DISTRIBUTED VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR SATELLITE ORBITAL MODELING AND NEAR-EARTH SPACE ENVIRONMENT SIMULATION AND PORTRAYAL

The Satellite Modeler (SM) is a distributed virtual environment applic ation that simulates the near-Earth space environment and portrays 3D graphical satellite models moving in their correct orbits around the E arth. The system allows the user to view satellites in orbit from both a space-based and Earth-based point of view. The Satellite Modeler pr ovides capabilities that allow a user to interact with multiple satell ite models and with active satellite constellations. The user can esta blish satellite constellations. The user can establish satellite orbit al parameters during distributed virtual environment initialization an d while the virtual environment is running. The system also functions as a network actor in a distributed virtual environment. The Satellite Modeler achieves realistic physical modeling of satellite orbital mot ion by basing its orbital calculations upon orbital mechanics and NORA D orbital element descriptions for satellites in orbit.