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[[Image:Martins.jpg|right|thumb|Martin Schweiger, Ph.D., the developer of Orbiter]]
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[[Image:Martins.jpg|right|thumb|Martin Schweiger, Ph.D., the developer of orbiter]]
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'''Orbiter''' (Orbiter Space Flight Simulator) is a freeware space flight simulator created by Martin Schweiger, Ph. D.,  of the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering at University College London. The most current stable version is Orbiter 2016.
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'''Orbiter''' is a freeware space flight simulator written by Martin Schweiger, Ph. D.,  of the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering at University College London.  
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The current version is [[Orbiter 2006 Patch 1]].
  
  
 
==Structure==
 
==Structure==
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Orbiter is a physics simulator which uses Newtonian physics to simulate the behaviour of spacecraft & other objects within our solar system. While somewhat vulnerable to crashes caused by add-ons or extreme simulation demands, Orbiter is generally quite stable when used properly. Orbiters file structure consists of [[Configuration File|configuration files]], [[Compiled HTML File|help files]], [[Mesh|meshes]], [[Texture|textures]] and [[Orbiter Module|modules]] which are integrated by the main executable ''Orbiter.exe''. This very flexible architecture makes addon development for Orbiter relatively easy.  
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Orbiter consists of a mix of [[Configuration File|configuration files]], [[Compiled HTML File|help files]], [[Mesh|meshes]], [[Texture|textures]] and [[Orbiter Module|modules]] which get integrated by the main executable ''Orbiter.exe''. This very flexible architecture makes it possible to easily modify orbiter and extend its capabilities.  
  
  
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*  600 MHz PC or better (Pentium, Athlon, etc.)
 
*  600 MHz PC or better (Pentium, Athlon, etc.)
 
*  256 MB RAM or more
 
*  256 MB RAM or more
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*  Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP
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*  Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP
 
*  DirectX 7.0 or higher
 
*  DirectX 7.0 or higher
 
*  DirectX compatible 3D graphics accelerator card with at least 16MB of video RAM (32MB or more recommended) and DXT texture compression support
 
*  DirectX compatible 3D graphics accelerator card with at least 16MB of video RAM (32MB or more recommended) and DXT texture compression support
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*  Approximately 100MB of free disk space for the minimum installation (additional high-resolution textures and add-ons will require more space).
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*  Approximately 100MB of free disk space for the minimum installation (additional high resolution textures and addons will require more space).
 
*  DirectX compatible joystick (optional)
 
*  DirectX compatible joystick (optional)
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Installing high-resolution texture packs or add-ons may have an impact on performance and could require significantly higher computing specs.
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Installing high-resolution texture packs or addons may have an impact on performance and could require significantly higher computing specs.
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==The default solar system==
 
==The default solar system==
  
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The default solar system includes all known planets (except the [[Dwarf Planet|dwarf planets]]) and the major moons. Most planets are equipped with a [[Ephemeris|ephemeris]] module, which calculates the position of the celestial bodies to very high accuracy, making it possible to simulate historic space missions by using nearly the same manoeuvres as in reality.
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The default solar system includes all known planets (except the [[Dwarf Planet|dwarf planets]]) and the major moons. Most planets are equipped with a [[Ephemeris|ephemeris]] module, which calculate the position of the celestial bodies at a very high accuracy, making it possible to simulate historic space missions by using nearly the same maneuvers as in reality.
  
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Also included in the basic Orbiter distribution are several [[spaceport|spaceports]], where players can refuel their spacecraft:
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Spread over the inner solar system are some spaceports, which allow players to refuel their spacecrafts:
 
* [[Kennedy Space Center]]
 
* [[Kennedy Space Center]]
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* [[Habana]] located close to Habana, [[Cuba]]
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* [[Habana (spaceport)|Habana]] close to Habana, Cuba
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* [[Brighton Beach]] located on the [[Moons|Moon]] near side
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* [[Brighton Beach]] on [[Moon]]
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* [[Olympus]] spaceport located on [[Mars]]
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* [[Olympus]] on [[Mars]]
  
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For a complete list of the bases included with the Orbiter distribution, see the [[Surface bases]] article.
 
  
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==Standard Spacecraft==
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==The included spacecrafts==
  
 
* [[Dragonfly]]
 
* [[Dragonfly]]
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* [[Luna OB-1 Station|Luna Wheel Station]]
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* [[Luna Wheel Station]]
 
* [[Delta-glider]]
 
* [[Delta-glider]]
 
* [[Shuttle-A]]
 
* [[Shuttle-A]]
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* [[Hubble Space Telescope]]
 
* [[Hubble Space Telescope]]
 
* [[Long Duration Exposition Facility]]
 
* [[Long Duration Exposition Facility]]
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* [[Carina Satellite|Carina]]
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* [[Carina]]
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* [[International Space Station]]
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* [[Internation Space Station]]
 
* [[Mir]]
 
* [[Mir]]
  
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In spite of its destruction in reality, Mir is placed in an alternative orbit making it a possible start for interplanetary missions.
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Mir got placed into an alternative orbit (and was not deorbited) making it a possible start for interplanetary missions.
  
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==Installation Instructions==
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==How to install==
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The Orbiter install with two methods: The MSI and the ZIP method.
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===Files of the base distribution===
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The MSI (Microsoft installer) method installs Orbiter like a normal Windows application. Just run the MSI file to start the interactive installation process. This method will automatically create a desktop shortcut and start menu entry, including an uninstall option. This method is easy to use, but a bit more restrictive.
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{|border="1" width="90%"
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Manual ZIP file extraction is the traditional method for Orbiter installation. Download the ZIP file, create an Orbiter folder, and extract the contents of the ZIP file into the folder. That's all, and you are ready to launch orbiter.exe. This method is non-intrusive (it doesn't change the registry or system resources), allows multiple copies of Orbiter on a single system, and can be uninstalled by simply deleting the Orbiter folder.
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!File name
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===Optional Texture Packs===
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!MD5 sum
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Optional texture packs provide high-resolution surface textures for planets and moons included within Orbiter distribution. This will improve the visual appearance in many situations, but requires more computing power and a lot of hard disk space.
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!Description
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|-
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|orbiter060504_base.zip
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|3275A977612EE935A33164BF19CA8877
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|Basic installation file, required
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|-
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|orbiter060929patch_base.zip
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|F323033D4F8FCBC72E4EA1AF3C771708
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|Patch 1 for Orbiter 2006, upgrades to version 060929, required
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|-
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|orbiter060929_sdk.zip
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|ABD256D197E8E51BCA2B9435EAC60502
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|Orbiter SDK for add-on development, optional
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|-
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|Earth060504_L10.zip
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|91BB9E1314ED9142AF26704FA1D5DA0D
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|High resolution textures for Earth, optional
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|-
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|Mars060504_L10.zip
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|4C42C639842733BA8AB68750BFF21FAA
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|High resolution textures for Mars, optional
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|-
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|PlanetHires060504.zip
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|105A70B2DE3C5B363E125D003153FDB4
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|High resolution textures for the other planets, optional
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|-
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|Deltaglider060504_htex.zip
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|4D29BC89F71B25ACE65099F70BA25EA5
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|High resolution textures for the Delta-Glider, optional
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|-
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|Dragonfly060504_htex.zip
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|D566B97C9B00DC8269549B909E5783F6
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|High resolution textures for the Dragonfly, optional
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|-
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|}
  
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==Open Source==
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==Quotes==
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It was announced by Dr. Schweiger on 27 July 2021 that Orbiter has been published under an open source license, ([[w:MIT license|Wikipedia: MIT license]]). Details can be found at the Orbiter forum [https://www.orbiter-forum.com/threads/orbiter-is-now-open-source.40023/ , this thread].
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* ''"No. Orbiter 2007 will be out in 2008 at the earliest. Orbiter 2008 is then targetted for sometime between 2010 and 2020."'' - Martin Schweiger on the release date of future Orbiter versions.[http://orbit.m6.net/forum/Default.aspx?g=posts&m=170903#170903]
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
  
 
* [[Orbiter Visualisation Project]]
 
* [[Orbiter Visualisation Project]]
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==External Links==
 
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* [http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/ Official Orbiter Website]
 
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* [http://www.orbiter-forum.com Orbiter Forum]
 
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* [http://www.orbithangar.com/index.php Orbit Hangar Mods]
 
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[[Category: Articles]]
 
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[[Category:Orbiter]]
 

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