SP KERNEL Tools

The SP kernels contain information on Spacecraft position and Planet bodies. The operator may want or need to control which data kernels are to be used for a particular observation session. It is occasionally useful to view the contents of a kernel to understand the time resolution within the kernel. New orbits can be created with the Write option, enabling the user to tweak orbits to understand if other tour selection options provide better science return.

VII) SP KERNELS - pull-down menu for loading, writing, and viewing of SP kernels

• SPK AUTOLOAD - ON/off - controls automatic or manual loading of binary SP kernels from the CGGS SPK directory; when on, loads all available SPK files; when off, the user is prompted to load an SP kernel at the beginning of each new session
• VIEW SP-KERNEL - allows user to select a binary SP kernel, then displays information on each segment of that kernel
• WRITE SP-KERNEL - graphical front end to the NAIF SPICE routine, SPKW05, which allows the user to create a type 5 SP kernel from either orbital elements, or state vectors