Orbiter

An orbiter is a space probe that orbits a planet or other astronomical object. An orbiter can be either man-made, or created naturally..

Examples

Asteroids

Earth

Jupiter

Mars

Mercury

Moon

Saturn

Sun

Orbiter (ride)

The Orbiter is a fairground ride invented by Richard Woolls in 1976, with showman Henry Frederick Smith investing in the blueprints and consequently being the first owner, taking delivery in 1976 of the OB-1, making its debut at Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate, Kent.

Description

It has a number of articulated arms radiating from a central rotating vertical axis. Each arm supports a cluster of cars, which are lifted through 90° into the horizontal position once the ride is spinning. At the same time, each cluster of cars rotates around its arm's axis.

The Orbiter/Typhoon/Predator arms don't always tilt at the same height (90%). Some might tilt all the way while others don't tilt a lot. Most Orbiters consist of six arms, and have three cars for each arm with up to two people sitting in each car. There is a metal lap bar that comes down on the car for the restraint.

Production

The Orbiter is made by Tivoli manufacturing, a British company. In the U.S. their representative is Amtech.

Orbiter (comics)

Orbiter is a graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran, published in 2003 by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint.

It is a hard science fiction story set in the early 21st Century about a team of specialists employed to understand the mysterious reappearance of the space shuttle Venture. The shuttle crashed back to Earth after disappearing ten years earlier with its crew missing, save for the catatonic pilot, and alien technology on board.

Ellis and Doran are both space flight enthusiasts and dedicated Orbiter to the "lives, memories and legacies" of the astronauts who died in the 2003 Columbia disaster.

Warren Ellis received an Eisner Award nomination as Best Writer for his 2004 works including Orbiter.

Publication history

The graphic novel was first published as a hardcover by Vertigo in April 2003 (ISBN 1-4012-0056-7) and as a softcover by Little Brown in May 2004 (ISBN 1-4012-0268-3). Titan Books published a British softcover in June 2004 (ISBN 1840237244)

Plot synopsis