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Orbiter is a closed source, freeware space flight simulator, by Martin Schweiger, a Ph.D. at the University College London, for the Windows OS. The first version was released on November 27, 2000 and is an ongoing project that has been under development ever since. The latest version is release 050126
unveiled on January 26 2005.
About the Simulator
Orbiter allows any user to explore the solar system on a number of spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle Atlantis, perform a docking with a space station or spacecraft, rendezvous with a satellite, or just try a suborbital flight. Orbiter's solar system consists of the sun and eight planets. Pluto, asteroids, and comets are not included but can be added via add-ons. Although Orbiter contains a database of over 100,000 stars, these are for display purposes only and interstellar travel is currently not possible in Orbiter.
Orbiter aims to be a realistic simulator rather than an arcade game. Planetary motion, gravitation effects, free space and atmospheric flight are accurately modeled. Space physics and orbital mechanics can be complicated, and the learning curve is steep even for those familiar with flight sims. Users are aided by MFDs , HUD's, and control panels. Because it uses newtonian physics, faster-than-light travel is possible without any of the adverse effects that would be experienced in real life. The limits for velocity and distance from the sun are unknown, but experiments show that the program becomes less stable during spacecraft travel at many orders of magnitude of the speed of light.
Included Spacecraft
Orbiter's standard distribution includes following spacecraft and space stations:
Orbiter Add-ons
Orbiter has attracted a sizable number of people centered around several fora and repositiories.
While the source is not editable, an extensive API enables Orbiter users to contribute by creating add-ons. Many spacecraft are available for download as add-ons, ranging from the Soviet Vostok spacecraft to Star Trek's Enterprise. Add-ons are also available for new bases, MFDs, space stations, planets, and even other solar systems.
With this unique simulator, space enthusiasts are able to re-create with historical accuracy everything from Project Mercury to Apollo 11, The Space Shuttle, and beyond.
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