Using the General Mission
Analysis Tool (GMAT)
Steven P. Hughes (NASA GSFC)
Darrel J. Conway (Thinking Systems, Inc.)
Portions of this presentation were written by members of the GMAT team and are used with their
permission.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20170001580 2018-03-29T14:11:05+00:00Z
Tutorial Overview
• GMAT Basics (D. Conway)
• Mission Design Walk-Through (S. Hughes)
• GMAT Navigation Example (D. Conway)
• CSALT Demo (S. Hughes)
• Wrap-Up (S. Hughes)
GMAT Software Demonstration
AAS Guidance and Control Conference,
Feb. 7, 2017
2
Outline
I. GMAT Overview
II. Key Concepts
Two Parallel Interfaces
a.
b. Resources and Commands
c.
d.
Fields and Parameters
Execution Model
III. Tour of the Graphical
User Interface
a. GUI Controls
b. Resources Tree
c. Mission Tree
d. Output Tree
e. OrbitView
IV. Tour of the Script
Language
a. Basic Syntax
b. Control Structures
c. Using Math
d. Using Parameters
e. Solvers
f.
g. Best Practices
Script Editor
V. A Quick Demo
GMAT Software Demonstration
AAS Guidance and Control Conference,
Feb. 7, 2017
3
GMAT
OVERVIEW
GMAT Timeline
• Design Started in 2002
• Development Began in early 2003
• Initial Fully Functional Build: 2004
• First Public Demonstration/Release: 2007
– Alpha/pre-Beta System
– Used for Mission Design and Analysis
• First Public Beta Release: R2011a
• First Production Release: R2013a
– First Operationally Ready Release
– Target: The Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
• Current Release: R2016a
– First Production Ready Navigation Release
– Target: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
GMAT Software Demonstration
AAS Guidance and Control Conference,
Feb. 7, 2017
5
System Features
• Platforms Supported: Windows, Mac, Linux
• External Interfaces: MATLAB and Python
• Development Approach: Modified Open
Source
– Developed Behind a NASA Firewall
– Periodic Public Releases of Builds and Code
– Supports a Robust Plugin Framework
• Extensively Tested
– More that 13000 Core Code Tests Run Nightly
– More that 3000 GUI Tests
GMAT Software Demonstration
AAS Guidance and Control Conference,
Feb. 7, 2017
6
Mission Design and Nav.
Applications
• Orbit design, optimization,
and selection
• Control design
• Visualization
• Orbit product generation
and delivery
• Event detection/prediction
• Fuel bookkeeping &
lifetime analysis
• Propulsion system sizing
• Launch window analysis
• Sensitivity and Monte Carlo
analysis
• Navigation data simulation
• Orbit determination
• Maneuver planning and
calibration
• Maneuver Support and
reconstruction
• End-of-Life modelling
• Ephemeris prediction
GMAT Software Demonstration
AAS Guidance and Control Conference,
Feb. 7, 2017
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System Characteristics
• World-class quality software
–
TRL 9, Class B, (Part of Center-wide CMMI
Accreditation)
– Over 16,000+ automated script and GUI tests
• Large system with extensible design
–
–
–
–
540k C++ LOC Core
Script, GUI, and plugin interfaces
2 Interfaces to external systems (MATLAB and
Python (under development)
890k LOC from other libraries (SNOPT (Stanford
Business Software). SPICE (JPL NAIF), Wx-
Widgets, VF13ad (Harwell), TSPlot Plotting
Package (Thinking Systems, Inc.), Mars-GRAM
model (MSFC)
• Enterprise level support
–
–
–
Large online support site (wiki, forums, issue
tracker, downloads, etc)
Extensive Documentation (~1000 page User Guide
and Reference Manual and ~100 pages of step-by-
step tutorials)
Training (full-day live training courses and recorded
training available via YouTube channel)
GMAT Software Demonstration
AAS Guidance and Control Conference,
Feb. 7, 2017
8