Since I am already on the subject of Mars… the X-Plane flight simulator now includes a number of Mars ports at which you can land your SpaceShipOne. Here is a recent announcement of the Mars extensions to the X-Plane product:
Trans-global flight on the planet Mars is now available to X-Plane
pilots. If you don’t have the Mars Data CD set….go to x-plane.com and buy it!
Over 70 ‘marsports’ have been constructed, several with ILS and GS, to provide the Mars enthusiast (like myself) an opportunity to explore the future home of human beings…today!X-Plane users may either download the complete Mars X-perience package, or simply the apt.dat and nav.dat files. The MXP .zip file contains Custom Scenery, maps, and the “Cydonia Station” shuttlecraft. The SS1MARS is a modified version of SpaceShipOne engineered to tackle the thin Martian atmosphere (original X-Plane flight model created by Curt Boyll).
This data has not been tested on XP-8, but Robin Peel has indicated he will be giving it a run very soon.
You can find out more about it here.
I wish I could afford the hardware upgrade so I could play too!
Orbiter is a pretty good simulator, too. And free.
Ah, but X-Plane (and Flight Gear, the open source competitor) are not just simulators. They do *serious* physical modeling and let you design and flight test your own aircraft. Not just a game simulation, but an aircraft design simulation suitable for early modeling of prototypes.
Now that is a plane of a different liverage.
You’ll need quick reactions.
Mars has an atmospheric pressure of 7 millibars – or just over 0.5% of that on Earth – basically a vacuum. The gravity is about 40% of Earth’s. If a plane that can fly in Earth’s thick atmosphere is to generate enough lift and be landable on Mars it would need to be zipping along at close to orbital speeds – with a serious heat shield up front.
I offer the prize of a free Mars Bar to the first person who successfully lands a ‘plane’ on Mars with no forward view and at not less than a couple of thousand MPH landing speed.
I think that for the time being we should assume that landings on Mars will continue to be vertical and rocket powered. Still make a fun simulator though!
A Czech Mars Bar or one of the last British ones?
hello…
I just happened upon this blog, and am truly honored. However, readers should be aware X-Plane for Mars is calibrated for the Martian atmosphere and gravity. When flying on Mars, it is important to take into account the amount of lift an airfoil will create. The lifting characteristics of SpaceShipOne made flying on Mars easy. As you can see in the image, the wings and flaps have been extended to provide more surface area on the craft.
There are many things happening at X-Plane.org, including technical and hypothetical ponderings on the question of flying on Mars. NASA Ames Research has developed a viable model for flying on Mars as well.
Even if all parameters of the martian atmosphere are not included in the development of these models…one thing is for sure. It’s fun!