Space flight simulator 2010
Although Orbiter contains a database of over 100,000 stars, these are for display purposes only and interstellar travel is currently not possible in the simulator. Dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets are not included in the solar system included with the simulator but exist as add-ons. The solar system presented in Orbiter consists of the sun, the eight planets and their major moons. The user can also attempt to build a space station in orbit. Docking and attachment systems allow the user to simulate docking with a space station or other spacecraft and rendezvous with and retrieval of satellite.
Everything between ground movement and interplanetary travel is supported, including orbital and sub-orbital flight, although no collisions are supported, with the exception of the ground. The simulator is realistic enough to re-enact historical space flights, however the ability to fly fictional ships also allows the player to reach areas of the solar system that cannot be reached by manned spaceflight at the present time.Ī spacecraft's engines are defined only by the amount of thrust they put out and amount of fuel they use, allowing anything from solar sails to conventional rocket engines to futuristic nuclear fission and fusion drives to be simulated. Orbiter allows users to explore the solar system on a number of spacecraft, both realistic, such as the Space Shuttle Atlantis and fictional, such as the "Delta-Glider." The developer Martin Schweiger has included fictional spacecraft to allow for easier flights for less experienced users.
Orbiter has now been used as a teaching aid in classrooms, and a large community of addon developers have created a multitude of addons to allow users to fly assorted real and fictional spacecraft and adding new planets or solar systems.
Space flight simulator 2010 for free#
The simulator was first released on 27 November 2000 and several new versions have been released, with the most recent version 100830 released for free download on 30 August 2010. The developer, Martin Schweiger, felt that space flight simulators at the time were lacking in realistic physics based flight models and decided to write a simulator that made learning physics concepts enjoyable. Orbiter is a freeware space flight simulator program developed to allow users to operate simulated spacecraft using a detailed and realistic flight model.