Realistic space flight simulator iOS

AI Thread Summary
A user seeks a realistic space flight simulator for iOS that accurately simulates physics, particularly orbital mechanics. They mention a specific simulator, questioning its authenticity in representing real physics versus clever editing. Responses suggest that while Newtonian mechanics are straightforward to implement, atmospheric drag poses challenges requiring approximations. To verify the simulator's accuracy, users recommend testing orbital mechanics by comparing simulated orbits to real data and checking the behavior at Lagrangian points. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the importance of realistic physics in space simulation.
devGirl
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Hey everyone,

I've been looking for a space flight simulator to play around with that simulates real physic, or at least as much as possible...and I came across http://www.space-simulator.com the other day.

They say the physics and the orbital mechanics is 'real', but I'm no expert so how can I tell if it really is based on real physics or if it's just clever editing? Any ideas?

Thanks,
 
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Looks a bit like the orbiter.

Concerning orbital mechanics: The real physics (well, Newtonian mechanics) is the easiest way to implement that, so I would assume a realistic physics there.
Atmospheric drag and similar issues are more problematic, you have to use some approximations there to keep calculations simple.
A clever model will be so close to reality that you cannot see the difference unless you get access to the source code.

Ideas how to check orbital mechanics:
- Fly in an orbit around sun far away from planets, compare orbital period, velocity and so on to real orbits (test of two-body mechanics and the used numerical methods in general)
- Fly to a lagrangian point, see if it works like the real points (test of influences of 2 objects at the same time)
 
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