Orbiter: Space Flight Simulator
Orbiter is a free space flight simultor. However, it is not a game. It uses actual orbital, newtonian, atmospheric, et cetera, calculations. So, you can't just point your ship at the moon and expect to get there. You actually have to launch at the right time of the day/month, get in to orbit, get out of orbit, make course corrections, and get into a stable lunar orbit.
Its actually fairly impressive. There are lots of add-ons that recreate the Apollo and Gemini missions, along with some things from 2001: A Space Oddessey, Star-Trek, and I think there may be a Tie-Fighter somewhere. Websites wher you can search for these files can be found by clicking the "Related Sites" link.
<a href='http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html' target='_blank'>Homepage</a>
Its actually fairly impressive. There are lots of add-ons that recreate the Apollo and Gemini missions, along with some things from 2001: A Space Oddessey, Star-Trek, and I think there may be a Tie-Fighter somewhere. Websites wher you can search for these files can be found by clicking the "Related Sites" link.
<a href='http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html' target='_blank'>Homepage</a>
Comments
How can you miss the sun? its a point and shoot mission, no orbits or anything to calculate <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo-->
And there kind of are orbital calculations, because you took off from the Earth, and the Earth is moving, which will mess with your Fly-Straight-Into-The-Sun plan.
But when/if you do it, take screenshots!
And there kind of are orbital calculations, because you took off from the Earth, and the Earth is moving, which will mess with your Fly-Straight-Into-The-Sun plan.
But when/if you do it, take screenshots! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Still were talking about the simplest possible calculations here, once your out of the atmosphere and straightlining it towards the sun, all you have to do is figure out what angle your off by, and the reflect exaclty the oposite of that angle as close to halfway there as possible. Its nothing like hitting the moon, which is a constantly moving target that is still under the effect of earths gravity all the way too it.
Or dont you die in this sim.
I figured that would be the major stopper <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I figured that would be the major stopper <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think I'll point my ship at something and just leave it overnight <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> Interesting to see what I find by morning....
Edit: Eeep. If the speeds of the ships are accurate, it would take about 220 days (IRL) to fly to the sun from Earth.
Re-edit: Yay! It has 10000x time acceleration <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Or dont you die in this sim. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
No, you can't die. How would you feel if you lined everything up perfectly going from Mars to the Earth, then died in the atmosphere?
And, yeah, it has time acceleration. Theres a 50-or-so page manual you can download from the web site.
Plus it was basically just a black and white GUI and nothing else. I never really did manage to go into space. It always blew up when we were trying to take off....kinda weird like that.
Been having a blast with this though, but uh, how are you supposed to get to the moon and such? There's no flightplans to follow, you just have to guess and shoot for the moon. Which I would do, but I can't ever FIND the damn thing.