Otherworldly Java: Gateway to the Moon and Beyond

The international space community is entering a new age of space exploration beyond Earth orbit. Human spaceflight plans a return to the Moon while robotic flights explore the outer planets and their moons in a search for signs of life. Complicated mission scenarios involve significant computational challenges and require innovative software solutions to limit a nearly infinite design space.

We’ll discuss the unique approaches we’ve used to tackle this complex problem:

• JavaFX and custom 3D visualizations integrated into the design process tapping into the user’s intuition: visualizations are an integral part of the design rather than an afterthought
• Rapid parallel data search and filtration capabilities: by visually selecting datasets, a trajectory designer finds the needle in the haystack of potential spacecraft orbits
• Partnership between an expert Java developer and a trajectory designer: when a developer understands the user and her domain, a tool emerges that is larger than the sum of its parts

We’ll feature the Duke’s Choice Award-winning Deep Space Trajectory Explorer, a JavaFX-based trajectory design and visualization software package that features a mix of custom 2D and 3D visualizations. The goal of this session is to demonstrate the art of the possible when using modern Java toolkits to build high quality, high performance applications for Science and Aerospace industries.