MARC-a system for simulation and visualization of space mission scenarios

Author

Stephenson, Thomas ; Gelberg, Lawrence

Author_Institution

Anal. Sci. Corp., Reading, MA, USA

Volume

4

Issue

6

fYear

1989

fDate

6/1/1989 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

14

Lastpage

19

Abstract

MARC (modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing), a system using advanced computer graphics and animation techniques for spacecraft mission simulation, is described. The MARC system provides capabilities for generating complex models of both man-made and natural phenomena. The system models orbital dynamics of terrestrial satellites, supports solid models for the Earth, Sun, and Moon, and simulates the dynamics of terrestrial satellites for arbitrary elliptical orbits. A stellar background including magnitudes and spectral types is generated. The elements of the MARC system, including object modeling tools, orbital animation techniques, the rendering system used to compute individual frames, and the compositing techniques used, are discussed. The software architecture of the MARC system and the hardware used to support the system are described.<>

Keywords

aerospace computing; aerospace simulation; computer graphics; digital simulation; Earth; MARC; Moon; Sun; aerospace simulation; animation; arbitrary elliptical orbits; compositing; computer graphics; modeling; orbital animation techniques; orbital dynamics; rendering; spacecraft mission simulation; terrestrial satellites; Animation; Computational modeling; Computer graphics; Computer simulation; Rendering (computer graphics); Satellites; Solid modeling; Space missions; Space vehicles; Visualization;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0885-8985

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/62.31814

Filename

31814