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SatTrack(TM) (V3.1) ---
A Real-time Satellite Tracking and Orbit Prediction
Program for UNIX/Linux Platforms with X11 Color Graphics
(SatTrack V3.1, Patchlevel 6)
January 13, 1997
Bester Tracking Systems
P.O. Box 8899
Emeryville, CA 94662
(510) 654-7824
http://www.bester.com
General description
===================
SatTrack is a real-time satellite tracking and orbit propagation program
with an X11 color world map tracking chart. It has been written in 'C' language
on a Sun/UNIX workstation and provides two different live displays,
for single or multiple satellites, and two different orbit prediction modes.
Cursor controls used in the numerical live displays are compatible with the
VT100 standard, which allows the program to be run basically from any terminal
without the graphics display. If the program is run from an X Window terminal,
the realtime graphics display can be started up. It will show the location
of any number of specified satellites like the Space Shuttle or the Russian
Space Station Mir, featuring the circle of visibility for any selected
spacecraft and for the primary and a number of secondary ground stations.
Also shown are the ground track for the next three orbits, the black-out zones
for communication through the TDRSS network, Mission Elapsed Time (MET), the
terminator, spacecraft lighting conditions and other details. The world maps
are provided in two different styles with four different sizes each.
Program SatTrack is particularly interesting for the upcoming Shuttle - Mir
rendezvous missions.
The present version of SatTrack (V3.1) can track a single satellite and/or
display multiple satellites for a single ground station. It can also control
suitable ground station hardware, like antennas, optical telescopes and
communications equipment with the proper Doppler corrections, and has an
autotrack mode in which it can switch automatically between a number of
specified satellites. For calibration purposes tracking of the Sun and the
Moon are also provided. In the orbit prediction mode SatTrack pre-calculates
passes of satellites over a specified ground station. The predictions can be
run off either interactively or in a batch mode.
SatTrack uses the two-line Keplerian element (TLE) sets generated by the
US Space Command or NASA to run either the SGP4 model for satellites in
low-earth orbit or a simplified model for deep-space objects. The commercial
version, SatTrack V4.0, has many more features, like a Graphical User
Interface, like fast forward mode that will allow the user to view satellite
motions at higher speed, the SDP4 model for deep-space objects, multiple
ground stations and second graphics display with a fish-eye sky view. Other
program features allow prediction of GPS coverage and precision (DOP) as
a function of time.
Applications
============
Applications of this software package range from visualizing orbits or
monitoring positions of individual artificial satellites or any groups of
satellites like the GPS system, to satellite system monitoring and space
shuttle mission control objectives and mission planning, as well as full
featured and automated ground station control. A wide number of applications
becomes feasible with the realtime hooks built into modern Unix systems
like Solaris 2.3.
System requirements
===================
SatTrack V3.1 has been successfully compiled on the following platforms:
Sun-3 or Sun-4 (SPARCstation IPC, 5 or 10) with SunOS 4.1.x or Solaris 2.x,
HP Apollo 9000 Series 700, IBM RS-6000, SGI Indigo 2 with IRIX 5.3,
DEC Alpha with AXP/OSF, i386-Linux, i386-NetBSD, or i386-FreeBSD, with X11R5
and X11R6 and various window managers. Only basic X11 and X11 Toolkit functions
have been used to allow the program to be ported easily. SatTrack requires
about 5 MB of disk space and less than 1.5 MB of memory at run time. With
operating systems like Solaris 2.5 or VxWorks 5.2, true realtime performance
can be achieved with SatTrack.
How to obtain a copy
====================
Current on-line information on SatTrack can be found on the World Wide Web
page with the following URL:
http://www.bester.com
The distribution file 'sattrack-3.1.6.tar.gz' can be obtained from this
web page as well and has to be uncompressed and unbundled with the commands
'gunzip' and 'tar -xvf', respectively. This will create the SatTrack directory
tree. The README_MAKE file in the 'src' sub-directory gives brief instructions
to compile the source code. More documentation can be found in the 'doc'
sub-directory.
The much advanced commercial off-the-shelf version of SatTrack (V4.0)
can be obtained from Bester Tracking Systems. Please check our web site at
the above URL for detailed information and screen examples.
Copyright
=========
Copyright (c) 1992-1997 Bester Tracking Systems. All Rights Reserved.
SatTrack V3.1 is registered with the United States Library of Congress.
SatTrack is a trademark of Bester Tracking Systems.
Permission to incorporate this software or parts of it into commercial
products has to be obtained from Bester Tracking Systems, P.O. Box 8899,
Emeryville, CA 94662, USA. Note that distributing SatTrack 'bundled'
in with ANY product is considered to be a 'commercial purpose'.
Please give credit for non-commercial use of SatTrack V3.1 to
Bester Tracking Systems.
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