Most of my progress on the astronomical instrument has taken the form of technical research. In order to implement what I’m envisioning, I need to familiarize myself with the particularities of Open Space and NASA’s SPICE data (which provides positions and times for a number of space objects, including planets and rovers).
There are the resources I’ve identified so far:
Python is the language I’m most familiar with, so this is immensely helpful. I’m realizing I may have to pre-process the data before I do front-end work in Open Space (the data is immense). Open Space already has some webhooks I can utilize, and I will likely use either Serial or Bluetooth to communicate between my physical controller and a web server controlling Open Space.
My goal is to have this completed in time for NASA’s Space Apps Hackathon at the Lowest East Side Girls Club on October 18th. The Girls Club has a planetarium that uses Open Space for shows, and I’d like my astronomical instrument to facilitate that.