Orbiter in 20 years

markl316

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So I've been wondering a bit lately...
What will Orbiter be in 20 years? Will it even still be around?
Over the past 4 years, I have come to really like this simulator. Seeing the difference between the first edition (2001) and the 2008 beta, I wonder what Orbiter will look like in 20 years. I'm wondering, what are your thoughts?
 

Pilot7893

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Interglalctic travel? Photo coverage of the entire Earth? Terrain coverage? Who knows?
 

mjessick

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I had some free time this weekend and was working code to hook up a panel button and an autolanding algorithm. (A new DG main engine autolanding at Brighton Beach algorithm, then transition to hover to drop onto the lunar VTOL pad.) I realized that the only part left to finish now was attitude control during hover. This means that I have to re-hook up Orbiter module code that was first played with in 2002.

Given the history of this particular hobby project, I can say with great confidence that in 2020, I'll be breaking into the nursing home computer center after hours, still trying to finish it!:rofl:
 

Artlav

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2 major options i can see here:

1. A piece of history, because at current rates manned space travel will be considered too dangerous for the general public, and any computer game proposing it would be criminalized.

2. A budget or major space pilot training simulator and motion physics understanding tool, because an invention about to be made that will make space travel and inertial piloting vehicles common place in 20 years.


As to what it will look like - that is wholly beyond speculations - just compare Lunar Lander arcade with current Orbiter to get a scale of potential.
 

Piper

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"The Matrix" style virtual reality? Who knows, especially considering 20 years ago I didn't even own a computer, and considered the graphics on "The Last Starfighter" to be mind-blowing realistic.
 

TMac3000

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I suppose that depends on what computers look like in the next 20 years. Perhaps by then, we will all be able to take real space tours, so we won't even need programs like Orbiter, beloved as it is to me.
 

BHawthorne

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I seriously doubt this will be an active project 20 years from now. Software development life cycle would almost dictate it would be a part of history unless it was totally rewritten 3 or 4 times over that timeframe to properly take advantage of the hardware it might be able to run on. I envision 20 years in the future there'll be a spaceflight sim, but it'll be enfluenced by Orbiter, not be Orbiter.
 

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Full immersion VR simulation (Matrix, Holodeck, etc), even if its not a direct descendant of the Orbiter we currently know and love.
 

wolfast

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I suppose that depends on what computers look like in the next 20 years. Perhaps by then, we will all be able to take real space tours, so we won't even need programs like Orbiter, beloved as it is to me.

off topic.... but your from SC also? wow Years of Orbiter ... and your the first Ive ran into!!!!


Oh...on topic, I hope Orbiter is around in 10 years in some form.... but 20? the question should be what will computers be like in 20 years???
 

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There are chances in 20 years there will be always people using Orbiter.

The same that there are always people playing Red Storm Rising, like me, and enjoy this game that is now 20 years old.

As long as in 20 years we are not back to prehistory due to some massive disaster, and computers at such date will be able to run it or emulate it.

Oh nostalgia, when i was a kid we all thought everyone would have flying cars in year 2000 :D
 

Bj

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Hopefully in 20 years, Orbiter will still be running, and computer technology will advance so much that everyone will be able to have 10+ Ghz processors, and Orbiter will look like;

space_shuttle_13.jpg
 

Star explorer

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2 major options i can see here:

1. A piece of history, because at current rates manned space travel will be considered too dangerous for the general public, and any computer game proposing it would be criminalized.

2. A budget or major space pilot training simulator and motion physics understanding tool, because an invention about to be made that will make space travel and inertial piloting vehicles common place in 20 years.


As to what it will look like - that is wholly beyond speculations - just compare Lunar Lander arcade with current Orbiter to get a scale of potential.



well actuly the geneal public is becoming more intrested in space flight and companies are already forming to create ships for commercial space flight. not to mention the fact that reguler people will also be making space ships (a.k.a. the guy who made the armidillo).
 

TMac3000

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2 major options i can see here:

1. A piece of history, because at current rates manned space travel will be considered too dangerous for the general public, and any computer game proposing it would be criminalized.

2. A budget or major space pilot training simulator and motion physics understanding tool, because an invention about to be made that will make space travel and inertial piloting vehicles common place in 20 years.


As to what it will look like - that is wholly beyond speculations - just compare Lunar Lander arcade with current Orbiter to get a scale of potential.


I think a gentleman by the name of Burt Rutan would be happy to debate you on these points.


-----Post Added-----


off topic.... but your from SC also? wow Years of Orbiter ... and your the first Ive ran into!!!!

Yep. I'm from Rowesville, in fact. Which part are you from?

Oh...on topic, I hope Orbiter is around in 10 years in some form.... but 20? the question should be what will computers be like in 20 years???

I agree. But with computers advancing as fast as they are, I wonder what NASA's equipment will be like.
 

cjp

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I seriously doubt this will be an active project 20 years from now. Software development life cycle would almost dictate it would be a part of history unless it was totally rewritten 3 or 4 times over that time frame to properly take advantage of the hardware it might be able to run on. I envision 20 years in the future there'll be a spaceflight sim, but it'll be influenced by Orbiter, not be Orbiter.
(edited the quote according to spelling suggestions by Firefox)

That's what I wanted to say too.
 

Urwumpe

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Kerbal Space Program has taken over, Orbiter has been mostly forgotten :(
?

So, nothing really changed. There is the huge KSP empire.

And there is a tiny village around Orbiter, that isn't scared of multi-body physics and non-spherical gravity.

 

Max-Q

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Kerbal Space Program has taken over, Orbiter has been mostly forgotten :(
WRONG!!!

I have nothing against KSP, but it is a game, and a payware one at that.
Orbiter is not only free and open-source, but with a realistic physics engine and an amazing API, it is an engineering tool and trajectory analysis tool as well. However, even with all the power and capability under the hood, it can still be used as a game if the user wishes, with vessels like the DG and navigation tools like TransX/IMFD.
And another thing, just try and build an addon like NASSP (running real Apollo AGC software) in KSP! Go ahead, I dare you!
 
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