The Orbiter is a free space flight simulator which lets you launch, land and generally lark about in a range of space going vehicles, including the space shuttle Atlantis.

The key features of this excellent program are the fabulous space imagery, the incredibly accurate flight physics modelling and the fact that it is a hobby project from a certain Dr Martin Schweiger of University College London.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty pictures though. This is one tough puppy to fly, and you will need a working knowledge of space flight dynamics to even start to get it working properly. Oh and to get the best out of it, go here and download a set of cool sound effects to go with the sim. [via Geeknews]