One of the things I found from Orbiter is that it teaches you a great deal about negotiating orbits from an Earth takeoff, even for a novice. The "DG to the Moon" scenario is well-written in pacing, narrative, and explanation, involving the player in use of the interface.
What I would also like to see is a similar tutorial that gets the player from Brighton Beach back to Earth. I have seen some tutorial playbacks that try to do this, but are somewhat poorly written and run too fast to be effective teaching tools. I'm looking for something with a similar pacing that gets the player from the moon back to Canaveral. It would be best if such a simulation also included recommended MFD software (preferably something established and intuitive) and some instruction on how to handle a couple simple variants of the delta glider (i.e., the existing tutorial handles the DG without SCRAMjets, but SCRAM variants might be worth a mention). This would be beneficial for a mention on how to manage weight versus approach angle. This would be a variable for orbinauts, they would have to dump some fuel, but no two approaches would be the same. The idea would be to teach them how to bring the orbiter into the atmosphere and navigate to their chosen landing field. Even the first step is kinda tricky...navigating back from the moon. The orbital mechanics aren't so easy when you're orbiting a sattelite and trying to get back to the primary using minimal fuel. How do you figure the variables?
Orbiter taught us how to get out there. Teach us how to get back.
What I would also like to see is a similar tutorial that gets the player from Brighton Beach back to Earth. I have seen some tutorial playbacks that try to do this, but are somewhat poorly written and run too fast to be effective teaching tools. I'm looking for something with a similar pacing that gets the player from the moon back to Canaveral. It would be best if such a simulation also included recommended MFD software (preferably something established and intuitive) and some instruction on how to handle a couple simple variants of the delta glider (i.e., the existing tutorial handles the DG without SCRAMjets, but SCRAM variants might be worth a mention). This would be beneficial for a mention on how to manage weight versus approach angle. This would be a variable for orbinauts, they would have to dump some fuel, but no two approaches would be the same. The idea would be to teach them how to bring the orbiter into the atmosphere and navigate to their chosen landing field. Even the first step is kinda tricky...navigating back from the moon. The orbital mechanics aren't so easy when you're orbiting a sattelite and trying to get back to the primary using minimal fuel. How do you figure the variables?
Orbiter taught us how to get out there. Teach us how to get back.
