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"Go Play In Space" by Bruce Irving - Introductory Tutorial manual for Orbiter.
 

"Go Play In Space" (Second Edition)

Jupiter and it's moon Io. "Go Play In Space" (Second Edition) subtitled "Fun with Martin Schweiger's Orbiter Space Flight Simulator", is an introductory tutorial manual for Orbiter written by Bruce Irving with Andy McSorley.

Orbiter (available from www.orbitersim.com) is a freeware space flight simulator for the PC that is fun, powerful, realistic, expandable, and educational.

Based on the real science and math of orbital mechanics and atmospheric flight, it features a first-person astronaut's perspective and beautiful 3D graphics. Orbiter's developer, Dr. Martin Schweiger, has created an amazing virtual world of real and fictional spacecraft, space stations, planets, and moons. It includes a variety of spacecraft, space stations, and sample scenarios or "missions."

The 2006 release adds a built-in scenario editor (“mission builder”), a powerful flight recorder, expanded mouse-based controls, and high resolution planetary graphics. Some of the pictures shown here include free add-ons such as the wonderful "World of 2001" (the movie, not the year).

Orbiter is fun, but it is also pretty complex, with a substantial and occasionally frustrating learning curve -- new users often need some help to get started, and that's the purpose of this page.

"Go Play In Space" is a free PDF "e-book" (approx. 180 pages) that takes you from
  • download and installation
  • to fixing up a bad orbit
  • flying to the Moon
  • docking with the International Space Station
  • ... and making a six-month journey to Mars in less than an hour (with time acceleration).
It also includes extensive tips on
  • learning and doing more
  • finding and using add-ons
  • ... and special chapters called "I Was Just Wondering" and "Your Future In Space" that connect the virtual world of space play with the real world of space, which is bound to expand in the next few years.
"Go Play In Space" has detailed instructional steps with many pictures and diagrams and doesn't require any advanced math (beyond simple number reading and arithmetic) to follow. It is probably best suited for anyone 12 and older with an interest in space.

Mar Orbit

HOW TO GET STARTED

Download the zip file below (9 MB) and extract the PDF file (book) and the Scenarios folder (Mars scenario files). The ebook requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, ideally version 7, available free from www.adobe.com. Read the introduction and chapter 1 (Before You Get Started) – they will tell you all the basic information you need, and chapter 2 will get you flying.

You can also go to the main Orbiter web site (www.orbitersim.com) if you want to learn more before you download the book or the free software. Dr. Schweiger's site has descriptions of the program and its features, a gallery of screen shots, FAQ's, links to other sites (including an excellent Web Forum), a download page, and more. The download page directs you to several "mirror" sites that actually host the program zip files. The files are also available here - ORBITER DOWNLOADS



"Go Play In Space" (Second Edition) - an Introductory Tutorial manual for Orbiter Space Flight Simulator.

"Go Play In Space" (Second Edition)
Fun with Martin Schweiger's Orbiter Space Flight Simulator.
an Introductory Tutorial manual for Orbiter - written by Bruce Irving.

Read excerpts and more here

DOWNLOAD "Go Play In Space"
on this page

SAFETY AND SUPPORT

Note that Orbiter is not a "space shooter" - there are no guns or other weapons in Orbiter. It is also "PC friendly" in that it installs in a simple folder without making changes to your Windows system files or registry (no uninstall procedure needed - simply delete the folder and its contents). As a freeware product, there is no formal support for Orbiter, but there is documentation and help built in, and there is a Web Forum where other Orbiter users will often answer questions for those who are having trouble. There are also various tutorials available on the web (in addition to this e-book, which will point you to various other web resources). This is all discussed in the book as well.

Firefly

MORE

Table of contents

LINKS

Downloads which are related to the book

Links

There are many more links in the Orbiter in the Flight Sim Museum exhibit.

Press Release - May 4th 2006

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