SciBox: A software library for rapid development of science operation simulation, planning, and command tools

SciBox is an APL-developed software library designed specifically for space operation simulation, planning, and commanding. It is not a ready-to-use application but rather a toolbox for rapid development of customized, focused software applications. It was built to meet the needs of several programs under development in the APL Space Department. The SciBox library is constructed with an extensible architecture that allows capabilities to be continually acquired and integrated into it. The ultimate goals are to enable rapid development of high-fidelity operation simulation tools for use at the earliest stages of mission development when critical instrument design decisions are made, and to reduce the cost of developing operation simulation tools for use in spacecraft testing, instrument testing, and science operation planning and commanding.