"Physical" Virtual cockpit

[thegrogen]

Not sure if this has already been posted, or if it's posted in the right place, but... Has anyone ever considered using Orbiter to build an actual "physical" simulator, like the ones used in astronaut training? It strikes me that assuming a set of controls could be provided to it, and some way to give it multi-monitor capability (to simulate views out the windows, MFDs, etc.), Orbiter would be very good for this sort of thing. More to the point, does anyone have any ideas as to how this might actually be done?

 

[Kyle]

Ya, its the Orbitnaut dream.

 

[John_L]

Rob Conley had spoke with some of the brass at Glenn Research, when some of them saw orbiter, they got the idea of modding the Mercury boilerplate to be reborn as a simulator, but I don't know if anything came of it or not. If not, I'd love to get involved in modding the boilerplate into a simulator using orbiter. There would have to be some custom orbiter work done though. Perhaps a pc or two with multiple video cards, and a single instance of orbiter running, with various outputs going to various monitors out the windows, and the internal switches being ran to a modified keyboard such that when a switch is thrown, the appropriate key switch is closed on the keyboard. It would make a a great addition to Glenn research for visitors to be able to 'fly' a mercury mission

 

[n0mad23]

You might want to look at this thread: http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?p=35295#post35295