <!>  abort simulation

 Specify simulator start-up sequence : < _ >

<D> run hardware diagnostics first

The "D" (for Debug ...) runs a defined sequence of output tests.
This means that every segment of a 7-segment display is turned on for a short time, every light and LED is turned on and off and every (analogue) meter moves from zero to full-scale and back to zero.
The display shows a status line that indiactes which part of the hardware is activated.

<S> start simulation

The "S" (for Start, how could I think of that?) starts the actual simulation.
This is not a real big thing; however all the random flashing lights and analogue meter positions are initialised. All lights are turned off, all meters read zero.
At this point the simulation controller shows its default screen. The top 4 lines make a scroll area that shows in high brightness text the last Operating System event and in normal brightness the two events before that.
The bottom part of the screen has a status line that shows the simulation controller status in flashing text (either "HALTED" or "RUNNING"), a command entry line, and the soft-key command entry line.

<!> abort simulation

The "!" entry aborts the simulation program and displays the necessary commands to run the program again.
First you must set the PC (Program Counter) to the correct start address, and very important set the SR (Status Register) so that the processor starts in privileged (supervisor) mode.
Failing to do that the program will generate a TRAP for the execution of a privileged instruction because when you start the simulation controller program, you actually start the Operating System !