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SPICE System Development Plans

Learn about the ongoing and proposed development plans for the SPICE system, including web pages, event finding, visualization program integration, terrain kernel, plate model kernel, dynamic frames, and more.

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SPICE System Development Plans

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  1. SPICE System Development Plans June 2004

  2. Agenda • Work in progress (more or less) • Other ideas Plans for Further Development

  3. Work in Progress Plans for Further Development

  4. SPICE Web Pages • Provide a full-function Web interface to the NAIF/SPICE offerings: • Toolkits (packages and individual executables) • Documentation and Tutorials • Mission kernels • Generic kernels • News, bugs, plans, contact points, etc. Plans for Further Development

  5. Event Finding • Add routines that will search for geometrically defined events such as • Transit • Occultation • Eclipse • Rise or set • Closest approach • Max. elongation • etc. What should we add to this list? Plans for Further Development

  6. Better Integration with PopularVisualization Programs • A number of space geometry visualization tools provide some sort of interface with SPICE • NAIF should strive to make these interfaces more complete and more easily used • Examples above are from the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP), implemented by The Aerospace Corporation. • Satellite Toolkit from Analytical Graphics Inc. is another visualization package with some SPICE connections. Plans for Further Development

  7. Terrain Kernel • A “terrain kernel” would hold global terrain data sets, such as produced by the MGS MOLA instrument • Related SPICE Toolkit software would provide easy access to such data • Close coupling with SPICE will afford easily-made geometry computations related to instrument field-of-view, lighting angles, altitude, etc. Mars Global Terrain Based on Illuminated MOLA data* *Courtesy of T. Duxbury/MGS MOLA Team Plans for Further Development

  8. Plate Model Kernel forIrregularly Shaped Objects • Model an irregular body using tessellation of the surface with triangular “plates” • Provide tightly integrated Toolkit software that: • will produce a plate model from shape data • given such a plate model, will allow you to determine: • which plates are in view? • what are the illumination conditions of any plate? • phase • incidence • emission Plans for Further Development

  9. Run-time SPK and CK Kernels • Develop means to provide immediate (run-time) access to a collection of orbit data or orientation data that have not yet been placed into an SPK or CK file, respectively • The data would appear as if they came from such a file • Such data can be written to a real SPK or CK file for later use Plans for Further Development

  10. Dynamic Frames • Extend the SPICE Frames subsystem to support frames that are defined in term of directions that can be computed at run-time using SPICE kernels • spacecraft-centered, nadir-pointed frames for an orbiter • spacecraft-centered celestial frames defined by a s/c-sun or s/c-earth vector and reference star • frames whose definitions rely on specified surface normal vectors, such as the geocentric solar magnetic frame • The frame definitions will be made via a simple, high-level language and will be stored in an FK file or provided via SPICE API calls at run time • These dynamic frames can then be used in SPICE routines, enabling automatic conversion of state vectors between these frames and other frames recognized by the SPICE system Plans for Further Development

  11. Matlab Interface • Provide a Matlab interface to CSPICE, similar to that recently released for Interactive Data Language (IDL) Plans for Further Development

  12. “Sky” Catalog Kernel • Generic catalog for objects with “static” positions • Think of “star catalog” as a model • Can support a wide range of objects/spectral bands, using a single interface • Point Sources (Radio, Infra Red, Visible, Ultra Violet, X-Ray) • Galaxy, quasar, pulsar, nebula • Portable kernel files • Compact data representations • Data are indexed, providing high speed access • Indexes on position, magnitude, etc. Plans for Further Development

  13. Other Ideas Plans for Further Development

  14. Geometry Engine “GEOCALC” Local GUI application or web-based tool In this example, compute the illumination angles on Mars at LON 114.7 and LAT -14.7 as seen from Mars Express on 2004 JAN 4 08:52:00. The user can pick either a planetocentric or planetodetic reference frame. Plans for Further Development

  15. SPICE Parser - Interpreter • Implement a small, interpreted, high-level language interface to the full set of SPICE functionality • Would include mathematical computations typically used in association with SPICE • This tool would provide flexible access to all SPICE computations • Useful as a stand-alone tool with a command-line interface • Useful as a geometry engine that is integrated into a larger information system • Interface via CORBA or ??? Plans for Further Development

  16. Other Possibilities - 1 • Additional interfaces to SPICE: • Java (JNI), Python, Perl, MS Excel • Add mechanism(s) for providing and using accuracy information in SPK files. In CK files. • Add additional target models: rings, gravity, atmosphere, magnetosphere, … • Develop a more flexible and extensible instrument modeling mechanism • Provide an API that shows coverage (time, objects) of all loaded kernels Plans for Further Development

  17. Other Possibilities - 2 • Provide tools for easier specification and visualization of reference frames • Provide a “predict spk” tool that makes it easy to construct an SPK file from simple rules • Provide a better interface with the extensive comet/asteroid ephemeris database implemented by JPL’s Solar System Dynamics Group • Provide extended precision calculations for time and other quantities used by Radio Science investigations • Develop a truly object-oriented version of SPICE Plans for Further Development

  18. Other Possibilities - 3 • Add more high-level computations, such as instrument footprint coverage • Add hyperlinks to all SPICE documentation • Provide a C-Kernel merge utility, analogous to the existing SPKMERGE program Plans for Further Development

  19. Your Suggestions? • What do you propose? Plans for Further Development

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