Presentation Extensions of the SOAP

A set of extensions of the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) enables simultaneous and/or sequential presentation of information from multiple sources. SOAP is used in the aerospace community as a means of collaborative visualization and analysis of data on planned spacecraft missions. The following definitions of terms also describe the display modalities of SOAP as now extended: In SOAP terminology,

• “View” signifies an animated three-dimensional (3D) scene, two-dimensional still image, plot of numerical data, or any other visible display derived from a computational simulation or other data source;
• “Viewport” signifies a rectangular portion of a computer-display window containing a view;
• “Palette” signifies a collection of one or more viewports configured for simultaneous (split-screen) display in the same window;
• “Slide” signifies a palette with a beginning and ending time and an animation time step; and
• “Presentation” signifies a prescribed sequence of slides.

For example, multiple 3D views from different locations can be crafted for simultaneous display and combined with numerical plots and other representations of data for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The resulting sets of views can be temporally sequenced to convey visual impressions of a sequence of events for a planned mission.

This work was done by Robert Carnright of Caltech and David Stodden and John Coggi of The Aerospace Corporation for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The release of this software is controlled by the Air Force at Space and Missiles Center (SMC) in Los Angeles, California. The point of contact at SMC is 1Lt Matthew Nelson ( e-mail address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The use of this software is restricted to U.S.Government programs.