Hands-on tools to explore attitude, orbital mechanics, and GNC algorithms.
This section turns the platform into an interactive spacecraft engineering environment. The tools are arranged as a workflow: start with orbit design, convert states, propagate motion, add maneuvers, study rendezvous, model attitude dynamics, design controllers, and connect space-environment effects to drag and decay.
These tools build the foundation: orbit geometry, maneuver cost, state conversion, and basic mission-design quantities.
Compute the Δv and transfer time needed to move between two circular coplanar orbits.
Convert between classical orbital elements and Cartesian position–velocity state vectors.
Estimate the Δv required to rotate an orbital plane or change inclination.
Compute ballistic coefficient from mass, drag coefficient, and reference area.
These tools move beyond calculators and show system behaviour visually: propagation, relative motion, guidance, attitude response, and decay.
Propagate an orbit from classical orbital elements and visualize its motion in 3D.
Explore proportional navigation and simplified gravity-turn launch guidance.
These tools support transfer design, phasing, and mission targeting beyond a single two-burn maneuver.
Solve a transfer between two position vectors for a selected time of flight.
Design a catch-up or delay maneuver by changing orbital period.
Compare a direct Hohmann transfer with a staged transfer through an intermediate orbit.
This section connects orbit mechanics to proximity operations, chaser-target motion, and LVLH-frame reasoning.
Show natural relative ellipses, along-track drift, and cross-track oscillation.
Compute a simple HCW-based transfer between a chaser and target.
These tools expand the platform from orbital motion into spacecraft rotational dynamics and actuator behaviour.
Convert between attitude representations and visualize gimbal-lock risk.
Simulate rotational motion using inertia, torque, angular velocity, and quaternions.
Show wheel speed, momentum buildup, spacecraft response, and saturation risk.
These tools show the control progression from PID to modern control, estimation, and guidance laws.
Explore how PID gains shape rise time, overshoot, settling behaviour, and steady-state error.
Design an optimal state-feedback controller from A and B matrices.
Compare truth, noisy measurements, estimated state, uncertainty, and Kalman gain.
These tools connect the space environment to orbital lifetime, drag acceleration, and ballistic-coefficient sensitivity.
Compare altitude versus density using an exponential atmosphere and simplified NRLMSISE-style profile.
Simulate altitude decay using BC, density, drag acceleration, and solar activity.
The tools are not isolated calculators. They form an engineering workflow from initial orbit design to simulation, control, estimation, and mission analysis.
The next phase will deepen selected tools into workflow-level engineering simulations rather than adding only more calculators.
RK vs Euler vs timestep effect, including trajectory evolution, energy conservation, and numerical-error interpretation. The basic Orbit Propagator exists, but this deeper numerical-methods version is not fully built yet.
The current PID Playground exists, but the next upgrade will add disturbance rejection, actuator limits, sampling time, and links to discrete-versus-continuous simulation behaviour.
Combine orbit design, maneuvers, constraints, propagation, and mission reasoning in one integrated workflow.
Study satellites versus ground coverage, revisit time, access windows, and mission-level coverage trade-offs.
Model sensor visibility, tracking arcs, observation geometry, and space-situational-awareness reasoning — a mini STK-style learning tool.