Space flight sim with realistic physics

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Orbiter is a free space flight simulator that features realistic physics, allowing users to pilot various spacecraft throughout the solar system. The game has a steep learning curve, requiring players to understand complex physics rather than simply aiming and accelerating to reach destinations like the moon. Users have shared experiences, including docking with the ISS and challenges like fuel limitations and lack of save functionality in earlier versions. An upgraded version has been released, which seems to resolve previous system conflicts. The community expresses a desire for a console version, highlighting its potential commercial success.
Cecil
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It's called Orbiter, and you can get a free copy here:

http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html

Fly several different spacecraft (both VTOL and HTOL) around the solar system. The learning curve is very steep due to the physics engine; you can't get to the moon just by aiming and accelerating. :D
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
Oh damn you for posting that link when final projects are due...


damn damn damn



Welcome to the forums, BTW!
 
This looks amazing. I wish someone had the foresight to make a "game" like this for PlayStation. Jesus, you know it'd sell.

- Warren
 
I've played around with an eariler version. Docked with the ISS. made it to the moon (but without enough fuel to make it home:frown: ) That version had a few shortcomings: you couldn't save your progress, so every flight had to be done in one session. (made it hard to make interplanetary trips) It wouldn't display orbital eccentricities greater than 1. and a couple of other things.

I downloaded an upgraded version a while back, but it seemed to have conlict problems with my system.

I've just downloaded the newest upgrade, and so far it doesn't seem to suffer from the same conflicts. I look forward to playing around with this newest version.
 

Thread 'Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients (LFBOTs)'

UC Berkely, December 16, 2025 https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/12/16/whats-powering-these-mysterious-bright-blue-cosmic-flashes-astronomers-find-a-clue/ AT 2024wpp, a luminous fast blue optical transient, or LFBOT, is the bright blue spot at the upper right edge of its host galaxy, which is 1.1 billion light-years from Earth in (or near) a galaxy far, far away. Such objects are very bright (obiously) and very energetic. The article indicates that AT 2024wpp had a peak luminosity of 2-4 x...
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