MITT
The MITT—or, the Magical Interplanetary Trajectory tool, is a software tool designed to make it possible for people without much physics background to learn orbital mechanics and plot realistic interplanetary trajectories.
When I was in high school I developed a deep interest in orbital mechanics. I had discovered an exceptionally realistic space flight simulator called Orbiter. It’s amazing, but the realism makes the learning curve much steeper than ordinary flight simulators. It took me two years, off and on, to learn enough physics such that I could navigate the Solar System. This “game” was ultimately the reason why I learned calculus.
However, despite finding numerous high-quality resources that made it possible for me to learn orbital mechanics, there was a large gap: an intuitive tool aimed at casual users capable of plotting real interplanetary trajectories. Basically, I wanted to replace TransX, an MFD module that has become the default way for ‘orbinauts’ to plan interplanetary trajectories. But TransX has several limitations:
- Conic section physics: This means that you can’t really use ion thrusters, fly brachistochrone trajectories, or use any kind of continuous thrust engine.
- Terrible UI: We have computers so powerful that Orbiter can really immerse you in a realistic, 3D, virtual spaceflight environment. Why is the best trajectory tool an emulated MFD? So much wasted potential.
MITT is being written to overcome these limitations. My hope is that not only will it become the standard way to plan interplanetary trajectories in Orbiter, but also be used in educational settings.
