Flight Simulators like FlightGear (free software) can scratch a similar itch. There's very little space flight¹, but a similarly steep learning curve which bears similarly rewarding fruit. There was a good thread of recommended flights about a month ago.
1
That said, FGFS has the most advanced Space Shuttle simulation outside of NASA (wiki / video), just in case you think KSP RP:1 is getting too easy for you. 😈 What it lacks is the ability to leave Earth orbit and visit celestial bodies. This is likely never coming. On the other hand, many of the flight dynamics models are based on real wind tunnel data, the atmospheric and meteorological model is very accurate, the gravitational and geographic models don't treat Earth as a sphere, etc.
Flight Simulators like FlightGear (free software) can scratch a similar itch. There's very little space flight¹, but a similarly steep learning curve which bears similarly rewarding fruit. There was a good thread of recommended flights about a month ago.
1
That said, FGFS has the most advanced Space Shuttle simulation outside of NASA (wiki / video), just in case you think KSP RP:1 is getting too easy for you. 😈 What it lacks is the ability to leave Earth orbit and visit celestial bodies. This is likely never coming. On the other hand, many of the flight dynamics models are based on real wind tunnel data, the atmospheric and meteorological model is very accurate, the gravitational and geographic models don't treat Earth as a sphere, etc.