Orbiter!

Pete.Dakota · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:06

Anyone use/used Orbiter? It's a free spaceflight simulator. It's modelled so accurately against real-life that you can fly Apollo/Shuttle missions using actual mission data.

I followed a broken down "Apollo by the numbers" flightplan in the sim and shut down my CSM engine to arrive in lunar orbit within 5 seconds of the actual flight itself.

It also accurately simulates atmospheric flight and, most importantly, re-entry.

The stock download is a bit limited, but community mods make it what it is. Stupidly high detail models for real world and fictitious space/aircraft, all free. Various graphic adjustments and hires texture mods render the simulator beautifully, and alongside real life systems and missions, will be the closest thing you can get to flying a real space flight.

The learning curve is insane. It's a simulator, not a game. But it's got a very active forum and there are thousands of user-made tutorials. It is possible to just load up a scenario and go launch the shuttle on autopilot, but the real thrill comes from learning to do it all yourself.

Manually launching and docking with the on-orbit ISS for the first time is the best feeling I've ever had sat at a desk!

Reason I'm posting is I found a few old pics I had on photobucket and got nostalgic:

A playback feature allows you to record missions. This is me flying a flyby aircraft real time alongside a Shuttle I landed, which is flying as per the recording.

Heavily edited from

Cosimo · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:27

Not seen that before. Will download and have a play. Cheers

Rich_L · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:29

Manually launching and docking with the on-orbit ISS for the first time is the best feeling I've ever had sat at a desk!

I believe you have just earned +100 million geek points

Looks pretty fascinating though

Berserker · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:33

Would love to have the skill and patience to do this sort of thing. Guess I'll just have to settle for seeing the real thing. Thankfully, that wasn't launching 'manually'.

Pete.Dakota · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:39

simulatorman said:
Not seen that before. Will download and have a play. Cheers

First thing I suggest you do is get in the "Deltaglider at KSC" scenario. Fly it around like a plane and get used to it. Then, when you feel like it, full throttle and point it straight up! Shut down your engine at about 60km and coast up into suborbital space!

Take in the view, then try and land it.

Cosimo · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:39

I've got this one on order from a place across the water:

http://secure.simmarket.com/iceberg...le-mission-simulator-collectors-edition.phtml

Fourstar · 26 Oct 2010 at 23:46

Those shots look stunning.

One of the two most powerful gaming memories I hold is from Elite 2 - Frontier. I landed on the moon then watched the earth rise over the horizon.

It was a revelation at the time but why did I look for pics. 1993 graphics should really stay there

Pete.Dakota · 27 Oct 2010 at 00:02

simulatorman said:
I've got this one on order from a place across the water:

http://secure.simmarket.com/iceberg...le-mission-simulator-collectors-edition.phtml

I've seen that. It looks pretty good. I remember a big thread on the old M6 Orbiter forum about it. Most of the hardcore guys claimed that the foremost STS mod for Orbiter - called simply "Shuttle Fleet" - was more accurate with regards to the flight characteristics and liveries and offered more systems.

Shuttle Fleet simulates even a full launch countdown and you won't be able to start the main engines until a very realistic checklist has been completed, not just in order, but at the right times too.

It's frighteningly realistic - hence the massive learning curve. It took me days of practice to simply get into a stable orbit using a fictional craft designed for noobs!

I've kinda stopped using it now. I jump in everyone now and again. Toward the end of my main time playing it I was manually planning, launching and flying trips from the Earth to landings on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn and returning. Some missions would take real-world days to complete. Returning home to the very runway you took off from 20-odd years prior, in the very same craft, within the same scenario felt amazing.

Almost forgot! This is a video of me landing the Shuttle:

Mik3 · 27 Oct 2010 at 00:23

Can you post links to some of the mods you mentioned?

Cheers

GreenMint · 27 Oct 2010 at 00:55

I used to spend hours at a time on MS Flight Sim, so this is something that looks very interesting, not sure how I ever missed it!

Used to always want "Shuttle" when I had my old Atari in the early 90's, but never got it, this could lead to some fun times...

....in spaaaaaaace!

Kutter · 27 Oct 2010 at 02:49

looks great just need a comp to run it on

Tefal · 27 Oct 2010 at 03:25

How do you cope with everything running at 10's of times as fast as it actually happens?

or are there no malfunctions/engine bursts measured in seonds?

apeZ · 27 Oct 2010 at 04:01

Is this like Flight Simulator, but with spacecraft? Might be interested...

Cosimo · 27 Oct 2010 at 08:35

apeZ said:
Is this like Flight Simulator, but with spacecraft? Might be interested...

Orbiter is a real-time 3D space flight simulator for the Windows PC. The concept is similar to traditional flight simulator software, but you are not limited to atmospheric flight. Orbiter allows you to experience manned and unmanned space flight missions from the pilot's perspective. Take control from launch to orbtial insertion, rendezvous with space stations, deploy and recapture satellites, and re-enter and land on a planetary surface. The playground is our solar system, and you can even execute missions to the moon or other planets. (Time compression is available to shorten long cruise phases.) Orbiter accurately models the physics of spaceflight, which makes it possible to either recreate historic missions, or use it as a sandbox for futuristic spacecraft concepts.

Very similar, so yes.

V4NT0M · 27 Oct 2010 at 08:51

Can I fly a Vorlon Planet killer and explode Coriana 6?

iamTakeo · 27 Oct 2010 at 10:11

There goes my evening, I'll try this later thanks =]

Django x2 · 27 Oct 2010 at 10:32

You're landing approach was all wrong

Cosimo · 27 Oct 2010 at 10:57

Lucero said:
You're landing approach was all wrong

But the takeoff is perfect:

Demoniser · 27 Oct 2010 at 11:02

Skyfall said:
Can I fly a Vorlon Planet killer and explode Coriana 6?

Now that would be a fun mod

Pete.Dakota · 27 Oct 2010 at 17:24

Mik3 said:
Can you post links to some of the mods you mentioned?

Cheers

Orbit Hangar - almost all user-made community mods get uploaded here.

Dansteph's Orbiter page - The Delta Glider IV is a must have, it's much better than the stock DG. Also the sound mod is the only way to get sound in the sim - stock doesn't come with sound!

Shuttle Fleet

AMSO - THE Apollo mod. Amazingly detailed and actually emulates the real-world Apollo Guidance Computer within the application.

Tefal said:
How do you cope with everything running at 10's of times as fast as it actually happens?

or are there no malfunctions/engine bursts measured in seonds?

Some ships will allow failures. The Deltaglider I linked above, for instance, has a living crew that need life support. If they run out of consumables, they die. Typically you will use time acceleration only when you need to coast, and then come back down to 1x to make changes. Before the 2010 version, time accel was limited to 100000x and getting to the outer planets would still take hours of sim time. Now it's much higher, but still it will take an hour or so to get to Jupiter.

Lucero said:
You're landing approach was all wrong

I know

too shallow, too low, flared too late and the gear was down late also! I was going for smooooottthhh.