Space system visualization and analysis using the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP)

The Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) is an interactive software system which employs 3D graphics animation to display the relative motion of satellites, airplanes, ships, and ground stations. Users may construct coordinate systems, sensor shapes, and wireframe spacecraft models. A variety of XY plots and data reports may also be generated. SOAP provides analysis, visualization, and simulation capabilities that can answer a variety of questions that commonly arise in space system modeling. This paper presents an overview of SOAP Version 8, targeted for an early 1995 release on MS-DOS and OSF/Motif based computers. Version 8 offers a rich set of display and analysis features, all integrated into an object-oriented environment with a modern graphical user interface. Propagation of satellites, airplanes/ships, ground stations, the Sun, and the Moon is accomplished in SOAP by using the ASTROLIB astrodynamic routines developed by the Aerospace Corporation. A new C-language implementation of ASTROLIB provides a flexible application programmer interface that is well-suited for the development of interactive software