You must pardon my fellow forum members they take Orbiter very seriously from a science/orbital mechanics perspective. To answer your question the best I can is I to have used X-plane 10 with the space shuttle mars low earth orbit ....Best I can tell you and being brutally honest and straightforward the best to hope for in X-plane is sub-orbital flight with a very limited realism feeling to it. I tried it one time and honestly thought it was a joke. Maybe it was orbiter and its realism in relation to "how would it really be in zero gravity" that has me spoiled and closed minded. Lets just say I was very disappointed. X-plane has a way to go in development in that regard IMO. Thats it in a nutshell. If you want eye candy and to fly in earths atmosphere in Xplane thats one thing but at 80,000 FT and higher its Orbiter In my book

But to answer your question use the X-15 or SR-71 or by using xplanes version of scenario editor use the space shuttle starting in orbit seeing as how they have a space shuttle model but no shuttle stack to launch vertically from a launch pad which IMO as I am a shuttle fan completely pissed me off..just saying. How do you have a space shuttle and the model is beautifull but no way to launch it? What were they thinking over there at laminar? IMO its a waste of a beautiful model! /end rant :hide: