Orbiter 2010

m0rning,

Th0ught I w0uld give y0u all the l0w d0wn and the links f0r Orbiter 2010.
This pr0ject has been in devel0pment f0r 10 years, and in the last year 0r tw0 has made many leaps and b0unds. Alth0ugh the m0dding c0mmunity has d0ne al0t 0f hard w0rk, the creat0r 0f Orbiter, Dr Martin Schweiger, has this year helped p00l much 0f the c0llective eff0rts 0f the m0dding c0mmunity, int0 the 2010 0fficial release.

Orbiter is a “Space Flight Simulator.” It is N0T a game. I have spent part 0f the last 5 years, 0n and 0ff, learning “the basics”. After awhile, taking 0ff, landing, g0ing int0 0rbit and de0rbiting safely with0ut bl0wing up 0r c00king the crew bec0mes easy. Everything else ab0ve that then becomes more complicated and requires a steep learning curve. I have in the past 2 weeks gone from Earth t0 the Internati0nal Space Stati0n, fr0m the Stati0n t0 the M00n, and back t0 Earth again. I have n0w just c0mpleted my m0st m0numental j0urney in 0rbiter yet. Earth t0 Mars (0MG IT WAS HARD!). This was by n0 means the m0st easy venture, and I put in 2+ s0lid days w0rth 0f w0rk spread 0ut 0ver the past week t0 make this acc0mplishment, much trial and err0r f0ll0wing a helpful tut0rial, fr0m beginning t0 end, I increased my kn0wledge 0f Orbital mechanics & Astro physics fr0m practically n0thing t0 a “s0mewhat 0f an understanding”, which believe me is still a heck 0f al0t! By far 0ne 0f the m0st challenging things I have ever d0ne.

Orbiter 2010 d0esnt instantly appear t0 be much m0re advanced, but if y0u l00k bel0w the surface, there are many differences that make f0r a m0re accurate, reliable, and enj0yable Space Simulati0n experience. it n0w supp0rts higher level planetary texture (level 10 was the limit previ0usly, it is n0w level 15 0r s0mething like that.), and with that Earth, the Moon, and Mars are n0w 0f excepti0nally higher quality. y0u can n0w sm00thly change the FOV, instead of increments 0f 0nly 1 0r 10 degrees 0r whatever it was bef0re. The simulati0n will als0 bring the time warp fact0r (fast f0rwarding) back d0wn t0 1 if it detects any simulati0n instability when y0u get t0 higher time warp fact0rs ( bef0re, y0u c0uld timewarp, but s0metime it w0uld freeze f0r a sec0nd, and the next thing y0u kn0w y0ur 101014774843663km fr0m Earth and tumbling in all directi0ns.
S0 really, The simulati0n has been impr0ved remarkably, and there are plenty 0f new c00l add0ns t0 g0 and try.

Dansteph, 0ne 0f the m0st acclaimed m0dders f0r 0rbiter, has updated his Delta Glider IV spacecraft t0 DGIV-2, which n0w supp0rts Universal Cars and Cargos 2.0 (UCGO) payl0ads f0r vessels. Things like r0vers, aut0matic landing pr0bes which y0u can just dr0p fr0m 0rbit and will land themselves, n0 questi0ns asked. There are als0 c0mp0nents f0r building inflatable surfaces bases, inwhich the Universal MMU’s (UMMU, basically “space“walking in the simulat0r) can safely rem0ve their space suits while inside. There is n0w even extra usable fuel & 0xygen payl0ads, expanding the range 0f y0ur Delta Glider! There are als0 many many m0re new things y0u can use, thanks t0 the hard w0rk 0f the m0dding c0mmunity!

Y0u can fly realistic, hist0rical spacecraft, like the Space Shuttle, 0r the Apollo spacecraft, as well as space pr0bes t0 the planets and aster0ids, and there is als0 a range 0f “unrealistic” spacecraft fr0m places like Sci Fi movies & TV series, as well as Original creati0ns 0f the 0rbiter C0mmunity, and even spacecraft that have been pr0p0sed t0 take us back t0 the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond ( well, that’s the old sl0gan anyway.. The new 0ne sh0uld be s0mething like “Take us t0 that giant space r0ck heading 0ur way and DRILL BABY DRILL, DRILL BABY DRILL!!)

Orbiter 2010 is a challenge t0 use, but very rewarding 0nce y0u kn0w h0w, and can help pr0vide y0u with s0me great perspective 0n 0ur Earth, the m00ns and planets, and the s0lar System in general. It really g0es a l0ng way t0 sh0w y0u just h0w small everything we kn0w is!

http://orbiter.dansteph.com/index.php?disp=d Dan’s Orbiter Page – Highly rec0mmend add0ns. Orbiter Sound ( if y0u want any s0und, y0u need this!) DGIV-2, UMMU 2.0, UCGO 2.0

http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/home.php The Orbiter Homepage! – Here y0u can read up and get the jist 0f Orbiter, and d0wnl0aded the 2010 zip install package, 0r the MSI

http://orbiter-forum.com/addons.php – The Orbiter Forum – A place where a bunch 0f fascist arr0gant sn0bs play G0d & d0 a sh!t j0b 0f it t00.

http://downloadorbitersim.com/?page_id=42 – Download Orbiter Sim – Great page with the latest Surface Textures t0 g0 with Orbiter 2010’s capabilities. Can als0 d0wnl0ad the latest release patch fr0m here, helped s0lve a crash 0n restart f0r me =)

http://www.orbithangar.com/ – The Orbit Hangar – Orbiters add0n rep0sit0ry. Years w0rth 0f c0ntributi0ns c0llected here.

F0r me, Orbiter has been a valuable experience in learning just h0w difficult, c0mplicated, and daunting, the wh0le endeav0ur 0f g0ing t0 the M00n was all th0se years ag0. T0 d0 what we did all th0se years ag0, was b0th very danger0us, and quiet miracul0us. If y0u ask the questi0n, Why have we n0t returned t0 the m00n since? I can tell y0u this. It is danger0us, it is very expensive, and it needs pr0per m0tivati0n. t0 g0 s0 far and t0 d0 s0 much, is t0 test the limits 0f techn0l0gy and danger itself. Space is still danger0us, and still c0stly. H0w we get t0 the m00n n0w is n0t all that different t0 h0w we did it bef0re. A c0mputer that is a milli0n times better then what they used isn’t g0ing t0 make that bigger difference in the end, and r0ckets are n0t really that much better then they used t0 be. We n0w have m0re margin f0r err0r, but the wh0le venture is still very c0mplicated, expensive, and danger0us.

N0netheless, I still highly rec0mmend y0u give 0rbiter a g0! Start fr0m the beginning, just get the feel 0f the basics, s0 y0u then can have a feel f0r the wh0le “sc0pe” 0f what the adventure 0f space travel is all ab0ut. Perspective. Simple. =)